Published at 5th of December 2020 03:36:04 PM
*Rumble*
The ground trembled as if an earthquake had just struck . It was one of many side effects after the foundation of the land beneath them had completely collapsed .
The center of Altea was once a competitor for the crowning jewel of the continent . A majestic tower, the hub of all magic research and development, once gave the city state theoretical power equal to a member of the Western Kingdom Union . Now, the striking image had been replaced with another: a massive, bottomless crater .
Priscilla looked down at the hole with mixed feelings .
Her face was pale and lips were blue . Her legs had lost all strength and she could only keep herself upright by leaning against nearby rubble .
But she had survived .
She won against the greatest magician on the continent .
It was really a close call . If there was only a little bit more magical power in that attack, she would have been wiped away, just like the tower that once stood before her .
A slight difference ended up dictating the outcome .
Priscilla turned her eyes toward her tightly-held hand .
As she gently stretched her hand, there was a heap of silver powder on her palm . It was the only remnant of the artifact Choir’s Chorus, which once took the form of a set of silver bells .
Priscilla looked at it for a moment and closed her eyes .
At that moment, a swarm of light appeared in the air and began to blow through the powder . The power then began to move and within a few moments, regained their original form of bells .
Just as the set of bells was half formed, the light swarm suddenly dimmed and disappeared . The bells that had been forming returned to powder again .
A gust of wind came at the worst possible time, and the silver powder was irrevocably scattered throughout the battleground .
Priscilla looked at it and her expression gradually hardened, something clearly bothering her .
Suddenly, there was a noise behind her .
“We succeeded in neutralizing the rest of Altea, Holy Saint . ”
It was a sly voice . As Priscilla turned her head, behind her stood a man with a pierrot mask .
In his hands was someone’s head . Though she didn’t recognize it, she presumed it was the head of Altea’s commander .
“Things here don’t seem to have gone as planned . ”
As Pierrot Mask said, the plan itself had failed . Far from achieving its purpose, she lost her secret artifact, and even her personal entourage had died .
Nevertheless, Priscilla looked calm .
“We’re lucky to have won . ”
The purpose of their attack was to exterminate Desir and Zod, who would become the biggest obstacles in her plan . Though the cost was high, they had accomplished half of their objectives .
Priscilla decided not to be greedy . However, there was one thing that bothered her .
‘The last spell he developed… ’
Priscilla shook her head . No matter how much she assumed, it would be meaningless . Zod was already dead, and there was no way to go back and see what he invoked .
*Rumble*
The ground screamed . The magic that Zod had invoked had dealt a serious blow to the ground that the city was built on . Even though massive damage had been dealt, it was strange that it had not collapsed further .
The center of magic engineering, the Magic Tower, and the city state of Altea would disappear today, fated to become part of the annals of history .
Priscilla turned around .
“Prepare for retreat . ”
“We’re already ready . ”
*Woo-Woong*
As soon as Pierrot Mask stopped talking, she heard a deafening ringing .
Dozens of large airships floated above them, surrounding Priscilla . No alarm filled her face; this was the Artemis fleet .
“My entourage died . What about your losses?”
“None . ”
“Some good news, at least . ”
Priscilla’s mouth curved into a slight smile . It was simply tremendous that they had not suffered any major losses against Altea .
Of course, they had assumed victory from the start, but they did not expect to take the city so easily .
“As soon as that’s ready, no army will be able to stop us . ”
Their plan was only half-completed, but they had already eliminated one of the two biggest obstacles . Victory was beyond feasible .
Their business here was done . The flagship, Brigant, landed, ready for its passengers to board .
*Rumble*
“… … !”
Flames erupted everywhere with a tremendous roar . A heat wave of several thousand degrees melted the ground, and the surrounding rubble began to glow red hot . The soaring flame became a tidal wave and washed over the Artemis Church’s forces . To be exact, it flooded towards Priscilla, burning everything in its path .
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The Paladins of the Artemis Church responded quickly . Hundreds of paladins responded and a curtain of brilliant light quickly materialized and covered the ship .
*Crash*
But the curtain broke in a flash, unable to hold out for even a moment . The right side of the flagship, swept away by the tidal waves of flames, completely melted and disappeared .
“No, that’s ridiculous!”
Screams came from all over the place .
Such reactions were usual . Each of the Holy Paladins gathered were incredibly talented people . It would have been hard for them to understand how their combined defenses had been instantaneously crushed, unable to hold out for even a moment .
Priscilla looked up at the sky . An airship was barreling towards Altea at a tremendous speed .
And she recognized the face of the one boy standing on the deck .
Priscilla’s face was distorted with embarrassment .
“Desir… ”
Desir stood on deck and looked down . His expression was chilled to the bone .
As he continued to accelerate the airship’s engine, a gale struck Desir’s face . His hair and the hem of his clothes fluttered like mad, their magically reinforced fibers threatening to rip .
Desir’s gaze remained fixed in one place . He was locked on to Priscilla .
The moment Desir saw her standing with Pierrot Mask, the slightest hesitation he had harbored vanished without a trace .
With each passing moment, the airship continued to gain speed, locked in a collision course with Priscilla .
Dozens of Artemis Church ships vibrated as they revved their magic engines in unison .
“Protect the Holy Saint!”
“Keep him away from here!”
The Holy Paladins did everything within their power to stop the uninvited guest . They re-deployed their abilities and set up their defenses once more .
A brilliant golden shield began to appear . The remaining half of Brigant was concealed by a wall of pure gold .
But they knew from the previous attack that it would not be enough . That was why they began to deploy other defensive measures on the fleet at the same time .
That was a mistake . Desir’s eyes were wide open when he saw the translucent shield that enveloped each ship .
It was the Aurora System .
It was the first noteworthy project Desir and Zod had worked on in this world . Together they studied, developed, and perfected the system . These murderers, these bastards, dared to use their research against him after what had happened without the slightest bit of hesitation . Sanity was a concept that Desir had long forgone .
Something snapped . Desir could feel something erupting like a volcano inside him, and he fully surrendered himself to the feeling . Normally, anger would cause emotional agitation, which was fatal to any magician’s spell casting, but this was irrelevant to Desir, who had a genius level of computing power . If anything, perhaps the anger would spike his adrenaline, and allow him to eclipse his normal limits .
He stared forward with bloodshot eyes . The only thing he could think about was toppling the enemy that stood before him .
As Desir firmly grabbed his cane, mana began to flow and the airship was perfectly cloaked .
*Rumble*
A large chunk of the pulsating ground was torn off and soared into the sky . It began to collapse in on itself, compressing into a massive sphere nearly one hundred feet in diameter .
“That’s… !”
All of the Paladins of the Church of Artemis knew what this spell combination was . It was because the magic techniques of Desir, who had been designated as a dangerous person, had been deeply engraved in their mind .
“Spatial Manipulation Unit, forward!”
“Respond to the debris by covering the shield with aura!”
The commanders of the fleet began to respond in a hurry . The paladins moved hurriedly to follow their orders . They were somewhat nervous, but outwardly showed no signs of fear . Planning to counter a well-documented attack was easy .
The magic had already been thoroughly analyzed and they had prepared countermeasures in advance . These people would not have come ready to kill Desir Arman without preparation .
Before they could finish preparing, something changed . Several more large chunks of ground shot into the sky .
Gasps of astonishment spread amongst the Holy Paladins . They were all caught off guard, their minds caught in a panic of disarray .
They stared up at the sky blankly, having completely forgotten the need to defend, before someone broke the silence .
“It’s different… ”
Something was different . The magic that was unfolding before their eyes was on a whole different level from what they had prepared for .
*Rumble*
As the number of spheres exceeded ten, the sun was obscured and the sky itself darkened . Some tried to figure out the situation belatedly and make a move, but it was too late .
At the moment the last phrase was completed, Desir pointed before him with his cane .
[Meteor Strike]
“Fire . ”
It was only a simple act, but the aftermath was anything but simple .
*Duwang*
A heavy sound rang out in the sky . With countless meteors showering down, the golden walls, which were many times stronger than their first shield, were torn apart . The defenses, the Aurora Systems, and the battleships themselves, were all swept away .
There was only a huge void left in front of Desir .
Chapter brought to you by The Patrons .
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