Chapter 278
Chapter 278: Looks Like You Council Members Are All Pretty Useless
Having grown accustomed to Weija replenishing his MP, Viktor had never paid much attention to his own Magic Power levels when casting.
But now, he needed to regain control—to make sure his MP didn't get carelessly drained empty.
And he had to do it in a battlefield like this, overflowing with danger.
The surrounding Elements were raging in chaos. If he let his guard slip even slightly, he might not even be struck first by a Calamity—the flames and surging tides around him would reach him first.
In this environment, Viktor felt pressure pressing in from every direction.
And yet, at the same time, his blood burned with exhilaration.
Even on a battlefield this difficult, he was going to do it perfectly.
Viktor raised his Staff once more and leaped back toward the battlefield.
At this moment, Lorelei was floating on the ocean's surface.
On her shoulder stood a teal bird.
Rashel's Natural Sparrow.
She listened to the Natural Sparrow speaking beside her ear, and fell into confusion:
"Wh—what? It'll take a full day before support can arrive?"
"How can that be?"
Lorelei's expression immediately drooped. Her brows pulled down heavily, a look of pure disappointment spreading across her face.
There were simply far too many Mages in the Mage Council. Teleporting them all here at once would take a very long time.
So for now, Lorelei would have to find a way to help Viktor hold on a little longer.
Lorelei was completely bewildered. She grabbed the Natural Sparrow and held it up in front of her face:
"You're saying me? I'm the one who's supposed to help Viktor hold on?"
That place out there wasn't somewhere a person could walk into. Just how was she supposed to help him hold on?
Never mind her—whether Viktor himself could even last a full day was already a question in itself…right?
Suddenly, Lorelei blinked.
She saw Viktor weaving alone through the Calamities, unleashing high-tier Magic in an unbroken stream.
Formations assembled around him at terrifying speed. Countless patterns and Runes seemed to be carved by an invisible swarm of suspended giant hands.
All manner of differently-colored Magic Power exploded in overlapping succession. Boundless shockwaves of force endlessly swept across the entire sky and ocean surface.
Although Lorelei had witnessed many of the Magic spells Viktor used, still…
Lorelei: "……"
Was this man casting 4th-Tier Magic for free?
Even a 4th-Tier Mage could not cast 4th-Tier Magic as casually as eating or drinking.
Because the higher the tier of a spell, the more Magic Power and time it required.
Not only did it demand lengthy chanting, it also required drawing an increasingly complex Magic Formation.
So every extraordinarily high-tier Magic spell required an extended period of chanting before it could be released.
For an ordinary 4th-Tier Mage, having a handful of familiar 4th-Tier spells on hand was already more than enough.
And yet, in Lorelei's eyes—
Viktor's 4th-Tier Magic never repeated once.
Just where had he learned this many spells?
"So this is the strongest Council Member?"
Lorelei felt she finally understood what that phrase meant.
And yet…
She watched the colossal beasts rampaging and colliding far in the distance, bombarding the battlefield in all directions.
Elements in upheaval, heaven and earth reversed, the combatants clashing without any sign of fatigue.
Lorelei was completely lost.
Just how long was this going to go on?
But just then, a bolt of thunder suddenly plunged downward, driving deep into the sea.
Yellow-green lightning skittered across the ocean's surface in every direction.
The lightning sliced across the water, swift as a serpentine dragon cutting through a river. Its brilliant light scattered through the steam and spread into the air, dragging clouds of thunder with it, rushing straight toward Lorelei.
Her mind went blank in an instant. She snapped back immediately, moving to cast Magic in defense.
But it was painfully clear that by this point, it was far too late.
Damn it! At this level of thunder, taking that hit was certain death!
Her body shuddered violently. Even her muscles had lost control.
But at that exact moment, from behind her, a massive Bear-man arm shot out and seized the thunder in its iron grip.
As if simply catching lightning in its hand, the thunder trembled and convulsed—but the Bear-man's arm did not shift even slightly.
Helnersen stopped the thunder cold, just like that, holding it until every last flickering fragment of light stilled completely.
Lorelei floated behind the Bear-man, stunned into silence.
Helnersen crushed the thunder in his fist. A surge of yellow-green electric light passed through his body, sending the fur along his arms standing on end.
In that moment, Lorelei finally snapped back to reality.
Her clear eyes seemed to light up with 2 little hearts. A flush of pink spread across her face.
S—so cool!
Helnersen turned his head back. His steady gaze carried a faint chill as it glanced at Lorelei:
"If you have nothing else to do."
"Then do not cause trouble for me or the Lord."
She quickly waved her hands, launching into an explanation:
"I—I'm a Council Member! I'm very useful!"
"A Council Member?"
Helnersen turned his gaze back toward the battlefield ahead, crossing his arms. The lines of muscle across his body were sharply defined, like ridges of solid rock.
"I am quite familiar with how little Council Members' abilities are worth."
"Because we already have one at home."
Lorelei blinked:
"Huh?"
***
Beyond the battlefield, the ocean still swayed with its rolling tides, ships rocking atop the waves.
The crew sensed the atmosphere of the battlefield before them at impossibly close range. Their hearts hammered uncontrollably in their chests.
Were it not for the Duke's daughter still aboard the ship, what peace of mind they had left would be gone entirely.
The Captain would likely have already given the order to flee this stretch of ocean long ago.
Erika stood on the deck, still waiting in silence.
Every so often she tilted her head back, looking up at the sky.
The cloud layer above churned and rolled. It was as if some terrifying presence was locked in endless, relentless combat within.
Erika understood this clearly—because she could hear the sounds coming from within.
Yet she had never been able to understand why her father had brought her here.
Faced with a situation like this, there was nothing she could do.
At that moment, one of the crew members cried out loudly:
"The Duke—the Duke is back!"
Upon hearing news of her father, Erika could not help but feel a surge of delight.
A current of water rose from the ocean's surface, clinging to the ship's hull before beginning to writhe.
Water sprayed outward. A sturdy human silhouette gradually broke free from the current.
Livi returned to his original form, drenched from head to toe.
"Father!"
He saw Erika walking toward him. Before Erika could say another word, he spoke to her first, his expression earnest:
"Everything is ready, Erika."
Hearing this, Erika stopped where she stood, feeling somewhat puzzled.
But Livi reached out and placed a firm hand on Erika's shoulder, his eyes filled with expectation.
"Don't hesitate, my dear. Trust yourself."
"Just as Viktor said."
"Right now, he needs you."
***
High above, within the Mage Council.
Heim Horn, who had taken in every last detail of the scene, drew a long, deep breath.
Since the last time Viktor had come to the Council—compared to now—
He had grown even stronger still.
At this moment, Rashel looked toward him and could not help but speak up.
"It's time to make a decision, Heim."
What Rashel was asking about was naturally the Council's stance on this matter.
Seeing a sight like this, no one could remain calm.
And now, what was the Council going to do?
Provide support—or…
Remain silent, and simply watch as Viktor faced it alone.
As though turning it over in his mind, Heim Horn asked:
"Within this stretch of ocean—can a Mage's Magic be used normally?"
The Natural Sparrow nodded.
Because these 4 massive Elements had converged entirely within the Padalenbu Sea and simultaneously descended into upheaval.
And so, within this stretch of ocean, Magic that drew upon these 4 great Elements would actually grow even more powerful in effect.
Heim Horn narrowed his eyes and gave the order:
"Summon every Council Member in the vicinity of the Empire. Summon every Mage in the Council Hall."
"Activate Endymion's backup energy reserves. Open the Teleportation Formation—ensure the Formation lands the moment the battle begins."
"Location: the Padalenbu Sea. Front-facing battlefield, 100 kilometers out."
As the words fell, Heim Horn's body emanated a faint purple radiance, overflowing as auras in every direction.
Countless phantoms suddenly materialized from around his body.
His entire form began to blur gradually.
"Ah yes—don't forget to call that lazy dog Cocotte. As a former Council Member, she is equally obligated to help."
Countless phantoms surged outward from around Heim Horn's body in every direction.
"Lastly, don't forget to record this, Rashel."
The voices seemed to travel through crystal, layering completely on top of one another.
Yet it produced no chaos—on the contrary, it sounded ethereal and perfectly harmonious:
"This time, I want the entire world to see him."