Rol vividly remembered the event that had shocked the entire wizarding world three years ago, leading to the downfall of the Psychic School. Naturally, he understood Tike's concerns and couldn't help but inquire, "Mr. Tike, what should we do now? If something has indeed gone wrong, likely, our own powers alone won't be sufficient to handle it."
This was Herlram's headquarters, and without a doubt, the grand wizard Herlram was not someone they could easily contend with.
"Of course, there's no need to do anything." Tike replied succinctly. "The setup of this magic formation has been in place for a long time. It shouldn't encounter any issues in the short term."
He added, "And considering the time, they should be arriving soon."
Rol immediately understood who Tike was referring to, those representatives from the Academic Conferences. Clearly, Tike had taken this opportunity to enlist some assistance.
"That's right," Tike confirmed, dispersing the magical images that had appeared in the void. "If I'm not mistaken, your teacher, Master Ogest, should be coming as well."
Upon hearing this news, excitement and joy flickered across Rol's face. His earlier worries dissipated, and he confidently said, "If my teacher is coming, then I can rest easy."
"So, all we need to do now is wait and hope that these days go smoothly," Tike said calmly, stroking his long beard.
However, just as those words left his mouth, Tike's expression suddenly changed, and he swiftly turned to look in the direction of the Southern District.
A powerful surge of magical energy was emanating from that direction.
Tike and Rol exchanged glances, and after casting a [Slow Fall] spell on themselves, they leapt from the towering rooftop and raced towards the Southern District.
They weren't the only ones who sensed the surge of magical energy. Professors and students awoke from their slumber, filled with anxiety as if a terrifying disaster was drawing near.
When Tike arrived in the Southern District, all he saw was chaos. Countless commoners, apprentices, and even wizards were fleeing in a frenzy.
Since it was the dead of night, many were dishevelled, and some even ran out half-naked. People were being trampled underfoot, and the streets were stained red with blood, filling the air with a nauseating stench.
Cries and wails echoed throughout the Southern District, sending shivers down one's spine.
[Mage Hand]
Tike exclaimed as he swiftly cast a spell to rescue a dishevelled woman who was about to be trampled to death.
"Do you know what's happening in the Southern District?" Rol asked urgently.
"They're dead, Alva is dead, and so is Anthony... everyone, everyone is dead." The woman's eyes were vacant as she muttered, as if she couldn't hear Rol's question and kept repeating the same words.
Tike, seeing the woman's condition, could only release her with a sigh of helplessness. He cast another spell, leaping onto a nearby rooftop and then launching a Fireball spell, illuminating the entire Southern District.
What they saw next made both of them involuntarily gasp. The streets of the Southern District were littered with corpses. Tike witnessed a few commoners running in the distance, suddenly collapsing without warning. They lay there lifeless, and then a ghostly blue light floated out from their bodies and directly sank into the ground.
"What is this..." Rol couldn't help but shiver as he watched this horrifying scene.
"Soul-Devouring Array Formation." Tike stated in a deliberate tone.
"We cannot allow this thing to continue spreading."
Tike spoke solemnly, intercepting Phillip and others who had just arrived from the academy. After a quick explanation, he sought out a few wizards who had escaped from the Southern District and inquired about the layout of the area.
"The nodes of the magic formation should be hidden in those abandoned houses. If we destroy the outer nodes, this magic formation should come to a halt. But we need to act quickly; every second counts," Tike spoke rapidly, knowing that any delay could cost dozens of lives.
Compared to Phillip and the others, who had not yet witnessed the power of a magic formation, the wizards who had escaped from the Southern District were unwilling to enter again. The place was too terrifying, and even official wizards couldn't avoid having their souls drained.
"Where is Master Herlram?" someone in the crowd shouted.
With such chaos in the harbor, the fact that Herlram, who held authority, was nowhere to be found left everyone present feeling anxious, as if they had lost their leader.
"Master Herlram left Iyeta Harbor for the Wizard City of Greenville a while ago," Phillip explained with a hesitant expression.
"Now that the master is not here, we'll have to rely on our own strength to quell the chaos in the Southern District," Tike quickly took the lead, not mentioning their earlier speculations. Instead, he looked at the assembled wizards and continued, "I believe most of you have heard of the tragedy at the Psychic School three years ago. If we don't stop this magic formation quickly, the entire harbor city will soon become a city of death. Think about it, this is tens of thousands of lives."
With Tike's earnest persuasion, most of the wizards eventually took action. They still held some attachment to Iyeta Harbor.
As the magic formation nodes hidden in the Southern District were destroyed, by the time the morning light broke, the spreading Soul-Devouring Magic Formation finally came to a halt.
Lynn had also taken advantage of the chaos in the Southern District to blend in with the crowd and help destroy several internal nodes. This made the situation progress so smoothly.
Until noon the next day, Tike, Rol, Phillip, Kevin, and the others had settled the terrified commoners and returned to Iyeta Academy to discuss the next steps.
Although the chaotic situation had been brought under control, everyone still wore a worried expression.
The number of commoners and wizards killed by the magic formation in the entire Southern District likely totalled in the thousands. Such a vast amount of psychic power, no matter where it was directed, posed a massive threat.
Lynn sat in the meeting room, listening to the discussions of the others, maintaining his silence. He knew that all the psychic power had funnelled into the Screaming Tower, creating a vengeful spirit on the level of a grand wizard.
But this matter involved Herlram, the founder of the Iyeta Academy. If Lynn were to rashly reveal what he knew, it might lead to unnecessary suspicions and accusations. After all, Lynn couldn't explain why he remained unaffected by the Soul-Devouring Array Formation or how he had defeated a grand wizard.
Since the vengeful spirit of Iyeta couldn't leave the Screaming Tower, it was best to wait for the council to send someone to deal with the situation.