Chapter 237: Chaos of War

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No Cliff.

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How effective is antimatter in a battle? I ponder as I form a ball of solid spell mana. I expand the ball into the shape of the airship cannon ammo so it’s hollow inside. The solid mana is airtight, so as I expand it, it is void of any matter. I then compress the mana inside of it into antimatter. Once the ammo hits something, the spell mana will activate and draw in matter to react with the antimatter and cause a big explosion.

I don’t think anyone will doubt its validity against the rank-and-file army but what about the Legendary beings? The Elementals? Is it even useful at all? That’s what I want to find out.

I note down how much mana I use for each round of ammo I make and put them into three categories. Normal spell mana, spell mana empowered with Magic, and antimatter. Normal spell mana ammo is the cheapest, followed by the empowered ones, and the most expensive is antimatter.

This makes sense. Empowering burns mana; the stronger the empowerment, the more it burns, and antimatter is compressed mana, so naturally, it will take vastly more mana for the same volume of space. This leads to an exponentially increasing cost of mana. So now I just have to ask: is the cost worth it?

On paper, no. A matter and antimatter explosion is something I can’t control, since it’s not mana anymore. If that explosion originates inside my foe, that would be a lot better, but that can’t happen with matter explosions. This means that most of the energy will be wasted by being released into the surroundings. This means I’m far better off using empowered mana since I have far better control over it, and I can even reuse the mana for an order of magnitude more efficient use of that mana.

However, reality doesn’t always conform to ideal situations, so one of the airships for the upcoming battle will carry antimatter ammo to test.

With that done, I also need to investigate better use of my spells in general. Piercing somebody with a tip that then explodes is probably the most efficient use of explosions, but there’s still a ton of wasted energy by doing so. Energy is still wasted in the surroundings, so maybe instead of using magic to simply ‘make the spell more powerful’, maybe I should try to make it more efficient. Less explosion and more damage to the body. People and monsters are far more durable in this world, so if I somehow focus the energy of the spells in one direction, it will be better at piercing tough foes. However, shooting a laser through an enemy is still inefficient in many ways.

It seems like it’s impossible to get a one hundred percent efficient use of mana. Explosions are great for high damage but with poor efficiency. Lasers are better at efficiency but deal less damage. With Vitality, even if I shoot through the heart they still won’t die and can even heal, which is why I still use explosions.

Surely there is something better, even if it’s only achievable through Magic. Maybe if I instead force mana to only spread throughout the body of the enemy? Contain the spell, so it is literally incapable of being wasted? There’s only so much Magic I can apply to mana, so I’ll have to figure out a good ratio of efficiency and empowerment that achieves the most damage since I can’t have the full effect of both.

However, just as I was about to test on a few rocks, Lin tells me to form a mental link with him so he can teleport the airships. Looks like my testing will have to wait for another day.

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Emperor Alexander flies high above the earth, with all but one of his Oathbound. Ryan is back at the Capital, Starport, with instructions to use the item that can call for Fafnir’s aid should he and his Oathbound fall in battle. It is his last-ditch effort to save his Empire should the worst happen. Ryan is one of his most trusted and valued Knights, dedicated to the ideals Alexander upholds, so he knows that his legacy will continue with Ryan.

“Alysara, forgive me for asking more of you, but will you form a mental link with me for just one minute? I want to make sure I do not miss anything.” Alexander asks through the telepathy network Lin set up. In battle, many people get lost in battle and forget to hear, so telepathy networks are always used so communications can’t be ignored.

“Of course,” Alysara says, and the link forms.

Instantly Alexander sees the army and knows exactly where to aim for the most damage, but he can’t help but admire just how powerful Alysara’s perception is. He can see mana in far more detail than his own eyes offer. Secrets of mana not yet discovered and that even Kayafe, last he saw her, couldn’t see yet. That is not to mention the colors of Miasma, and even the sight of his own mana core in his soul. He can even see clearly despite the obvious use of impossibly low perceptive pressure, meaning Alysara can lower it even more than it already is should she wish.

“You’ve been downplaying your ability even more than I suspected,” Alexander grins.

He raises his sword up, gathering all his power to the tip and making it shine as the fabric of reality bends, eagerly willing to do as he wishes.

He shall prevent the injustices the invaders will bring upon his people. He has spent too long making a world accepting of all, and he can’t let it be destroyed now!

Alexander swings his sword down, and as if reality itself has passed Judgment upon the earth, a beam of incomprehensible power slams down, drilling all the way down to the Dwarves in an instant! The Dwarves must have some danger-sensing skills as many shout in warning, and a barrier forms, just barely meeting his attack. The furnaces of the machines burn brightly as they try to defy his attack, and the Soul Lords strain, projecting ectoplasm to defend themselves.

“You come into my domain and expect to defy me?!” Alexander shouts, his voice booming across the land. His anger leaks through the link, with Alysara reminding him to terminate the link. “Let me show you why I am the undefeated Emperor!”

With that, he doubles the strength of his attack by surging his Bond into it, instantly breaking past the barrier.

A chime rings seven times in his mind as the world announces the death of four Soul Lords and three Rinerons.

One of the Elementals twitches, acting erratically as the domination over it weakens, but three Soul Lords send wisps of ectoplasm to regain control over it.

“Now!” Alexander orders. “Drop the Pained Ones!”

A portal opens in the sky, and several screaming Pained Ones fall into the hole and onto the battlefield. Pandemonium ensues as two Rinerons, two Soul Lords, and countless soldiers suddenly scream out, rolling on the ground, clawing at their own faces or killing themselves to end the pain.

Another Earth Elemental starts to fight against its controllers, forcing more Soul Lords to try and subdue it.

“Louis!” Alexander shouts.

“On it, Emperor!” He pushes his fire Bond’s presence as far as he can in a challenging call. Hopefully, a few Fire Elementals will respond, and sure enough, after only a minute, Louis reports good news. “I can feel two respond, Emperor!”

Not a moment too soon either, as the first World Message of one of the Pained Ones dying chimes in everyone’s ears.

“Alysara, how soon until it is safe to transport the airships?” Alexander asks.

“About fifteen minutes if you don’t want to take any risks,” She answers calmly.

“Lin will be expending a lot of power to do so; I want to be sure it will work,” Alexander replies before addressing his Oathbound. “Knights! Charge! Kill the Soul Lords and free the Earth Elementals!”

Alexander dives down first, leading the charge. He swings his sword again, casting a wave forward that slices right through a Soul Lord, several machines, and soldiers. The Soul Lord doesn’t immediately die as ectoplasm wells out through the wounds, but it gives a moment of vulnerability that a Pained One takes advantage of and tears him apart with its scarred arms.

The Knights land in the melee and immediately pounce on the Soul Lords; the world announces the deaths of four more, but Alexander's heart pains when three of his own Knights’ deaths are announced too.

All Squires, they just didn’t have the time to train and grow in strength.

Their deaths were not in vain as one of the Earth Elementals breaks free of its domination and conjures a mountain to crush and bury the battlefield. However, another enslaved Elemental dismisses the mountain. One of the other Elementals is busy fighting back the Pained Ones while two more are fighting his Knights.

The Soul Lords have regrouped and managed to take defensive positions as the world commentates the continued deaths of all sides, a true free for all. However, the situation is about to become more chaotic as the heat around them rises.

Alexander deflects a lethal attack from the Elementals away from his Knights, trying to limit the casualties as much as he can when the first Fire Elemental emerges from the ground in an eruption of magma.

The rampaging Earth Elemental engages the Fire Elemental, and the two begin flinging earth and fire, covering the battlefield in lava and obsidian.

For several minutes the battle rages on as the last Pained One is slain, but another Earth Elemental is freed. The Rinerons offered little resistance in the chaos and were likewise all eliminated. Alexander himself is fighting off two enslaved Earth Elementals, while Jordan and Elizabeth fight the third, all in an effort so the rest of the Oathbound can freely fight the Soul Lords.

The second Fire Elemental finally arrives in a shower of burning earth, making the heat unbearable. Alexander smells burning hair and flesh as the Dwarven soldiers are charred. The Oathbound have armor made to resist such heat, but it can only do so much, and it feels like he is about to be cooked in his armor, but he can’t fall here; he must not!

The second rampaging Elemental is not challenging the Fire Elemental. Instead, it is forming a whirlwind of sharp metal blades, cutting down Soul Lord and Oathbound alike! However, before too many Oathbound died, ten large ships descend and shield his Knights from the attack! They open fire upon the Soul Lords, and even Alexander could feel his own [Danger Sense] slightly react as light fills the hole they are fighting in. It’s not enough to worry Alexander himself, but for the weaker Oathbound, it would be very dangerous.

Fortunately Alysara had maneuvered the airships such that they would take the brunt of the explosions, and they continued to fire attacks that rival weak Legendary or high Exalted beings. One of the cannon shots is not worth mentioning, but the continued attack from five airships certainly adds up.

However, the attacks just aren’t enough to break the barrier the Soul Lords erected in response to the attacks. Regardless of the ineffective attacks, it does give his Oathbound time to catch their breath while the ring of ships defends them from attacks.

“Alysara! Use the airships to block the Elementals' attacks!” Alexander orders. “Jordan, Elizabeth! To me!”

With the airships taking the role he and his two best fighters had, the three of them group up to take down one of the enslaved Elementals.

“We are slaying this one!”

“There’s too much earth down here!” Elizabeth points out.

“That’s not a problem!” With a swing of his sword Alexander knocks the spherical metal orb far into the sky, past the forming mana storm, and teleports to catch it with another swing of his blade that cleaves the orb in two. Jordan and Elizabeth quickly catch up, both teleporting, and with their combined attacks, one-half of the Earth Elemental is utterly annihilated. The Earth Elemental quickly regenerates and starts conjuring mountains as it begins rampaging. The Soul Lord either died or willingly released this Elemental.

The Elemental shoots the mountains, a cone of fog enveloping them. Alexander dodges the attack with a teleport, and the air erupts with a boom as it flies by many times faster than the speed of sound.

“This is taking too long!” Elizabeth says after several minutes of fighting the Elemental. “Three airships have already been destroyed, the others can’t hold out much longer!”

Alexander glances down, seeing one airship impaled by what looks like about a hundred adamantine spears, one literally ripped to shreds, and the third torn in half.

“There are five Soul Lords left; once they are defeated, we can combine our efforts and slay these Elementals one by one!” Alexander says.

The Fire Elementals are doing a great job in keeping two rampaging Earth Elementals busy; if they hadn’t come, Alexander fears he’d have no Oathbound left.

The Soul Lords only have one Elemental under their control, but even if they are slain, the Elementals still have to be dealt with as they pose a massive risk to his cities.

Just then, a chime greets his mind as the long-awaited message finally appears.

Ting! Oathbound Jonathan, the Human, has slain an Earth Elemental!

The Soul Lords must have been giving him trouble, and with so few left, he finally had the opportunity to slay the rampaging Earth Elemental not already busy with the Fire Elementals.

However, what happened next, Alexander could not have predicted even in another ten thousand years. The Elemental in the air they are fighting suddenly had most of its earth mana transform into oblivion mana and condensed inward, as it is supercharged into a powerful spell.

Instantly taking advantage of the turn of events, Alexander, Elizabeth, and Jordan rush forward to annihilate as much earth as they can before the spell finishes, and with a final deafening crunch, the Earth Elemental ceases to be.

Alexander looks around to see a familiar face. A woman with long royal blue hair, furry ears atop her head, and a fluffy tail swishing behind her. She is dressed in what appears to be her old adventuring clothes. However, as familiar as she looks, her body is entirely made out of Vitality.

“Kayafe…”

Ting! The Saintess of the Runalymo, Kayafe, The Runalymo, has slain an Earth Elemental!

“It’s been a long time, Alex.”