Chapter 222 Confusion And Panic
When Lucia noticed that the approaching threats were about to enter the group's field of vision, she quickly alerted Aleshia while simultaneously casting a protective spell. First, she created a barrier of water surrounding everyone, ensuring the enemies couldn't see them through the thick shield and the distorting motes of water in the air. Next, she conjured fire from within the water; it grew larger and simultaneously contracted into powerful, compressed fireballs. Steam began to rise within the barrier, and realizing her mistake, Lucia created vent holes to allow the steam to escape.
While this was happening, everyone within the water barrier was confused and began to panic. Ren stepped in to calm them down, urging everyone to remain steadfast. She instructed them to plant their feet firmly on the ground and raise their weapons in defense until she could sort everything out.
Aleshia, having been forewarned, began casting her magic just a moment after Lucia created her fireballs. The lightning converged with the water wall, which then absorbed it and scattered sparks along the outer barricade. Thanks to Lucia's cleverness and the natural synergies of water, the sparks danced threateningly in protection.
Suddenly, a loud eruption of flame and the sound of sizzling water culminated in an incredible boom. Lucia, using her senses, spotted the enemies that she reduced to ashes and smithereens. When she sensed the souls dissolving into the world, she let the walls drop.
As soon as the water was gone, Ren looked around in shock and fear, doing her best to understand her surroundings. She immediately noticed a devastated canopy of trees, smoldering to ashes, with burn marks on the ground and small embers spreading. Her first thought was, "This isn't good."
Before she could voice her concern, it seemed that the force which had created the wall of water had now covered the entire field with a drizzle. Although the rain extinguished most of the smoldering grass, some areas remained scorched, revealing the scars left by lightning. As she tried to process everything, Ren remembered that Aleshia could cast magic and looked at her for a hint of what had just happened.
When Aleshia saw the view, she was just as taken aback as the rest of the group at what the outside world beyond the water wall had become. Most of the surroundings were charred husks of what they once were, and it appeared that Lucia had created a ring of fireballs, their power enhanced by lightning and water, that expanded and exploded outward. A specific portion of the forest showed more damage than the rest, with the nearby area featuring lightly smoldering grasses. In that direction, it looked like a chasm had formed not in the earth, but between the trees.