The grand paladin swings his big sword at Zack and mumbles, "Lock!"
Boom! Zack's domain gets all wonky, and he's feeling pressure from every direction like never before.
Quick as a flash, Zack triggers his [Triple Enhancement] again and tries to bolt from where he's standing. But dang, that pressure's intense; it's like trying to run through with dozens of mountains on your back.
And the grand paladin ain't letting up. He slams his sword down like there's solid ground in mid-air and then does some fancy seal thing with both hands, shouting, "[Sundering Peaks]!"
Boom! Earthquakes erupt right under Zack, and two massive mounds shoot up on either side of him, dragging up dirt, rocks, trees, and whatever else was lying around. Those mounds start growing fast, like two giant mountains sprouting out of nowhere, and their peaks start bending toward Zack. Before you know it, they're each covering about three square kilometers at the base, and those peaks are closing in fast. 'It looks slow 'cause they're so huge, but trust me, they're moving quick.'
Zack stares at these monstrous mountains closing in and blurts out, "Seriously? This is nuts!"
So, this whole mess was basically Zack's fault. He could've dodged that crazy move the grand paladin pulled earlier, but he wanted to see just how strong the guy had gotten. Turns out, that restriction thing was way stronger than he thought, messing up Zack's whole mojo. Sure, he could still dodge regular spells, but there's no way he's outrunning two giant mountains heading his way.
So Zack decides to chill, drops his weapons, and figures he better use what time he's got left before getting squished to whip up a spell strong enough to counter the grand paladin's move. He spreads his arms wide, and bam! Two massive spell patterns appear, taking up almost as much space as those mountains.
Then, he dumps a ton of mana into those patterns, lighting them up like fireworks. The whole area around them gets warped from the sheer amount of mana Zack's pouring in.
In that moment, Zack's mind flashes to something: Zeus's Thunderbolt, the ultimate weapon in Greek mythology. It was so powerful it made Zeus the big cheese of the gods, a GodKing. No gods, not even titans big enough to reach the stars, could handle its power. Zack's previous thunderbolt didn't really live up to the name, but with this crazy amount of mana, he's hoping to at least capture a fraction of the thunderbolt's legendary might.
"Yo, check it out!"
[GOD SERIES] - [ZEUS' THUNDERBOLT] - TITAN SLAYER!!
Zack's pumped as two freakin' huge thunderbolts pop up on either side of him. 'Ever held something as epic as two mountain-sized thunderbolts? It's freakin' awesome!' With a badass grin, he launches each thunderbolt at the mountains.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
*** The Observing Wizards Location ***
A momentary hush fell over the land, pregnant with anticipation, before a blinding light erupted at the collision point between the thunderbolt and the mountain. What followed was not merely an explosion; it was a cacophony of devastation, a symphony of destruction so thunderous it seemed as though the very earth cried out in anguish.
A colossal mushroom cloud billowed forth from the epicenter, its ominous fumes reaching heights of ten kilometers, a grim testament to the cataclysmic clash below.
For the wizards observing from a safe distance, fear had already gripped them when the grand paladin effortlessly shaped mountains with a wave of his hand. But when the enigmatic wizard conjured forth lightning bolts rivaling the mountains in size, panic seized them all in unison, compelling them to flee.
Their instinct to escape proved prudent, as a five-kilometer radius around the collision site vanished into a gaping crater, while a further ten kilometers lay desolate, reduced to nothingness. Even beyond this devastated zone, the land trembled with the aftershocks of the collision, sending ripples of earthquakes as far as the eastern reaches of the empire.
Yet, before the dust-covered wizards could dare to breathe a sigh of relief, a surge of mana and aura surged ominously in the distance, unlike anything they had ever encountered. Even at their considerable distance, they felt the very fabric of mana around them quiver in response.
Then, as if in response to the chaos below, the sky itself became a canvas, stretching across a ten-kilometer radius from the epicenter, adorned with colossal spell patterns. The mana around the wizards churned with newfound intensity, as if bracing for the unimaginable unleashed by the unfolding events.
The tumult of mana fluctuations was matched only by the surging aura in the distance, its potency steadily increasing as the earthquakes grew more violent around the observing wizards. Then, a sight unfolded before them that would be seared into their memories for eternity. Dozens of mountains sprouted forth from the earth, their peaks converging towards a singular point in the sky. Simultaneously, from the colossal spell patterns above, thunderbolts of mountainous proportions arced downward, all aimed at the same focal point.
"By the truth of the universe," one wizard stammered, his voice barely audible over the collective gasps of disbelief from his comrades. Tower heads, peering through spying artifacts, shared in their astonishment. In that moment, the ancient legends of level 3 powerhouses as godlike beings, capable of single-handedly toppling empires, ceased to be mere myths. The reality unfolding before them now validated every awe-inspiring tale they had once dismissed as hearsay.
The notion that their collective might, fortified by the alliance of magic towers, could stand against the grand paladin now seemed absurdly naive. With mounting dread, they watched as the thunderbolts and mountains inexorably converged, their impending collision heralding cataclysmic devastation of unfathomable scale.
In a desperate scramble, the wizards fled, their terror transcending distance as they sought refuge from the looming cataclysm, knowing no sanctuary could be found within dozens of kilometers of the imminent collision.
*** Back to Zack and the Grand Paladin ***
Rewind a few minutes before the big collision.
Zack waved his hand, clearing away the smoke and dust from where his thunderbolts clashed with the grand paladin's mountains. He was coughing up a storm, feeling like he had been hit by a freight train with multiple broken bones. Turns out, being caught in the middle of two massive collisions wasn't the smartest move. But hey, he was using his clone body anyway, so he was not too bothered. He would just ditch this one after the fight.
As he looked down, he saw the ground shifting, revealing the grand paladin's battered body. Dude was in rough shape too, showing he didn't come out of that mess unscathed. But being a level 3 powerhouse, he got that half-elemental thing going on, so his body was probably already on the mend. Zack's heard they could even regrow limbs with their crazy recovery powers.
But enough of that. Zack locked eyes with the grand paladin, even though one was hovering way up in the sky and the other was down on the ground. Their gazes met, and they both knew what was coming next. Neither of them was up for dragging this out any longer, so it was time for one last showdown.
Out of nowhere, it was like an ocean of mana started pouring out of Zack, tinting the air around him a deep blue and crackling with lightning that zapped everything for kilometers around. He spread out his domain to its full size, using it to control this massive surge of mana, and stared conjuring up these huge spell patterns, each with a radius of 1 kilometer, stretching out for 10 kilometers around him. The whole area was practically trembling with mana, and those spell patterns lit up like Christmas trees with all the mana Zack was pumping into them. Tens of mountain-sized thunderbolts popped up around him, looking like they could hold up the sky themselves, and the clouds had long cleared away to show off these massive, intimidating bolts of lightning.
Meanwhile, the grand paladin was doing his own thing. He stuck his sword in the ground, grabbed onto its handle with both hands, and started channeling this crazy amount of aura into the sigil around him. Then, this weird force started flowing out of the sigil, down his arms, into his sword, and then down into the ground. Suddenly, earthquakes started shaking the ground all around him, with him right in the center. Then, BOOM! Massive mounds start sprouting up, growing into mountains that stop at about 5 kilometers tall. And through it all, the grand paladin's staring up at Zack, who's looking down at him, ready for whatever's coming next.
The tension between the grand paladin and Zack crackles through the air, mingling with the suffocating air filled with lightning mana and aura as heavy as the mountain.
"[GOD'S APOCALYPSE - RAGNAROK]!!"
"[HEAVENLY MOUNTAIN - TECTONIC CONVERGENCE]!!"
The massive thunderbolts and mountains start inching closer together, and then... silence. It's like the whole world's holding its breath.
And then, KA-BOOOOOOOM! The sky splits open in a deafening explosion. BOOOOOM!
A blinding light illuminated half of the Fulminar empire, casting the landscape into an unexpected daylight. Massive earthquakes followed suit, rippling through the entire expanse. Tormentaheim, the city closest to the epicenter, bore the brunt of the chaos.
*** Tormentaheim ***
Throughout the entire day, the city's inhabitants remained barricaded within their homes, gripped by fear and uncertainty. The ordeal had begun earlier in the day, with mild earthquakes rattling the city before steadily intensifying. Panic spread like wildfire among the populace, each tremor amplifying their dread.
Then came the crescendo: a blinding light that bathed the western sky in an otherworldly brilliance, followed by a seismic upheaval that shook the very foundations of the city. Yet, unbeknownst to them, this was merely a prelude to the chaos that would soon unfold.
Before long, another radiant burst of light engulfed the sky, its brilliance so intense that it momentarily blinded the residents. For a fleeting moment, they mistook the radiant glow for an unexpected sun, plunging the afternoon into an eerie twilight.
Then came the shockwaves, jolting the city's defensive formations into action. For a harrowing 10 seconds, the city quivered under the assault. When the tremors subsided, the once stalwart defenses bore the scars of the onslaught, especially on the western front where cracks marred the structure.
Soon after, the earth itself seemed to rebel, convulsing violently beneath the city's foundations. It was an earthquake of unprecedented magnitude, dwarfing all previous tremors. Tormentaheim became a vessel adrift in a tempestuous sea of seismic activity, its defenses pushed to the brink of collapse. Despite their recent shockwave, the formations held long enough to prevent the city from fracturing apart completely, though many buildings succumbed to the relentless shaking.
Amidst the chaos, the entire imperial family sought refuge in the main palace, clustering together under the protection of the family's guardian, the grandfather of the reigning emperor, a formidable level 2 powerhouse.
Though the guardian maintained a façade of calm assurance, he couldn't shake the deep-seated shock coursing through him. While he had always believed in the city and palace defenses' ability to safeguard the imperial family, he felt compelled to extend his own protective aura over them, if only to offer a semblance of comfort.
This was uncharted territory even for him. Despite his stoic demeanor, he grappled with an inner turmoil unlike anything he had experienced before. The distant tales of devastation along the southern border, wrought by clashes between level 3 powerhouses from rival empires, and the legendary confrontation involving a mysterious powerhouse and the saintess, had been harrowing enough. Yet, those were mere echoes compared to the visceral reality unfolding before him now.
Never before had he been in such close proximity to a battle of this magnitude, nor felt its reverberations firsthand. The aftermath promised to extend far beyond the city limits, potentially impacting the entire empire.