A Numen that could nullify all Magical Attacks was something that not many people in the world even considered the possibility of existing.
Only a few people knew about a Numen like that, and Lambard was amongst those people. Amongst the treasures that Lambard had been craving throughout the years, the Cape of Nullification was at the top of his list.
It was one of the Highest Tier Numens in existence, holding an even higher grade than the Protective City of Abadon that Lambard possessed. Not getting the Cape of Nullification before Izen could get his hand on it was the biggest regret of his life which he couldn't change.
"If only I had received it before that man, I wouldn't have to worry even when facing the Holy Priests. If only I were a little faster there!" Lambard flew high in the sky, stopping right under the barrier of his city. From there, he could see the entire battlefield.
He could see the two Holy Priestesses in the distance. A pendant around his neck started shining as he used one of his Numens.
"Elora, are you sure you want to attack me? Even after all the help, I provided you? Talking about a traitor, you should be the biggest one! Only a few weeks ago, you were enjoying our hospitality, and now you are trying to destroy the same city?"
Thanks to his Numen, his voice managed to reach far and wide. Every person on the battlefield heard his words, momentarily stopping their attacks.
Elora squinted her eyes. "You mean before you had Ruyi killed by the Dark Mages that you worked with?"
Unlike Lambard, Elora didn't need any Numen to get her words across. "You have not only betrayed our trust, but you've also betrayed humanity! And we can't forgive you for that!"
"Betrayed humanity? Such heavy words! You think anything that doesn't happen according to your wishes is a betrayal of humanity?" Lambard scoffed in response. "Elora, heed my words carefully. No matter how much you attack or what force you bring, you can never bring this city down!"
"As for you!" He shifted his attention to the second Holy Priestess. "Thalia, the Ruler of Lightning. I expected Elora to be a coward, but your cowardice certainly came as a surprise. You're even afraid of entering my city to kill me, and you all talk big about destroying this city? How preposterous!"
"You!" Thalia was already very impulsive, and the words of Lambard only angered her more. "If that's what you want, I'll kill you right this instant!"
Lightning flickered around Thalia as she rose in the air, flying straight to the city.
'Heh, as easy as taking candy from a child!' Even though Lambard didn't show it, he was quite happy that Thalia took his bait. If she truly came inside the city, he could actually find ways to destroy her, weakening the enemies and scaring them off.
"Wait!"
It was as if Elora could see what Lambard was trying to do. She appeared before Thalia, blocking her path, so she didn't fall for the trick. Elora was much younger than Thalia, but she was certainly more mature and less impulsive.
She understood the situation much better and knew just how cunning Lambard was. There was no way he would've asked them to come in if there was even the slightest chance of his defeat in that.
"Don't fall for his trick. He's trying to instigate you!" Elora exclaimed. "Just think about it. He's forced to address us and use such cheap tactics to bring us inside the city. Why would he do it if he wasn't worried?! That must mean that our attacks are working, and the city's Barrier could be broken anytime now! Don't fall for it!"
Lambard was slightly taken aback by Elora, who managed to guess his intentions. Still, he didn't give in. "Yes, find excuses for your cowardice."
"As I said before, you can use any excuse you want. It won't hide the fact that you are cowards. Take my suggestion. Keep attacking from outside the city and after a month or so, when you get tired, leave. In any case, you won't be entering the city."
Lambard's amused waves of laughter echoed on the battlefield as he expressed his carefully decided words to send a subtle message.
He went down again, landing back on the balcony next to his maid.
His amused expression disappeared, turning into a grim face as soon as he landed away from the view of his enemies.
He entered his room, sitting on a throne studded in gems as he waited for the two Holy Priestesses to come to a decision. Even though he wanted them to enter the city, he was ready for any decision. He just preferred one over the other since that was better in the long run.
"He can't do anything to me even if I enter the city. I'll kill him from the inside! That man has grown too arrogant! It's time I bring him back to his place!" Thalia exclaimed, holding her Ancestral Staff of Lightning firmly.
"I know you can defeat him, but we shouldn't forget the past. The City of Abaddon is said to be a Numen which makes him even stronger as long as he's inside the city."
"It doesn't matter. Even when he's being supported by the city, I'll defeat him!" Thalia was still upset over being called a coward. Still, it wasn't that she wanted to throw her life over an insult. She genuinely believed that she could not only protect herself inside the city but also defeat Lambard.
"We shouldn't forget that he isn't alone there. It's most certainly a trap!" Elora also held onto her position firmly, trying to bring Thalia out of her impulse. "The Ruler of Darkness might be hiding inside. Ruyi made the mistake of underestimating them, and she paid the price with her life. I don't want them to succeed again!"
"We should stick to our initial plan! Even though the City of Abadon is a powerful Numen, before our attacks, even it shouldn't be able to last long. I'm sure we are close, and that's why he is getting nervous! Once we took their protection from them, they would be no more than the sitting ducks for us!"
"Arghh! Fine! I'll wait longer!" Thalia took a deep breath before she flew back, landing in her place. She resumed her usual long-distance attacks on the city.
"How disappointing." Lambard could only sigh in response as he watched the attacks resume. It was clear that his instigation didn't work! These people were just too stubborn.
"I really wanted to avoid it, but they left me no choice. What a waste... After all these years, for them to force my hand...."
A scary silence filled the entire room.
