Chapter 160: A Sudden Appearance

However, things were not as simple as she had imagined. Just as she prepared to gather some water element energy particles, she found herself completely unable to manipulate them.

It was only then that she realized the deep-sea magic whale was draining much more than just physical water; she could not even manage to gather a trace of fresh water now, let alone cast spells. Had she not solidified her defensive barrier, she probably would have perished long ago.

"Damn it! I shouldn't have come here!" Upon hearing the female wizard's exclamation, the other water-attribute wizards quickly tested their abilities and found the exact same result. They were currently powerless to summon water elements to replenish themselves, and could only watch helplessly as the moisture within their bodies continuously drained away.

"Enough!" Fabian waved his hand, and a barrier of light isolated the deep-sea magic whale from the rest of the group.

Numerous wizards collapsed to the ground, one after another. The massive loss of bodily fluids left them in extreme agony, and those with weaker physiques passed out instantly.

"Finally unable to hold back anymore? Are you finally tearing off that hypocritical mask of yours? Oh! No, not just you—every single wizard in the Tower of the Light Ring is utterly hypocritical! And you still dare to call yourselves White Wizards? How laughable!"

Seeing Fabian finally forced to make a move, the deep-sea magic whale knew that a serious battle between the two of them was about to begin.

"Has the fighting started over at Fabian's side?" Marco looked at the distant barrier of light, knowing instantly that action had been taken.

Fabian's attribute was the light element, and under the cover of such a night, the spells he cast appeared monumental and exceptionally magnificent from afar.

"Milord, that demonic disk octopus has gone to Holy Circle City. Should we head back, or do we plan to support Lord Fabian?" Beside Marco, a wizard leaned close and asked cautiously.

Although his voice was very low, it stood out clearly in the quiet night, and their conversation quickly drew the attention of many others.

Dealing with sea monsters was one thing, but these people clearly preferred to retreat to Holy Circle City. After all, hasn't that demonic disk octopus already headed there?

"Want to leave?" The stillness of the shoreline was abruptly shattered by these words.

"Who's there?" Marco was not surprised in the least. That demonic disk octopus would certainly never allow them to return to Holy Circle City or go assist Fabian.

"It has been a truly long time since I tasted the flavor of humans, and this time it's a whole group of wizards!" A massive amount of bubbles suddenly surged from the surface of the sea, followed by a succession of bizarre, mermaid-like creatures rising and standing upon the waves.

The seawater beneath their tails transformed into gigantic hands, supporting this cohort of sea monsters that Samuel had previously kept hidden.

"Sea Sirens!" Marco gritted his teeth, fixing his gaze on the suddenly appearing creatures.

Sea Sirens were said to be the perfect combination of mermaids and sirens. Not only could they effortlessly manipulate water elements, but the sounds they produced were even more enchanting and melodious than those of mermaids and sirens, making them far easier to induce into a trance.

This was precisely why the character for "charm" was included in the middle of their otherwise exceptionally ugly names.

The Lost Realm had long since recorded the existence of Sea Sirens. It was said that although the bloodline of these creatures was not as noble as that of mermaids, the power they contained far surpassed the latter. However, this species also had a fatal flaw: every single Sea Siren possessed zero intelligence.

Even so, these creatures were far more aggressive; had they possessed the intelligence of the mermaid race, they likely would have replaced the mermaids entirely.

Because of this, the wizards of the Lost Realm had not taken them too seriously, merely regarding the Sea Siren population as a more formidable breed of sirens.

Yet, this newly appeared group of Sea Sirens was different. Every single one of them had the light of intelligence flashing in their eyes, and the leader, in particular, even gave off an impression of cunning.

This was the exact reason for Marco's tension. That demonic disk octopus had inexplicably broken through its bloodline limit to reach the Third Rank. As for this group of suddenly intelligent Sea Sirens, their current strength was completely unknown, and Marco had originally intended to scout them.

However, his spiritual probe revealed that a strange energy enveloping the Sea Sirens was actively blocking his attempts to gather information on them, leaving Marco deeply frustrated.

"How could these Sea Sirens possibly have intelligence?!" A nearby wizard recognized their identity and let out a startled cry.

"Hahaha! You disgusting, hypocritical wizards! How could ants like you possibly understand the power possessed by Lord Samuel!" Upon hearing this, the leader of the Sea Sirens grew smug.

Originally, he had been nothing more than the dull-witted leader of his pack, living a mindless existence until the day Samuel helped awaken his intelligence. Only then did he realize what kind of life he had been living, and more importantly, what these wizards had been doing.

In truth, this kind of thing was entirely normal. In the eyes of wizards, the various body parts, organs, and blood of countless creatures were crucial materials used for concocting potions or conducting rituals.

This applied not only to the Sea Sirens but to a vast array of other races as well. Even the Sea Clans cooperating with Holy Circle City could not escape this fate, especially the tears of the mermaid race, which drove many water-attribute wizards to the point of madness.

"Humph!" Marco uttered no further words. Enveloping his body in a layer of earth elements, he charged straight toward the Sea Siren leader.

"Well-matched!" Seeing Marco charge forward, the Sea Siren leader's eyes blazed with burning eagerness.

He also possessed Second-Rank strength, but he had been locked away in the secret realm for far too long, and now he could finally test his true power.

Seeing their leader make his move, the other Sea Sirens naturally ceased their concealment, manipulating the seawater as they surged toward the wizards on the shore.

While attacking the Sea Siren leader, Marco kept a watchful eye on the surrounding situation. Fortunately, among all these Sea Sirens, only the leader possessed Second-Rank strength, while the rest were all First Rank. If that was the case, victory was not entirely out of reach.

"Hmph! To have the audacity to worry about others at a time like this!" Marco's distracted glances did not escape the Sea Siren leader, who took them as a sign of supreme contempt, instantly making his attacks grow even fiercer.

Feigning defeat, Marco continuously retreated, pulling back to regroup with the wizards behind him.

"Magma Giant Bomb!" Moving at high speed and judging that the distance between himself and the Sea Siren was now sufficient, Marco prepared to strike. A massive concentration of energy particles in the air gathered rapidly behind him.

"Not good!" Sensing the terrifying energy, the Sea Siren leader's expression shifted drastically. He could instantly gauge the might of the spell Marco was about to unleash, and he knew he could not take it head-on.

"Fall back into the ocean at once!" the Sea Siren leader roared at the top of his lungs, calling out to his clansmen. Trapped in the secret realm for so many years, he had mastered very few spells, and right now, he had no way to withstand this impending blow.

"Despicable!" The Sea Siren glared viciously at Marco. From the very beginning, his opponent had been dodging his attacks and pretending to be weak, all just to buy time to set up a large-scale spell.

Hearing their leader's command, the sea of Sea Sirens hurriedly plunged back beneath the waves, terror gripping them at the sight of that gathering power.

As Marco chanted his incantation, within a matter of seconds, over a hundred magma boulders, each exceeding ten meters in diameter, materialized behind him.

These colossal boulders were coated in layers of bubbling lava, and a terrifying wave of heat radiated outward across the coastline.

The intense heat constantly interacted with the nearby seawater, and amidst a series of explosive hisses, a dense fog of steam blanketed the shore.