Liam paused mid-flight, eyes wide with horror. Two [Fireballs], their flames roaring like howling animals, shot in his direction. These were no ordinary [Fireball], the sheer strength and quality of mana behind that spell was definitely from a high level [Mage]. Perhaps, over level 20.
Shaking his head, he forced himself to refocus on the task of pouring the liquid. He could not waste time—he had only two minutes of [Flight] left. He was only Level 3 [Mage], after all. He may be faster than Michael, but the time limit of [Flight] skill was still one minute per level.
Liam tightened his grip on the pot and gulped, his hands trembling. He could see Michael, his form a silhouette against the haze of rain, struggling against the spell that was after him. He had to trust in Michael to defend him, there was no other option.
***
Michael hurtled through the air, narrowly avoiding the [Fireball] that streaked past him with a fiery whoosh, the heat of it making him flinch in pain.As he twisted in mid-air, his eyes darted towards Liam, who was caught in a deadly dance with two balls of flames.
Michael began to prepare a spell to defend his friend, but as he was about to act, his [Dangersense] flared like an erupting volcano. Michael pivoted in the air only to see the [Fireball] he had narrowly evaded veering sharply, making an unexpected U-turn.
Michael's eyes widened in disbelief.
"What the—"
Michael flew backwards, barrel-rolling into the air, trying to escape the incoming attack. The [Fireball] pursued him like a homing device.
How was that possible?
One of the major laws of magic was that spells had fixed parameters. Once a spell was cast, its trajectory, speed, and power were all unchangeable. That [Fireball] should have followed a fixed trajectory until it hit something or dissipated. So how was it following him? It was impossible.
Who am I to know what's impossible? Michael thought.
"You think you have me cornered? I will show you otherwise," Michael growled.
He synergized [Condense Water], summoning water from the atmosphere in the shape of a shield. Then, he enveloped the shield with [Thermo Domain]. The water shield instantly began to freeze, forming a solid barrier of ice.
The [Fireball] crashed into the ice shield in an explosion, sending shards of ice and steam billowing in all directions. Michael's shield crumpled, but it dispersed the flame.
Two more [Fireballs] to go. He had to figure out a way to deal with them quickly to save Liam.
[Condense Water] … [Thermo Domain] … What else did he have? Yes, he could produce ice by combining two of his spells, but he couldn't hurl them about, neither spell allowed that. So, what else—
Michael blinked, a shock running through him.
"It's so simple."
He cast [Condense Water] once more, but this time with a different mental image. The spell produced bubbles of water that floated before him. Then, he channelled [Thermo Domain] into them, using enough Mana to freeze the water in a matter of seconds.
Michael's lips curved into a savage grin satisfaction as he sent the two spheres of ice flying, using [Windlash].
If he could do that, Michael thought. Maybe he could create a spell like an ice-dart or something equivalent.
***Liam wove and dodged through the swirling smoke produced by the balls of flame, each second growing more precious as he fled from the fiery projectile that pursued him like a living thing. His heart pounded like a drumbeat. He twisted in midair, sending a gale of wind at the [Fireball]—it did nothing.
The enemy must have wands to be capable of manipulating spells in such a fashion.
"This is bad," Liam muttered under his breath. He only had one minute of [Flight] left.
His eyes darted to the sky behind him, where the projectile was still pursuing him. He saw it coming, it was too late.
A sudden rush of heat seared across his back, and he gritted his teeth against the pain. Thankfully, the [Fireball] spell only grazed him, leaving behind superficial burns on his skin as a prize. The sting of hot pain made his eyes water.
"Liam, duck!"
Liam turned at the sound of his friend. The incoming projectile made his eyes go round and forced him to hastily dive downwards.
Two enormous blocks of ice covered his vision, shooting in the direction of its fiery counterpart. They crashed into the [Fireballs] with a thunderous explosion, the impact sending out a shockwave that extinguished the flames in a firework of ice and fire. The burst of energy sent shards of ice slicing through the air in all directions. One shard whooshed past his cheek, splitting open a wound that dripped with blood.
Michael, bless you. The wound in his cheeks was better than burning alive.
He gritted his teeth against the stinging cut on his cheek and resumed his duty, completing the circuit of the outer trench—emptying the pot in his hands. Initiating another burst of explosions. When he finished, the outer trench glowed with roaring fire, becoming a formidable barrier encircling the village—a golden ring of defence.
Not even the most skilled [Mage] should be able to douse the ring of flame fuelled by the compound extracted from the Bomber ants. This fire burned with a fierce heat invested with Mana that no ordinary spell could snuff out.As long as that fire roared around the village, it safeguarded the villagers from the forces of Titan Spawn—they would never survive that flame.
The only real threat was if the [Mages] flew over the flames. However, considering the number for [Fireballs] that had been launched at them, Liam believed the enemy's forces consisted of no more than three or four [Mages].
Liam believed they could handle them—he had been trained by a [High Mage] so he was experienced in battle against powerful enemies.
As for Michael … well, mere [High Practitioner] he may be, but his friend could simply overwhelm them with his sheer reserve of Mana.
With a deep breath to steady himself, Liam flew towards the village, the air rushing past him as he made his way through the rain and smoke. He landed next to the line of armed villagers, who stood shoulder to shoulder ready to defend their home, their family.