Chapter 214: Score-settling
Priam let out a dry snort.
At that exact moment, without the slightest hesitation, he activated the Yin Enchantment’s power at full output. His entire Ether reserve was burned away in a single instant, turning into pure fuel.
Since the start of this score-settling, Priam had kept his Rune of Power active, yet he hadn’t even consumed 5% of his actual energy.
That was because he’d been waiting for this exact moment.
From the very beginning, he’d noticed that Walhart had some kind of secret communication method. After seeing that Master Mage disciple show up earlier, Priam figured out the obvious: Walhart had to possess an emergency summoning trump card.
Manipulating space was trivial for Sages. Walhart’s father was a cautious bastard, and he would definitely have given his son more than one way to save himself. Creating an emergency spatial emblem was the bare minimum.
Just as expected, the fabric of reality split apart.
A short spatial passage opened, linking to a location only a few hundred kilometers away, bringing the Master Mage disciple over in a hurry.
But there was one fatal flaw in that rescue.
From the other side of the rift, the disciple had no way of sensing the battlefield’s true situation before stepping through.
What could possibly pose a real threat to a Master Mage like him?
There were supposed to be nothing but mere Mage Disciples here. With just a fraction of his power, he could wipe them out with ease.
He would step through relaxed. Fearless. Without his defenses fully raised.
That was the perfect opening for Priam.
It was time to test the absolute limit of his new power.
Priam’s eyes blazed like twin beacons, and his body erupted in a blinding, suffocating light.
After completing his Elemental Physique, his raw control over the wind had already multiplied to absurd levels.
Now, combined with the full power of the Yin Enchantment—crafted from top-grade Yin crystals—that terrifying energy skyrocketed exponentially.
At the ninth level of Mage Disciple, Priam burned every last drop of his vast natural Ether reserve.
A silhouette slowly began to emerge from the spatial portal, an arrogant smile on its face.
The very instant the Master Mage’s eyes took in the battlefield...
"!"
*Sky-Rending Wind!*
Everyone watching felt time slow down.
Suddenly, the world lost all sound and all color.
The Ether inside every spectator’s body froze completely. Their very souls trembled before a force that seemed capable of splitting heaven and earth in two.
**KBOOOOOOOOOOM!!**
An apocalyptic explosion of wind swallowed everything.
A blinding light consumed everyone’s vision.
...
...
...
When the dust and the raging storm of destruction finally began to settle, the sight was horrifying.
Every Mage from the other factions was lying face-down on the ground, gasping for air, unable to stay on their feet under the lingering pressure.
When they looked around, they were utterly stunned.
The towering runic walls separating the channels—nearly indestructible defensive barriers capable of enduring direct attacks from a peak Master Mage without so much as a scratch—were now completely covered in spiderweb-like cracks.
The entire structure had fractured as though it were made of fragile glass.
A few seconds later, the runes embedded in the barriers flared brightly, hastily repairing the cracks before the whole structure collapsed. Priam’s attack hadn’t even been aimed at them, yet the shockwave alone had nearly brought them down.
At the center of the devastation...
...the world before Priam had become a wasteland.
He was breathing heavily, completely exhausted and drained.
His body was covered in blood, but a faint aura of nature energy began to surround him, gradually healing his wounds.
Mirra was using her own Ether to treat his injuries, though her reserves were very limited.
As for the enemies...
There wasn’t a single trace left.
No screams. No blood. No ashes.
Both Walhart and the Master Mage disciple had been completely erased from existence, wiped from the world in the blink of an eye.
Saying the Super Geniuses were shocked would be an understatement. Their faces had gone pale, and for the first time, they felt something very close to horror as they looked at Priam.
Priam... a mere Mage Disciple... had just annihilated a Mage of a higher Rank with a single strike?
This time, it wasn’t against a mindless Corrupted Beast.
It was against a real Mage.
Feeling his wounds fully close, Priam spoke to his partner through their mental link.
’That’s enough. Thanks.’
If Priam tried to heal himself, it would take twenty times more energy to achieve the same result. But Mirra’s affinity with nature was simply unmatched.
[02 Traitors Eliminated]
[+12,000 GP]
Priam read the floating window and took a deep breath. Then he turned around and slowly began walking back through the tunnel.
The scene around him was horrifying. Thick pools of blood and scattered entrails covered the ground everywhere. The stench was overwhelmingly nauseating.
Daraen had been blasted far down the channel, nearly all the way back to the recovery zone.
But she was fine.
Every eye followed Priam’s steady footsteps until he reached the recovery area.
There was still about an hour left before the end of the round, yet no new Corrupted Beasts appeared.
Once he reached the open area, Priam looked at Dandara. Understanding the signal, she ran over without hesitation.
Priam spoke calmly.
"Get the soldiers ready. The Corrupted Beast waves should return to normal next round. Things are going to get more complicated. We’ll have to split our forces between the two channels to cover the missing faction. You’ll command one side, and the Generals will lead the other."
"Leave it to me. Don’t worry about anything," she answered immediately.
Without wasting any time, Dandara returned and began reorganizing the troops. She selected six hundred soldiers to remain under her tactical command—the minimum number needed to maintain a stable defensive formation.
The remaining three hundred or so were assigned to the neighboring channel, where they would fight alongside the Generals. Since the Generals possessed tremendous combat power—unlike Dandara, who didn’t fight—the smaller force in the second channel wouldn’t be a problem.
Every soldier took a deep breath, their expressions focused and tense.
Before, with the entire faction together, everything had been stable.
Now, splitting up meant a huge drop in their overall strength. That sense of security had vanished.
There were still more than two hundred days left, and the difficulty would only keep increasing, eventually reaching chaotic levels near the end.
The remaining minutes passed quickly. The four-hour round finally came to an end, and the recovery zone activated once again.
After letting Mirra out, Priam leaned against a rock.
[EX Training Amplifier]
[-12,000 GP]
[Purchase?] [Yes / No]
Priam accepted the transaction.
He closed his eyes and drifted into a deep sleep.
---
Two hours passed in the blink of an eye.
When Priam opened his eyes again, he clenched his fists, feeling every last drop of his energy fully restored.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
The forty-five days inside the timeless space had been incredibly productive.
He stood up and turned toward his faction.
"I’m heading to the front lines alone. Take care of everything while I’m gone."