*** A Few Seconds Before Project Fireworks ***
As Zack directed his four clones to dash towards the pope, he couldn't shake off the thought of the nearby city, Tormentaheim. Unsure if it could be spared from the destruction caused by the self-explosion of four level 3 clones, each packed with over 190,000+ mana.
Wanting to protect the city, Zack planned to command another clone to throw up a barrier. But when he tried, nada. His mental tank was bone dry, drained from juggling the five clones — four for the self-destruction act, and one babysitting the grand paladin — along with his main bod back in the tower.
Back in his real body at the tower, Zack scowled, "Damn it, Fannie, looks like I'll have to ditch this body for now. My safety's all on you." Without waiting for Fannie's response, he let his main body flop to the side, severing the mental link and using it to awaken the fifth clone, sending it charging towards Tormentaheim.
Another clone burst forth from the ground, crackling with lightning as it shot towards Tormentaheim. With [Talaria] and [Lightning Flesh] activated, it blazed through the air at lightning speed. Luckily, it had a shorter distance to cover to reach the city compared to the ones heading for the pope, so it could get there quicker.
Then, when he laid eyes on the city, Zack's heart sank. The defense formation was in shambles, likely a casualty of his clash with the grand paladin. His mind raced, 'Oh man, what have I done?' He hadn't realized just how intense the battle between level 3 powerhouses would be, and now he was faced with the aftermath.
However, Zack sensed through his mana that there were no casualties, thanks to the sturdy city defense formation absorbing the worst of the aftermath. But now, with the defense formation wrecked, it would take at least a week to repair. Zack's mind raced, 'What now? What the heck can I do?' He was desperate for a solution.
Zack's initial plan had been to rely on the city defense formation along with his own defensive spell to weather the blow from the self-destructing clones. But with the city defense formation out of commission, he was left uncertain whether his own defensive spell could handle the explosion on its own.
The closer the clone got to the pope, the more he freaked out. Eventually, he just snapped, "Screw it! Let's roll with whatever happens! I'll slap together a defensive spell using all the mana in this clone, just like I planned."
He kicked off [Invisibility], blending into the skyline on the city's western side. Straining every mental muscle, he tried crafting the spell, but it flopped. 'Damn it! Not enough mental juice.' So, he dialed down the mental hold on the grand paladin, leaving just enough to keep him upright.
Next, he had to ditch [Camouflage] and [Environmental Mimicry] of the [Invisibility] to free up every last ounce of mental power, making him visible in the sky. But he still had [Hidden Strength] activated.
As the clone neared the pope, Zack's anxiety skyrocketed. His mind in the fifth clone worked overtime, tapping into every last ounce of mental energy. He even harnessed the computing power of all the cores, realizing the clones only needed the innate spells to run, not the computing power of the core itself. With a mental shout of "Come on, you beauty!" a colossal spell pattern erupted in the sky, spanning a whopping 150,000 square kilometers above the city. It was a massive drain on his mana reserves.
"Hell yeah!" Zack exclaimed, blood trickling from his eyes, nose, ears, and mouth. He managed a smirk, his facial muscles not fully under control. If they were, he'd be grinning ear to ear.
Creating the spell pattern had already burned through a massive amount of mana, but that was nothing compared to what came next. Zack poured over 180,000+ units of mana into the pattern. As he felt the clone's mana reservoir being drained into the spell, making it glow brighter and brighter, he silently whispered in his mind, "This is the best I can do for you folks in the city. Please, just hang in there."
Then the clone fell from the sky devoid of mana.
*** Inside the palace ***
"Grandfather, I saw the culprit responsible for the suspicious colossal spell pattern," Maximilian, the emperor of the Fulminar Empire, gestured towards a black dot in the western sky of the city as he addressed his grandfather, the guardian of the Fulminar Empire, a level 2 powerhouse.
"Should we attempt to confront them?" the emperor inquired tentatively.
The guardian regarded the emperor with a mix of incredulity and frustration. "Do you truly believe we stand a chance against someone capable of casting such an immense spell?" His voice started low but escalated into a sharp exclamation.
The outburst subsided as the guardian took a deep breath, attempting to regain composure. Surveying the emperor, now visibly daunted, he softened his tone. "I apologize. The recent catastrophe has left me feeling powerless. I understand your concern for our people, but no, we cannot engage this individual. Only a level 3 wizard could conjure such a spell. Besides, I sense no malevolent intent from them."
RUMBLE!
A sudden rumble interrupted their conversation, accompanied by a buzzing sound. The entire spell pattern illuminated, transforming the late afternoon into a brilliant daylight. As the pattern dissipated, a colossal barrier enveloped the city, causing a mild earthquake to ripple through its streets due to the barrier's immense size.
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"Tell the people there's no need to panic," the guardian instructed the ministers gathered in the room. "The individual in the sky is erecting a temporary barrier in place of the broken city defense formation. Quickly!" With urgency, he dispatched the ministers, who fled the hall as if their lives depended on it.
Unspoken to his grandchild, the emperor, was the guardian's intuition, warning him against intervening with the person in the sky if they wished for the city's survival. Another wave of danger surged through his mind from the western side of the city, yet he withheld this information from the emperor, knowing it would only sow worry without recourse.
Tension thickened in the ensuing moments. Even the youngest member of the imperial family, a mere baby, sensed the unease and cried out loudly.
"Waaah! Waaah!"
Despite the infant's distress, nobody dared to distract the individual cradling the baby. All present held their breath, beads of cold sweat tracing their faces.
Observing his family, the guardian sighed inwardly. ‘The danger exceeds my initial assessment,’ he mused. Breaking the silence, he reassured them, "Fear not. I'll ensure each of you remains safe, even if it costs me my life." With resolve, he fortified the aura barrier encompassing them all.
As soon as the guardian finished speaking, a faint thumping sound echoed in the distance, drawing his attention to the western sky. There, a ball of blue intertwined with white emerged on the horizon, rapidly expanding and overtaking the setting sun, as if heralding an unnatural sunrise from the west.
BANG! RUMBLE!
The city's inhabitants watched in awe as the strange phenomenon unfolded. In an instant, a colossal shockwave struck the city's protective barrier with unparalleled force, shrouding the surroundings in dust and uprooting trees that hurtled eastward.
Following the shockwave, a monstrous earthquake shook the city to its core, instilling terror among its populace. The magnitude of this quake surpassed all prior tremors, leaving the city feeling as fragile as a paper boat amidst a tempestuous sea.
Despite the unprecedented ferocity of the shockwave and earthquake, the barrier stood resolute, unwavering in its defense of the city. However, the relentless quake caused many already weakened buildings to collapse, adding to the chaos and confusion within the city.
Yet, the onslaught showed no signs of abating. With each passing moment, the shockwave intensified, fueled by the expanding size of the western phenomenon. Until finally, the "ball of light" transformed into a towering wall, stretching across the entire western horizon, a barrier between earth and sky, its presence looming ominously over the city.
Overwhelmed by the impending apocalypse, the guardian and the city's populace fell to their knees, beseeching the gods for salvation. With tears streaming down his face, the guardian cried out, "Oh Gods above, if you truly exist, grant us salvation!"
As the wall of light drew nearer, its composition of blue and white lightning became apparent to the trembling onlookers. Bracing for impact, the guardian closed his eyes in prayer, hands clasped over his chest.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
*** A few seconds before the explosion in the observing wizards location ***
Some of the surviving wizards, remnants of the earlier clash between the mysterious wizard and the grand paladin, stubbornly observed the position where the final showdown had taken place. Thick dust had obscured their view during the decisive moments, leaving them uncertain about the outcome. All they knew was that a third party had intervened, launching a surprise attack before one combatant fled. The distance and poor visibility prevented them from identifying the fleeing figure.
As the dust settled, revealing the pope standing in the place previously occupied by the combatants, confusion rippled through the observing wizards. Was the grand paladin's challenge to the lightning wizard tower a scheme orchestrated by the Holy Empire all along?
Similar suspicions arose among the tower heads monitoring the live stream. Their conjectures were interrupted when the pope cast a spell, conjuring a massive golden divine pattern visible even from a distance.
Yet, moments later, a sense of foreboding gripped the surviving wizards. Their expressions paled, cold sweat beading on their brows as they exchanged apprehensive glances. The tension was palpable, even evident to the tower heads observing remotely.
"What's happening?" Lady Evangeline inquired of a scout from the lightning tower.
"Tower Master!" The scout was taken aback by Lady Evangeline's sudden address, as she had remained silent throughout the earlier conflict. "It's nothing," he replied hastily. "We all suddenly feel incredibly uneasy, as if imminent danger is looming over this position. It was even more intense than during the previous confrontation between the wizard and the grand paladin."
"What are you waiting for, then? You have my permission to abandon your post," Lady Evangeline reassured him. "Leave the magical camera facing the battle site, and ensure it remains operational with mana stones. Your safety is paramount."
"Thank you, Tower Master!" With a deep bow, the scout complied with Lady Evangeline's instructions before swiftly departing using his fastest transportation artifact, heading eastward.
It became apparent that all the observing wizards had received similar permissions from their respective tower heads. The sense of impending danger far surpassed that of the previous clash, resembling a harbinger of certain death.
As the wizards fled in the direction urged by their instincts, a distant thumping sound echoed, sending shivers down their spines. Their danger instincts intensified, propelling them to push their magical artifacts to their limits. None dared to look back, fearing even a moment's delay could prove fatal.
However, with the specter of death drawing nearer, a grim resignation settled over them all.
The lightning tower's scout, Joseph, retrieved a trinket hanging from his necklace, containing two precious photographs. On one side, a radiant young woman cradled a baby girl; on the other, a younger version of himself stood hand-in-hand with the same woman. She was his wife, whom he had married during a mission amidst the chaos of his wizardry duties. In recent years, his demanding schedule had kept him away from witnessing the birth and growth of their only daughter, relegated to glimpses through the photographs his wife sent.
Closing his eyes, Joseph clutched the trinket tightly, his grip drawing blood from his palm flowing down his forearm. "Sorry, Sophia, May," he whispered, his heart heavy with regret. "It seems I won't be able to accompany you any longer."
As he uttered his apology, Joseph turned to face the impending disaster, bracing himself for the sight that would haunt him forever. The scene etched into his mind was mirrored by all who beheld the apocalyptic explosion—a display of godly might.
A wall of lightning engulfed the entire western sky, stretching from horizon to horizon, from earth to heaven's pinnacle. The sheer scale of it struck fear into the hearts of ordinary folk and seasoned wizards alike, who understood the unimaginable power behind such a spectacle.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM! The shockwave from the explosion reverberated through the observers, striking them before the explosion itself engulfed them.
Their fates remained unknown.