Chapter 93: The hell flames
(A few days before the Sungrade gathering: )
There was a vast grassland somewhere south of the imperial capital, a seemingly empty place that didn’t have either any paths for the carriages or a forest where many creatures lived.
It was a big chunk of land, and yet it was left empty since there was never any use for this place until now.
It was far from the southern or western border and it was far from the capital, making it a joint piece of land within various territories.
There had been no use of this place until now... but today, it was being utilised for perhaps the most important thing the current world needed.
"Are you sure you made everything right?"
"You won’t find anyone who draws the magic circles better than me in the six continents."
"What about the twelve stars of Stanox?"
"I used to be one of those twelve stars, you dumb horse."
"But you’re but an old man now."
"An old man that still has better eyes than a blind priest."
"Enough."
The Dark wizard, Lord Dove, and the holy saint were at each other once again.
They had gathered here, all nine of the people who were looking after the emperor, along with the emperor himself, had gathered in this seemingly useless piece of empty land today.
Here, in the vast field, the archmage had created a magic circle that was as big as the grand magic circle that appeared when they were making the emperor’s headband.
The circle, however, was carved into the ground. It was a traditional magic array that was copied from the dark book and created with the same monster remains as mentioned in it.
"Is it ready?"
"Yes, your grace."
The people gathered here were going to do something that they should not do as common members of the human race.
But then again, they weren’t common humans. They were important people with important roles and important duties.
"Then... let us begin."
The ritual to cure the emperor was underway right now, so, with the emperor now walking in the middle of this magic circle, things were taking a new turn.
"My lord?"
"Yes."
The Sungrade patriarch nodded at the two mages who were helping the emperor when he was fighting the heat of the flames inside him.
The, the three of them moved together.
-Ooooooooooooong!
To secure the perimeter, the Sungrade lord first summoned Eon, his salamander, and created a boundary with his powerful green flames.
Now, any creature who tries to cross over it, regardless of their intentions, would meet a fate that even he did not want to see for them.
Still, this was necessary considering the ritual might invite the surrounding creatures of demonic and dark elements.
They could not have that.
"Hia ha. Jan yan jan yan, hia ha."
"Hia ha. Jan yan jan yan, hia ha."
The twin mages activated the different smaller magic circles that were present on the bigger magic circle while at the same time summoning the creatures that they had brought with them from their spatial storage.
"Mehehehe!"
"Mooooooo!"
They were cattle and sheep, household creatures and beasts that helped the people in their daily lives.
There were horses and there were pigs.
In addition to them, in total, there were three thousand different creatures now running around the magic circle.
-oooooooooooong!
While their movements themselves did not hinder the engraved magic circle, as they passed by the smaller ones that were now glowing, they were trapped in them.
"Mihahahaha?"
"Kaaaaaaaaa!"
A dorm had trapped them inside. As much as they tried to free themselves, the only thing they managed to do was to hurt the other beasts around them.
-Swiiiiiiiiiiiiiiish!
Different spells then appeared around the smaller magic circles as the twin mages, as well as the rest of them looked at the one standing in the middle of the bigger spell.
The emperor looked around him, at all the beasts that were confused and afraid. They were screaming, they wanted to leave this that confinement... but, they won’t be able to.
"..."
He silently nodded his head, and, seeing his signal, the twin mages released their spells, blasting them all inside the domes of the smaller magic circles.
"Ghaaaaaaa!"
"Vaaaaaaa!"
Some beasts screamed.
"..."
But most died at the very impact of the powerful spells.
-Shrrrr...
Then, as the dorms that only had these beasts started filling up with their blood, a strong stream of this blood started filling the engraved part of the bigger spell circle.
-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG!
At the same time, the Holy saint as well as the Dark wizard began their process.
-Zaaaaaaaaaaaa!
One conjured a divine miracle in the time it took for blood of the beasts to completely cover the spell, while the other, with the help of the wand that the alchemist made, channeled his Mana.
"It is beginning."
The maid who vaguely understood what was going on informed the imperial adviser, while at the same time, the Holy Saint placed the divine miracle of protection on the Emperor.
-Oooooooooooooooooooong!
When the dark wizard activated the great spell, the blood that had covered the entire engraved area started turning black.
After a moment, it turned completely dark, the same as the murky demonic extract that all of them loathed.
"My ladies, please stop looking at it if it becomes unbearable."
The maid and the advisor were protected by the Sungrade patriarch who shielded them with his fire.
Both of them were exceptional tamers, but this wasn’t about being strong.
He was shielding the alchemist, the twin mages, as well as Lord Dove, the dark wizard with his green flames right now.
They were all vulnerable to this dark spell and his pure fire as well as the holy energy of the holy saint was the only thing that could protect them from it.
"Ah..."
When the dark wizard was done activating the spell, inside the spell, being protected by the powerful holy power, the emperor gasped.
The spell around him had started burning.
Fire was covering the murky blood, a black fire that seemed strangely familiar to him at that moment.
It seemed like he had seen this fire before. They were mesmerising... he extended his hands to touch the ones nearest to him.
"Your grace!"
But, the voices of the people that had helped him get to this point brought him back to his senses.
"..."
He wasn’t supposed to touch this dark fire. What he needed to do right now, was to expel the ones that were already inside of him.
And to do that, he needed to endure some more pain.
"Protect me, oh Mother Nature."
He removed the headband that was maintaining his condition, and with a sharp dagger, he made a cut on his palm.
-Zaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
Just as his blood fell to the ground, something invisible dived out of the flames and ’ate’ it.
-ZAAAAAAAA...!
These same things did not stay limited to the fallen blood.
"ARGHHHHHHHH...!"
They invaded the emperor’s body, traveled inside him, and they ate him from the inside, taking away a sixth of his blood in an instant.
"Haaa... haaaa..."
That amount of blood loss could have been enough to make him unconscious, but he was protected by the holy mark floating above him. It kept him alive and sane.
It did not take away the pain or the suffering, but for an ascetic that had lived weeks without any food, this was bearable.
He endured the pain, and stood back up.
"Skeeeehehehehehehehehehehehe!"
Only to feel an unfathomable, sudden surge of pain to his very core, something that sent him into a shock.
-Thud.
He fell to the ground. And then, the black flames that had devoured their offering of the delicious blood... devoured their emperor as well.