Mimi and Zuri tensed and immediately turned to face the voice's owner. They were about to take out their magic weapons, but a powerful and suffocating magic pressure fell on them, forcing them to their knees instantly.
Nevertheless, they still managed to face the person who had spoken and were shocked at what they had seen.
"H-How—?"
"T-This can't be—. This is impossible!"
Ane, who was supposed to be bound by chains made of anti-cast stones, was now standing in front of them. She was also the one who released the magic pressure that almost sent Mimi, Zuri, and the rest of the Montgomeray family members with them to suffocate.
"Heh~, why is it impossible?" Ane asked with a sweet smile. "You say such strange things at times, you know, Mimi."
Mimi's brow furrowed after realizing the person before them was Ane but also not her at the same time. It was hard to explain, but there was something different about her that made Mimi think this way.
It was not only her who noticed something was different.
Zuri and the others also looked at Ane suspiciously.
Even so, Mimi and Zuri did not lose their head at this sudden turn of events. Before Ane finished commenting on Mimi's remark, Mimi and Zuri had already sent a coded message to warn everyone that Ane managed to free herself from the chains.
"You don't have to put on such scary faces," Ane told them before waving her hand.
With one wave of her hand, the transmission array that Mimi and the rest were replenishing with magic energy suddenly activated.
"Ane has overstayed, so I'm taking her back," 'Ane' continued as she walked to the center of the transmission array.
Meanwhile, Mimi and Zuri roused their magic to fight Ane's magic pressure.
They were unmatched against Ane in terms of magic level and even combat experience, but that did not stop them from making a move. Besides, they could not let Ane go!
"Don't think you can leave as you please!"
Suddenly, another magic pressure erupted, which instantly countered Ane's.
The pressure around Mimi, Zuri, and the rest of the Montgomeray Family members lifted at once. They looked up and saw Zephyr making his way toward them.
Though Zephyr looked like a child no older than ten, Mimi and Zuri had seen what he could do, and they also witnessed him turn into a huge Quilin!
Zephyr was also the one who subdued Ane. Thus, they were relieved to see that he was still there.
Seeing Zephyr's approaching figure, Ane's face distorted in annoyance. She did not have the time to deal with him, so she ignored him completely and focused all her energy on hastening the transmission array's activation.
"I don't have time for this," Ane said with a slight smile. "Nor do I want you coming after me. So, I will have to say goodbye~."
As soon as she said this, the transmission array emitted a blinding light that swallowed Ane's figure.
In a blink of an eye, she was gone.
"Argh! Damn it! How could she still move after my suppression?" Zephyr cursed as he landed on the ground near the array.
Before he could activate the transmission array again and follow Ane, crackling sounds reverberated from it.
Their faces distorted at once as they realized what was about to happen.
"Move!" Zephyr shouted while changing back into a Quilin. He pushed the others too close to the transmission array away using his huge legs before activating his magic barrier.
BOOM!
The transmission array exploded right after and blasted Zephyr and the others still near it in different directions.
"Argh!"
"Ngh...!"
Zephyr gritted his teeth as he shielded the rest from the explosion. Since his barrier was far stronger when he was in his real form, and the level of the transmission array was not that high, he managed to survive the explosion unscathed.
Mimi and Zuri were also sent flying a few meters. But thanks to Zephyr shielding them from the brunt of the explosion, they only received minor and superficial injuries.
"Sent a message to the estate at once!" Zephyr asked no one in particular.
Mimi and Zuri did not need to be told twice. They already took their communication device and sent a coded message.
Fortunately, their devices were not damaged because of the explosion.
"I'll leave the rest of the prisoners in your hands. I'm going to the estate."
"But the transmission array is—."
"I have a scroll from my master. I'll have Iss and Mera stay here, but I'm taking Bas and Manti."
Luckily, Zephyr and Kyran's four beast Sigils did not join those who went to the estate first. Since the transmission array could only transport a hundred at most, Zephyr decided it was best to let Anette and Ezra lead the Montgomeray family members who had contracted with the Spirits to go first. After all, they were the ones who were greatly affected by White Lily's situation.
Even after Anette received an unidentified coded message about the change in the current situation, Zephyr and the beast Sigils still stayed behind.
In any case, Anette, Ezra, and most of the leading members of his family had already gone there. It was not like they would be short on manpower any time soon.
Besides, Zephyr and the beast Sigils had to rest for a while and replenish their magic energies. They could not very well join the battle if they were unprepared.
"Alright," Mimi and Zuri agreed at once.
It pained them to admit that even if they wanted to join the others in the Regis Estate, they would only become cannon fodders with their low mage levels. They also have close to zero real-life battle experience.
Zephyr telepathically communicated with Bas and Mera. After almost a minute, the two arrived, and Zephyr used the last transmission scroll in his possession and took Bas and Mera with him to the Regis Estate.
Meanwhile, several instances like this were happening all over the empire as Layla gathered the rest of the forces under her command.
Unfortunately, when she tried to connect with the last of the Three Archmagus under her command, she could not reach him.
Layla frowned slightly as she recalled he was the one in-charged of attacking the Regis Estate.
'Did he die?' She wondered. However, she rejected the idea at once because, among the three Archmagus, he was the most powerful, in her opinion.
No matter how powerful the Regis Special Forces were, they could not possibly kill an Archmagus.
"So you also have the ability to command the living," Obstruction commented, sounding a little surprised.
Layla looked at him. The frown on her face disappeared at once and was replaced by an almost bewitching smile.
"I am the Soul Emperor. Not a Necromancer. I govern all souls, both the living and the dead."
"Pardon my ignorance. It is my first time actually to meet someone with Soul magic."
"It is fine," Layla said while looking away. Her sapphire blue eyes continued to glow as she continued to command her people. "We, who possess Ancient magic, are one of a kind. It is impossible for others to know what we are truly capable of."
Obstruction did not respond this time and only looked at Layla sideways.
Layla had said it casually, but information on Ancient magic was sparse in the Lower Realm.
Only those who lived for a thousand years knew about it— or, at least, heard a rumor that the four magic dubbed as Ancient magic had appeared at once in the Human plane.
However, before these Sovereigns could make a move to confirm the rumor, the original Dark Sage had already made a move.
The Human plane was known as the Land of the Ancients, and many old Sovereigns had wanted to find it. Unfortunately, its coordinates were everchanging. If not for the distortion in space that connected it to the Demon plane, the Human plane would never have been found.
But those things had happened in the past, and Obstruction was not about to dwell on it.
Since Layla mentioned Ancient magic, Obstruction wondered if the rumor that all four magic appeared in the Human plane was true.
As if reading Obstruction's thoughts, Layla laughed softly and said, "You seemed concerned about what I said."
"True. I am very curious about the Ancient magic you talk of."
Layla raised her brows in disbelief as she looked at him. However, she did not comment on it and said, "Unfortunately, there are only three magic present in the Human plane."
"Three?"
"Yes. Soul, Void, and..." Layla paused dramatically. "Time."
Obstruction's countenance changed the moment he heard the last.
To be honest, he believed Time was the most troublesome magic among the Ancient magic.
"I want to capture her, but unfortunately, the new Dark Sage prevented me. It is quite annoying."
"Her? She might be a good counter to the new Dark Sage."
"True, but she hated my guts."
"It doesn't matter. If we play our cards right, you can make her go against him."
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