The advanced Earthquake spell combined three basic spells: Small Tremor, Earth Explosion, and Seismic Resonance.[1]
Earthquake had a casting range of nearly 70 meters and would strike the ground within 50 meters of the spell's target. It wasn't necessary to use your hands to touch the ground when casting it…
…But Rafael used this method because he knew the Order's tunnel ceiling was reinforced with magic and wouldn't collapse so easily. He also wanted to ensure he could reach a depth of 100 meters so the Earthquake's epicenter would be where his enemies had been…
But the moment he began the advanced spell, Rafael felt an icy metallic palm placed on his back, and his spell was interrupted after hearing a familiar voice whisper words in Asshai'i:
"Innate Spell: Body Impact"
"Ugh"
"Cough"
"Splat"
Not only was the advanced spell canceled, bringing tremendous consequences to the caster's soul, but Rafael also felt all his blood rush in the opposite direction.
A coughing fit hit Rafael, causing him to cough up globs of blood, and tears of blood streamed from his eyes… His wound, which had just been staunched by regeneration, now gushed even more blood than before, even increasing in size…
As Rafael staggered to his feet and remained conscious, he saw who had struck him. It was Master Blood Armor. But this Master, whom he had met in person at the Sage Store, now had a very different appearance from the one he had seen in Natasha's Female Angel visions.
The most different thing was his living armor, which seemed even more dangerous and lethal than before. The armor itself emitted a murderous aura that, when combined with Blood Armor's aura, intimidated even someone as strong-willed as himself.
Rafael didn't understand why Master Blood Armor didn't continue his attacks. After the powerful innate spell, he simply continued observing Rafael, keeping his distance.
Breathing calmly and deeply, Rafael let his innate regeneration heal the damage caused by the blood flow reversal, while observing his surroundings.
It was then that he saw why Blood Armor was so calm… Three individuals were floating in the sky. The one who stood out most was maskless, a gray-haired elderly man with a pale face. He wore a rather extravagant magical robe and a striking black cape. Beside him, two other figures floated with their hands behind their backs. They wore masks unique in Asshai, and anyone with a little knowledge would recognize them.
It was Master Baron Bones and his two most loyal servants, the new Master of Greed and the familiar Master Golden, whom Rafael had publicly humiliated.
On the ground, almost 100 meters away from Rafael, a "woman" protected a huge magical altar that pulsed with lightning energy and covered the entire battlefield with a crackling shield. Rafael recognized her magical cloak and long blue hair as the peculiar Master Zima.
At that moment, a shadow that resembled a clump of ink emerged from the ground, bringing all the enemies in the tunnel to the surface. They all surrounded Rafael again, but this time their appearance was revealed.
The one Rafael thought was Baron Bones revealed himself to be a powerful Senior Lich with red eyes and a magical staff made of bones.
The figure controlling the "Liquid Shadow" revealed itself as a man known as Master Atrium, a Shadowmancer of the Shadow Society. As soon as he revealed himself, he flew into the sky, trailing behind Baron Bones and two others.
Two other figures revealed themselves as none other than the two missing apprentices who were still alive. Although one of them was a Red Leader, it seemed that none of his ravens were alive, so they wouldn't pose a problem during the fight...
The other three figures revealed themselves as all Undead servants of Master Baron Bones. There was a deformed translucent human soul, an Undead Knight riding an undead horse, and a Giant from the north of Westeros wearing bone armor and wielding a two-handed hammer proportionate to his size...
"Eleven enemies... Maybe even more if we include their pets... This time I'm in an unwinnable fight. But perhaps I have a chance if I can buy time until my allies arrive..."
After some thought and seeing his enemies forming up to surround him again, Rafael had a quick chat with the system…
"System, have you managed to analyze this barrier?"
[According to the stored data and cross-referencing with the inscriptions obtained visually, the barrier's origin appears to be the altar of the "Experimental Relic" protected by Master Zima. Its origin has a 92.3% chance of belonging to the Horadrim Alliance.]
"Any weaknesses? Can I try to escape it using Space Control?"
[Strong on the inside, but weak on the outside… Lightning Affinity, when energized by the barrier at high temperatures, becomes pure plasma, making it impossible to create a space tunnel for short- or long-range teleportation… 97.8% chance your body will collide with the barrier and you will die on impact…]
"Any additional debuffs?"
[Low amount of magical particles of the fire affinity within the barrier's environment. Communication through spirits and other magical messengers is blocked. Resurrection methods used within the barrier by the Masters will also not work.
This entire silent exchange between Rafael and the system happened in a matter of seconds, thanks to the new, improved AI…
After confirming that Space Control couldn't get him out of this predicament, Rafael calmed down. Red Fang emerged from his inventory and appeared in his right hand. He took a deep breath before letting out a loud, intimidating shout:
"IS THIS ALL YOU HAVE?"
"COME ON!"
****
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[1] Small Tremor: A basic spell that causes a slight tremor in an area near the target, causing them to lose balance and sometimes fall. Earth Explosion: A basic spell capable of causing rocks and earth to explode on the ground below the target. It has a faster casting speed than Stone Throw and Stone Spear, but its power is greatly weakened. Seismic Resonance: A basic short-range spell used to destroy walls, fortresses, and large rocks.