The battle raged on the battlefield, growing increasingly fierce and deadlocked. With every clash, three or four goat demons would fall alongside the lightning elementals, staining the ground with a crimson hue. Although the tide of battle seemed to tilt slightly in favor of the wizards, the situation was far from optimistic. The elementals were limited in number, and once the frontline shields were broken, the remaining wizards—except for Loki and Thor—would likely have no means to resist.
At the center of the fray, the demon commander wielding a rapier managed to fend off the increasingly efficient lightning strikes from within the storm of thunder, his defenses appearing unshakable. Each swing of his blade effortlessly dispelled multiple arcs of lightning.
"How much longer are you going to stand by, Sudri?" the demon commander, Leros, growled as he struck down a crackling lightning orb with precision. He turned sharply toward the evil sorcerer, his tone laden with frustration. "Don't forget the consequences of delaying this fight. You and I cannot bear the price. Lord Agares will not tolerate us being stalled at this stronghold by a mere group of lowly apprentices and two adolescent mid-tier mages!"
"Heh, why the rush, Leros?" A hoarse, raspy voice emerged from under Sudri's crimson robe. His staff, which emitted a faint blood-red glow, tapped the ground lightly. "This group of wizards is intriguing—especially those apprentices. I've never seen such spells before, yet their effects are remarkably potent. And their wands… every one of them is uniquely suited to its wielder. Such meticulous craftsmanship is unheard of. No one invests this much effort in outfitting mere apprentices."
"And your point is?" Leros's jet-black eyes flickered with mockery. "Are you planning to recruit them as your pupils?"
Glancing briefly at Leros, Sudri's weathered face bore a solemn, aged expression. He shook his head slightly and spoke, "You don't understand. The path of magic has no end. A wizard's sole task is to absorb and learn. All knowledge, so long as it is effective, forms the foundation for reaching legendary heights and attaining immortality."
Leros struck down another lightning bolt with force, planting his blade firmly into the ground. His tone rose sharply. "I don't care what you're studying. You need to act now! The two mid-tier mages across the field are recovering their magic power to summon more elementals. If you continue to dawdle, I'll personally report everything to Lord Agares."
Sudri sighed softly, his expression darkening. Since Leros had invoked their lord, he could no longer stand idly by. Raising his elongated staff, he muttered incantations. "Ichararakal." A blood-red magic circle appeared in the sky, glowing brighter with each tap of the staff against the ground. When the staff fully pierced the metallic floor, crimson threads of energy spiraled outward, and from the heavens emerged a towering figure wreathed in golden flames.
With a deafening roar, a massive fire-rock giant, composed of countless meteors, crashed into the battlefield.
Standing approximately 30 meters tall, the fire-rock giant radiated dark yellow flames. Its mere steps caused the sturdy metal ground to crack and emit wisps of smoke. Beneath its immense frame surged a boundless ocean of raw power.
"Well, looks like the old man's their true powerhouse. I guess I got the better deal picking the demon commander," Thor quipped with a faint smile, nodding toward Loki. His deep blue eyes glinted with amusement. "Look, just one thunder formation, and he's completely trapped. Now, what do you make of that big guy?"
Loki, his expression stoic, calmly raised his staff and pointed it at the fire-rock giant advancing toward the ice elementals. In the sky above, a massive, pristine white four-pointed star array materialized. The icy cold of an ancient glacial age blanketed the entire space, and snowflakes began to drift gently from above.
The star array moved with painstaking slowness, each glyph etched into the sky draining Loki's energy. With every line drawn, his face grew paler. When the array's core began to glow in the upper-left quadrant, Thor grew tense.
"What are you doing?" Thor asked gravely, his eyes locked on Loki. "Using a trump card now is premature. You didn't even complete that spell in Egypt! If it backfires here…"
"Hold the formation for me," Loki interrupted with a slight shake of his head, his face colder than ever.
"Alright." Thor knew arguing further was futile. Loki had made up his mind, and all Thor could do now was provide support.
"That mage is preparing a high-tier spell. It must be disrupted immediately!" Sudri's emerald eyes flickered with fear as his sharp voice pierced the battlefield, reaching Leros.
"A high-tier spell?" Leros, stunned, parried another lightning orb with his blade. His expression darkened. "What's the background of these wizards? Not only do they have someone with a lightning affinity, but also a mid-tier mage capable of casting advanced spells."
"Aru!" A guttural chant echoed across the battlefield. The crimson eyes of the demon soldiers lit up in unison, their ferocity reignited.
At the same time, Sudri unleashed a relentless stream of mid-tier spells, including flaming breath, aiming to breach the thunderous electric barrier Thor had constructed in front of Loki.
"This won't work. We can't disrupt his spell at this rate," Sudri muttered in frustration, his gaze fixed on the increasingly radiant white glow of the four-pointed star array in the sky. His undead-green eyes betrayed his mounting panic. "Under these circumstances, how much longer are you going to hold back?" He turned to Leros in the lightning storm, his tone now mirroring the earlier urgency in Leros's voice.
"Relax," Leros replied with a sly smile, his expression calm. "Old things must fall to make way for the new. I'm reserving my strength for what's to come. You should understand that we can't handle these wizards alone. If he wants to crush this force entirely, let him."
"You!" Sudri's pale fingers trembled slightly. "So this was your plan from the start?"
Leros's lips curled into a triumphant smirk.
At that moment, the four-pointed star array in the sky was complete. The world fell silent, an icy stillness enveloping everything.
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