Chapter 605

Chapter 605: Heavenly Radiant Flame

When night reached its deepest point.

The prolonged battle had left everyone exhausted. The airships in the sky were few and far between, many of them damaged and broken. With limited ammunition and numerous casualties, these airships took advantage of the darkness, extinguishing all lights and retreating slowly under the cover of night.

Below in the city, the focus of the battle had shifted from ground soldiers to the two magic masters from both sides. Their powerful magic and skills wreaked havoc on the surroundings. The streets echoed with the sounds of collapsing structures and fleeing people.

Clang—

A series of sharp and intense clashes rang out. A shell-like barrier stood firm amidst various attacks and impacts. Despite appearing thin, it was impenetrable. A woman wearing a golden floral headdress walked through it, her hands slightly spread. As she moved forward steadily, the pale shell barrier followed suit.

“Not enough yet, Elson. Such feeble attacks cannot shatter my White Orchid Shell,” the woman said, raising her head slightly to reveal her face beneath the overlapping gold petals. She exuded an elegant maturity and wisdom.

“It’s been years, Olga. You still like to use that indifferent tone to provoke anger,” Elson replied, standing across the street in his blue-gray cloak, looking at the woman ahead. They were acquainted, but not on good terms; they were enemies even when they hadn’t met.

Seeing that her attacks couldn’t penetrate the shell’s defense, Elson began to furrow his brow. He extended his right hand, and the blue glass and copper ring on his wrist started to spin, activating runes and arrays within. In the sky, ancient bronze alchemical constructs began to align one by one.

Finally, these alchemical constructs formed a spherical dome with a small circular opening aimed at the woman approaching.

Swirling magical energy flowed through the alchemical constructs. Mana particles faintly glowed in the air, gradually transforming into magical sequences, which then turned into highly destructive high-energy particles within the intricate patterns of the constructs.

These shimmering particles circulated within the construct, spiraling and converging at a focal point. A tiny but immensely powerful particle slowly formed there, causing space and vision around it to distort.

This entire process occurred within a span of a dozen seconds. Olga, seeing the terrifying high-energy particle, stopped in her tracks.

Indeed, she was a master of alchemy and high-energy particle shooting in Rourna. Her mastery over magic and manipulation of extraordinary powers was unparalleled. She could create such high-energy particles even under harsh conditions and in a short time.

Olga quickly chanted incantations inside her shell, her gestures changing rapidly. A complex, minute triangular model formed in her palm. At that moment, the particle suddenly burst with blinding light, dazzling any living being and striking the shell like an electric current.

Zing—

After the intense beam of light, a massive crater about 50 meters in diameter and nearly 100 meters deep formed around where the woman had stood. The bottom of the pit was pitch-black, with only faint red heat glows visible, along with the acrid smell of burning.

Elson, after casting his spell, felt weak and unsteady.

Did he kill her? He wasn’t sure. As a rational and cautious researcher, he wouldn’t jump to conclusions. But if he failed, his situation would become dire.

After a long while, there was no response from the pit, nor any further attacks.

The situation began to turn for the better as Elson summoned the bronze-hued alchemical constructs from the sky, flying towards the pit. He directed light beams downward from the constructs. He also cautiously flew up, observing the scene below from the air.

Just as the scene within the pit appeared before his eyes, his heart suddenly tightened.

A figure, with damaged hair, tattered clothes, and scorched marks all over their body, knelt half-standing inside the pit. As Elson appeared in the sky, a wandering red snake spiraled out from their wrist, rushing directly towards him.

Though its movements seemed slow, it blurred the passage of time. Before Elson could react much, this well-prepared miniature red snake passed through layers of barriers constructed by magic, entering Elson’s chest.

He seemed to want to say something, but opened his mouth without uttering any sound. His body turned into wisps of smoke and ashes, dispersing into the night sky. The alchemical constructs that had been floating in the sky began to fly haphazardly and collide, eventually falling in disarray, losing their glow, and being swallowed by ruins and dust.

“Underneath the flowers lies a venomous snake.”

Ouerja watched the fading figure, panting as she spoke this ancient proverb. Although Elson’s research achievements in recent years were impressive, making the Frost Alliance use advanced crystal cannons, she did not stop there. This new skill could ignore many supernatural defenses and cause penetrating damage.

Though it had drawbacks such as a long charging time and vulnerability to targeted defense, it could be fatal if used at the right moment. And this desperate gamble was what Ouerja had won.

She slowly stood up in the dark pit. At that moment, a woman riding a broomstick and wearing a large hat came flying from the sky above. Her attire resembled that of a witch in stories, but Ouerja knew this wasn’t a witch; it was her acquaintance, Becky, a Level 8 Magic Sequence Flash Mage from the New Moon Council.

“Are you okay, Ouerja? Wow, so dark-looking, even the flowers on your head have wilted, ha ha.” This friend’s teasing and joyful laughter carried a sense of relief after surviving danger.

“Pull me up,” Ouerja said weakly, then asked her supportive friend.

“How are the others?”

“Hong is fighting with Bativen. Their battle is grand in scale, and others generally can’t intervene. Our New Moon Council and Rourna’s battle has had mixed results; several acquaintances have fallen,” Becky’s tone carried some sadness.

She maneuvered the broomstick, jumping down from the sky, grabbing Ouerja’s arm, and then running towards a safer area behind.

Fights still raged throughout the city. In response to this, the Starlight Alliance considered sending reinforcements, but they were refused by the New Moon Council.

“We want to defeat these heretics in reality, without any pretense, to vent our anger and prove the correctness of our chosen path,” the representative of the New Moon Council explained.

In response, Lolan Hill could only acquiesce, standing outside the main camp and watching the fires and collapsing buildings in the distant city.

One by one, magic masters died tragically, turning into ashes, or electrocuting enemies into powder, or decapitating them. Two starkly different styles of magic intertwined in the city until one side fell.

Thus, when dawn approached, the battle gradually neared its end.

A rainbow-colored flame bird hovered in the sky, looking down at the collapsed and shattered giant body below. Bativen, who controlled the Thunder God Automaton, remained standing on the ground.

“So, are you satisfied now, Hong?” Bativen looked at the flame bird in the sky, knowing it was the leading master from the New Moon Council, the Level 8 Lightning Mage.

The Flame of Color, Hong.

…

“But what you’ve defeated is merely my armor; at present, I still have ample magic and means, whereas your usable magic and skills are few.” His voice deepened as he waved his hand, sending several dazzling purple lightning snakes through the air, directly striking the flaming bird and dispersing it into colorful feathers.

When it reformed, the flaming bird was slightly smaller.

“This is the power of tools. Though humans are insignificant, with proper use of various instruments, great achievements can be made.” He continued, the lightning forming chains that continuously strangled and restrained the flaming bird.

The flaming bird scattered again but reassembled, this time transforming into a human form.

A calm-faced man stood atop a tall building.

“But tools are ultimately just tools. If everything is seen merely as a means to an end, then what meaning does such a goal hold?”

“Humans live for happiness and beauty, not for the maximization of benefits and efficiency.”

“Hmph, such outdated and conservative words. Has life on the tranquil island made you forget the harsh competition and survival struggles on the continent?” Bativen looked up at the man.

“It’s not easy to simply survive. Had we not dedicated ourselves to research and development, creating magical devices to defend against the expansion of the Verdant Empire, Snowfall Seven Kingdoms would have long fallen under their iron hooves. What right do you have to criticize us?”

“Yes, I don’t deny the contributions of Rourna in the past.” Hong’s eyes gradually narrowed.

“But.”

“Everything will pass.”

“In times of war, we must abandon many things, sacrifice some for survival.”

“But this is a desperate situation, not an excuse to make it a norm, pushing everyone into the abyss of maximizing efficiency.”

“When the process of survival becomes endless suffering, we must question the reason for enduring it.”

“People endure and strive because there is a sweet fruit waiting ahead.”

“And you, only see the benefits brought by such endurance, ultimately driving them into endless pursuit, where the fruit turns into something unattainable or even bitter.”

“And this goes against the original intent of survival.”

“People cannot simply live like ants and machines.”

“So, I do not accept your reasons and thoughts.” Hong spoke each word slowly, rising again.

At this moment, the sun slowly appeared on the horizon, a warm orange-red sun.

Faint rays of sunlight clung to the seven-colored feathers, and the flames burned like breath on its body. The bird soared again into the sky, followed closely by the Magic Masters of the Crescent Moon Council below.

In the clear sky, cloudless for thousands of miles, the bird carried the crowd through layers of obstacles, flying towards the high altitude where the entire sun could be seen.

The brilliant golden flame of the heavens enveloped them. They performed ancient yet new methods together, combining the magic and sunlight across the vastness, channeling it into the leading seven-colored radiant bird.

With a clear, resounding cry, the divine bird, burning with golden flames, swooped down again, leaving a long trail of golden flames, scorching everything in its path.

Thick lightning bolts, sturdy war machines, intricate puppet strings, and concealed spatial fissures were all consumed and swept away in the brilliant flames.

And the scorched earth became clean.

(The End of Chapter)