The Swords of Light didn't penetrate the shield made of spirits.
Gabriel was unharmed. The only change that could be seen was that he was pushed a few steps back.
The Swords were destroyed. Right after, the Spirits also disappeared, returning to the ring. The dark spirits didn't look like they wanted to go back inside the ring. Instead, it was more as if they were forced to return by the ring. The screeching of the spirits disappeared as the Spirits returned.
Gabriel noticed the white orb already in the hands of Lelin. Another thing he noted was that Lelin wasn't even attempting to get the black crystal, as if he didn't even know about its existence.
"Give me that orb," Gabriel commanded. However, this time he also called out his Ancestral Staff as well.
A majestic staff appeared in his hand, strengthening him even more. Now that his identity as a Necromancer was already revealed, he didn't care about calling out his Ancestral Staff.
"I'm afraid I won't be able to do that, even if it's you." Lelin calmly answered. "I came all this way just for this. Do you think I can return it now? Also, I don't think you even know what this is, do you?"
Gabriel tightened his grip around his staff, but that only prompted Lelin to speak further.
"Let me guess; you're now thinking about attacking me to take the key back?" Lelin asked, letting out a sigh. "Although I would've loved to go against someone like you, I am running a little short on time. And If I kill you, he would be quite angry… I don't want to deal with that mess for now. Whatever, maybe next time."
As soon as Lelin finished, a blinding formation appeared under him, which filled the entire place with light. Even Gabriel was momentarily unable to see anything. Despite being unable to see, Gabriel attacked.
Within a few moments, the blinding light disappeared, revealing a completely vacant room where no one could be seen other than him. Lelin wasn't in the room anymore.
Gabriel looked all around, unable to find him anywhere. He looked back at the door, wondering if Lelin had run away. However, that was impossible. How could he leave without being stopped by the guards outside? That also raised another question. How in the hell was he able to enter in the first place without being seen?
"A teleportation spell? But if he had that, why didn't he just the orb last night? What was different today than last night?"
"The only thing I can think of is that we were brought here for a trip... Ah, could that be it?! He must've left a mark here. The teleportation spell can only take him to the marks he left. Either that, or he can only teleport to the places he had been to."
"That could explain why he didn't steal the orbs last night. He couldn't find a way to enter. That also explains why the guards downstairs had no idea about what was happening here. But still, teleportation spell... The tier of that spell... If I'm not wrong, it must be an advanced year spell."
Gabriel walked closer to the black orb that was still lying behind the pillar. Immersed in his thoughts, he was trying to find the answers to his questions.
"That means he will be an Advanced Tier Mage. That will place him in the same league as Lira and the teachers. Just who was that guy?"
He gazed at the black orb which was lying on his feet. The ring was going crazy, asking him to pick it up.
"He came all this way, taking risks of stealing something from the Academy. And even after he got here, all he took was the stuff in the box. He didn't even touch any other Numen here. He also addressed that orb as the key...? Key to what exactly?"
Gabriel bent forward, using his right hand to pick up the black orb.
As soon as his fingers touched the black orb, Gabriel felt something strange. For a moment, his vision turned dark, as if he had lost his eyesight. Some strange scenes started flashing before his eyes.
In one of the scenes, he saw a small girl running. The scene only flashed before his eyes for a millisecond, making him unable to see anything. In the next scene, he saw water... There was water everywhere. It was as if the water had swallowed an entire city.
The third scene seemed even more bizarre to him, where he saw a thousand feet tall lightning beasts... Just a glimpse of them.
In the fourth scene, he saw a black door. There was nothing more. After the brief flashes of these four scenes, Gabriel finally returned to his senses. He gazed at the black crystal before him, picking it up.
His body seemed to be filled with some mysterious energy as he picked up the black orb. He didn't know why, but it felt as if his spirit strength was being replenished by the Black Orb. Not only was his spirit strength replenished, but it also increased.
It was similar to what he felt when he used the Spirit Crystal but only more majestic. Before long, he felt like something had happened inside his body.
His Spirit Strength had increased, achieving a breakthrough. His mana reserves also increased. He had reached the middle stages of Spiritual Strength! He had become a mid-tier Magician, achieving a breakthrough from the beginner level.
In merely two days, he had achieved two breakthroughs!
As he achieved the breakthrough, the orb stopped supplying energy to his body, as if that was all it was going to do, but it still looked as mysterious as before.
"Just like I wasn't attracted to the white orb, he wasn't attracted to the black. That could be why he didn't see it. But still, just what are these things...?"
"This can't just be a stronger spirit crystal. If it were, I would've been attracted to the white one too. I also have Element of Light, after all. These must be the secondary effect of these things. As for the primary effect... It's something related to the word he described them as... a key!"
