17 - Scientific Magic

Could it be that all our efforts have been in vain?

Under the watchful gaze of Buck, a shower of Fireball soon rained down upon the guards.

—Sanctified Word: [Shield]

After breaking free from the effects of the [Soul Wail], Aaron immediately cast a protective divine spell.

A pure white shield materialized in the void, and the scattered Fireball dots began corroding it, leaving behind small craters.

Is this the power a weakened magical residue possesses, even reducing its strength by a hundredfold? (they are comparing between scattered fire and concentrated fire)

If the giant fireball had hit him directly earlier, Aaron was sure he wouldn't have been able to stop it!

Just as he marveled, a series of shrill and agonizing screams echoed through the castle. Aaron turned to look, and he was left dumbfounded in place.

Compared to the priests who practiced divine magic, the guards had yet to recover from the shock of the [Soul Wail], and tiny Fireball dots were already sticking to their armor, shields, crossbows, and exposed limbs and faces.

The horror of white phosphorus fire was soon revealed in the next moment. The faint flames, upon contact with the material, rapidly spread. Leather shoulder pads and gloves were burned through with gaping holes. The yellowish-white flames, as if attracted to flesh and blood, directly penetrated the skin beneath.

"Ah!" A shieldbearer frantically beat at his chest, trying to extinguish the spreading white phosphorus flames. However, the result of his actions was that his arm also ignited, and in a matter of a few breaths, half of his body had turned into a torch...

His companions fared even worse. Tiny flames fell directly into the gaps in their armor. The thousand-degree heat caused them to scream in agony, and they forcibly tore off their armor, then thrust their hands into their bodies, only to pull out a bloody, flaming chunk of meat...

Flesh and corpses were the best nourishment for white phosphorus flames, and the fire quickly spread.

A burning sea of fire, billowing white smoke, and grotesque, terrifying soldiers; this scene was as if hell had descended to the mortal world...

"Devils, this must be the power of devils, flames from hell!"

The terrifying sight completely shattered the elite guards of Nordland Land, and the magic spell [Fear Nullification] had lost all effect. A priest who had managed to avoid the flames' onslaught screamed himself hoarse, threw away his staff, and fled without looking back...

Jenny and the others, who were equally stunned, almost forgot Lynn's advice to hold their breath and use magic to extract oxygen from the air.

"What kind of magic is this?" Buck shivered deeply. Just getting a little closer, he could feel the pain as if his bone marrow were burning.

"This is Fireball Magic. You guys don't know it? I just made a slight modification!" Lynn noticed the astonished looks on everyone's faces and explained.

This is considered a slight modification?

Buck's expression became quite strange, as he thought Lynn's understanding of the term might be different from his own.

Jenny, on the other hand, was beginning to suspect if Lynn had already broken through the heavy barriers and become a full-fledged wizard.

But Lynn had only been exposed to magic for half a year, and that seemed a bit too exaggerated... Plus, their teacher Kora had always been destitute, so where would he get the money to purchase a source of magical power?

Compared to the intricate thoughts of Jenny and Buck, Barton's ideas were straightforward. He realized that when these apprentice wizards united, they could be so powerful! Barton even believed that, if they all worked together, facing the Church's pursuit might not be as difficult as they thought.

Just as he was thinking this, a dazzling white light appeared in the distance, breaking through the flames' barriers and heading toward the group of wizard apprentices.

Distracted, Barton only saw his brother, Buck, urgently opening his mouth to say something, and then he felt as if a powerful force had slammed into his body. His frail form was torn apart in mid-air, somersaulting several times, and then he plummeted to the ground, becoming lifeless in an instant.

The sudden turn of events left Jenny and the others with frozen expressions. Buck's face contorted gradually, and he shouted hoarsely.

"No, Barton!"

Lynn acted as soon as the white light appeared. Twelve Magic Missiles circled around him, drawing eerie, curved arcs in the air as they shot toward the end of the corridor.

In the end, over a dozen Magic Missiles were blocked by an invisible wall, and all they could see were the ripples when they collided.

Lynn's heart sank instantly, his gaze fixed on the other end of the sea of flames. He understood that the person he had been waiting for had finally arrived, and their strength exceeded his wildest expectations.

Suddenly, a melodious hymn resounded within the castle, and an invisible power gradually enveloped the whole area, causing a light rain to fall even within the enclosed indoors.

This was the Third-tier Divine Magic - [Song of Life]

The green raindrops contained an incredibly potent divine power, gradually suppressing the hellish flames.

The unrelenting and nearly all-consuming white phosphorus fire rapidly subsided, and Archbishop Anluke, dressed in a white and gilded robe, walked in at a leisurely pace.

"Your Grace!"

Aaron, who had escaped the Fireball's coverage by luck, shouted excitedly, though his words concealed a hint of resentment and hatred.

The timing of Anluke's appearance was so clever that Aaron couldn't help but suspect that this Archbishop had been watching them all along.

Clearly, he and the elite guards of Nordland Land were nothing more than tools for testing the opponent's strength and trump cards!

Aaron's heart grew ice-cold halfway through, understanding that after this incident concluded, he, as the on-site commander, would undoubtedly face severe punishment.

Anluke paid no attention to Aaron and surveyed the ground strewn with casualties, and the guards whose wills had been completely shattered. Then, his pupils contracted. Because the flames that had been extinguished once were showing signs of reigniting immediately after the Divine Magic [Song of Life] had ended.

This was white phosphorus fire; as long as there was still oxygen in the air and something to burn, it would not stop!

After Lynn's feigned Magic Missile attack failed, he chose without hesitation.

"Do not linger, retreat!"

The giant fireball he had prepared, with a casting time exceeding five seconds, had consumed most of the white phosphorus he had created. The remaining amount was insufficient to defeat the Archbishop, who was now unleashing powerful divine magic.

Jenny and Dove also understood the terror of Anluke. Despite their deep sorrow for Barton's death, they knew that at this moment, the only chance for survival was to escape.

But Buck, who had lost his younger brother, had gone mad. He roared with anger, picking up a relatively intact guard's corpse from the ground as a shield and charged toward Anluke.

TL/n - 

There is one notable incident that occurred during the Iraq War in 2005 when U.S. forces used white phosphorus in Fallujah.

White phosphorus is a chemical substance that ignites upon exposure to oxygen and can cause severe burns.