Odessa, trapped in momentary blindness and stiffness, sensed the looming threat of death. A fierce reluctance surged within him. He hadn't witnessed the annihilation of the Wizard's Land yet, nor had he fulfilled the Lord's will.
Simultaneously, Odessa couldn't afford to conceal himself any longer. He promptly invoked his most potent defensive divine spell.
[Divine Sanctum]
A golden radiance enveloped him, forming a sturdy barrier around his body, colliding with the rushing [Spatial Ripples].
Accompanied by a faint tearing sound, cracks appeared on the golden barrier.
Cold sweat beaded Odessa's forehead. He barely managed to block it. But before he could catch his breath, the second wave of magical force followed.
However, Lynn, as a precaution, had consumed a magical potion while unleashing the [Spatial Ripples]. Immediately, without hesitation, he cast a second spell.
The two successive [Spatial Ripples] overlapped, and the golden barrier couldn't hold, instantly bursting apart. Odessa only had time to twist his body to avoid a fatal blow. The next moment, he felt his right side numb, tumbling helplessly from the sky.
Also severed was the peculiar statue clutched in his right hand.
Thousands of illusory demons vanished amid cries, and the blood-red space swiftly dissipated.
The moment they exited the Realm of Apocalypse, everyone present finally relaxed.
Odessa's appearance was pitiful at this moment. His right arm and a section of his lower leg had been severed by the [Spatial Ripples], the cuts eerily neat, and crimson blood continuously gushed out. The severed peculiar statue lay beside him, its former mystical aura gone.
Raphael hurried forward, clamping Odessa's mouth shut, and administered a bottle of blue potion.
The potion quickly took effect, staunching the blood gushing from his arm and leg. Simultaneously, an icy chill almost pierced Odessa's consciousness, his body freezing. Only his eyes and mouth remained movable.
"You better tell me the truth, Odessa. What's the deal with this Cult of Apocalypse?" Raphael's face was as dark as water. Having nearly died in the Realm of Apocalypse, he felt no mercy for the person before him.
Rescuing the other with the potion was merely to extract more information through interrogation.
Facing Raphael's inquiry, Odessa remained silent, gazing coldly at the two, showing no intention to answer.
"You just used some divine magic, right?" Lynn suddenly interjected.
Having witnessed Odessa utilize subtle divine power, breaching the norm with a fourth-tier magic—[Divine Sanctum].
Odessa's previous defense against the first [Spatial Ripples] must have been an upgraded version of that.
"Divine magic?" As someone born in the Wizard's Land and never exposed to the outside world, divine magic was a very unfamiliar existence to Raphael. So much so that he didn't recognize it immediately.
However, this didn't imply Raphael didn't grasp the seriousness of the situation. The reason the wizards remained in their land was primarily due to the church's blockade.
"I have quite a few tricks up my sleeve. There's always one to make you gape." Raphael sneered.
Meanwhile, Lynn glanced at the bisected peculiar statue, using [Mage Hand] to retrieve it. Yet, he dared not touch it directly; this thing exuded malice, possibly tampered with.
Aurora's voice soon sounded in Lynn's ear. "This is an idol of an evil deity. What you're holding is merely an instrument of power. It seems the person isn't here."
While Lynn and Raphael were concerned, the other wizards were more focused on something else.
"Do you know when Lord Lynn was promoted to Grand Wizard?" Yulande looked at Phillip, quietly inquiring.
Even though Lynn had clarified that the severed star was merely a magical illusion, defeating the envoy of the Cult of Apocalypse alongside Master Raphael required at least being a Grand Wizard.
"I'm not quite sure." Phillip, equally perplexed, hadn't been informed by Lynn about this matter, feeling a bit resentful.
Just as the group chatted, a powerful surge of magic suddenly emanated from a distance.
All turned their heads, through the shattered walls, gazing toward the towering Sun Crown Tower.
"Uh-oh, their real target should be the core of the Sun Crown Tower..." Aurora's slightly panicked voice echoed in Lynn's ear.
Odessa, who had been silent, also looked at the towering tower, unable to suppress his laughter. He knew no one could resist that temptation.
***
Twenty minutes ago, in the data room of the Sun Crown Tower, Rol, who remained at the council, had arranged the personnel and brought out the collected information.
He was highly intrigued by Lynn's previous speculation but had left the task of gathering intelligence to a few colleagues due to the recent rush. Only thirty-seven people had entered the Wizard's Land through the Misty Sea in the past decade, and even fewer stayed for long. Rol patiently reviewed each profile. Soon, a familiar name caught his eye—Kashimo.
Approximately five years ago, Kashimo arrived in the Wizard's Land aboard a ship from Iyeta Harbor, staying for half a month before departing. Later, for unknown reasons, he joined the Psychic Mage School, becoming the trusted right-hand person of the dark mage Merk.
As Rol perused this information, his eyes gleamed brighter. The timing of Kashimo joining the Psychic Mage School, merely a year and seven months after the tragic event, coincided with the emergence of the Cult of Apocalypse shortly after the fall of the Psychic Mage School.
Kashimo was undoubtedly the key figure.
Rol couldn't contain his excitement but quickly remembered that Kashimo had been eliminated by his mentor, Ougust, two months ago, dousing his enthusiasm like a bucket of cold water.
Unfortunately, this lead had run dry.
With a tinge of regret, Rol took out the relevant information, preparing to discuss it with Lynn to see if they could find clues elsewhere.
However, if this operation went smoothly, perhaps there wouldn't be a need for that.
Rol pondered as he walked out, the wind carrying a faint scent of blood.
Having undergone numerous battles in recent days, Rol immediately grew alert. His brow furrowed, hastening towards the source of the bloody odor. Anxiousness gripped him. This was the Sun Crown Tower, the core of the Wizard Council, fortified with magical barriers. Could it be that the fanatical Cult of Apocalypse cultists had breached it?