Chapter 552 - Retreat (2)
The arrogance and composure vanished from Angelo, who had just been facing Revana. Even the faint sneer remaining on his lips disappeared.
Immediately, he raised his staff, which shimmered faintly with the light of the sky, and drew out his full strength.
Mado
A fierce bolt of lightning struck down and settled into Angelo's mana circuits. Heat and pressure tore the air apart.
The large gem adorning the head of the staff, and both of his eyes, were dyed in blue-white radiance, flashing with every heartbeat.
"Is it because you fear Black Hour's defeat, that you step onto the frontlines again! For one called a Transcendent, your weight feels awfully light, Amwol!"
His voice echoed like thunder.
Angelo swung his staff.
Air and lightning fused──a blue-white bolt.
Like a living serpent, it curved wildly and swallowed the entire space where Verden stood, before plummeting to the ground.
Kwa-gwa-gwa-gwa-gwa-gwang!
Power that exceeded the 6th tier, yet fell short of the 7th.
Part of the forest at the impact site turned into pitch-black ash. As the light died down, the surroundings opened up wide.
Tuk, tuk.
Verden, wrapped in a shroud of Deathflame, lightly brushed off his robe.
"If stepping forth myself is the most efficient, why should I not? It is far more reasonable, than posturing like that half-wit floating above your heads."
"To dare raid us while the tower master is absent…!"
"Bohemirn Magic Tower alone could not withstand my Black Hour, so you gathered the western continent's towers into an alliance, and now you call me cowardly? Absurd. And I already told you."
Verden whispered, in a voice devoid of emotion.
"Your head is held too high."
Triple Casting.
The shadow of a unique meteor loomed above Angelo's head. Dodging direct impact would not save him.
The moment he entered its range, it would explode without mercy.
Just as Verden knew Angelo's inner workings from Dahit's memories, Angelo too had discerned Dahit's Mado.
Fwoooosh.
Angelo reflexively dove downward, putting as much distance as possible between them.
Flying close enough to scrape the ground, he maneuvered evasively, as ominous detonations erupted behind him in succession.
Flames of annihilation swept through the land, reducing it to ruins.
'The firepower striking me is only one meteor's worth. I can block that.'
Halting mid-flight, he spun his body, thrusting his staff.
"Haaahhhhhhhhp!"
Kwa-gwa-gwa-gwa-gwa-gwa-gwang!
A storm of lightning whirled fiercely, protecting Angelo. Though it wavered from external shock, it held strong.
By the time he had blocked all the black flames, a presence drew near.
Verden, forcing the raging storm into silence. Flames of doom surged from his entire body.
The distance closed.
Angelo, eyes sharpened, fully unleashed his Mado from the front.
Kwaaaang! Kwaaaang! Kwarrrrrng!
Darkness and blue-white radiance collided, exploding again and again in the sky. Shockwaves warped the landscape.
Both Black Hour and the Magic Tower Alliance, every mage present, had their focus stolen by the fierce clash.
"Guhk."
Angelo groaned, defending himself with heightened magical senses, but the accumulated shock was heavy.
'As expected, close-quarters against Amwol doesn't balance out…!'
If this magical duel continued, death would be inevitable.
He had to break away, somehow.
Angelo jolted his heart with lightning, drawing out even more mana to fuel his spells.
Verden, sensing this, imbued both hands with Deathflame.
When the strike was released, waves of lightning and fire erupted. Residual bolts and black flames shredded the air, devastating the small mountain beneath them.
Hooohk.
At the same time, Angelo pulled away, regaining his focus. Once again, mana concentrated into their weapons.
Verden clasped both hands, Angelo thrust out his staff.
A jet-black beam and a torrent of lightning intertwined at the center.
Kwa-gwa-gwa-gwa-gwang…!!
For a while, the balance was even, but in terms of realm, Verden held superiority.
At last, the light burst apart.
Swept by the aftermath, Angelo was flung diagonally, crashing downward. He dug his heels into the earth, but left only gouges as he failed to stop.
Trees shattered against his back, grass overturned. Only when he slammed into a blunt boulder did his momentum finally end.
"…Haa."
Angelo propped himself up with his staff. Slowly, his white breath escaped, as his gaze rose.
From his azure-lit eyes, sparks of current flickered.
The Extreme Point.
Though they had not received the gift of talent, nor the chance of awakening, they had reached the very limit attainable by humans.
Standing atop a peak from which no higher ascent was possible, closest to the lofty heavens.
Facing a Transcendent's might, their greatness was proven.
Verden, suspended in the sky, looked down upon Angelo who had fallen to earth. The positions reversed from moments before.
"Now, things are as they should be."
"…"
Angelo said nothing, sharpening his nerves, recalling every means at his disposal, predicting the next move.
But the duel did not resume.
Verden descended, gesturing with his chin toward the Black Hour members waiting in the rear.
"Prepare to withdraw."
"Ah… yes! At once!"
Revana immediately took command of the 2nd unit, forming ranks with strict order. The wounded had long since been recovered.
Angelo frowned.
"Withdraw? To do the same as on the frontlines months ago… you must be wary of reinforcements."
"Wary? Do not overestimate yourself. At most, you are only a nuisance. Angelo, I merely indulged you for a while, since you seemed to forget the attitude you should take before me. And now that my purpose is achieved, wasting time here is inefficient."
…Purpose achieved?
Angelo felt a chill, though its meaning escaped him. As the questions piled, he spoke again.
"After a tier-breaking incident, now sudden raids on the Magic Tower Alliance's strongholds. Amwol, what are you after?"
"You do not need to know."
Verden's voice dropped low.
"If you wish to die, then come."
"Ugh…!"
The Helion Magic Tower's eldest elder instinctively stepped back.
It was instinct.
When they had raided Black Hour's stronghold last time, Angelo had crossed blades with Dahit and suffered grave injuries… if reinforcements had not arrived that day, he might have died.
The gazes of the alliance's mages all converged on one spot.
By the hierarchy of the towers and his standing within, the decision of whether to retreat or not fell to Angelo.
The deliberation was brief.
Angelo closed his Mado.
He gathered back the overheated mana and senses.
"…We retreat."
No one objected.
Thus, the Western Continent Magic Tower Alliance vanished at a speed faster than when they had pursued the 2nd unit.
***
Confirming that the hostile presence had completely disappeared, Verden spoke.
"Angelo's appearance was unexpected, but the timing worked out."
"Thank you for saving us, Amwol, no, Sacred, Am… um…"
Revana stammered, at a loss. Since he had taken Dahit's form, it was understandable confusion.
'If even Revana mistakes it, then no suspicion will arise from outside.'
The Alliance of Magic Towers… and even figures of elder rank, had witnessed Dahit Wethroel. His existence would never be doubted.
This was precisely part of the Western Continent plan.
Truth be told, it would have been good if Angelo could have been dealt with as well, but there was a reason he had not forced the matter.
'Angelo is the second-in-command of Bohemirn Tower in terms of force.'
He would have been armed with all manner of magical armaments… but apart from that, one who had reached the end of the 6th tier possessed power valid even against a Transcendent.
Though different from the quasi-Transcendent realm Verden had passed through, the total measure of strength was similar.
And since each individual differed, it could not be dismissed that Angelo might possess even higher capabilities.
Unlike Elder Hiram, who specialized in research and had not pioneered his own Mado, Angelo could not be taken so easily.
'Especially with the Helion Tower's eldest elder and the Alliance mages present as well.'
Had they fought to the death trying to slay Angelo, not only would the 2nd unit have suffered losses, but casualties would have mounted beyond control, with reinforcements from the Alliance included.
Verden had no desire for victims unrelated to his revenge against Bohemirn Tower.
The sole objective was the annihilation of Bohemirn Tower's current leadership.
'And as for Angelo's execution, that is Adrian's role.'
───If I follow you, can I kill Balrog? With my own hands?
───No, Balrog is mine. But I promise you, the elders' heads will be yours.
Verden had sworn thus in the Midros Autonomous Territory. At the end of this path, it would surely be fulfilled.
At any rate.
Unit 1 entering the magic city, Unit 2 drawing attention on the frontlines, and Verden uncovering the unofficial laboratory.
Deception and surprise.
In mere hours, the plan for the Western Continent had been successfully concluded.
'Now only Isabella remains.'
Verden turned his gaze eastward, toward the Central Continent.
Omar Boldrak was an upper 6th-tier, an undeniable powerhouse.
Equal in realm to Isabella, and of higher magical caliber than Melconi Blaud, the elder of the volcano island's tower whom Unia had subdued in single combat during the tournament.
The mages under his command were not simple opponents either.
Yet there was no worry.
From the beginning, Verden's side had seized the initiative of the battlefield, and they had laid the trap as well.
If there were no chance of victory, the plan would never have been conceived.
***
Green Wood of the Central Continent.
Renowned as a peaceful forest due to the rarity of dangerous demi-races or strange species appearing, it still seemed tranquil.
On the surface, that is.
Beyond the translucent dome of mana, a battlefield stretched.
Kwaaaaang!
A conjured dark flame struck the edge of the lake. Freshwater surged and sprayed far.
The surroundings of the shattered hut had already become a mire.
Noise filled every direction.
Flame, water, ice, air, earth… multiple attributes tangled chaotically with hostility, seeking to choke the enemy.
Hooohk.
Unia evaded a slicing gale, retreating sharply to grasp the situation.
'Truly, they are on a different level than ordinary mages.'
The fourteen mages Omar Boldrak had brought, one was lower 6th-tier, the rest ranging from lower 4th-tier to upper 5th-tier.
By numbers alone, they were inferior to the Society, which had Unia, Cain, and Alderneys.
Yet it could not be ended easily.
The difference lay in practical experience.
They knew how to minimize lethal risk, and had mastered ways to overcome weakness by linking their magic together.
And with their lives at stake, they fought desperately.
But thanks to Black Hour's research into Bohemirn Tower's strategies, their methods of assault were already understood.
'…Now!'
Unia shot forward, thrusting her staff. Battle techniques learned from the Sage of Force, the war mage's way.
"Gahhk!"
A Bohemirn Tower mage, struck in a blind spot, coughed blood. His ribs were crushed.
Next, she swept horizontally, adding a ripple of gravity. The mage, killed instantly, fell into the lake and drowned.
From the center of the battlefield, a storm shaking the ground arose. All bolstered their resistances to avoid being swept away.
Because of that, their senses dulled and magical calculations faltered.
Fwoooosh!
Only Cain used the winds Alderneys had raised to accelerate further. His magic sword, Cretima, wreathed in mana.
Fixing precisely on a target, he shot forward, slashing with a blade of magic.
"Gaaahhh…!"
The arm of a 5th-tier upper mage was severed, carried away by the wind. With his
The gap widened further.
Even so, Unia, with the experience built from traveling alongside Verden, steeled her heart not to grow careless.
At last, the storm subsided.
It was then.
Someone flew in, planting a hand into the ground with brute force to slow.
Crunch.
When the arm was pulled free, shattered fingers restored themselves.
Unia asked.
"Sister, do you need help?"
"No."
Isabella smiled.
Rolling her shoulder, which had just been in fragments, she spoke with confidence.
"They're almost finished."
Cough, cough!
Omar, floating low in the air, hunched forward. His pupils trembled.
Rattling coughs tore from his throat.
Tuk, tuduk.
Blood dripped from his features into the lake.