The second meteorite crashed down with a deafening roar, slamming heavily into the first, instantly crushing the Earth Great Spirit's still-struggling body beneath.
BOOM!!!
A massive explosion sent plumes of smoke and dust billowing into the sky, obscuring Hyacine's vision. With a casual wave of her hand, a gust of wind swept away the debris, revealing that both the Earth Great Spirit and the first meteorite had completely vanished from sight.
All that remained was a colossal impact crater spanning over ten kilometers in diameter, its depths filled with slowly flowing, molten red lava.
The Air Great Spirit, having witnessed the entire spectacle from above, couldn't help but gasp—a remarkably human-like reaction, considering Elemental Creatures don't need to breathe. The gesture caused its entire form to swell visibly, making it appear almost comically plump.
Once again, the Air Great Spirit marveled at the wisdom of its earlier decision. This scene was utterly absurd! With a mere flick of her wrist, she had summoned two meteorites to rain down from the heavens. But what truly astounded him was how effortlessly the pink-haired girl in the sky had accomplished this. It was as casual as kicking aside two pebbles while walking, effortless and carefree.
After defeating the Earth Great Spirit, Hyacine sensed Little Ica's location. Brilliant rainbow light shimmered around her as she swiftly flew toward Little Ica, preparing to deal with the final Fire Great Spirit.
Her flight left a vividly visible rainbow trail in her wake, a breathtaking spectacle.
Slightly shifting the timeline, we return to Anaxa's perspective. After Hyacine and the Four Elemental Great Spirits had departed, he reloaded his firearm and once again aimed at the Diviners before him.
He frowned slightly. In the brief interval, the Diviners had naturally prepared another Trigger Spell. However, he noticed this time their Teleportation Spell wasn't targeting the immediate vicinity, but a location a thousand meters away.
Clearly, these Diviners weren't fools. Though they couldn't understand how Anaxa had managed it, knowing that attempting short-range Teleportation would lead to a second attack, they would naturally avoid such a risky maneuver.
Seeing this, Anaxa subtly adjusted his aim. With a sharp bang, a single shot obliterated all the Diviners. If they wanted to flee, he'd gladly give them a ride.
After resolving the immediate crisis, the sheer scale of the Elemental Great Spirits' earlier rampage drew other Wizards to the scene. This city had no fools; its inhabitants were intelligent enough to grasp the situation at a glance. The Wizards immediately turned wary gazes toward Anaxa and his group.
The Necromancy Tower Master spoke up: "Leave these ones to me."
While she couldn't defeat the Elemental Great Spirits, dealing with these Wizards—these living beings—was her specialty!
She rapidly chanted an incantation, moving with lightning speed. Before the approaching Wizards could react, she unleashed her first spell. Even half a second's advantage could sway the tide of battle in Wizard combat!
"Eighth-Level Necromancy School: Soul Shock!"
In the next instant, an invisible wave radiated outward from the Necromancer, spreading in all directions. Every Wizard closing in froze mid-motion, rooted to the spot.
This was an ultra-large-area control spell. Its classification under the Necromancy School rather than the Enchantment School stemmed primarily from the fact that it was the Necromancy Tower Master's original creation—a byproduct of her research into the mysteries of the soul.
"Let's go," the Necromancy Tower Master said. "Depending on individual constitution, this spell's effects will last at least ten minutes."
-
Meanwhile, at the heart of the Floating City, beside Heinrich, a Magic Item began to blare frantically, emitting an ear-splitting "beep-beep" sound. The Prophecy Tower Master approached to inspect it, his expression turning to one of shock. "This... it's detecting an attack with divine power at least at the level of Intermediate Divine Power!"
In the next instant, the Diviners whom Anaxa had just driven away teleported back to the scene. Their leader urgently reported, "Disaster! The Necromancy Tower Master has betrayed the Arcane Federation! She and Wizard Anaxagoras of the Transmutation Tower are heading here, intent on sabotaging your plans! I tried to stop them, but I failed!"
"Anaxagoras and his pink-haired student are both suspected to be Demigods! The pink-haired girl even single-handedly lured away the Four Elemental Great Spirits!"
The Conjuration Tower Master paused, a bewildered expression on her face. "Wait, how did you summon..."
But before she could finish, the Prophecy Tower Master interrupted gravely, "Demigods? No, they're far more than that!"
The Prophecy Tower Master pointed to the beeping magic item before him and said, "According to the readings, a demigod-level being was instantly killed just now. The energy released by that single attack was at least at the level of Intermediate Divine Power!"
"That demigod was likely one of the Four Elemental Great Spirits you mentioned. As for the attacker, it goes without saying—it must be our enemy."
Whether Faith Gods or Ancient Gods, they could generally be categorized into three tiers of power: Lesser Divine Power, Intermediate Divine Power, and Greater Divine Power. Greater Divine Power represented the absolute pinnacle of power in this world.
Among the Twelve True Gods, the Sun God and the Ancient God of the Great Forest, the Father of Oaks, both belonged to this tier. In his prime, Half was likely at the Intermediate Divine Power level.
To return to the matter at hand, a single attack releasing Intermediate Divine Power-level energy meant either it was a full-power strike from a god of that tier, or... a casual strike from a god of Greater Divine Power.
The latter possibility was truly terrifying. Were they truly about to face an enemy of Greater Divine Power?
Just then, the magic item beside the Diviner began to buzz again, this time with an even higher frequency. He glanced at it, and beads of cold sweat broke out on his forehead. "Another Demigod-level being has fallen! The energy level of this strike is even greater than the last!"
Even Heinrich's expression turned grave. "Anaxagoras and his student... are they gods?"
It was hard for him not to suspect that these two had come specifically to thwart his plan. Heinrich turned to the Enchantment, Illusion, and Conjuration Tower Masters. "Hold them off at all costs. Mobilize all resources of the Floating City if necessary—just ten minutes! The plan is about to enter its most critical phase!"
With the arrow already nocked, he had no choice but to release it. Even if a threat had emerged within the Arcane Federation, after two centuries of preparation, Heinrich could not abandon his plans so easily.
The three Tower Masters swiftly departed to carry out their orders, while Heinrich led the remaining Evocation, Prophecy, and Abjuration Tower Masters through a teleportation portal.
With this, only a few ordinary Wizards responsible for basic maintenance and the newly arrived Diviners remained in the Floating City's core energy region.
The lead Diviner gazed at the Earth Element Crystal before him, lowering his head as a subtle red glint flashed in his eyes.
Meanwhile, after stepping through the teleportation gate, Heinrich found himself in a vast, blue-lit space. Beneath his feet lay an enormous Magic Circle that seemed to float in mid-air. Though solid enough to stand on, looking down through its intricate patterns revealed a star-studded abyss.
The same starry vista stretched overhead and in all directions, revealing this place to be an extraordinarily rare Demiplane. Aside from Heinrich and the three Tower Masters who had arrived with him, twenty-nine young children sat cross-legged at various points within the Magic Circle.
Most of the Twelve True Gods resided in a unique Plane called the Divine Realm, a place normally impenetrable. Heinrich had tried countless methods to breach it, all ending in failure, until he finally discovered that the Power of Faith from Believers could bypass any interference and establish a stable connection to this Plane.
This realization made perfect sense. Faith Gods lived by faith; if faith itself couldn't reach them, what would they sustain themselves on?
So he brainwashed these children with Priest aptitude, turning them into Believers of the Goddess of Magic. Of course, such externally created Believers were of poor quality, producing only a meager amount of Power of Faith. But it didn't matter. Even this tiny spark of Power of Faith would serve as a catalyst, a key to help Heinrich open the gate to the Divine Realm!
Heinrich and the three Tower Masters beside him began chanting a complex, lengthy incantation simultaneously. The chanting process alone lasted a full three minutes!
Then, the Abjuration Tower Master finished casting first, and the outermost ring of the Magic Circle beneath their feet began to glow slowly. Next came the Prophecy Tower Master and the Evocation Tower Master, and the middle and innermost rings of the Magic Circle gradually lit up as well.
This was a nested magic spell. After the three Tower Masters finished casting, they were essentially activating a series of "gears." Finally, Heinrich himself activated the entire spell.
"Ultra-Level Magic! Heinrich's Divine Ascension Art!"
This was a magic spell entirely of Heinrich's own creation.
For some unknown reason, Ninth-Level spells and higher could not be cast in the Material World. It was as if they had been banned at the core code level, disabled by some fundamental restriction. Even if the theory behind them was flawless and the Magic Power cost was correctly paid, the spells simply failed to manifest.
This was why Heinrich had prepared everything within the Demiplane. The moment he completed the incantation, the magic activated as intended. The entire Floating City began operating at maximum capacity, with vast amounts of Magic Power surging into it.
Anaxa and the Necromancy Tower Master, who were rushing to their destination, clearly sensed this phenomenon. The Necromancy Tower Master couldn't help but exclaim, "This is... an astonishing surge of Magic Power!"
Anaxa tilted his head back to look at the empty space above the city's center. Though nothing was visible, he could sense that all the Magic Power was converging there. "Is it a Demiplane?"
Just as they were about to continue their advance, the Enchantment, Illusion, and Conjuration Tower Masters appeared before them.
Meanwhile, back with Heinrich, the instant the magic activated, he felt an immeasurably vast divine power flood into his body. In that moment, he felt his very lifeform undergo a transformation, as if he had become omnipotent!
It was like an ant suddenly gaining the strength of a dog—of course it would feel invincible. While some might be overwhelmed by such sudden, immense power, Heinrich only wavered for a moment before regaining his composure.
His magic, the Heinrich's Divine Ascension Art, truly granted an ordinary mortal permanent ascension to demigod status. Yet, he was now pushing the spell beyond its limits, overclocking it.
This would grant him even greater power, but the downside was that it would transform the effect from permanent ascension to demigod into brief access to Lesser Divine Power. And this brief access was truly fleeting, perhaps lasting only five minutes—or even just three?
Heinrich couldn't be certain; this was his first time using the spell. He steeled his focus, waiting for his Perception to detect the surge of power reaching Lesser Divine Power. At that moment, he narrowed his eyes and murmured, "Found it!"
The entrance to the Divine Realm.
In the next instant, Heinrich vanished from his original spot, reappearing beside a lake. He couldn't help but pause in surprise.
The crystal-clear lake was surrounded by a lush green lawn, the air thick with the scent of fresh grass. A gentle breeze brushed his face like a soft caress. About thirty meters ahead stood an unassuming little wooden cabin.
The place resembled a hunter's temporary shelter in the forest. While the scenery was undeniably beautiful, it was merely ordinary, unadorned, and imbued with the essence of nature—yet this was supposed to be the Divine Realm!
Heinrich had initially envisioned a magnificent, awe-inspiring palace brimming with divinity. But the sight before him made him question whether his magic had malfunctioned or if he had arrived at the wrong place entirely.
Just then, with a soft creak, the wooden hut's door gently swung open. Heinrich immediately tensed, preparing for battle.
His plan was simple: the moment he saw the Goddess of Magic, he would use the God-Binding Snare to yank her out of the Divine Realm and drag her to the Floating City. That was his domain, and only there did he stand a chance of victory.
The Goddess of Magic possessed merely Lesser Divine Power, ranking at the bottom among the Twelve True Gods. Thus, this battle was less a challenge of mortal against god and more a clash between wizards.
Within the Floating City, Heinrich was the wizard who had prepared meticulously. Against an unprepared Goddess of Magic, he believed he could theoretically win!