The Path to Lordship Begins in the North

Clearly, the Tower's actions were a bit too late. While the Tower was still learning about the war from Lind, the super-level magic in the East was already ready.

In an open field, several mages stood around Oris in various corners of the magic circle, their faces solemn. They wore special robes with hoods that covered most of their faces.

These people are known as Forbidden Spell Apprentices in the Kingdom of Avar; they are specifically there to assist high-level professionals in casting transcendental magic.

Several forbidden spell apprentices chanted obscure incantations continuously, and the light from the magic circle beneath their feet gradually intensified, as if responding to the apprentices' chanting.

As the apprentices continued to cast spells, runes quietly surged within the interwoven lines of the magic array, as if time itself were standing still.

Meanwhile, Oris was at the very center of the magic circle, constantly controlling the magic power and runes within the massive magic circle.

If Linde were also at the casting site, he might still feel that he was too conservative. He could have found an abandoned open space and experimented with super-level magic. An actual casting would yield far more data than just calculating in the research lab.

But as the guest from the tower said, super-level magic is not easy to control. Even for the Avars who frequently use super-level magic, there are still a lot of properties of super-level magic that are completely unknown.

Oris was already a skilled craftsman in the Kingdom of Avar. The magic circle quickly condensed a storm in the sky above the eastern border. The clouds were constantly gathered like a vortex, the air became denser and denser, and the surrounding temperature dropped sharply, as if all the heat had been swallowed up by the storm in the sky.

Seeing that the super-level magic was about to get out of control, Oris activated the unknown flesh and blood sent by the demons.

As the nature of magic changed, super-level magic gradually stabilized.

Lightning flashed, winds howled, and the entire sky was shrouded in dark clouds. The surrounding territory, named Basil, was completely engulfed in flames due to the lightning strikes and the gale.

Everything was proceeding smoothly as planned. Altaïr, who was closely observing the spellcasting and making detailed records, looked at the apocalyptic scene around him and marveled at how Oris's forbidden spell skills had improved once again.

This super-level magic hasn't even been fully unleashed yet, and it already has such immense destructive power. Once it's fully released, I'm afraid this entire area of ​​the Eastern Territory will be turned into a no-man's land.

Although I had a bad feeling, I figured it was just because I was in a foreign country and was too worried.

Just as Altaïr was thinking this, Oris, who was at the center of the magic circle, noticed something was wrong.

Super-level magic continues to expand, and although it has stabilized, it is becoming increasingly difficult to control.

Rather, it's more accurate to say that this super-tier magic has actually broken free from Oris's control. The originally devastating lightning storm seemed to be merely a prelude to a true super-tier magic. The magic power above was still gathering uncontrollably. The super-tier magic that should have unleashed heavenly fire long ago now seemed to be gathering power for an even more terrifying magic.

An unprecedented fear surged into Oris's heart.

As the magic underwent a qualitative change, the ominous and gloomy atmosphere in the air grew stronger and stronger. Some of the magic even formed physical tentacles, which kept slapping in the air.

This is no longer the original super-level magic.

The runes in the center of the magic circle burst forth with intense light, like flames burning and thunder striking. A beam of light pierced the sky, which had become a huge vortex, and within the light, a huge black shadow faintly emerged, slowly descending.

The figure had no specific form; it seemed to be composed of countless fragmented illusions. However, the surrounding demon soldiers immediately knelt down and worshipped the dark figure.

Although the images of these illusions were still very abstract, the demon soldiers, especially those who were trained and fed on flesh and blood, recognized them at a glance as their gods.

"Uh...uh!"

The forbidden spell apprentices collapsed the moment the shadow appeared, their bodies withered beneath their robes, like dried-up mummies, and fell silent after uttering two whimpers.

Looking at the phantom in the sky, Oris felt an unprecedented sense of fear and oppression. As the phantom descended, it seemed as if the earth itself was trembling slightly.

Oris tried to interrupt the spell, but it was impossible. The super-level magic had undergone an unprecedented and terrifying mutation. It was no longer Oris casting the spell, but the entire magic circle was being controlled, constantly absorbing and manipulating Oris's magic power.

Altaïr, who was taking notes, noticed something was wrong and shouted at Oris, "Stop! Stop it now!"

But Oris now seemed to be under mental control, unable to think, his eyes wide open as he stared at the phantom in the sky. The flesh and blood provided by the demons were constantly expanding and absorbing other magical materials, turning into what appeared to be an endless stream of black blood that was spreading outwards from the magic circle.

Unable to move, Oris made a sound as soon as he came into contact with the black blood, as if his flesh was melting. With his last bit of strength, Oris struggled to reach out his arm to Altaïr, trying to beg for help.

But from Altaïr's perspective, upon contact with the black blood, Oris had transformed into a monstrous mass of flesh, emitting a chilling howl and extending what appeared to be a hand, pointing it at him.

Completely unprepared for this turn of events, Altaïr stared at the seemingly alive black blood and was so terrified that he immediately dropped the record and fled like a madman.

Oris was fixed in the center of the magic circle, his magic power being constantly drained, while the black blood seemed to be flowing endlessly, spreading and eroding the land.

However, the phantom in the sky seemed unable to break through some kind of constraint and finally dissipated into the sky. But at this moment, the super-level magic was completed.

The thunderstorm had stopped, but just as rain follows thunder, black raindrops began to fall from the sky.

The raindrops extinguished the fires that had been ignited by the thunderstorm, which made many people in the Eastern Territory watch the black raindrops falling from the sky with curiosity.

Although the black rain looked quite eerie, it at least extinguished the fire. Some people in the basil region even thought it was a divine intervention and came to kneel in the rain to pray.

"Father, look! It's black rain!"

Inside the lord's castle in Basil, the lord and his daughter, unaware of what was happening, were curiously watching the black rain.

The mischievous lord's daughter ran into the courtyard and performed her newly learned dance for her father in the black rain.

The lord, unable to stop his daughter, immediately tried to pull her back under the umbrella held by his servant to avoid the eerie rain. But halfway there, he saw his daughter in the courtyard rapidly decaying into a monster under the erosion of the raindrops.

"Father...my dance..."

The youngest daughter's voice became increasingly distorted, less and less like a human's. The voice, which initially came from her mouth, began to come from her entire body, as if her whole body had been covered with mouths.

"Do you think... you like it...?"

The younger daughter was clearly still conscious, and her voice had turned into an eerie whisper.

The area affected by the rain began to expand uncontrollably, the sky gradually darkened, and the dark clouds pressed down almost to the horizon, turning the earth into a color of despair.

Plants withered, rivers became polluted, flesh rotted, and the ecosystem collapsed instantly in this rain.

The whole world seemed to be coming to an end at this moment, with no salvation and no future.

This apocalypse, which no one could have foreseen, was initiated by humanity itself amidst super-level magic rife with the desires of both humans and demons.