Chapter 72: New World XXXIV

Chapter 72: New World XXXIV

"It was worth a try," Azrik nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders while eyeing Granz, who was getting up from her throne.

"Well then, please allow me a try as well," Granz pointed her bony palm toward the group and used a 9th-tier spell.

*Force Sanctuary*

A massive magic circle manifested before her palm, and in the next second, an expansive wave of concentrated Mana traveled toward the members of the Army of Death.

This was one of the weaker 9th-tier spells. It created a wave of concentrated Mana, which caused Bludgeoning damage to any target it struck.

The undead were particularly vulnerable to Bludgeoning damage due to their racial plenty, Bludgeoning Vulnerability V. This spell wasn't only effective against the undead but also against the living.

Some of the magic casters put up barriers to save themselves, and even the Night Liches were able to cast some protection spells, but all for naught.

Because *Force Sanctuary* was made of concentrated Mana, it could pass through any spells other than Super-tier magic.

All the barriers and protective spells put up were ineffective against it. And as soon as the wave struck them, it passed right through them, striking all the members of the Army of Death.

The spell changed almost all of the human members, except Clementine, due to her level and physical build, into a mush of blood and bones. Even the Night Liches weren't spared from it.

'Damn, she is way too powerful,' Xyris thought while looking at the dancing flames inside the hollow sockets of Granz.

"How is everyone doing?" Khajiit asked everyone while lowering the Jewel of Darkness. Before the wave struck him, Khajiit was able to use Negative Energy to create a small barrier to stop some of its effects, which saved some of the human core members of the Army of Death.

"We are fine," Wise-Wolf spoke while looking toward Granz with apprehension toward Granz apparent in his tone.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Attack her!" Khajiit shouted while pointing one of his hands toward Granz and chanting a spell.

After a second, many spells flew toward Granz, who kept standing there without making any preparations.

'Why isn't she moving? I understand that she is powerful, but tanking this many spells? I believe we may have underestimated our opponent.'

She remained unmoving as a plethora of spells struck her. With each impact, the flames in her eye sockets seemed to grow brighter. The members of the Army of Death felt despair at this scene.

As the barrage ended, Granz opened her mouth and began laughing in the same guttural tone.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! YOU REALLY THOUGHT SUCH LOW-LEVEL SPELLS WOULD BE ABLE TO KILL ME! HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

After a few seconds, she stopped laughing and spoke.

"I have gained an immunity against any spells lower than 8th-tier. Meaning, you can't kill or harm me."

In an instant, the shadows cast by her throne started to shift. Clementine materialized from the darkness and swiftly moved towards Granz, her weapon gleaming in a red light.

"Take this bitch! Fatal Strike!"

Granz merely turned around and struck Clementine with her palm. The attack was so powerful that it sent Clementine toward the wall on the far side of the cave.

She struck the wall, and everyone heard a sickening sound of cracking before Clementine coughed up some blood and fell to the ground.

"If you want to attack stealthily, then stop shouting like a banshee."

Granz spoke while turning toward the rest of the members of the Amry of Death. Observing Clementine's condition, they knew that she was out of commission.

Despite leveling up, she remained insignificant in the face of a Chimeric Undead capable of casting 9th-tier spells. In reality, no one in the cave was her match.

"Well, now that she is out of commission, why don't you all attack me one last time. Then I'll kill you all, and then I'll find your pitiful master and kill him as well."

Granz spoke with utter confidence in her tone.

"Yeah, good luck with that," Khajiit spoke as if mocking her.

"What was that, weakling?"

"I said, good luck with killing our master. He can kill you with a wave of his hand."

"Pfft! You expect me to buy into such absurdity? I possess the strength to take down a Dragon Lord, and you want me to believe that a mere undead, who sent lackeys to off me, could pose a threat?"

"Well, enough chit-chat. It's time for us to prove our undying loyalty to our lord," Xyris spoke while pointing his hand toward Granz, and a magic circle manifested before it.

All the other members also followed suit.

"Yes, attack me! So that you may understand,; how powerless you truly are!" Granz shouted while extending her arms on either side.

The same scene played out; many spells struck her bony body, yet none was able to harm her. Some of them were even in the 7th-tier.

"Hahahaha! Now, feel despair!" Granz pointed both her hands toward them and cast a spell.

*Maximize Magic: Mana Surge!*

An invisible wave traveled toward them, this time more powerful and faster than the previous 9th-tier spell.

It was so fast that none was able to put up any defenses. Before the wave could reach them, a powerful and masculine voice reverberated throughout the cavern.

"Hell Domain!"

A fiery domain formed around Granz, and its fiery walls absorbed the impact of the wave. This ability stemmed from its capacity to nullify spells, excluding those of Super-tier and 10th-tier magnitude.

'What?'

Before long, a man with grey skin, flowing white hair, golden glowing eyes, and horns manifested before her. He was Malachar, who had been observing their battles from afar using Mirror of Remote Viewing.

Granz was stunned after seeing her spell being nullified so easily.

"What the hell did you do?"

She asked in bewilderment. The sparks in her sockets dimmed for a second.

"I just used one of my skills. It can nullify any spell under the 10th-tier."

Malachar replied nonchalantly.

"What? But.."

"Let's finish this farce. I want to move on to the next part of the plan. And they have already proven their loyalty to me."

He spoke before pointing his finger toward her.

"As a thanks for being testing their loyalty. I'll show you the true peak of magic."

*Abyssal Vortex*

It was a 10th-tier spell, an upgraded version of *Black Hole*, an 8th-tier spell.

A massive black vortex manifested in the middle of the domain, and the surroundings seemed to lose color. Everything became dark grey.

Then, Granz felt a pull toward the vortex.

"NO!" She shouted and started using all kinds of spells to attack or escape the pull of the vortex.

*Greater Teleportation*

Even though she used a high-level spell, she was unable to escape the clutches of the vortex.

"The spell blocks any teleportation spells lower than 10th-tier."

Upon hearing his voice, Granz felt her legs tremble,; as the fear of death finally settled in.

'How long has it been since I last felt this fear?' She questioned herself: before being sucked into the vortex, which disappeared after devouring her body.

As it disappeared, the color returned to the world, and Malachar deactivated his skill.

"We welcome Lord Malachar and thank him for saving our lives!" As he turned toward the remaining members of the Army of Death, they all kneeled down.

"En, you have proven your loyalty even in the face of death. As agreed, I'll provide you with all the materials to master Necromancy. First, loot this place, then return to HQ and await my next orders."

"Understood, lord Malachar."

After that, Malachar silently teleported away from the cavern.

~Scene Change~

On the same night, when the Army of Death was preparing their attack on the HQ of the Corpus of the Abyss, a 15,000-strong army rested in a forest clearing.

A group was sitting around a campfire, joined by soldiers and fellow adventurer groups at various fires nearby. Their figures are illuminated by the dancing flames. Among them, Gazef seated silently, his face inscrutable as he fixated on the flickering light.

Distracted, he played with a vial containing red liquid, immersed in contemplation. It was a basic healing potion, a goodwill offering from Ramses, with Helios assuming the role of the character Ramses.

Helios provided Gazef with the potion to solidify the influence of Ramses' master in this world.

The plan was straightforward, relying on Gazef to consult an alchemist for an appraisal of the potion. Since potions in this world were typically blue, the alchemist's evaluation would reveal its potency to Gazef.

The members of the Blue Roses and the members of the adventurer team under Marquis Raeven sat around the campfire conversing with each other.

'I wonder where Sir Ramses is? He must have heard of the stampede by now.'

Gazef thought while looking at the vile containing red liquid.

'The alchemist who appraised it claimed this is an incredibly potent health potion. He offered a significant sum of gold, but how could I sell it? It's a gift from Sir Ramses.'

Thinking this, he put the vile back into his pouch and took some of the roasted meat from the fire.

'If Sir Ramses' master can make such a potion, surely he would be able to solve the stampede. Too bad he didn't give me a way to contact him.'

Gazed took a bite of the roasted meat with a downcast expression.

"What's wrong, Lord Gazef? You appear troubled." Lakyus asked Gazef.

"Nothing, in particular, Lady Lakyus. I was merely thinking about someone. Someone who might be able to help in this predicament." He answered while looking at Lakyus.

Gagaran, her face displaying curiosity, interjected with another question.

"And, who might that someone be?"

All eyes turned towards Gazef as the group around the campfire shifted their attention to him. Gazef began to speak, his voice carrying a hint of admiration and gratitude.

"That someone's name is Ramses. He is a formidable swordsman and a mage, even surpassing my own strength."

Everyone was shocked; not only was this Ramses a strong swordsman, but also a strong mage.

"Don't leave us hanging now. Tell us more about this Ramses guy."

With their interest piqued, the others intently listened as Gazef delved into his encounter with the War Demon.

"He was able to kill the captain of one of the scriptures of the Slane Theocracy- in one blow."

Once more, shock rippled through everyone. The scriptures of the Slane Theocracy held worldwide renown, making the feat of killing one of their captains a significant accomplishment.

"Can you describe the appearance of the captain?"

"Of course, Lady Lakyus."

Then Gazef went on to describe the captain, after which Lakyus had a pleased expression. Seeing this, Gazef inquired.

"It seems you know him."

"Indeed I do. His name is Nigun, the captain of the Sunlight Scripture. Our paths crossed a few times, and I attempted to eliminate him due to his senseless killings of innocents. Unfortunately, I never managed to land a decisive blow."

"Doesn't that mean that Ramses is even stronger than Lady Lakyus here?" Lockmeier, one of the members of the adventurer's team under Marquis Raven, bellowed out in shock. He had light brown hair, brown eyes, and a short stubble on his chin.

Everyone else's eyes were also fixated on Gazed for an answer.

"I would say so, and that is not even taking in his power as a mage. He used spells that I had never seen before. And that's not the only thing. After Nigun was defeated, we were attacked by a Demon."

Everyone had apprehensive looks on their faces now. Demons were considered powerful entities in the NW.

"The Demon called himself the War Demon and was very powerful. Even I was powerless against him. But Sir Ramses was able to kill him with apparent ease."

"Holy hell, this Ramses seems like a strong person," Gagaran spoke with a shocked face.

"I agree; I have never heard of a Demon known as War Demon. But I can guess his power from the information Gazef has given."

"Was he the reason for the stampede?" Lakyus asked Evileye because she knew the most about it.

"I doubt it; if he were the reason, then after his death, the monsters should have gone back to their habitats. There seems to be someone else who is responsible for this."

Evileye answered after a bit of contemplation.

"I think I know the reason for this. Before dying, the Demon said something about a Dark Lord and how he was about to awaken. We now know that the stampede is most likely caused by someone strong appearing in the Forest of Tob. Maybe the Dark Lord is the one to blame for the stampede."

After some more discussion, everyone went to sleep. Everyone except for Evileye, who was on night watch.

'Ramses, a strong swordsman, and a powerful mage. He reminds me of the captain of the Thirteen Heroes. There might be a chance that he is one of the Puhlayers.'

~Sigh~

"My Dear~," Elara responded in a flirtatious tone, "Aura reached out to me regarding a few monsters she encountered that fit your description." Felicity, maintaining a composed expression on the surface, narrowed her eyes.

"Onee-san, you're in the presence of our Master. Please exercise some restraint," Felicity remarked casually. While her outward demeanor remained stoic, internally, she couldn't contain her excitement.

'Take that, Onee-san. You are always reprimanding us on how to act in our Master's presence. Yet, you failed to adhere to your teachings.'

Elara raised her brow and casually replied.

"Ara~ It seems some teaching is needed. Why don't you come to my house tonight, Fee-Fee? I would love to tell you the reason for my behavior."

She kept a calm front while an ethereal fire burned behind her. Seeing this, Felicity flinched a bit and moved behind Helios.

"Hahahahaha! Stop bullying her, Elara. Now, tell me what did Aura tell you."

Helios responded with a cheerful tone and proceeded to enjoy his coffee.

"Sure, dear~ She told me that she had found the lair of the Giant of the East and Demon Snake of the West. And that the Wise King of the Forest has already been captured. Aura and Fen-chan are awaiting your orders on what to do with them."

'I am getting bored in this place. Let's go and have some fun. It has been a while since I hung out with Elara, as well.'

Helios put down his cup and replied.

"Why don't we go on an excursion. It's been a while since I've witnessed your skills in action. How about you and I handle them personally?"

Stars were practically shining in her eyes when she heard Helios' words.

"I would love that!"

"Then, let's go. And don't be sad, Felicity. I'll take you with me in the future, I promise."

Helios stood up and started to pat Felicity on her head.

~Scene Change~

At the entrance of a cave nestled on the side of a small hill, enveloped by a vibrant and dense forest, Aura and Fenris stood side by side.

Suddenly, a purple portal unfolded, and Elara and Helios emerged from it.

"Welcome, lord Helios," Aura spoke as she courtly bowed.

"Hey, Daddy!" Fenris ran toward him and started scratching her face against his.

"At ease, Aura."

He replied while happily scratching Fenris's head and neck. Elara, who latched herself to one of Helios' arms, glared toward Fenris.

"Have you forgotten your elder sister, Fen-chan?"

"Of course not!"

She then stopped scratching her face and turned back into her humanoid form.

"Well, we can talk later. Let's go inside and have some fun."

Helios spoke while slowly moving toward the cave's entrance. He was using his Elementalist variant.

As they entered the cave, Fenris closed her nose and made a disgusted expression due to the stench in the environment.

"Such bad smell."

"I agree."

Both Aura and Fenris complained while making a disgusted face.

Helios agreed because the stench was quite potent.

"Let's fix that,"

*5th-tier magic: Arial Doom*

A circle formed beneath them, and moments later, an invisible doom of air appeared around them.

This was one of Helios' newest creations after coming to the NW during his study and experimentation with the Yggdrasil's magic system.

'Hmm, the spell seems to work fine, even after I swapped most of the runes with the runes from my past life. This is a great breakthrough in the creation of the new magic system.'

The spell's effect was to create an invisible doom made of air, which would stop any particle or air from outside from coming inside.

The doom was mobile, and its position could be changed by the caster's will.

Due to its numerous properties, the spell was classified as a 5th-tier spell. However, if Helios were to render it immobile and impose certain restrictions, such as preventing the caster from casting other spells during its activation, requiring a continuous supply of magic power from the caster rather than from its surroundings, and other similar limitations, its tier would decrease to the 2nd-tier.

After studying the magic system of Yggdrasil, Helios came to the conclusion that the tier of a spell was decided on two main points;

The amount of limitations imposed. The greater the limitations, the lower the tier would be.

The number of instructions or runes. The greater the number, the higher the tier.

Shaking away these thoughts, he turned toward Fenris and Aura and patted their heads.

"Is it fine now?"

"Yup!"

Both of them replied, and then they continued their journey. After a few minutes of traveling, they found themselves in a clearing where blue trolls were feasting on goblins, with scattered bones around them.

Helios turned his head toward Elara and spoke.

"Well, you are on. Leave one of the alive, and kill the rest."

"With pleasure, dear~."

She spoke in her signature flirtatious tone and pointed her staff towards the trolls.

Her staff was a Divine Class item known as Solaris Stave. It could remove the casting time of higher-tier spells, reduce the cost of nature spells, and improve their effectiveness by removing RNG and augmenting them.

*5th-tier magic: Floral Explosion*

A magic circle manifested before the gem of the staff before vanishing moments later, and flowers of different kinds began to bloom on the very skin of the 3 of 4 trolls.

And before they could react, the flowers exploded, completely destroying the trolls' bodies.

"Nice work," Helios spoke while looking at the now shocked and scared troll, whose friends were just decimated.

"Hey, you!" Helios shouted a little bit to get the attention of the troll.

"You no normal human," The troll spoke in a broken language.

"At least you have enough brain power to discern that."

Helios replied in a mocking tone before continuing.

"Now, be a good troll and inform your leader about us."

He then smiled most charmingly.

The troll didn't reply and ran off into the depths of the cave.

"We should also get a move on," Saying this, they continued their journey. During this, Helios asked Aura some of the questions about her mission.

"So, Aura, did you find any monster above level 60?" Because this world was an AU, there was a chance for powerful monsters.

"Unfortunately, I found no information, my Lord. However, I was able to gather details about several Dragon Lords in the forest and its surroundings."

"Tell me about them."

"There is one called the Catastrophe Dragon Lord, and according to many monsters in the forest, he is about to resurrect in the near future. Other than him, some frost dragons are living up in the mountains."

'Hmm, the Catastrophe Dragon Lord, huh? The Black Scripture was traveling toward the Great Forest of Tob to capture him when they encountered Shalltear in the original. If the Slane Theocracy refers to it as a Dragon Lord, he may possess the ability to use Wild Magic.'

Even though Wild Magic users resisted the effects of World Items, it didn't mean that a caster able to Wild Magic cannot be affected by World Items.

In order to resist the effects of World Items, Wild Magic spells must be used. Otherwise, World Items can still affect the caster.

'I had not studied Wild Magic because I do not know its essence. But, I think it is the most common type of magic, the Imaginative Magic System.'

It is different from Yggdrasil's magic system because, in Yggdrasil's magic system, the caster would need to remember magic circles to cast a spell.

And if someone wanted to create a new spell, they need to understand how individual runes interact with their surroundings. Basically, it required a lot of studying and experimentation.

The Imaginative Magic System bestows upon its caster the power to manifest any desired effect, contingent upon payment of the requisite cost. Unlike other magical systems, there is no prerequisite study of the magic principles involved. Instead, the caster can bring forth the envisioned outcome by simply imagining it and fulfilling the corresponding cost.

Of course, it is not so simple; one must clearly think about the effect they want to create to bring the price of the spell down.

'I need to get my hands on Wild Magic as soon as possible. I think a visit to the Platinum Dragon Lord is in order.'

BAM

BAM

Helios was brought out of his thinking by the sounds of the thumping footsteps, and a green-colored war troll appeared at the far end of the path, which led to the deeper parts of the cave.

'Well, at least he is the same as the original.'

Helios thought while observing the approaching troll.

"Human! Why are you here?!" The troll asked Helios in a deep tone.

"I am more than a simple human."

"Then what are you? I, the mighty ruler of the Eastern Forest, Guu, allow you to state your race?"

"I don't need to let a weakling like you my race. But, I shall grant you the honor of knowing my name. My name is Helios Vortum, one of the supreme beings and leader of the Great Tomb of Nazarick."

Hearing his name, Gu and the rest of his lackeys began to laugh.

"Hahahaha. Unlike my powerful name, yours is that of a coward."

"You dar--" Fenris was about to pounce on him and rip him to shreds.

"Cowa--" There was also a cruel glint in Elara's eyes as she held out her staff, pointing toward Gu.

"Di--" Aura was also about to kill him.

But before anyone could take action, Helios stopped them.

"Calm yourselves. During your journey to the top, you will find a lot of these kinds of guys. And the best and most satisfying way to deal with them is to break their belief."

Helios spoke while having a mocking expression on his face.

"For example, his belief is that long names are cowardly and weak while short names are courageous and strong. So tell me, what would be the most satisfying way to shatter his belief?"

"OH! OH! I know! I know!" Fenris distanced herself from Helios a bit and shouted in a cheery tone while flailing her arms above her head.

Helios looked toward her and nodded his head.

"If Daddy defeats him, it would break his belief."

She replied in the same tone.

"Correct answer," Helios replied while patting her head.

"Well then, let's break his belief."

Helios had an eerie smile while he spoke.

He stopped hugging Elara, moved closer to Gu, and spoke while pointing toward him.

"So, why have you come here, weakling?"

"I am making an army of monsters and would like to subjugate your kind."

Helios replied calmly. But hearing his reply, all the trolls stopped laughing.

"So it's you! You are the one who is taking over the forest!" Gu shouted with anger and irritation apparent in his tone.

"Well, if you want to put it that way, then sure. Yes, I am the one who is taking over the forest, and it's time for me to take over your kind as well."

To Be Continued...

A/N: So this chapter was supposed to be uploaded yesterday, yet I failed to complete it in time. And another thing is that I would now upload weekly chapters instead of daily chapters. Their size would also be greater than this one.

Also, because there are too many NPCs and characters, I would add ~Side Story~ to write about Slice of Life and interactions between characters.

Now, gift me powerstones.