Two days after the assembly and discussion, when all the armies and wizards were in their positions, Asmodeus stood on the roof of the cottage his subordinates had built for him.
Asmodeus stood, periodically surveying the surroundings and checking the time.
Checking the time again, Asmodeus shouted, "TWO MINUTES TO POSITION!"
At his shout, all the attending wizards shouted, "YES, SIR!"
After a minute, Asmodeus began to turn his head again.
Turning his head to the right, he continued to hold it that way.
After a couple of seconds, the soldiers already noticed the wall growing before their eyes, like a wall creeping towards them.
At that moment, Asmodeus shouted, "Now!"
As soon as Asmodeus's words fell, hundreds of wizards with their wands already drawn shouted, "DURO MAXIMO ENFORMO!"
At the moment when the choir of voices rang across the field, the wall, which had already begun to lose speed towards the wizards, as if gaining new strength, sharply resumed its course.
This repeated two more times, and within a few minutes, the entire area around the royal harbor was separated from the rest of the world by a five-meter wall with battlements facing inward.
When the wall closed the circle, Asmodeus received a message, and they moved on to the second stage.
"All who have taken courses in modern alchemy under Flamel, to the forefront! Only modern alchemy!"
Upon hearing this, the wizards began to group together so that those who had been standing behind could conveniently reach the wall. Asmodeus emphasized that it was specifically modern alchemy, as alchemy in the magical world had changed significantly over time.
For example, ancient alchemy requires deep study of runes, precise control over mana, material correspondence, and so forth. To create something like a mirror of desires, one would need a high level of mastery in ancient alchemy. Only individuals like Nicholas in the current era could reproduce it. It involves a convergence of effects from various materials, runes, and engraved patterns.
Modern alchemy is slightly different. Not to say that material selection and everything else have completely disappeared into the river of time; no, the difference lies in how the alchemist enhances specific magical effects on an object. Ancient alchemy requires runes as a source of magical transformation, while modern alchemy emerged with the advent of the spell "Securei ifinito," allowing the wizard to extend the duration of a spell cast on an object.
For example, manufacturers of magical brooms use an approach somewhere between old and new alchemy. They embed a large number of acceleration runes into the broom's construction, but the levitation spell is attached to the broom, not a rune activated by mana.
Ancient alchemy is much more durable than modern alchemy. Items crafted by an alchemist using ancient alchemy and runes will last longer than the wizard himself. With modern alchemy, this is not the case. Most likely, after a fairly long period of time, around 40 years, certain spells will need reinforcement. That's why, by the way, manufacturers like Nimbus only provide a 10-year guarantee.
So, all the wizards who had completed the short course in modern alchemy stepped forward. Almost instantly, the field resounded with the voice of this wave of spells: "Securei ifinito!"
Every time the spell fell on the transfigured wall, ripples spread across it, as if a drop of water had fallen into a calm lake. So, after a couple of minutes, when Asmodeus double-checked the wall's expiration date, everyone withdrew.
Modern alchemy, combined with transfiguration, is an excellent combination. Asmodeus, sensing the amount of mana absorbed by the wall, could say that it would easily last about 15 years, which was more than enough.
Finishing his inspection, he called the other members of the construction team and ensured that all other parts of the wall were reinforced.
_______________________________________
Meanwhile, in the Red Keep, Cersei, seated on the throne, heard a knock on the door. "Enter."
Qyburn entered the throne room, glanced at the monster behind Cersei, and said, "Your Majesty, I have just received a report from the soldiers on the tower."
Cersei's gaze immediately filled with anger, as she understood that the news the soldiers from the tower brought could only be about Daenerys Targaryen's army.
"What does it say?"
Qyburn sighed. He thought it might be a foolish soldier who had been bribed to report false information. Nevertheless, he replied, "The soldier brought a message stating that, within a couple of minutes, at a distance of about three kilometers from the capital, a wall approximately five meters high appeared."
Cersei fell silent at first, then burst into laughter. "Ha-ha-ha! Do they think I'm a complete idiot?! Do they think I'm a fool? Who brought such nonsensical news? Bring that person here and execute them! They've betrayed their queen and are delivering knowingly false information."
Qyburn sighed and was about to leave to give the order, but then there was another knock on the door. "Come in."
The door opened, and a member of the royal guard rushed into the room. "Your Majesty!"
"Boros Blount, welcome."
"Thank you, Your Majesty, but I bring extremely bad news, and I don't deserve your welcome."
Cersei looked at this ugly man with surprise. Ser Boros was bald and fat, with a flat nose and sagging, trembling cheeks. He had a broad chest and short, crooked legs, with gray, brittle hair. Despite his title and being a member of the royal guard, he was a cowardly and incompetent bodyguard, embodying everything a knight of the Kingsguard should not be. Blount was a bully with a vein of malice he usually kept in check. He could easily bully the weak and innocent, yet he was quick to be frightened by a real threat, avoiding conflict if he believed he couldn't win.
Cersei had kept him in the Kingsguard precisely because of his malice. She needed people who were willing to dirty their hands, but this man had a particularity: he would never bring bad news. At best, he would ask someone else to deliver it. But today he had said directly that he brought bad news. Either this man had been replaced, or the situation was so dire that it couldn't be ignored.
Understanding this, Cersei asked, "What could be so bad?"
"...Your Majesty. Within five minutes, a wall approximately five meters high appeared around the capital... We are under siege."
"!?"
Cersei couldn't believe it. She now realized that the soldier's report had been true. Not that she trusted Blount; on the contrary, but he was so cowardly that he would never dare to joke in front of her.
"How can a wall appear out of nowhere?! Are these the allies that whore Daenerys seduced to her side!?"
Cersei quickly descended into a state of utter madness. Her plan to bury the entire city along with her enemies had failed before it even began. The enemies could simply wait until she starved to death.
Cersei pulled at her hair and screamed like an animal until, at one moment, she said, "Open the gates! If the enemy has an army, let it enter the city!!!"
Cersei decided to try to lure Daenerys's people into a trap. She no longer cared whether she would die; she was only concerned about how many enemies she could take with her to the other side.