The early morning sunlight filtered through the gaps in the villa's floor-to-ceiling windows, spilling across the cold marble floor of the living room.
In the air, a faint scent of perfume and the iron tang of soil mingled with an even stronger, more pungent musk that hadn't dissipated from the night before, making one feel a wave of dizziness.
"What are you holding in your hand?"
Aurora looked at Jerry with suspicion, her brow slightly furrowed as she scanned the small black bag he carried while walking out of the room.
The texture of the small bag was indiscernible, but it was bulging and clearly carried significant weight.
Jerry's youthful face, usually somewhat naive, now bore a satisfied and enigmatic smile. An evil arc curled at the corners of his mouth, and a meaningful light flickered in his eyes.
"A secret."
Time had already reached the following morning.
Aurora had come to pick up Jerry with the purpose of smuggling him across the borders.
Seeing the slyness and complacency deep within his smile, she felt a faint sense of unease.
The depth and danger Jerry radiated—so inconsistent with his age—always managed to strike her with a sense of sudden astonishment.
"I advise you not to bring anything 'over-the-limit'!"
Aurora's words carried a hint of helplessness and a stern warning. "If you leave your own magical signature behind and those old fossils come looking for you, don't you dare sell me out."
Her status as the President of the American Magic Association made her intimately familiar with every regulation and ban; she knew exactly what kind of trouble awaited those who touched forbidden taboos.
Though she was fed up with the red tape, she had no desire to bring unnecessary trouble upon herself for such trivial matters.
Jerry said nothing, merely tossing the small black bag in the air. The faint sound it made was that of metal clashing against metal.
His smile broadened, carrying a touch of cynical laziness.
He knew exactly what "over-the-limit items" Aurora was referring to, but she likely could never imagine that what was in the bag carried far more weight than she could dream—and it would certainly leave no "magical signature."
"Let's go, Madam President," Jerry's voice carried a hint of boyish mischief mixed with an inexplicable, mature masculine magnetism. "We're running out of time."
Aurora didn't suspect further and simply shook her head in resignation.
"As you wish!"
The two shuttled through the still-quiet streets of London in the early morning, riding in a modified Muggle taxi all the way to an abandoned pier on the outskirts.
The sea breeze was biting, and an old freighter was docked at the port. Its hull was mottled, its masts crooked, emitting a stale smell of rust and brine.
"This is the one."
Aurora pointed to the freighter and signaled Jerry to follow.
A thin veil covered her face, obscuring most of her features and leaving only a pair of shrewd, sharp eyes exposed.
Jerry also put on a wide-brimmed fedora, pulling the brim low to hide his overly conspicuous face.
The two expertly bypassed the Muggle security guards patrolling the pier. In a hidden spot beneath the freighter's deck, Aurora activated a complex spatial magic array.
It was a cross-dimensional teleportation array meticulously laid out, using the ship's hull runes and her own magical items as conduits. As the magic surged, the surrounding air began to warp and hum, and the hull of the freighter seemed to blur to the naked eye, detaching from the surrounding reality.
"Hold onto me!" Aurora warned in a heavy voice. Jerry reached out and gripped her arm firmly.
In just a few seconds, after a dizzying sensation of the world spinning, the scenery became clear again, but the humidity and temperature of the air had shifted drastically.
The familiar London port was gone, replaced by blinding sunlight, a scorching wind, and a refreshing scent—a mix of earth and ripe grain.
They were still on the freighter's deck, but the world around them was no longer the same.
Jerry looked up and was instantly stunned by the sight before him.
It was a golden ocean that seemed to have no end. Boundless waves of wheat rolled in the wind like a magnificent golden silk ribbon, extending all the way to the horizon where it met the azure distant mountains.
The full, heavy ears of wheat bowed their heads like the most humble believers—or like endless wealth.
As the wind blew, the wheat waves rose and fell, making a rustling sound that felt like a never-ending whisper or a hymn, or perhaps some ancient and mysterious call.
Jerry had never seen such a magnificent sight, and a trace of surprise inevitably surfaced in his deep eyes.
"This is the Kingdom of the Goddess of Harvest."
Aurora removed her veil and took a deep breath of the air scented with ripe wheat. "Everything you see is her power."
She reached out and pointed toward the endless rolling waves of grain, her voice carrying a explanatory depth and solemnity. "Do you see every single ear of wheat?
These golden waves are mere crops in your world's concept.
But in the world of the Goddess of Harvest, they are the manifestation of her divine power—a flowing source of strength.
The wheat here matures every two or three days, cycle after cycle, only to be harvested.
The granaries are never full because a new harvest is constantly pouring in."
"So the crops just grow fast?"
Jerry raised an eyebrow, his tone carrying a hint of nonchalance.
Aurora shook her head. "No.
Every ear of wheat here is a gift from the Goddess and proof of her existence.
And those believers who harvest, labor, and offer themselves day after day—the lives that fill the granaries—are the true source of her power."
She turned to Jerry, her shrewd eyes staring intently at him. "The relationship between a god and their believers isn't the one-way granting you imagine.
It is a symbiosis, a reciprocity, even a cycle.
The relationship between deities and believers here is more primal and much tighter.
The believers offer their faith, awe, labor, harvest, and even their lives to the deity.
In return, the deity rewards them with miracles, protection, blessings, and most importantly—power."
"Faith is power?" Jerry asked thoughtfully.
"Faith, labor, awe, and even sacrifice. All emotions and actions condensed upon divinity eventually transform into divine power that the god can draw upon and use."
Aurora explained, "The power of the Goddess of Harvest lies in this endless cultivation and reaping, in the gratitude and devotion the believers show for the earth's bounty.
Every grain, every drop of sweat, every harvest, and every overflowing granary symbolizes her abundance and strength.
These seemingly ordinary labors carry the most primal faith and hope of the believers."
Aurora paused, her tone becoming more serious. "Every farmer here, every citizen—their lives are inextricably linked to these fields.
Their prayers, their toil, and their dependence on the land are like tiny streams converging into the vast ocean of the Goddess's divine power.
To some extent, every ear of wheat, these golden waves, and those believers who harvest every few days until the granaries can hold no more—all of them are the source of power for the Goddess of Harvest and this realm.
The concept sounds crude, but it is the most direct, purest, and most ancient form."
"The god is the collective of faith, and the believers are the vessels that sustain the divine body," Jerry whispered, his eyes flashing with a light that understood everything.
He seemed to have touched upon one of the core laws of this world.
Aurora gave him a look of approval. "You could put it that way.
While acquiring power, the deity also maintains her divine office.
The duty of the Goddess of Harvest is to ensure the land remains fertile and the grain remains abundant forever.
Once she fails to obtain enough power from her believers, or if their faith wavers, the wheat fields here will wither, and life will fall into barrenness."
"Our teleportation wasn't completely hidden; it merely interfered with spatial coordinates to make it difficult for the wizard patrol squads to track us."
As Aurora explained, she pulled two metal badges engraved with complex runes from her bosom and handed one to Jerry. "Put this on.
This is a special shielding rune. It can isolate the magical traces of the external world from our bodies, preventing us from being detected by the Priests guarding this land.
The Priests here are not only magically powerful, but more importantly, they can track the aura of any outsider through the power of faith.
If they discover us, our smuggling operation fails!"
Jerry took the badge. The cold metal touch seeped through his palm, and a weak magic flowed through the runes.
He pinned the badge to his chest and looked up at Aurora.
Her face no longer held the previous exhaustion or helplessness; it was replaced by an unprecedented solemnity and vigilance.
"We might encounter some small trouble soon, but this freighter is our only way out."
Aurora signaled Jerry to follow.
They descended an iron companionway on the deck and ducked into the bottom cargo hold of the freighter.
The hold was filled with massive wooden crates emitting a rich scent of earth and the specific aroma of wheat.
"These crates contain contaminated crops—contraband we use to confuse the patrol squads," Aurora explained in a low voice. She pulled a slender wand from a gap between the crates and waved it gently in the air.
Several flickering runes immediately appeared on the hold walls, and a subtle ripple pulsed through the air. Following that, a thin, water-like barrier enveloped the entire chamber.
"This barrier can temporarily isolate our aura, but it won't withstand prolonged investigation."
Aurora cautiously pushed open a secret door hidden behind the crates.
Behind the door was a narrow, pitch-black passage leading to the outside of the freighter.
"Follow me closely and do not make a sound."
Aurora reminded him.
The two hunched over, moving carefully through the cramped space.
Jerry could hear the creaking of the ship's hull in the wind and the faint sound of waves crashing against the shore in the distance.
Suddenly, Aurora stopped abruptly and signaled Jerry to do the same.
"A patrol squad," her voice was barely a whisper.
Jerry followed Aurora's line of sight.
Through a tiny crack in the passage wall, he saw several wizards in dark cloaks holding wands, patrolling rhythmically by the edge of the wheat fields shrouded in night.
The tips of their wands glowed with a faint fluorescence, as if they were searching for something. Occasional weak pulses of magic radiated from them, scanning the hull of the freighter.
"They can sense something through the barrier!"
Aurora's expression grew more somber as she gripped Jerry's arm tightly. "This barrier only makes them think there are abnormal items on the ship; it can't pinpoint us.
We need to take advantage of the gaps in their search to leave quickly.
This is so strange!
Who set up these patrol posts? Why are they so strict?
We can't even avoid them easily?"
Jerry felt the chill of Aurora's fingertips in his hand and could almost hear the rapid beating of her heart.
Yet, his own heart was uncannily calm, his eyes sharply locked onto the path of the patrol squad.
After a long minute, the wizard patrol finally left the area and headed into the distance.
The magical fluctuations on them weakened and gradually vanished into the night.
"Now!"
Aurora hissed, pulling Jerry along as they moved quickly.
The two emerged from the other end of the passage and arrived at the edge of the wheat field.
This area was further from the port, and the wheat was even denser.
Like two agile shadows, they shuttled through the golden ears of wheat that were taller than a man.
The awns of the wheat scraped against their clothes with a rustling sound that was indistinguishable from the wind blowing through the stalks, making them nearly impossible to detect.
Occasionally, the two had to crouch and crawl through the dense fields to avoid being spotted by potential reconnaissance wizards.
Aurora looked back frequently to ensure they weren't leaving any traceable marks. Behind them, the old freighter became increasingly blurred at the edge of the field.
They traveled through this golden ocean for about half an hour, every gust of wind helping to cover their tracks.
The blazing sun overhead felt like the Eye of God, baking the earth and making the gold of the fields even more dazzling.
Jerry followed behind Aurora with light steps and steady breathing, his amber eyes constantly scanning the surroundings to memorize every geographic feature.
Finally, at the junction of a wheat field and a sparse thicket of shrubs, Aurora stopped.
She pointed toward a distant, looming cluster of massive buildings that towered into the clouds.
The spires of those buildings pierced the heavens, radiating ancient and powerful magical fluctuations. Even from this distance, a heart-shaking pressure could be felt.
"There is the core area of the Wizard Towers.
Your current position can barely be considered the edge of the Wizard Towers' defensive barrier." Aurora pointed at the ground beneath them. "Our deal was for me to bring you here without being detected by those High Priests.
And without being detected by the Wizard Towers.
The rest of the way is up to you."
Aurora pulled a small hourglass from her waist pocket. It was thumb-sized, and the sand flowing inside emitted a faint golden light.
"This is a timer.
Do you recognize the runes on it?" She handed it to Jerry.
Jerry took the hourglass and examined it closely.
The body of the hourglass was covered in complex lines that didn't belong to any magical rune system he was familiar with. It radiated a primal, pure, and holy aura, its warmth seeping into his skin through his fingertips.
"The maximum time you can stay in this world is twelve hours."
Aurora took back the hourglass, her tone becoming exceptionally solemn. "This is the maximum time limit I can secure for you.
Once twelve hours are up, the Wizard Towers' detection system will scan this entire world. At that time, even I won't be able to cover for you.
Regardless of whether you've rescued them or not.
After twelve hours, you must retreat immediately. At any cost, return to the place we arrived at, and I will be there to pick you up."
"Remember, this is the core of a Frontline World. The power system is completely different from our own world.
What the Priests believe in are the natural laws bestowed by the Goddess, not the magical theories built on mana." Aurora added, "Any action that relies too heavily on magical energy might be sensed by them.
That damn 'over-the-limit item' of yours—don't use it if you don't have to.
This land does not welcome anything that doesn't belong to its power system, especially things with a strong 'polluting' aura.
They will expose you as clearly as a torch in the darkness."
Jerry listened quietly, the smile long since vanished from his face, replaced by a look of steady contemplation.
He weighed the small black bag in his hand; the faint clinking of its contents was crisp and determined.
He did not respond to Aurora's warning about the "over-the-limit items." He simply picked up the hourglass again, his gaze fixed on the slowly flowing golden sand.
"Twelve hours."
Jerry let out a cold laugh, his smile carrying an inexplicable arrogance and confidence.
Without a moment's hesitation, he tossed the golden hourglass away casually, like discarding a worthless stone.
The hourglass drew a faint arc in the air and landed in the golden waves of wheat, making an almost imperceptible thud before being swallowed by the rolling grain.
"I won't need twelve hours. Three hours is more than enough."
Jerry's voice was deep and certain, forming a bizarre contrast with his youthful tone—as if an even older, even more powerful existence were whispering from within his shell.
Aurora, who had been about to turn and leave, froze instantly upon hearing this.
Her pupils contracted, a mix of vigilance and astonishment in her eyes.
She had already been uneasy about Jerry's depth, but now that unease ballooned into a heavy heart-palpitation.
She turned around, her usually calm eyes filled with scrutiny and questions.
"What... what do you plan to do?"
Aurora's voice carried an imperceptible tremble.
Jerry did not answer Aurora's question. He simply took a step forward, walking toward the lush wheat field that was twice his height.
He extended his fair, slender boyish hands, his fingertips gently but firmly gripping the thickest stalk of wheat. The stalk quivered in his fingers, its full, heavy ear of grain looking like a golden treasure about to burst.
He slowly plucked a few golden, plump grains from the ear. The grains carried the specific fragrance of cereal and bounced in his palm.
He placed them in the center of his hand, and then, using the thumb and index finger of his other hand, he gently and slowly crushed each grain.
The skins of the grains broke under the pressure of his fingers, revealing a milky-white, sweet-smelling powder and sap.
The sticky fluid coated his finger pads, emitting an even stronger aroma of grain.
Jerry looked up. His face, usually handsome and a bit cynical, now appeared exceptionally indifferent under the golden sun.
The slight arc remained at the corner of his mouth, but the smile was no longer playful; it radiated a chilling arrogance that saw through everything.
"President Aurora!" His voice, mixing boyish laziness with a mature resonance, grew deeper, as if carrying an unspeakable magic. Every word struck Aurora's heart like an invisible force. "Do you know the starch content in a grain of wheat?"
It was a simple sentence, yet it sent an indescribable shiver up Aurora's spine, reaching all the way to her scalp.
She watched as, the moment Jerry spoke those words, an invisible power seemed to awaken from within him—or perhaps an ancient mark dormant deep in his bloodline was being fully activated.
An indescribable aura, neither mana nor divine power, began to spread from Jerry at a visible rate.
The aura wasn't violent or evil, but it carried an absolute arrogance and strength that transcended all laws, bringing an unprecedented sense of oppression.
The field around him seemed to become exceptionally solidified; the air turned thick and warped because of his presence.
The amber color of his eyes deepened, no longer reflecting the clarity of a youth, but the indifference and vastness of the universe's depths.
Jerry's features didn't change, but his youthful face was now coated with a layer of detached majesty.
That face no longer seemed to belong to an eleven-year-old boy; it carried an ancient and profound wisdom and an undisguised, ultimate desire for power and control.
Aurora felt her breath hitch. Deep in her body, her instinct as the President of the Magic Association was screaming the most extreme warnings.
She could sense that what Jerry was radiating was not magic, not divine power, nor any extraordinary force she recognized.
It was a more primal, purer, and more incredible... concept.
A terrifying existence capable of completely overturning her worldview.
He stood there, his small frame in the golden wheat waves now appearing infinitely tall and deep.
His gaze moved past Aurora, past the golden fields, and seemed to pierce directly through the fabric of this world toward some higher, more unreachable dimension.
A heart-stopping silence spread around Jerry.
Only the rustling of the wind in the wheat remained, yet it could not cover the ever-rising, abyss-like vastness of his aura.
He used no spells, summoned no magic, and performed no violent movements.
Merely by standing there, merely by that nonchalant question—"Do you know the starch content in a grain of wheat?"—his existence had become, in an incomprehensible way, eldritch.
"Katherine's practical mission for the N.E.W.T. exams is to kill or capture the Goddess of Harvest."
Jerry's voice grew even deeper, every word falling with the weight of a thousand pounds directly into Aurora's heart. There was no ripple in his tone, yet it contained a storm of fury.
"Ophelia's mission is to kill or capture Heracles."
"I know the Ministry of Magic wouldn't let that old fellow Dumbledore just run wild, so these two missions must have a possibility of success."
"Even if it required a different, perhaps cleverer approach."
"But when I learned these were their practical missions, I still felt furious, because I know they were targeted."
Jerry's gaze pierced through the golden waves, seemingly looking at a distant end.
In those amber eyes that usually held the colors of youth, there was now only cold rage and a resolve born of his bottomline being touched.
"Originally, if Hera were willing to help, I might have turned a blind eye. But she had no intention of intervening."
"And you, President Aurora, although you helped me smuggle into this world, it is clear."
"You also don't believe I can find Katherine and the others within twelve hours."
Jerry let out a cold laugh, his lips curling into a sarcastic arc. "In fact, I have no intention of looking for them."
"Because Katherine is a woman with great pride. She is no trophy; I must respect her dignity. So, I plan to help her through this ordeal in a different way."
"I do not like the practical subject of this N.E.W.T. exam." His voice was slow and firm, every syllable sounding like a pronouncement of fate.
"So I decided to change the subject... for her and for all the candidates."
As Jerry spoke, the aura radiating from his entire body continued to climb at a staggering rate.
That "eldritch" feeling that had been lingering around him now acted like a roaring deep-sea beast, spreading in all directions with him as the center.
The golden ears of wheat trembled under the invisible pressure he emitted, and even the distant, towering Wizard Towers seemed to dim slightly under the shroud of this aura.
Then, Jerry extended both arms as if to embrace the entire world.
His wizard robes, which had been fitting and long, now seemed urged by an invisible force and tore apart.
The fabric was shredded from his body with a faint sound of tearing cloth, the pieces fluttering in the wind to reveal the shocking sight hidden beneath.
His body was no longer "dressed in rags" in the simple sense; it was covered layer upon layer, densely and heavily, with magical jewelry.
Around his neck hung not one, not two, but seven or eight different styles of magical necklaces. Some were carved with strange runes, some were inlaid with the teeth of ancient beasts, and some hung with thumb-sized gems emitting a faint light.
Every single one pulsed with a strong, ancient magical fluctuation unique to itself. Their powers intertwined yet did not interfere, forming a complex magical network.
His wrists were encircled by dozens of magical bracelets and bangles.
They were made of various materials: black metal, warm jade, and translucent crystals.
These bracelets weren't worn randomly; they fitted tightly against his forearms, creating an illusion similar to scale armor.
The bracelets were inscribed with microscopic runes invisible to the naked eye, radiating a rainbow of brilliance. They were linked together, and light flowed across Jerry's slender boyish arms as if it had a life of its own.
On his fingers, every single one bore at least one ancient, powerful magic ring—some knuckles even had several rings stacked on them.
Some flashed with the blue light of protection, some projected the red glow of aggression, and some were wreathed in the green mist of mental soothing. Their total number had long since exceeded the limits of normal imagination.
Even his waist and abdomen were encircled by a waist chain made of countless small magical pearls linked together.
Those pearls were like miniature stars, radiating a soft glow that echoed the magic of the other jewelry on his body, forming a tight magical defense system.
These magical jewels were not decorations. They were true magical artifacts filled with immense power.
Their powers were too diverse, too ancient, and too strong.
They were like countless magical sources with independent wills, currently being controlled, constrained, and aggregated upon Jerry's body by a power that transcended mortality.
Jerry's originally small frame now seemed to expand to an incredible degree.
Every piece of jewelry spoke of its glorious past and immense power.
Countless distinct, even conflicting magical fluctuations now reached a perfect balance and harmony upon his body.
Under Jerry's command, these magic powers that should have operated independently now converged like a hundred rivers into the sea, pouring into his young body.
Guided by Jerry's will, they began to undergo a qualitative change.
It was a power capable of shaking the very laws of reality and overturning the world.
"President Aurora!"
Jerry turned his head slightly, his face illuminated by the glow of ancient jewelry.
At this moment, he looked like a demon god rising from the primeval chaos.
He didn't look at Aurora; his gaze was fixed straight ahead.
It was as if Aurora were a mere trifle in the air rather than the powerful President of the American Magic Association.
"I advise you to leave this place immediately.
Otherwise, it won't look good for you if you're caught in the act later."
His tone was flat, yet it held an absolute, unquestionable command.
However, Aurora showed no intention of backing down.
A playful expression instead surfaced on her youthful face, carrying the provocation of a bystander.
She crossed her arms, staying in place with leisurely ease.
The runic charms that had sneakily entwined her body to evade the laws of the Frontline World now shattered as her will surged.
Her hidden aura shot into the sky like a drawn sword.
"I'd certainly love to see!"
The corner of Aurora's mouth curled up, her gaze sharp as a blade piercing Jerry.
"Exactly how you intend to make the Ministry of Magic change the exam questions."
Her voice was thick with curiosity and disdain, as if challenging a child who had overestimated his strength.
Jerry let out a low, magnetic chuckle.
The sound intertwined with the rising, eldritch aura around him, like the overture to an apocalypse.
Slowly, he pulled out the small black cloth bag Aurora had noticed earlier from his torn robes.
"It's quite simple."
Jerry's fingertips toyed with the opening of the bag, his expression indifferent.
His words sounded like an ancient incantation that tightened Aurora's nerves to the limit.
"Just annihilate this world."
"What?"
Aurora's voice jumped several octaves in shock.
Her pupils shrank as she stared at the bag in Jerry's hand with disbelief.
However, Jerry ignored her outcry.
He simply flicked his wrist.
Clatter! Clatter! Clatter!
One after another, palm-sized crystal puppets rolled out of the bag like poured ice cubes.
They were identical in shape—miniature, to-scale versions of Jerry.
Each was translucent, as if carved from the purest mana crystals.
The contents of the bag were far more numerous than they appeared from the outside.
Once these crystal puppets fell onto the golden soil of the wheat field, they began to expand violently at a speed visible to the eye.
Their bodies grew tall amidst a humming sound.
Their crystalline surfaces writhed like living things, refracting brilliant light under the sun.
Simultaneously, an indescribable luster, identical to the one on Jerry, began to erupt from within these puppets.
The light was not a single color, but a myriad of shifting hues like deep-sea bioluminescence, rippling across their crystal frames.
With every pulse of light, the puppets' forms became more refined.
Their features, physiques, and even the folds in their clothes began to replicate Jerry's in perfect detail.
No! Not just their appearance!
Most shocking of all was that as these puppets took shape, powerful and diverse magical fluctuations identical to Jerry's erupted from within them.
Those intricate magical jewels and ancient, powerful artifacts on his body were now recreated vividly on each puppet's surface.
They emitted the same heart-stopping mana pulses.
In just a few seconds, seven perfect replicas of Jerry stood proudly among the wheat.
Including the original Jerry, eight identical boys now stood before Aurora.
Each radiated that ancient, terrifying aura.
Each wore the complex magical jewelry.
Each stood expressionless in the golden waves of wheat, shimmering with an eerie light under the sun.
Aurora's pupils narrowed to slits as she squinted.
Her sharp gaze darted between these "Jerrys," trying to find even the slightest difference, but she failed.
These seven crystal puppets were identical to the real Jerry in appearance, temperament, and magic fluctuations.
Even to the senses, they possessed the same eldritch pressure as Jerry himself.
"I heard," Aurora's voice was somewhat raspy.
"That you... you had already handed over all your goods to Sue Chan."
Her tone held doubt and a greater sense of shock.
She knew that the materials Jerry had available for crafting should have been nearly exhausted.
The smile at the corner of Jerry's lips widened.
That smile carried a child-like sense of pure triumph mixed with demonic malice.
"Crafting crystal puppets depends heavily on luck."
He slowly raised his hand, pointing at the seven replicas before him.
His original self merged with them until they were indistinguishable.
"My luck yesterday... was quite good."
He did not explain the source of the materials used to make them, nor the nature of their power.
But his confident gaze answered all of Aurora's unspoken questions.
A total of seven puppets plus Jerry—soon, eight identical Jerrys stood among the wheat fields.
Under the powerful aura radiated by these eight beings, the golden waves that originally rolled with the wind now subsided eerily.
It was as if they were suppressed by an invisible force.
The air was thick with the vast atmosphere of the eight "Jerrys."
A mix of ancient magical pressure and eldritch elements.
They echoed and stacked upon each other, building a terrifying domain capable of twisting the laws of reality.
This terrifying pulse did not last long before triggering a chain reaction.
The towering Wizard Tower in the distance felt as if it had been struck by an invisible hammer.
Its spire erupted with a blinding red alarm light.
It sliced through the golden sky like a signal of the apocalypse.
Simultaneously, a sharp, deafening alarm sound, like tearing metal, buzzed throughout the entire Frontline World.
It nearly shattered eardrums and completely broke the original peace and sanctity of this land.
Within mere breaths, several black figures rose from the distance.
A large group of wizards on broomsticks, like a disturbed swarm of hornets, charged toward the wheat field shrouded in mysterious energy.
They wore uniform white linen robes.
Their wands flashed with various elemental glows, shooting across the sky like arrows from a bow.
At the same time, several golden vortexes appeared out of thin air within the wheat field nearby.
These were the pulses of emergency-activated teleportation arrays.
The ripples distorted the air, signaling that more and even more elite forces were arriving on the scene immediately.
"Heh..."
Aurora watched the scene, her amusement turning into something strange.
She crossed her arms and whispered to herself: "I didn't expect that after only a few years, the Frontline Legion's response speed would have reached this level."
"It makes me curious—has the commander been replaced, or has the Legion General changed?"
The corner of her mouth hooked up, her eyes flashing with curiosity for the unknown.
However, Jerry seemed completely blind to the approaching threat.
He didn't even turn his head once.
His eight forms remained motionless on the spot.
Their powerful aura stood as firm as an invisible iceberg.
Just then, a roar filled with fury and sharp magic rolled down from the sky like a thunderclap.
It charged straight at the center of the phenomenon: "Who is there?!"
Accompanying the roar was a lithe figure who didn't ride a broom but flew through the air on the wind.
She was extremely fast, leaving a blurred trail over the wheat field.
She arrived hundreds of meters above Jerry and the others almost instantly.
It was a woman.
She wore tight black leather gear—sharp cut, high-quality material.
She had hastily thrown a loose white mage robe over it.
The robe was clearly put on in a hurry; its hem was untidy, looking somewhat messy and even a bit ridiculous.
However, the lower part of the leather outfit could not be hidden by the robe.
It stretched from her tight thighs to her ankles, wrapping her long, athletic legs.
Under the sun, the sheen of her black stockings was clearly visible.
They outlined her leg lines perfectly—sexy, with an undisguised sense of power.
Her feet were even clad in exquisite yet practical black high-heeled combat boots.
They made her look exceptionally tall even in the air.
Her long hair flew wildly in the wind like burning flames.
Though her oval face was clouded by fury, her refined features were still apparent.
At this moment, her gaze was like fire, piercing through the air.
She locked directly onto the eight identical "Jerrys" in the middle of the field.
That look seemed capable of tearing through any disguise.
It carried the majesty of a high-ranking official and the roaring fire of someone who had been offended.
It was none other than Lilith Vanessa, who had dealt with Jerry once before.
She hadn't expected this woman to be transferred back to this legion as the Legion General.
"Jerry?"
"What are you doing?"
However, Jerry had no intention of responding to her at all.
There was no trace of emotion on his youthful face.
He seemed oblivious to the roars in the sky and the tide-like movement of wizards below.
Jerry's forearm, entwined with countless magical jewels, rose slowly.
His slender fingertip pointed straight at the heavens.
Simultaneously, the seven crystal puppets beside him raised their hands like marionettes on strings.
They maintained perfect synchronization with the original Jerry.
In the very same instant, the palm of each crystal puppet lit up as if carved open.
They revealed a blinding red crystal.
They radiated a scorching and tyrannical red light.
The energy contained within seemed capable of easily tearing matter and churning the void.
"This is..."
Aurora's eyes widened.
She noticed that Jerry's original palm also held a crystal.
But unlike the blood-red of the other puppets, the crystal in Jerry's hand shimmered with a deep, eerie green light.
Lilith Vanessa keenly sensed this unusual surge of energy.
She had felt that unsettling aura on him before.
But never had it been so violent, primal, and... manifested.
This was no known form of magic!
A chilling, contemptuous smile appeared on Jerry's lips.
His gaze pierced the sky and the world barriers.
He communicated directly with an indescribable dimension.
In the next moment, the cloudless vault of the sky suddenly darkened.
It was not the gathering of clouds, but the void itself being brutally torn apart by an arrogant force.
Visible pitch-black cracks spread across the firmament like a spiderweb.
Each crack connected to a deep, freezing alien dimension.
"Buzz!"
Accompanied by a grand humming that vibrated the soul, the first meteor trailing intense flames and a long tail of fire roared out of the void crack.
It shot out like an arrow from a bow!
It expanded rapidly during its descent, its surface burning with purgatorial orange flames.
The scorching shockwave spread out like a tsunami, distorting the air like a boiling cauldron of oil.
"No! It's a Forbidden Curse!"
Lilith Vanessa's face turned deathly pale.
She felt that the meteor did not contain simple fire magic, but pure, brutal physical destruction.
It even carried an otherworldly aura that warped space and broke laws!
She ignored everything else, her mouth rapidly chanting a spell.
Her fair hands traced complex golden runes in the air.
Golden barriers appeared out of nowhere, attempting to intercept the meteor's path.
However, her power was insignificant before this true "natural disaster."
The meteor only shifted its angle slightly.
It easily tore through her hastily erected defenses and plummeted toward the earth with matchless destructive force!
BOOM!!
The earth shook and mountains swayed!
A thunderous roar erupted from the center of the wheat field as if the entire world were vibrating!
The first meteor, carrying a massive wave of fire and a shockwave, slammed hard into the golden wheat.
A massive crater hundreds of meters wide and bottomless appeared instantly.
Soil, rocks, and charred wheat were thrown into the air by the impact.
They turned into a scalding rain that splashed across the sky like ink, carrying the suffocating smell of sulfur and char.
The shockwave erupted outward in rings from the crater.
It instantly destroyed every stalk of wheat within kilometers, uprooting them and turning them to ash.
The ground cracked inch by inch.
"Jerry, are you mad?"
"Stop at once!"
This was only the beginning.
The eight Jerrys now stood like ancient magical launch towers.
Their arms remained raised, and the crystals in their palms glowed with alternating red and green light.
The light grew brighter and brighter.
As if they never tired, they continuously dragged one burning meteor after another from the void cracks.
Whoosh—hiss! BOOM! CRASH!
Meteors, carrying the sounds of breaking air and apocalyptic flames, slammed into this world of harvest one after another.
Some were dozens of meters wide, others as small as houses.
Regardless of size, each contained enough kinetic energy to level mountains.
The entire sky was illuminated by the warped void cracks and the fire-trailing meteors.
It looked like the falling of stars.
This world of harvest, which originally symbolized richness and life, was now suffering total annihilation!
However, shockingly, the wheat field—the land representing the divine power of the Goddess of Harvest—was fighting back stubbornly!
The wheat swept by flames erupted with a faint but resilient golden glow the moment they were touched.
The glow tried to resist the scorching heat; the stalks writhed and struggled in the fire.
Even when turned to ash, they released pulses of strange energy at the moment of dispersal.
They were attempting to repair the damaged soil.
Countless stalks of wheat struggled to stay upright in the pouring rain of fire.
They seemed to be using their bodies and their tiny but resilient lives to defend their home.
Deep in the field, on the carbonized soil directly hit by meteors, golden spots of light still flickered and jumped.
It was as if the land itself possessed its own consciousness.
It was wailing in anger and struggling in despair, yet trying to heal itself.
The scorched earth brought by the fire even emitted a faint, burnt scent of wheat.
And a certain indescribable tragedy.
This was the remaining divine power of the Goddess of Harvest being forcibly neutralized and consumed by Jerry's power.
Just as the disaster arrived, the Wizard Tower's response mechanisms were fully activated.
"All wizards on mission! Emergency evacuation! Activate emergency teleportation runes immediately!"
Within the Wizard Tower, an ancient and majestic voice, accompanied by alarms, was transmitted simultaneously to every corner of the Frontline World.
It reached the ears of every wizard on mission.
It was the voice of one of the two Wizard Elders who presided over the tower with supreme authority.
Whether it was the patrols in the rice fields, the air force wizards reconnoitering over the mountains, or the special units tracking magical beasts in the swamps.
All activated their emergency teleportation runes the moment they received the order.
Even the wizard apprentices currently undergoing their exams were no exception.
"Buzz!"
Pillars of brilliant green light shot into the sky from every corner of the Frontline World like bamboo shoots after rain.
In the center of each green light pillar, every wizard was wrapped in a gentle yet tough green light membrane.
While resisting the massive shockwaves and fire from the descending meteors, the film acted as a teleportation medium.
These lucky wizards were quickly transported through warped space.
They were packed up like harvested wheat and moved to the safety of the Wizard Tower's defensive barrier.
The Wizard Tower's defensive barrier was now fully open.
It formed a thick and massive transparent dome that covered the entire core area.
Countless golden runes flowed across the dome.
They intertwined with the thunderous roars of falling meteors, emitting an ear-aching grinding sound.
They struggled to withstand the aftershocks of the curse.
Lilith Vanessa watched this scene that rivaled the end of the world.
Her fire of anger had long since been replaced by freezing terror.
The distant wheat fields had now turned into a scorched sea of fire.
The massive meteor craters were like the mouths of hell.
They constantly spewed hot lava and sulfurous steam, dyeing the originally golden land a blood-red of the apocalypse.
The cracks in the sky grew larger and deeper.
More meteors, like an endless torrential rain, roared through the air.
They struck the world again and again with terrifying firelight.
The golden wheat had long since vanished.
It was replaced by completely destroyed scorched earth and ruins emitting black smoke.
Jerry, the boy who had caused all of this, still had an uncannily calm expression.
He made no sound.
His eight identical forms and the red and green glow from their palms seemed to have become some ominous timer.
He simply took a light step forward.
This step seemed nonchalant, yet it contained staggering power.
The earth trembled beneath his feet, and an invisible ripple spread out from him.
Immediately, a blurred spatial pulse flashed around him and his seven crystal puppets.
In the eyes of Aurora and Lilith, their figures merely flickered slightly before vanishing like ghosts.
They reappeared instantly on the scorched earth hundreds of meters away.
It was a precise and swift spatial jump.
A movement that completely bypassed the edge of the Wizard Tower's defensive barrier in the midst of an extremely chaotic energy storm.
Jerry seemed to be declaring that his actions would not be obstructed by any established line of defense.
After leaving the protection of the Wizard Tower, Jerry and his clones did not stop their attack.
The light from the crystals in their palms grew more brilliant.
It resonated with the expanding void cracks in the sky. The Forbidden Curse continued!
Meteors poured from the cracks even more densely, as if endless.
They trailed flames that seemed ready to burn everything as they slammed into this suffering world.
Every meteor strike was accompanied by an earth-shattering roar.
The groans of the earth grew heavier, as if enduring pressure far beyond its limit.
The original landscape was completely rewritten.
Mountains were leveled, rivers evaporated, and plains were occupied by deep craters.
Lakes were replaced by boiling lava.
Looking down from high above, this once vibrant world of harvest now looked like a tattered canvas cut by a thousand knives.
Every inch of land was twisting in pain within the inferno.
Furthermore, the "eldritch" aura on Jerry now merged completely with the power of the curse.
It seemed to be erasing the world's existence from its very foundation.
It wasn't just destroying matter, but attempting to wipe it out completely from the level of laws.
The air became thin and heavy, and elements roared frantically.
Yet they were forcibly shredded and decomposed into the most primitive particles by an invisible force.
Amidst the scenes of destruction, an even more hair-raising phenomenon began to appear.
The void, torn repeatedly by the violent power of the curse, began to release more than just meteors.
Slender, twisted spatial cracks, glowing like blades, began to flicker across the devastated world.
They were not traditional spatial rifts leading elsewhere.
They directly swallowed all existence around them—fire, lava, charred soil, even light.
Everything disappeared without a trace the moment it touched these cracks, leaving only pure "nothingness."
These spatial rifts had no fixed shape or stable direction.
They wandered through the apocalyptic landscape like ghosts, opening and closing with terrifying, subtle hisses.
They were like silent, giant mouths, eating away at the world's matter and its laws.
The entire world, under Jerry's Forbidden Curse, was sliding rapidly toward total annihilation.
Jerry's figure moved slowly and firmly through the scorched earth and scenes of destruction.
Step by step, he moved forward.
Every step of his seemed to tread upon broken laws.
Every step was accompanied by the roar of falling meteors and the spontaneous opening of spatial cracks.
Inside the core defensive barrier of the Wizard Tower, Lilith and Aurora saw a powerful figure rise through the distorted barrier.
He soared against the rain of fire and meteors from behind a collapsed mountain like a bolt of lightning.
It was a man with bulging muscles.
"It's Heracles!"
Lilith let out a low growl.
That was one of the strongest Priest-warriors of the Frontline World.
And one of her targets.
Under such a destructive curse, he was actually able to maintain his form.
He even launched a proactive surprise attack.
Heracles' goal was crystal clear—Jerry, who was "eroding" the world bit by bit.
Like a mad bull, he charged toward the center of the calamity, bathed in the firelight of the meteors.
With every leap, he crossed hundreds of meters of scorched earth, molten rock splashing beneath his feet.
He swung his giant axe with the force of a gale.
The rotation temporarily shredded the nearby flames and debris, carving out a brief path forward.
"For Zeus!"
Heracles' roar sounded weak yet determined amidst the continuous thunder of the meteors.
He drew closer and closer to Jerry, his eyes flashing with a madness sworn to mutual destruction.
Every step forward cost a massive price.
The green glow on his body was repeatedly torn and healed, blood spots erupted beneath his skin.
Every breath was like inhaling red-hot iron sand, searingly painful.
Jerry and the seven puppets around him seemed completely oblivious to this heroic warrior trying to advance against the tide.
Their steps did not falter for a moment, and the release of the curse did not cease for a second.
The abyss cracks in the sky remained wide open.
Meteors several times larger than Heracles' entire body, carrying even more violent energy, were continuously dragged from the alien dimension.
They fell in a density sufficient to cover the entire sky.
Heracles had just swung his giant axe to split a mid-sized meteor.
The moment axe met rock, a deafening metallic wail erupted, sparks flying everywhere.
The axe blade sank deep into the meteor's core.
The powerful backlash tore his hand open, leaving it dripping with blood.
He kicked off for leverage, but before he could accelerate, a massive meteor—fifty meters in diameter—roared down.
It was wreathed in dark green sulfurous flames and carried world-ending power from the void crack above.
The massive shadow of that meteor instantly engulfed Heracles completely.
His body, wrapped in green divine light, had no time to react before this absolute destructive force.
Along with his giant axe, he was thoroughly buried within that meteor carrying the will of destruction.
"Ignorant!"