"It's a large Area of effect skill that allows Bastian to affect the fire element World Energy around us. It can turn fire element World Energy hostile. As fire element cultivators, we have a high affinity to it and thus attract the berserk energy into our bodies. Those who cannot absorb flame element enegy are fine, but those who can absorb it fall under attack. And it's not just that."
Phantasma's words caused Sula's pupils to constrict in shock. But there was more so she remained silent and waited for her counterpart to speak.
"Go ahead and fire any fire-type spell into the area around us."
With a look of weariness, Sula cast an ordinary fireball the size of a soccer ball into the ground next to her. But the small explosion she expected did not arrive. Instead, something of an entirely different nature occurred. And it was not just her who was affected.
…
"Hold the lines!"
"Don't let them go any deeper! We have to hold on a bit longer!"
"Backup will arrive shortly. Believe in Lord Bastian's plan."
Sounds of clashing metals and flashes from various skills littered the Cole family compound as it fell under attack. General Moto had taken control of the compound and was defending it to the best of his ability.
The general was raised in the war-torn Western Deserts. He found the strategy and grit of warriors in the Eastern Islands to be poor so he was not the least bit worried.
'This is too easy.'
Bastian had given the General Simple instructions.
"I just need you to make sure they enter this range. Get as many of the opponents to enter the compound. As long as the majority have entered this range, I can feel it. Just make sure you don't lose too many men while baiting them inside. Then the moment to strike I talked about earlier will come."
Bastian had drawn a diagram on the map of the compound and had given the map to the general. This General Moto had a clear-cut objective that released the burden on his shoulders.
Scouts had already reported everything to him. He was situated in a secret room in the middle of the compound. It was well hidden and tightly guarded. Scouts capable of long-range telepathy magic were sending information to the general's subordinates, making sure he had a rough understanding of the troops' positions.
A 3 dimensional model of the compound was on a large table. Many figures were placed all around, with red figures representing the enemy while blue figures were his allies.
'It's time for the boy to make his move.'
Bastian had been unable to prove himself to the old man in the Great Desert of Shandelaar. But the old man was still confident in Bastian. He wasn't sure why Bastian ran away and he did not believe Bastian had anything to do with the monstrous apparition he had seen the day Bastian's bloodline awakened.
Many cultivators had appeared in the Great Desert of Shandelaar that day, plunging the region into chaos, but even more, cultivators had disappeared. Many powerful cultivators had been attracted by the apparition of the storm dragon and countless battles had come about as a result.
So Bastian's disappearance could be ignored for now.
'Show me what you can do young mark bearer.' General Moto stroked his beard with great expectation as he looked at the model below.
…
"Fireball!"
"Earth Shield!"
"Water Blade"
Countless low-level spells and skills were being cast all over the battlefield as warriors and mages clashed. The majority of the troops from both sides were warriors but mages played a crucial role in battle as they had more firepower.
From small cramped hallways to open courtyards, the invaders had penetrated deep into Cole Family territory.
"Keep pushing!"
"We have them on the backfoot! Soon we will completely encircle them!"
Officers barked orders as they tried to forcefully raise morale. As the invaders got closer to the middle of the compound, their spirits, along with their courage, rose. But the closer one gets to fire, the greater the chances of getting burned.
"Collapsing Apollo Temple!"
A powerful Middle Scholar created a large temple of fire above his body the size of a table and threw it at a group of encircled Cole family guards within a large courtyard. He was a Dwight Family Elite Mage and had the support of many support troops. Many squads followed similar make-ups of having a fire or water-type mage as the main damage dealer while others act as distractions.
The Mage was ready to throw his spell down when he felt a massive change occur around him.
"Eh?"
The mage let out a small shout of shock, then the unimaginable occurred. The temple had collapsed and had fallen on the mage who had cast it. Within seconds all that was there were charred remains and a large group of stunned soldiers.
Bastian had already warned the Cole Family troops regarding this.
"During a key moment, you will see the enemy's fire and water element users falter. It could be for a moment, maybe longer. Use that moment to your advantage! Do not hesitate and do not lose concentration until the opportunity presents itself! You will only have this chance once so use it wisely!"
The fire element was best for attacks while the water element was the most versatile. That coupled with the water element being the most common resulted in more than half of the enemies being affected by Bastian's skill. The Cole family guards would not let this chance slip by.
Ten seconds after Bastian had activated the Homeostatic Seal, dozens of high-level Teacher and Scholar cultivators and even hundreds more mid to low-level cultivators had been wiped out.
Phantasma had gotten a somewhat decent grasp of Homeostatic Seal, but she had only understood part of it. Its first effect was suppressing any enemies that had the same elemental attributes as the caster. In other words, quite a bit of water and fire World Energy in the compound had gone berserk.
But the effect was far worse for fire element cultivators because there was a second effect for them specifically. The seal could absorb all energy attacks at the level of the spells' caster!