Chapter 277
Chapter 277: Woke Up Too Fast—4 Calamities Are Actually Fighting Each Other
With all 4 Calamities gathered in a single region, the impact was enormous.
High in the sky, the City of Mages—Endymion—hung suspended at one end of the world.
Its crumbling white marble structures floated peacefully within the surrounding space. Pale wings fluttered faintly with barely perceptible wisps of wind.
Several white rings of Formation trembled together beneath the sky, and the 3 shattered figures towering at the center had fractured just a little further.
At this moment, the Mages gathered within the Council Hall were deeply perplexed.
They had stepped out from their own Mage spaces, only to find that nearly everyone around them was in the same situation.
Magic had failed. Wind, Thunder, Water, Fire—the 4 great Elements seemed utterly unusable.
Only the Earth Element and the Wood Element remained normal.
Not long after.
A teal-colored bird flew up above the floating island, passing through the Magic Power Gorge, cutting through the dense and hazy Magic Power environment.
At last, it arrived above the shattered clouds of the 7th Layer.
The highest, 7th Layer—the place where the Council resided.
Heim Horn stood beneath the highest of the 3 shattered figures, gazing down into the clouds below.
The sky looked as though it had been seized and controlled by some enormous energy.
The cloud layer had been severed—a massive gap bitten clean through it.
Looking through the opening, endless thunder clouds and storms churned together throughout the sky, while rain poured down ceaselessly from all sides.
High above, a blazing, scorching sun hung in the sky, as if proclaiming the extraordinary nature of this weather.
Heim Horn raised his head and received the teal bird as it flew to him.
This was Rashel's Natural Sparrow—he recognized it at a glance.
From the bird's beak, Rashel's voice rang out.
"500 kilometers west of the Carencia Empire, within the Padalenbu Sea—the energy of 4 elemental forces has converged and descended into upheaval."
Listening to Rashel's account, Heim Horn looked as though a long-standing question had finally been answered.
As a 4th-Tier Mage, he too had sensed the Elements within Endymion growing scarce.
The vast majority of Magic was built upon the 6 great Elements.
And in this moment, the 4 great Elements of the world seemed to have been drained completely dry.
As though they were being monopolized by a single person.
Heim Horn could not help but ask Rashel:
"Where did this information come from?"
The teal bird opened its beak once more and spoke slowly:
"It was Council Member Finnie. She witnessed everything."
That mermaid?
Why would she be wandering near the Empire?
Wait—
As if something had just occurred to him, Heim Horn hurriedly asked:
"Beside the Empire… is Council Member Clavena nearby?"
Heim Horn fell silent for a moment. Then the teal bird opened its beak, releasing a surge of Magic Power that formed a scene in the air before him.
It was another Natural Sparrow.
It had flown 500 kilometers across the ocean's surface, where it lit up a pair of eyes.
At the same moment, the scene materialized instantly, appearing before Heim Horn.
Sharing the image with him.
Heim Horn looked—and immediately fell silent.
It was the location of the Padalenbu Sea. There, enormous waves raged in all directions.
Lightning and storms erupted and flickered suddenly across the ocean's surface. Lava and flame detonated ceaselessly between gusts of wind and crashing waves.
And Viktor stood alone amid the 4 colossal beasts. The Coat behind him billowed fiercely, like the noble tailcoat of a gentleman.
Beneath his feet stretched a breathtaking and lush forest, suspended above the ocean's surface.
The Wood Element emanating from it radiated an incomparable and surging vitality—an exceptionally dense and primal natural force.
It was protecting everything, containing the overwhelming and terrifying forces, keeping them from leaking out into any surrounding region.
Heim Horn saw it at a glance.
If not for that forest, the energy from this great battle across the ocean would have long since spread to the neighboring nations and other seas.
Beneath that overwhelming and chaotic elemental storm, no one could have gone unscathed.
The Natural Sparrow's voice rang out beside Heim Horn's ear.
"In fact, the scene you are seeing now has been ongoing for a full day."
"I have no idea how he managed it, but…"
As though even the speaker could not bring themselves to believe it, the Natural Sparrow fell silent for a moment—then spoke again.
"He has already been fighting here, for a full day straight."
***
Fire and water cannot coexist; storm and thunder regard each other as enemies.
As if in prayer before a sacred flame, Gulton drew fire from the Scorched Earth beneath its feet, shaping it into rings that encircled its entire body.
【Blazing Eruption Surge】
The very next second, that crimson flame became like congealed flowing sand. Space rippled like waves under the assault of the scorching heat.
The ocean waves seemed to recoil in terror, surging frantically toward the distance.
Heavy foam leaped over the lava pillars, crashing against the sea with the force of a battering blow.
The temperature around Gulton began to rise at an extreme rate, the air turning unnaturally parched.
The Scorched Earth continent beneath it also seemed to spread a layer of orange haze, expanding outward in every direction.
Gulton moved forward with heavy, thunderous steps, advancing steadily toward Dozarel, as though it intended to force lava into Dozarel's maw.
Dozarel was equally unwilling to yield. The ocean beneath its body began to warp at a tremendous speed.
The entire ocean surface seemed to take on a life of its own. Waves converged, as if the world were about to be swallowed by the sea.
Damp and heavy air collided with that dry and scorched bedrock.
The crimson orange sea and the dense wave-clouds crashed together.
A violent hissing sound and billowing clouds of heavy steam merged perfectly with each other.
Like a protective barrier forming around Dozarel, it wrapped the creature completely.
Soon, the enormous cerulean-blue body was gradually enveloped by a surge of Water Element natural energy.
Blue ripples began to flow through the steam, mixing together completely, gathering at Dozarel's tail.
【Ocean Source Star】
The next instant, that oppressive air erupted violently.
Dozarel shot forward like a massive blue bullet leaving a barrel, slamming hard into the scorching and terrifying world ahead.
2 surges of differently colored chaotic energy collided with one another.
It was as if the earth and the ocean both became terrifyingly fragile under the shock of that collision.
Everything began to shatter and collapse.
Only pure energy surged and undulated, as though it would tear the already-void space apart and reduce it to dust.
The turbulence upon the waves fell into chaos. The movements of Gulton and Dozarel were dizzying to behold.
Even Dorakon and Reileis became incarnations of fury.
Above the churning black clouds, the bodies of 2 dragons of different builds trembled faintly.
Their eyes were filled with red frenzy and wild rage. Blood-red patterns spread continuously through both sets of eyes.
【Swirling Cloud Void】
The wind currents surrounding Dorakon's body threw the entire sky into chaos.
The invisible storm, like a high-speed spinning blade, savagely tore apart the surrounding space.
The pressure and intimidating aura from both sides suddenly swept across the entire sky.
A crushing force pressed down on Dorakon's body like a massive boulder.
The endlessly churning storm carried a weight that felt like a thousand tons.
Even under pressure as heavy as mountains, Dorakon continued to soar freely through the clouds, its white body spiraling around Reileis.
Terrifying air waves overflowed from its body, crashing outward toward the great black dragon.
Around Reileis's body, wild lightning and thunder flickered ceaselessly.
The entire sky, under that terrifying brilliance, was no longer dark.
Thunder continued to spread outward through the wind, reaching into every direction. The clouds between them completely lit up with the scent of furious wrath.
Soon, the engine-like tail behind Reileis blazed with extraordinary intensity.
Massive amounts of Lightning Element began to converge from all sides, the entire cloud layer becoming abnormally agitated.
【Trembling Thunder】
As the entire sea of clouds grew restless, Dorakon also released its power completely.
【Storm's Verdict】
The heavy clouds became equally turbulent, churning waves and thunder filling and clashing together.
As if a ferocious force had suddenly struck both of them through their insides.
【Radiant Lightning Arrow】
Thunder blazed from Reileis's wings, sending lightning surging furiously outward from around its body.
The yellow-green, winding lightning became dangerously intense, aimed directly at Dorakon weaving through the space.
The white, serpentine body darted through the sea of clouds, dodging the incoming bolts of lightning.
【Fury of the Raging Wind】
Wind currents leaking from between Reileis's scales rapidly sliced into the hard skin along Reileis's body.
The heavy storm continued to churn from all sides, rapidly contracting toward the center.
Viktor's Coat swung through the air as he flashed continuously through the space between the 4 colossal beasts.
The moment Dozarel collided completely with Gulton, the ocean and the Scorched Earth began to fracture simultaneously.
The crushing energy transformed entirely into clouds of vapor that surged into the forest terrain.
Viktor had already closed in at point-blank range against Dozarel's side and extended his arm.
Carrying enormous Magic Power, he drove his arm through the dense, flowing water—like a torrent of blue flame—pressing it fully against Dozarel's body.
【4th-Tier Magic: Scorching Rupture Mark】
Bang!
Fire Element rapidly converged in his hand. The scorching sensation was completely ignited from the parched and frenzied air all around.
The violent explosion swallowed everything whole, and crimson smoke billowed upward in an instant.
The colossal blue beast, struck by the ferocious attack, staggered unsteadily and fell back.
Just as Dozarel turned its head to strike back at Viktor, it found that Viktor had already moved far away.
Moving like a shadow, riding the wind.
With every place Viktor landed, he would draw a bottle of blue liquid from his Coat and tilt his head back to drink it down.
Because they were simple to produce, Viktor had long since lost count of just how many thousands of bottles of Magic Potions he had stockpiled.
In ordinary circumstances he almost never needed them, since Weija replenished his Magic Power.
But right now, relying on these Magic Potions, even on his own, he could grind against these Calamities until dawn.
Suddenly, a bolt of purple lightning split down from the sky, dropping like a blade with tremendous speed, hurtling straight toward Viktor.
Viktor seemed to have calculated it all in advance. Green vine barriers erupted suddenly from beneath him.
Heavy branches and leaves coiled and twisted around one another, warping completely in front of him, blocking the thunder out.
【Resilient Wood's Resolve】
The thunder was utterly unable to penetrate Viktor's barrier. Reileis had no choice but to withdraw the bolt.
And at this moment, Dorakon had long since rolled its body free of the pursuing lightning and turned sharply to charge at Reileis head-on.
The 2 Calamities in the sky tangled with each other once again.
The spiraling, serpentine body coiled around Reileis.
Wind currents swirled upward endlessly, wrapped in flickering wind marks, crashing repeatedly against the great black dragon.
The clouds churned. Astonishing thunder blazed throughout them.
White and yellow-green blended completely together—like 2 masses of ink fighting for dominance over a painting.
Viktor floated in the air, watching the 2 Calamities that had already vanished into the clouds above, then narrowed his eyes.
"What a pain."