In truth, Balthazar had already made his calculations. When Evelyn and Ryan had just advanced to the Grand Magus realm and their source magic had yet to stabilize, he could have captured them directly and cast them into the God Ascension Altar.
But upon further thought, he himself had spent several hundred thousand years merely to barely touch the threshold of the Demi God realm.
No matter how extraordinary the talent of these two newly promoted Grand Magi might be, how could they possibly reach the Demi God realm within ten thousand years?
Seen this way, keeping them alive for the time being posed no real problem.
Balthazar thus decided to let Evelyn and Ryan remain, waiting until the God Ascension Altar was completed, at which point the altar itself would extract their magical energy.
When that time came, the purity and intensity of the refined energy produced by the God Ascension Altar would be far superior to that obtained through personally killing them as sacrifices.
What he sought was to maximize the value of these two Grand Magi, laying the most solid possible foundation for his own ascension to godhood.
What he never anticipated was that one of the newly promoted Grand Magi would, for reasons unknown, suddenly lose their sanity and actively seek a duel to the death with the other Grand Magus.
In the end, one newly promoted Grand Magus died. Even more bizarre was that ten thousand years later, the sole remaining Grand Magus also vanished without a trace, disappearing completely.
Although Balthazar had already reached the Demi God realm, the preparation of the God Ascension Altar and the search for the nine Arcane Arts to further enhance his strength had long since exhausted his mind and spirit, leaving him severely depleted.
After several hundred thousand years, he still had four of the Arcane Arts left uncollected. How could he possibly have any surplus energy to investigate the whereabouts of Evelyn and Ryan.
"Balthazar, you need not trouble yourself over this matter."
The other old man, Silas, smiled as he spoke in reassurance. He too was at the Demi God realm, his tone carrying a trace of certainty.
"I happen to have a newly promoted Grand Magus on my side, enough to make up for that loss."
"That is good to hear," Balthazar said with a smile toward Silas."In that case, I will return to the Esoth Continent first and continue preparing the God Ascension Altar."
Silas rose to see him off, his face filled with smiles, his manner warm as though they were truly allies working in perfect unity.
On the surface, the two appeared harmonious and well coordinated in their conversation, yet both knew perfectly well what the other truly was.
Each was an old fox of the highest order. One careless step, and either could be bitten back and reduced to a sacrifice for the other's ascension to godhood.
At present, they were merely using one another, leveraging the resources of the Esoth Continent and the Arcadia Continent together to advance the plan of the God Ascension Altar.
And the resources they spoke of were nothing less than the energy of countless mages across the two continents.
To break free from the shackles of the Demi God realm and ascend to godhood, the resources of a single continent were far from sufficient. More were needed. Much more.
If, when the time came, both of them could ascend to godhood together, it would naturally be a perfect outcome. But if only one could succeed in the end…
A fleeting glint of icy cold light flashed through Silas's eyes, while the smile on Balthazar's face quietly faded. An invisible killing intent spread through the air, yet neither chose to expose it.
As Balthazar's figure finally transformed into a streak of light and vanished before Silas's eyes.
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...
"Are you all right?"
Ryan was still pressed over Evelyn, the piercing pain from the wound on his back making his face flush red as he struggled to speak, his voice strained as he asked the Evelyn beneath him.
Evelyn was a little dazed under Ryan's weight.
By the time she fully processed the situation, she had completely forgotten to maintain the feeble, weak act she had been putting on earlier.
In Ryan's shocked and bewildered gaze, she suddenly sat up and pulled him into her arms, her eyes fixed on the bloodied, torn flesh of his back.
Her expression remained calm, yet when she produced a healing potion, her movements carried a subtle hint of panic that was almost imperceptible.
The instant the potion touched the wound, Ryan felt a chilling sting that made him gasp sharply.
Immediately afterward, the gentle healing magic contained in the potion seeped slowly into the wound, warmth spreading outward and relieving the pain until it became almost soothing.
"Evelyn, when were you able to move?" Only now did Ryan realize, still completely bewildered, not understanding when Evelyn had regained the ability to act.
"Just now." Evelyn gave no further explanation. She bent over, lifted Ryan onto her back in a swift, decisive motion.
Then she walked to the ruins of the collapsed altar, waved her hand to store the warhammer in her magic bag, and channeled her magic to the fullest, her figure dissolving into a blur as she quickly departed.
A few days later, Vaelor appeared above the ruins.
He looked at the blood-red altar, now completely destroyed, surprise flickering across his eyes before being replaced by fury. He raised his hand and slammed it down onto the ruins with brutal force.
The terrifying magic contained in his palm sliced through the air, and what remained of the altar was instantly reduced to nothing, leaving not a trace behind.
"A bunch of insane scum! Using countless lives as offerings for blood sacrifices, growing bolder by the day!"
Vaelor spat to the side, muttering curses at the spot where the altar had disappeared.
Images he had seen earlier involuntarily came to mind: the Headmistress of Glacial Arcana Academy and an unknown young man had appeared here, and they seemed unusually close.
They must have already left, right? After all, he had personally watched them leave the town. Vaelor thought to himself.
His own two apprentices were already enough to trouble him. He had no energy left to care about the whereabouts of these two.
Vaelor stood in place for a moment, his thoughts in disarray, then finally forced himself to cast them aside.
He gave one last glance at the ruins of the altar before moving his figure, vanishing from the horizon in an instant.
In a medium-sized mage city.
Ryan walked through the bustling streets, his gaze occasionally falling on Evelyn beside him, her face veiled, and he could not help but sigh.
He regretted having acted so painfully earlier. That shockwave had indeed been agonizing, but he could remain composed even under the pain of a severed arm. A mere flesh wound was nothing at all.
Regret filled his heart. He had originally intended to gain a bit of sympathy from his injury, to get closer to Evelyn, yet it had backfired completely.
Now Evelyn insisted on not letting him carry her and instead looked after him at every turn, leaving hardly any chance to hold her hand.
Great. Now he had no idea how long it would be before he could touch her thighs wrapped in white lace-edged stockings again.
"Evelyn, you must be tired walking, right?" Ryan refused to give up and stepped closer, trying once more."My injuries have healed a lot. Let me carry you, please?"
Evelyn didn't respond at all. The expression under her veil was unreadable as she simply walked toward the city center.
Watching her distant, composed figure, Ryan was about to follow when suddenly he heard Lyra's soft, sweet voice calling in his mind.
He stopped, turning into a small, empty alley.
Elsewhere, Evelyn had walked a considerable distance along the street. Habitually, she glanced sideways at her companion, only to suddenly notice that Ryan, who had been behind her, had vanished.
Her heart tightened, and with some confusion, she turned and quickly scanned the crowd in front of her.
Where did he go?
She scanned repeatedly, the streets full of mages in robes and ordinary pedestrians, yet Ryan's familiar figure was nowhere to be seen.
An indescribable sense of panic surged through her chest. Everyone knew that once panic took hold, the mind began to run wild with speculation.
Why had he disappeared so suddenly?
Her heart felt as if it were being gripped by an invisible force, and a wave of inexplicable unease washed over her.
Standing quietly in place, her veiled form seemed nailed to the spot, her feet unmoving, her hands instinctively clenching.
Her eyes searched the crowd again and again with mounting urgency, yet Ryan's figure remained missing.
She stood still, gripping her hands tightly, and a bitter self-reproach surfaced in her mind.
As expected, what does not belong to oneself cannot be kept. Perhaps his previous closeness had only been temporary, a passing courtesy.
"Mom~"
Just as Evelyn's spirits were about to sink to their lowest, a familiar, soft voice called out, snapping her drifting thoughts sharply back to reality.
Evelyn's body trembled slightly at the sound, and she quickly turned to look.
A small, adorable little girl came into view, her right hand holding a string of berries coated in sparkling sugar. She shuffled forward in clumsy little steps, arms outstretched, clearly wanting a hug.
Evelyn was momentarily frozen, standing still, staring at the approaching child without moving.
Only when Lyra suddenly leapt forward and tightly wrapped her arms around Evelyn's right foot did Evelyn fully snap back to reality and slowly bend her head down.
