Chapter 94

Kaya was in a deep state of focus while chanting, and Dyna was forced to retreat to her side blocking the incoming arrows. The civilians realized with Ren in her released form they couldn't strike her down with normal weapons so easily. They began pilling on top of Ren in an attempt to halt her movements. Ren began twirling around violently forcing them off as she slapped her hands together producing a minor shockwave to disorient them.

Yu was starting to get surrounded by an overwhelming number of civilians. They seemed unbothered by the wounds, and only the unconscious ones were taken out of the fight. With her staff, it was difficult to render them unconscious safely. She slammed the staff into the dirt forcing a powerful wind to create some space. Yu was attempting to catch her breath but they were relentlessly pushing forward.

Elliot and his comrades were gathering massive winds together preparing to force Lilith from the air when shurikens came flying their way. They drew their weapons deflecting them with ease, but the spell circles slipped their attention.

Elliot realized them a little too late but managed to use the spell they prepared to save them all but one. The spell circles caused a massive lightning strike that severely injured their comrade. While they retreated a shuriken was implanted in his head finishing him off.

"Form cover immediately!" Elliot shouted calling in dense fog atop of the mountain.

They were preparing to erect walls on the mountain, but Zack could still see the mages slowly disappearing into the fog as he shot down with force. One of the mages attempted to annihilate him with an immense blast of mana.

Zack appeared behind the man preparing to cut his head off when a powerful shockwave forced him away. Mana was swirling around Elliot as his men took a tight formation around him. Lilith and Kintaro appeared next to Zack drawing their weapons. Kintaro had his hand on his kodachi eyeing for a weakness in the formation.

Elliot attempted another shockwave but Zack met it with superior force launching them back. One of the mages attempted a massive fireball when flying, but Lilith's whip hurled it back overriding it with her flames. Seeing this they all panicked being forced to spread out.

Kintaro launched forward striking one man across the chest cutting deeply as he retaliated with a bolt of lightning. Kintaro raised two fingers erecting a wall of earth to spring back from. It absorbed most of the impact from the bolt, but Kintaro was barraged with rubble.

Lilith was being attacked by two mages but seemed to be holding her ground just fine. Any spells they would attempt to prepare were halted by a flick of her wrist. All of them feared getting struck by purgatory flames, and could only launch attacks from a safe distance. They were stuck in a stalemate as they struggled to upset the balance.

Lilith was becoming irritated with how long it was taking. She grew concerned Zack would criticize her techniques, and released a wicked aura. She formed her bident once again piercing it into the mountain as craters erupted.

A thick black miasma began to take the form of wolves. Their eyes had an eerie red glow sending chills down the men's spines. The two wolves howled darting forwards swaying back, and forth in formation. Lilith smirked maliciously as she flew forward to attack.

"If those touch us were fucked! Avoid them, and take that bitch out!"

Kintaro was dodging the barrage of lightning bolts narrowly escaping death. The bolts seemed small in stature but anything struck was evaporated. Kintaro managed to throw a series of shurikens after dodging the next attack. Seeing them soaring in his direction the mage panicked for a solution. He decided defending was too dangerous, and dodging was the only option.

Kintaro smirked calling forth more shurikens striking the ones in the air redirecting them. The mage was hit by two of them in the shoulder as he began to burn at the place of impact. He struggled to put out the flames by forming water from melted snow, but in his panic, Kinatro closed the distance running him through the heart.

The wolves chasing the remaining mages lunged to attack, but a portal was opened in their way. A desert could be seen briefly before it closed. Lilith was caught off guard by the magic because humans capable of using spatial magic were a rare commodity.

"Regroup now!" Elliot ordered.

Elliot's men rapidly came to his side, but seeing someone give orders Zack knew the proper target. He had yet to reveal his form wanting to catch them off guard in the proper moment. Zack had four wings appear as he darted forward.

Seeing Zack's true form the men struggled to find an appropriate counter. Elliot stepped forward brandishing a trinket from his pocket as a dense beam of mana tore through the sky.

Zack was caught off guard as he was being forced back by the overwhelming power. He realized it must've been some of the energy stored from their project so far. Zack had both his hands placed against it as he struggled to direct it upwards.

'That was too much mana for one array.'

Zack extended his hand drifting and focused as his spear slowly took shape. Simply having it in his hand inspired confidence. He shot towards his advisory as another barrage was unleashed. Lilith and Kintaro were forced to retreat from the area when they saw Zack charging it head-on. He pointed his spear forward enhancing his speed as he split the blast. When he landed the two mages charged him with weapons of mana, but Zack broke them with ease cutting them down.

"You sealed the people's fate!" Elliot cackled raising his hand.

Elliot was attempting to order the civilians to suicide, but they weren't responding. Kaya managed to finish her spell in time placing them all under a powerful illusion and binding them in vines growing from the earth. The illusion was strong enough to weaken any orders they would receive, and with the vines in place, they were frozen in place.

Once Kaya completed this she relayed it to Zack. He smirked at Elliot pointing the spear to his chest as the tip shined immensely. Holy chains sprung from it piercing his skin making him shriek in pain, and binding him tightly. The chains sapped him of all his strength and mana. Zack closed his eye momentarily.

"Did the brand disappear?" Zack asked.

"Yes, it's gone," Kaya replied.

"You're gonna face retribution but not by us." Zack declared dragging Elliott down the mountain.

The chains he produced would only disappear if he undid them, or upon his death. With this Elliot was no longer a threat, and Tamiko would be able to judge him accordingly.

"Augustus will hear of this, and you will all face divine retribution!" Elliot threatened.

Zack tightened the chains immensely forcing him to grunt in pain.

"Who is Augustus?" Zack interrogated.

"The savior of this forsaken world, and you will all bow before him in gratitude when he's finished!" Elliot shouted as he began cackling.

Zack looked over at the others seeing if they heard of the name. Kintaro shook his head, and Lilith did as well. Tired of his insufferable laughing Zack bound his mouth as he checked on the civilians. There were fractured limbs, but nothing too severe.

Kaya released them from their illusion, but some remained unconscious. Golden light radiated from Zack covering the land. Wounds began to heal on the civilians and his allies. The ones on the ground slowly regained consciousness as Zack helped elevate the earth for them to exit Ren's pit with ease.

"I don't think this is the only array like this. Whatever he was using had enough energy to fire off a few more blasts." Zack announced lifting his hand to destroy the structure.

"This is the first time I've seen something like this. I wish you let me examine it a little more first." Kintaro sighed.

"You can find a similar formation, and more if you browse the library. Just place things back in order when you're done." Zack replied while approaching the civilians.

All of the civilians and soldiers seemed confused about their location and had no memory of their actions. When they were informed they believed it was nonsense till they realized the heavy layers of snow everywhere. Some of them had been controlled since before winter hit, and couldn't deny the change in time.

Once everyone was prepared they began the trip back home. Zack had to radiate a few orbs of fire to help keep some of them warm on the journey. Before his healing, some of them had severe frostbite from working endlessly in the snow, and the body count would've skyrocketed soon for winter had just begun. The village was coming into view as a crowd slowly formed in the outskirts.