283 Audience (1/2)

As he thought of the danger, William suddenly hesitated. He innocently looked at Lin Yun, hoping he could change his mind.

”Do as I say.” Lin Yun remained unmoved.

”Eh, okay…” William could only clench his teeth and agree.

”Now, it's time to use the Runic Shield, no no, not to protect your body. You only have to form the basic arrangements of the Runic Shield, there is no need to completely release it. Like that, that basic Runic Shield will protect your Mana Whirlpool, allowing you to…”

”Cousin, will this really work…?” William asked in an anxious voice while trembling in fear.

But Lin Yun acted as if he hadn't heard him.

He used a commanding tone to direct William through the Spell Backlash while still remaining wary of attacks.

The basic arrangement of the Runic Shield had been completed and the two Wind Blades were ready to be cast.

William ultimately clenched his teeth...

He heard a loud explosion, followed by his whole body shaking. Under the shock, William almost let his magic staff fall to the ground.

But he held on.

He felt a surge of mana pouring into his body. His dry Mana Whirlpool quickly rotated again after he received that quenching mana, familiar power returning to his body once more...

”Ross, you lost…” Feeling the mana filling his body, William felt full of confidence for the first time.

He felt like an upstart who had suddenly gained a large amount of wealth and didn't know how to spend it.

After taking advantage of the Spell Backlash, William used a Counterspell.

Ross was still urging his Endless Spring to recover some mana, so how could he cast anything?

Counterspell had three effects. The first was to interrupt spells, the second was to inflict a short duration silence effect, and the third was to seal a spell. There was no need to explain spell interruption, and the short duration silence was also easy to understand, while the third effect was the most crucial effect. Spells like the Flame Burst that William wanted to cast were the best opportunities for Counterspells, because a Flame Burst being countered would usually seal the entirety of one's fire system spells. For mages specialized with fire spells, it would be like cutting an arm off. Even if William's Crimson Heart avoided the worst, he still felt stifled.

And even though Ross wasn't casting a spell, this Counterspell would afflict him with a second of silence.

Using a Counterspell like this could only be considered extravagant.

But William didn't care.

He wouldn't give Ross any time to react after that Counterspell. He took advantage of that one second of silence to directly cast a powerful Flame Burst.

And he didn't stop at one...

Three Flame Bursts were cast successively, each of them enhanced with a Metamagic: Instant Cast, Empower Spell, Magic Penetration. The three Flame Bursts destroyed the Ice Wall that Ross managed to put up with a lot of difficulty.

It was followed by a Wind Blade piercing through the Ice Fire Shield.

And then...

There was nothing after that.

An Icicle was already touching Ross' throat.

”Sorry, I won.”

After saying this, William no longer cared about Ross' reaction and scattered the Icicle. He didn't even glance at him before turning to leave the destroyed courtyard with Lin Yun and the Draconic Beastman.

Ross stood there, alone. In the distance, a dozen Great Swordsmen, as well as Great Mage Harvey, were all standing there looking stunned. They had watched the most outstanding genius of the Merlin Family be defeated by William, who was someone of much lower status.

”How was it, Cousin, I did alright, didn't I?” William had already overtaken Lin Yun and revealed a wide smile as he started seeking compliments for his achievement.

”You are talking about that wasted Counterspell?”

”...”

”Or maybe those three Flame Bursts that completely lacked coordination?”