Chapter 977 - A Perfect Merge
Throughout the process, Cage stood nearby, watching Han Wu’s transformation. His strength had dropped sharply after giving his legacy away, and he had fallen below the World rank.
Without the Dark Archmage legacy gnawing at his mind day and night, his mental state also improved dramatically, and he felt lighter than he had in years.
Cage had his reasons for being so insistent on passing the Dark Archmage Form to Han Wu. Earlier, Han Wu had controlled a massive undead army without showing the slightest fatigue. That meant Han Wu’s soul was strong.
The Dark Archmage legacy could only be inherited by two types of people. Either someone with an iron will, meaning a soul powerful enough to resist the legacy’s temptations and corruption, or one whose heart was already dark. That latter would embrace the Dark Archmage’s influence willingly, gaining rapid power at the risk of being consumed by it.
Cage had judged Han Wu to be the first, which was why he had pushed so hard. Doing so freed Cage from the burden while granting Han Wu greater strength. This was a win for both sides.
As Han Wu’s fusion progressed, however, Cage noticed something troubling. The dark energy radiating from Han Wu was growing more intense by the second. A person with a strong will wouldn’t react to the legacy in this way. This looked far more like someone with a dark heart merging perfectly with the Dark Archmage legacy.
Dread welled up within Cage. Have I chosen wrongly? Is Han Wu not someone with an iron will but someone with a dark heart?
“This is bad. If the Dark Archmage legacy takes control of him, the Full Moon Library is finished!” Cage muttered in a panic. “I have to destroy him before it's too late. I can’t let him go out there and harm others.”
Cage activated his power, and eleven librarians appeared in the space. Although they appeared outwardly unassuming in their day-to-day roles, every single one of them was actually a Seventh Form powerhouse.
“Director, why did you summon us?” one librarian asked. Then he felt the dark energy rising from Han Wu and understood immediately.
“The legacy failed after all?”
“Why is the darkness from this kid so dense?”
“Isn’t it obvious? He has a dark heart, and the Dark Archmage legacy only grew his inner darkness. Someone like this would be a menace if released. We can’t let him live.”
“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s set up the formation and kill him while we still can.”
Cage and the eleven librarians coordinated seamlessly. They each activated their most powerful Forms and arranged themselves into a dazzling Twelve-Pointed Star formation, trapping Han Wu at its center.
Han Wu’s Merge of the three new special Forms was at a critical stage when he felt external pressure. Opening his eyes, he saw twelve people circling him, chanting under their breath. The pressure in the air was mounting rapidly, growing heavy enough to make even someone of his caliber struggle to breathe.
The Full Moon Library’s people were trying to suppress him. The Merge was nearly done, but he couldn’t use any of the Forms involved until it was. Neither his Third Form, Swordwind, nor his Sixth Form, Fire Dragon Knight, would be enough to withstand the combined suppression of twelve opponents.
At this critical moment, Han Wu played his hidden trump card: the Demon King Transformation!
His body changed as the imposing Demon King Transformation manifested. Its terrifying aura pushed Han Wu’s power to the Microcosm rank. As the Great Dragon Ring appeared behind him, his aura condensed into the shape of an invisible Great Dragon and let out a thunderous roar.
At that moment, Swordwind and Fire Dragon Knight Forms responded to the Demon King Transformation’s influence, activating alongside it. The two forms layered onto the Demon King Transformation, adding wind, fire, and darkness to its already overwhelming presence.
Han Wu brushed the edge of the Demon King Transformation’s second stage.
“What terrifying pressure! What a dark heart! We cannot let him escape this space, even if that means sacrificing our lives here today!” Cage shouted, pouring everything he had into the formation.
The eleven librarians followed suit, determined to seal Han Wu away forever. Han Wu fought back with everything he had. He was about to summon his Microcosm to bolster his strength when the Merge completed.
The new special Form, born from the fusion of the Desert Reaper, Demon Shadow, and the Crystal Lich King, was complete. Han Wu couldn’t wait to try it.
He dropped the Demon King Transformation and switched to his newest Form.
When Cage and the eleven librarians felt the pressure lift, they initially thought that Han Wu had surrendered.
Then, an even more terrifying aura erupted from his body. Han Wu’s appearance changed once more. A black robe draped over him, a wolf-head mask covered his face, and black hooked claws extended from both hands. Overlapping Demon Shadows formed thirteen Shadow Blades behind him.
Fine black grains poured out endlessly from his feet. This wasn’t ordinary sand. Each grain was a fragment of bone compressed to its absolute limit. Under Han Wu’s command, the bone sand coalesced into a Jackal Deathsworn wielding a battle axe.
This single Jackal Deathsworn radiated an aura rivaling a Seventh Form fighter. But that was only the beginning. More bone sand gathered, forming more Jackal Deathsworn. By the time all the bone sand was used up, seven Jackal Deathsworn guards stood at Han Wu’s side.
Standing between them, Han Wu looked like a lord of the underworld, master of both life and death. The Twelve-Pointed Star’s suppressive force froze under Han Wu’s icy aura. Then, the seven Jackal Deathsworn raised their axes and swung.
The Twelve-Pointed Star seal shattered. Cage and all eleven librarians coughed up blood and collapsed, crippled by the violent backlash. They couldn’t muster a shred of resistance.
Han Wu moved like a ghost and appeared before Cage in the blink of an eye. “You gave me the legacy yourself, so why try to kill me?”
The question stunned Cage. If the Dark Archmage legacy had taken over Han Wu, his mind wouldn’t be this clear.
“The Dark Archmage legacy didn’t take control of you?” Cage asked through the pain of the backlash.
Han Wu raised an eyebrow. “A mere legacy thinks it can control me?”
Cage studied Han Wu’s clear eyes and confirmed that he was fully in control. Thinking back to the intense darkness that had radiated from Han Wu earlier, an answer formed in his mind.
Han Wu undeniably had an iron will, but he also had a dark heart. Although the Dark Archmage legacy had activated his inner darkness, he had effortlessly kept it in check. This combination was nothing short of perfect.