If you compared raw strength, a level-four Dilus could easily beat an antimage of the same level in a direct fight. But now, Adam's power was way beyond that.
Against a level-four Dilus, he was incredibly stronger. So, the antimages standing before him didn't stand a chance. They were cut down instantly, without any chance to fight back.
Even their souls were burned by magic, turning to ashes.
Adam didn't bother looking at them again. His eyes shifted to the remaining antimages, who had just witnessed the entire scene. They stood frozen in shock, unsure of what to do next. Adam calmly stirred the magnetic field surrounding them.
Suddenly, their world changed. Strange, colorful images filled their eyes, and their senses were completely overwhelmed. As the magnetic fluctuations around them sped up and became more erratic, the antimages found themselves trapped in mind-bending illusions.
This was Adam's illusionary ability. By controlling the magnetic fields of living beings, he could trigger their deepest fears or desires. In theory, no one weaker than Adam could break free from this illusion. Once trapped, he could do anything he wanted to them.
But Adam wasn't interested in going further. He left them trapped in a never-ending loop of illusions, ensuring they wouldn't cause him any more trouble.
He then floated down to the surface of the ocean and cut Island No. 8 loose from the seabed.
With a powerful stomp on the water, he gathered the water element using his magnetic field, forming a hundred massive elemental whales, each several thousand meters long. The whales lifted Island No. 8 on their backs and swam toward Island No. 1.
On Islands No. 9 and No. 10, Adam did pretty much the same thing. Almost all the antimages at level-3 and above were eliminated.
On Island No. 10, a few cowardly antimages were spared, locked in cages by Adam.
If anyone had been watching from above, they would've seen a stunning sight: three hundred gigantic elemental whales carrying three islands, moving through the waves. Thirty enormous dragons, wrapped in chains, led the way.
As they advanced, tons of seawater were displaced, creating towering waves and powerful tsunamis. The force of the water was transformed into buoyancy, pushing the islands forward.
Adam had no plans to assist the other mages. Even though the task was challenging, it wasn't beyond what the Master Mages could handle. If anything, stepping in might irritate them.
Two days later, Adam arrived near Island No. 1.
There was nothing between him and the island to block his view or senses. As soon as he got close, Adam realized the others had finished their tasks and were likely waiting for him.
BOOM, BOOM, BOOM.
Three loud crashes echoed as Islands No. 8, 9, and 10 collided with Island No. 1. Dozens of level-four antimages stood silently along the shore, not stepping a foot beyond the island's edge. They didn't say a word, but their eyes burned with hatred and reluctance.
Just then, one of Adam's companions flew out from the island. He looked at the scene in disbelief, staring at the chaos Adam had caused. "Did you really carry the islands over like that?"
"Yeah," Adam answered.
The mage smacked his forehead. "I totally forgot to tell you, after capturing the antimages, we were supposed to meet here and set up a magic array to drag the islands. But I guess it doesn't matter now since you've already brought them back. Just hang on for a bit."
As soon as the mage finished speaking, a beam of light shot up from the center of Island No. 1. It exploded at its peak, transforming into chains that stretched out in six directions.
These chains latched onto the nearby islands, pulling them in at incredible speed.
The mage landed on the ground as Islands No. 8, 9, and 10 began merging with Island No. 1. Their land masses extended, and rocks rose from beneath the sea to support them, creating the appearance of one large, unified land.
Adam asked, "What's next?"
"We need to map out the antimage power spread across all ten islands. Also, we'll set up surveillance spells at key points."
...
Adam's task was straightforward: explore the area and upload data on dangerous or special zones. The command center would then use this info to assign missions based on difficulty. It wasn't too different from his past trials, except back then, he had wiped out the threats before the tasks were even assigned.
Moving with incredible speed, Adam scoured his designated area. At one point, he stumbled upon a necromancy school and something inside caught his eye.
"What's this?" Adam asked, grabbing a low-level antimage.
The terrified antimage, thinking Adam might kill him, quickly replied, "It's the Mindweaver. It's a mutated brain we've grown using magic. The smaller ones are Mindlings."
"What's it used for?"
"It can do anything, really. It's super powerful. With enough energy stones, it can cast any necromancy or curse magic."
Adam let go and said, intrigued, "Show me."
The antimage was overjoyed. The Mindweaver couldn't move, so it hadn't been useful in battles against mages. But now, with Adam in front of it, the antimage thought this was his chance to turn the tide.
Trying to hide his excitement, the antimage approached the Mindweaver. A tendril reached out from the brain and pierced into his head.
The spell started to hum. Adam could sense the Mindweaver acting as the central mind, with each Mindling contributing a syllable to the incantation.
Magical energy rippled through the room, and what would normally be a complex, ancient spell was drastically simplified and quickly cast.
"Killing Curse!"
The curse's name rang out from the Mindweaver.
A dark green light streaked toward Adam, hidden within the fabric of space. But Adam casually flicked it aside.
The curse struck an antimage hiding in the shadows, causing his body to decay, his soul to mutate into a wraith, and then self-destruct.
The antimage controlling the Mindweaver was stunned. The Killing Curse was a level-4 curse, one of the most powerful ancient spells. He never thought anyone could brush it off so easily.
Adam calmly approached the Mindweaver and sliced through its chaotic tendrils one by one. They fell to the ground, writhing like worms before dissolving into foul liquid.
The antimage was quickly subdued. Controlling both his magnetic field and brainwaves, Adam used the antimage's own body to cast an illusion.
In a daze, the antimage answered all of Adam's questions without resistance.
After getting all the necessary information, Adam had a clearer understanding of what the Mindweaver was. It was a collective consciousness, created by linking multiple brains together.
The Mindweaver was the central mind, issuing commands that all the Mindlings followed.
While this concept didn't seem too special, as Adam could achieve similar coordination using his own avatar magic, the real value was deeper.
If Adam's theory was correct, each Mindling was also a Mindweaver. In other words, if the Mindweaver had its own independent consciousness, its power would be multiplied by the number of Mindlings it controlled. And if used just as a spellcasting tool, the support it offered would also scale up with the number of Mindlings.