“Everyone to your positions! Move quickly. Take up arms!”
As soon as the sky darkened, Ilaria grabbed her spear and ran towards the Magnus tent.
In contrast, Karan leisurely wiped his mouth before standing up.
“Elise, will you stay in the tent?”
“I’ll go check on Uls.”
Elise ran out without looking back.
“Haltbin!”
Karan immediately called Haltbin to escort Elise.
Karan slowly raised his sword. For some reason, he could clearly sense where Ragnaros was.
His heartbeat intensified as Ragnaros drew closer.
Karan gripped his sword tightly and moved towards the open space.
Ilaria and David approached his side.
“What’s happening?”
Those who were hurriedly assessing the situation instinctively felt that Karan knew something, seeing how unusually calm he was.
“Ragnaros is coming.”
David swallowed a groan at Karan’s casual statement.
“How do we deal with—”
“It’s not his main body. It’s a thought form.”
Karan pointed somewhere with his hand. Black smoke swirled, then became a huge maw, wings, and a tail.
“It’s, it’s Ragnaros!”
“Gasp, it’s, it’s so big!”
Even the carefully selected warriors and knights among the well-trained troops made a fuss upon seeing Ragnaros’s thought form floating in the air.
While its entire body was black, only Ragnaros’s eyes emitted a yellow light. Several people who met the gaze of those long, slit pupils fainted and collapsed.
“It’s a mental magic attack. Don’t make eye contact with Ragnaros!”
Ember, who appeared belatedly, shouted. The knights and warriors lowered their heads while keeping their weapons stretched forward. The magicians wore veils from somewhere.
Amidst all this, only Karan stared directly into Ragnaros’s eyes.
Ragnaros’s magic didn’t work on him.
–The filthy half-breed has awakened.
Ragnaros’s mouth moved. However, his voice was heard only by Karan and Elise, who was running from afar with Uls.
–Seeing you run your mouth first, you must be quite insecure.
Karan swung his sword around. Ragnaros’s eyes touched Karan’s sword.
Sparks flew from the sword. It deflected the magic Ragnaros had cast.
–You’ve set up a cute little trick. Is this the work of the Defier? (TL: 거스른=To act contrary to or contrary to the situation or direction in which things are progressing)
Karan immediately understood who the Defier was.
–Stop blabbering and attack properly if you’re going to.
–Kukukuk, what impressive confidence. Do you think someone like you can bring me down?
As Ragnaros opened his mouth wide, magic energy poured out. The energy soon transformed into monsters that rushed towards the people.
“Come to your senses and raise your swords! Everyone, assume defensive positions.”
Those who had already experienced the Gates once moved in unison to counter the monsters.
–Stop sending small fry and come out yourself. Ah! You still can’t come out?
Ragnaros couldn’t gather all his strength and was unable to move his main body.
He could melt all of them with one breath, but he couldn’t use that breath freely. The breath could only be used through his main body.
–Soon, I will be reborn with the hundreds, thousands of blood you will spill!
Ragnaros spread his enormous wings. Violent wing beats followed. Those who were fighting well against the monsters began to be pushed back little by little.
“Don’t fall back! Hold on!”
David raised his voice, but he couldn’t prevent bodies from swaying in the hurricane-force wind.
As gaps formed, the monsters went wild. It was a situation where they could be completely wiped out if they weren’t careful.
“Uls!”
At that moment, the silver wolf leaped and landed in front of them.
“Grrrr! Kaang!”
When the wolf howled sharply, all the monsters stopped at once.
“Now’s our chance, attack!”
As Elise shouted and rushed towards the monsters with her sword first, the knights and warriors who came to their senses joined the battle.
The monsters’ pause was brief, but it was enough time to turn the tide.
–Seems like the small fries are done. What will you do now? It must be difficult to wipe us all out with just a thought form.
Karan mocked Ragnaros. Then Ragnaros’s body swelled more and more, turning back into smoke that covered the sky.
The smoke spiraling in the sky forming a pattern, Elise had seen this pattern before. With an ominous feeling, Elise called out to Karan.
“Your Highness Karan! It’s rain! The Rain of Death is coming!”
As soon as Elise’s words fell, lightning struck with a flash.
Rain of Death was one of Ragnaros’s attacks.
All living things where the Rain of Death fell would melt, water would rot, and the land would lose its fertility.
“Damn, that bastard!”
“Everyone, take shelter in the Tetris tent!”
Elise herded people into the tent. Only the Tetris tent, engraved with a waterproof magic circle, could avoid that rain.
“Shield!”
There was one more way. To spread a shield, as Ember had just done.
Ember had only cast a shield large enough to protect her magicians.
David looked back at her after checking the range of the thinly glowing membrane.
“We don’t know when another thought form might appear, so we need to conserve our strength, Your Highness. Besides, it doesn’t seem like you particularly want my help.”
Was she expecting him to kneel and beg in a situation where people’s lives were in danger?
David gritted his teeth and started running.
The sky grew darker and darker as if about to pour a heavy rain. It was like midnight despite being daytime. Finally, raindrops began to fall one by one.
“Elise!”
He rushed to Elise in an instant and scooped her up.
“Your Highness, the others, save the others first.”
“I’ll take care of it. You get to safety first.”
Karan muttered while holding Elise in his arms. Bubble-like spheres appeared in the sky and began to envelop those farthest from the tent.
“…!”
Elise’s eyes widened. Both Karan’s modification of the magic and the modified shield were amazing.
The shield currently used by magicians was an area-of-effect magic. It could only protect designated areas.
But Karan’s shield magic was mobile. It was directly cast on moving objects rather than being an area spell.
“…That’s incredible, Your Highness.”
Elise was amazed by Karan’s ability to apply magic creatively.
“It’s unfair to praise me now, Elise.”
Karan frowned as he set Elise down in the tent.
“It’s still too early.”
Karan’s magic was still unstable. He had modified the magic formula in a short time.
In a situation where it was unknown how long the shield would last, the danger wasn’t completely gone, as he said.
“Run quickly!”
Karan shouted, gripping the tent pole tightly. He shouted repeatedly until his voice became hoarse, but it was soon drowned out by the sound of rain.
Swoosh, the Rain of Death began to pour like a midsummer shower.
The Rain of Death didn’t discriminate between friend and foe. Monsters writhed in pain, rolling on the ground. White steam rose from the earth.
“Please, please…”
There were still some who hadn’t made it into the tent. Elise clasped her hands together in prayer while being astounded by Ragnaros’s terrifying power.
‘To create the Rain of Death even in a thought form state!’
Ragnaros had become much stronger than before.
And as time passed, he would only grow stronger.
Elise anxiously bit her lip.
****
The aftermath of the Rain of Death was horrific. The melted bodily fluids of monsters stuck thickly to the ground, and smoke rose from various places.
The Allied Forces representatives came out to survey the surroundings as soon as the rain stopped.
According to Elise’s past analysis, the Rain of Death was only dangerous while falling and was fine afterward.
The exact reason wasn’t known. They could only vaguely guess that the toxicity disappeared when it came into contact with air.
“What’s the damage situation for each country?”
When Karan asked, David and Ilaria’s faces darkened.
Despite Karan’s moving shield, a few who were slow runners or far from the Tetris camp were sacrificed.
“Two.”
“Three.”
The numbers Ilaria and David mentioned were small, but considering these were elite knights worth a hundred men each, it was by no means light damage.
“The Ivory Tower has no issues.”
Ember chimed in annoyingly. When David glared at her, Ember pretended not to notice.
“How about Tetris?”
David asked, swallowing his anger.
“Tetris, no issues.”
David responded to Karan’s answer with a mix of envy and relief.
“That’s fortunate.”
They bowed their heads for a moment in silent prayer for the sacrificed warriors and knights.
After the brief moment of silence, they decided to resume the meeting immediately and moved towards the meeting place.
As the five walked side by side, Ember discreetly grabbed Karan. Karan raised an eyebrow, irritably shaking off her hand.
Ember casually withdrew her hand.
“Since when have you been using magic?”
“What’s it to you?”
“Regardless of origin, all magicians are supposed to be registered with the Ivory Tower. Magicians operating without registration are in violation of the magician’s code and subject to disciplinary action.”
It wasn’t a made-up rule.
“Disciplinary action? Go ahead and try.”
Karan snorted. Ember narrowed her eyes and glared at him.
Ember couldn’t tolerate a magician who didn’t recognize the authority of the Ivory Tower. Moreover, Karan seemed to lack reverence for magic.
‘To think such a person is a magician.’
Ember clicked her tongue.
She was determined to show Karan the greatness of magic and the authority of the Ivory Tower.
By the time Ember finished making her resolution, she found herself alone in the open space.
Everyone had already gone into the tent.
‘Such disloyal humans.’
Just as Ember was getting irritated and quickening her pace,
“Sage.”
A hushed voice was heard.
Goosebumps spread all over Ember’s body.
“Iris!”
It was the voice of her cherished disciple. Ember looked around. Far away, somewhere in the forest, a light flickered and disappeared.
She wanted to find Iris immediately and check if she was safe, but she couldn’t miss the meeting.
Ember had no choice but to summon a butterfly. The butterfly, Ember’s symbol, flew towards Iris carrying her intentions.
After confirming that the butterfly circled and disappeared where Iris’s voice had been heard, Ember headed towards the tent.
The situation was turning in Ember’s favor.
