Against a prepared opponent, landing a direct hit would be extremely difficult.
"The spell is meant for breaking fortifications and arrays," Kaelan muttered.
From that perspective, the Energy Missile Spell had succeeded.
Its destructive power was sufficient.
Its range was acceptable.
Its ability to devastate fixed targets exceeded his expectations.
If used against defensive arrays, city walls, mountain fortresses, or large groups of enemies, it would be extremely effective.
However, Kaelan remained dissatisfied.
The spell would eventually be sold.
But it had also been created for his own use.
And for his own use, it was far from satisfactory.
He wanted the missile to become smaller.
Faster.
More stable.
And far more destructive.
The ideal spell would possess the size of an Energy Bullet and the power of an Energy Missile.
To achieve that, he needed a stronger explosive force.
More importantly, he needed to understand higher-level energy structures.
The current spell relied upon simple compression and layered explosions.
There was still too much wasted space within the projectile.
Too much wasted energy.
Unfortunately, with his present knowledge, he could not improve it any further.
After observing the crater one final time, Kaelan spread his wings and returned to the city.
The journey passed quietly.
Soon, the familiar outline of the demon city appeared before him.
After passing through the city gates, he returned directly to his room at the inn.
Perching upon the largest branch inside the room, he closed his eyes and resumed deducing the spell.
Hours passed.
Then an entire day.
Yet no breakthrough appeared.
Every path he explored eventually reached a dead end.
The limitations did not stem from a lack of intelligence.
They stemmed from a lack of knowledge.
Eventually, a thought surfaced.
Perhaps the spell already existed.
After all, this world had existed for countless years.
Countless geniuses had walked its lands.
Why should he assume nobody had already developed similar techniques?
The thought immediately changed his approach.
Instead of continuing to deduce blindly, Kaelan decided to gather more information.
The following day, he left the inn.
One spell store after another.
One merchant after another.
He carefully examined every available spell.
Attack spells.
Movement spells.
Defensive spells.
Detection spells.
Even utility spells.
He spent several days reviewing spell catalogues throughout the city.
By the time he finished, he had visited every major spell store.
Only then did he return to his room.
His efforts had not been wasted.
Although he had not found a spell identical to the Energy Missile, he had discovered many concepts that expanded his understanding.
Some spells compressed energy repeatedly.
Others layered multiple explosions together.
Some utilised rotational force.
Others focused on vibration.
Several techniques were particularly ingenious.
They gave him numerous new ideas.
Satisfied, Kaelan resumed his deductions.
This time, his thoughts flowed far more smoothly.
Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the Danube River, events were unfolding rapidly.
The territory of the Silver Fox Clan had become a battlefield.
High above the clan lands stood the Blue Flame Demon Lord.
His massive figure radiated overwhelming pressure.
Unlike ordinary tiger demons, he possessed a humanoid body.
Blue fur covered his muscular frame.
Dark blue flames burned continuously around him.
His mere presence distorted the surrounding air.
Below him, a translucent barrier enveloped the Silver Fox Clan's territory.
Inside the array stood thousands of demons.
Members of the Silver Fox Clan.
The Blue Feather Sparrow Clan.
And the River Hound Clan.
A few days earlier, after returning from the broken hill, disaster had struck.
The very next day, the Demon Generals under the Blue Flame Demon Lord launched attacks against the three clans.
The Silver Fox Clan possessed a Mysterious-Grade defensive array.
The Blue Feather Sparrow Clan and River Hound Clan did not.
Before the Blue Flame Demon Lord's forces could completely surround them, both clans evacuated their people and sought refuge within the Silver Fox Clan's territory.
At the edge of the barrier stood Fae.
Silver energy circulated around her body.
She remained close enough to retreat into the array at any moment.
Looking toward the sky, she spoke loudly.
"Demon Lord, why are you attacking us?"
Before the Blue Flame Demon Lord could answer, another voice rang across the battlefield.
The speaker was Black Fang Wolf.
One of the Blue Flame Demon Lord's Demon Generals.
The black-furred wolf stepped forward and sneered.
"You killed one of our generals and attempted to ambush another."
"And now you're asking why we're attacking you?"
Fae's eyes widened.
Disbelief appeared on her face.
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
"When did we kill one of your generals?"
"And when did we ambush another?"
Black Fang Wolf laughed coldly.
"Still pretending?"
"Fire Owl General Samuel died after meeting your people."
"Rat Demon General Finley was nearly killed while investigating."
"The evidence is obvious."
"The only reason you're denying it now is that you're afraid of the consequences."
Fae nearly laughed from sheer frustration.
The accusations were completely absurd.
Yet before she could respond, another Demon General stepped forward.
A giant brown bear.
His voice thundered across the battlefield.
"If you're innocent, then surrender the rat."
"Surrender George Twenty-One."
"We'll question him ourselves."
"Alright," Fae replied immediately.
George Twenty-One meant nothing to her.
She had only saved him because she had been shocked by the sudden appearance of Finley and the rat at the broken hill.
One moment they had emerged from underground.
The next, Finley had shouted about betrayal and nearly killed his subordinate before fleeing.
The entire sequence of events had been bizarre.
Out of curiosity, she had stabilised George Twenty-One's injuries and brought him back for questioning.
Beyond that, she felt no attachment toward him.
Silver Demon Energy flowed from her body.
Brilliant silver light surrounded her as she extended a hand toward the array behind her.
The unique energy immediately attracted the Blue Flame Demon Lord's attention.
His golden eyes narrowed.
"So it is true," he muttered.
"Fae is related to the Nine-Tailed Silver Fox Clan."
The Nine-Tailed Silver Fox Clan was one of the most powerful demon bloodlines in existence.
Every pure-blooded member possessed extraordinary talent.
Yet Fae had remained stuck at the peak of the Demon General Realm for decades.
That could only mean one thing.
Her bloodline was impure.
Very likely, she had been expelled or sent away from the main clan long ago.
After arriving in this remote region, she established the Silver Fox Clan and gradually rose to prominence.
As the Blue Flame Demon Lord considered the matter, Fae's Demon Energy wrapped around George Twenty-One.
The terrified rat suddenly found himself flying through the air.
A moment later, he landed heavily before Black Fang Wolf and the other Demon Generals.
George Twenty-One's face turned pale.
His body trembled uncontrollably.
His eyes darted around in panic.
Then they found Finley.
Hope immediately appeared on his face.
Ignoring his injuries, he crawled toward the Rat Demon General.
"General!"
"General, I'm not a traitor!"
He grabbed Finley's leg desperately.
"I didn't betray you!"
Finley looked down at him coldly.
His rat instincts had already reached a conclusion.
In his mind, traitors always lied.
"Then where did the Crow Demon come from?" Finley demanded.
George Twenty-One froze.
Before he could answer, Finley pointed toward Fae and the others.
"There was no Crow Demon there."
Fae remained silent.
Arguing with an idiot would not improve the situation.
High above the battlefield, the Blue Flame Demon Lord finally spoke.
"Asa."
"Find out the truth."
The Demon Generals immediately stepped aside.
A woman walked forward from behind their ranks.
Unlike the surrounding demons, she possessed no obvious beastly features.
No claws.
No fur.
No tail.
No scales.
She appeared completely human.
The moment Fae saw her, her eyes widened.
A Spiritualist.
She had heard rumours that the Blue Flame Demon Lord had established ties with a Spiritualist sect.
Until now, she had assumed those rumours were exaggerated.
Apparently, they were true.
Asa calmly approached George Twenty-One.
Pink energy flowed around her body.
The energy appeared gentle.
Yet it radiated a strange and mysterious aura.
She lifted George Twenty-One's head and forced him to meet her gaze.
The rat struggled briefly.
Then his eyes gradually lost focus.
His expression became blank.
Asa nodded.
"The spell has taken effect."
Then she began questioning him.
"What did you see at the battlefield?"
"A dead Fire Owl General."
"Who was standing nearby?"
"A Crow Demon."
"Did the Silver Fox Clan attack Samuel?"
"No."
"Did Finley get ambushed?"
"No."
One question followed another.
One answer followed another.
The entire story gradually unfolded.
The discovery of Samuel's corpse.
The mysterious Crow Demon.
Finley's investigation.
The misunderstanding.
And finally, the attack on George Twenty-One.
When the questioning ended, silence descended across the battlefield.
The truth had become obvious.
Fae and the other clan leaders had been innocent from the beginning.
All eyes slowly turned toward Finley.
The Rat Demon General suddenly wished the ground would open beneath him.
His face burned with embarrassment.
Even Black Fang Wolf and the other Demon Generals looked away awkwardly.
Above them, the Blue Flame Demon Lord felt countless gazes focused upon him.
His subordinates.
The three clan leaders.
Thousands of watching demons.
All of them waited for his decision.
For a long moment, the battlefield remained completely silent.
Only the wind moved through the trees.
The Blue Flame Demon Lord's expression remained calm.
But inwardly, he was furious.
Not at Fae.
Not at the three clans.
At Finley.
The fool had dragged him into a war over a misunderstanding.
Worse, the misunderstanding had been exposed before everyone.
Now he faced a choice.
Withdraw and lose face.
Or continue the conflict and appear unreasonable.
Neither option pleased him.