Chapter 68
The power of the Spirit King was different from the power of other spirits.
It was so strong that she could barely breathe.
[Master, hang in there.]
Gor said as he stared at her pitifully.
The Spirit King’s power was bound to overwhelm the Spirit Master.
A being that possessed a stronger physique than the average human; moreover, their might was no less than phenomenal.
Elena bit her lip tightly.
Her eyes were bloodshot.
Even though they were physically stronger than normal humans, the power of the Spirit King was nothing short of a force of nature.
‘Lexion…!’
The moment she made up her mind.
The sky – where the giant monster stood – suddenly had a rift.
Crack-!
The dark sky cracked.
And a pure white light poured out.
At the unexpected burst of light, all the monsters’ attention turned toward the sky.
So were the soldiers and wizards.
Even the giant monster finally stopped attacking and looked up.
And then.
Woohoo-!
A hand bigger than the giant monster appeared.
Countless demons, including the monstrous foe, were crushed by the humongous hand that shone brilliantly like a god was making a descent.
Kee eh-!!
A groan of pain followed.
However, the enormous hand was unforgiving and refused to let go.
It didn’t take long for all the monsters in the Fortnen Plain to disappear.
Just a few seconds.
In a few seconds, all the monsters crumbled to dust.
And the blinding, massive hand that depicted the light of God disappeared in an instant.
“Th-The god!”
“God must have protected us!”
“Gor is protecting us!”
The soldiers shouted in exaltation.
The wizards had never seen such magic before, so they questioned whether God really had descended.
Lexion couldn’t believe what occurred before him.
But, if not God, who could do such a thing?
He sighed a little.
And at that moment.
The only human form among the monsters came into his sight.
Lexion narrowed his eyes.
He was about to step forward to deal with the man.
But then, the man’s body gradually melted away.
It dissolved as a thick black liquid and then vanished.
When the one who controlled the monster faded, the remaining monsters that stood a little far away were also destroyed.
“The war is over!”
The soldiers cheered and rejoiced.
But Lexion was in doubt.
‘How can it end so easily…?’
His gaze turned to the sky.
The sky that had split a while ago had returned to its original state.
Meanwhile, an unforeseen event happened at the place where the wizards and archers were stationed to attack.
“Ugh…!”
Having consumed a vast amount of magical power, Elena grabbed her chest.
A stabbing pain spread throughout her body.
Then her eyes closed and her body collapsed.
*****
The war was over.
The moment the colossal monster – that abruptly appeared in the Fortnen Plains – and the man who controlled the horde of monsters disappeared, all the monsters that were rushing out from the Black Continent were wiped out.
The war, which was anticipated to be long, ended sooner than expected, resulting in fewer casualties.
Even with the soldiers and wizards combined, there were only graze wounds with few fatalities.
Therefore, this war was nothing less than a great victory.
But Karen’s expression was not good.
While she supported the other Tower Lords, she sensed something peculiar when she reached the Fortnen Kingdom, where the West Tower Lord and his wizards were located.
‘Why is this power….’
She sensed an energy that should no longer exist in this world.
‘No. It can’t be. That child…… .’
It belonged to someone who had already passed away a long time ago.
A power that couldn’t and shouldn’t exist anymore.
Despite temporarily perceiving such power, Karen couldn’t shake the ominous notion she was feeling.
“Archmage!”
Once the war was over, Jeremy was preparing to return with the wizards when he discovered the Archmage.
Seeing her standing on the highest point of the castle, he smiled brightly and flew into the sky, immediately standing before her.
“… Jeremy.”
Karen’s expression was different from usual.
“Archmage, is something wrong?”
Jeremy asked cautiously.
Karen shook her head.
“No. It’s just that this war seems to have ended so easily.”
According to Jacob’s report, even the demonic possessors had been destroyed.
But something… It was strange.
“I think so too. Also, the giant hand that appeared at the end… I’ve never heard of such magic.”
Jeremy expressed with a serious face.
“Yes. I was surprised to see it too.”
Karen couldn’t easily move due to the ‘power’ she felt as soon as she arrived at Fortnen Kingdom.
But she had seen exactly what had happened.
“I don’t know about such magic either. Even though I’m an Archmage.”
“Then…”
“… Maybe it’s Elena, that child’s power.”
Jeremy’s face hardened at her words.
“No need to trouble yourself about Elena. You can worry about her after the child comes back.”
“Yes, but…”
“If you are truly worried, please return quickly.”
“Yes, Archmage.”
Jeremy then left in a hurry.
Karen, who was left alone, looked into the distance for a moment.
It was the space where she felt the energy of ‘that person’ a while ago.
Fortnen Plains. The place where the huge monster and the man who called it came from.
‘… Probably not.’
Karen bit her lip.
Eventually, she shook her head and cleared her conflicted mind.
Then she lightly jumped off the roof.
Her movements were feather-like.
As soon as she landed on the ground, the wizards who were busy clearing everything were startled.
“Arch-Archmage!”
“You gave me a fright when you suddenly appeared!”
“I’m sorry.”
She responded with an apologetic face and instructed the wizards.
“Before returning to the tower, strengthen the barrier you’ve previously placed on the boundary. And leave the portal connecting the Magic Tower and the Fortnen Kingdom.”
“What? Even though the war is over…?”
“Just a precaution. I will speak with King Fortnen about this, so do it.”
Karen didn’t provide any specific reason to the wizards.
Instead, she added that the wizards should observe the dynamics of the monsters in the Fortnen Kingdom, with three groups made up of pairs patrolling every day.
This was also done to be prepared for unavoidable situations.
In the end, the wizards were forced to obey.
****
With the intervention of the Archmage, Fortnen’s situation quickly turned around.
Karen spoke to King Fortnen just as she commanded the wizards.
King Fortnen gladly accepted her proposal.
He was willing to have his liver gutted for the mages who had helped him in this war.
The wizards rushed back to the Magic Tower except for those who did Karen’s orders.
Among them was Elena, who had lost consciousness.
“Archmage…”
Jeremy, who was about to cross the portal, called out to Karen, who stood behind him.
“What’s wrong?”
“Elena… It seems that she is somewhat related to that power.”
Karen had crossed over to the portal a while ago, but she had no time to check Elena’s condition.
On the other hand, Jeremy was aware since he had personally gone to pick her up.
She was barely breathing and still unconscious.
“… Let’s return quickly.”
Seeing the grave expression on his face, Karen quickly realized that Elena’s condition was severe.
The two went straight into the portal.
****
When Lexion returned to check the conditions of the soldiers, the wizards had already left.
“Does anyone know where they went?”
When he asked the archers, they replied:
“As soon as the battle was over, the wizards just quickly disappeared.”
“…. I see.”
Lexion’s lips pressed into a line.
After the war ended, Lexion wanted to meet Elena.
He was worried that she might have been hurt.
But the wizards were already gone.
Nonetheless, Lexion knew the wizards well.
So he trusted that she was not hurt.
Although the wizards showed good intentions to the soldiers, it was not enough to enjoy a banquet together.
So, even if Elena went back first, it was okay.
“Did you perchance notice Elena Respell, a chief researcher of the Magic Tower, injured in some place?”
Lexion once again asked the archers who were about to take a rest.
They pondered for a moment and answered.
“We don’t know for sure. But the last time we saw her, she was fine.”
Unfortunately, the archers were so engrossed in the massive hand that appeared at the end that they didn’t take a good look at their surroundings.
So they didn’t even witness when she collapsed at the end.
The wizards were the first to discover the fallen Elena, and they immediately moved her to a safe place.
Hence, the archers were unaware of what exactly happened to her.
“Alright, thank you.”
Lexion’s lips slightly rose.
He just assumed that Elena had returned first.
Thus, he decided that once he returned, he was going to visit her first.
This time, he really wanted to convey what was in his heart.
