Zack just stared, his mind blank as he watched the city's defenses crumble before his eyes. Without even thinking, he instinctively activated his [Thousand Faces] ability, slipping into his alter ego as Lucius, ready to bolt if needed. Snapping his blue oni mask into place, he made his way to the city wall to figure out what the heck was going on.
And man, what a sight awaited him. The enemy forces were hauling ass outta there, leaving behind this massive, I'm talking skyscraper-sized, glowing angel silhouette. Three pairs of wings spread out, spanning the entire length of the enemy line. It was seriously huge, like, "holy crap" huge. And it wasn't even a real angel, more like this shimmering golden light sculpture.
The angel's face was fuzzy, but its posture was clear: hands crossed over its chest in an X shape. Zack squinted, channeling mana into his eyes for a better look. In the middle of its chest, shielded by its arms, he could make out the silhouette of a person. And damn, it was the saintess!
You know, one of those big shots from the Holy Empire, a level 3 powerhouse. Her face was probably plastered all over the black market, what with her being one of the strongest on the continent and all. Plus, she's known for her knockout looks.
But right now, her ethereal golden eyes were locked on Mossley city, ice cold. Zack followed her gaze, seeing the magic patterns fading away and this crazy mana pathway stretching from the angel right to the city. No prizes for guessing who wrecked the city's defenses earlier.
Another massive spell pattern began to take shape in front of the angel, slowly coalescing into existence.
Three level 2 powerhouses from the Fulminar Empire's side scrambled to break free from the hold of their Holy Empire counterparts, positioning themselves in front of the city for a last stand.
One of them, to Zack's surprise, was the old library guardian from his tower days. He remembered not seeing the guy during his last visit; turns out he'd been shipped off to Mossley.
The old wizard's voice boomed, magically amplified, "Please, Saintess, allow me to intervene. We concede defeat. We are prepared to offer our full cooperation in facilitating the city's transition of power,"
The other level 2 powerhouses seemed to be on board with the plan. There was this old saying floating around the tower: a peak level 3 apprentice might put up a decent fight against a level 1 wizard, and a bunch of peak level 1 wizards could hold their own against a level 2, for a bit at least. But no matter how many peak level 2 wizards you threw into the mix, they were like flies at a barbecue when it came to a level 3.
That's why level 3 powerhouses could basically run nations or empires—because they could single-handedly wipe 'em off the map, let alone a city.
But the saintess, she just kept on charging up her divine pattern, unfazed.
"Why should I place my trust in heretics?" she smirked coldly. "What assurances do we have that you won't betray us at the first opportunity?"
The level 2 powerhouses paled. They knew it was just an excuse from the saintess. Nobody dared to lie to a level 3 powerhouse, not even other level 2s.
They'd tried to reach the head of the lightning tower before making their move, but no dice. Otherwise, they wouldn't be surrendering so easily.
"Fear not, for I shall temper my power to ensure the city suffers minimal destruction. And regarding those enslaved by heretics within, they shall find solace in the purifying touch of Saintess. Their souls shall find acceptance in the embrace of the Almighty," resonated the saintess' voice, echoing throughout the city as the magic circle before her began to radiate with intensified brilliance.
As the magic circle in front of the angel glowed brighter, the three level 2 powerhouses scrambled to get ready. The wizards threw up massive fire and lightning barriers, while the knight juiced up his sword with a crazy amount of aura.
They figured the Holy Empire would only send two level 3 powerhouses—they needed folks to keep the home fires burning, after all. And hey, they had two level 3s on their side too. The lightning magic tower had managed to get in touch with the Grand Warrior down south, a level 3 powerhouse.
If they could just hang tight for a bit, their level 3 heavy hitters might just be able to kick the other city's level 3 powerhouse to the curb before swooping in to save the day. If it weren't for that hope, they'd have booked it ages ago. They figured maybe the head honcho over at the lightning tower was tied up duking it out with the other level 3 powerhouse, unable to pick up their call.
Meanwhile, Zack was clueless about all this, watching with wide eyes as spells of all shapes and sizes took form. His brain was on overdrive, scrambling for a way out.
He just knew those level 2 spells weren't gonna cut it against the saintess.
He had to figure out a way to distract her, buy their side some time. He didn't get why the level 2s were sticking around instead of booking it, but there had to be a reason. If he could help them stall just a bit longer, maybe a miracle would come their way.
Zack couldn't stand by and watch Mossley City go down without a fight. If it fell easily, it'd open up a clear path for the Holy Empire to waltz right into Fulminar territory, and that'd be game over for their side.
But he wasn't about to go kamikaze against a level 3 powerhouse either. Nah, he had a couple of aces up his sleeve with [Hidden Strength] and [Thousand Faces]. If push came to shove, he could ditch the scene faster than you can say "Holy Empire."
Frantically, he combed through his spell repertoire. The only ones he could throw down were from the [God Series]. Trouble was, they were all capped at peak level 2 firepower. And if the level 2 powerhouses weren't even bothering to tangle with the saintess, it was pretty clear that a level 2 offensive spell wasn't gonna faze her.
Damn it all! If only he had more time. When Zack sifted through the level 2 spells in the library, he stumbled upon a revelation. The [God Series] spells, born from his grasp of level 1 spell patterns, could pack a punch comparable to a level 2 spell.
So, if he had the time to fully wrap his head around level 2 spell patterns, he could turbocharge his [God Series] spells to go toe-to-toe with level 3 magic. Right now, though, with only a partial grasp of level 2 patterns, his [God Series] spells were maxing out at peak level 2 power, at best.
Think, Zack, think! Hold the heck up! Why did it take him so long to remember his specialty? SPEED! Back when he was just a level 1 wizard, he'd blitzed a level 1 opponent using the [Lightning Flesh] body enhancement spell and his slick mana circulation technique.
Now, with his [God Series] speed spell thrown into the mix, along with his original combo, he could take on a level 2 wizard without breaking a sweat. He didn't know if this new combo could hold its own against a level 3 powerhouse, but heck, he had to give it a shot.
He'd forgotten all about this because he'd been too caught up in watching those level 2 powerhouses fling spells left and right. He'd lost sight of his roots, but not anymore. It was time to show 'em what speed was all about!
In a split second, Zack's mind raced through his options, his thoughts moving faster than a cheetah on roller skates. And despite the steam practically billowing from his ears, he didn't waste a second. He went all in on his plan.
Zack went all out, pouring a boatload of mana into his already massive magic circle in his mana heart. [Lightning Flesh] - MAX. He unleashed a torrent of mana from his core, sending it coursing through every fiber of his being. Every muscle, bone, drop of blood—he saturated them all with lightning mana. [Body Enhancement - Mana] - MAX.
Every inch of Zack's body crackled with lightning, not even his skin was spared. He radiated a brilliant blue light, his once-brown locks now tinged with electric blue. It was like he was a being of pure energy, clad in a brown robe and a blue oni mask.
Even with his [Stealth] activated, he couldn't help but draw attention. The swirling currents of lightning around him caused turbulence in the air, creating blasts of wind that couldn't be ignored.
Cracks spiderwebbed out from beneath his feet, a testament to the sheer power coursing through him. Despite the dire circumstances, Zack couldn't help but feel a thrill of excitement. This was the first time he'd fully unleashed the potential of [Double Enhancement II]. Years of bathing in the baptism of [Lightning Flesh] had molded his body to withstand the power of lightning, allowing him to maintain this state for an extended period.
But he knew it wasn't enough. He needed more. So, without hesitation, he casted another spell.
[Lightning Step] - GOD SERIES!! [Hermes's Shoes - TALARIA]!!
With a surge of power, an incredibly intricate spell pattern unfolded beneath Zack's feet, its symbols dancing at an almost dizzying pace. From the pattern emerged threads of lightning, weaving and intertwining to cover his feet completely.
These lightning threads took on the form of magnificent blue shoes, adorned with streaks of shimmering gold. The level of detail was astonishing, making the shoes appear as if they were crafted by the finest artisans, not just a product of mana. And as a final touch, mana threads coalesced into lightning-like wings on both sides of the shoes.
Now, it was time to put this new arsenal to the test against a level 3 powerhouse. Let the showdown begin!
He took a step and bam! He vanished from sight. It used to be that whenever he zipped around at hyper speed, there'd be this big ol' sonic boom rattling the air. But now, it's like he slipped through a crack in space – no trace left behind where he was.
And that, my friends, is the magic of [Talaria]. When he cooked up this spell, he figured, instead of just swapping out [Lightning Flesh] with another body enhancement spell to boost his speed a bit more, why not try something different? See, his [Lightning Flesh] – thanks to his ever-growing mana pool – packs just as much punch, if not more, than your average level 2 enhancement spell.
So, he went a different route. Instead of juicing up his insides, already crackling with lightning from his spell and mana techniques, he decided to amp things up from the outside.
He took the concept of [Lightning Step] and ran with it – literally. Not content with just conjuring a step in thin air, he tweaked it to propel his whole body forward.
Then, he threw in some extra bells and whistles to supercharge the lightning step, even slapping on some wings to his shoes to tackle [Lightning Flesh]'s Achilles' heel – its one-directional movement. Those wings let him twist and turn mid-step, making him way more nimble. Plus, he added a cool feature: a lightning cover that sort of shifts the air around him, boosting his speed big time and leaving no trace in the air.
He tinkered so much with it that he decided to include this variant in his elite [God Series] spells. And he gave it the name [Hermes's Shoes - Talaria], a nod to the myth because, well, it's like something straight outta legend.
Alright, no more talkin'. Time to kick some butt... or bolt if he has to.
He zipped over to the side of the colossal angel, edging closer to where the saintess was posted up. Moving with all the grace of a ghost, he made damn sure she didn't catch wind of him.
Then, with a flick of his finger, a mind-bogglingly complex spell pattern sprang to life. And in the blink of an eye, a two-meter-long bolt of lightning materialized.
But this wasn't your run-of-the-mill lightning bolt, oh no. This thing was as calm as a cucumber, looking more like a beefed-up javelin than a flickering bolt.
[ThunderBolt] - GOD SERIES! [Zeus's ThunderBolt]!!
It was time to unleash some serious shock and awe. Let's see how the saintess likes a taste of Zeus's fury!