Chapter 376: Incendiary Confrontation
The instant High Lady Erna gave the word, chaos erupted in the arena as everyone seemed to move at once.
The first group of sorcerers, standing behind Ropati and to his left side snapped off a terse chant in rough, strained voices that overlapped with each other so well that they could be mistaken as a single, dark entity speaking from three throats at once.
"Sacred ash of calamity’s throne,
Rise and make this grove our own!"
Three obsidian-tipped staves pointed toward the sky, glowing with a deep red glow that seemed shrouded by smoke and shadow. With an explosive -CRACK- flames surged from the bases of their staves, incinerating the gently waving grasses at their feet to produce a billowing cloud of ash several times larger than should have been possible. All around the trio, a rotten, sulfurous wind began to blow with a stench so pungent that anyone seated on the lower levels of the arena immediately covered their mouths and noses in an attempt to block out the horrible smell.
Ash billowed and flowed, carried by the wind in a dirty, dusty cloud that made it difficult for Heila to see the actions of the remaining sorcerers as she dashed to the side, putting as much distance between herself and these men as she could while she sought an opportunity to go on the offensive.
Half a breath after the first trio began chanting, the second trio, standing to Ropati’s right side, pointed their staves at Heila and snapped out an invocation of their own.
"Sacred glass from mountain’s heart,
Rend the air, tear flesh apart!"