The black sun hangs high

Chapter 442 The Light of Protection
This giant crystal shell, modified by the Black Sun Society, clearly possesses a terrifying power that ordinary shells do not have.

If it were an ordinary cannonball, its effects would begin to decline sharply after the first round of magical explosion. Although the magical disturbance caused by the explosion could theoretically damage the human body, as long as the spellcasters take some measures, they can smooth out these effects with protective magic.

However, now that the cannonball has successfully shattered the city's defensive ritual, the chaotic magic emanating from within it has begun to further invade downwards.

Anyone, regardless of whether they have ever been exposed to or used magic in the past, can now easily sense an extremely exaggerated threat from that dark shadow.

This situation reminded many of the dark domes that were looming over other important cities in Saint-St., except that these rolling black shadows now exhibited characteristics quite different from those previous domes.

Although the latter is equally bizarre and dark, its characteristics are ultimately more stable. The mist emanating from the center of the magic explosion is completely different. People saw that when the mist touched the top of a clock tower, the solid brick walls turned into dust in an instant. The permanent ritual attached to these walls could only emit a faint flash in this rapid annihilation.

The shadow descended incredibly fast.

It didn't resemble any ethereal mist at all; rather, it was like a greedy and ferocious giant monster, charging downwards and constantly devouring everything it touched.

At this moment, the members of the Dawn Society were even more nervous than the residents of Watchtower.

Especially for core members of the Dawn Order like Darth Vader, it was hard to breathe at this moment—they knew that beneath this dark cloud lay the workplace of Frey Meyer and many other important members and leaders.

Without a doubt, what is happening now is an attack meticulously planned by the Black Sun Society.

Those giant birds of Yasharu that charged into the city regardless of casualties and had been inscribed with special magical rituals beforehand were essentially living beacons. Their purpose was not to harass the Akatsuki's army and defenses, but to find and locate their targets!
Frey Meyer, a leader of paramount importance to the Scions of the Dawn, was the primary target of the Black Sun Society's "targeted elimination" operation.

"..."

Darth Vader stood on the streets of Watchtower, watching the black shadow relentlessly advancing downwards. His face contorted, his body trembled uncontrollably, and he couldn't utter a single word.

Over the past period, through reorganized troops, modified weaponry to suit the actual situation, a series of well-planned initiatives, and a large number of correct and decisive on-the-spot decisions, Akatsuki has achieved many remarkable victories against its opponents.

This makes everyone in the Dawn Society proud.

However, what is happening now proves one thing: the Black Sun Society, which has effectively taken control of the Kingdom of Saint Steel, is not as chaotic and fragile as people imagined. Although these guys have suffered defeats on the front lines for various reasons, they can still bring about extremely terrifying impacts when they unleash their strange advantages.

This was the first time Darswell had ever felt such a strong sense of powerlessness.

He knew that his closest friends and many more important comrades were below that deadly fog, but he was powerless to do anything about it.

"Block all entrances and exits, impose martial law on the streets, and do not allow anyone to enter or leave the city!"

He turned his head with difficulty and gave his orders to the equally dumbfounded Dawn Division officer beside him: "Gather our healing mages and notify our soldiers to prepare for search and rescue!"

"Sir, but this..."

"Do as you are given! Don't delay!"

Darthwell was clearly losing control of his emotions. He pursed his lips tightly, forcing himself to calm down, and then led his team toward the distant urban area.

He didn't know if anyone could survive beneath that fog that was enough to obliterate buildings, but at that moment, Darthwell had nothing else to do but believe in miracles and try to make amends.

Meanwhile, those living under this gloom felt even more desperate.

They were initially trying to escape this dangerous area, but they soon discovered that the rolling fog overhead covered such a vast area that their two legs were simply not enough to get them away from the threat.

"Felix, it looks like we're not going to escape."

Faced with this situation, Mayer remained extremely calm. His face showed no panic, only a clear sense of loss and helplessness.

When he decided to establish this organization and fight against these powerful enemies for those distant goals, Mayer had already foreseen the possible end he might face. Therefore, he was not afraid of death, but worried about the future of the Dawn Order, St. Steel, and Vaan, and felt sorry for the innocent residents of Watchtower City and his comrades in the Dawn Order who were caught up in the incident.

They were now at the very center of this gloom, the dark shadows above them appearing even more intense than elsewhere. Some of the Dawn Society's mages attempted to use their magic to interfere with and hinder the approach of the shadows, but no matter what kind of magic it was, the moment it touched the shadows above, it would be silently broken down into its most primal magical power and completely devoured.

Felix was still holding the wooden box containing the metal cane. He looked up at the sky and responded with a wry smile: "Hmm... it seems we really can't get out."

As they spoke, the shadow advanced quite a distance into the city streets below, and the towering spires of the surrounding houses began to disintegrate and crumble under the devouring and chewing of these shadows.

This will likely be the end for all life in this area.

However, at that moment, Felix felt the wooden box in his hand begin to tremble, and he also heard the clear sound of the ocean waves. The sound was so clear that the rhythm it brought directly broke through the Demon-Slaying Silver patterns inlaid on the wooden box and was accurately transmitted to his arm.

"This is?"

Felix hesitated for a moment, but then, the last vestige of expectation and hope lurking in his body and mind made him act. He half-squatted down, put the wooden box down, and yanked open the lid. The sound of the waves from the "Sinar Sea" then clearly reached the ears of everyone present.

The mages, who were working together to build the last few protective rituals, were drawn by the strange vibration. They turned around and saw a clear, flowing light emanating from inside the wooden box. The intense magical fluctuations even created visible ripples around Felix.

An elegant and melodious singing voice emerged from within the sound of the waves, echoing in everyone's ears, stirring their thoughts, and soothing their flustered emotions.

The gloom in the sky was already very close, and the moment the staff, enveloped in magical light, appeared, the gloom seemed to be stimulated and became even more frenzied. It pressed down faster, and in some places, small clumps of mist even began to dissipate at an accelerated pace. Several exclamations came from not far away—several Dawn Society guards were unlucky; they happened to run into a clump of gloom that had split off, and their figures were instantly swallowed up, their bodies annihilated inexplicably within it.

More and more clumps of mist began to spread toward the vicinity, like wild beasts chasing their prey, actively pursuing the weary figures. Once these helpless people touched these shadows, their only fate was annihilation.

Felix witnessed this tragic and chaotic scene. At that moment, he felt as if he had returned to that city that had been completely reduced to history. As his breathing became more rapid, the song in his ears began to change from its initial elegance to a more impassioned tone.

The sound of the tides seemed to transform into a battle song.

A powerful battle song that can directly influence people's thoughts, inspire their fighting spirit, and give them a clear goal.

Felix looked at the flowing light and shadow before him and felt as if he had received a clear guidance. He should have carefully discerned the source of this guidance, but the chaos before him and the imminent threat left him with no choice.

So the young leader of the Dawnblade gritted his teeth, accepted the guidance, and reached out his hand to the staff that was enveloped in flowing light.

In that instant, a clear light rose up, spreading outwards from Felix as the center. Under the impact of the intense magic, Felix's hair became disheveled, and his tired face was also enveloped in the bright light. An immeasurable amount of magic surged into this body that had never been subjected to magical impact or modification...

The residents of Watchtower, who had been in despair, cried out in joy and surprise.

They saw that the "miracle" that had saved Watchtower City not long ago had descended once again. However, this time, the "miracle" was no longer as magnificent as the previous towering pillar of light. It appeared quiet and peaceful, like a mirror made of water, spreading rapidly in all directions.

It forms a barrier.

A barrier directly blocked the view beneath the black haze, separating all the helpless lives from that destructive color.

These seemingly cold lights appeared to be the most effective force against these shadows. Under their illumination, the originally menacing gloom began to dissipate rapidly, and any wisps of mist that escaped turned into bubbles and vanished into thin air the moment they touched the mirror.

The elven advisor Hetra gaped, for he saw that Felix beside him seemed to be aging at a visible rate.

In just over ten seconds, Felix seemed to have traversed more than a decade, transforming from a strong young man into a steady middle-aged man. His face was wrinkled, his thick hair had become somewhat dry, and even his figure had become thinner.

Hetra knew that this was a phenomenon that occurred when the magic power in a normal person's body was excessively absorbed and squandered.

Even if the power and magic attached to the staff were gentle enough, it was still far beyond what Felix, as an ordinary person, could withstand. If this continued, all the magic in his body would be exhausted, and the life force that supported it would completely collapse.

"Magic crystal! Crystallize! Quickly!"

Guided by his intuition, Hetra shouted, then took out all the magic crystals he carried with him, grabbed Felix's arm, and shoved them all into Felix's empty palm.

The moment he made this move, the elven mage sensed the loss of magic power.

Yes, the magical power required for this strange mirror, which uses Felix as a fulcrum to directly protect the entire city, is far too much. The metal staff is not only drawing magical power from the magic crystal, but also beginning to absorb Hetra's magical power, which is making Hetra feel somewhat strained.

Fortunately, more mages soon gathered around. These members of the Dawn Order handed over all the crystals they carried without hesitation and began to actively establish a magical link with Felix.

As his magical energy replenished, Felix's body finally stopped changing. His face became incredibly calm, and the mirror-like light emanating from his staff shone even brighter. In the darkness of the night, the bright light seemed to converge like hope flowing from the hearts of countless people. It continued to spread into the air and entangled with the dangerous mist.

Finally, the last wisp of mist dissipated completely under the clear light, and the magical mirror that had protected everyone faded away.

The rescued residents of Watchtower emerged from their hiding place and instinctively headed towards the very center of the mirror image. Soon, they witnessed a strange scene.

In the center of an open field, surrounded by many damaged houses and buildings, Frey Meyer, the leader of the Scions of the Dawn, was carefully carrying some unconscious members of the Scions of the Dawn with his guards.

Among these members, one person stood out.

That was Felix, now more than ten years older, who had fallen into a deep sleep. Yet his hand remained tightly gripping the staff that had performed the astonishing miracle. The residents saw that the radiance that symbolized the miracle and the blessing of the goddess Mel was wrapped tightly around Felix's hand like a ribbon.

This made him appear exceptionally holy at that moment.

"Thank you! You are the messenger of the goddess!"

In the crowd, someone shouted excitedly, and the shout quickly spread throughout the crowd, forming waves of sound in just a few seconds.

(End of this chapter)