Earth's Greatest Magus

Chapter 2817: Genius

Thirteen minutes.

That was all the time Emery had before Astiel reinforcements arrived.

How they had known he was coming was a question that clawed at the back of his mind, but it was not one he could afford to answer now.

Without hesitation, Emery poured more will into the Elysian Roots, the luminous strands of law tightening as he attempted to eliminate the two female Grand Magus. Their resistance was already faltering; cracks spread across their defenses, their auras trembling as the Dao of Heaven and Earth pressed down upon them.

Then the temperature plummeted.

Diamond-bright frost erupted across the battlefield, glittering like shattered stars as an overwhelming cold flooded the air. The roots stiffened mid-motion, their radiant strands crystallizing as ice crawled over them with terrifying speed.

Caelthar had moved.

A brilliant blue sword appeared in his grasp—Blue Quartz, his famed tier-seven treasure. The blade hummed with compressed frost law, its edge so cold that space itself seemed to fracture around it.

In a single breath, Caelthar struck twice.

Each slash was clean, precise, and devastating. The frozen Elysian Roots shattered under the impact, exploding into fragments of light and ice as the pressure binding the two women collapsed. They fell hard onto the deck, coughing blood as their bodies slammed against the shattered hull.

”Protect the Duchess,” Caelthar commanded coldly, already stepping forward. ”I will handle him.”

He raised his gaze, eyes locking onto Emery with absolute focus.

Emery had already drawn Excalibur.

The divine blade sang as cosmic energy surged through it, the Dao of Heaven and Earth reinforcing every inch of its form. Without pause, Emery unleashed [Dao Edge], a strike that fused celestial authority with raw killing intent.

The air split.

Space warped.

Even Ishtar recoiled, her face draining of color as she felt the pressure wash over her. That single strike could have erased her existence without leaving ashes behind.

”He’s insane...” she whispered.

Caelthar’s expression hardened instantly. With practiced speed, he activated his innate two-cosmos ability.

[Battlefield Domain: Glacial Bastion]

A dome of compressed frost-law formed around him, layers of crystalline ice folding inward as he channeled his power into Blue Quartz. He met Excalibur head-on.

BAAAAAAMMMM—

The collision detonated like a collapsing star.

The vessel screamed as its structure buckled. The deck shattered, the hull split apart, and several Magus guards were hurled screaming into the sea below as the ship tore itself apart under the force.

Caelthar blocked the strike—but only barely.

Before he could stabilize, Emery vanished.

Thunder cracked as the Icarus Wings flared behind him, their arcs bending space itself. Emery reappeared mid-air, trajectory shifting sharply as he bypassed Caelthar’s guard.

His target was Ishtar.

The Duchess froze, terror finally piercing through her arrogance.

At the last possible moment, Caelthar’s domain interfered—its pressure slowing Emery for a fraction of a second. That fraction was enough.

Caelthar stepped in and intercepted the strike.

Excalibur clashed directly with Blue Quartz.

Two cosmos against two cosmos.

BAAAMMMM!!

The impact crushed Caelthar’s feet deep into the deck remnants, shattering what little remained of the ship. The wreckage disintegrated, raining debris and unconscious bodies into the sea below. Only Ishtar, her guards, Caelthar, and Emery remained suspended in the sky.

The recoil sent Emery flying backward, thunder rippling through the clouds as he stabilized himself in mid-air.

The battle reminded him sharply of Draven the Raider.

Both Draven and Caelthar were two-cosmos Grand Magus who cultivated sword and ice—but the difference between a rogue outlaw and a faction-bred genius was absolute.

And Emery knew something else.

Caelthar was not truly a sword cultivator.

That realization became reality as Caelthar finally revealed his hand.

Sixteen swords rose into the air where the shattered vessel had once hovered.

Each was a high-grade tier-six spirit blade, their edges gleaming with compressed frost-law as they rotated in perfect synchronization. At the center of the formation floated Blue Quartz, its brilliance far outshining the others, acting as the core and controlling eye of the array.

This was Caelthar’s true path.

Despite wielding a sword, he was known first and foremost as a spirit master, not a conventional sword cultivator. His mastery lay not in a single blade, but in orchestration—commanding multiple spirit weapons as extensions of his will. He had been personally trained under the Nephilim Sword Duke and stood as a senior to Zephyr of the Aztebaz, the sword genius Emery had once encountered during the Celestial Expeditions.

Compared to Emery, Caelthar was over two centuries older, his experience forged through real wars rather than isolated trials. Records within the Nephilim archives spoke of him defeating opponents above his realm—feats that placed him among the most dangerous elites of his generation.

He was the Astiel family’s brightest blade.

Ranked fifth strongest among their fifty Grand Magus.

Ishtar’s rage finally boiled over.

”He destroyed my ship!” she screamed, her voice shrill with fury. ”Caelthar—do your damn job!”

Caelthar did not even glance at her.

His expression remained cold, detached, as he lifted one hand. The sixteen swords responded instantly, their rotation accelerating as frost began to bleed into the surrounding air.

[Frozen Heavens Sword Formation — First Form: Glacial Maelstrom]

The blades spiraled outward in widening arcs, then reversed direction, plunging inward as a howling blizzard erupted around them. Snow and razor-sharp ice shards filled the sky, each sword moving unpredictably, attacking from multiple vectors at once while the storm itself distorted perception and movement.

Emery’s divine sense expanded to its limit.

Every incoming blade was mapped in his mind before it struck.

Excalibur flashed again and again, parrying each sword with flawless precision. Sparks of frost and golden light exploded with every collision, his movements clean, efficient, and terrifyingly calm.

But the formation was never meant to kill with blade alone.

The true danger crept in silently.

Freezing energy seeped through space itself, slipping past defenses and into Emery’s body. Frost invaded his meridians, slowing the circulation of his cosmic power, numbing his muscles, and dulling reaction speed by fractions of a second—fractions that could decide life or death at this level.

Emery felt it clearly.

To break free completely, he could have summoned Killgragah or Daurgototh.

But Killgragah remained bound to his Light Avatar, while Daurgototh was still stabilizing the Dark Avatar’s recovery. Forcing either connection now would be inconvenient.

Annoying.

Emery exhaled slowly, eyes narrowing.

Then he stopped restraining himself.

[Twilight Transformation]

Silver fur surged across his arms and shoulders as his bloodline awakened. Glowing verdant tattoos ignited along his neck and forehead, pulsing with ancient authority. His physical strength surged, magical resistance spiked, and the freezing intrusion was violently expelled from his body.

Ice shattered in violent bursts.

Emery broke through the encirclement. Excalibur shone like a fallen star as it swept outward, its edge reinforced by the Dao of Heaven and Earth.

But Caelthar did not panic.

On the contrary—his lips curled upward, and a sharp, exhilarated laugh escaped him.

”Ha... now that is more like it.”

Like most true geniuses, he thrived under pressure. The greater the challenge, the more alive he became.

The frozen battlefield roared as both powers surged once more, cosmic laws grinding against one another in open defiance.

It was a duel between monsters.

Time continued to tick downward.

Reinforcements were coming.