Chapter 47 Summoning
"Sargim's Avalanche Spell!"
Almost no additional arcane knowledge was needed to discern, Panini immediately recognized the name of this spell—because there was only one spell capable of conjuring an avalanche on flat ground. Even if it wasn't precisely that spell, it was close enough. Before he could react in time, he was engulfed by the snow waves, plunging him into a moment of utter darkness.
A wave of fear surged through him as he was enveloped in this torrent. Even the calmest heart would beat hundreds of times in an instant in such a situation. The sensation of blood rushing to his head almost made him faint. Yet, he knew he couldn't afford to lose consciousness. If he collided with a tree or boulder at this high speed, it could result in anything from a fracture to his brain matter splattering!
Despite Panini's efforts to remain alert, a stout tree approaching rapidly from over thirty meters away reminded him that a fatal end was not far off. He reached out desperately to push it away, palms pressing against the trunk, only to hear a distinct crack of his arm bones. Panini winced in agony, his vision darkening, unable to prevent the impending collision of his head with the tree trunk.
He closed his eyes—though in truth, even if he hadn't, he wouldn't have seen anything due to his eyes being bloodshot—waiting only to hear the crunching sound of impact, and then wherever he was headed next. There were no superfluous thoughts of utility or futility before death in this life or the last.
However, after a moment of intense pain in his skull and neck, there was no anticipated sound of shattering. The trunk was much softer than he had imagined, and it seemed his body was also supported by two sturdy branches. As the abundant snow rolled over him and gradually calmed, he was filled with both relief and confusion. Suddenly, he heard a weak cough above his head, and felt a warm dampness on his neck. Lifting his head, he saw the pale face of the holy warrior, coughing blood profusely, which made him realize why he hadn't met his end.
If there had not been a soft cushioning layer between the hard tree and his head, the likelihood of survival would have been significantly reduced. Clearly, Panini was fortunate.
The two branches supporting him, preventing him from being swept away by the snow waves, were the slender yet resilient arms of Sela.
However, enduring such an impact and pressure head-on, the holy warrior lacked the constitution of a construct or the physique of a ferocious creature, and it was evident that he could not withstand it. Panini strained his neck, which had cramped from the impact, to lift his head from the shattered scales on Sela's chest, only to feel an abnormal frequency of movement there, indicating that many ribs were broken.
"You..." Panini opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but his mind was completely blank.
Cough...
The holy warrior's arms hung limply, and Panini's body slipped to the ground. Sela's throat convulsed twice, vomiting a mouthful of blood, like pouring water from a large pitcher, except that the color of the liquid was a dark crimson.
A gust of wind blew, and she fell to the ground, like a bamboo pole toppled by the wind.
"May Tyr protect..." The holy warrior barely raised one arm, divine radiance emanating from the blood-stained holy emblem on his chest, gradually filling his slightly sunken chest. Panini sighed with relief, then asked, "Are you alright?"
"I... I'm fine," Sela replied as she sat up, her complexion still pale, traces of blood still trickling from the corners of her mouth. Despite the severity of her injuries, although daily sanctification could sustain her life, it was impossible to completely heal the internal organs from the shock they had endured. The treatment could only go this far. She moved closer to Panini, trembling, clasping her hands together, and began to pray for divine intervention. A gentle light illuminated Panini's body, and a warm current flowed into his fractured arms, instantly restoring sensation to the numb bones.
This healing spell was not as potent as the divine healing arts; it could not mend broken bones. However, it effectively realigned tendons and bones while clearing away congestion. Although Panini gritted his teeth in agony with each wave of pain, he understood that feeling nothing would only worsen the situation.
"I... I'm sorry, Mr. Sean, this is all I can do," Sela said weakly after completing the spell, wiping the blood from her mouth, looking visibly drained.
Panini struggled to sit up, the muscles around his just-healed arm bones sore once again. With a faint smile towards the holy warrior, he uttered, "Thank you."
"No need for thanks... cough, Mr. Sean, you... have also saved my life," Sela managed to utter these words with difficulty, taking a couple of breaths before standing up again. She then dragged Panini, who was lost in thought, to the side of a tree, leaning against it and gasping for breath. "Mr. Sean, are you truly a Scarlet Robe Mage?"
"Yes," Panini nodded without adding any unnecessary words. In his view, this identity was nothing to be ashamed of.
Comrades who had crossed into other worlds could endure identities such as servants, thugs, rogues, plebeians, menial laborers, brainless scions, worthless offspring, terrorists, or even transgender individuals. Compared to these, Panini was merely a prospective civil servant of a rogue regime. This status was certainly more respectable than those titles.
However, ordinary Ferrans evidently did not share this sentiment. For instance, Sela, upon seeing that Panini showed no intention of explaining, lowered her head with a hint of frustration. "But Mr. Sean doesn't seem like a Scarlet Robe Mage at all..."
"And what do you think a Scarlet Robe Mage should look like?" Panini inquired.
"Well..." Sela hesitated for a moment before raising her head. "Like those from that day. But, Mr. Sean defeated them. Could it be..."
At this point, a glint appeared in Sela's eyes, but Panini shook his head. "It's unrelated to notions of justice or evil. The Scarlet Robe Mages are merely a political organization, comprised of various individuals. Even within the Lethman Witch Association, which has a much better reputation than us, there are those who have fallen from grace."
Sela hesitated for a moment, unable to refute this statement. Even in the Church of Tyr, there were blasphemous priests and fallen holy warriors, their names littered across the profaned scriptures.
So, it wasn't surprising that a good person like Mr. Sean appeared in the Scarlet Robe Mage Association. With this thought in mind, although Sela still couldn't shake off her doubts entirely, she became more steadfast in her belief: Mr. Sean was a good person, and his presence in the Scarlet Robe Mage Association must have a reason.
However, she didn't know that the reason was rather mundane - for power. If she knew, she would surely be disappointed.
After panting for a while, feeling a slight recovery in his strength, Panini stood up against the back of the tree that had nearly taken his life. "The enemy may be nearby, hunting down the vulnerable. We are both injured now, and if we encounter them, it will be difficult to cope. Let's go find the people from the Witch Association."
It was an unavoidable choice. He couldn't cast any spells at the moment - because of hand gestures.
Sela rose to her feet, supporting Panini, and they began to walk toward the small village, stumbling through the snow-covered forest. However, they couldn't find any traces of the village - it seemed to be buried under the snow. They could only wander in the woods. Panini's intuition suddenly grew restless, as if something sinister was about to happen. Meanwhile, at the other end of the soul link, he had no idea where the disobedient familiar had gone. With no response to his calls, he became even more vexed.
While walking, the holy warrior suddenly inquired, "Mr. Sean, who do you think attacked us?"
"Perhaps the Zealot Church, the Scarlet Robe Mages, or perhaps both combined." Panini pondered for a moment before responding. "Engaging in conversation might alleviate some of the restlessness," he thought.
"But from the information we have, it seems contradictory. You see, the Zealot Church has members who are Scarlet Robe Mages, yet they have been constantly attacking the Scarlet Robe Mage Association... They have also been stirring up trouble in the internal conflicts of Leisemann. What exactly is going on?" Sela furrowed her brow. As a diligent warrior, she had little talent for processing information. "It seems to be full of contradictions," she remarked.
"If you knew that the Scarlet Robe Mage Association is internally divided into two factions currently engaged in vigorous conflict, you probably wouldn't have such thoughts." Panini smirked. "In the Eastern Expanse, if you delve into the causes of any turmoil, most can be traced back to internal strife within the Scarlet Robe Mage Association."
"Oh?" Sela's mouth fell open. Though she knew the robes of Sael weren't united, hearing such words from an insider made her feel particularly uneasy. "How can such an organization exist for so long?"
This question prompted Panini to pause. He hadn't really thought about it before. Now, reflecting on it, the fact that a regime rife with internal contradictions had stood for over four hundred years in the face of enemies on all sides was truly a miracle.
"Are you suggesting that some members within the Scarlet Robe Association are using the Zealots to target their political adversaries? And that the actions in Leisemann are also for some political purpose?" After a moment of reflection, Sela asked again.
Panini glanced in astonishment at the pensive profile of the female holy warrior, surprised by her swift response, which aligned closely with his own thoughts. "It seems that way," he said with a sigh, increasingly aware of the enigmatic nature of Chancellor Janus's task assignments.
My dear mentor, to which faction do you seek to draw me? Or perhaps you're testing this lazy fellow with this absurd mission? In any case, Panini, feeling himself caught in a whirlwind, began to feel a headache coming on. "I should never have come here," he lamented.
Sela cast a perplexed glance at Panini, when suddenly a voice rang out from behind them in the air. "Indeed, Mr. Mage, you really shouldn't have come here at this time."
Panini and Sela quickly turned around, only to see a massive surge of magical energy flying towards them from above. Sela cried out, "Be careful!" as she raised her sword to shield Panini, but the onslaught of magical energy struck her in an instant. Her body spun and knocked Panini to the ground. Panini felt pain coursing through his entire body, yet he managed to open his eyes and saw six Scarlet Robe Mages slowly descending to the ground. The mage in the center wore a red robe with a white lace hem. Panini's pupils contracted slightly, and he instinctively attempted to clench his fists, but the fractured bones made him grimace in pain. The tension in his nerves seemed to dissipate suddenly.
"Oh, do not be agitated. From a rational perspective, you basically have no chance left, so it is better not to exert too much effort," smiled Mentor Enzu, as he gazed cheerfully at Panini on the ground. "May I know your esteemed surname?"
Panini nearly blurted out a retort upon seeing the holy warrior lying before him, life hanging by a thread. Fortunately, he remembered the importance of stalling for time. While exerting effort to summon the disobedient but potentially lifesaving entity through the layers of dimensions, he replied casually, "I am Nimitz Buffet, hailing from the Dragon Bay."
"Does the Mage Guild of the Dragon Bay speak the standard dialect of Sael? Should I assume that you are doing so for the sake of communication with us?" chuckled Mentor Enzu. Panini felt a chaotic turmoil through the link in his mind, growing increasingly restless, his countenance shifting unpredictably.
"Mentor, it would be wise to refrain from excessive verbosity before incapacitating the enemy, as noted in some of the tomes within our association," interjected an apprentice named Morda, stepping forward respectfully.
"Indeed, Morda, indeed. This is indeed the style of our Scarlet Robe Mage Guild," nodded Mentor Enzu, turning his attention to Panini with mild disinterest. Though he found the prospect of personally committing such an act of murder distasteful, if it were to fall into the hands of internal political adversaries within the guild, even the expenditure of thousands of magical resources would not suffice to offset the losses. Thus, caution was always prudent.
With a wave of his hands and the intonation of an incantation, he began to cast his spell.
From this perspective, their antagonists seem to have done passably well, at least without succumbing to the pernicious habit of tormenting the protagonist in a manner reminiscent of certain novels' antagonistic bosses. However, this is clearly unwelcome news for Panini. Just then, Panini distinctly felt a strong signal emanating from the other end of the soul chain!
"Come out!" Panini shouted loudly, startling several Scarlet Robe Mages who were casting spells as they suddenly saw a vast crimson flash erupting from Panini's center.
"Protect yourselves!" Mentor Enzu shouted, his intuition informing him that the situation had taken a turn. He promptly ceased his spellcasting and switched to defensive magic.
Agh!
As the light dissipated, Panini gaped in astonishment at the multitude of blood-red orbs appearing within dozens of feet around him. Amidst the chaotic roar of beasts, the orbs transformed into various types of monstrous creatures oozing with pus. Finally, the silver-furred rat emerged from the massive portal behind him, beneath it a diminutive and ludicrous humanoid creature covered in scales.
The assembled mages all recognized this as a low-level demon—a fact any mage should know. However, their attention was largely drawn to the horde of snarling abyssal monsters!
Seeing Panini, drenched in blood, and the Scarlet Robe mages not far ahead, Belen, the rat, cast a few glinting cold looks. A pack of ferocious beasts then let out a menacing roar, surrounding the Scarlet Robe mages from all sides!
"How could it be possible! How could he summon so many fiendish creatures! Even Archmages couldn't achieve this!!" Several Scarlet Robe mages' incantations were almost immediately interrupted by their inner astonishment, and a few less composed individuals exclaimed outright.
The appearance of these abyssal beings equally caused Panini's mind to short-circuit.
When did he become so formidable?
He gazed in astonishment at the rat perched atop the demon's head, acutely aware that only one explanation could account for the appearance of these monsters.
It seems Lord Belen, traversing to some unknown extraplanar realm, has thrived remarkably well.
The cunning demon, Adi, caught the scent emanating from the Scarlet Robe mages' bodies, intoxicated by it—they relished feasting on powerful species' flesh. Such a practice, steeped in chaotic rules, enabled them to ascend rapidly, until they achieved immortality—much like certain formidable entities that roamed invincible across chaotic planes, indulging in consuming life to enhance their power until they devoured entire worlds.
Thus, it proposed:
"Master! These humans seem to have tender flesh and the scent of magical energy. Can the magnificent Rakkalas devour them... Oh!"
The fervent suggestion only elicited a fierce psychic blast, yet Belen decisively issued the command to the horde, a multitude of malevolent abyssal beasts roaring ferociously as they lunged towards the Scarlet Robe mages!
"Charge forth!"
Casting a levitation spell to escape was already too late!
The Archmage shouted urgently, believing the impish demon to be the mastermind behind these creatures—for it stood out amidst the ferocious beasts. With swift incantations, he unfurled a scroll, conjuring a colossal fireball hurtling towards the imp's position, engulfing both the ground-bound paladins and mages, as well as the little rat perched atop its head.
The hourglass on the little rat's forehead glimmered, and Panini felt his senses instantly plunge into obscurity, as if ensnared in chaos.
The radiance from the portal engulfed Panini and Sera, while Belen's eyes refocused on the opposing Scarlet Robes.
Its time flow returned to normalcy.