Advent of the Archmage

Ferde, Scorched City

While Link and Saroviny were fighting to the death in the South, Scorched City was also facing its own strong enemy.

Boom! At least eight Silver Storm Sparrows appeared in the bay. The magic seals on the High Elf warships started wildly attacking the magic defense above Scorched City.

Their cannons were abnormally intense. Each attack reached Level-8, and the attacks were consecutive and endless. The defense barrier over Scorched City shook without stop. The Mage Tower had to use a great amount of energy to maintain stability.

“Sir, it’s getting there. The Ferde Mage Tower Mana output is already at its limit. Now, they need to activate auxiliary Mage Towers to activate the Divine Punishment magic seal. It will take two minutes!”

Lava Knight Razer nodded. He knew because these two minutes was the time he could operate safely. If he surpassed that time and faced the Divine Punishment’s attack, he would be in extreme danger. He might even die.

Jumping from the deck of the Silver Storm Sparrow, he walked in the water, steps as light as a breeze. Less than three seconds later, he’d crossed thousands of feet. Outside Scorched City’s magic shield, he unsheathed his sword and lightly scratched the shield. A six-foot-wide hole appeared in the thick wall-like shield.

The power around this hole vibrated. It tried to close the hole, but faint black flames burned quietly inside it, swallowing the magic power that converged here.

Due to the black flames, the hole was still shrinking, but the time allowed Razer to easily cross through.

Jumping in, Razer entered the business area of Scorched City. It was the wealthiest part of the city and developed alongside the pier. Due to the High Elves’ sudden attack, all the residents were hiding. The streets were empty.

This area had its own independent Mage Tower. When battles occurred, it also had its own small-scale shield. This shield was special. It was unlike the dome shield that covered the entire city. Instead, it stuck closely to the buildings.

Due to this shield, all the buildings in the city shone with shimmering light. It looked plain at a glance, but at closer inspection, one could see countless runes forming a sea of stars on the walls.

Not only was it beautiful, but it was also very powerful. With its protection, no spells below the Legendary level could damage the buildings at all. Even if it were Legendary power, they could defend against the shockwaves too.

This shield ensured that the residents of Scorched City wouldn’t get affected by the shockwaves of a large scale war.

Razer entered the area. Seeing the clean streets and dense but organized buildings, forming a scene multiple times fancier than the High Elf royal capital, he couldn’t help but praise it in his mind. I heard this city started off as a wilderness and reached this point within seven years. The Ferde lord is quite skilled.

Of course, this didn’t stop him from acting mercilessly. He was Hellfire. He would grind his enemy into powder without hesitation!

Time was tight; he obviously wasn’t in the mood to appreciate the scenery. After scanning the streets, he rushed towards the core Mage Tower in the distance.

He didn’t fly. It wasn’t that he couldn’t. It was just too dangerous.

He could feel countless eyes locking onto his location. They could attack him at any time. If he flew, he would definitely be blasted by countless attacks. Even if he could fend them off, he would still look pathetic. Running on the ground, he could adjust flexibly and make the enemy hesitate in activating a large scale attack.

On the street, his body was like a ball of shadows. His agility stole one’s breath; his speed chilled one’s blood.

In the core Mage Tower at the heart of Scorched City, Eliard, Evelina, Milose, and Elovan were each in charge of one part of the tower. They all discovered Razer. They watched his every move and were all terrified!

“He’s very fast. Judging from his aura, he must be at the peak of Level-16!” Eliard had fought with Level-15 Lava Knight Mozur before. The intruder’s power waves were stronger than Mozur’s, so he must be over Level-15. The High Elves had brought this nameless man, so he must be from Aragu. Eliard knew that in Aragu, the most powerful mortals were at Level-16, so this man must be at that level.

With that, the other three were all shocked. Of the four, Eliard was the strongest at the pinnacle of Level-11. Next was Evelina at the beginning of Level-11. Milose and Elovan were at the pinnacle of Level-10.

They were the peak of Firuman, but if they were to face a Level-16 figure, it would be like an ant against an elephant. They didn’t even dare to think about it.

Eliard felt their emotions and immediately said, “Don’t worry. We still have the Mage Tower. Our Divine Punishment protocol can send Level-19 attacks. He won’t be able to take it!”

“The Divine Punishment protocol still needs one minute and 37 seconds,” Lily reported.

Evelina gasped. “The attacks from the Silver Storm Sparrows outside the bay are at least three times stronger than usual!” she yelped. “They must’ve been modified. Now, there are eight ships attacking the shield at once, forcing us to strengthen our shield… This is a well-planned attack. The High Elves know everything about our power.”

After she said this, everyone understood that this minute would be the most dangerous moment of the battle. If they couldn’t grasp it, Scorched City would literally be scorched. The top human magic city created by so many people’s blood, sweat, and tears would be demolished!

But if they didn’t have the Divine Punishment protocol, how could they block a Level-16 enemy?

“Let’s give up the outer barrier,” Milose suddenly said. “Then we can instantly finish recharging the Divine Punishment protocol!”

This time, the Divine Punishment protocol became flawed because the High Elves used an attack that surpassed the city’s defense limit. Under this extreme situation, they were forced to activate the Mana storage to strengthen the shield. This contained the reserve for the Divine Punishment protocol.

In addition, they were spread too thin. Scorched City now spread more than ten miles in diameter. A shield that covered this area needed an unimaginable amount of power. If they gave up a portion, they would instantly receive a lot of Mana.

This suggestion made the other three Legendary Magicians sink into silence.

If they gave up on the outer city and activated the ultimate defense, they should be able to defeat the Level-16 enemy. However, the outer city would be flattened by the Silver Storm Sparrows. The tens of thousands of residents there would be dead too.

If they did this, all the years of effort would be gone. All of Scorched City’s prosperity would be over. No one would dare to live here again after this disaster.

But if they didn’t do this, their core Mage Tower would be destroyed by the enemy. Ferde would be even more completely destroyed.

Logic told them to give up on the outer city. Like a lizard breaking off its tail, it was a great loss, but there was still hope for recovery. If the core Mage Tower was destroyed, all the Magicians inside would die. The books accumulated over the years would be lost. Hope for the rise of humans would vanish as well.

Thus, giving up was the best choice.

But they would kill tens of thousands of people… Eliard, Evelina, and Elovan all sank into silence. This choice was too heavy and asphyxiating.

In the magic mirror, the Level-16 enemy was already two miles from the core Mage Tower. Sunlight Warriors performed suicidal attacks, and all the auxiliary Mage Towers were putting their all into stopping him.

These attacks were unable to hurt the Warrior at all. They were able to slightly delay him though… But it wasn’t enough to delay him for one minute.

They must act now!

Three seconds later, Evelina said, “Eliard…”

She couldn’t continue. It felt like something was in her throat, choking her. Her eyes felt hot; tears were about to fall down.

She’d stayed in Ferde for almost three years. She had given all her enthusiasm to this city, watching it develop, strengthen, and prosper bit by bit. Here, she’d found her true love. This was her soul’s home now.

How could she destroy it with her own hands?

Milose and Elovan didn’t have as deep of feelings, but they didn’t feel well either. Compared to the rigid Isle of Dawn, they lived comfortably in Ferde.

Right now, they were Master Magicians. Even Link couldn’t force them to do anything; he respected them instead. Their one word could decide the fates of countless people in the city. The atmosphere here was extremely relaxed. They would be compensated as long as they invested.

In other words, this city was their heaven.

They were silent.

Two seconds passed in silence. The strong enemy traveled another half a mile. There was only around one mile left. They couldn’t waste any more time.

Eliard finally spoke. “Give up the outer city and transfer the power. Recharge the Divine Punishment protocol!”

His voice shook. After deciding, he was in a daze. Only one thought was in his mind. How can I tell Link?

Link had given him the responsibility for this city, and yet he’d chosen to destroy it…

But then, Evelina’s voice rang out. “Lily, Master Magician S Authority, stop the order!”

The Mana transfer that had just started now stopped abruptly. “Eve?!” Eliard accused loudly in shock. He almost suspected Evelina was the High Elf spy!

“Look, the man stopped!” Evelina exclaimed. “It’s Nana!”

In the mirror, magic puppet Nana stood at the top of a bell tower. She only stood there, yet the Level-16 Warrior came to a halt.