Chapter 223: Taking Action
The city sewers.
The air was a thick and fetid miasma, and the only light was a small, glowing orb at Flamme's fingertip, which barely illuminated the moss-covered walls.
"Be careful. There are a lot of detection spells here," Ela's voice was a low whisper. Her own magical senses were now a delicate and intricate web, reaching out into the darkness, searching for the subtle fluctuations of a hidden magic. These spells were not just a defense against intruders but a self-protection mechanism, designed to trigger an alarm at the slightest hint of a foreign magical presence.
Flamme followed close behind, with Frieren still on her back. "All these detection spells... it means we're close," she said.
Ela paused, her eyes closed, and then nodded. "Yes. The density and the strength of the spells are increasing. The source is right above us. You can feel it too, can't you?"
Above them, through the thick layers of earth and stone, was a vast and powerful source of a raw and untamed magic, the very heart of the city's great barrier, a power so great that even through the tons of rock, they could feel its terrifying pressure.
"This is going to be a problem," Flamme said with a frown. "The moment we cast a spell, we'll be detected."
The mages had not bothered to place any defensive spells in the sewers, which was a good thing. But this place, though it was hidden, if they were to be found... there would be nowhere to run.
"We'll have to shield ourselves as best we can," Ela said, and took a few special magical items from a pouch at her side. "I'll create a small barrier to mask our own spell-casting. But once we start to draw on the main power source... it won't be enough to hide us."
Their plan was a mad one. To be discovered... it was inevitable. They just had to hope they could buy enough time to open the portal.
"I understand. I will activate the teleportation spell as quickly as possible."
Ela quickly placed the magical items around them, and a thin and shimmering barrier appeared, enclosing them in a small, hidden space.
And Flamme... she began to draw the teleportation circle on the ground, a complex and intricate design of a spatial runes that her teacher had taught her.
And at the same time, Ela was preparing the spell to draw on the power of the great barrier.
Time was of the essence.
She had to maintain their own shield, and to draw the magic circle for the power transfer, and at the same time, she had to keep an eye on her 'junior sister', on the teleportation circle. Their destination was her own two teachers. The coordinates had to be precise. And she had to inscribe his own, unique magical runes. It was the only way to achieve a directed, tracking teleportation.
After a long, long time, the massive, complex magic circle was finally complete. "It's done," Flamme said, and wiped the sweat from her brow.
"Impressive," the other said with a sincere admiration. To be able to draw such a complex circle, so quickly... even she herself would have found it difficult.
They stood at the edge of the circle and looked at each other. They had already made their plan. This was the final, and most critical, step.
Ela took a deep breath and stepped into her own magic circle.
Her own magical power flared, and the small shield that had been hiding them was instantly shattered. A powerful and irresistible force shot up through the earth and the stone and latched on to the great barrier above.
BOOM!!!
The entire tunnel shook, and a shower of dirt and dust rained down from the ceiling.
And in the city above, the massive barrier that covered it began to flicker violently, and then it dimmed. "No! The barrier is losing power!" one of the mages who was maintaining it cried out in alarm.
"Here it comes," Flamme said, her own heart now pounding in her chest.
Ela had successfully diverted the flow of power, and a torrent of a raw and untamed magic was now pouring into the teleportation circle. She did not hesitate. She activated the portal.
VMM!!!
The entire circle lit up with a brilliant and dazzling light, and the complex runes began to writhe and dance, and at their center, a gateway of a pure and unadulterated energy began to form, a gateway to another place. A massive wave of a magical energy, a tsunami of a pure and chaotic power, now erupted from the circle and washed over the entire sewer system, and the very walls around them began to shake and crumble.
"I need more power!" she shouted.
The mana from the great barrier... it was not enough.
And so, Ela, without a moment's hesitation, began to draw even more power from the great barrier above, a torrent of a pure and untamed magic that now poured into the portal. And the blue light of the circle grew even brighter.
In the sky above, the great barrier flickered again, its edges now so thin that they were almost invisible.
Just then, an attack spell slammed into the ceiling above them, and a hole was blasted open. With the aid of a detection spell, it had not been difficult for the city's mages to find them.
"Cease your villainy at once!" a voice roared from above, and a score of a heavily-armed temple guards, and the mages who had been maintaining the barrier, all leaped down into the sewer and surrounded them. "Attack! Stop them!" one of the mages roared, and a fireball shot towards the teleportation circle.
"Sister Ela!"
She was now focused on the portal, and could not act.
"Leave it to me," she said, and a light arrow shot from her hand, and the fireball was instantly destroyed. But more spells were coming, a rain of a fiery and destructive magic.
She was forced to create a wide-area defensive barrier, and was just barely able to hold them off. But there were too many of them, and a few stray arrows managed to get through, and they whistled past her, so close that she could feel the heat of them.
"How much longer!?" she cried out. The guards were closing in. If they were to get into a close-quarters battle... it would be even more dangerous.
"Ten more seconds!"
The girl's own mind was now a maelstrom of a pure and unadulterated focus, a single and unwavering will, all of it dedicated to the unstable and chaotic portal before her.
(End of chapter)
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