A volley of spells erupted from our enemies. Lighting bolts, fire balls and spears of ice flew our way. That they still tried lightning showed a lack of research on their part. Then again, other elements had failed to take us down as well.

Iris was still behind me so I positioned myself in the path of the incoming magic. None of it looked too concerning. But how would I retaliate? I needed to attack an area without destroying nearby buildings. I decided to go for a 5th circle spell called Lightning Sphere. It launched a ball of electricity that flew to a specified point. There it would remain for two minutes and shock everything in a 25 metre radius.

It was hard to judge how many soldiers we faced, but there were hundreds. My spell would only clear a moderate area, but it should not cause any collateral damage. While I focused on my magic our enemies' attacks started hitting me. I ignored the mild discomfort and unleashed my response.

By now it had become quite dark due to the black clouds. The heavy rain led to several puddles on the floor. People became drenched. Occasionally, lightning in the sky offered brief periods of illumination. The heavy wind was howling, accompanied by thunder. And then my spell was completed. The sphere was about the size of a ball you could sit on. It was white with purple lines on top that kept shifting.

My sphere brought new illumination as it zipped to its designated position. Then it started zapping. Screams filled the air as lighting bolts covered the area. They were not overly strong, but they kept coming. The enemies caught in its radius desperately tried to flee, only a few managed.

But the battle was larger than that. Shani turned into a cyclone of death. Swinging her scythe while laughing maniacally. Blades of wind randomly appeared in her vicinity, slicing through flesh and armour alike.

As my eyes scanned the battlefield I spotted Lucy. And I froze, my mouth hanging opon. For whatever reason, she had decided to turn into a fox. Instead of her usual size she was as big as a horse. Her fur was sheathed in lighting, her eyes glowed purple and she roared. It was deep, filled with power, and not a sound you would associate with a fox.

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Then she charged. Her teeth tore through armour as if it were paper. Her paws sent people flying, or simply crushed them. And the lightning surrounding her struck anything that came close.

While I was distracted by her display the ground rumbled. Stone spikes emerged, trying to impale me. Thanks to my speed I danced through them without getting hit. While they were not a threat to my life, it would be rather unpleasant to get hit. I could have chosen to fly but it would make me an easier target for other spells.

So far, there was no one truly powerful among the enemy ranks. That seemed suspicious. Even the inquisition had to know how futile that would be. Or was that meant to waste our resources? While high tier magic was insanely powerful, it was also limited. Once your spell slots were used you would need to rest. If you had enough troops to throw away you could overwhelm a mage with numbers.

Of course, I was no normal sorceress. While still limited, I had more spells per day than any mortal magic user. And I had the body of a warrior. Even without magic I was dangerous. But the time for reflection would come later. Now, there was more fighting to do!

Iris was wisely retreating into the temple. She had been disarmed by her former comrades, before we freed her. And she was not immune to lightning. The entire battlefield was filled with it. The water on the ground was a great conductor, turning the entire area into a hazard.

A few soldiers tried to attack the temple itself. Due to the rain they could not set the trees on fire. They managed some burn marks but nothing more. The brave, or foolish ones, who tried to attack with axes were impaled by roots.

I drew my sword and broke through the enemy fighters. My targets were the mages in the back. I had almost reached them when I saw an ominous black portal appear on my left. Tentacles about as thick as my arm appeared. They looked rather similar to those we had encountered in the bath. I shuddered and sliced those that tried to grab me.

There was only one answer to this. Storm’s Judgement. Instead of unleashing the magic from my fingers I called it from the sky. I felt the storm respond. A massive bolt of lightning hit the portal. There was no way to see through the black opening but the liquid-like surface started to bubble. Then it exploded.

The blast threw me away. I used the flight magic from Storm’s Embrace to stop in the air. My whole body was covered in bits of tentacle. At least the rain would help with that. On the bright side, the explosion disabled a few enemy mages. The remaining ones were currently being crushed by Lucy. My Lightning Sphere had already disappeared but the job was done. As I looked around I saw only a few fighters left standing, and Shani was descending on them. I had lost track of Gunther. Did he flee or was he among the bodies on the ground?

While our fight seemed over, the entire situation was only beginning. The entire world was bathed in orange light and it came from the palace. A pillar of flame fell from the sky and engulfed the entire building. Since I was flying I had a good view of the spectacle. When it was over the palace stood undamaged. It was covered in a golden shield.