Chapter 89 – The Prelude to Chaos (5)
Talo looked down at the farce unfolding beneath him, baffled.
‘Why are they fighting each other?’
Judging by his attire and words, the newcomer was clearly a member of Argyrion. So why were the angels attacking their own reinforcement?
Several hypotheses popped into Talo’s mind, only to disappear just as quickly. The most plausible one was that the extra-dimensional contamination had progressed to such an extent that their minds had deteriorated to the point where they couldn’t even recognize their own allies.
Although he hadn’t fully deciphered the exact mechanics of the angelfication, he did find that the transformation only occurred after they opened a gate to the extra-dimension. This meant they had to absorb a certain threshold of extra-dimensional mana for the change to happen.
As a result of absorbing such an excessive amount of extra-dimensional mana, even Argyrion, who had retained a semblance of sanity unlike other eroders, had lost that final thread of reason and started attacking their own reinforcements…
Rationally, this hypothesis seemed the most likely.
‘Hmm?’
But Argyrion’s movements were too coordinated for them to be considered mindless. In an instant, they split into two groups—one countered the weapons’ fire web while the other attacked the so-called reinforcement.
They formed a fire web with various types of magic to identify the most effective attribute, then followed up with sniper shots aiming at blind spots.
This level of skillful tactical movement was far too refined to be the reckless attacks of mindless monsters.
It was difficult to believe that individuals capable of such adept use of ‘magic’ had lost their reason.
That left only one other possibility.
“The one who cut off my arm is a third party impersonating Argyrion…?”
What an amusing turn of events.
For what reason would they impersonate Argyrion, an enemy of the magical world, and then attack him while aiding Argyrion?
“As long as I leave his head intact, it should be fine.”
Talo still had more than enough mana to sustain the Spatial Alchemy. He leisurely gathered silver iron and transmuted several aerial cannons.
Targets locked onto each cannon appeared on Talo’s augmented reality UI. He gleefully tapped the hovering fire button in the air.
***
It was truly bewildering. How on earth had my perfect plan been exposed?
‘Argyrion’s formation is more elite than I thought. Who would have imagined they’d still ask for the passphrase in such an extreme situation?’
I couldn’t expect support from the Divine Cult, nor should they come.
If the Ten Towers or Argyrion detected a third party capable of intervening in the battlefield, they would prioritize eliminating them first.
At first, I tried to approach them diplomatically, but as soon as they realized the Divine Cult was those ‘superstition followers,’ they would, if not join forces, at least agree on taking down the Divine Cult together.
With no support from allies and enemies who were now united in hostility against me…
Damn it. I should have waited until Argyrion was in a more desperate situation.
There was no choice. Right now, the priority was to reduce the enemy’s numbers. Destroy Argyrion’s Gate—
*Boom!*
A bombardment fell from the sky toward the spot I was about to rush to.
No, it wasn’t just that spot. It was an indiscriminate bombardment targeting the entire battlefield. Was this madness? Were they overflowing with mana or something?
The explosion’s roar reverberated like the continuous buzz of a chainsaw.
I hurriedly opened my eyes. I saw the impact points where the bombs would land and the range of the explosions.
Scrapping the plan to destroy the Gate. I needed to use Argyrion to survive!
I dashed, weaving between the gaps in the bombardment. Twisting my body to evade the trajectory of incoming shells, the safe zones for survival shifted every moment.
Combat information from above flooded in through my wide-open eyes.
The first bombardment had scattered the group of Argyrions surrounding me.
They responded wisely to the explosions. They flew to a higher altitude than the aerial cannons to escape the range of the blasts.
The angels directed their magic at the aerial cannons transmuted by the mage of the Ten Towers.
The first angel summoned clouds.
The second angel infused the clouds with the element of water, forming dark clouds.
The third angel unleashed electricity.
A seamless chain of magic, as if cast by a single person. Thunderbolts swept through the aerial cannons soaked by the clouds.
There was a brief pause in the bombardment directed at the ground. The angels had created a safe zone to protect the Gate.
Other angels accelerated rapidly to secure the Gate.
It was fortunate that Argyrion’s encirclement had been broken by the powerful magic of the mage from the Ten Towers, but…
‘Can I even make it out of this alive?’
Flying is a truly unfair advantage. The fact that my attacks can’t reach them while theirs can reach me is incredibly frustrating.
I checked the magical engravings on the drive I was carrying.
“Fireball”? I can’t use it to create a foothold with flames. “Iron Wall.” It’s useful, but not when dealing with a mage from the Silver Iron Magic Tower. If I use a metal-based spell and they turn it against me, it’ll be a headache.
The attributes I can use to create some kind of foothold are ice, earth, and wood.
And conditionally, wind.
‘Let’s give it a try.’
I dashed toward Argyrion’s human Gate.
***
The Gate must be protected.
One of their comrades had already resolved to make the sacrifice to open an additional Gate. But right now, they were inside the barrier deployed by the elder of the Ten Towers.
The barrier was disrupting their connection to the Cause. More time was needed to find a passage connecting to the Cause.
If the first Gate were destroyed before the second one could open, their bodies would be transmuted in an instant, depriving them of their freedom.
The angels who dove sharply to recover and protect their comrade felt a breeze. It wasn’t the wind from their own wingbeats.
Something was approaching.
As they turned to look back, flames spread. Amid the flickering flames, the shadow of a magical weapon wavered. Its shape was obscured by the smoke and noise of the battlefield as it drew closer.
But on closer inspection, they could discern that although the smoke was dense, the flames themselves were insignificant. A hastily cast water spell extinguished the fire.
The water droplets that formed at their fingertips veered off course, bending completely in the wrong direction. Before they could comprehend this strange phenomenon, a blade lodged itself into the angel’s neck.
Even with the enhanced cutting power of a high-frequency blade, it shouldn’t have been able to penetrate the angel’s silver body.
However, as soon as the blade swung by Orthes touched the neck, the formulas composing the angel’s body twisted grotesquely.
From the spot where the blade made contact, the skin ruptured and flesh burst outward. It was the effect of the distorted and shattered formula. Orthes quickly applied the flame magic engraving drive over the blessing of angelfication.
Flames erupted from the wound where the blade had struck, as if blood had turned into fire.
The result of the flames mixing with the angel form that angelfication should have reached. As long as the mana from the Cause continued, Argyrion’s angel would burn endlessly.
Orthes stepped on the head of the angel, whose neck was spewing flames, and leapt into the air. While one angel was occupied with Orthes, the other three secured the Gate and took off.
He swapped the magic engraving drive. A cube made of earth appeared beneath Orthes’s feet as he floated in the air.
The cube, with its limited mana charge, fell to the ground in less than a second. Orthes stepped on it and jumped again.
But it wasn’t enough. The angels’ flight speed was faster than Orthes’s dash. The difference between crawling on the ground and soaring through the sky was insurmountable.
He saw the newly transmuted aerial cannons aiming at the ground. The angels of Argyrion sensed that the impersonator would soon be shot down like a beehive.
It was at that moment. Vines sprouted, entwining around the blade swung by Orthes. A basic wood magic, “Growth.”
Normally a spell suitable for growing simple plants, but its utility varied depending on the type of plant.
The genetically modified seeds of a carnivorous plant ordered from the gardens of Meconion. The vines, spreading greedily, grasped the angel’s ankles.
Orthes used the elasticity of the vines to launch himself upward. The angel, entangled by the vines, stumbled.
As the angel’s body began an involuntary descent toward the ground, the aerial cannons initiated a second barrage.
Just as his eyes had shown him, all the barrages aimed at Orthes were blocked by the descending angel’s body.
Leaving the crashed angel behind, Orthes adjusted his grip on the blade in midair.
The high-frequency blade, held in a reverse grip, plunged into the angel’s shoulder. It was the last of the three angels who had come down to secure the Gate.
“Let’s go together.”
Orthes pointed toward Talo, floating in the center of the barrier.
“Just to there.”