As the night drew longer, when even the dogs' nightly barks quieted down…
In the mansion where Hyortr stayed, one of the windows still had its lights on, showing that someone was still awake this late into midnight.
Tonight was unexpectedly dark—the moon, hidden in its new moon phase, cast a shadowed and eerie atmosphere over the world. It was the perfect night for those who lurked unseen.
On the rooftops of the buildings surrounding the mansion, several silhouettes lingered in the darkness. Facing the mansion before them, one of the figures—a youthful one wielding a spear—gestured toward another figure, a girl wearing a large witch hat.
The girl's eyes shone briefly, then she nodded toward the spear-wielding youth. The youth then signaled toward the east, where the outskirts of the city lay.
As if moving on command, nearly all of the figures vanished from the rooftops, disappearing into the night. Only three remained: the spear-wielding youth, a burly giant of a man holding a massive battle axe, and the same girl with the oversized witch hat. They did not linger long though.
Seeing the light in the window finally go dark, they moved.
Inside the now-dark room, three figures materialized in silence. They were about to proceed with their next move—
When suddenly, the light returned.
"I have been anticipating your arrival for a long time," a voice spoke calmly. "But I was starting to wonder if I had assumed incorrectly."
Standing before them was the Healer, his serene yet unsettling smile greeting them in the dim light. Beside him stood Rosaria, her Dragonspine Spear at the ready, gleaming under the flickering lamp.
Immediately, the three intruders tensed, raising their guard. The youth and the burly man stepped protectively in front of the girl, who swiftly began chanting a spell.
"[Maximize Magic: Forced Teleportation!]"
With those words, an unnatural force enveloped everyone in the room—Hyortr, Rosaria, and the three intruders.
Then, in the next instant—
They were gone.
They reappeared in a small clearing a few distances away from the city. In the middle of a formation, pre-planned by the intruders.
Waiting in formation were the rest of the figures who had vanished from the rooftops earlier— 7 of them.
Recognizing their allies, the three intruders quickly distanced themselves from Hyortr and Rosaria. Now, with the three together, the opponents Hyortr faced was ten.
"This 'Forced Teleportation' seems to be a variation of the standard seventh-tier spell, Greater Teleportation," Hyortr observed, his tone lighthearted as if discussing a minor curiosity. His gaze fell on the witch-hat-wearing girl. "Was it created by you?"
The girl said nothing, merely adjusting her stance.
"Not a talkative one, I see..." Hyortr smiled, unfazed. "Say, why do the top powers of the Six Scriptures grace me with their presence tonight?"
"To eliminate you, of course."
This time, someone answered. A robed man stepped forward—his short beard and dark mage robes making his profession clear. The staff in his hands radiated a sinister aura, the telltale sign of a necromancer.
"But why would that be?" Hyortr tilted his head slightly, his pleasant smile never fading. "All I remember is helping the people of this nation… while you all have been trying to kill me from the very beginning." He spread his hands, feigning innocence.
"Precisely because of that," another voice spoke up.
A short man wielding a thin rapier stepped forward. The weapon had a spiral pattern along its blade, resembling a slimmed-down jousting lance.
"Those old geezers don't like you messing around in their playgrounds. They—"
Before he could finish, a sharp voice interrupted him.
"Argh! Can we stop this useless chatter already?!"
A heterochromatic-eyed elf stepped forward, gripping a scythe with impatience. Her eyes gleamed—not just with irritation, but with a curiosity.
"Indeed, I too agree," Hyortr said pleasantly. "Thanks to this 'useless banter,' we can properly begin now."
In his hands, an hourglass-shaped item appeared. Innumerable magic circles surrounded him, forming a massive pillar of radiant blue sigils.
"Huh?! Everyone, be careful!!"
The witch-hat girl's voice rang out in alarm, sensing the sudden surge of magic around them.
Before the Black Scripture could react, Hyortr activated his spell. He broke the hourglass item, instantly bypassing the casting delay for the Super-Tier magic.
"[Domain: World Tree Yggdrasil]"
The moment the spell activated, their vision blurred. The world around them shifted—
And when their sight refocused—
They were somewhere else entirely.
The battlefield had transformed.
A colossal tree loomed before them, its massive roots spreading endlessly into the void.
The group of ten found themselves scattered across seven transparent platforms surrounding the tree's enormous trunk.
All around them was a starry abyss, as if they had been cast into the depths of outer space.
The view momentarily entranced them—an overwhelming sight unlike anything they had ever seen.
But their moment of awe was short-lived.
Suddenly, dark figures began materializing before them.
Abyss Mages. Rift Hounds. Undead.
Each platform now swarmed with monstrous creatures, their eyes gleaming with unholy power.
"I apologize if my assessment of your strengths is inaccurate," Hyortr's voice echoed from above.
The members of Black Scripture turned, spotting him floating behind five Abyss Mages and six Rift Hounds.
"But I have divided you all based on my calculations—to ensure a more balanced experience. With Zesshi Zetsumei, the First Seat, and the Second Seat being here..."
"What is this…?" the youth whispered, eyes widening in shock.
"The power of the Gods…" the heterochromatic elf muttered, her gaze flickering with a hidden desire.
"Impossible?! He can use it?" the Second Seat—the short man with the spiral rapier—gasped in disbelief.
"Of course," Hyortr answered, his smile darkening. "It wasn't even difficult. The only challenge was deciding which of my hundreds of Eleventh-Tier spells to use."
His words sent a cold chill through their spines.
The Second Seat, Time Turbulence, clenched his rapier, cold sweat forming on his forehead.
'I need to escape. The others… they don't matter. As long as I live, that's all that matters.'
"Well then," Hyortr spoke, raising his hand.
A wave of magic pressure filled the battlefield.
"Let's begin. Attack."
At his command—
The summoned creatures rushed forward.
Both groups clashed in the middle as blows and magic spells were exchanged. Meanwhile, floating above the battlefield was Hyortr silently observing the play.
'Based on intelligence, Zesshi Zetsumei is by far the strongest among them, at level 87. The First Seat should be weaker than her, likely around level 70.
The Second Seat, Time Turbulence, is level 64, but his time-related abilities make him an annoying opponent. But I have counters for that.
Now… let's see how they handle this battlefield.' Hyortr analysed in his mind as he saw the battle begin.
Meanwhile, on another platform, a similar battle raged.
Rosaria clashed against Clementine's brother (Fifth Seat) and Divine Chant (Fourth Seat).
Both were around level 60.
She was level 80.
This really was an... unfair match.
To Be Continued…
★★★★★★