"Look, over there!"
From the outer corridors, small squares, grand plazas, to the main entrance—countless heads turned in unison, their eyes wide with shock at the sight before them.
A massive fireball, blazing like the sun, hung suspended in the air.
"It's Achini La's mages casting a spell..."
Andov's face paled as realization dawned on him.
"Such immense power—it feels like all the surrounding Mana is being drawn toward it!"
"With this level of force... are they planning to bombard us outright?"
Winter and Sam, among others, snapped to attention, their minds racing for a countermeasure.
But Edwin was flying too high. At their apprentice-level capabilities, they had no means to reach him.
Neither powerful bows nor any Wizardry at their disposal could effectively counter this threat at this stage.
While they stood frozen in dread, the Achini La faction—mage apprentices and warriors alike—roared with exhilaration.
"Lord Edwin has unleashed that technique..."
"The enemy Wizard is as good as dead now!"
"We must seize this moment and end the battle quickly!"
No sooner had the thought crossed their minds than the fireball descended.
A deafening explosion followed, shaking the entire quarry. Buildings trembled, sending cascades of sand, stone, and tiles crashing down.
Then came the towering flames and billowing smoke.
From a distance, Andov and the others watched in horror as a mushroom-shaped cloud rose into the sky.
The sheer force of the blast had been earth-shattering, disrupting even the ongoing skirmishes nearby, bringing them to a temporary halt.
Everyone's heads spun, their ears ringing, the aftershocks lingering far longer than they should have.
"Roy..."
"Lord Roy..."
Anxiety gnawed at their hearts, filling them with dread.
Meanwhile, Achini La's forces surged with renewed morale. Spell attacks stored in scrolls, along with arrows and thrown axes, claimed several more lives in quick succession.
Workers, craftsmen, and even young apprentices who hadn't evacuated in time were cut down mercilessly.
Winter—once an ordinary apprentice who had crossed paths with Roy and followed him to this world—was struck through the chest by a stray arrow before he could react.
Damo, too, was caught in the chaos, his legs crushed beneath a falling boulder.
Fortunately, a squad of guards happened upon the scene and, without hesitation, hoisted him up and fled.
The Animated Stone Slabs lining the corridors floated into position, blocking pursuing enemies and saving their lives.
Yet, at the heart of the battlefield, Edwin's brow furrowed slightly.
He had clearly seen it—the moment before the fireball struck, a figure had darted forward, throwing itself in the fireball's path.
That silver-white silhouette had intercepted the attack with its own body.
Though the explosion had seemed catastrophic, the Alchemy Room hadn't taken a direct hit.
The fireball had detonated mid-air, still some distance from the ground, and the figure had absorbed the brunt of its force.
...
"Did it block it?"
Inside the Alchemy Room, Roy's mind swam in disarray. The violent explosion had disrupted the Mana in the surroundings, severely impairing his spiritual senses.
But in that critical instant, he had commanded the figure outside to shield them.
Moments later, as the flames receded, a silhouette emerged from the smoke...
The Silver Battle Armor lay shattered, its metal framework seemingly scorched away.
Hovering in the air was a woman—her clothes tattered, yet her radiance undiminished. Beautiful, flawless, and exuding an intense, otherworldly aura.
The stark contrast between her and the surrounding ruins and molten armor was striking.
"She blocked it!"
Celine caught sight of the scene, her face twisting in disbelief.
Edwin was utterly dumbfounded, unable to suppress his shock. "How is this possible?!"
Planche, watching from a distance, felt a flicker of unease.
Facing an attack of the 4th-circle level, with power exceeding a thousand degrees, she had emerged unscathed—as if it were nothing.
This was far beyond their expectations.
...
"A pity… I still haven't mastered this automaton's offensive capabilities…
If I could activate its attack module, a single long-range beam might have ended this battle instantly!
Not to mention, it doesn't even know how to deploy a defensive shield!
Otherwise, neither the armor nor her clothes would have been reduced to this state…"
Inside the Alchemy Room, Roy observed the situation, lost in thought.
High-tier creatures or combat golems typically came standard with Life Energy fields or Magic shields.
This prevented embarrassing scenarios where their clothes were torn apart mid-battle, leaving them exposed.
Moreover, such defenses could expand the protective area, minimizing collateral damage from explosive shockwaves.
But just now, the Humanoid Angel had relied solely on its physical body as a shield to forcibly neutralize the enemy's attack.
If the enemy caught on, he would quickly find himself at a severe disadvantage.
"Everyone, listen up! Retreat to the shelter bunker immediately and hold your positions!"
With that thought, Roy decisively activated the quarry's internal communication system to relay the order.
He wasn't yet proficient in communication protocols, but basic one-way surveillance or simple command transmission was easily achievable through primitive Wizardry.
He noticed that Olinda, Andov, and the others were scattered in different locations, fighting in disarray, utterly incapable of organizing an effective counterattack.
Meanwhile, Ottoli and Greet had already fallen in battle, while Winter and Damo were injured.
Other apprentices and craftsmen had also suffered casualties.
Realizing the dire state of the battle outside, he had no choice but to abandon the surface structures.
Upon hearing the command, Olinda and the others quickly felt along the walls, pressing hidden switches before retreating deeper inside.
As they moved, stone gates descended one after another, sealing off the passageways.
The outer corridors were completely abandoned.
Roy, accompanied by Edwin and Planche, didn't summon them over. Instead, he headed toward the alternate stronghold—a fortified space with walls reinforced by Enchanted Stone.
Not only were the walls over a meter thick, but they were also reinforced with Wizard Arrays and Flesh Fossils used as concrete fill.
At the same time, hidden mechanisms activated, pouring out mercury and filling the air with black mist.
Achini La's warriors, pursuing the retreating group, charged in without hesitation.
At first, they paid little mind.
They had encountered plenty of traps and poison gas in tunnels before and had countermeasures ready.
But soon, their companions began screaming in agony, one after another.
The squad leader immediately realized something was wrong.
"It's the Black Mist Spell!"
"Damn it, he's prepared a large amount of Blackening Potion here, along with mercury vapor...
Good heavens, is he insane?! The entire perimeter has been flooded with it!"
The entire quarry had turned into a hellish killing ground.
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