Slime Evolution

Chapter 417 - Explosion

The exact instant Eldrin pushed his mana forward to complete the final fusion of the gems, Lohan subtly activated the air suction.

The atmospheric pressure just millimeters from Eldrin’s right hand collapsed instantly and completely silently. The pinpoint vacuum pulled the mage’s wrist sideways by a fraction of a millimeter, breaking the perfect symmetry the magical channeling demanded so precisely.

The effect of that deviation was devastating for the spell’s structure.

The lines of mana suffered a brutal geometric distortion, and instead of fusing with the seal, the lines collided against the gems.

A crack echoed through the gorge. Before Eldrin’s horrified eyes, the three rare runes that had cost the guild’s treasury three hundred gold coins cracked simultaneously, disintegrating into dust on the stone ground.

”No! My runes!” Eldrin screamed, dropping to his knees as his crystal staff shattered at the tip from the violent surge of pure mana.

With the gems destroyed, the seal broke apart completely.

A colossal column of purple smoke shot up from the crack in the ground like an uncontrolled geyser, rising into the sky and threatening to spread the pollution across Mythlorien’s northern vegetation in a terrible way.

Garius and Sariel staggered back in total panic, their armor creaking under the impact of the destructive static. ”Eldrin you fucking incompetent! What did you do?! We’re going to be killed by this Mana!”

”Now, Lisa! And Dylan, send the signal!” Lohan commanded mentally, moving with a frightening agility.

Lisa shot out of the shadows of the night like an imposing white lightning bolt. With Lohan firmly anchored on her back, acting as living armor of black obsidian, they leapt straight over the geyser of acidic smoke.

Lohan focused his sacred light core at maximum output, expanding his biomass with control over the Weaver Mother to weave a magical net glowing in blue and gold. At the same time, Lisa channeled her spirit flames, wrapping the biological web in a barrier of pure spirit heat.

Lohan and Lisa’s mystical net closed around the column of purple smoke, trapping the corrosive energy inside a glowing containment bubble above the ground.

The pollution was contained, without a single drop of acid or chaotic mana touching the nearby trees, causing minimal damage to the surrounding environment.

While Astralis Requiem carried out that heroic, flawless containment under the light of the moons, Dylan took off running at full speed toward Thalendor, shouting and gesturing to draw as much attention as possible.

Even though leaving earlier could have helped Lohan and Lisa even more, if they got the timing wrong, or if Yrneha noticed a mismatch between the time of the alert and the time the ”accident” happened, their entire plan would go down the drain.

Because of that, the amount of time Lohan and Lisa had to hold out ended up being much longer than they could comfortably handle.

With every second that passed, the gas drained an enormous amount of Mana, Spirit Energy, and Biomass from the two of them, just to keep them alive.

Obviously if it reached a critical risk, Lohan and Lisa would simply let go of the gas and wait at a safe distance for Thalendor’s mages to arrive.

Luckily for them, they were already close enough to Thalendor for Dylan to get there in just a few seconds, and the process of the rift’s seal breaking caused such massive confusion it probably alerted every elf near the site in that same instant.

Even without Dylan’s warning the elves would have arrived there soon enough, but with him running to convey the severity of the situation, the necessary time was even shorter.

Even that ”shorter” time still drained a tremendous amount of Lohan’s biomass, practically wiping out the biomass his clones had gained over the past few days, but after just 100 seconds the air at the center of the gorge cracked with a cold, purple pressure that Lohan knew very well.

A spatial rift tore through reality beside the gorge.

From it, the imposing Archmage Yrneha Ylasys materialized, her staff pulsing with a violent light, accompanied by other mages and apprentices gripping wands and staffs.

The scene that unfolded before Yrneha’s eyes was indescribable in terms of political and moral contrast.

On the stone ground, covered in ash and runic dust, the Broken Suns officers knelt, crying and pathetically, disorganizedly trying to hide their illegal sealing tools.

And right above them, floating like forest deities, the massive figure of Lisa’s white fox and Lohan’s glowing blue Slime held firm with indescribable bravery, containing the terrible bubble of corrupted mana, neutralizing the rift’s acidity with an aura of sacred light and natural energy that gave off an almost celestial purity.

”What is the meaning of this disgrace?!” Yrneha roared, her voice making the very gorge tremble with magical fury as she pointed her staff at Eldrin. ”You dared to defraud Thalendor’s sacred seal and put the integrity of my forest at risk out of pure outworlder greed?!”

”Lady Yrneha!” Eldrin tried to stammer, his face pale with absolute dread. ”It... it was a maintenance accident! We were attacked...”

”Silence, traitor!” the captain of the elite mages bellowed, advancing with his staff and binding Eldrin’s arms in Thalendor’s mana containment cuffs. ”We’ll have plenty of questions for you all, but definitely not now, so keep quiet!”

The mages advanced quickly and relentlessly, disarming Garius, Sariel, and Orion to make sure no foolish move was made, while the three didn’t dare offer any kind of physical resistance in the face of the elven capital’s elite army. The enemy officers were dragged off through the gorge under the scornful stares of the guards.

Yrneha raised her staff and pointed it at the deep crack in the ground. With a single, elegant spinning motion of magic, she used her spatial compression to crush the physical opening of Thalendor’s rift, sealing off the flow of mana permanently and without leaving a single trace of pollution in the air.

Lohan and Lisa’s containment bubble was finally able to dissipate into the air gently and safely, turning into golden sparks that fell like dew over the grass.

Yrneha walked slowly toward the fox and the Slime, her eyes gleaming with a mix of respect and a sincere admiration for the heroic attitude they’d shown that quiet night.

”Once again, Astralis Requiem proves itself an organization worthy of Thalendor’s respect,” Yrneha declared, her voice sounding soft and solemn in the silent forest. ”You didn’t just uncover this group’s greedy betrayal, you acted with flawless discipline and ecological care to protect our home. The Royal Family and the Council will be informed of your extraordinary feat.”

Dylan and Alice approached with calm steps, giving the elven greeting to the Archmage.

”We’re merely fulfilling our duty as citizens and official members of Thalendor, Lady Ylasys,” Dylan replied with his flawless elegance. ”Our guild prioritizes order and ecological preservation above any petty financial gain.”

”Excellent, that’s exactly the attitude the Council expects from partner guilds.” Yrneha announced with satisfaction.

She had always been capable of handling this rift herself, but before this she’d had no need to deal with it directly, which was why she’d intended to hand this task to Astralis.

If the Broken Suns had done a good job, she wouldn’t have had any complaints, but for creating a mess like this, that group would have a long round of questions to answer for.