Chapter 128: Malcolm

As the morning sun rose, its light bathed the entire Western Mountains in a golden glow.

Helag emerged from his tent, breathing in the fresh mountain air.

A drop of dew fell from the branches above, landing coolly on his face.

The campfire outside the tent had died down, with only a few embers still emitting heat.

Helag tossed a few dry sticks into the fire, using fire-element particles to reignite it.

A pot hung over the fire, containing leftovers from last night’s meal, which he planned to reheat for breakfast.

Fred, awakened by the noise, groggily opened his eyes.

Not every wizard replaced sleep with meditation daily; many couldn’t maintain Helag’s level of discipline and effort.

For someone like Fred, who had little chance of becoming a formal wizard, it was even harder to keep up. He preferred a comfortable night’s sleep.

As Helag stirred the pot, he suddenly froze, sweat breaking out on his forehead.

“Absolute Defense!”

A multicolored shield appeared around him instantly, confusing Fred, who didn’t understand what was happening.

The next second, an overwhelming presence descended from the sky, pinning Fred to the ground.

A bloody hand fell from above, aiming directly at Helag.

His shield held for a few seconds before cracking like a spider web and shattering.

Helag was thrown into the air, spitting blood.

Seizing the moment, he pulled out the Whispering Water Ball to notify Barty.

“Formal wizard!” The thought flashed through Helag’s mind. Only a formal wizard could break his Absolute Defense with a single strike.

“Deep Blue, how strong was that attack?”

“Analysis complete. Attack strength: approximately 21 du.”

Helag’s expression grew serious. A single spell with a strength of 21 du indicated a first-level spell, far beyond the power of zero-level spells.

As he landed, he activated all his enhancement spells.

The problem was, he didn’t know who the enemy was or where they were.

While cooking, Deep Blue had detected a strong mana fluctuation, prompting Helag to use Absolute Defense immediately.

Had he hesitated, he would have been crushed.

Without enhancement spells, his body couldn’t withstand a 21-du attack.

Soon, a familiar yet unfamiliar voice reached him: “You survived? I intended to kill you with one strike and then slowly interrogate your soul.”

A man in a black robe, riding a night steed, appeared in the air before Helag.

The man had brown hair, a freckled face, and a seemingly harmless smile.

“Malcolm,” Helag muttered instinctively.

Before becoming a wizard, Helag had witnessed Malcolm curse and kill Baron Buck at Melissa’s wedding.

Back then, Helag was nothing more than an ant to Malcolm, unworthy of even a glance.

Malcolm’s expression showed he didn’t recognize Helag, having no memory of their previous encounter.

Years later, Helag still felt powerless against Malcolm, the vast difference in their strength making him just a slightly stronger ant.

“Luen’s death is connected to you,” Malcolm said slowly.

“Luen? The third-level apprentice killed by Shivara?” Helag recalled.

Malcolm’s tone turned cold. “So it is connected to you. For some reason, his soul seemed to have left this world, making it difficult for me to summon it back. After much effort, I managed to retrieve fragments of his soul, which included you.”

“Besides Shivara, you were the only unfamiliar face in those fragments. After some investigation, I found out who you are. Helag Merlin, a third-level apprentice of Moonlight Forest. Divination revealed you were in the Western Mountains.”

“This is a stroke of luck. If you stayed in Moonlight Forest, I couldn’t touch you. But here, I can take your soul and interrogate it at my leisure.”

Helag took a deep breath. “Luen’s death had nothing to do with me. Shivara killed him.”

Malcolm smiled. “I never believe anyone’s words. I trust only the truth seen in the depths of a soul. Luen’s soul was fragmented, but you’re alive. Your soul holds the complete story, and I’ll see it all.”

Helag clenched his fists, hoping Barty would arrive soon.

He couldn’t let Malcolm capture him. Too many secrets were at stake.

If Malcolm discovered the Deep Blue chip, he would go mad, trying every method to extract it.

Helag also had memories of his past life and the meditation techniques of the Six-Ring Tower, secrets that couldn’t be revealed.

More importantly, being captured would mean a fate worse than death. Malcolm’s methods would ensure Helag’s suffering.

“What is that shield spell? It’s not a first-level spell, yet it withstood my attack. Strange,” Malcolm mused, puzzled.

Helag ignored him, muscles tense, ready for any move.

He cast Absolute Defense again, checking his mana: 24% remaining, with 74% stored in the array.

Malcolm, finding no answers, said, “I’ll find out from your soul.”

He smiled, conjuring another bloody hand to grab Helag.

As the hand neared, Helag’s form twisted and vanished, reappearing several meters away in the forest.

Malcolm’s eyes widened. “You can teleport? Interesting.”

His interest in Helag grew, a hint of excitement on his face. “You’ll make an excellent test subject.”

“I had another fascinating subject, but he escaped. You’ll replace him,” Malcolm said slowly.

Helag realized he was talking about Fegal.

“Remaining mana: 11%.”

Each teleport used 13% mana. Helag could only teleport three more times, and Malcolm was already conjuring another bloody hand.