Chapter 375
"Hmm, perhaps the Emperor and she are surprisingly similar."
Iris nodded, seemingly understanding, and asked:
"Teacher Dream Weaver, when will the other team leaders arrive?"
Although the Fanor Continent is vast, most of the larger cities in the Empire have teleportation arrays, so as long as you can make contact, you can arrive in as little as half an hour.
Astrid glanced at the Alchemy Crystal and smiled:
"It should be soon, and... she might not need anyone else's help; she can handle it all by herself."
As soon as the words were spoken, the Magic Element tide on the horizon began a new upheaval. Vibrant colors intertwined like ink, shaping enormous phantoms of the Flame Elf King, the Time Elf King, and the Forest Elf King, which enveloped and covered the entire Saint Roland.
If there were a mage from the Second Divine Age, they would probably realize upon seeing this scene that this spell originated from the three first sages and was a supreme magic that had the honor of appearing on the same battlefield as the Emperor.
Its name is -- The Sigh of the Elf King!
The Time Elf King interprets time, able to freeze parts of the time sequence, using the time difference to infinitely widen the distance between two people's thoughts, reaching a frozen, sealed phenomenon.
The Flame Elf King, symbolizing destruction, can cause magical energy to briefly split infinitely, serving as the power source for spells, supporting the former, and adding footnotes to the death of enemies.
The Forest Elf King, representing new life, weaves the laws of life, continuously repairing areas considered prisons, and devouring the life force and Magic Element of enemies to form an internal cycle.
These three elements work together to create a cage that can imprison even the gods.
What's even more troublesome is that once trapped in this spell's cage, the three tower masters can use the terrain to continuously inject Saint Roland's Magic Element into the three towers, like Lao Tzu's alchemy furnace, to "stew" the prisoners inside to death.
This is why, despite being shocked by Chu Yuanqing's overwhelming power, the three tower masters still possessed the confidence to turn the tide.
At this very moment, in the Forest Moon Courtyard.
The enormous, cloud-like Mirror Tree, with its towering, sky-covering form, overlooks the main arena created by Xavier. At the far end of the central hall, sits the Pure White Witch, who is being attacked as the BOSS.
Chu Yuanqing looked up at the battle scene reflected in the water mirror. Her bright golden eyes were as if covered with frost, and the cool glow revealed a sense of calm.
So weak.
Although he possesses an extremely rich understanding of magic, spells, and knowledge, and his combat system, Magic Element power, mental strength, and willpower are all commendable, he is fundamentally unable to adapt to life-or-death battles due to his poor spirituality.
Indeed, the empire has been at peace for too long.
If it weren't for the fact that some agreements were signed to leverage the power of certain deities, slightly relaxing the control of the Golden Law and leading to the occasional appearance of divine abominations, the empire under the protection of the intelligent entities would probably not have experienced many wars in a thousand years.
Under these circumstances, high-ranking mages are basically similar to Dilia, preferring to be scholars rather than using magic in combat.
Of course, the Emperor seemed to have foreseen this future. The Lost Sea, the Alien Race nations, the divine abominations, and the various forces that were allowed to grow freely on the continent were all being kept around to train people's troops.
Therefore, the Judgement Department and other violent institutions are basically filled with combat mages who have been tempered in blood and fire through this method.
These troops have become the mainstay in the fight against the Disaster Tide.
As Chu Yuanqing thought about this, she suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu. Without thinking too much about it, she continued to record, learn, analyze, and refer to the magic used by the three tower masters through the water mirror, reconstructing part of the spell structure in reverse.
In fact, after surviving the initial wave of concentrated fire and developing the Mirror Tree to a height of ten thousand meters, she had enough Magic Element to create double-digit clones to fight the three tower lords together.
However, the curse of the Sea of Truth prevented her from devoting much energy to controlling her clones; three clones were about her limit.
On the other hand, killing them directly would be too wasteful. Keeping them as experimental subjects would not only allow us to test some spells that are not suitable for good kids— Little Idol —but also allow us to study the magic of the ideal world on the spot.
Chu Yuanqing was accustomed to refining his skills in battle, constantly pushing his own limits, absorbing nourishment from his enemies, and stepping into a new world.
This is a special talent developed based on her past experiences, and she can gain more from combat than from normal learning.
Therefore, Xavier's belief that Chu Yuanqing completely overwhelmed him was actually a misjudgment.
The three tower masters, including him, were all far more skilled in magic than Chu Yuanqing. The illusion of being completely overwhelmed was simply because she had progressed too quickly.
The Pure White Witch murmured:
"I've almost finished learning. Hmm, I heard that the Tower Master's magic is inherited from the First Sage. I don't know why, but it's surprisingly easier to learn than other magic."
Besides, during this battle, she also realized that the magic of the ideal world is fundamentally different from that of Magical Girl.
Although the Countermeasures Bureau is learning the spells here, the magic of Magical Girl is actually a bit more magical.
Upon closer examination, it becomes clear that the magic of the ideal world is a discipline that can only be stably established based on the Magic Element environment of the continent, the extraordinary rules of the Golden Sea, and even more complex factors.
And what about Magical Girl? They learn the spells here, and in the blink of an eye, they can cast the exact same magic in completely different environments and under completely different rules—it's practically a bug.
This shows that what the [Witch] learns is not knowledge, not frameworks, and certainly not spells.
Rather, it is a complete and logically consistent system of magic that people can believe in and continue to study, thereby reshaping their worldview.
This is what makes Idealistic Being special.
Therefore, the spells of [Witch] still have a certain degree of fixedness.
If a mage were to cast a basic fireball spell, some skilled players could disrupt its spell's structure with Magic Element, greatly reducing its power or even preventing it from being cast at all.
However, if it is cast by Magical Girl, it is very difficult for such a situation to occur. And if it is Destined Magic, it is all of the conceptual type, so the method of deconstruction formula simply won't work.
While consolidating and summarizing, Chu Yuanqing directed his clone to beat up the tower master, and also began to ponder the study plan for his Little Idol.
Meanwhile, the three towers Mirror Tree vanished completely into nothingness, disappearing from this Pocket Dimension. Archibald, Xavier, and Dilia seized the opportunity and teleported to the outside world.
The Pure White Witch was abandoned in the Forest Moon Courtyard. She put away her water mirror, raised her eyes to look at the closed spatial rift and the thirty-three Forbidden Spell that had been set up in advance. A strange look appeared on her calm face as she murmured:
"Dilia still had the resources to store so much magic using time compression; it seems you weren't pushed to your limits after all."
These thirty-three spells combine various functions such as trapping the enemy, defense, control, and repulsion, with the goal of prolonging the time.
So, did they prepare a backup plan from the outside?
Chu Yuanqing thought for a moment and decided not to use the Mirror Tree to self-destruct and force her way out. She felt that after defeating the three tower masters' last resort head-on, they would be able to understand human speech better.
At the same time, above Saint Roland.
Archibald looked at the immense, cosmic-like spell and immediately sent the Flame Elf King, who stood behind him like a guardian spirit, into it. He looked at his companion who had also completed this step and finally breathed a sigh of relief, feeling as if he had been through another world.
Less than twenty minutes had passed from the inside out, but it felt as if he had been ravaged for many years, beaten so badly by Lucy Tiffany that he had almost forgotten how to use war magic.
Xavier, on the other hand, majored in life magic. He had thoroughly reviewed his skills during dozens of near-death experiences, and could optimize his spells after a few more. His memories were still fresh.
Dilia was extremely tired, even the ends of her hair were tinged with a few strands of withered gray. Whether it was reverting to her intact body, resetting her mental state, or storing a large number of spells through time compression, it was all too life-threatening.
If this drags on for a few more days, her lifespan will be cut short.
Can we win?
Even though they rationally believed that everything was already foolproof as long as the opponent didn't break through their defenses immediately, the overwhelming dominance they felt during the battle still left them with lingering fears and a sense of unease.
Fortunately, there were no problems with the condition of the thirty-three-fold spell, the construction of the National Level magic, or the manifestation of the Forest Moon Courtyard.
At this moment, the Magic Element of the entire Imperial Capital, the rules of the three Elf Kings, and the power of the three Tower Masters, like a torrent of light washing over heaven and earth, shook the entire Saint Roland, as if it were a flood of God's destruction, swallowing the courtyard that emerged from the spatial rift.
Dilia's hair was whipped about by the strong wind as she looked intently at the shocking scene that seemed to shake the world to its core.
Finally, the infinitely spreading radiance began to collapse inward, forming a circular radiance no bigger than the palm of a hand, centered on the courtyard and accompanied by a faint sigh. Its halo and features resembled a black hole singularity in the universe.
Archibald let out a long sigh of relief and said:
"The spell was successful. The rules constructed by the three Elf Kings are now a closed spiral, containing no Magic Element. The parts she accumulated will be gradually extracted, making it impossible for her to escape."
Dilia was also still shaken. She never expected that this former student's Combat Power could be so exaggerated. If the venue hadn't been in the capital, Saint Roland, even if the three tower masters attacked together, they wouldn't be able to beat him with one hand.
Moreover, throughout the entire process, the opponent, who was the empire's foremost alchemist, never produced any of his own Alchemical Creation.
This is exactly like Emperor, in a fit of rage, simply abandoning alchemy and personally taking to the battlefield to inflict despair and terror upon his enemies.
Dilia had to admit that Lucy Tiffany did indeed have the qualities of Crown Prince. She calmed herself and suggested to the other two tower masters:
"It's best to be cautious. I suggest leaving the Elf King here for a few more days until we've confirmed that he's drained Elf King's magic before recalling him."
Archibald remained silent, indicating his agreement.
Although it was embarrassing, he really wouldn't feel comfortable summoning the Elf King back without completely draining Lucy Tiffany's magic.
After all, this was a spell that only the first sages could unleash, and they were able to use it thanks to the power of the three Elf Kings.
Therefore, once the blessing of the Elf King is lost, its power will drop by more than tenfold.
Xavier sighed:
"Let me make it clear beforehand, I will not allow Lucy Tiffany to be trapped and die within the seal. Someone of her talent is fully capable of vying for the position of Crown Prince and obtaining the authority to restart the Divine Sentient Body, thus resolving the deep-seated problems through internal reforms."
The Lord of the Forest Moon Tower was a little different from the other two. He hindered Lucy Tiffany not because he had betrayed the Empire and humanity, but simply because he distrusted the Divine Sentient Body and did not want her to go to the Temple to forcibly awaken the Intelligence.
Initially, he still held the idea of learning from the younger generation, but as soon as the fight started, he found himself in the predicament of "being killed without teaming up with the two of them," which turned out to be a very magical situation.
Dilia calmly relayed the old woman's statement:
"While I don't agree with the second half of your statement, if the empire is destroyed and the continent is submerged by the Black Tide, and we still can't see the Emperor again, then we'll definitely need someone like Lucy to handle the aftermath."
"Therefore, I won't choose to kill her; at most, I'll let her sleep for another ten years or so."
Archibald said indifferently:
"The path to Crown Prince is a dead end. The Three Covenant Families still believe that the Emperor will return one day. Even August is at most willing to push Lucy to the Crown Prince; anything beyond that is simply impossible."
"I am personally a neutral party. I believe the Emperor is not dead, but I also believe that the Emperor has entrusted the future to us, and it is only a matter of time before a new Emperor is elected. But Dilia will not agree to it."
Dilia's answer was perfectly reasonable:
"Emperor should be Emperor, no matter how powerful someone else is."
Archibald continued, unsurprisingly:
"Look, now the vote is 2 to 4, the Crown Prince will only ever be the Crown Prince, and internal reforms will naturally be a joke."
After saying that, the Black Sun Tower Master muttered with a headache:
"I have no ill intentions towards Lucy Tiffany, but only if she doesn't disrupt my plans. Her strength is too dangerous, so she'll have to stay inside the seal a little longer."
Xavier listened in silence. He thought for a moment and decided that if he waited a few days and had another chance to talk to Lucy, they might be able to reach a consensus. The reason they fought before was simply because Dilia was too crazy and Archibald was too arrogant.
As for now, let's leave aside the former, but the latter can no longer be arrogant.
The old man coughed and said:
"Alright, August will come to rescue Lucy sooner or later. Let's decide where to put this cage first."
As Xavier spoke, he lowered his eyes to look at the illusory singularity prison, about to reach out and grasp it, but before he could even touch the edge of the light, an unprecedented feeling of trepidation suddenly exploded in the depths of his soul.
Xavier retreated instantly.
Archibald's pupils trembled.
Dilia instinctively cast a spell.
The shattering sound, like an avalanche or spring thunder, seemed to transcend the limitations of time, sweeping across the sky amidst the Sigh of the Elf King. The violent magical energy reaction was like a thousand nuclear bombs exploding in the palm of one's hand, dividing the world into black and white.
In that instant, the distant temple, the council located in the Imperial Library, the scattered Thought Branch throughout the land, and even the Divine Sentient Body, were directly revived amidst the terrifying power that destroyed the entire capital, ready to support a solid spell to protect all living beings.
But it was too late.
No matter how fast the spell expands, it simply cannot keep up with such exaggerated destructive power. If such power is allowed to spread unchecked, the entire Saint Roland will be evaporated into a basin.
At the critical moment
The Pure White Witch emerged from the prison, her hair, as white as Tianshan Snow, fluttering in the wind. Her golden eyes surveyed the city, which was about to be reduced to ruins in black and white. With a nonchalant expression, she casually reached out and grabbed back, thus using her Martial God Skill to counteract the effects of the Martial God Skill.
At this point,
The black and white light effect flashed by, and the world returned to silence.
Volume 1: 349. The Return of the Emperor. (5K)
Under the dome.
The branches of the Giant Thought Tree spread like a cloud canopy, like a mother sheltering her cubs, enveloping the entire Saint Roland. In the area closest to the center of the shockwave, an even more surging golden light emanated, allowing the world to witness a miracle.
Saint Roland's imperial citizens looked up blankly at the sky. The unsettling Magic Element tide had vanished, replaced by translucent Thought Branch.
The Emperor aura grew ever more magnificent, spreading through every street and alley, bathing both body and soul in a warm sense of security.
These uninformed people, only aware that a celebratory festival had arrived, looked joyfully at the translucent Thought Branch, celebrating the revival of intellectual entities, which sparked various discussions and speculations.
Even more extreme, some began to believe that the strange movements throughout Saint Roland and the resurgence of the Divine Sentient Body were celebrations of the Emperor's return, further fueling public opinion and turning what should have been a time of refuge and exile into an atmosphere of celebration and feasting.
However, compared to the ordinary people who had little experience, the imperial agencies stationed in the capital and the various powerful forces with deep roots were all filled with lingering fear and cold sweat, feeling as if they had just walked through the gates of hell.
The widespread use of alchemy has led to larger organizations purchasing instruments to monitor airborne Magic Element, in order to predict its inertia, stability, quantity, and range.
The three tower masters' extraction of Magic Element did put all the instruments into a high-alert mode, but the extremely precise spell structure ensured that they would not explode randomly, maintaining high stability and controllability.
However, the data curve displayed on the instrument for the Martial God Skill, which was performed just a few breaths ago, was equivalent to condensing an equal amount of Magic Element into a speck of dust, and then exploding instantly like atomic fission.
If not for an unforeseen accident, this capital city, symbolizing the center of imperial power, along with three legendary mages and billions of citizens, would have been instantly vaporized into nothingness. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that it was a matter of one thought leading to heaven or the other to hell.