Wizard: I Have a Cultivation System

The Ironspine Duke’s attack was irresistible, tearing through all defenses.

No matter how magnificent and grand the crimson sword light was, it ultimately failed to make that final leap.

"In the end... it was all for naught."

The Ironspine Duke’s massive hand, formed from pure radiance, pierced through the burning halo of the sword light and gently pressed down upon the ceaselessly trembling crimson blade!

CRACK!

The body of the sword, formed from crimson light, let out a crisp crack starting from the point where his palm landed.

A fissure burst open, and then fine fractures frantically spread across the blade, covering the entire sword in an instant!

"It’s over," the Ironspine Duke said, his brilliant eyes filled with cold indifference as he watched the Longsword shatter inch by inch beneath his palm. "Murphy, I must admit, in the last thousand years, you are the only one who has caused me this much trouble. I will remember your name."

Before he finished speaking, the radiance from the hand pressing down on the sword’s body suddenly intensified!

His intent was to completely erase this sword from the world—the sword that carried Murphy’s final will and Path, the sword that was already starting to disintegrate—along with the remnant of consciousness within it that was rapidly fading through Dao Transformation, leaving not a single trace behind.

However, at that very moment, something unexpected happened!

HUM!

An incredibly swift ray of light shot out without warning from the very core of the crimson blade, which was covered in cracks and on the verge of shattering completely!

It was half Dark Gold, half Crimson.

Faint and slender, yet it moved with a speed that seemed to transcend time.

WHOOSH!

The Ironspine Duke had no time to dodge before the light struck him between the eyes.

His movements, along with the crushing force of destruction he was unleashing, froze abruptly.

"What is this?"

When the Ironspine Duke came to his senses, his voice was filled with incredulous horror.

"How could this be..."

However, he didn’t get to finish his sentence.

Because the shattered and already dimming blade suddenly erupted with crimson light, instantly engulfing the still-stunned Ironspine Duke and the space around him!

"NO—!!!"

...

Ten seconds had passed since Murphy’s figure collided with the destructive radiance above the Holy City, to this moment when the crimson light and the radiance intertwined and erupted.

For mortals, this brief period was enough time to process what was happening and realize that some great cataclysm was unfolding above their heads.

In the square, Mo Ling was held tightly by her female mentor’s side.

She tilted her little face up, her dark eyes fixed unblinkingly on the roiling sphere of light in the heavens—a sphere that flashed from dazzling crimson to piercing radiance. Her small hand unconsciously clenched her mentor’s robes, her knuckles turning white from the force.

"Eleanor..." she murmured, her voice soft, yet it made Eleanor, whose gaze was already locked on the sky, shudder. "That... the one who collided with the light... that’s Father, isn’t it?"

Her question received no immediate answer.

Because the moment the words left her lips...

...at the zenith of the sky, the sphere of light—now a mixture of crimson and radiance—burst like a popped bubble, or like a supernova!

BOOM!!!

An indescribably immense wave of Energy erupted madly outward in all directions from the sphere’s center!

The force was so violent that it could have wiped the entire Holy City Basin off the map in an instant, vaporizing the surrounding mountain peaks along with it!

Within the Holy City, countless people instinctively squeezed their eyes shut at the premonition of utter annihilation, letting out cries of despair.

However, the expected destruction never came.

Just as the devastating Energy was about to touch the spires of the Holy City’s tallest buildings, an unseen giant hand seemed to forcefully compress the expanding wave!

Then, it contracted inward at a speed even faster than its explosion!

In the space of a single breath, the world-destroying Energy vanished without a trace, as if it had never existed.

All that remained was a streak of crimson light, appearing from the center of where the Energy had vanished. It carved a graceful arc through the sky, shooting directly toward the back of the main peak to the north of the Holy City—the most majestic and perilous peak, where Chenxi Hall was located!

"Mother! Father!"

Eleanor’s face turned deathly pale the moment the streak of light flew toward the back mountain.

She snatched the still-dazed Mo Ling into her arms as a fierce wind suddenly swirled around them, lifting them both into the air. Like an arrow loosed from a bow, she shot recklessly toward the back mountain!

「At almost the same time.」

From the direction of the Pope’s Office, a pillar of pure, solemn, milky-white Holy Light shot into the sky. Within it, the figures of Elizabeth and a little girl could be faintly seen.

At the Holy Hall Pharmacy, the Dragon Witch Freyja also transformed into a streak of deep purple light, attempting to follow.

However, just as her figure neared the main peak...

HISS!

...an incomparably sharp gleam of crimson sword light flashed out of the void, striking the path of her flight!

Freyja let out a muffled grunt, her Magic Power thrown into disarray. She was forced out of her flight, falling ungracefully onto the roof of the Holy Hall Pharmacy.

Her gold-red, slitted pupils stared toward the back mountain, where the sword gleam had come from. A trace of shocked suspicion and fear flickered in her eyes. After a long hesitation, she ultimately did not try to force her way forward again.

Seeing that even the Dragon Witch had been so easily repelled by a single gleam of sword light, the other Extraordinary Beings who had noticed the disturbance and were attempting to investigate the back mountain with their own motives were instantly intimidated. They all halted, not daring to take another step.

...

「Back mountain, stone house.」

Even in summer, the mountain wind was still biting, carrying a hint of chill.

Eleanor, holding Mo Ling, and Elizabeth, cradling Mo Weiwei, landed at almost the same time. Both pairs of eyes immediately locked onto the figure standing silently in front of the stone house.

Her back was to them. She stood before the stone house, the mountain wind rustling her waterfall of golden hair and her simple white dress.

The hem of her dress fluttered slightly in the wind, making her figure seem even more slender, yet she also seemed to be one with the lonely, desolate peak.

But what drew the most attention was the Longsword she held in her hand.

The blade was long and slender, crimson from hilt to tip, as if forged from the purest flame or the glow of a sunset.

"You’re here." She turned around slowly, her voice as gentle as a mountain spring.

There was no trace of the expected sorrow on Aurora’s face. Her eyes, as blue-green as the Jade Sea, were as clear as ever, perhaps even more tranquil than usual.

Elizabeth gazed at the crimson Longsword in her hand, recalling the gleam of light that had repelled the Dragon Witch. Her eyes filled with incredulous grief. "Lady Aurora, just now... was that you?"

Aurora’s gaze fell upon the crimson Longsword. She gently brushed her left fingertips over the cool blade and nodded, her voice calm. "It was."

"Mother!" Eleanor took a step forward, holding Mo Ling. Her voice choked, and her eyes instantly reddened. "Where’s Father? Is he... How is he?"

Mo Ling, in her arms, also stared wide-eyed at her mother, not blinking.

Aurora lifted her eyes, her gaze passing over them to the vast, distant sky. A look of utmost gentle affection crossed her face as she said softly, "Like a bird, he has flown to where he was meant to go."

"Mama!" Mo Ling, held tight in Eleanor’s arms, suddenly began to struggle. Her small body erupted with surprising strength as she cried out, "What happened to Papa? Where did Papa go? I want Papa!"

Eleanor quickly hugged her sister tighter, burying her face in Mo Ling’s soft hair. Her voice choked with sobs. "Mo Ling, don’t... Let Mother... have a moment alone..."

On the other side, Mo Weiwei, held by Elizabeth, was very quiet. She didn’t cry or make a fuss, only stared silently at Aurora and the sword in her hand. Her large eyes were already filled with tears, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall.

Aurora looked at Eleanor and Mo Ling, who were fighting back tears, and gently shook her head. She extended a hand to Mo Ling, her tone still gentle. "It’s alright. Eleanor, Mo Ling, come here."

Eleanor hesitated for a moment, but feeling her sister’s struggles, she finally loosened her arms.

The moment Mo Ling’s feet touched the ground, she threw herself at Aurora, hugging her mother’s waist tightly and burying her face in the simple white dress. The fear and anxiety she had suppressed for so long finally burst forth, and she began to wail. "Waaah... Mama... Did... did Papa leave us... He promised me... Waaah..."

Eleanor could no longer hold back, and tears rolled down her cheeks like pearls from a broken string.

Elizabeth closed her eyes, her long lashes soaked with tears. The little girl in her arms, Mo Weiwei, finally let out a low, animal-like whimper and hugged her mother tighter.

The wind howled across the summit, sweeping past the stone house, past the weeping figures, carrying with it a profound chill.

Only Aurora did not cry.

One hand firmly gripped the fiery, crimson Longsword, while the other gently stroked the back of the daughter sobbing in her arms.

Her gaze was calm as she looked toward the sky. Deep within her blue-green eyes, the high clouds were reflected, as was, it seemed, the silhouette of a figure now departed.