From Hogwarts to Strixhaven.

Chapter 470 Dawn Cannon Level One Ready—Fire!
"Don't try to escape!"

Seeing that the last person was about to leave the Mind Flayer colony, Katheric swung his bone scythe with all his might.

The bright moonlight pierced through the layers of barriers and once again shone on the wings of the daughter of Selenne.

As long as she doesn't act rashly and launch an attack, Eileen, thanks to Serene's favor, can still withstand Katheric's attacks.

Eileen deflected the heavy blade of the bone scythe with her greatsword, and bright moonlight burst forth from her, blasting away all the enemies who had surrounded her.

Although she only managed to gain a small opening, it was enough for Eileen to fold her wings and jump into the portal.

Finally, with a defiant middle finger extended, only the evil forces that had long been entrenched in the mastermind's incubation chamber remained.

Both voters holding up the Netherstone saw that Ketherrick had failed and wanted to mock him, but they were too preoccupied to pay attention.

With only two Netherstones, the electorate had very limited control over the mastermind and was never able to successfully carry out the command to mobilize the army of the supreme god.

“That army has quite a few Melkor undead!” Gortash turned around as fast as he could and shouted at Katheric, “Take them back your Netherstone! Otherwise, our Order is finished! The enemies who stormed the Tower of the Moon are just a small bunch of Harpists and Flamefists. Don’t let us and your gods down again, General!”

Katheric's facial muscles twitched, and he could only forcefully suppress his anger. Without the Netherstone, he was utterly incapable of causing any trouble for the mainframe.

Besides the two voters who were fighting against the mastermind, and Katheric, who was preparing to go to the military camp, there was another living person in the incubation pool hall.

That was Duke Ravengard, who had previously been used as a human chair by Orin.

After witnessing the chosen ones of the Three Gods of Death and the Mind Flayer's mastermind, he finally managed to clear his chaotic mind for a while.

“Heim’s Blessing…” Ravengard’s target was the Netherstone in the hands of the two chosen ones; he had already discerned that the two glowing gems were the key. As the High Duke of Baldur’s Gate, he couldn’t always wait for others to save him; he would save the people of Baldur’s Gate with his own strength!
"Ah!" Ravengard, who had just gotten up, was pierced through the shoulder by a bone spear and fell to the ground with a scream.

Bony structures grew from the bone spears inserted into his body, instantly forming a new cage that tightly locked the High Duke of Baldur's Gate.

Katheric was taking his anger out on him.

The voters had kept Ravengard until now simply to make the implantation of Mind Flayer tadpoles more ceremonial, but after losing a Netherstone, Ravengard's identity became awkward.

Although his status as a high duke is still useful, it is no longer a priority.

Therefore, even when he saw Ravengard injured, Gortash still ignored him, only his expression became even more unpleasant.

In truth, he no longer had high hopes for the alliance of the Three Gods of Death. Ever since Orin betrayed the evil thoughts, the seeds of discord had been deeply rooted in the Supreme God Order.

Now, not only has evil resurfaced before the chosen people, but it has even acquired a Netherstone. Even though they now command the army of the Most Supreme God, can they truly reclaim that Netherstone?

The moment a thought of doubt crossed my mind, the force controlling the color-resistant stone instantly weakened.

Orin, who shared the pressure with him from the mainframe, immediately cursed, "Your plan has completely failed, sir! But if you want to die! Believe me, my methods and experience are far superior to the mainframe's!"

Gotash snapped out of his reverie and continued to instill the order to mobilize the army into the mainframe.

For some reason, the mental communication with the mainframe suddenly became unusually easy. In the blink of an eye, the two Netherstones imposed the will of the electorate onto the mainframe.

After inexplicably gaining control of the mainframe, Gotash breathed a sigh of relief. Just as he was about to discuss the mainframe's unusual behavior with Orin, he saw boundless golden light envelop his entire field of vision...

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Eileen. You're the last one." Ivy was very relieved to see Eileen come out of the portal. He thought she had gone off to get killed again.

The new position was set up near the main road of Resven, where the taverns and tollbooths on both sides could provide protection for the soldiers. It also had a wide field of vision and could be turned into street fighting at any time, making it a good position to block the enemy.

Ivy had learned roughly what had happened in the Mind Flayer colony from the returning adventurers. Currently, the two Chosen Ones wielding Netherstones were busy vying for dominance with the Mastermind and had no time to pay attention to what was happening around them, but the possibility of the Supreme God's army being mobilized could not be ruled out.

Moreover, Katheric has been resurrected by Melkor again, and it seems he will once again become a stumbling block.

However, before he returned to the surface, the Dawn Cannon, which had been poised to fire, was more than enough to give those guys down there a hard time.

The Shadow Destroyer's four adamantite tentacles had fully extended and pierced deep into the earth, providing support for the main structure.

The adamantine armor plates and rings covering the machine have all unfolded, transforming into a ring-shaped omnidirectional ball. The central axis is the Dawn Cannon Crystal that Ivy removed from the top of the Rosemary Monastery.

The mental core at the top of the crystal continuously infuses the crystal with the divine power from the blood of Losanda, causing the pale blue crystal to burst forth with a dazzling golden light.

The fully deployed Shadow Destroyer reversed the direction of the three rings, pointing the tip of the Dawn Cannon Crystal at the foundation of the Moonrise Tower, the location of the Mind Flayer colony and the source of the Nether magic fluctuations.

Having obtained the Crimson Nardinite, Ivy, though unable to use it directly, can already pinpoint the approximate locations of the other two Nardinites by observing the unique vibrations emitted by this Nardinite.

Despite the barriers of mountains and earth, Ivy would never mistake the uniqueness of Netherian magic.

The Shadow Slayer's magical visual sensors were flashing rapidly, and Ivy knew it was a signal that it was operating at full capacity.

"I suddenly regret not installing a voice module on it," Ivy sighed.

Wouldn't it be even more exciting if the Shadow Slayer could announce prepared voice prompts when changing stances and completing its charge?

Ivy suddenly recalled discussions on Earth about intelligent warfare weapons, especially the suggestion to insert nursery rhymes into the enemy's head during combat.

Even he, the ruthless Dark Lord, felt that some netizens were being far too extreme. If those guys were really allowed to come to Faerûn, Asmodius might even have to relinquish his position as King of the Nine Hells.

Unfounded associations have been enough; it's time to pronounce the enemy's death sentence. "Fire," Ivy commanded clearly, her gaze steady.

The mental core containing the blood of the god Losanda reconnected with the Dawn Cannon Crystal, giving its internal blazing solar energy an initial velocity.

In an instant, a divine punishment as molten as gold erupted from the tip of the Dawn Cannon. In just a moment, the sacred amber energy transformed into a dark red pillar of light.

Ivy blinked; he knew it was a hallucination of intense light left on his retina by the high-heat energy. A heated wind blew across the wilderness, and the Shadowbreaker itself, due to its powerful recoil, left four deep furrows in the stone ground.

The Moonrise Tower, directly hit, did not explode; instead, a perfectly spherical cavity appeared, as if it had been gnawed by an invisible behemoth. While the Moonrise Tower, painstakingly built by Katheric, still retains its complete structure, it cannot withstand the damage to its foundation for long.

Ivy even watched it tilt to one side.

Just then, the high-temperature energy emitted by the Dawn Cannon exploded upon hitting its target.

The ground rose up strangely, and large chunks of earth and rocks were thrown into the air by the shockwave, colliding a second time with the collapsed main body of the Moonrise Tower.

This time, the Tower of the Moon wasn't so lucky.

According to the rules of D&D, shockwaves are considered thunder damage, which is a type of damage that can cause vulnerability to building structures.

The tower, which had stood on this land for over a hundred years, collided with the raised ground in a two-way collision. In the instant of contact, the giant tower was violently torn into three pieces by the shockwave carried by the earth and rocks, and then completely shattered, losing its original appearance and turning into a pile of unusable construction waste.

A sound wave, like a mountain collapsing and thunder roaring, swept across the land of Rasven, which had been silent for a hundred years, and even the dark clouds that had been hanging over the sky all day long were pushed away.

The sun shone generously on the ground, and along with the dark clouds, the gloom in the hearts of the adventurers and allied soldiers also dissipated.

The sounds of explosions and collapsing buildings had subsided, but the cheers of the warriors who fought against the conspiracy of the supreme god had not yet ceased.

Although everyone experienced temporary tinnitus, the smiles and surprise on their companions' faces were genuine. What they were witnessing was not a dream, but a real miracle.

“I never imagined I’d be this happy—after witnessing the collapse of the symbol of Katheric Som’s rule over Rasven.” Jahira laughed, giving Karak beside her a carefree kiss.

Karak, who was ambushed by her idol, was like someone who had a heart attack. Not only did her whole body burst into flames from hell, but she also seemed to have crashed and fell straight backward.

"That's the glory of Losanda!" Irene, daughter of Selenne, cheered. "If he knew, he would dance like a golden peacock!"

As benevolent gods representing luminous celestial bodies, Serene and Losanda had a good relationship. Ivy wasn't surprised that Irene could say some teasing things about Losanda. What surprised him was that the Netheril magical fluctuations emanating from the Mind Flayer colony hadn't stopped.

That means both the voters and the mind-stealing mastermind are still alive.

"Restore formation! Prepare to engage the enemy!" Ivy's voice, amplified by amplification magic, reached the ears of every warrior.

Everyone stared at him in disbelief; no one believed anything could survive such intense bombardment.

Ivy's worries soon became a reality, and the doubts and questions of others were also answered.

The Mind Flayer's main brain, waving its tentacles, suddenly appeared above Resven, its enormous size once again blocking out the sunlight.

An invisible surge of psychic energy swept across the battlefield, issuing an order to the army to the west of Resven: "The mandate has come! Believers! March on Resven, reclaim the weapons of the Supreme God! Clear the path ahead for me!"

A chaotic roar erupted like ocean waves, coming from the west side of the temporary positions where the allied forces were located.

“Mystra above…” Gale finally saw the complete form of the Supreme God in the hatching pool. “It is much larger than the size recorded in the Black Staff Academy library… Even that attack failed to kill it… I really should have activated the Destruction Orb…”

“Perhaps it’s not too late now…” Purple energy from the Destruction Orb overflowed from his chest, and the incantations taught by Elminster formed a complex magic circle near his palm.

But before he could finish the incantation, Ivy reached out and grabbed his wrist.

"I don't recall saying that the Dawn Cannon could only be fired once." Ivy smiled and gave the Shadow Destroyer another order, "Target: Mind Flayer Mastermind, activate at full power again!"

The visual sensors on the head of the Shadow Destroyer flashed again, and the omnidirectional wheel spun rapidly, aiming the tip of the Dawn Cannon Crystal at the large target in the air.

The casters are highly flexible, allowing the Dawn Cannon to fire at any angle. Even after firing preparations are complete, the supporting structure serving as the launch base does not need to be moved.

The self-optimization program left by Ivy in the core of his mind also came into play. The four adamantite tentacles burrowed deeper, and even the adamantite drill and piston-type spiked hammer that were originally floating in the air to defend against enemies were used by the Shadow Destroyer to strengthen his lower body.

Losanda's divine power surged once more, and a divine punishment as molten as gold shot into the sky, aiming directly at the blood-red mastermind floating in the air.

Hexagonal psionic deflection shields were stacked in front of the mainframe, determined to block the bombardment that could destroy landmarks and alter the terrain.

The collision between the divine radiance and the psionic shield was not as intense as people imagined, and it did not even cause an explosion on the surface of the mainframe.

The angle at which the psionic shield deflected the Dawn Cannon's beam dispersed the ricocheted beam, which struck the distorted forest on the ground, immediately triggering an explosion and a massive fire.

Because the attackers, who hadn't anticipated the ability to unleash attacks that pierced the ground, could fire continuously, the psionic shield hastily constructed by the mainframe was insufficient to deflect the full power of the Dawn Cannon. A significant portion of the attack still penetrated the barrier, proving that it had struck the grotesque, fleshy brain.

“LAAAAA——”

The mainframe's piercing wail echoed through the psionic waves, reaching the ears of everyone on the battlefield. The allied soldiers instinctively covered their heads and howled in pain.

Apart from Ivy, who had a deep understanding of Occlumency, and Minsara, who was equipped with the Ring of Mind Sanctuary, all the adventurers covered their heads, unable to withstand the mental onslaught of the main brain.

The astral prism in Xie Nian's arms suddenly appeared in the low sky, and the orange-red light formed another layer of protection, which prevented the Flame Fist soldiers with low resistance to psionic energy from becoming demented or vegetative.

(End of this chapter)