Thanks to his [Hidden Strength], even the Saintess couldn't pick up on the spell's vibes he cast.
The Saintess only sprang into action when the thunderbolt was mere inches from the angel's skin, catching it just in time from the light it emitted rather than any telltale mana vibes.
BOOM!
Yet, the [Zeus's Thunderbolt], boasting to rival top-tier Level 2 spells, managed to penetrate only a fraction of its length, leaving a tiny crack on the angel's skin that quickly healed. Despite Zack's decision to prioritize speed and penetration over explosive power when crafting the [Zeus's Thunderbolt], it fell short of its intended impact.
It was only after the thunderbolt's trajectory was traced that the Saintess finally clocked Zack's presence. Seizing her attention, Zack swiftly activated his [Camouflage II] and slipped away to another spot.
All she glimpsed was this blue-glowing dude in a devil mask and brown robe before he vanished. She didn't even get a chance to cast a spell to nab him.
Just as Zack was gearing up to unleash another thunderbolt, the Saintess's gaze snapped in his direction. Dang! What a beast! Zack couldn't help but think. Even with all his speed, stealth, and camouflage, the Saintess still managed to nail his position.
It couldn't possibly be due to his mana fluctuations, the air disturbance he caused, or even his appearance, Zack reckoned. After all, those were all concealed by his [Stealth], [Hermes' Shoes - Talaria], and [Camouflage II] respectively. So, the only explanation was that the Saintess was pinpointing his location purely through instinct.
"Man, this is crazy!" Zack exclaimed. Then, he could sense the mana around him beginning to constrict—a sure sign of the Saintess's restraining spell. But heck, it was still too sluggish for his liking! He scrambled to dart out of the tightening area, only to realize it was larger than he'd anticipated. With sheer luck, he barely wriggled free just as the pressure was about to hit its peak.
He glanced at the colossal ball of light, stretching a hundred meters in diameter, spawned by the Saintess's entrapment spell. The mana within was compressed so tightly that it sparked and interacted with each other, illuminating the trapped area in a dazzling display, like a mesmerizing glowing orb.
Once more, Zack couldn't help but think, "What a freaking monster!" He swallowed hard, nerves jangling. Should he keep going? Yeah, why not! After all, he hadn't unleashed his max speed yet. Let's see if the Saintess can keep up with this. With a bright shimmer, his shoes crackled with lightning—ahem, of course, all hidden by [Camouflage]. Anyway...
[TALARIA] - MAX!!
In an instant, he flickered to numerous locations. Initially, the Saintess managed to track him with her eyes, but as he picked up speed, he darted away even before she could catch a glimpse of his position, appearing in dozens of other spots.
It wasn't a cakewalk for Zack either. The Saintess kept casting those massive restraining spells all over, even predicting some of his moves. But he still slipped away. Alright, enough running. Time to fight back.
He charged up thunderbolts on each finger.
[Zeus's Thunderbolt] x 10!!
BOOM! BOOM!
Zack succeeded; he managed to prevent the Saintess from casting the massive spell earlier. The intense glow of the spell pattern in front of the angel faded away.
The three Level 2 powerhouses standing in front of Mossley City were baffled. The Saintess abruptly halted her mana channeling to the massive spell pattern in front of the angel, instead conjuring numerous glowing balls around her, accompanied by explosions on the angel's barrier around her body.
It seemed as though she was locked in a battle with someone, but there was no one visible nearby. Don't underestimate the keen senses of Level 2 powerhouses; their mana-enhanced functions, including nerves and eyesight, were razor-sharp.
They were confident that if the Saintess was tracking something with her eyes, they should at least catch a glimpse of it. However, thanks to Zack's [Camouflage] and [Talaria], they couldn't see a thing.
The only evidence they had of the Saintess battling someone else was the explosions on her barrier, caused by lightning spears. The fire wizard and the knight turned to the lightning wizard, seeking answers.
"Don't pin this on me," the lightning wizard vehemently denied. "I'm clueless too."
Meanwhile, back on Zack's end, he was thinking, "Well, this is a breeze." He had even geared up to take on the Holy Empire's Level 2 powerhouses together. But they seemed totally chill, just chilling where they were.
But soon enough, Zack would get his wake-up call. The Saintess, who had seemed dead serious in her "fight" against him, suddenly looked bored out of her mind.
"Your agility is impressive, unmatched even by my own capabilities. And your ability to elude detection is remarkable. Yet, for all your speed and stealth, you lack the means to truly challenge me. Even if I were to stand here motionless, you couldn't inflict harm upon me.
I had hoped for a more intriguing display from you. Instead, you're merely another level 2 powerhouse, albeit with enhanced swiftness and stealth. It seems our dance has grown tiresome." the Saintess's voice echoed, dripping with elegance, authority, and a touch of boredom.
As soon as the Saintess finished speaking, an ominous aura emanated from her position, sending alarm bells clanging inside Zack's head. With lightning speed, he darted out of range, managing to outpace the spreading aura.
The aura halted at a radius of 500 meters around the Saintess. Zack could sense that everything within this area, enveloped by the Saintess's aura, could be manipulated by her. He recalled reading about this in one of the books from the library.
A Level 3 powerhouse could create a domain like this. Within it, they could manipulate every single particle of air and mana. They could sense everything and amplify their own spells while nerfing the enemy's to oblivion. Heck, they could even shut down the enemy's spells entirely.
Of course, with Zack's OP [Hidden Strength], he could confidently slip into the domain undetected. Unless he got too close, around 150 meters, where a Level 3 powerhouse's instincts would kick in, he could pretty much stroll around invisible. And hey, with Zack sitting pretty at the 500-meter mark, the Saintess couldn't sniff him out at all.
But here's the kicker—even if she couldn't spot him, she could just decide to lock down the whole 500-meter area around her and trap Zack. Then, she could just unleash some massive AOE spell and wipe out everything.
That's why Zack's danger radar went off when the saintess started spreading her domain. And yup, turns out he was right. She'd already locked down the area as soon as she started spreading her domain. Now, it's completely sealed off. And then, with a flick of her finger, she starts weaving this huge spell pattern. Suddenly, all the light particles under her domain start coming together to form these gorgeous light crystals.
BOOM!
Those crystals exploded, the blast stretching beyond the 500-meter mark. Zack had to scramble back another 500 meters. Too close for comfort. The whole domain thing happened in the blink of an eye. Luckily, Zack's quicker than a blink, so he made his escape.
"Shit, shit, shit!" Zack cursed under his breath, his mind racing furiously. But try as he might, he couldn't come up with anything to take down that monster. Now he understood why a level 3 powerhouse was like the king of the hill. No way could a bunch of level 2 powerhouses stand a chance against that beast.
Suddenly, the spell in front of the saintess lit up like a damn Christmas tree. Zack realized she'd just been messing around before. If she wanted to, she could've finished that spell before those level 2 wizards even had a chance to throw up their barrier.
Once the spell was done, the angel opened its mouth and blasted out this massive pillar of light straight towards Mossley city. The wizards' barrier didn't stand a chance, barely lasting a second before getting obliterated.
BOOOM!!
Well, thankfully, it seems the saintess angled the shot to pass through above Mossley city instead of aiming straight for the center. But even then, the area about a kilometer behind Mossley got wiped out, reduced to nothingness.
The level 2 powerhouses had also clocked onto something fishy with their level 3 counterparts. I mean, it was getting pretty suspicious that none of them had shown up yet, even with all this delay. So, the level 2 crew decided it was time to bounce, making a run for it.
"Who gave you permission to run?" the saintess drawled out, her voice dripping with menace. The angel's wings spread wider, and all these crazy spell patterns started popping up on each feather. Then, like something out of a nightmare, beams of light shot out from the wings, chasing down those level 2 powerhouses trying to make a break for it.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Only the lightning wizard managed to bolt out of there, but not unscathed. He was left with some seriously gnarly injuries. As for the others, well, let's just say they didn't make it. Turned into minced meat by those relentless light beams.
But the Saintess wasn't done. The angel's wings glowed again, and guess where those spells were heading? Mossley.
Hold up, hold up, hold up! Zack's brain short-circuited. He ditched his [Camouflage] and screamed at the top of his lungs, juicing up his voice with mana. "STOP, SAINTESS, PLEASE! WE GIVE UP! THERE'S NOBODY LEFT TO PROTECT THE CITY! SPARE THE INNOCENT FOLKS!"
The Saintess just gave a cold smirk and let loose those light beams.
"RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!" Zack yelled, though everyone in the city was already legging it before he even opened his mouth. But could they outrun those light spells?
He poured almost all his mana into a desperate spell.
[Lightning Barrier] - GOD SERIES! [Athena's Shield - Aegis] - Shield Form!!
A massive shield stretched over the city, almost wrapping it up entirely. But those light beams from the angel's wings just kept coming, and Zack could only hold out for so long before the barrier cracked. Then, he had to watch as the whole city got wrecked.
But then, he noticed a swarm of light beams homing in on him. Realizing he hadn't switched on his [Camouflage], he activated it and bolted toward the forest. Once the beams lost sight of him, they blasted his previous spot.
…
He sank to his knees, tears mixing with the red in his eyes as he watched the city from the forest's edge, repeating "why? why? why?".
Despite his introverted lifestyle, he couldn't avoid interacting with people entirely. From the managers of the restaurants he frequented to the food stall owners near his place, even the lovely owner of the flower shop he passed on his way to eat. They were all just regular folks, with families and lives of their own. Their kids probably had bright futures ahead of them. But now... they are all gone.
His head was spinning, his stomach churning. He felt like he might pass out any moment. But his survival instinct kicked in, refusing to let him collapse in the open. He dashed through the forest, keeping his [Invisible] mode activated.
Finally stumbling upon a cave, he hastily set up a few basic arrays and collapsed onto the floor, utterly exhausted.