Chapter 717 The Rift
The first light of dawn had just begun to grace the horizon, casting a soft glow over the Arcane Cloud Tower.
At its peak, in the grandest chamber adorned with ancient runes and maps, Odessa, the Royal Mage, stirred from her slumber.
Her hair, a cascade of midnight blue, spilled over the pillows like a starlit sky. Her skin, fair as the moon, contrasted with the dark, intricate tattoos that marked her as the custodian of Ancient Knowledge. Her eyes, a piercing shade of violet, flickered open, reflecting the nascent light.
But this morning was unlike any other.
Odessa rose, wearing her elegant office robe woven with threads of the finest silk that shimmered around her. She looked at the mirror and admired her current appearance. This was all thanks to the blessing she received after she had accepted the Fortune Goddess' Divine Blessing.
Anyway, she was planning to do her morning routine for today, but something unexpected happened.
The Tower, a magnificent construct of magic and stone, had sounded an alarm that pierced the silence of the breaking day.
"Mhmm? This alarm…" Odessa felt worried since the sound she heard was definitely a warning that endangered not just the capital or the whole Kingdom. It was an alarm alerting her of the danger that the entire continent was facing!
She immediately connected her mind to the Tower's Core to confirm the situation.
With her mind connected, information immediately flowed through her mind.
A tear in the fabric of the human realm had appeared!
This means one thing: the harbinger of the Abyss Realm's invasion had been detected!
Odessa's heart raced as she swiftly moved to the Tower's observatory.
'Not good… We're still not prepared… The Immortal's help wasn't guaranteed as of now… I hope this invasion isn't in full force yet… We still need to gather help from those ancient organizations…' Odessa complained in her mind.
As she entered the observatory, she immediately felt the heavy atmosphere.
Her team, a cadre of the realm's most skilled mages, were already at their stations, their faces etched with concern.
The Arcane Cloud Tower, a bastion of magical defense, hummed with energy as its sensors scanned the horizons.
"A total of ten gates have opened," one of the mages announced, his voice tense.
"We've located two rifts across the Kingdom. One of them is close to us…"
Odessa approached the central platform, where a holographic map of the Kingdom floated. Points of red light blinked ominously, each marking a breach where the Abyss had begun its incursion.
There was no doubt about this information since they trusted the tower's ability to sense the byproduct of the spatial tears.
"They really chose to open a rift near us… They're brave. We must act swiftly…" Odessa commanded, her voice steady despite the turmoil.
"Deploy the barrier runes, and send word to Princess Ceres. The Millton Kingdom shall not fall on our watch."
As her team sprang into action, Odessa raised her hands, and the tattoos on her arms glowed with a fierce light. She channeled her power into the Tower's core, reinforcing the protective spells that shielded the Kingdom.
The Tower responded, its spires emitting beams of light that converged on the closes rift, seeking to mend the tears before the Abyss's denizens could pour through.
None of them were capable of using Space Magic, but they had the Arcane Tower that could harness the power of Arcana that they have!
With this Arcana, they have a method of reversing the rifts as long as they are close to them!
But as the light met the Rift, a sinister force countered their efforts.
Whoosshh~
From the depths of the tear, three figures emerged their presence alone enough to halt the Tower's mending spell.
"Demon Saints!" Odessa exclaimed as she saw their appearance.
The Demon Saints, distinguishable from the lesser denizens of the Abyss by their humanoid forms and attire, stood just outside the Rift…
Their eyes, devoid of pupils, glowed with a malevolent crimson light. Horns adorned their heads, and an aura of Corruption Energy pulsed around them, a stark contrast to the pure arcaje energy being released by?the Tower.
With a mere gesture, the Demon Saints unleashed their Corruption Energy, a dark miasma that clashed with the Tower's beams.
The light faltered, and the Rift remained open, a gaping wound in the world.
Odessa gritted her teeth as she had no way of increasing the intensity of the Arcana that they had. Her choice was to only kill the Demon Saints to continue with the closure of the Rift.
However, before she could even make another command, the Demon Saints already acted.
With a coordinated signal, the Demon Saints commanded the Rift to unleash its horde.
Thousands of demons, each more grotesque and terrifying than the last, poured forth from the Abyss. They swarmed into Milton Kingdom's capital!
Chaos ensued as soon as the demonic creatures arrived. The deep roars of the beasts, the hissing of the serpentine creatures, and the beating of leathery wings created a noise as if they were in hell!
The sky darkened under the shadow of the Abyssal legion, and the ground shook with their every step.
Odessa, undeterred by the overwhelming odds, raised her staff high. Her Arcane Cloud Tower was the first line of defense against these Demons!
She just had to hold on until the forces that the Royalty had prepared arrived!
"To arms, protectors of Millton!" she cried out. "We stand as the bulwark against the night!"
The mages rallied to her call, their Holy Arts or Anti-Demon Spells weaving a powerful resistance!
As for those without Anti-Demon Spells, they were still able to cast Spells that could hurt them!
Elemental Forces, Mystic Arts, and other Arcane Arts collided with demonic flesh as the battle to protect the Kingdom had started!
The Arcane Cloud Tower, once a place of study and contemplation, had become the epicenter of a war that would decide the fate of their Kingdom!
***
In the midst of the tumultuous battlefield, a sudden stillness befell the Demon Saints.
They were ready to unleash their Corruption Spells upon the Arcane Cloud Tower to aid the demons they released.
However, they suddenly froze, their heads turning in unison towards the west.
A presence, ancient and powerful, something that defied the very laws of their existence, had made itself known.
A flicker of fear, uncharacteristic of these formidable beings, flashed across their faces.
The air around them, once thick with the threat of destruction, dissipated as they canceled their Spells, the intricate weaves of Demonic Magic coming undone!
The Demon Saints, who should never known retreat, found themselves compelled to abandon their conquest.
With a sense of urgency that bordered on panic, they retreated, their forms becoming shadows that slipped back into the Rift!
Of course, the Demons remained as they didn't care about the actions made by the Demon Saints! They were here to feast and eat the human flesh!
However, these actions from the Demon Saints didn't go unnoticed by Odessa and the others!
Some warriors of the Arcane Cloud Tower who were keeping an eye on the three Demon Saints had also watched in disbelief as the Rift sealed behind the fleeing Demon Saints!
That's right, they didn't even give a chance for whoever they were scared of from being followed!
Odessa had no idea what had just happened!
"This… Why did they suddenly flee?"
***
Elsewhere in the Kingdom, echoes of turmoil resonated.
At the Order of the Lore Hunters' stronghold, Forbes, a venerable officer of the Elemental Faction, was met with a throng of concerned faces upon his return.
His latest endeavor to crush a gathering of Dark Magicians in a neighboring city, had been thwarted by the formidable Dark Arts Expert, Lesley Hoffman. Her might was such that even the Archbishop of the Church of the Fortune Goddess found her overwhelming.
As Forbes, whose silver hair spoke of his many years in service, stepped through the halls of the Order, he was swiftly briefed on dire news.
A rift to the Abyss Realm had torn open in the south of the Milton Kingdom, one of two ominous breaches within the realm's borders.
The other lay perilously close to the capital—and to them.
"It's near us? How unlucky…" Forbes commented. He had also felt the change in the atmosphere as soon as the Rift was opened. However, he didn't expect that it was so near.
With a weary exhale, Forbes absorbed the gravity of the situation.
His age had not dulled his resolve, nor had it weakened the fire of duty that burned within him.
"Prepare the Order…" Forbes commanded, his voice carrying the weight of an experienced commander.
"We must seal these rifts and protect our Kingdom from the abyssal tide. Gather the Elemental Envoys and ready the Arcane Artillery…"
The Order, spurred by Forbes' spirit, mobilized with haste.
The old elemental mage watched them, his eyes reflecting the first light of dawn that promised a battle between the two realms—a battle they could not afford to lose.
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