The Legendary Finale (Part One)

I extracted the Magic Power from Madam Christine, which did not belong to her, and then returned it to its true owner. As the Magic Power flowed back, the withered pink grandfather became radiant again, and his straw-like beard became soft and shiny. If he were to dye it back to pink, it would surely be vibrant once more.

Everything I experienced took place within the illusionary space created by the memories within the staff. Therefore, in the outside world, I only stood there in a daze for a few seconds. I looked up and saw Damala's eagerly expectant face, gave her a gesture of success, and then...

Hey, can you guys stop making those tearful-with-joy faces at me? You're an evil and terrifying Banshee Troupe, not cute girls who've run into trouble on a school trip and need rescue! Hey! Stop holding hands and spinning around!

Well...

It's out of control! These banshees are completely uncontrollable! They—

Who gave you the audacity to kiss me!

I glared at them, and they burst into giggles.

"Master!" Damala was the first to regain her composure. "Master, there are multiple time bombs planted in this building. We won't defuse them; there are hundreds. So you must leave immediately!"

A bomb! Good heavens, it must be those Machine Zealots. I nodded. Yes, these banshees have only been living in modern times for a few days. Asking them to defuse a bomb is asking too much of them. So I immediately told them to send Grandpa Pink and Reynold out first.

The banshee lifted Grandpa Pink and flew out of the building, but Reynold shook his head. "No, let's rescue the people in the underground safe house and the staff trapped in various parts of the building first. I can still help here. Besides, if we don't rescue them, do you expect me to act as the entire Federation by myself? Are you afraid I won't die of exhaustion?"

After saying that, he helplessly spread his hands, which made me smile involuntarily.

Yes! What Crow and the others were saying earlier, the council is having a meeting today, with several hundred members and resident staff in the building, there must be several thousand people! This is troubling me, because I only have twenty-three banshees, and even if I and Damala are included, I can't get several thousand people out at once.

Hmm...

Perhaps...

Can I try it? An ancient teleportation array?

"Damala, did you use teleportation arrays six thousand years ago? You know, those things that can be set up and reused repeatedly, allowing people to travel back and forth between two teleportation arrays?" I asked Damala.

"Of course." Damala nodded.

So I immediately took out the materials and quickly drew the ancient teleportation array that I had previously restored on the ground. Because I had worked on this project for a long time, I could draw the teleportation array perfectly even with my eyes closed. The only problem was that it would malfunction every time it was activated, and last time it even exploded and blew up the laboratory.

I put away the Magic Power crystal I always carried, then asked Damala, "Is the drawing correct?"

Damala looked at it carefully and nodded. "That's right."

"You've been with my teacher for so long, even if you don't know magic, you should have seen him cast spells. So can you help me figure out why it explodes every time I activate it?" I asked.

Damala nodded decisively. "Yes, I've seen Master Hailianna set up teleportation arrays before. Please cast the spell; I can compare."

After she finished speaking, I nodded in satisfaction and stepped forward to cast the spell. But before I could even chant the incantation, Damala grabbed my hand and exclaimed, "No, no! Master, I already know the problem. How can you cast a spell while standing inside the magic circle?"

But don't you always need to stand inside a magic circle to cast a spell?

Damala shook her head repeatedly. "No, no, no, that's usually how it is, but not with teleportation arrays. The Magic Power fluctuations from a mage's body will interfere with the stability of the passage. If you stand inside and activate it, of course it will explode! Don't modern mages know that?"

So, all I need to do is move my legs and stand outside?!?

--Hmm, if modern mages knew this crucial issue, humanity wouldn't have had that dark history of crowded buses and subways!

I immediately stepped out and began chanting a familiar incantation. The Magic Power light on the magic circle grew brighter and brighter until the last wisp of Magic Power was absorbed. The crystal then shone, and under my unwavering gaze, the lines on the ground began to rotate slowly and steadily.

I... I did it?

I held my breath and waited for half a minute to make sure it wouldn't explode again. The Magic Power lines were smooth and steady, without any irregular fluctuations. At this moment, I almost wanted to jump up and hug Damala!

Sure enough, I can learn so much from a lich who's been dead for so many years! I... Damala is truly the most precious legacy my teacher left me! I'm going to buy her a new dress!

Chapter 116 The Legendary Finale (Part 1)

Just then, a loud explosion came from a corner of the building. The sorceress Kelisiting, who had just been knocked unconscious by me, was jolted awake. She coughed up blood and then lay on the ground laughing.

... I wonder if I've damaged her brain?

"Insolence!" Damala roared as she charged forward, blade pressed against the sorceress's neck. She let out an undead howl, "What are you laughing at! Don't make strange noises in front of your master!"

Hmm... Actually, Damala, your roar should be classified as a "strange sound".

Startled by Damala's mentally oppressive roar, the sorceress gasped, coughed up blood, and then began to chuckle maniacally, her shoulders twitching with laughter. This made me hesitate about taking her back to the lab. I have requirements for my experimental subjects; I don't want a subject whose brain might short-circuit at any moment. If I wanted, I could easily lure a bunch of goblins with a piece of gold.

But... it would be such a waste not to use it. Although we mages often engage in verbal sparring with warlocks, we don't usually escalate it to actual combat. So it's really rare to have the opportunity to legitimately and openly bring a warlock home... Hmm, I'll make do with this.

The sorceress Kelisiting suddenly lay on the ground, laughing as she said, "Too late... Hahaha, what's the use of defeating me... Hahahaha, the plan will still proceed, the flames of war will still descend, and then... the age of magic will surely return!"

Then--

Okay, then Reynold grabbed his staff and knocked her unconscious.

"Pah!" Reynold spat... Don't you dare contaminate my experimental materials!

But he didn't hear my thoughts. He just looked at melancholy and uncertain, saying, "Whether you're Machine Zealots or a magic fanatic, you extreme types will never understand. Whether magic or machines dominate, what people need most is a safe and happy life, not your bullshit ideal era!"

Wow, that's a great point. If I record it and post it online, Reynold will probably gain more followers—followers, that's a word Mel taught me. Now he's learned to use social networks too. But a master strategist is a master strategist; I've never seen Mel addicted to the internet!

"Hurry and save them! That might have been a bomb that went off somewhere!" Reynold said anxiously. "I'll watch the teleportation array for you!"

I looked at Reynold with considerable skepticism. "You... do you know how to maintain a magic circle?"

Reynold froze, then his face flushed red. He cried out in a slightly shrill voice, "I really am a high-ranking mage of the Federation. I just passed the seventh-level exam. I can't compare to you... but don't impose your standards on all mages!"

"Oh..." I stuck out my tongue. Knowing Reynold as I do, although he can be arrogant and overly cocky at times, he won't act recklessly in a real crisis. Since he said he would, I'll trust him. But I still said with some unease, "Because I'm planning to get several thousand people out of here, you need to keep a close eye on the Magic Power flow. If there's any imbalance, you must address it immediately, otherwise those using the teleportation array will be teleported into the Void!"

Reynold nodded seriously and answered me definitively, "If someone can't even maintain a magic circle, then their mage diploma must have been bought!"