Chapter 35: The Death of Balance
The atmosphere in the massive plaza continued to deteriorate.
At first, the absence of the Sect Master of Azure Lotus Peak had merely caused whispers among the ordinary spectators and participants.
However, as more time passed and none of the Grand Elders appeared either, those whispers gradually transformed into dissatisfaction.
And that dissatisfaction was not limited to the spectators. It spread among the representatives of the other settlements.
After all, this was not merely a competition between younger generations. The Annual Hunt had always been a political gathering first and a competition second.
The strongest powers of the northern territories had personally traveled here, bringing their most talented disciples and their highest-ranking officials.
Yet the host of the event had not even bothered to show up.
Many of the ordinary mages from Azure City had already begun feeling uncomfortable under the increasingly hostile gazes directed toward them.
Even the disciples of the Azure Lotus Sect stationed around the plaza looked visibly embarrassed.
The silence on the elevated viewing platform finally broke when Garrick Ironvein slowly leaned back in his seat and let out a cold snort.
"Very proud for an old hag despite ranking last every year."
His voice was not loud. It didn’t need to be. The entire viewing platform instantly fell silent.
No one present had to think deeply to understand exactly whom he was referring to.
And truthfully, Garrick Ironvein had every reason to be arrogant.
Iron Ridge had dominated the Annual Hunt for nearly two centuries.
Unlike the other settlements, Iron Ridge was entirely self-sufficient. The mountain ranges surrounding their territory contained vast deposits of magical ores and precious metals.
These resources allowed them to create superior weapons, superior armor, superior catalysts, and superior runic equipment.
Most of the mages of Iron Ridge specialized in Enhancement magic and Runebound magic. Their physical abilities far surpassed those of ordinary mages, and their equipment alone often cost more than entire noble estates.
As a result, Iron Ridge had gradually developed an almost unbearable arrogance. But unfortunately for everyone else, they had the strength to justify it.
Garrick himself had never attended an Annual Hunt before. Usually, he delegated the responsibility to his younger brother. In his eyes, the competition was nothing more than a gathering of children playing in the wilderness.
Yet this year, he had personally traveled to Azure City.
The reason was simple: rumors. Rumors that the Sect Master of Azure Lotus Peak had broken through to the Mystic rank.
At first, Garrick had laughed at the idea. He knew the woman.
Decades ago, she had suffered severe injuries during an expedition beyond the Dragon Bone Range. The notion that someone who had nearly destroyed their Mana Heart could suddenly advance to the Mystic realm was absurd.
He had assumed it was merely a lie. A political lie. A desperate attempt to maintain Azure Lotus Peak’s declining influence.
However, when the rewards for this year’s Annual Hunt had been announced, Garrick’s confidence had wavered. Because those rewards were insane.
No Grand Mage would casually offer treasures of that level unless the rumors were true.
And if the rumors were true, then everything would change.
Every settlement desired expansion. Every settlement desired consolidation.
The more territory one controlled, the more resources one possessed. The more resources one possessed, the more mages one could nurture. The more mages one possessed, the deeper one could expand into the untamed lands of the Northern Continent.
But none of the settlement masters wanted to become someone else’s subordinate. Especially Garrick.
He slowly clenched the armrest of his chair.
"If she really became a Mystic Mage," he muttered quietly, "then the entire balance of the north is finished."
A man almost broke this balance decades ago when he became a Mystic mage. But his goal wasn’t toward the inlands, but rather the Endless Ocean.
The Chief of the Vikings...
Beside him, Lady Xu Yan elegantly raised her jade smoking pipe. The beautiful woman slowly inhaled before exhaling a thin stream of green smoke into the freezing air.
"Perhaps she is still rolling around in bed," she said casually.
Several nearby Azure Lotus disciples immediately turned pale.
Lady Xu Yan’s lips curved upward. "...with the Grand Elders."
The surrounding silence became suffocating.
Her words were vicious, but that was simply who Lady Xu Yan was. She never cared about status. She never cared about reputation. She certainly never cared about politeness. If she wanted to insult someone, she insulted them.
Garrick merely snorted. He had known her for centuries.
Lord Harald Wintermane, however, remained silent. Unlike the other two settlement masters, his attention had never left the distant figures of the Vikings.
More specifically, Astrid Wavebreaker.
Harald had once met the Chief of the Vikings many decades ago. The memory remained vivid.
The man was not merely proud; he was terrifyingly proud. He was the sort of person who would rather drown in the Endless Ocean than ask another human for help.
A reward, even an extraordinary reward, would never convince such a man to interrupt his ocean expeditions, especially not for something as mundane as a mainland hunting competition.
Was it really the rewards that interested him? Harald thought, his brow slowly furrowing.
The Vikings themselves appeared completely uninterested in everything around them.
Suddenly, a loud horn echoed across the entire city.
No, it wasn’t merely loud. It was ancient. The sound was deep and primal, like the cry of some forgotten beast awakening beneath the earth itself.
Every conversation stopped instantly. Everyone looked upward.
And then, the entire sky darkened.
The bright morning sunlight vanished as thick black clouds swallowed the heavens. The temperature dropped so quickly that many people instinctively wrapped their robes around themselves.
Then, snow began to fall.
At first, only a few white flakes drifted downward. Then dozens. Then hundreds. Then thousands. The entire city was swallowed by a storm of white.
People stretched out their hands in disbelief as snow settled onto their skin.
But no one remained focused on the snowfall for long, because something far more terrifying was occurring above them.
High above the clouds, a lotus began to bloom. It was enormous.
No, "enormous" was insufficient. The lotus occupied the entire sky. Its petals stretched for kilometers, glowing with a silver radiance that illuminated the darkness around it.
The moment the lotus fully bloomed, a pressure descended upon the world. A pressure so vast that the air itself seemed to solidify.
The ordinary spectators collapsed first. Then the weaker mages. Even many Adept mages found themselves struggling to breathe.
No killing intent existed within the pressure. No hostility. Only authority. Absolute authority.
Garrick Ironvein’s pupils contracted violently. "Mystic pressure..."
For the first time in centuries, genuine unwillingness appeared in his eyes. "So she really ranked up."
Beside him, Lady Xu Yan slowly lowered her smoking pipe. Even Harald’s expression finally changed.
The gigantic lotus slowly descended through the heavens. As it moved, countless glowing petals detached from its body and floated gently downward, creating a beautiful yet terrifying spectacle.
Then a figure stepped out from the center of the lotus. She wore a black veil. Her robes fluttered gently in the freezing wind. And she was young.
The three settlement masters immediately looked at each other. They were all over a thousand years old. A Grand Mage possessed approximately two thousand years of lifespan, meaning they had already passed middle age.
The Sect Master of Azure Lotus Peak should have looked the same. Instead, the woman descending from the heavens appeared no older than thirty.
A Mystic Mage. Only a Mystic Mage possessed such vitality. Only a Mystic Mage possessed a lifespan extending to twenty thousand years.
The three settlement masters rose from their seats almost involuntarily. Every trace of dissatisfaction vanished. Every trace of arrogance disappeared.
The difference between a Grand Mage and a Mystic Mage might appear to be only one rank. In reality, the difference was greater than that between an ant and the heavens.
No one dared complain anymore. No one dared express dissatisfaction, not even internally.
Below the platform, the proud warriors of Iron Ridge swallowed hard. The representatives of Jade Serpent Basin lowered their heads. Even the fearless hunters of Frostwood remained silent.
Meanwhile, the disciples of the Azure Lotus Sect and the ordinary mages of Azure City straightened their backs and lifted their heads with pride. Their strongest protector had become a Mystic Mage. No one in the northern territories could challenge them anymore.
Nine figures descended behind the veiled woman. The entire plaza froze.
Nine overwhelming pressures exploded outward.
Garrick Ironvein’s face lost all color. "How is this possible?!" he shouted involuntarily. "They’re all Grand Mages!"
No one answered, because everyone could feel it: the pressure, the authority, the horrifying truth.
The nine Grand Elders of Azure Lotus Peak had all become Grand Mages.
At that moment, respect disappeared. What remained was fear. Pure fear.
The balance of power in the northern territories had not merely shifted. It had died.
And every person standing in the plaza understood the same terrifying reality: Azure City had just become a tyrant, and none of them possessed the strength to oppose it.
