The room sprang into action.

Sardias closed his eyes and ordered his ten mages under himself

"Defensive strategy around the perimeter of the room.”

“Quickly.”

Suntuzel’s expression was grave as he turned to Sylas.

"This attack isn’t random. They’ve waited for the moment of our greatest vulnerability. What do you want us to prioritize, my lord?"

Sylas stood.

"First and foremost, We need to know if this attack targeting us or any other power. Secondly, regroup every available mage in this room. We will fight as one, with precision and power."

He turned to Gran and Machivel.

"Gran, you have a specific task. Locate Ares and ensure his escape. Use whatever means necessary to incapacitate the Blue Hope Guards, but do not kill them.”

“Last thing we would want take on Heidrick...”

Gran nodded

"Understood, my lord," he said, clenching his fists. "I’ll see it done."

Machivel placed a hand on Gran’s shoulder.

"I’ll assist him," he offered. "The two of us will make sure Ares escapes safely."

Sylas shook his head.

"No. Machivel, I need you here. Your skills are vital in producing strategy and protection of the room.”

Gran gave a firm nod and turned to leave,

Sylas then addressed the remaining generals.

"All other missions are officially postponed. Every mage under my command is to regroup here immediately, except for the servants. The seventy level-one mages they control will be enough to hold external positions for now. As for the generals and masters—you are irreplaceable. I will not risk losing you."

Suntuzel and Sardias exchanged glances,

The servants and their level-one mages were expendable, but they—the generals and masters—were not.

The cost of creating them had been immense, both in magical energy and materials. Losing even one would be a devastating blow.

Redel stepped forward,

"I’ll take charge of the outer defenses," he said.

"We need someone to buy time for the regrouping effort. The servants will follow my lead."

Sylas nodded,

"Do it. But remember, your priority is to delay the enemy, not to engage them directly. Retreat if necessary."

Redel bowed and exited the room,

Suntuzel turned to Sylas,

“Do you think this attack is related to the trap Machivel and Gran encountered? Could it be the same force behind it?"

Sylas exhaled deeply,

"It’s highly likely. The timing is too precise to be coincidental. But without a real and factual information it is all theories.”

Sylas’s eyes glowed faintly as he activated his unique ability, Reality Deciphering.

He scanned the room, the energy rippling around him as he delved into the fabric of the ship itself.

"The core systems are intact for now," he said after a moment.

"But the attackers are focusing their efforts on breaching the lower levels. If they succeed, it will be catastrophic."

Sardias took a deep breath and spoke

"Then we need to fortify the lower levels immediately. I’ll lead a team to reinforce the defenses there."

Sylas raised a hand to stop him.

"No. You’re too valuable to risk on the front lines. Send the servants and their mages instead. We need to keep our strongest assets close."

Sardias reluctantly nodded, understanding the logic even if it went against his instincts.

Sylas closed his eyes for a moment, focusing his thoughts.

He then opened them

"This is our moment. We’ve prepared for battles like this, and we will prevail. Remember: we fight not just for survival, but for the future of Sylind Empire.”

“Right now, we need to know if we are the target or not !”

-

Lady El Tis sat in her seat.

She was cloaked in dark robes, her piercing eyes reflecting power.

“For the spell we wasted too much materials and even sacrificed more than one hundred human life.”

“But, it was still not enough to take on two generals of Sylas Sylind...”

Demonic Fire Ambush spell a transportation trap-based demonic spell casted by Dark Sickle against to Sylind Empire but it did not worked out as it is expected.

For it to be worked, A spell named Demonfire Gate needed to be casted and filled with sacrifices.

As Lady El Tis thought.

Around her, Dark Sickle mages moved swiftly.

She glanced at the swirling portal in the center of the chamber, a pulsating, otherworldly manifestation of magic.

The Demonfire Gate, a Sacrificial Spell of immense complexity, flickered and wavered as if it sensed its own end approaching.

The energy required to sustain it had been monumental, but the results were disappointing.

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Gran and Machivel had survived. Worse, they were unharmed enough to escape and regroup with their allies.

El Tis’s voice cut through the murmurs of the mages like a blade.

"Cease the Demonic Fire Ambush. There is no use prolonging it."

"Lady El Tis, we did not succeed in incapacitating them. Neither mage has been rendered obsolete. They escaped the Demonfire Gate and might now prepare to counter us."

El Tis nodded,

"It was expected. We caught them simultaneously—a rare opportunity, but one that works against us when both targets are mid-to-peak Level 3 combatants. Their combined strength was formidable."

“If it was only one of them, they would be dead...”

El Tis turned her gaze back to the swirling portal, watching as the energies began to dissipate.

The sacrifices required to power the ambush—both in magical energy and the lives of their lesser servants—had been immense.

The room became a hive of activity as Dark Sickle operatives moved to dismantle the Demonfire Gate.

Arcane symbols on the floor were erased methodically, and sigils of containment were placed around the portal to safely dissipate the residual magic.

Among them, the face-leader of the operation, a stoic man with streaks of silver in his hair, supervised the process.

El Tis surveyed the scene, her mind already working ahead.

She fixed her gaze on a young mage standing nearby, his hands trembling slightly as he worked to stabilize a containment sigil.

"You," she called, her voice firm but not unkind.

The mage snapped to attention, nearly dropping his tools in the process. "Yes, my lady?"

"You will investigate what transpired. I want a full report on how those two escaped and what they discovered about our spell. Gather information from our people aboard the Blue Hope. Every detail matters."

The mage bowed deeply.

"At once, my lady." He hurried out,

El Tis then turned her attention to another figure in the room—a woman with sharp features and a quiet, confident air about her.

The woman was one of her most trusted lieutenants, known for her ability to negotiate.

"Avelyn," El Tis said, her tone softer now but no less commanding.

Avelyn stepped forward and inclined her head.

"Yes, Lady El Tis?"

"You are to meet with the Frost Elves. Inform them that the battle has begun, and we require their support. Emphasize the urgency of their involvement and remind them of our shared objectives."

Avelyn’s lips curled into a small, knowing smile.

"The Frost Elves are cautious, but they respect power. I will ensure they understand the stakes."

El Tis nodded approvingly.

"Good. Waste no time."

As Avelyn left the chamber, the atmosphere grew heavier.

The dismantling of the Demonfire Gate was nearing completion, and the energy in the room was shifting.

With each sigil erased and each incantation spoken, the room felt less volatile but more somber, as if the failure of the ambush hung in the air like a storm cloud.

The face-leader approached El Tis and bowed slightly.

"The Gate will be fully neutralized within the hour, my lady.”

"Great," El Tis replied.

The face-leader hesitated before speaking again.

"What of the enemy forces aboard the Blue Hope, my lady? Our spies report that they are mobilizing for battle. Shall we proceed with the secondary plan?"

El Tis’s lips curled into a faint smile.

"Yes. The secondary plan is already in motion. Let them gather their forces. Let them believe they are ready. By the time they realize the full extent of our strategy, it will be too late."

The face-leader nodded and stepped back, his respect for El Tis evident in his measured movements.

For a moment, the room fell silent, save for the low hum of dissipating magic.

El Tis closed her eyes, her thoughts reaching out to the battlefield beyond the confines of her chamber.

She could feel the tension, the anticipation of the fight to come.

It was a dangerous game they were playing, but she thrived in danger.

It sharpened her mind, honed her instincts, and brought her closer to her ultimate goal.

As the last traces of the Demonfire Gate vanished, El Tis opened her eyes and addressed the remaining mages.

"Prepare yourselves. The battle is only beginning, and this time, we will not falter."

-

Heidrick and Revol strode through the chaos, the remains of the explosion still reverberating in their minds.

Smoke billowed in the corridors, and the scent of charred metal and flesh clung to the air.

Guardians flanked them.

Heidrick commented as he scanned the area.

"This magnitude of destruction... it shouldn’t be possible,"

"Nearly a fifth of the ship destroyed in a single strike."

Revol, added as he looked at the broken down walls and hallways.

"To cause an explosion of this scale, the mage responsible would need to be at least Level 4. No one weaker could possibly harness such destructive power. Alternatively... this could be the result of a sacrificial spell, but one of extraordinary complexity and energy requirements."

Heidrick stopped in his tracks, rubbing his temples with his hands.

His voice grew solemn, heavy with the weight of leadership.

"How many lives have we lost?"

Revol hesitated, his throat dry as he gulped before answering.

"At least ten thousand."

The words hit Heidrick like a physical blow, but he kept his composure, his face a mask of stone. Revol continued, his tone more subdued.

"If they weren’t killed outright in the explosion, they’ve had ten minutes to survive in the freezing waters. Those who weren’t incinerated have likely succumbed to the cold by now."

Heidrick exhaled sharply,

"And the structural damage?"

Revol unrolled the map, his fingers trembling slightly as he pointed to the affected areas.

"Levels one through five have been hit the hardest. Half of the residential quarters are gone—homes, warehouses, mess halls, all obliterated.”

Heidrick’s fists clenched as he looked over the map.

His voice radiated great deal of pain and anger.

"This was not an act of war. This was a calculated massacre. Whoever did this targeted civilians—innocents, not soldiers."

Revol nodded solemnly,

"Why would any mage stoop to such an atrocity? What purpose could this serve?"

Heidrick turned to face him, his eyes steely with grim understanding.

"Ten to twenty thousand lives... do you understand the scale of what’s been done here? If this slaughter wasn’t random—if it wasn’t just murder for murder’s sake—then we must consider the possibility that this was a condition. A ritual. A sacrificial spell of unparalleled magnitude."

Revol paled at the thought, the color draining from his face.

"A spell requiring more than ten thousand human lives as fuel... What kind of monstrosity are we dealing with?"

"A mage powerful enough to wield such magic wouldn’t just do this for spectacle. They must have a purpose—a goal so critical to them that they were willing to obliterate so many for it. We’re not just dealing with a mage; we’re dealing with someone who sees life itself as currency for their ambitions."

Revol swallowed hard,

"But why here? Why now? Was this... a message?"

Heidrick nodded grimly.

"If this is truly a sacrificial spell, then we must determine what they’re trying to summon—or destroy."

At that moment, one of the guards approached, his armor scratched and dented from the debris.

"Sirs, we’ve found survivors. Only a handful, but they’re in critical condition. Most are too weak to speak."

Heidrick’s gaze sharpened.

"And the epicenter of the explosion? Have you located it?"

The guard hesitated.

"We believe it originated in the lower levels, near the residential sector. But the destruction is so extensive that it’s difficult to pinpoint the exact source."

Revol looked back at the map,

"If this was a sacrificial spell, the epicenter would have been heavily fortified with magical runes or symbols. It’s likely that whoever cast this didn’t expect to walk away unscathed. This wasn’t just an attack—it was a commitment."

Heidrick nodded,

"Double the efforts to search for clues. Anything—runic inscriptions, magical remnants, traces of their presence. And secure the survivors; they may have seen something, even if they’re too weak to speak now."

Revol raised a hand to signal the guardians.

As the guardians dispersed, Revol turned back to Heidrick.

"If this was truly a ritual spell, we need to inform Sylas Sylind immediately. He needs to know the scale of what we’re facing."

Heidrick’s expression darkened,

"We can not trust anybody, it is true that Sylas is more of a calm individual compared to the other organization but we dont know if he is responsible.”

“Sylas will know. But first, we need answers.”