Chapter 52: The Battle at the Barrier

Chapter 52: The Battle at the Barrier The mages and the remaining one hundred knights were tasked with dealing with the vines blocking the barrier. Dominic’s own Knight Order also split into two groups and joined each side accordingly. Neither the soldiers nor mounted knights showed fear before the enormous wave of beasts. They drew their swords, readied their arrows, and charged in with courage and determination. ... The mages focused their magical energy, crafting and deploying spell formations. Each of the mage had their strengths and weaknesses depending on the type of magic, but the basic principle remained the same: they used spell formations to cast magic circles and advanced combination spells. They split open the ground to expose the hidden roots of the vines, and then attacked with spells of fire and ice. As for the knights like Dominic, they released their magic power directly as raw force. Unlike the mages, they didn’t use spell formations. Their power was unleashed instinctively, often without conscious control. This raw release of magical energy was called "magic emission," and when combined with magic spells and healing techniques, all of it together was referred to simply as "magic." When a person had strong magical power, uncontrolled magic emission could sometimes become dangerous, even destructive, causing harm to people and property. Because of that, anyone born with high magical potential was required to receive training and guidance from professional mages. Dominic wrapped his sword in fire magic and charged in with his horse into the area filled with traps of writhing vines. As the vines reached out to grab him, he slashed through them, cutting down the ones trying to capture him. Along with the vines, he burned away the tangled masses that still held the remains of those who had fallen victim to them. Once the number of vines reaching out started to decrease, the mages, with Mr. Vundo at the center, began using earth magic. The ground shook as if a real earthquake had hit, and the soil cracked open with great force. Then, finally, the true body of the vines appeared. What came into view was the swollen trunk of a massive plant, a monster from the demon world with blue-purple skin covered in thick, pulsing veins that twisted like living things. Beneath its round, bloated body, thick roots continued to stretch far and wide—roots that were surely connected to, or even fused with, the magical summoning circle at the center of it all. Several vines extended like tentacles from the core of the creature, aiming straight for the mages who were preparing a fire-based spell formation. Dominic and the other knights stepped in to protect them, cutting down those deadly vine-arms with swords charged with magical energy. Soon, a giant wall of fire surged and struck the core body of the vines. Guuoooooooon... It sounded like the monster was screaming. As the fire burned through it, the vines thrashed and flailed in agony. The swollen body blistered, then burst open, catching fire and burning fiercely in the night. The blackened, shriveled monster made of vine-like plants, which had devoured so many lives, turned to dry ash. As it crumbled into fine dust, it was scattered by the wind, stirred up by the lingering heat of the flames. Then, Dominic and the others stood before the enormous magic circle. Their next challenge was to break through the magic barrier. With everything they had, they prepared to begin this battle. The magic circle Dominic had seen just a few days earlier was about the size of the west wing of the fortress. Even then, it had been a massive structure for a summoning circle. But now, it had grown far larger—large enough that it looked as though it could swallow the royal capital’s temple and even the royal castle itself. According to Amal’s earlier explanation, the original magic circle was only slightly bigger than the front hall of the Dashtadem Fortress. The mages had drawn the symbols into the ground, and they had started to glow red and blue. But then, without warning, the circle began to burn on its own and started expanding. Around the same time, more and more people started to suffer from strange physical symptoms. The mages noticed that something was going wrong with the circle and had tried to respond to the changes, doing everything they could to stop it... But in the end, the result was the same chaotic and terrifying scene that Dominic and Shiao Yi had already witnessed earlier. The magic barrier linked to the circle was directly tied to the amount of power the circle held. So the stronger the circle became, the stronger the barrier grew as well. And now, the barrier was many times more powerful than when Dominic had first sensed it. Even before, breaking through it would have required at least ten high-ranking mages. Now, he couldn’t help but wonder—could they really break this with the strength they had? A cold and sharp feeling of danger twisted deep in Dominic’s gut. But he couldn’t back down now. If he gave up before they even broke the magic circle, all the lives that had already been lost would mean nothing. He forced his wavering heart to stand strong and he gave the order to the knights and mages to begin breaking through the barrier. Behind them, knights and soldiers were locked in a never-ending battle with a massive swarm of magical beasts that filled the earth like a living flood. Quintus’s reddish-brown hair whipped like a lion’s mane as he split a beast clean in two with one heavy swing of his sword. On the side closer to the magic circle, Louis kicked down a two-headed Remobra and sliced off the neck of a charging Doshaguma. The sound of crashing waves, furious roars, and pounding footsteps thundered through the dust-filled air without pause. Yet none of that noise reached the ears of those now facing the barrier. Mr. Vundo, Segoy, and every single mage poured their entire power into building and releasing their spells to strike the magical shield.