*BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM*
It was one explosion after the another, the scale of the explosions wasn't small either, the spells used for explosions were all 7 Circle Spells that were far stronger than spells Vaan had ever seen in his life.
Vaan couldn't help but stare at the scene in front of him with a dazed look on his face.
In the dead center of the chaos, stood a Mage whose hair was flowing upward as an unending amount of power was released from her body. The red-haired woman looked like a God of War who had descended onto the world.
It seemed as if no force was strong enough to stop her.
With her chants over and the unending whirlpool of energy entering her body, it was as if Veronica had ascended to a completely different level.
As a 7th Circle Mage, Veronica was already as monstrous as one could imagine, now however, things were even more absurd.
The number of dangerous spells she was releasing one after another was so overwhelming that the Swordsman who was once fighting her in a head-on battle could now only run for his dear life while all his other subordinates were being slaughtered mercilessly.
"HEY!! DO SOMETHING YOU REPULSIVE BASTARD!!"
In frustration, the Swordsmen shouted at the Demon who simply stood by and didn't make any move. From its actions, it wasn't hard to guess that the being had already given up.
It wasn't even trying to dodge the spells that were aimed at it and was about to be destroyed.
Unlike the Swordsman, however, it didn't fear death.
With the Mage going berserk, the plans that it had went awry, so even if it did manage to survive, it couldn't return to its home, neither could it stay here since the bastards from the Church of Light would never a Demon who represent chaos and evil live.
The demon knew that the end was near and had accepted it.
As if she sensed that, Veronica couldn't help but chuckle,
"Heh, looks like even a lowly demon has a better functioning head than you. How pathetic.
"
Her voice was different from before, it seemed as if her voice had mixed with the Mana and was currently echoing throughout the area.
"Shut up! I don't want to hear something coming from a bitch who is putting her life on the line to get an advantage in the battles.
"
"At least I'm not a coward fleeing for my life, fully aware of the futility of it all, neither am I a human who was abandoned by his very God."
Saying those words, Veronica summoned her one last spell.
*Rumble* *Rumble*
The battlefield shook as Veronica drew upon the very essence of her being for one last incantation. The Magic Circles surrounding her shined brightly, combined with the Faith Energy that had materialized inside her body, her entire body shined with the magical light, it was a sign of the cataclysm, a 7th Circle Mage's one last spell.
A swirling tempest of flames with a diameter extending a staggering kilometer.
The scene was both grand and terrible to behold.
The flames blazed with shades of crimson and gold, dancing with an ethereal grace that belied its destructive power. The flames rose high into the heavens, painting the entire sky with a dangerous glow.
As the ball of flames hovered above her, Veronica stood resolute, her eyes shined in determination as they remained fixed upon her enemy.
In that moment, she appeared as a figure of myth and legend, a titan of magic-wielding forces beyond mortal comprehension.
Knowing that the woman was sacrificing her life for her cause, Vaan couldn't help but notice the somber beauty behind the scene, a tragic elegance in the face of the inevitable end.
Vaan couldn't help but lament the fact that a Mage like her wasn't well known throughout history, he could guess that the reason behind it was probably because the woman met her end today.
Strange emotions welled within his heart.
The Swordsman, on the other hand, gulped as his heart skipped a beat the moment he glanced at the fireball the crazy woman had summoned.
He looked around, only to have his hopes crushed by the fact that all his escape paths were blocked, the Spells Veronica was previously casting weren't just aimed at killing his subordinates, the main intention behind them was to trap him.
The instincts he had honed throughout his life were warning him, no, rather than warning it was better to say that they were simply informing him, predicting the future.
A warning signals an opportunity for change, a chance to alter the course of events and prevent the looming outcome. A prediction, however, stands as a stark statement of what is to come, an inevitable end that no action can avert.
Even the instincts he had honed throughout his life had given up.
"Vaan, run.
"
While Vaan was looking at the sight in front of him in a daze, Elara grabbed his hand and started running away.
She could sense the danger.
The Fiery sphere on top of the woman's head signified death, not just for the Swordsman, but the entire area. Once done, everything would be charred back, and if Vaan and Elara stayed here, even their strongest of artifacts wouldn't be able to save them.
With Elara pulling him, Vaan was quickly brought out of his reverie coming back to his senses and sensing the danger, he quickly picked Elara and with a speed much faster than before, the two started running as far as could.
The fireball pulsated with raw energy, the flames carrying Vernoica's lifelong hard work.
The woman glanced at the Swordsman one last time and,
"This is the end."
Her voice echoed throughout the surroundings and finally,
The Huge Fireball dropped.
*BOOOOOOOOM*
An explosion so loud that Vaan and Elara were unable to feel their ears, the heatwaves manifested in their physical form, pushing the two of them away at a pace a lot faster than their own. Vaan quickly grabbed Elara and placed her right in front of her, covering her entire body with his own as he prepared to brace the impact.
The Heatwaves, however, continued to push him further, while the other plants, trees, and even the Beasts were being burned to the point where even their ashes couldn't be seen, Vaan's body was being thrown out of the impact of the spell and despite him feeling the heat that pretty much rivaled the time when he, as Christopher, exploded in his last moments, surprisingly, there was not even a single burnt mark on his entire body.
After a minute of being pushed around, the explosion's force slammed into them, Vaan instinctively wrapped his arms tightly around Elara, shielding her from the force of crashing onto the ground.
They tumbled over each other and continued to roll over the ground.
This time, the impact was brutal, sending shockwaves of pain rippling through their bodies.
Vaan gritted his teeth against the agony, determined to absorb as much of the impact as possible to protect his Elara.
Despite his efforts, they both bore the brunt of the fall.
Elara's body collided with the unforgiving ground, the force knocking the breath from her lungs. Vaan's own injuries flared with intensity as they rolled, his muscles protesting with every movement.
But throughout the pain and chaos, Vaan's focus remained on Elara. With each roll, he shifted his body to absorb the impact, doing everything in his power to shield her from further harm.
His heart pounded with fear and determination, his only thought was to keep her safe amidst the chaos surrounding them.
As they finally came to a stop, battered and bruised, Vaan's arms remained wrapped protectively around Elara, despite his injuries, he quickly glanced at his Elara, who had closed her eyes and had placed her head on top of his chest.
However, the moment she noticed that everything had come to a halt, she slowly opened her eyes and the moment she glanced at the Vaan all bruised up with injuries all over his body, her face paled in horror.
"Vaan!!"
She called out with a worried look on her face.
In an instant, her hands moved to her bag to take out the instant spells she had brought, however, she soon realized that everything had turned into ashes.
"Vaan!" She called out again, tears collecting at the end of her eyes.
"What are you crying for? I am perfectly fine, okay?" Vaan on the other hand stood up.
Then, to change the topic, he turned to the direction of the explosion and finally, his eyes fell on the terrifying sight.
"What in the…"
Vaan was speechless, the area in front of his was charred black, the entire area where his vision could extend to only had a single thing to display, death. All the Flora, Fauna, everything had turned into assimilated into the charred black ground.
Vaan couldn't even tell how far the sight extended, however, he was definitely sure about one thing.
He was protected.
There is no way someone like him could have survived such a huge explosion, certain powers protected him from the flames, the heatwaves that were only pushing him away instead of burning him, Vaan could tell that the two were related.
He had many questions in his head, right now, however, none of that mattered.
"Vaan! You shouldn't move!"
Seeing Vaan standing up, Elara tried to hold him, Vaan however, shook his head, and,
"We need to explore the area, we need to find if there are any artifacts that the Mage used left…
Artifacts are supposed to be made of strong materials, and if some of them are Divine Artifacts, then the possibility that they are not yet destroyed is high.
Let's go, an explosion of this level is bound to attract attention, if we don't move quickly, others will, we can't let the 2 weeks we have been here go to waste.
"
Saying those words, Vaan started moving and Elara, who wanted Vaan to rest had no option but to follow him.
