〈 Chapter 327 〉 Turn the Tables (5)
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Skebal the Ancient Lich.
Like any wizard who has lived for a long time, Skebal possesses an inflated sense of self.
Arrogance from believing he is superior to others. Conceit from thinking he has drawn closer to the truth. The delusion that the one who survives must be the strongest of all.
Arrogance, conceit, and delusion.
No one shattered that illusion.
Thus, for centuries, Skebal has reigned as a nightmare to wizards, a disaster that dominates the battlefield.
“Come down, you bastard.”
That was how things were before he faced the Ashen Mage. That day, Skebal experienced defeat for the first time in centuries. A humiliating defeat without comparison. However, Skebal’s inflated ego refused to acknowledge that defeat.
Time rolls on again.
“Wow, you’re back again?”
As time flows and flows,
“What have you prepared this time?”
There have been several defeats.
It wasn’t just a few; it was a level of humiliation that made his bones ache. Skebal can no longer turn a blind eye to that humiliation.
“I acknowledge it.”
The thought that the incredibly great self he once believed he was might be a pitiful being. Just recalling it makes him endure the shame, as Skebal returns to his original intent.
“To achieve my goal.”
He lets go of everything.
“I will not shy away from any despicable acts.”
Before the wizard who has defeated him time and again, Skebal confronts his opponent as a wizard, stripped of everything.
“I will use everything I have.”
Skebal’s robe flutters.
Black crystal orbs float from within the robe.
“I will kill you, Ashen Mage.”
“Oh, really?”
Raniel merely nods in a seemingly dismissive manner.
2.
Seeing the floating crystal orbs, Raniel expressionlessly places her palm against her chest. She has already had a terrible experience with those damn orbs.
“I can’t fall for the same trick.”
A countermeasure is already prepared.
With a slight push, Raniel’s fingertips dig into her skin.
With a click, she turns the circuit etched on her heart half a turn. Thud thud, her heart pounds fiercely, and Raniel’s pupils turn ashen.
The crystal orbs floating in the air send out waves.
Reacting to the waves, a shadow pools in Raniel’s heart, but the rapidly spinning circuit suppresses that shadow. That magical device no longer affects Raniel.
Snap.
Raniel flicks her finger.
The stored spell is released, and a burst of light rises above Raniel’s head. It is so large it looks like a spear; it’s her favorite spell.
Smite.
Raniel lightly swings her hand.
The bursts of light shoot into the sky with chaotic trajectories. The crystal orbs Skebal had strewn in the air are intercepted, and spears of light fly towards Skebal.
Having abandoned the dignity of an ancient lich, Skebal executes evasive maneuvers in mid-air. His robe flutters as the spears of light pursue him.
Shwheeeeeem!
In executing the evasive maneuver, Skebal responds with spells. He burns the bursts of light with black flames, attempting to shoot them down with elemental magic…
Boom.
A sound like a cannon is heard near Skebal’s ears. His head jerks around. Following the sensation of mana, he looks up to see Raniel floating above him, higher than himself.
There’s no way a human can fly.
Could it be that she jumped simply with strength? Can a wizard do that? There’s no time for such obvious doubts. Something even more grotesque is gathering around that almost non-wizard-like figure.
Skebal now understands its identity.
A spell symbolic of the ashen.
The terrifying power of that spell has been personally experienced by Skebal. Just as Skebal is about to layer protection spells, Raniel spins in mid-air.
Ashes to Ashes.
The burst of light engulfs Skebal.
Light strikes Skebal first, and then a delayed KA-BLAM! echoes. It sounds just like thunder.
KABOOM!
Skebal, plummeting down, rises with the rubble propelled upward by his own weight. His training pays off, as he’s now able to react to that spell.
Crack, creak.
But he remains vigilant.
Immediately, Skebal begins casting spells. Countless circuits etched in the sky begin to emit light. Raniel, hovering in the air, merely looks up to view the rain of spells falling down.
Lightning bursts.
A rain of flames.
Sharply pointed rock shards.
Icicles that freeze anything they touch.
All elemental spells pour from the sky like rain. Any wizard would be wide-eyed in shock at this situation, but Raniel casually swings her arm.
Smash.
Spells are swept away.
As she snaps her fingers and waves her arm, the stocked spells are released in sequence, wiping away Skebal’s spells without mercy.
In terms of activation speed, power, everything—Raniel is superior. Even now, her blue mana is gradually transforming into ashen. Skebal has no confidence in confronting that cursed, strange mana.
“But.”
Skebal shakes the dust off his robe. The filth dripping from the robe hisses as it melts the stone floor.
“This was within my expectations.”
The real deal begins now…
“What are you hiding?”
A voice comes from right in front of him.
Skebal’s dark gaze constricts. Landing upon the piles of rubble from above, Raniel stands before Skebal.
Crack!
She grasps Skebal’s skull tightly.
Her grip, close to that of a hero’s physique, squeezes Skebal’s skull. Being at such a disadvantage in matchup, allowing the proximity only makes things worse for him.
THWACK!
Skebal’s skull slams into the stone floor.
Still grounded, Raniel takes a step forward.
Thud thud thud!
Skebal’s head grinds against the ground.
With each step Raniel takes, the ground shakes. She pulls Skebal off the ground, filled with power in each stride.
Creek, creak.
A creaking sound comes from Raniel’s body.
Skebal cannot comprehend that it’s the sound of muscles straining to their limit. He can only brace for the impending shock.
Raising her arm again, Raniel slams Skebal’s skull into the stone floor once more. Not merely relying on brute strength, she layers a series of spells simultaneously.
Accel.
Shock.
Smash.
Three spells release their light simultaneously, amplifying the impact that shakes Skebal’s skull. Cracks begin to form on his skull. He tries to resist, but once captured in Raniel’s grip, mana cannot be collected.
That damn ashen mana.
Raniel pounds Skebal’s skull repeatedly into the stone floor. Though it’s a rudimentary attack, there’s no more efficient way to do it. As proven, Skebal’s head begins to shatter.
Finally, one more time.
Raniel layers spells to pound Skebal’s skull into the plaza’s stone floor.
THWACK!
That’s the end of it.
All the plaza’s tiles explode upward, and the shattered pieces of Skebal’s skull fly up as well. Subsequently, Raniel crushes Skebal’s exposed brain and life vessel.
CRUNCH!
The shattered life vessel spills onto the floor.
As she watches the remaining bones of Skebal crumble, Raniel turns her back. After taking a few steps, she glances back.
“Wow.”
Raniel lets out a chuckle.
“What did you bring…?”
She had certainly shattered Skebal’s life vessel.
The skull must have been crushed. Yet, Skebal isn’t dead. A new life vessel reassembles the crushed skull, raising Skebal back up.
Spark.
The dark gaze glimmers once more.
“Did I not say?”
Hiss.
The stone debris falls as Skebal’s body rises into the air. Spreading his arms wide, Skebal’s life vessel soars upward beneath his fluttering robe.
“For centuries I have gathered my life.”
The ancient lich whispers quietly.
“I shall use it to kill you.”
Having put aside his pride and the dignity of being a wizard, all that remains for Skebal is the yearning to achieve his goal. If one life isn’t enough, then he will keep trying until it works.
“Behold the truth, Ashen.”
This is my way.
3.
Magic and magic collide.
Having conserved power to face the Braver, Raniel now pours all her strength into eliminating Skebal before her. She seeks to approach Skebal, while he desperately tries to escape her.
Spells entangle with one another.
To hinder Raniel’s advance, Skebal launches spells over and over. Avoiding stray shots, Raniel relentlessly pursues.
Bursts of light strike.
As flames surge, Raniel reaches out her hand.
Skebal uplifts the ground to block her.
Even if Raniel seizes Skebal’s skull and explodes it again, he simply retrieves another life vessel.
“This is really frustrating.”
Having already smashed three skulls, Raniel crushes Skebal’s body underfoot. But however he hides those life vessels, he only gets reborn around them.
Indeed, he has hidden them well.
Raniel clicks her tongue and narrows her eyes.
She recognizes Skebal’s intent.
It seems he plans to drag this into a war of attrition and once Raniel tires, use the crystal orbs and life vessels for a spell to turn the tide.
“So it’s a war of attrition, huh?”
Raniel exhales sharply.
Gathering her mana, she surveys the Ashen Tower. The stagnant sludge spilling out, gathering aberrant mana—she calculates the time remaining.
The answer has come.
Time is not on her side.
There’s no time to play along with Skebal’s plan of attrition. Just as Raniel prepares to squeeze her heart to finish him quickly…
“You seem to be in a hurry, Ashen.”
Skebal laughs from the air.
“You shall fall. Your defeat is not yours alone. It will lead to the defeat of all humanity.”
Laughing maniacally, Skebal continues.
“You do not know the Braver!”
“You do not know the madman who even hates stars! Not knowing, you can’t possibly be prepared!”
The First Braver.
Skebal knows well how much planning he has done for this moment, having witnessed it right next to him.
“The Betrayer, the forces of darkness unleashed upon this place will slaughter humans, destroying everything you wish to protect. But you will be unable to do anything!”
This is a provocation aimed at shaking Raniel’s spirit.
Indeed, the words seem to have some effect, as Raniel’s brows twitch. Skebal raises his voice, provoking her.
“The Braver has grasped every force within the Royal Capital—even the tiniest details. He knows it all and has prepared enough minions to overwhelm you!”
Though there was one variable…
“You, the singular variable, are bound right now by your own hands. You are merely dancing beneath the Braver’s palm. You have already lost!”
Skebal shouts as he spreads his arms wide.
The incantation he had secretly been weaving is unleashed.
A spell utilizing the sludge flowing from the tower. A black wave crashes over Raniel. Beneath the sludge, she bows her head silently.
Looks like the provocation worked.
He has successfully shaken her mind.
Just as Skebal was about to burst into laughter at his own success…
“It’s true that I’ve been careless.”
Even before the engulfing wave reaches her, Raniel speaks with an utterly calm voice. That voice is so serene, Skebal’s gaze constricts.
“Honestly, I have been surprised as well.”
Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine an invasion of this magnitude could occur at the heart of the Royal Capital. Raniel had not accurately measured the First Braver’s strength and acknowledges her lack of preparation.
The black storm, the Black Dragon was defeated.
Ganikalt, the Death’s Blade was repelled in the North.
The Betrayer, Gletus was pinned down by Galahal’s spear, rendering him ineffective.
With disaster after disaster repelled, Raniel berates herself for being too relaxed. However, this does not mean she had made no preparations.
“But have you ever thought about why I would be careless?”
BANG! As Raniel stomps her foot down.
The ground shakes and her body accelerates exponentially. Grasping the swirling ash, Raniel charges headlong towards the crashing wave.
FWOOSH!
Like a flame, Raniel pierces through the wave. Everywhere she passes ignites in flames. The blaze climbs like a serpent, reaching Skebal floating above.
CRUNCH!
In an instant, Raniel closes the distance and grabs Skebal’s head. Her fingers enveloped in flames hiss as they sink into Skebal’s skull. Speaking into the black eye sockets, Raniel says.
“Are you grasping my full power?”
An overwhelming army that can’t be stopped?
She bursts into laughter.
“Sorry, but your information update seems a bit slow.”
Gripping Skebal’s skull, Raniel pushes off the exterior of the tower, leaping high into the air. From this height, the panorama of the Royal Capital is visible as Raniel shouts.
“You won’t stop anything, you idiot.”
Skebal too sees the same sight.
The army that was supposed to plunge the Royal Capital into hell is being rapidly forced back. The starting point of that push is the position of Apuria Academy. From there, the flow is sweeping away the forces of darkness in an instant.
Raniel smirks.
She has her reasons for having been careless.
It’s because she gained confidence that she could stop anything, no matter what. No matter what variables arise… unlike in the past, where she was the only one to defend the Royal Capital.
“The Betrayer, the Death’s Blade. If any one of them had been brought, you could have toppled the Royal Capital.”
A warrior wielding the First Holy Sword exists.
A sorcerer who has made a pact with the primal god exists.
A hero who inherits Galahal’s legacy exists.
A wizard with the Eye of God exists.
There’s a child who has separated from the star to command them.
And… there is also a superhuman lurking unseen, feasting on monsters. Unless they bring catastrophe, there’s no one to oppose them. What Raniel must do is signal to them.
Come here.
“There, at the root of all incidents.”
To give a signal that can be seen from anywhere in the Royal Capital, Raniel becomes a single flame. Slamming Skebal’s head into the outskirts of the tower, she starts running along the exterior.
SHWEEEEP!
With every step, her stocked spells dissolve into flames. The flames scorch the shadows, leaving a trace of fire behind. Each footprint she makes on the tower is a circuit of spells.
A path made of Skebal’s skull.
Delicate circuits engraved with footprints.
The final step lands lightly with a tap.
To crown that endpoint, Raniel slams the burned remains of Skebal’s skull into the ground. That brings a period to this chapter. The circuit is complete.
Snapping her fingers lightly, Raniel ignites the fuse.
The massive spell visible from anywhere in the Royal Capital—the spell that will collapse the shadow-covered tower emits a dazzling light. In an instant, the area around the Ashen Tower is painted white.
BOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!
Immediately after the flash, a thunderous roar crashes over the area.
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