Compared to the high morale of the Alliance, Fire Throne was currently engulfed in an atmosphere of sorrow.
Though no losses had occurred among the Crimson adepts, a cataclysmic danger was approaching the clan with the gradual depletion of the tower"s elementium pool.
Fire Throne no longer had the extra energy to maintain the tower"s defensive system. That gave the invaders a reason to attack the tower"s foundations itself. As the thudding continued, the entire tower trembled and quaked slightly.
The windows had now been sealed off with stone blocks, and all remaining magical energy had been converted into force walls and fire barriers to seal the tower"s gates. Consequently, the tower no longer had the power to cast down lightning and thunder to exterminate the enemies swarming about the tower. Still, with the enemy"s crude machinery, they would need a minimum of half a day to create a pa.s.sage through the three-meter-thick foundations of the tower.
The greatest threat to the tower now was still those Alliance adepts, not these soldiers who were swarming about like ants.
As all the entrances had been sealed shut, the only way into the tower was the gate.
The Crimson adepts all gathered in the magical hall on the first floor and commanded the last remaining Archers to shoot at the crowd of humans outside through small openings. Pupupu! The dull sound of metal bullets piercing through human bodies rained on. The Alliance soldiers no longer seemed to care about their own lives and continued to slash at the st.u.r.dy tower with their weapons fearlessly.
The structure of the tower made of volcanic rock might not be indestructible, but it was stronger than steel and had very high fire resistance. If the tower could inject magic energy into the walls and activate the Hardening Arrays within them, the Alliance soldiers would not even be able to damage the walls with their mortal weapons.
Sadly, now that energy was running low and all the reserves were being used to seal the gates, the enemies could swarm around the tower and attack it with all their strength.
Perhaps because they sensed the problematic situation that Fire Throne was in, they formerly cautious Alliance adepts also started becoming active. They silently snuck close to the tower and started using powerful spells to bombard the unprotected walls.
Volcanic rock might be hard and fire resistant, but it had limits when it came to defending against spells of other attributes. The surface of the tower"s walls started to crumble and break under the impact of the ferocious spells. Dust cascaded down from above like snow.
The tower was in grave danger!
The more dangerous the situation, the easier it was to observe the loyalty of the clan adepts.
Medusa Dana, Manticore Charon, Berserk Witch Sofia, Blood Knights Soros and Windsor, Blood Elves Faely and Talionia, Forest Spirit Eva and Daughter Emelia, as well as Dragonborn Zacha.
Together, they sealed off the entrance to the first-floor hall with all they had, taking turns to charge out and attack the Alliance soldiers trying to enter the tower. Their magic power and stamina were quickly exhausted under the tide of enemies. Most of the adepts bore wounds of varying severity.
If it weren"t for the tower"s protection and the healing from potions, some of the adepts would have already collapsed!
In such a desperate situation, the adepts had to choose between escaping and defending to their last breath.
Sending away all the adepts with the teleportation array while the tower still had the energy to cut off the enemy"s interference was undoubtedly the best method to reduce the clan"s losses. However, just as Gargamel started doubting the idea of defending the tower, Mary stepped in as the temporary leader, dispelling all objections and insisted on the plan to defend.
Her reasoning was simple– Alice had promised her that Fire Throne would not fall!
Mary believed deeply in this prophecy.
Naturally, her bloodkin subordinates would always stand on her side.
As Greem"s soul servant, Dragonborn Zacha showed a spirit of true loyalty and constantly remained at the very frontline when defending the tower. In contrast, Tigule was much more hesitant and started an unfriendly "conversation" with Mary.
However, just as the two of them were engaged in an argument, the teleportation array on the fourth floor mysteriously activated. It seemed as if someone wanted to teleport over to the tower.
Mary, Tigule, and Gargamel couldn"t help but look at each other.
Of course, the only people who would know the coordinates of the teleportation array would be an ally. However, to think that there would be an adept who would come to Fire Throne while it was in such dire straits was unimaginable!
White light flashed within the array, and a familiar yet foreign person in black robes appeared before their silent gaze.
"Bi…llis," Gargamel"s mouth opened wider and wider, his tongue even tripping when trying to call out the name of the newcomer, "Lord…Billis."
Gargamel stuttered, but he finally managed to sputter out the word "Lord" after some difficulty.
Once upon a time, this apprentice adept named Billis was a downtrodden fellow working under him. If it weren"t for Gargamel introducing him to the clan leader, this little guy would probably still be living a difficult life amongst the apprentices.
Still, it had only been so long. A former apprentice had now grown to a level where even he had to respectfully refer to them as Lord. A strange sense of a vanquished dream crept up in Gargamel"s heart. He couldn"t help but wonder if he had chosen the wrong path to walk down.
"Not bad. As expected of someone I had high hopes of; you managed to become a Second Grade." Mary looked up and down and a.s.sessed Billis in his black robes. Though he had covered his body very well, the close distance still allowed the others to sense his grade vaguely.
"My greetings, Lady Mary!" Perhaps because Mary had brutally beaten him during his apprentice years, Billis still felt fear when seeing Mary in front of himself.
Moreover, an insect master like himself was most afraid of agility-type a.s.sa.s.sins. Billis had confidence in exterminating adepts of other cla.s.ses with his shockingly large swarm and newly evolved insect generals, but these tricks were useless against Mary alone.
Mary"s abnormal speed was something that even the evolved Voidreavers couldn"t match. Moreover, if they were to compare subordinates, Mary"s four Second Grade vampires were not that far behind Billis" own. As long as her subordinates could stall the five Voidreavers for a moment, Mary could easily pluck off Billis" head.
Billis" technique of dissolving into the swarm and avoiding the enemy"s attacks was also useless before Mary.
After all, ever since Billis a.s.similated with the Queen Bug, his soul brand had been in Greem"s control. Even if he were to turn himself into tens of thousands of separate pieces, Greem could still easily find the medium of his soul in the mess of insects. Meanwhile, as Greem"s concubine, Mary also seemed to have been given certain privileges over the soul brand.
That was the main reason why Billis was always scared of Mary!
"You came just in time. We can"t hold for much longer, but the reinforcements that Alice promised still haven"t arrived. We need you to stall the enemies outside the tower for a while. You don"t have any objections, do you?" Mary asked with a smile on her face, but not a trace of begging or request between her eyebrows.
"I have none…no objections at all," Billis instantly shrieked, "The clan has invested so much in me, it is only natural that I need to contribute in a moment of crisis like this."
Billis strode out of the teleportation room and walked toward the magical hall.
Billis" body under the robe started shedding something as he walked, like dumplings falling into water. b.a.l.l.s of black beetles fell to the ground along the way. These black beetles were all the size of fists; they had hard sh.e.l.ls, sharp fangs, and two pairs of wings on their backs, one large and one small.
It was almost as if a portal had opened under Billis" black robe. Swarms of black beetles surged out from within, gathering into groups and taking to the skies as they stormed down the spiral staircases.
The screams of female adepts and the roars of male adepts abruptly rang out from the magical hall. Fortunately, they promptly received a magical message from Mary. That was why they refrained from striking this swarm of insects that was brushing past their clothes and their hair.
"It"s Lord Billis."
"He has advanced to Second Grade."
Some adepts who were privy to the situation immediately figured out what had happened.
To think that a powerful Second Grade adept had emerged in this moment of danger. It was a blessing worth celebrating!
The insect swarm circled in the air of the hall before turning into a black arrow and shooting toward the crowd gathered outside the light barrier of the gate.
The Alliance soldiers that had been attacking the force wall with full force were immediately trapped in a black flood. They started to stumble backward, swinging the blades in their hand helplessly as they did so.
The black beetles did not fear conventional weapons at all. Even greatswords could only create sparks when slashing their sh.e.l.ls. The beetles would spin about a little, recalibrate themselves before rejoining the swarm and attacking the enemies.
The tens of thousands of black beetles gathered into a flood as if they were a plague of locusts and swept across the crowd. The crunching sound of snapping jaws didn"t cease wherever they went. When the black flood swept past the ma.s.ses, the only things they left behind were broken bones and shattered armor.
There was only a single swarm initially. However, as more and more beetles surged out of the tower, the hive began to split off.
For a moment, a dozen swarms weaved between the crowd like black ribbons of death, biting and tearing, spreading fear across every corner of the battlefield.
The Alliance army had finally fallen apart!