Suddenly, as mana concentrated in one place, the balance of the world seemed to collapse, and space itself distorted.
Soon, incantations spilled from the mouths of the mages.
BOOOOOOM!
The sky split open, and an earth-shattering thunderclap reverberated. In an instant, the world was divided into light and darkness.
SWOOSH!
Magic of every hue erupted from where the mages stood. It rained down on the monsters like a meteor shower.
RUMBLE!
Mana that had seeped into the ground exploded, creating massive pillars of fire. Monsters caught in the inferno were instantly reduced to ashes.
Lightning rained endlessly from the sky. The ground cracked open, spewing molten lava, while massive chunks of ice plummeted from above.
Winds became blades, slicing through the monsters, and the earth itself opened its maw to swallow them whole.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
It felt like the apocalypse was unfolding right there. All the elements of nature seemed united, unleashing their fury upon the monsters.
KAAARRRRGGGHH!
Trapped within towering walls, the monsters were powerless against this overwhelming attack. Their roars and screams were drowned out by the deafening cacophony of magic.
The battlefield was instantly engulfed in chaos—light and darkness, fire and ice, lightning and wind, all merging into a tempest of destruction.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
KAAARRRRGGGHH!
Over a thousand mages unleashed their full power in one decisive moment. The monsters were unable to withstand the onslaught.
Their cries of agony echoed across the battlefield as they were torn apart and obliterated.
"W-Wow..."
Even the fortress soldiers, who had been fighting valiantly, were left in awe, stunned by the sheer spectacle before them.
The contributions of the superhumans who had come to support them were impressive. Yet, seeing the mages release their power like this, it was a sight comparable to divine intervention.
Until now, the soldiers had seen mages as idle figures. They were rarely able to unleash their full potential, often canceling each other's spells in battles or merely creating sparks that resembled fireworks. Successful large-scale spells were a rarity.
But now, behold. An army of mages, unimpeded and unleashing their full might, was an awe-inspiring force.
Ghislain dodged the attack of a Cyclops with a grin on his face.
"Well, they've done well so far. I was worried they might cause trouble."
Out of that group, over 800 mages had been forcibly conscripted. Although more than 300 mages from Lutania had volunteered, even they must not have been thrilled about this mission.
All of them were here because of Ghislain's orders, not out of goodwill or any personal initiative.
These were people who could change their minds at any moment if someone incited them to do so.
In fact, when Ghislain and the stronger individuals moved out first, the mages began to exchange glances.
'Can't we just escape?'
'But if we flee, we'll just get caught again and killed, right?'
'Wait, if we all attack Duke Fenris together...?'
Even if Duke Fenris was touted as the strongest on the continent, an attack by this many mages simultaneously would surely kill him.
But who would step forward to lead such a massive rebellion? No one wanted to be the mouse putting the bell on the tiger's neck.
The mages hesitated endlessly.
'Isn't the Lutania army still stationed at other fortresses?'
'If we kill Duke Fenris, both the allied forces and the Lutania army will hunt us down.'
'If we just run away, won't he eventually die on his own? If we all flee together, it should be fine, right?'
Mages, prone to overthinking, couldn't muster the courage to act decisively. They were also deeply individualistic, unwilling to incite rebellion or bear the responsibility for its consequences.
Currently, the mage leading the group was Hubert of the Lutania Kingdom, who had the closest relationship with Ghislain.
In truth, Hubert had also considered confronting Ghislain. But he quickly shook his head and dismissed the idea.
'If I mess with him and fail, we're all dead.'
Hubert, who had suffered more at Ghislain's hands than anyone, knew exactly what kind of man he was. If mana even shifted suspiciously, Ghislain would be upon them in an instant. Could they withstand his speed?
'I can't do it. I just can't.'
Moreover, Lutania's current king, Zwalter, was managing the kingdom admirably. Lutania had quickly regained stability.
Rebelling against Ghislain now would not only jeopardize Lutania's newfound unity but also ensure that the kingdom would never leave them in peace.
And if they fled, leaving the fortress to fall to the monster horde?
'That guy would somehow survive and come after us for revenge.'
Dragon or not, Ghislain would hunt them down and kill them all with his temperament.
Whether they attacked Duke Fenris, ran away, succeeded, or failed, their lives would become infinitely more difficult.
So Hubert, along with the mages of Lutania, abandoned the idea almost immediately.
But there are always those with grand ambitions.
As they rode alongside Hubert, Alpoi whispered slyly.
"Teacher."
"What is it?"
"You are currently leading the continent's strongest mage corps."
"...So?"
"It means we can eliminate any obstacle we desire if we so choose."
Alpoi made a slicing motion across his throat. It was obvious who he was suggesting to target.
"..."
"If you don't like that idea, why not escape together? To be honest, attacking feels a bit uneasy for me too. I've grown somewhat attached and feel a bit guilty."
"..."
"With the monsters keeping them busy, they probably wouldn't catch us."
"...And after that?"
"After that, what else? We find some corner of the continent to hide in and live happily."
Alpoi replied nonchalantly, as if surprised Hubert hadn't thought of it himself.
Hubert's face flushed red with anger. Will this idiot ever grow up?
"Do you think I'm leading these mages because I'm so skilled?"
"No, obviously not. I'm the better one."
"This authority came from Duke Fenris. Do you really think these people would listen to me if I told them what to do? Even if they did, do you think we'd escape unscathed? Have you forgotten his personality? You've spent more time with him than I have!"
"I'm an undying flame of ambition and a mage who defeated a goddess."
"Get your head straight! If we fail, we all die! No, if we're lucky, we'll die. That man would enslave us and torment us for the rest of our lives!"
Hubert's outburst left Alpoi pouting.
"Ah, I just said it on a whim. Geez, you're so spineless. Like I don't already know that. If we get caught, we'll just all be slaves together anyway."
Alpoi didn't care much since he had already been a slave for over 300 years. But Hubert's scolding was starting to annoy him. Actually, it annoyed him even more that others weren't slaves like him.
Hubert's anger exploded at Alpoi's insolent attitude.
"Why are you still like this?! Can't you just behave for once? You pathetic brat!"
"What did you just say? Pathetic? I only got dragged here because of you and ended up as a slave. How am I supposed to just behave?! Why are you always blaming me? Don't you understand my frustration?!"
"W-What? You ungrateful brat! Is that any way to talk to your teacher?!"
"You know I'm right! You dumped me off with Fenris and didn't even care about me afterward! What kind of teacher abandons their disciple? All you do is hoard jewels; you don't care about your disciple at all!"
"Y-You little! How dare you talk to your teacher like this?!"
"You did abandon me! What did I do wrong?!"
Alpoi had a lot of pent-up anger. He firmly believed he was originally born into a prestigious noble family but had been abandoned due to political strife. Of course, this was entirely a figment of his imagination, but Alpoi was convinced it was true.
How could someone from a noble family end up living like this? It was only natural he'd be upset.
"I must have been at least the child of a marquis! But no, I got unlucky and was dragged to the Magic Tower because of you. I became a mage and ended up as a slave!"
"Stop spouting nonsense! Why would a marquis' child be an orphan?! You were either a commoner or a beggar! You should be grateful I picked you up and made you a mage!"
Hubert had once heard from the former Commander-in-Chief of the royal army, Maurice, about losing a child. But there was no way someone like Alpoi could have been that child.
There were countless orphans in the world. Hubert had simply taken in a few orphans who showed talent while traveling and brought them to the Magic Tower.
Alpoi was one of those orphans, but now Hubert regretted picking him up. Every time he saw Alpoi, he got a headache.
"How did I end up taking in someone like you as my disciple? You're nothing but a burden!"
Hubert's words only made Alpoi angrier.
"If that's how you feel, you shouldn't have taken me in at all! What's the point of being a mage?! I'm just a slave now!"
"Is that my fault?! It's your fault!"
As their argument grew more heated, the elders of the Scarlet Flame Magic Tower intervened, too embarrassed to let the other mages witness the spectacle.
Panting with anger, Hubert finally spat out something he'd been holding back.
"You're stripped of your title as an heir! Stay with Fenris forever!"
"What?! You're stripping me of my status as the heir to the Magic Tower?! Why?!"
"You're a slave anyway; you can't even leave there! You said it yourself—you've been a slave for over 300 years! How can a slave be the Tower Master?!"
"Who gave you the right to strip me of it?! That's my tower!"
"Why would it be yours? It's mine! I'm the Tower Master; I can do whatever I want!"
Stripping someone of their heirship wasn't something that could be done on a whim. Normally, it required a meeting with the elders and careful deliberation.
But Hubert didn't care. He was fed up with Alpoi and didn't want to see him anymore.
Hubert, known as one of the pettiest figures in the north, decided to provoke Alpoi further.
"I have plenty of other disciples, you know? I don't even need you. That's why I left you with Fenris in the first place."
However, Alpoi wasn't one to back down easily. His knack for infuriating people rivaled that of Claude back in the estate.
"Oh, so being a teacher makes you infallible? I didn't even learn much from you! Vanessa taught me way more! She's just a maid, but she's better at magic than you! You're still only at the 6th Circle!"
"You've completely lost it, haven't you?!"
Both of them began gathering mana, almost forgetting their mission and ready to fight on the spot.
It was a complete disaster. The elders desperately tried to intervene, even warning that if they delayed any longer, Duke Fenris would be furious. Only then did the fight come to an uneasy halt.
Even Hubert, who had been somewhat capable of acting as a leader, gave up, leaving the mages fractured and disorganized.
Whether they wanted to attack Duke Fenris or flee, there was no one to properly lead them. They kept glancing at one another, fantasizing about escaping, until they finally reached the battlefield.
At this point, overthinking was pointless. The overwhelming horde of monsters left them too terrified to do anything but act.
Hubert, standing at the forefront, roared, needing a target for his anger.
"Just wipe them out! Don't hold back on mana!"
Vanessa created a wall to guide the mages on where to focus their attacks.
BOOOOOOM!
The mages unleashed their full power without reservation. They had realized that if they didn't push back the monsters, their own lives would be in danger.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
There were over 300 5th Circle mages and more than 50 6th Circle mages, not to mention hundreds of lower-circle mages.
When they all released their mana at once, even the terrain changed. The monsters were annihilated in an instant.
The overwhelming surge of mana even disintegrated Vanessa's walls.
Yulian and Belinda retreated to the fortress walls, while Jerome hastily erected another mana barrier in alarm.
Vanessa also repositioned herself to protect the Fenris knights.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The mages continued to pour out magic relentlessly. The sheer turbulence of mana was suffocating not just for the monsters but even for their allies.
The mages finally stopped casting only when they were utterly exhausted.
WHOOOSH...
The scene within the collapsed walls was horrific. Monsters reduced to ash by flames were scattered by the wind. Others, crushed and buried, were mixed with earth, their bones and flesh strewn about.
Not a single corpse was left intact.
"Haah... haah..."
The mages, having expended all their mana at once, collapsed weakly to the ground, panting for breath.
The battlefield fell silent. The residue of the immense magic cast moments ago lingered, filling the stillness with an overwhelming presence.
It took some time for the fortress soldiers to snap out of their daze and erupt into cheers.
"Wooooooah!"
"The monsters are gone!"
"We've won!"
Though monsters still lingered near the fortress and where Ghislain was fighting, especially in the rear, the outcome was clear. No more monsters were advancing.
Yulian and Belinda descended toward the fortress gates again. Jerome gathered the last remaining of his mana, while the soldiers on the walls pushed back the few remaining monsters.
Ghislain's voice rang out across the battlefield.
"Wipe out the rest of them too!"
RUMBLE!
At the same time, the greatsword in his hand began to tremble.
[T/L: I need your support, dear readers. I will give discount to all those who will buy the rest of the chapters all together, so please support me the reader on my webnovel platform and read ahead chapters on my ko-fi page "RevengerScans" : https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]