The First Dimensional Rift (8)
An hour earlier, the mages of Vilheim Magic Tower and Blue Rose Magic Tower had arrived in front of the main gate.
“Everyone, inside the tower!”
At Roimdel’s command, the mages hurried into the tower.
“Activate the defensive magic circle at maximum output! Bring all auxiliary systems online as well!”
The mages followed behind Roimdel as he headed for the tower’s central control room.
When they reached it, a giant crystal orb floated at the center. It was the heart of Vilheim Magic Tower, a crystallization of mana accumulated over five hundred years.
“Chief Mage, are you truly only going to defend?”
The white-bearded old mage asked once more.
“Yes.”
Roimdel answered firmly.
“Grace asked for one hour. Our job is to buy him that time.”
“But—”
“No more arguments. I’ve already decided.”
When Roimdel placed his hand on the crystal orb, the entire tower began to glow.
Thump—! Thump—!
At the same time, the footsteps of the crystal golem drew closer and closer.
“Barrier output at one hundred percent!”
BOOOOM——!
As the mages poured mana into the crystal orb, the massive blue barrier encasing Vilheim Magic Tower took on its full, complete form.
The strongest defensive magic circle in the proud five-hundred-year history of the tower.
But Roimdel knew better.
This won’t hold for long either.
The Blue Rose tower master’s 5th-circle fusion magic had fallen, and so had the defensive circle he himself had cobbled together in haste.
Vilheim’s barrier was stronger, but in the end, it was only a matter of time.
Thump——!
The crystal golem stopped fifty meters in front of the tower.
Then it slowly raised its fist.
“Everyone, brace for impact!”
Roimdel shouted.
CRAAASH——!
The massive fist slammed into the barrier. The entire tower shook, and the crystal orb in the control room quivered violently.
“Barrier output at ninety-seven percent! Three percent lost!”
One mage reported in a hurry.
“Three percent on the first strike…”
Roimdel’s face hardened.
At this rate, they wouldn’t last forty minutes.
CRAAASH——! CRAAASH——!
The crystal golem kept attacking. At regular intervals, with mechanical precision, it pounded the barrier again and again.
“Output at ninety-four percent!”
“Ninety-one percent!”
“Eighty-eight percent!”
The reports kept coming. With every blow, roughly three percent of the barrier was shaved away.
“At this rate…”
The white-bearded old mage worked out the calculation.
“It’ll collapse completely in thirty minutes.”
“Thirty minutes…”
Roimdel clenched his teeth. It was not even half of the promised time.
“Engage the auxiliary mana supply! Divert all the tower’s mana into the barrier!”
“But Chief Mage! If we do that, all the tower’s other functions will—”
“It doesn’t matter! Right now, endurance is our top priority!”
At Roimdel’s order, the mages moved at once. Mana conduits throughout the tower were linked to the barrier all at once.
The lights went out. The elevators stopped. The magic circles in the laboratories shut down one by one.
Every system Vilheim Magic Tower had built over five hundred years came to a halt for a single purpose: defense.
BOOOOM——!
The barrier’s light grew a little brighter.
“Output recovering! Rising to ninety percent!”
“Good! Keep it up!”
But the relief was brief.
CRAAASH——! CRAAASH——!
The crystal golem did not stop attacking.
“Eighty-seven percent!”
“Eighty-four percent!”
The output began falling again.
“Damn it…”
Roimdel gritted his teeth and clenched his fist. His nails bit into his palm, but he didn’t even feel it.
At this rate, we won’t last thirty minutes.
Forget the promised hour—they might not even reach half of it.
Fifteen minutes passed.
“Output at seventy-five percent!”
Twenty minutes.
“Output at sixty percent!”
“Chief Mage…”
One of Blue Rose’s mages spoke in a trembling voice.
“At this rate, we really…”
“I know.”
Roimdel answered heavily.
At twenty-five minutes, it happened.
CRACK——!
The first fracture appeared in the barrier.
“A crack has formed! Northern sector!”
“Focus the output there!”
The mages hurriedly shifted mana, but the crack only widened.
“Output at fifty percent! That’s the limit!”
The young mage cried out.
And then the thirtieth minute arrived.
BOOOOM——!
Vilheim Magic Tower’s barrier collapsed completely. The blue wall shattered into countless fragments of light and scattered into the air.
“……”
A heavy silence fell over the control room.
Vilheim Magic Tower, with its five-hundred-year history. One of the five great magic towers of the empire. Its proud barrier had fallen in only thirty minutes.
“Chief Mage…”
“I know.”
Roimdel took his hand off the crystal orb. It was trembling.
Thump——. Thump——.
The crystal golem began walking again. This time, toward the tower without a barrier.
“Chief Mage! What do we do?”
“……”
Roimdel did not answer. He only stared out at the crystal golem beyond the window.
Grace, you’re probably not ready yet.
He had promised one hour, but he had only managed thirty minutes. How was he supposed to buy the remaining thirty?
“…I’m going out. I’ll step outside the tower and cast defensive magic.”
Roimdel made his decision.
“What? You, Chief Mage?”
The white-bearded old mage asked, startled.
“Even the tower’s barrier has fallen. How can we possibly hold it with individual defensive spells…”
“I won’t be alone.”
Roimdel looked around at every mage in the control room.
“All the mages of Vilheim and Blue Rose will layer their defensive magic together. One barrier may be weak, but if dozens overlap, we might buy a little time.”
“But that’s…”
The young mage’s voice trembled.
“The risk of mana backlash is far too great. To directly pour mana into defense without any amplification from a magic circle is…”
“I know.”
Roimdel nodded heavily.
“But I gave my word. I promised Grace I’d buy him an hour. I won’t force anyone. I’ll go out there alone if I have to.”
Then it happened.
BOOOOM——!
Vilheim Magic Tower shook violently.
The crystal golem had struck the tower directly, now that the barrier was gone. A huge crack split open across the outer wall.
“At this rate, the tower will collapse!”
One mage screamed.
“No time left.”
Roimdel picked up his wand and headed for the control room door.
Then—
“…I’ll go too.”
The white-bearded old mage spoke first.
“I’ve served in Vilheim for thirty years. I can’t just stand by and watch this tower fall.”
“I’ll go with you as well.”
Blue Rose’s chief mage stepped forward.
“Our tower lord fought until the very end. We can’t hide behind him.”
“Me too!”
“I’ll go as well!”
One by one, the mages rose to their feet. The mages of Vilheim, the mages of Blue Rose—everyone stood behind Roimdel.
“…Thank you, all of you.”
Roimdel’s voice shook.
“Then we move. We have to build our defense before the crystal golem can strike a second time.”
The mages who had been maintaining the spell control system rushed out of the tower at once.
In front of the crystal golem, a total of one hundred mages spread out in a fan shape. Seventy from Vilheim, thirty from Blue Rose.
“Deploy defensive magic!”
At Roimdel’s shout, the mages raised their wands in unison.
“Barrier of Mana!”
“Veil of Guardianship!”
“Bulwark of the Earth!”
Different defensive spells unfolded one after another, blocking the front of the tower. Blue, green, and golden barriers layered over one another.
Individually, they were weak.
A defensive spell cast by a lone mage without amplification from a magic circle was only at the level of a 3rd or 4th Circle mage.
But when fifty of them overlapped, a faint yet massive multi-layered wall took shape.
Thump——!
The crystal golem raised its fist again.
CRAAASH——!
The fist came down.
The first barrier shattered into pieces. Then the second. Then the third collapsed in succession.
“Ugh!”
“Kkhh!”
Each time a barrier fell, the mages were struck by mana backlash and crumpled to the ground. Blood streamed from their noses and mouths.
But the attack stopped there.
Ten of the fifty barriers had fallen, but the remaining forty were still holding.
“Get up!”
Roimdel shouted at the fallen mages.
“It’s not over yet! Cast your defensive spells again!”
The mages who had collapsed, coughing up blood, staggered back to their feet.
Then, with trembling hands, they raised their wands once more.
“Barrier of Mana…!”
With weakened voices, they forged their walls again, refusing to give up.
Thump——!
The crystal golem raised its fist again.
CRAAASH——!
The second attack.
This time, fifteen barriers were destroyed. Even more mages fell.
“Kkhh——!”
A young mage was hit with such severe mana backlash that he collapsed where he stood and did not move.
“Get up! Please!”
A comrade shook him, but there was no response.
“……”
Roimdel clenched his teeth. Casualties had already begun.
At this rate…
But he could not retreat. If they broke here, the magic circle Grace was creating would be meaningless.
“Keep going! Just a little longer!”
The remaining mages cast their defensive spells again. But nearly half of them had already fallen.
Thump——!
The third blow was coming.
Please… Grace…
Roimdel prayed desperately.
CRAAASH——!
The majority of the remaining barriers shattered. More than twenty mages were struck by mana backlash at the same time and collapsed.
“Ghk…!”
Roimdel himself dropped to one knee. Even a 6th-circle grand mage struggled to endure continuous mana depletion and backlash.
Is this the end…?
The crystal golem raised its fourth fist.
The mages were already on the ground. Vilheim Magic Tower had no barrier left.
The tower’s five-hundred-year legacy. An inheritance passed down from his master’s master. All of it was about to end now.
This was the final moment.
Roimdel closed his eyes.
I’m sorry, Grace…
Self-reproach surged through him for failing to keep his promise. He had said he would buy one hour, but he had only managed fifty minutes.
Ten minutes short.
I don’t regret becoming a mage…
Memories from the past came back to Roimdel.
The days of his youth when he first entered the path of magic. The thrill of succeeding at his first 1st-circle spell. His master’s praise. The excitement of the day he entered Vilheim Magic Tower.
Twenty years devoted to the study of magic fusion. The joy of the day he succeeded in his first dual-attribute fusion after hundreds of failures.
The weight of the wand his master placed in his hands when he reached the 6th Circle and became chief mage.
And Grace.
A young mage who, in only a few months, had accomplished things Roimdel himself had failed to achieve in an entire lifetime. At first, he couldn’t believe it. Then he guarded himself. At times, he even felt envy.
But now…
I believed in you, Grace.
He had no regrets. He believed this choice had been the right one.
Only—
If I had lasted ten more minutes…
Roimdel quietly prepared himself for the end.
And then it happened.
A tremendous wave of mana was felt from behind them.
“This is…!”
Roimdel’s eyes flew open, and he spun around.
Behind Vilheim Magic Tower, a vast red light was surging upward.
As if the sun itself were rising, brilliant flames dyed the sky.
“Grace…!”
It was a magic circle. A gigantic spiral pattern glowed red as it rotated. Two flames twisted around each other in opposite directions, drawing in an overwhelming amount of mana.
But in that instant—
The crystal golem’s fist came down. Toward Roimdel.
Ten meters.
Eight.
Six.
Four.
Two.
Just as it reached the space before his eyes—
Whoooosh——!
A colossal pillar of white flame burst out from the magic circle.
At the speed of light.
No, even faster than that.
Pure white fire tore across the space between Roimdel and the crystal golem.
BOOOOOOM——!
It struck the golem squarely in the chest.
Right at the tiny crack Roimdel had created.