Thud!
A Black Guard stormed forward, he leaped off the ground and used an ally as a stepping stone before leaping towards an airborne devil bird.
The halberd in his hands vibrated violently and unleashed an amber light as he stabbed forward. However, the devil bird swung it's deflected blade with its wing, before attempting to snatch the Black Guard with its talons, but he was pulled back to the ground by the chain belt.
More soldiers used this method to combat these monsters and with the aid of my shadow tendrils, we were able to keep them at bay. But for how long?
More cracks were opening up in the barrier and more devil birds were entering the castle. It was only a matter of time before we get overrun.
Why wasn't the damage fixing itself?
"Something is wrong with the barrier." Lt. Thomas frowned while glaring at the cracks and holes.
The man had never left my side, always covering my blindspots within the chaos.
I nodded in agreement as it wasn't difficult to see. I looked toward the west where the massive serpent constantly bombarded. The battle against the beast was fierce and I guess that's where castle black troops were focused.
"How long are you and your soldiers supposed to hold out?"
Klien's voice caught our attention and we glanced at him only to find out he was looking towards the sky. The constant explosions have defended me temporarily so I didn't notice something has changed.
We both traced his gaze, our eyes widening as a comet of darkness hurled towards the barrier. My eyes dilated with shock as I watched the black comet tear through the ranks of devil birds.
Fire bolts and arrows were fired and even explosive cannon shells were unleashed in hopes of stopping this beast but it bulldozed through everything effortlessly.
"BLACK DEVIL! IT'S THE BLACK DEVIL!" A Black Guard screamed like a little bitch but I understood why
The stench of death was strong and it loomed around us.
"KLEIN!" I yelled at the top of my voice.
"By the bond of blood, by the seal of soul,
Let this lifeblood rise and make me whole."
Klien's calm voice shut me up. His eyes carried a wild crimson glow, while red stripes appeared all over his black hair, leaving me confused.
Wasn't this like the emerald stripes I got after gaining the death magic?
How powerful is this guy's affinity to blood magic?
Klein was u bothered by my gaze and I watched his arm tear open as if it had been sliced open by a hot knife. Faintly glowing crimson blood poured like a spring from a rock.
No human should have that much blood!
"Crimson flow, now take your form—
Aegis of wrath, shield me in storm!
Cruciora Sanguinem!"
Blood Magic: Crimson Aegis: Blood Dome!
A massive crimson magic array appeared beneath us, spanning hundreds of meters and bathing the entire battlefield with a crimson light. Heads snapped in our direction, the shock on their face undeniable as a strong stench of blood filled the air.
Klien's blood filled the ground, forming a small puddle. It began to rise into the air and rapidly expanded into a dome of swirling red energy. This dome is semi-transparent, pulsating with life while creating a low, heartbeat-like hum.
{Focus! Help him!} Lin's voice snapped him out of my reverie.
BOOOM!
The black comet smashed into Castle Black's barrier, causing the entire Castle to quake violently. Dazzling blinding lights coming from the collusion made it impossible to see what was going on but the sound of cracking glass was hard to miss.
"The barrier won't hold!" Thomas frowned.
"Neither will this one." I said with a frown.
While Klien's power was mind-blowing, it couldn't compare to the sheer pressure coming from the black comet. I knew it would crush the barrier and crush Klien's defense.
However my anomaly class shadow magic won't be enough either. If we are going to win, I needed an external source of power and thankfully I had the right spell for that.
It is an original spell derived from my ability to absorb souls. Snatching an element and consuming it with my superior power and adding it to my strength was necessary so I used two variants of this spell, one for blood magic and the other for shadow magic.
As I am only known to possess shadow magic alongside my fire and wind, I could only rely on my shadow magic in this situation.
"I will save your lives but it will come at a price." My voice rang through the chaos attracting the attention of everyone.
I wasn't going to explain further, I planned to show them.
"Fall, o shade, from those who stand—
Crawl to me by cursed hand."
Buzz!
At that moment, everyone's expression changed apart from Klien's. They felt it—a pull but not within them, but beneath them!
Their shadows moved on their own accord, crawling desperately in my direction.
"Aaaah!"
Some Black Guards screamed and fell on their butt, while others were bewildered. But none of them resisted the pull. They knew only I and Klien could save them in this situation.
They understand perfectly; in exchange for their survival a price must be paid!
"By dusk unchained and night unbound,
I steal your steps, your soul, your sound.
Umbra Devora!"
Shadow Magic: Theft of Dusk; Shadow Reap!
Their shadows ripped from their figures. These shadows spiralled toward me, wrapping around me like living wisps of smoke.
Sniff!
I sniffed in the black smoke and my black veins bulged and thrumbed. Their power flowed into me while the black cracks on my eyelids spread further across my face.
While I was ecstatic, drowning in power, the Black Guards were experiencing something different. Their shadows were gone, leaving them weakened, disoriented and cold.
Their armors weighed down on them and one after the other they fell to their knees but I didn't spare them a glance. My grimoire was engulfed in darkness, trembling violently as it stopped at a page with what Librarian Rose described as the strongest shadow spell in the mortal realm.
I tried to cast it once, only to find out I didn't have enough mana to cast the spell. Fortunately, with the abundant souls as a substitute for mana and the power from the reaped shadows, I can cast this spell in its full glory.
"O Godless vault, where sun dares not tread—
Let pillars rise for the forgotten dead.
From shadow's womb, by vow unspoken,
Let light be silenced, hope be broken.
Domum Umbrae—Cathedral of Eternal Dusk!"
Shadow Magic: Cathedral of Eternal Dusk
As I chanted I raised my finger toward the heavens while my voice reverberated across the battlefield. Torches lined on the castle walls snuffed out as shadow crept in from all directions.
As soon as all the shadows converged at the center, they began to rise and take the shape of a cathedral made of solidified shadow. In mere seconds a structure with spires was erected beneath Klien's ever growing blood sphere.
We stood side by side with our hands raised and our gaze fixated towards the heavens. And then, it came—
KRSSSSSHHHHHHH!
The barrier shattered with a loud crash and the black comet sped towards the crimson shield.
It was coming directly for us!
BOOOM!
"Aaaahhhhhh!" I turned around and saw Klien coughing up a mouthful of blood and clenching his chest.
KRRRRRSSSSSSSSSSSSH!
He fell to his knees as his crimson dome shattered with a deafening crash, leaving me genuinely stunned! For a moment it felt like the world had slowed down as my thoughts ran through my head faster than normal and people were moving in slow motion.
That easy?
His spell was broken that easily?
My eyes widened with genuine shock. I expected whatever was coming to be strong but not this powerful.
{DON'T HOLD BACK OR YOU DIE!} Lin warned.
BUZZ!
An emerald light lit beneath my eyes as the shadow beneath me spiraled, forming a second layered barrier around Klien and eye while I poured every ounce of mana I had left into the black cathedral.
I needed another mage alive if we are going to survive this. These soldiers were impressive but inconsequential on the long run.
BOOOM!
My black cathedral trembled as I felt a sharp stab pain on my chest. Instinctively, I clutched my chest and staggered forward. I could feel a warm liquid making its way up my throat and while I tried to resist, my resistance was futile.
Bam!
I fell to my knees and coughed out a mouthful of blood. My throat hurt badly but not as bad as the sound of my black cathedral collapsing.
KRRRRRSSSSSSSSSSSSH!
"No…" I gasped but my voice drowned beneath the panicked cries of the Black Guards outside my shadow dome.
By stripping them of their shadows they were weakened and couldn't escape. The defense they sacrificed their shadows for had failed them!