The dome around Miki grew, striking the second group. They experienced the same fate as the first, being quickly reduced to nothing but ash and bone. Perhaps other eyes couldn’t see this, but I could tell that their souls were being sucked from their bodies. They were being directly dragged into Miki along with the remainder of their life force.

By the third row of soldiers, they had realized the folly of their charge and desperately tried to turn around. The army became a mess as those in front tried to turn around. The dome kept growing though and it struck them all. The magicians who were in the back frantically put up shields around themselves. Soldiers who were lucky enough to be near the mages tried to get within their protective shells. Those that weren’t fast enough hit the outside. They started hammering against the dome with their fists, desperately crying to be let in.

Miki’s massive spreading dome of death overtook the protective shells. Those on the inside could only watch in horror as their allies on the outside were reduced to dust before their eyes. However, they let out breaths of relief as they were safe. The only ones who didn’t look relieved were the magicians, who had expressions of fear and panic, sweat running down their faces. Had the soldiers breathing out sighs of relief noticed the looks of horror on the ones keeping up the shield, maybe they could have predicted what came next.

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One by one, the shells flickered out, as if all of the mana within them had been drained away. As the magicians collapsed, the miasma flowed in. The men inside barely had time to scream before they melted into ash as well. The barrier of death shrunk back down, moving far quicker this time, snapping out of existence as if it had never been there. There, Miki stood in the middle of the field.

All of the grass around her in a massive circle was brown and dead. There wasn’t a single living thing within five hundred meters of where Miki was standing. She stood in a field of bones and ash. Even the insects and birds in the forest behind me had gone eerily silent as if this act had shocked the nature of this world. As for the five hundred soldiers, there wasn’t a single one remaining.

The king hadn’t been among these men. He was probably still waiting in his castle for good news. It seemed he had severely miscalculated Miki and her strength. I had as well. Miki casually lifted her head, her eyes falling on the city beyond. From this angle, I could see the city had fallen into panic. Women and children were fleeing out the other side, praying they could escape the incoming wave of death.

Miki started to walk toward the city, her stride unwavering. Her feet crunched on the desiccated grass, and it was the only sound that could be heard. I swallowed hard and then stood up. It was time for me to back my move. It would bring Miki home.