A mage? A spell engineer!

Chapter 447 Threat

"Again?" Rorschach was taken aback.

The area around Delyuaz was like a highland in a flood, where He sheltered those enveloped by His divine power as much as possible and expanded the territory little by little, as evidenced by the sprouting of grass and flowers on the outer walls of the fortress.

However, the other force was more violent and faster, expanding in an instant to a larger area than the necromancer had ever created, continuing the process of extracting life.

While resisting the surging power, Dryaz said, "Alejandro, an apprentice of the Arcane Tower, discovered fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls and simultaneously displayed necromancy talent."

"The then-chief of the Arcane Tower, Rogge, judged Alejman to have violated the tower's regulations on the management of ancient texts and expelled him. Alejman firmly believed that he was expelled because of his proficiency in necromancy."

"He wasn't considered a threat at the time, but through clues in the fragments, he painstakingly found the other parts of the Dead Sea Scrolls, which contained some of the ancient arcanist's magic, including the only one that is still effective today, the [Islem Longevity Spell]."

"The above is the information I have obtained. Next, I can tell you what I originally knew:" Dryaz paused, then intensified his output. A large tree covered in blue fluorescent light burst out from the brick wall of the fortress, but immediately the materialized filthy power took the lead, and black, viscous pus flowed out of the crack.

Dryaz quickened his pace: "Back in the time when the art of immortality was invented, Death chose the arcanist Islem to 'cooperate,' but in reality, he used him to fight against other gods. This arcanist, who stood at the pinnacle of spellcasting, was able to develop such a miraculous art that disrupted the balance and transcended the laws of life and death thanks to Death's favoritism and secret assistance."

"But the source of Death's power, and the Great Mother, belongs to the end of all things. You have already witnessed many aspects of Her power, including corruption, distortion, depravity, and uncontrolled proliferation. Now you can witness Her death and reincarnation."

No, I don't want to see it.

The realm that Delyuez created possessed restorative properties. Although the sprouting trees were teetering on the brink of collapse, at least the blue phosphorescence they shed fell upon the injured, improving their condition. However, many more people lacked divine protection, and their lives continued to wither away.

This withering is not like the immediate annihilation of the target of the [Longevity Technique], but rather a fall into a state between life and death. At the same time, on the battlefield, all the new and old victims "come alive". Whether from life to death or from death to life, they are all undergoing similar changes and are gradually being transformed into the same kind of existence.

"Since the war, Mother Earth has had a lot of 'materials'. If this continues to develop, the entire northern Valois region and the southwestern part of the empire will become a kingdom of the living dead, and will continue to evolve and converge, providing a foundation for Her return."

While Rorschach was explaining to Dryaz, he took out a pen and paper, wrote a message for Richard, and tucked it into his inner jacket. He then asked, "I need to go check on the situation at the fortress. Any suggestions on how to stop Him?"

"You can try your best."

Luo Xia hurriedly headed towards the interior of the fortress, towards the secret chamber, but by then the core of the fortress had melted into a pool of black water, from which shapeless monsters were constantly emerging, a situation quite similar to the abominations in the Black Forest.

The two archmages were constantly reaping the monsters that crawled out of the black molten pool, but they seemed endless.

The power of Mother Earth suddenly surged from the crater that Rorschach had initially shot out, catching all the spellcasters off guard. Fortunately, Delyuaz's domain temporarily created a safe zone, preventing the spread of the black water in one direction and giving the group a foothold and space to cast spells.

Cano has now opened a temporary teleportation portal, allowing Paulina and Snow to take the two wounded away, while he and Poincaré are trying various methods.

"Rorschach!" Master Kano saw that Rorschach seemed to have seen hope again and urged him to cast a spell quickly.

However, while the [Great Disintegration] spell, when cast into the center of the molten pool, could evaporate the monsters created within and cause the "water level" to drop visibly, the black water immediately surged back as soon as the spell's rays disappeared, attempting a retaliatory counterattack against Rorschach.

He tried switching to [Anti-Magic Scream], but it had no effect on the surging corrupted divine power.

Is it because there's no frequency band covered? Rorschach's spell only targets the caster because it can interfere with most spell frequencies, but for divine spells, it clearly exceeds the spectrum of human spells, and the output power is not even on the same order of magnitude.

It can be said that he and the other two archmages were engaged in a life-or-death struggle against the entire battlefield. Without Dryaz's help, Mother Earth would have won an overwhelming victory long ago.

So what to do? If the black water can't be completely eliminated in one go, the remnants will immediately multiply and resurface. Kano thought that he could forcibly summon the Starlight Torch Tower to the original site of Moncado Fortress and use the tower core to amplify Rorschach's [Great Disintegration], even if it meant annihilating the entire fortress ruins and sacrificing an expensive alchemical tower.

But this will take time and requires cooperation from Valuwana. The black water is already boiling, and it seems there's no time to act.

Meanwhile, Rorschach was recalling what had happened in Istani. He had been extracted by an ancient mage from some rule belonging to the previous world, which briefly covered the area with an order devoid of magic and mystery, thus preventing the power of Mother Earth from further infiltrating.

But that was an operation entirely performed by an ancient sage. Even though he was just a remnant soul, his mastery of arcane magic was something Rorschach could never match.

How did the old man do it back then? Luo Xia couldn't reproduce it at all. It was like encountering a difficult problem in an exam. He had clearly seen how the genius solved the problem, but because of his own limited ability, he could only remember the vague ideas and couldn't remember any of the steps. He couldn't even put pen to paper now.

Since retreating to Byrne, Rorschach had always been confident in his abilities, and his effortless breaking of a super-level spell just moments before proved this confidence. But when faced with a situation similar to what had happened in the Black Forest and the Shadow City, Rorschach realized that he couldn't do anything on his own.

The black water erupted like lava from a volcano, growing ever larger. Rorschach's disintegration spell could only offer some relief to him and the two archmages, but it couldn't change the course of the attack.

With the exams about to be over, he could only write out the solutions again and again.

Suddenly, a shadow fell over the fortress.

In the flagship's cabin, amidst the airship fleet, the adjutant reported to the technical director: "Unit three is fully charged. Sir, the anti-magic devices are now all ready and can be activated at any time."

"Understood. I will issue the order immediately. Have the engine room and the pilots responsible for maintaining the airbags conduct a final check." The bespectacled mage placed his hand on the lever on the control panel.

"Yes, sir!" The adjutant left the command room. Now only the director remained, along with the eagle that had somehow boarded the airship—supposedly his new magical pet.

The director adjusted his glasses, confirming he wasn't mistaken—looking down from the command center window, apart from a corridor filled with a bluish-green light, the entire area was shrouded in black mist, with strange fluctuations faintly visible. The fortress and the capital of Condi, both enveloped by this eerie power, seemed to have been dragged into the legendary underworld.

The Imperial airships carrying the anti-magic devices carefully navigated the safe passage opened by Delyuaz, arriving above the fortress. This was the true mandate Delyuaz had received—to force the Empire's anti-magic devices to intervene and ensure that the Imperial airships could reach the epicenter of the outbreak when Mother Earth infiltrated and erupted.

The eagle transformed into human form, revealing himself to be Alexander von Humboldt. A mysterious woman had commissioned him, and both her abilities and the terms she offered were irresistible. Of course, the master was unaware that he had become an outsourced subcontractor.

Humboldt placed his large hand on the technical director's shoulder: "Start all the devices."

The technical officer among the accompanying mages had no choice but to obey the Grand Mage's orders. He immediately pushed the lever, and a piercing flute rang out across the sky. Then, five thick beams of light descended simultaneously, engulfing the fortress.

(End of this chapter)