Chapter 45: Meteorite Falls from the Sky
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Aura had imagined many scenarios of victory. After all, the numbers of the two sides were so different that she couldn't lose no matter how hard she thought about it, but...
"This guy—is really cunning!!!" The moment Ash flew into the clouds, her heart sank, and she couldn't help but look around nervously.
In this era, the sky belongs to the territory of demons and monsters. Even if there are magicians in the undead army, they cannot fly.
Not to mention the ordinary soldiers; even the magician guarding Aura and the few demons were caught off guard.
As a gravity manipulator, Ash's flying speed was obviously much faster than that of normal demons. In the blink of an eye, not even a black spot could be seen in the sky.
It was the first time they were dealing with this kind of opponent, and they lacked the necessary experience and means.
The human wave tactics that Aura had imagined lost their effectiveness right from the start, which made her so angry that her teeth were almost broken.
'I just can't understand why I fell for his trick again?'
"——What do you mean by open-air duel? It allows me to fully utilize the advantages of my troops and admit defeat... but isn't this just utilizing my mobility?! Ash! Don't think you can beat me like this! This time... I will definitely win! No matter what...!"
She and her men were watching the sky, gritting their teeth, and casting detection magic to sense the magical fluctuations around them.
Ash didn't let her wait too long, and soon she captured the unusual magic...but everyone's eyes saw it.
They didn't even need to look up to see a hint of red on the ground.
In the afternoon sky, there was an untimely spectacle of fiery clouds.
The demon girl adopted by Aura. Linie couldn't help but sigh softly: "Is this... a real meteorite?"
That's right, the fiercely burning fireball was tilting from the sky like a meteorite, falling towards Aura.
The speed was so fast that it was unheard of. It was much faster than when it went to heaven.
This made Aura's heart tighten. She raised her hand suddenly and shouted: "——Hurry up and stop him for me!!"
There was no response, but the headless magicians around her, one after another, sent colorful lights and entities composed of various elements towards the high-speed meteorite.
However, the speed of the meteorite's fall was even faster than their magic speed, even...
The abnormal gravity created by the purple lightning around the meteorite causes the flight paths of magic such as wind blades, flame pillars, and ice cones to be distorted and deflected as soon as they enter it, or they are distorted and collapsed like other intangible magic, making it impossible for them to approach the meteorite's body.
The magic that was dissipating in the sky was even like fireworks, blooming with brilliant colorful lights, and...
Aura, who was protected by a large group of undead soldiers holding shields, had not yet seen the result she had been expecting, but first discovered...
"Can you still turn——?!"
Not to mention that her own magic was deflected, the meteorite even turned at an extremely high speed and came towards her who was trying to enter the castle, which stunned her on the spot.
Aura instinctively gathered magic power in her hands, preparing to strike first.
It was a simple attack: gathering magic power and then releasing it. For Aura, who already possessed immense magical power, even this basic strike could create a powerful impact. But as soon as the magic power coalesced… a dazzling light suddenly stole her sight.
Boom—!!!
With a roar that sounded as if the sky itself was collapsing, the place where Aura stood was instantly swallowed by searing flames and a wall of dust that blotted out the sky.
The earth trembled violently, and the towering castle behind her seemed unable to withstand the force, shuddering and groaning under the pressure. The brick and stone road leading to the castle was ripped apart, fracturing into intricate, dense cracks that spread across the ground like a massive spiderweb.
Then, as if given life, the cracks stretched in all directions, pushed outward by the shockwave like waves surging in a stormy sea. Every shattered piece of brick and stone turned into deadly projectiles, scattering indiscriminately and bombarding the surroundings.
The shield-bearing soldiers standing in front of Aura were torn apart by the "meteorites" as easily as if they were made of paper, their bodies flung about like ragdolls.
Even the demons nearby, who tried to come to her aid, found themselves helpless against the raging shockwave, flames, and gravel-like debris. They were hurled backward, unable to advance under the onslaught.
Soldiers positioned farther away couldn't escape the catastrophe either. Many of them toppled over, struggling to keep their footing against the earth-shaking impact.
...
In the midst of this unimaginable collision, Aura—a magician with little close combat ability and whose physical endurance was far inferior to that of a warrior—didn't even feel any pain.
By the time she realized what was happening, all she could see was the incoming fireball, and then—before she could even disperse her magic power—she had already lost consciousness.
If Ash hadn't held back, she would have been completely obliterated by the explosion.
As the smoke and dust gradually cleared, the demons and undead legions around finally saw their master lying unconscious at Ash's feet, in the massive crater left by the "meteorite."
This sight immediately caused the Undead Legion to enter standby mode, while the demons, frozen in shock, instinctively stopped all hostile actions, their voices filled with disbelief.
"Lord Aura… she was defeated just like that…"
"As expected of Master Aura's elder brother…!"
"This is… unbelievable…"
...
With expressions full of astonishment, the dust-covered demons looked on in a mixture of shock, fear, and awe.
Though Ash's abilities gave him a considerable advantage over Aura, the fact that she was defeated so decisively by Ash in just a single confrontation illustrated the immense gap between their strengths.
At least for now, none of them could think of any way to intercept the high-speed "meteorite" that moved through a distorted space governed by abnormal gravity.
But even as they faced an adversary they knew they couldn't possibly defeat, they simply stood around in a daze, seemingly unsure of what to do.
It wasn't just Ash and Aura who followed the principle of assigning roles based on strength; the demon society itself was fundamentally structured around the strong ruling over the weak.
However, these demons were Aura's subordinates, and if they were to submit to him without her explicit orders, it would surely cause trouble later on.
Ash, however, showed little interest in them. He ignored the ones who seemed like they wanted to speak but hesitated, and just like in the past, he reached out, grabbed Aura by her horn, and hoisted her unconscious form over his shoulder. Without a care, he turned and strode back toward the castle.
But now, he was already looking forward to seeing what kind of expression Aura would have when she finally woke up.