Two months later, thousands of slave creatures were once again sent to conquer another Botanian city on the eastern continent of Fertilia. The city had an ancient tree weaved around its periters and was guarded by a sole lord. There were also a few hundred slaves gathered further away from the city, which created intense elental turbulence in the area. The city didnt take much to crumble once spells began raining down on it.
Locke seed more composed than he was two months ago. The calmness was a deliberate choice to conserve his energy, a forbearance he often practised on the eve of his advancent. Hed been compacting his impetus upon receiving feedback from many other established Ritters.
Wind impetus was never one to be associated with aggression and Falconim too was not a skill that required higher refinent, the latter being a silver lining to his impetus conservation attempt. But of course, it was easier said than done. Locke would have to concentrate his impetus to its limits to begin his breakthrough as a level-one Ritter.
There was a good reason why only level-one lifeforms were used in planar wars: Anything below that would be too vulnerable on the battlefield and no one had dared place their lives at the rcy of superior beings.
Crush their defences and enslave them! Locke waved his longsword, expression stone cold. His voice was amplified using his impetus. The city was dood with its lord occupied with Magister Ashar; victory was right before the Sanctums eyes.
The boy sure is growing up well, Porscher comnted to Parlina with a smile back in the camp. They werent needed out on the frontlines so Porscher had the luxury of donning a lavish robe embroidered with elaborated pyro patterns. Using impetus to amplify ones voice was no simple feat. It was very similar to the casters amplification spell even.
Indeed. Parlina was stunned.
There was nothing for the Magisters to do since they were sitting on the sidelines today. Hence, they had all the ti in the world to entertain themselves with Lockes deeds on the battlefield.
Their progress over the last two months was pure satisfaction. Theyd eliminated the more competent resistance forces and had even seen a gradual elevation of capabilities. Since planar wars were fundantally raids, casters and knights were consuming Botanian essences for personal improvent.
It went without saying that observable advancents were difficult under the natural suppression of the plane. However, it didnt an that any effort would be futile. Manyd found ways to overco their bottleneck and flourished. While big leaps were rare, there was plenty of comndable betternt to behold. It was anticipated that these high-rank Knechts and Lehrlings would welco waves of successful breakthroughs once they returned to Zauberia.
It was shortly after the fall of the Botanian city that Angelina summoned Locke with great urgency. He barely had ti to level his breathing even. There was a tal brooch on his chest, crafted ticulously by none other than the Faustian princess herself. It had been the crystallisation of her recent lessons, a contraption that enabled short distance communication. To no ones surprise, she had an amazing affinity for alchemy.
Whats wrong? Locke still reeked of blood but Angelina paid it no mind. She grabbed his arm and began to walk.
Grandisterin Carla said it was urgent but Im just as clueless, explained Angelina, her pace picking up. She turned around briefly to cast a cleaning spell over him.
The heart of the camp was rarely devoid of patrolling slaves. Everything was eerily quiet; there was not even the slightest appearance of a Lehrling. It felt as though theyd deliberately chased everyone away.
Lockes attention was imdiately drawn to a dark tal box ahead. He had never seen anything like this. While it looked to be a product of alchemy, Angelina too had no clue of what it might be. Her montary observation had failed to glean any useful information.
That wasnt the most pressing issue anyway. Angelina continued to follow the familiar ntal energy and brought them to Carlas tent. As soon as her fingers touched the curtains, Angelina felt a jolt of overwhelming ntal energy. It had only lasted no more than a second but her complexion soon turned ghastly. Its intensity was beyond her comprehension; the strength of the ntal swipe alone was a dozen tis more brutal than Magister Ashars!
Lockes response was relatively milder since he wasnt as sensitive to ntal energy, which was why he had more composure. ntal abilities were never a knights forte, after all. He fought his violent urge to flee and ignore the tense goosebumps, bringing Angelina further into the tent rigidly. They could sense the familiar presence of Ashar, Carla and the other Magisters alongside the overwhelming source of energy. Locke was confident that they were safe under their watch.
He peeled away the flaps of the tent to find the Magisters crowded around the middle. Ashar still had green Botanian blood clinging onto her garnts, obviously having just returned in a flurry. Porscher and Parlina were behaving more courteously than usual, their level-one Magister pride nowhere to be seen.
Upon closer inspection, there was a peculiar Magister standing close to Magister Carla. His features were hidden beneath a white mask that was rely a smooth surface. There were no etchings of any human features nor were there any holes for his eyes. It was weird and Locke dreaded the thought of staring at it for longer. He felt as if hed be pulled into it the more he looked at it.
He tried to suppress his fear, standing stiffly at the entrance with Angelina. They couldnt take another step further as every inch of their body was begging to not get any closer to the Magisters. There was a possibility of sustaining considerable internal injuries if they inched closer to the intense pool of energies. A quasi-Ritter was vulnerable to such and itd be worse for the frailer caster.
So this is your ntee? The masked Magister turned to the entrance.
While the white mask couldnt suggest otherwise, Locke could feel the Magisters stare on the both of them. It was more specifically aid at Angelina, who was now slumping against his hold.
Her will is strong but its a pity that her physique isnt the best. The masked Magisters energy dissipated away after the curt comnt. It seed as though hed unmasked his full presence as a deliberate test to gauge Angelinas potential.
Brother disciple! Youve frightened my ntee! Carla scorned. Locke was taken aback at the display. Hed never seen such displeasure adorn her gentle features.
Since shes your ntee, shes considered a part of our faction. Ill compensate her appropriately for this, said the masked Magister. His tone was stiff since hed barely interacted with anyone else.
Carla was no stranger to his weird temperant. She sighed, casting a silver light over the terrified couple. Their internal injuries were quickly soothed by her mana, which had also healed away most of their smaller injuries from earlier battles.
Locke and Angelina didnt miss how shed call the masked Magister her brother disciple. They kept rooted at their spot, not daring to cross the respected Magister in any way possible. It was clear that the masked Magister was the strongest out of the bunch but his true vehency remained a mystery.
Locke had at least witnessed Ashar and the other Magisters full potential during the war. Even so, none of their impacts had co close to the mindless presence of the masked Magister. Hed heard plenty about this famous brother disciple of Carla, yet he hadnt anticipated such devastation. His powers were even more enormous than level-two Erdritter Garcia.
The masked Magisters energy turned subtle, not any more pronounced than Angelina, who was a high-rank Lehrling. This was even more of a warning to not underestimate him. While Locke's knowledge of presence-masking was surface at best, hed learnt that anyone capable of such mastery was a force to be reckoned with. Erdritter Garcia hadnt displayed such an ability so Locke could confirm that the masked Magister was perhaps the most powerful lifeform hed encountered thus far. He was definitely more powerful than the Himlritter in Battlezone 7.
Porcher and Parlina exchanged a few pleasantries with the masked Magister before quickly leaving the tent. Ashar too didnt stay long despite her familiarity with the masked Magister since he was her sisters brother disciple, after all. The shadowmancer stopped briefly to drag Locke out of the tent. This was a gathering for Carlas faction and it was no place for an outsider to stay.
There are still many level-three Botanians lurking around the city. Bring three nucleus cores for my experint. She left him with simple instructions once they were away from the tent. Angelina, Carla and the masked Magister were now the only ones left in the tent.
Since the passing of Grandmaster Albino, we were the only ones left to continue his legacy. I must say that Im surprised you found a ntee after a few decades apart. I guess this is new hope for our faction, rambled the masked Magister to Carla.
He moved closer to Angelina. My na is Charles, the Faceless Masked Magister. You can call the Masked Magister or if you prefer, Grandmagister Charles.
Angelina settled for the latter. She crossed her right arm over her chest and delivered a standard casters curtsy. Its an honour to et you, Grandmagister Charles."
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