"Excuse me, sir, would you prefer to utilize the teleportation magic circle or stick with flying to the destination as before?" one of the wizards steering the ship asked.
"Let's opt for the teleportation circle. Since we're enacting Plan B, stealth isn't a concern. It doesn't matter if they detect the mana fluctuations," Sir Archibald commanded.
"Understood, sir!" The wizard swiftly adjusted course to the nearest teleportation circle.
Once the magic ship arrived above the circle, it shone brightly, engulfing the ship. The next moment, they appeared in the teleportation hall of the lightning magic tower. Since it was cleared and off-limits for this operation, they had no trouble navigating the large magic airship to the teleportation circle heading to Kirchein, the second biggest city in the west side of the Empire after Tormentaheim. Strangely, after sending a mana signal to activate the circle, it only dimly shone before fizzling out.
"Sir, the teleportation circle isn't functioning! There appears to be some form of spatial interference at the destination," one of the wizard pilots reported.
"They must have activated the magic barrier we provided. Well, the upside is that the barrier's activation seems successful. The downside is that the magic beasts likely commenced their assault on the city by now," Sir Cedric chimed in.
"Switch to the nearest city to Kirchein," Sir Archibald ordered.
And just like that, they rerouted to Herfeld, the next best thing. With a flashy burst of light, the magic airship vanished from the teleportation hall.
***
Meanwhile in Kirchein, wizards from the fire and earth magic towers, along with Duke Coledall's family, were holed up inside a magic barrier. They had already retrieved the babies and placed them on their magic airship. The fire tower had secured the baby responsible for the inferno, while the earth tower had recovered the baby linked to the wave-like earthquakes. Both babies had been handed over by Duke Coledall, the western guardian of the Fulminar Empire.
Unlike Duke Moonson, as soon as the fire and earth magic towers provided the token from the lightning tower, proving they were under its command to retrieve the babies, Duke Coledall immediately relinquished them. This decision stemmed partly from the fact that the babies were not his descendants, and also because he had closely witnessed the devastating fight between the mysterious wizard and the holy empire's forces.
As soon as he received the warning from the emperor not to interfere with the lightning tower, he assumed that the terrifying wizard, whose might literally shook the continent, had a connection with the lightning tower. So, he decided to steer clear of any trouble with the lightning tower altogether.
"Duke, the city barrier has been erected. We should be able to hold out for at least half a day. What are your orders, Duke?" the city's guard captain reported to Duke Coledall.
Meanwhile, Duke Coledall, accompanied by the tower masters of the fire and earth magic towers, stared fixedly in one direction, their face drained of color.
"Duke, Sir!" After the captain's third holler, Duke Coledall finally snapped back to reality. "Inform the citizens to remain indoors. Warn them that stepping outside means risking their lives," Coledall's bloodshot eyes bore into the captain, giving him a bit of a jolt. But without wasting a moment, the captain dashed off to spread the word.
Turning to Sir Terran Highcroft, the tower master of the earth magic tower, Duke Coledall got straight to the point. "Sir wizard, will this barrier effectively repel attacks from level 3 beings?"
"We haven't witnessed the barrier in action ourselves, but the fact that it was created by the only two level 3 formation masters on the continent should give it credibility. And remember, the lightning tower has two level 3 wizards. If any tower can vouch for a barrier's ability to withstand level 3 attacks, it's the lightning tower, since they could test it directly. Rest assured, Duke," Terran assured, his arms crossed, muscles looking like they were ready to burst through his skin.
It was normal for Duke Coledall to be nervous. In fact, the tower masters were also on edge. They sensed the auras of two level 3 magic beasts looming in the distance. Their approach hadn't been detected until they were right outside the city barrier, which was abnormal. What was even more unsettling was that they remained still and only let the level 2 magic beasts attack the city barrier.
With each hit from the magic beasts, the barrier shook. However, it could withstand attacks from the level 2 beasts for half a day. Despite this, the explosion sounds from the attacks were deafening, causing anxiety among the city's residents. With each assault, screams and cries filled the air, plunging the city into chaos.
Duke Coledall tightened his fists. "Sir wizards, is there any way to extend this magic barrier to shield the entire city?"
"Not likely. This barrier has a fixed size. Attempting to expand it recklessly would compromise its defensive capabilities," Sir Ignatius Flameheart, the tower master of the fire magic tower, shot down the idea. He usually had a mischievous twinkle in his eye, but now he looked serious, mirroring his nervousness.
But then, Sir Terran suddenly spoke up. "I think we could give it a shot,"
"Terran, have you lost your mind?!" Sir Ignatius was dumbfounded, dropping the honorifics in his shock.
Terran met Ignatius's disbelief with a steady gaze. "I'm serious. As a peak level 2 formation master, I believe I can modify the barrier to encompass the entire city. Besides, we have two barriers—yours and mine. I can adjust mine while we maintain yours to protect this mansion."
"But we're facing two level 3 magic beasts! Two of them, damn it! Wouldn't having two barriers be more reassuring than just one?!" Sir Ignatius raised his voice, frustration clear in his tone.
"We can't let innocent people in the city die," Sir Terran insisted.
"Yeah, but you're risking everyone else to save a few," Ignatius shot back.
Duke Coledall, taken aback by Ignatius's words, murmured, "Everyone?" Sir Terran, catching the duke's suspicion, internally panicked.
"Don't you realize how crucial those babies are? If they perish, the world—" Sir Ignatius continued his rant, oblivious to Duke Coledall's growing suspicion, but was abruptly cut off by Sir Terran.
"Sir Ignatius, be mindful of your surroundings," Terran cautioned, shooting a glance at Coledall. Ignatius clamped his mouth shut, stealing a glance at the duke. Coledall, sensing something off, became even more intrigued by the babies' importance.
Before he could question further, Terran jumped in. "As I mentioned, Duke, I should be able to extend the barrier over the entire city. However, I'll need a significant amount of mana stones. Unfortunately, we didn't bring enough. Could you gather them for me?"
"Absolutely, sir. How many do you need?" Coledall, now focused on the task at hand, brushed aside his suspicions.
"10,000 mid-quality should suffice."
With Coledall off to gather the mana stones, Terran shot a glare at Ignatius, who returned it defiantly. "I admit I messed up earlier, but my point still stands. You're jeopardizing the lives of people across the continent just to save those in one city."
"Check your communication badge. Reinforcements from the lightning tower are en route. We just need to hold off the magic beasts for a short while. Once they arrive, they should be able to repel these creatures," Sir Terran announced.
Sir Ignatius quickly checked his communication badge, a jade piece hanging from his robe belt. After a moment, he reluctantly nodded to Terran. "Fine, do as you wish."
As Ignatius floated away, he grumbled under his breath, "We're wizards, not knights. What's the point of saving these commoners anyway?"
Terran, overhearing Ignatius's remark, chose to ignore it. For him, it was about standing up for the weak against the strong. It was a core value of the earth magic tower. Unlike other magic towers, the earth magic tower didn't view non-wizards as inferior. They upheld values akin to the knights of old: Valor, Loyalty, Justice, Honor, Mercy, Perseverance.
Before long, the second barrier, originally covering the mansion, expanded to encompass the entire city, merging with the existing one.
***
Outside the city, the two level 3 magic beasts, Lightning Claw Sabertooth and Frostfire Bear, stood ominously.
As soon as they witnessed the second barrier expanding to encompass the city, Sabertooth chuckled, addressing the Bear, "[Heheh, that little monkey was onto something. Just give the city a scare, and they sacrifice one of their barriers.]"
"[Indeed, how foolish humans are. Saving the weak? The weak deserve nothing but death, to be crushed underfoot. Soon enough, the world will bow to us, the beasts of god!]" replied the Frostfire Bear.
They communicated using mana, conveying intent rather than words, as their languages differed. But then they let out eerie, terrifying laughs in their own voices.
"Grrraahahahaha!"
"Huehuehue-Growl!"
Their laughter was cut short by a mana signal from somewhere.
"[Get ready, kitty cat. It's time for a massacre. Don't drag me down,]" warned the Bear.
"[Don't worry about me, you lumbering oaf. You should worry about yourself!]" retorted Sabertooth.
The massive bear rose to its feet, its massive body towering at 30 meters tall, as wide as a building. With a mighty slam of its paw into the ground, ancient symbols spread, creating a magic circle filled with primitive symbols. Glaciers, wreathed in blue flames, began to spread outward. Starting small, they grew taller than the city walls, reaching over 200 meters when they collided with the city barrier.
Meanwhile, on the Lightning Claw Sabertooth, its claws shimmered with an ominous blue hue. Suddenly, the claws were engulfed in ancient symbols, forming a blue magic circle. With a leap into the air, it slashed twice in a cross shape, leaving behind cross-shaped slash marks that streaked forward at lightning speed. Like the bear's glaciers, the claw marks started small but grew massive as they approached the city barrier, rivaling the size of the bear's ice.
The magic beasts timed their attacks to coincide, hitting the barrier simultaneously.
BOOOOOOOM!
The city barrier held for only a moment before being pierced, though the beasts' attacks only slightly lost momentum. Luckily, the expanded second barrier provided by the lightning tower managed to hold steady.
"[Hoh, this barrier ain't half bad,]" the bear remarked.
"[Shut it. Let's continue attacking. The lightning tower already finished in Haguevin, they're coming here,]" the Sabertooth replied, leaping again to unleash another attack.
"[Heh, we can handle them all the same,]" the bear added, preparing its own assault.
BOOOOOM! BOOOOOOM!
Each attack sent the barrier wobbling dangerously, as if on the verge of collapse. The ground shook violently, far surpassing the level 2 beasts' quakes. Just two attacks caused houses to crumble from the aftershocks alone. Duke Coledall couldn't bear to imagine the devastation if the beasts breached the city.
BOOOOOOOOOM!
The third attack from the level 3 beasts finally shattered the barrier. Houses near the eastern gate, close to where the beasts attacked, crumbled from the aftershocks. Fortunately, Duke Coledall had ordered residents to move toward the city center, so casualties were minimized.
"Sir Wizards, when will the lightning tower arrive?" Duke Coledall inquired.
"Soon, soon," Sir Terran replied, eyes fixed on the eastern horizon.
They sensed another attack approaching from the east.
In a flash, Sir Terran and Duke Coledall flickered outside the mansion's barrier. They swiftly erected a barrier.
"[Stonewall Sanctuary]!" Terran roared, slamming his staff into the ground.
"[Earthen Bulwark]!" Duke Coledall bellowed, hammering his hammer into the earth.
Instantly, two massive walls of earth, rivaling the size of the beast attacks, formed in the path of the glaciers and lightning claw. Though the size was similar, the quality of the attacks differed greatly. Level 3 powerhouse attacks, imbued with concepts, were on a whole other level compared to level 2 assaults.
The earth walls held for mere seconds before crumbling under the onslaught. Terran shouted, "People, behind me, RUN!"
Terran and Duke Coledall dodged the attack, but the time they bought wasn't enough for the tens of thousands of people to evade the danger.
RUMBLE! BOOOOM!
The onslaught continued after breaking through the earthen wall, obliterating everything in its path until it slammed into the mansion's barrier.
"[Hmph, mere ants!]" scoffed the Frostfire Bear, eyeing the panting Sir Terran and Duke Coledall. With a wave of its hand, masses of ice wreathed in blue flames gathered around the duo, shaping into massive hands aiming to crush them.
Feeling mana fluctuations beneath their feet, they immediately manipulated the ground to lift them, but the encroaching ice kept them on their toes. Massive fingers of ice formed around them, closing in as they fled toward the barrier.
Ignoring the duo after casting the ice hands, the bear and sabertooth focused their attacks on the barrier itself.
Meanwhile, Duke Coledall swung his hammer, conjuring earth spikes to thwart the ice fingers, while Sir Terran controlled the earth platform they rode, guiding it toward the barrier.
"Duke!" With a silent agreement, as they neared the barrier, Sir Terran shouted, and they both leaped into the air. The ice fingers agitated, closing in fast.
"[Earthwhip Spiral]!"
"[Earthspike Cocoon]!"
They unleashed their attacks simultaneously, fending off the fingers. But before they could reach safety, an ice spear hurtled toward them with unprecedented force. They were slammed by the spear and hurled into nearby buildings.
BOOOOOM!
They smashed through several buildings before coming to a stop, lying unmoving, their fate uncertain.
"Terran!" Sir Ignatius shouted hoarsely. Despite their frequent arguments, the tower masters from the earth and fire towers had been friends for generations. Watching his friend's unknown fate filled him with anxiety.
Meanwhile, the Frostfire Bear, watching Duke Coledall and Sir Terran's plight, sneered. 'Do they really think I'd let them off so easily?'
After launching a sneak attack in the form of an ice spear, the bear hurled a ball of cold blue light toward the spot where Duke and Sir Terran lay. "[Ice Explosion]!"
Suddenly, a streak of blue intercepted the ball, forming an enclosed blue box around it.
BOOM!
Despite the explosion, the blue box remained intact, slowly dissipating.
The bear and sabertooth swiveled their heads toward the source of the light, but before they could react, a massive force slammed into their bodies.
""GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH"" Despite their efforts, they couldn't hold their position.
BOOOOOOM!
They were sent hurtling outside the city, landing with a thunderous rumble that created a crater in the ground. Quickly recovering, the sabertooth cloaked in lightning dodged the next impact, while the bear created an ice armor that absorbed the blow.
BOOOOOOM!
Looking down, they saw two figures wielding a giant hammer crackling with lightning.