Five minutes? Sir Winstin smiled wryly. They were a lot farther than that. From his estimates, it would take another thirty minutes to cross that distance. In that time, they would be killed dozens of times over! He did not understand.
Meanwhile, below deck, General Illion had a thoughtful face. He heard the voice as well. It was indiscriminately sent to everyone on the ship, above or below deck. Ten Dawn Iris was not the type of person to make wild claims without reason. She would not say such things in the name of hope. If she said five minutes, then it meant it was possible! When he followed that thought, he thought of one thing: the experimental fleet!
Technology was constantly improving across the three civilizations. The Aero Glider was an invention by the Alzar Kingdom which revolutionized aerial warfare and in recent years, the Zino Kingdom was researching Fixed Magic Arrays. In fact, the technology used in Sky Towers for launching gliders into the sky was based on the same principle. By directly carving the magical circle into the tower, an Arcanist could very easily and quickly deploy glider squadrons. One such advantage was that it simplified the process greatly. An Arcanist only had to supply the Magical Energy to power the spell. There was no need to construct a magical circle or worry about backlashes!
Of course, where there were advantages, there were disadvantages too. Transforming a magical circle into an array was stripping Arcania of its fundamental advantage: flexibility! Although it could be used continuously, the fixed array would be capable of only a single spell. Any modifications to the spell would require directly modifying the array. Additionally, it was a stationary construct. It could not be moved around once it was burned into the material. Finally, it could not support more complex spells. The spell for the Sky Towers needed a magical array several times more complex than a magical circle variant. Hence, creating a Fixed Magic Array for any large-scale destruction spell, like Torrential Blizzard, was a dream.
It was a delicate craft and very difficult. The Zino Kingdom had been trying for years to implement the technology onto their ships. However, success was limited. To contrast, a Sky Tower was a simple structure. The flat surface at the top made it effortless to engrave a magical array. There was no complex geometry! However, a ship was a large, complex vessel. There was a mountain of difference in difficulty! Thus far, General Illion did not hear of any recent breakthrough. Yet, judging from Iris's words, the fleet was completed and battle-ready!
That thought was further affirmed when he considered the time it took for the fleet to arrive. At the earliest, it would take another few days. Even the Alzar fleet, which departed from the Yunyun Stronghold, had yet to arrive. The only possible explanation was that the magic array project was a success! Thinking up to this point, he relayed his orders to the people on the top deck. Elizabeth was in a daze. To turn from hopeless to hopeful in an instant, she could sympathize with what the soldiers felt in the last battle!
Ten Dawn Iris's robe was fluttering in the breeze as she stood on the prow of the Zino Kingdom's warship. The magical circle in front of her vanished as she opened her eyes. Her gaze was straight as she looked at the distant Alzar fleet. Or should she say, the Alzar ship. As General Illion thought, this was the experimental fleet being developed except… The technology had yet to be implemented fully. When the Three Sages gave their orders, they had no choice but to mobilize. As a result, their fleet was only ten-ship strong. However, it did not diminish her confidence one bit. Against the Xingyuu fleet, if they failed, that would be quite sad.
The Arcanists funneled their Magical Energy into the array, increasing their speed by a large margin. The energy empowered the array on the outside of the ships, causing them to glow in a vibrant white. It was a mesmerizing sight. Sir Winstin was initially skeptical, but reality proved him wrong. The distant fleet was rapidly approaching at unbelievable speeds! The warships moved several times faster than even the Xingyuu ships! Once they entered range, they unloaded massive volleys of arrows and spells. Arrows were one thing, but spells were incredibly difficult to defend against. Their range, speed, power… All of them had different properties.
On land, Arcanists were fragile. Rarely did they invest in learning or mastering martial skills. After all, lifespan was finite. It was much more time effective to focus on either Arcania or martial skills than badly learn the two. Consequently, any Arcanist squadron was heavily protected in any army. They were usually in the rear, dealing tactical strikes whenever possible. However, at sea, Arcanists could truly flex their wings. The ocean formed a natural barrier between them and their enemies! They could freely bombard their enemies without fear of retaliation!
Ten Dawn Krogan Jermon, the partner of Ten Dawn Iris, was perhaps the most vicious of the attackers. Krogan was quite a well-built man with lean and powerful muscles. He stood out amongst the frail and untrained Arcanists around him. Waving his hand, a series of complex Magical Circles appeared. Double-casting! He used this near-legendary technique immediately, forming two spells simultaneously. Out of every Arcanist in the Zino Kingdom, there was less than ten who could achieve double-casting. That was why when Minister Linshi utilized this technique in the Yunyun Stronghold, Princess Ming was shocked!
With his first spell, he formed thin razor-sharp needles of earth, much like crossbow bolts or arrows. However, when he shot them, their speed was a level faster than crossbows. They hit their mark, killing a dozen with the first volley. And that was the first volley! His lethality was chilling. As he continued his barrage, he finished coalescing his second spell. Immediately, a large pillar-like arrow was created. It was as wide as a ship's spar! Krogan groaned as the arrow was shot forth, piercing straight into the hull of an enemy ship. Instead of killing the soldiers slowly, he wanted to sink their ship!
The Xingyuu fleet did not remain. They retreated after suffering heavy casualties. The Zino Kingdom's fleet was like a blade, charging in and destroying their enemies! Their appearance was outside of the Xingyuu Empire's expectations. Even the Imperial Council did not foresee this. That was no surprise. Even General Illion did not know of its completion! With this, Elizabeth was no longer in any danger. She would be escorted by the Zino Kingdom's fleet!