Supreme Magus

Chapter 4464: Payback (Part 2)

He held Ragnarök aloft and unleashed his Blade Spell, Ruin, flooding it with Vital Storm and the air element of the Davross blade. Reddish-black waves of light mercilessly struck the Isharas in the back and killed them on the spot.

Some of them managed to open a Warp Steps, but they were killed before they could cross to the other side. Lith poured even more mana into the Blade Spell when that happened.

The resulting explosion would kill or maim anyone in the proximity of the exit point, and the resulting dust cloud made the positions of many of the Isharas’ gathering points visible from a distance.

”Damn, if that’s what a Blade Spell can do, I still have a long way to go.” Faluel said after comparing the destructive power of the two spells.

”We can discuss this later.” Lith replied as the Voidwalker armor covered him again. ”Can you please reopen those Steps? Maybe there’s someone we can take prisoner and get some answers.”

”Sure.” One of Faluel’s heads said while the other six used their newfound knowledge of dimensional magic to reignite the lingering energy of the collapsed Warp Steps. ”Couldn’t you just spare one of these guys?”

”It doesn’t work like that.” Lith shook his head. ”I can split Ruin into many parts, but it’s still one spell. If I made one beam non-lethal, no Ishara would have died, and I couldn’t risk them using Invigoration.

”They would only have needed a few breaths to regain their strength, whereas the mana stored in my equipment and consumed by Ruin would have been lost.”

”I understand.” Faluel replied. ”It’s just that I’m still new to Blade Spells, and I hoped they might be more versatile.”

”They are as versatile as any other spell, but once you decide their purpose, there’s only so much you can change.” Lith shrugged. ”Once you cast a fireball, can you make it so that only one specific quarter of it produces a non-lethal explosion?”

”No.” Faluel shook her head. ”A mana imbalance would make the spell collapse, while an imbalance in the willpower stored in the fireball would make its effects unreliable.”

The Warp Gates opened again, revealing that no Ishara had survived the Tiamat’s wrath.

”Same thing with Blade Spells.” Lith replied. ”Now, time to get our loot.”

Lith and Faluel collected every piece of the Ishara’s equipment left, which wasn’t as much as they hoped. In the heat of battle, even Solus had failed to notice that many armor and weapons had Warped away upon losing their imprint.

Yet not all artifacts had behaved the same way. Only the most powerful equipment, or what was considered part of an Ishara bloodline legacy, had been imbued with such a powerful enchantment.

Everything else, however, was still where its owner had fallen.

”Please, tell me there’s enough to repay my debt with my share.” Tista said while checking the contents of the Isharas’ dimensional rings. ”Even better, tell me there is enough Adamant to repay my debt and put some of it aside.”

”There is enough to repay your debt.” Lith snarled. ”Now I have enough to make a Double Edge for Solus’ Sage Staff and proper Adamant weapons for everyone.”

Lith hated splitting the collected resources with Tista and Faluel, but he was also aware that, in their shoes, being sent away with a handshake after putting their lives on the line for him would have soured their relationship.

’Moreover, Tista is my sister. I want her to have a stash of enchanted metal for herself, or when she decides to have children, she will be strapped for resources. Any person who knows about her situation might exploit it to manipulate her and drag her into their own mess.’

’Finally!’ Solus said. ’I’m proud of you, Scrooge MacStingy. For once you are thinking with your heart instead of your wallet. Yet the best part is that now we have everything we need to craft a full suit of equipment for me!’

’Thanks.’ Lith sighed. ’I can believe I got my hands on so much Adamant just to lose most of it in a heartbeat.’

’It’s not an expense. It’s an investment in my safety.’ Solus replied. ’We’ll need to Forgemaster my armor carefully. It must have enchantments and properties that justify the presence of the mana crystals that are actually a part of my body.’

’I hate to interrupt you, but we are drained.’ Ripha and the other Sigil Demons returned to their respective feathers. ’Also, don’t forget that the Isharas and whoever witnessed the fight saw us use our Blade Spells.’

’I haven’t forgotten.’ Lith replied. ’I’m aware we’ve lost the element of surprise on that, but it was worth it. Without your help, I could never have defeated so many powerful Divine Beasts.’

”Hey, Lith, now that it’s over, can you explain to me what you did earlier?” Faluel unwittingly chimed in, interrupting the telepathic conversation.

”You need to be more specific.” Lith said.

”I’m talking about when your scales turned emerald green, and you beat the crap out of the Isharas even though they were infused with Life Maelstrom.” The Hydra replied.

”Oh, that.” He nodded. ”I have no idea. If I had to guess, however, I’d say it’s the power of my Indech’s Spirit eye. It fuses and harmonizes the elements into Spirit Magic, allowing me to use all my Indech bloodline abilities at once instead of one at a time.”

”What?” Tista and Faluel said in unison, but while the Hydra was shocked, the Hekate was ecstatic.

”Do they simply work together, or do they synergize? I’m asking for a friend.” Tista said.

”They synergize.” Lith replied. ”All the other Indech bloodline abilities get amplified by Vital Storm. Without that boost in power, I would have never managed to switch only a fraction of my body with Umbral Shift or to endure so many blows with Lightforged and Arcane Bulwark.”

”That’s how you survived the explosion of so many Spirit spells!” Faluel’s eyes went wide. ”Bulwark coated you in a mystical barrier, Lightforged increased your mass, and Vital Storm amplified them both.

”In that moment, you surpassed the abilities of a Divine Beast and turned the tables.”

”I’d appreciate it if you kept it to yourself, Faluel.” Lith performed a final sweep of the battlefield with the Eyes and Ears of Menadion, checking that he hadn’t missed anything.

”Don’t worry about that. You know I can keep a secret.” The Hydra replied. ”And speaking of secrets, do you know that this little fellow talks?”

She raised Gungnir with pride, but the glaive remained silent.

”Oh, come on! You were all chatty before, and a piece of work at that. He has gotten your attitude, Lith.” Faluel shook the weapon and circulated her mana inside of it, yet nothing happened.

”He?” Tista asked.

”It didn’t sound feminine, so yes, it’s a boy.” Faluel shrugged. ”What a prick! Trying to embarrass me in front of my friends. Here, let me show you.”

A quick mind link showed everyone how Gungnir had moved on its own and even manipulated the Hydra’s incomplete Blade Spell to kill two Isharas.

”I call that Blade Spell Soaring Dragon!” She said with pride.

”It has multiple heads, though. Like a Hydra.” Lith pointed out.