On the ground, Velka lay motionless, her body completely battered and covered in numerous open wounds. She had witnessed much of the battles up close, and at that moment, there was nothing she could do but watch in utter terror, her eyes wide with fear, as the portal transformed into a gigantic Nartheis. Several dark-looking meteors began appearing around the creature, heading directly toward the city.
'I can't move my body... Someone, please help me... I... I...'
Tears began streaming endlessly from her eyes. She was completely desperate, unable to do anything to escape that situation. It was then that she spotted a Nartheis moving across the battlefield, spreading its magic throughout the entire city. The next instant, Velka was enveloped in darkness, and when she realized what had happened, she and several other civilians were already far away from Vesparello.
'A Nartheis saved me?'
Even from a distance, she could still see a dark aura pursuing someone with great determination, heading directly toward the gigantic Nartheis. However, the pain in her body was unbearable. Unable to remain conscious any longer, Velka eventually passed out, unaware that Elowyn and Narisse's shadows were watching her with dark expressions and hostile gazes.
"Narisse, prepare the prison for traitors. I'll make her regret what she did."
"Yes, Princess."
Since neither of them knew that Velka had been controlled, they continued to believe she was a traitor. Therefore, they ordered some guards to take her somewhere she could remain imprisoned until their return to Sanos.
Elowyn raised her gaze toward the sky, carefully following what was happening above the city of Vesparello. They were safe now, so she could relax.
"It seems we were saved by a Nartheis."
Narisse clenched her fists.
"This is certainly humiliating, Princess. I wasn't powerful enough to protect you, and to make matters worse, we ended up being saved by this creature."
"Perhaps he isn't just a creature."
"What do you mean, Princess? Have you discovered something about him?"
Elowyn's eyes were fixed on Vaen. She recognized the same essence of Enrico within that creature and immediately realized who was behind that appearance. After all, there was only one person capable of making her feel so calm, even in the presence of a Nartheis. Normally, these creatures possessed monstrous essences surrounded by different colors, but this one showed none of that.
'It seems I have even more reasons to make him my consort. And the best part is that he won't be able to simply reject the idea now that I know about this new power of his.'
Behind them, the other students from Astrong Academy and the remaining institutions were also watching the sky with expressions of disbelief. Among them was Mei, the Rank One of Shengtian, who showed signs of having faced a powerful opponent. The Rank Ones from the other academies were also present, accompanied by their respective companions, standing a little farther away.
'But what is this? This day just keeps getting more unbelievable.'
Vaen arrived exactly where the Circle Nine mages were fighting against the Kairom-level Nartheis and at least twenty Level Three Ranvil Nartheis at the same time. The gigantic Nartheis with a cosmic appearance began massacring the lower-level creatures, completely eliminating them without showing any concern about the fact that they belonged to the same race.
"Jago..."
Vaen didn't know exactly why he had decided to protect those people. His consciousness hadn't yet fully formed, but somehow, he felt that he needed to do it to ensure his own survival in the future.
"No... Not like this!"
Vaen realized that Jago was approaching the Kairom-Rank Nartheis and tried to seize the opportunity to attack him by surprise. However, before he could reach him, a Level Three Ranvil Nartheis suddenly appeared in his path, blocking his way. The difference in level made the situation quite unfavorable for Vaen, who was still only a Level Two Ranvil.
"Dungeon Chains!"
Another portal appeared behind the Kairom-level Nartheis, from which chains similar to those wrapped around the giant itself emerged. They quickly spread out, restraining every part of its body. Jago tightened the chains, making the creature obey his commands completely.
He then turned his gaze toward Vaen, who was still fighting against the Level Three Ranvil Nartheis, before shifting his attention back to the gigantic Kairom-level Nartheis above them. This would be a good opportunity to test the powers of that new creature, which seemed to have enough potential to break the very rules of that world.
"Astar'kur, let's see what you're capable of."
The creature called Astar'kur didn't even have a face, possessing only a cosmic appearance. However, when a white eye appeared in the center of its face, the mages watching the battle felt immense fear, especially upon realizing the absurd amount of magical power concentrated within that eye.
"Cosmic Magic: Rupture!"
A white beam burst from its forehead and crossed the battlefield in a fraction of a second, completely disintegrating the Level Three Ranvil Nartheis standing before Vaen. The attack continued forward, nearly reaching the creature, but a barrier made up of a thousand white layers suddenly appeared in front of it. The layers absorbed the impact one after another, preventing the beam from striking it directly.
"I don't know why a Nartheis would be helping us, but thank you for getting the civilians and weaker mages out of the city."
Hao was floating behind Vaen, accompanied by Renzou and Xuelan, positioned on either side of him. The resistance of that barrier was impressive. If that had happened in a normal world, it would certainly have been destroyed by the attack. This demonstrated just how powerful a Circle Nine mage was.
Renzou let out a sigh as he observed the power displayed by the cosmic-looking creature.
"It seems that, just like what happened with the lower-level Nartheis, the Kairom-level ones have also become stronger for some reason."
Xuelan brought one hand to her chin, carefully analyzing Astar'kur.
"At its current level, it would take a Circle Nine mage with at least seventy percent progress, giving everything they have, to defeat it. And even then, there would still be a chance of failure."
Hao nodded, agreeing with the queen's assessment.
"You're right, Queen of Tianlong. But that won't be a problem. After all, we have three Circle Nine mages in this location."
In fact, they weren't the only ones. The other Kings also began arriving at the scene, including Alaric, Dom, and Sofia, despite knowing that they were several levels below the three Circle Nine mages. In addition to them, some of the most powerful mages, such as Virelle and Angela, also took their positions on the front line, alongside King Alaric.
Although they didn't have enough power to directly confront a creature of that level, they could still contribute to the battle by providing support from a distance.
Virelle cast a brief glance at the Nartheis standing beside Hao, showing some discomfort.
"I don't like receiving help from a Nartheis, but since he probably saved my disciple too, I'll let it slide."
Angela silently agreed, but soon turned her attention back toward the direction in which the civilians and students had been taken.
"I hope the young master wasn't hurt too badly."
Alaric let out a small laugh upon hearing that.
"I don't believe my future son-in-law would get hurt over something like this. So, you can rest assured."
"This is no time for jokes, King Alaric. We need to take the front line."
Dom advanced, making it clear that he intended to participate directly in the confrontation against the Kairom-level Nartheis. Even though he was a Circle Eight mage, his willingness to face a creature of that level demonstrated the extent of his courage.
Alaric let out a faint snort and turned his attention back to the Nartheis before them. Of course, the Kairom-Rank one was the most powerful, but there were two in particular that caught his interest: one enemy who displayed intelligence far superior to that of most Nartheis he had ever encountered, and another who, despite being a newborn, was helping the humans.
'Both are interesting in their own ways, but that intelligent one needs to die today. I don't want to risk something bad happening in the future.'
They already had to deal with the invasion of the evil gods Enrico had mentioned. Having another threat of that level would practically be asking for a catastrophe to happen.
"Let's finish this quickly..."
Before them, Jago tightened the chains, letting out a brief whistle before turning his face in their direction.
"I'm sorry, but it seems I won't be able to stay here much longer. You see, the chains are starting to break."
Jago's words immediately provoked a reaction among everyone present. Before anyone could understand what was happening, several portals suddenly appeared around the battlefield, surrounding the area where the mages had gathered. The next instant, their structures began to disintegrate, releasing an absurd amount of magic.
Everyone reacted immediately, concentrating their efforts on protecting the subordinates nearby. There was no time to think or come up with any strategy. The energy accumulated by the portals exploded before they could do anything else, engulfing the entire region in a blinding light. The force of the detonation was so colossal that a gigantic pillar of light rose toward the sky, visible even from the Moon.
At that moment, someone on the Moon opened their eyes, surprised to realize that a Circle Nine explosion had occurred precisely where their hometown was located.
"Sister..."