At the same time, on the other side.
In the northwestern part of the South Vantina domain.
Even as Loren came under attack in the southernmost part of the city-state, just as he had sensed, the Wilfort estate had become another Tier 8 battlefield in South Vantina's main city.
The battle had already raged for several minutes since it erupted.
Beneath the pitch-black night sky, the residential district was engulfed in the fires of war. Though the surrounding residents had already retreated, dense smoke blanketed the sky. Where it parted, the scene below resembled a scorching purgatory.
The air warped above the ground, leaving behind a desolate wasteland of shattered houses reduced to broken walls and rubble.
The battle here was nowhere near as earth-shattering as the one in the south, yet it was equally beyond the realm of what mortals could endure.
Talia was covered in wounds, her fair cheeks long smeared with blood and grime. Beneath the high blood moon, she fought continuously to hold back that silver radiance in the distance—
A twisted humanoid figure seemingly fashioned from liquid metal, radiating an aura that sent shivers down her spine.
She could just barely keep this alchemical beast at bay.
Add another formidable enemy into the mix, and it pushed her to her absolute limits.
Farther out, a fire mage clad in a pitch-black coat danced through the night like blazing fire.
She knew this fellow was called the Son of Destruction—or rather, his sinister reputation was known to everyone in Ikerite.
In a one-on-one duel, the Tier 7 Son of Destruction was no match for her.
Yet under these circumstances, every single attack he launched threatened to leave her gravely wounded amid the onslaught of the Rotting Alchemical Beast.
Before she had time to think, the silver liquid creature seemed to catch a scent and dashed off to the right once more.
There was no way Talia would let it find Hyperion. She threw herself forward with all her might to intercept it.
The clash erupted anew.
A deafening roar sounded like thunder.
Scorching heat and thick smoke filled the air, the battle's aftershocks dyeing the entire sky a suffocating crimson.
Massive surges of energy formed beams of light that shot straight into the heavens, threatening to tear apart the night sky over the northwestern district.
Under the violent clash between Talia and the distant silver liquid creature, the entire Guardian's Path, where the Wilfort estate stood, shuddered continuously. Cracks crisscrossed the earth as if it were being gouged open, and the estates on both sides collapsed one after another, crumbling into dust.
Flames, black fog, and billowing smoke surged upward, reducing this residential quarter—which only that afternoon had been peaceful and lush with greenery—into an apocalyptic ruin.
Less than five kilometers to the east of the residential area, Heartbeat Square was surging with a sea of people.
Even while fleeing, the evacuating residents could feel the suffocating pressure radiating from the heart of the battlefield, and deep terror welled in their chests.
"Why would a monster like that attack us?"
"How could the Resurrection Church strike South Vantina out of nowhere today?!"
"Lady Goddess of Fate, please send a savior to rescue us..."
Surrounded by the noisy clamor of the evacuees escorted east by priests and soldiers,
Hyperion listened to their cries, tears of guilt nearly welling in her eyes.
She knew that all of this was happening because of her.
Right now, Tata was risking her life to hold off that terrifying alchemical beast and the Son of Destruction, facing death at any moment.
"Hyperion, don't be afraid."
Noticing her distress, Noe spoke in a steady voice.
Though the back of his hand trembled uncontrollably, as an elder, he had to remain composed and comfort the young girl at a time like this.
He could tell that Hyperion was in an extremely fragile state.
"At a time like this, I have no idea where that brat Lanqi has run off to!"
Thinking of Lanqi made Noe's anger flare, but mostly he was worried sick. The Resurrection Church had invaded South Vantina, and he didn't even know if the boy was safe.
If Lanqi were here, he would at least know better how to comfort her.
"Lanqi..."
Hearing Noe's words, Hyperion seemed to recall something.
"Mr. Hans, please protect the Wilfort family. I'll be right back."
A glimmer of resolve flashed in her eyes. Clenching her teeth, she spoke to the butler, Hans.
"Hyperion, don't run off!"
Seeing that Hyperion meant to turn back, Noe naturally refused to let her act recklessly.
Lanqi had brought her to the Wilfort residence. If anything happened to her, Noe would never be able to face the girl's parents!
"Leave everything to me, Miss Hyperion. Please rest assured."
Butler Hans bowed to Hyperion.
The old gentleman remained as calm as ever, giving Hyperion a fleeting illusion that he was her own family's butler.
With a reassuring smile, Hans held back the panicked Noe, linking arms to guide him eastward while watching Hyperion depart.
"Thank you, Mr. Hans!"
"Hans, this is madness!"
Noe stomped his foot in fury, but he couldn't overpower Hans.
Hans had never disobeyed his orders before.
"Master Noe, please place your trust in Miss Hyperion. She is far stronger than she appears."
With that, Hans turned and escorted Noe and the rest of the Wilfort household farther east.
...
The battlefield in the northwestern district of South Vantina was still slowly expanding eastward.
The massive form of the Rotting Alchemical Beast hovered in the night sky. Shifting between a humanoid shape and a disc, its sheer presence cast a natural oppression over the scorched earth.
Talia had exhausted her arsenal of curse and mental magic before finally discovering which spells could affect this bizarre alchemical creature.
She was already giving her all to stall two opponents, yet she still could not completely halt the beast's movements.
Just as that thought crossed her mind,
the Rotting Alchemical Beast abruptly ground to a halt.
As if finally pushed past its limits by Talia's relentless interference, it shifted once more. Waves suddenly surged across its surface, rippling outward.
The moment they separated from its body, an ear-splitting roar shattered heaven and earth. The shockwave spread through the sky like a physical force, uprooting trees and blowing them away, powerful enough to scatter the clouds above.
Shattered stones and burning timber lay scattered everywhere, accompanied by the occasional thunderous crash of collapsing structures.
"Ahhh!"
Confronted by the unpredictable monster, Talia clamped her hands over her ears, burying her head in agony and freezing in place for an instant.
Her defensive magic seemed feeble against the alchemical beast's new attack pattern, yet she gritted her teeth and poured all her power into constructing a magical shield.
That piercing screech seemed to shake the very world, laying bare the monster's feral savagery.
As its roar faded, the beast opened its gaping maw and spewed a colorless, corrosive mist that blanketed the ground and the air, engulfing Talia within it.
Instantly, the earth began to rot like a viscous liquid. The moment Talia reacted, she retreated with all her might, yet she was still scalded, leaving behind bloody welts.
Teetering on the precipice of defeat, she gathered mana around herself. The rock strata shattered, and countless massive fissures groaned and spread open, turning into chasms. Black flames then surged from the earth, colliding with the corrosive gas in midair.
This was magic taught to her by her old friend Pranay. Abyss flames were often remarkably effective against unknown substances.
Controlling the black flames, Talia spun them rapidly into a raging tempest of darkness that swept toward the Rotting Alchemical Beast.
Yet the beast gave a defiant bellow, shifting and contorting into a wall that blocked all the black flames. Its sonic attack struck again, piercing straight through Talia's eardrums.
Though she deflected the brunt of it with her mana shield, she still felt crushed beneath the unbearable weight of the sonic blast.
She knew the outcome of this battle would decide Hyperion's fate.
If she failed to hold the line, the residents of the northwestern district and Lanqi's family would be caught in the crossfire.
Normally, when facing such opponents, she would choose to run without hesitation. She had more than enough lifespan to outlast her enemies.
But this time, running was not an option.
Talia's face was pale, but her eyes blazed with resolute determination. Even if it took every ounce of her strength, she had to stop this monster from reaching Hyperion.
"Heh, you're quite tough."
Just then,
from her blind spot, a figure that had long waited for an opening struck like a phantom. Searing flames wrapped around her, threatening to incinerate her to the bone. Even though she broke away instantly and neutralized the flames with mana, the follow-up strike from the Rotting Alchemical Beast smashed her heavily into the ground.
At the same time, numerous burn wounds appeared on Salomon, the Son of Destruction, and he coughed up a mouthful of dark blood as though suffering internal injuries.
"If you ran, I couldn't stop you. But if you want to die, it won't take much effort."
Salomon wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, glaring coldly at Talia.
Even at Tier 8, forced-feedback curse magic was troublesome to deal with. While it did little to the Rotting Alchemical Beast, it was exceedingly dangerous for him.
Still, it was two against one. The woman could barely stall them; in a direct clash, she would collapse in an instant.
"..."
Talia offered no reply. Her condition looked worse, yet her gaze remained cold and unyielding.
As the strongest figure cultivated by the Bishop of Destruction, Salomon was badly wounded, but he remained remarkably cautious.
Every time he struck, he chose the opening that was safest for himself and most fatal for Talia.
In an instant, a flaming talisman with a binding effect flared up beneath Talia's feet again.
Talia dodged with great difficulty. In her battered state, even though she avoided Salomon's crowd control, she failed to notice the ranged attack from the Rotting Alchemical Beast. Once more, like a bird with clipped wings, she was knocked to the ground, tumbling across the dirt.
The shadowy figure gave her no room to catch her breath, unleashing an overwhelming ring of fire that closed in around her.
It was a relentless dilemma.
Between the Rotting Alchemical Beast and Salomon, she could only avoid one.
She knew it was an inescapable deadlock. Given enough time, her defeat was inevitable.
Just as Talia prepared to evade the binding and brace for the alchemical beast's follow-up strike, an invisible barrier suddenly rose to shield her from the flames.
An invisible Hyperion lunged forward, throwing her arms tightly around her.
The teardrop earring on Hyperion's ear shattered the instant the barrier dissolved.
It was the earring she had obtained during her second Shadow World, the Banquet of Sanctuary Villains—Witch's Warm Companionship. Once every twenty-four hours, it could trigger a magic shield capable of withstanding Tier 8 attacks.
"Why did you come back?!"
Talia wanted to yell at Hyperion and push her away, but her voice caught in her throat, choked with emotion.
She knew why Hyperion had returned.
The next second, pale blue frost spread across the ground, gradually coalescing into glacial ice that encased them both.
Talia and Hyperion were frozen solid, unable to move, yet they could feel their wounds slowly mending.
This familiar spell was a variant of the original magic created by her old acquaintance, Almis of Ice and Snow.
Talia's eyes held confusion and deep emotion. Locked within the ice, she could only meet Hyperion's gaze.
Hyperion's eyes seemed to tell her that she didn't want to hide behind Talia anymore; she wanted to do everything she could to protect Talia, too.
This was the spell card given to her by the Ice Snow Witch when they parted in the Kingdom of Asethelan—
[Frozen Ward]
[Category: Spell Card]
[Rarity: Pink Sacred]
[Tier: 5]
[Effect: Encase the user and an adjacent target in ice, granting an immense ice-attribute shield while continuously healing both targets. The shield cannot be broken by attacks below Tier 8 intensity. Lasts up to 30 seconds, during which both targets are frozen and unable to act. Cooldown: 30 minutes.]
[Note: The blessing of Almis of Ice and Snow.]
Although it had gone unused in Herrom, there was bound to be a time for it.
The Son of Destruction frowned slightly. Without wasting his own mana, he ordered the Rotting Alchemical Beast to batter the icy barrier relentlessly.
Yet the frozen armor was remarkably sturdy. Even though the alchemical beast attacked like a frenzying fiend, it failed to shatter the ice encasing them.
After more than twenty seconds, Hyperion and Talia locked eyes. Seizing a gap between the beast's strikes, Hyperion deactivated the ice herself. Talia hurled her forcefully aside, allowing Hyperion to vanish back into invisibility while Talia parried Salomon's incoming strike.
"How many more times can you block?"
Salomon spoke coldly to the empty air.
This duke's daughter was truly hard to kill.
Not only did she have a Tier 8 protector, but her hands were full of lifesaving cards.
Moreover, she possessed some strange innate talent that completely concealed her presence. Even when she got close to the Tier 8 woman earlier, the gray-haired woman hadn't noticed her at all. That was certainly not something mere invisibility magic could accomplish.
Still, it worked in his favor. To save this Tier 8 woman, she had already burned through two of her lifelines.
"You don't actually think you can hold out until the city barrier is restored, do you?"
Salomon turned his gaze back to Talia.
"If I'm not mistaken, the young duchess doesn't have many defensive spells left. She can only afford one more mistake at most."
With that, disregarding any potential damage reflection from Talia, Salomon changed his tactics, using Tier 7 magic to seal the surrounding land into a scorching sea of fire!
Talia panicked and lunged proactively at Salomon.
She had to take down this bastard first, or Hyperion wouldn't survive!
Yet being already at a disadvantage, the moment she took the offensive, Talia fell into a trap.
Beside them, the true heavyweight—the Rotting Alchemical Beast—was still watching her every move.
The next instant,
beneath the dim light of the blood moon, the shattered residential area of South Vantina became an eerie spectacle.
Talia, who had barely held her ground against the two of them, was now struggling in agony among the ruins.
Her right arm was clamped tightly in the jaws of a fragment split off from the ambushing beast, the sickening crunch of bone echoing outward.
Even though she had dodged with everything she had to protect her vitals, she still hadn't avoided the strike.
The power of that curse stained even the surrounding building debris with an ominous silver hue.
Talia desperately channeled her mana, trying to blast the mass of the alchemical beast away. Yet its explosion dealt her even greater harm, making her feel as though countless invisible blades were flaying her flesh, multiplying her agony.
Talia crashed heavily to the ground, powerless to rise.
Horrific wounds covered her body from the beast's assault, and her right arm had practically lost its original shape.
Salomon walked slowly toward Talia, still keeping his distance.
With every step he took, the surrounding ruins seemed to collapse in resonance, deepening the despair.
"Still not coming out, young duchess? She's going to die, you know."
Salomon glanced around, raising a towering cross of fire high above. It felt as though the moment it descended, Talia would suffer irreversible devastation.
In the distance, the invisible Hyperion had tears streaming down her face, yet she knew she had to stall—even for a single second more.
This was the skill she had honed over two full months under the Ice Snow Witch's tutelage in the Kingdom of Asethelan, allowing her to nearly completely mask her presence and existence.
If she revealed herself now, defeat would truly be sealed.
"I never thought the day would come when I'd kill a Tier 8 powerhouse... Though crippling you first and taking you back as a slave sounds even better."
Seeing that Hyperion didn't respond, Salomon looked down at Talia, his voice laced with mockery.
This proud woman who had inflicted so much pain upon him now lay helpless on the ground.
"In your dreams..."
Talia's voice was so faint it was barely audible, yet her defiance remained.
"Don't worry. Once I enslave you, you'll watch with your own eyes as I roast Hyperion into a crisp."
Salomon chuckled, though his eyes remained devoid of warmth, as if this were her punishment for resisting him.
He relished the process of taming and subjugating his enemies through fear. The more this gray-haired woman broke down and submitted later on, the more satisfaction and delight he would draw from it.
"Hyperion, run! Don't worry about me!"
Unable to suppress her anxiety any longer, Talia cried out with the last of her strength.
"Looks like I guessed right. She really is important to you."
Watching Talia still struggle, Salomon found it utterly foolish that she still dreamed of holding out until the barrier was restored.
He raised his hand, expanding the fiery cross until it condensed into a pillar of flame that nearly engulfed the entire hundred-meter area.
With both primary energy stations running, it would indeed take forty-five minutes to repair. But with only one station operational, it would take ninety minutes.
He had already issued orders for the Great Clerics of Destruction to launch suicidal attacks on the eastern energy station at any cost!
The remaining Great Clerics would serve as rear guards to cover his retreat once the mission was accomplished.
Even if Loren had strength to spare, he couldn't simply ignore Great Clerics slaughtering citizens indiscriminately and self-destructing across the city-state just to hunt down the Son of Destruction.
"No!!"
Talia's heart leapt into her throat. Never had she experienced such sheer despair.
She would rather die than see anything happen to Hyperion. That girl was the last flower she had poured her heart into protecting.
"Who are you waiting for? Are you pinning your hopes on that mysterious Cardinal coming to save you?"
Salomon sneered and dropped his hand. Simultaneously, the flames of ruin rained down from the sky.
Time seemed to slow, leaving behind only fire and blinding white light.
As the towering inferno loomed larger in her eyes, Talia felt as though all hope was extinguished.
Silence—boundless silence replaced the anticipated deafening roar. The only sound left was the pounding of her own heart.
If only someone...
If only I could!
Talia had never loathed her own indolence so bitterly.
She couldn't fathom what this world would become if Hyperion died.
If Hyperion were killed, even if she had to pay whatever price to become the most vile, terrifying demon in existence, she would slaughter every last member of the Resurrection Church!
Yet right at that moment,
for reasons unknown, Salomon suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of danger creep up his spine.
It felt as though someone was watching him—or rather, as though a Cardinal was walking toward him!
He whipped around.
The wind rose.
Along with it came the world-shaking roar of a storm dragon.
On the distant horizon, a tiny speck of light appeared, expanding rapidly alongside an intense white glare. Yet before it could emit a deafening thunderclap, it was completely dispersed by primordial gales!
That soul-piercing majesty demonstrated the mighty power that wove all things in the world. The brilliance of the mythical age stirred the clouds, reshaping the darkness of the night. The power piercing through the heavy clouds bore a unique, primordial aura. The wind gently swept across the broken earth, and the drifting ash froze in an instant, reversing its fall and soaring into the sky!
In that moment, the entire sky seemed to brighten.
A figure with brown hair and green eyes walked out from the primordial seal. Radiant light seemed to shine on his account, plating the tips of his hair with flowing gold and shimmering silver.
Still invisible, Hyperion was swept up by the fierce wind, flying into midair, completely bewildered as to what had happened.
Before she could fall in her weightless state, a figure caught her securely in his arms. In his grasp, her form gradually faded into visibility, sketching out lines until Hyperion's startled, shaken face emerged, their eyes meeting.
*How did you know where I was?*
Hyperion shrank timidly in his embrace, her eyes unable to tear themselves away from his face, her bewildered gaze silently asking the question.
"Intuition."
He looked down at her with a smile and answered.
Of course, it might also have been because Hyperion was carrying a [Proof of Resurrection - Destruction].
Then again, perhaps it was the guidance of the Goddess of Fate that had brought him here purely on instinct.
The brown-haired, green-eyed figure lifted his gaze once more, looking toward the distant Son of Destruction, whose legs seemed mired in a swamp.
Salomon retreated, trembling violently as he struggled to comprehend the situation.
Battle shockwaves that made the very earth mourn were clearly still rolling in from the south.
How could Loren have rushed all the way here?
Salomon's pupils contracted. As though suddenly realizing something, he whipped his head toward the southern side of the city-state.
If the one fighting Marquis Somerset in the south wasn't Loren, then who on earth was it?!
Chapter 508