After a few quiet instructions from Aidan, he tried to leave. However, as he glanced towards the main gate, he was shocked to find that several wizards in red robes had blocked all the entrances.
"Before we officially pray to the Elemental Spirits, there's one more thing to resolve!" The male wizard on the high platform stopped his speech and suddenly said, his voice cold. "Infiltrators from the Council have entered our estate. They are the enemies of the Elemental Spirits, followers of the Apocalypse. They will destroy everything we've worked so hard to build."
Upon hearing this, the wizards in the hall turned their heads and shouted in unison.
"Where are those damn guys?"
"I'll tear them apart!"
"For the Elemental Spirits!"
The crowd was filled with excitement, but they couldn't find the enemies, and suspicions and accusations started to rise among them.
Aidan, hiding in the shadows, broke out in a cold sweat. He couldn't be sure if they had truly discovered his invisibility or if they were bluffing to lure him out.
There were at least three hundred wizards in the hall, and Aidan had no chance of winning a direct confrontation. He scanned the room, looking at the windows.
At that moment, the male wizard in the red robe on the high platform took out a strange figurine from his robes. It was entirely black, but it emitted a blue ethereal light on the surface. The light grew brighter, quickly covering the entire hall.
Oh no!
Aidan suddenly saw the wizard on the high platform look in his direction. He felt a powerful force locking him.
"Do you think you can escape?" the red-robed man said. "In front of the great Elemental Spirits, your shadow can't protect you!"
The red-robed man extended his right hand, and a massive whip, nearly ten meters long, materialized out of thin air, striking Aidan's back.
Thud!
With a muffled sound, his Mage Shield was instantly shattered. Aidan felt as if he had been struck by lightning, and his spine seemed to snap in two. He was forced out of his shadowy state and tumbled to the ground.
"Cough, cough," Aidan coughed up blood, using his hands to support his body and struggling to stand. He gritted his teeth and endured the pain that coursed through his entire body as he gazed at the red-robed wizard in front of him, a horrified expression on his face.
The fact that a single strike had shattered his shadow and destroyed his Mage Shield meant that his opponent was likely a powerful wizard. Yet, Aidan had seen all the prominent wizards in this land, and he didn't recognize this man.
Aidan knew he had no hope of escape. He had to focus on getting away and spreading the information. That was the most important thing right now.
The red-robed man raised a strange figurine from his robes and shouted with malice.
"Feel the power bestowed upon you by the Elemental Spirits!"
A burst of red light shone from the figurine's twin eyes and enveloped the hesitating apprentice, Sia, who stood in front.
Sia instantly felt her mind being forcibly filled with something, and the magical energy inside her body quickly drained away. In just one second, a ball of flames the size of a human head formed in her hand, crackling with violent energy.
This wasn't just a first-tier spell, but a much more potent second-tier spell – the [Flame Burst]
Though her Flame Burst was slightly larger than usual, Sia didn't care. She was ecstatic, completely consumed by the rush. As an apprentice, she couldn't believe she was able to use such powerful magic. It was clear that this was the power granted by the great Elemental Spirits.
"Praise the great Elemental Spirits!" Sia shouted with excitement, her doubts vanished, and without hesitation, she hurled the raging fireball towards the terrified Aidan.
"Praise the great Elemental Spirits!" Amid the explosion, dismembered bodies, and flames, the wizards in the hall joined in the fanatical chant, believing wholeheartedly in the impending apocalypse.
They had to force every wizard to renounce the idea of enslaving the Elementals. By correcting this mistake and praying for redemption from the great Elemental Spirits, each of them would gain their approval and receive even greater power!
The red-robed man watched with great satisfaction as the scene unfolded, and the figurine in his hand had closed its eyes. It seemed like he was savouring something.
"Let's begin today's prayer ceremony!"