NOVEL NEXT Case 85: On top of the world.
For a moment, silence befell the room.
No matter how confident Kierra was, there should still be a limit. Heavenly Venerates were something of a far, far distant dimension that whatever they could imagine. These beings were closer to walking cosmic-level disasters than just Immortals.
Having to deal with them on top of the virus, which allegedly could beat even the Heavenly Venerates, how could one be so arrogant?
Nevertheless, there was a certain composure in Kierra's demeanor. She calmly sipped her tea, posing a smirk as everybody tensed up.
''Cosmos.''
Calling the name of her dear friend, Kierra's ruby-like pupils turned to the woman with a blank expression in the corner.
''Did you ever meet them?''
''Certainly.''
Understanding what the archwizard implied, Cosmos continued her recount.
''They are... manageable at that point. Whether they have gotten stronger... I would not know.''
''Got it.''
clack—!
Almost slamming her cup down the table, Kierra successfully startled just about everyone. With eyes sharp as an eagle, the archwizard spoke with a tone full of dignity.
''In case you all have forgotten... let me remind you.''
'''' !!! ''''
In an instant, a terrifying aura escaped Kierra's body—a common effect caused by the hyperactivation of her ten immaculate mana circles. It weighted the surrounding beings down significantly, threatening to crush their very bones.
Except for August and Cosmos, the others could hardly breathe.
''I am Kierra Scarlett Aspenova, the one and only wizard who could uproot heavens and burn down hells. In this realm, in other realms—in every realm, there exists nothing that can rival me.''
Feeling her celestial body shaken to its very core, the Heavenly Shura unconsciously formed a wry smile. This sheer pressure, as though the whole world were placed on her shoulders, was real.
''Hmph.''
Cutting down her mana circulation, Kierra leaned back into the sofa with a cocky look. Soon, she pinched August's cheeky cheek on the side since its owner had been looking at her quite disrespectfully for a while.
''Ow, ow, please spare me, my beautiful and incredible wife~!''
''Shut up. Hah... this idiot is quite strong as well, even if she looks like this.'' Kierra shook her head. ''Of course, we can't leave out Cosmos, too.''
''...So, three for three?'' Wen Zhuwei amusedly inquired.
''If you want to consider things that way.'' Kierra shrugged. ''Either way, just talking won't solve things. Let us march to the battlefield.''
''Hahah! You're absolutely right!''
As the group began to move to the frontlines, Kierra's crew—her harem was surprisingly silent. For almost two years, they had experienced the very gentle side of Kierra, being showered in her tender love so much that they had essentially forgotten how terrifying she could be at times.
Kierra's earlier declaration was damming evidence of that.
Strangely, they could only feel... immorally satisfied. A being of that caliber was pampering them the whole time... who could dare reject it?
For a while, witch-like giggles could be heard among the group.
However, such a mood would soon be extinguished as the battlefield drew closer. Even from a distance, one could clearly feel the violent ripples of qi in the air, signaling brutal fights ahead.
''Qing, Shuren. You two will move together. Shuren will protect Qing while she casts her buff, alright?'' Kierra tentatively asked the two young women.
''Roger!''
''Understood.''
''August, Cosmos, and I shall move alone. The rest of you can pair up however you like. Have all the soldiers back to the base. I will then clear out the whole battlefield with one strike.''
No one objected to the archwizard's commands. Naturally, Yu Chen chose to move with her master, Tian Yun, while Mie Xieren went with Yan Shi as the latter's lightning attribute paired well with her water one.
The three Immortal Empresses had good synergy, so they went with each other.
Just like that, the first battle to reclaim the very frontline and relieve the current combatants began. To properly prepare for the first major wave, there needed stabilization within the Immortals, which was why they needed to hurry.
Fortunately, mana was abundant even in this plane of existence. It made sense if one dug into the origin of mana as they knew it. Mana was a form of energy existing within things in general, which meant that whenever there were things, mana would emerge.
Wielding such a beautiful energy, Bai Qing clasped her hands and began to pray.
''O foregone tales' heroes,''
''Blessed saints holding fate's demise,''
''Searching for quests,''
''Roaming the land,''
''Before long, they will become their own paths, and thousands, even millions of heroes will walk them.''
''Even though their fate is to be lost, to be stolen away, to disappear someday,''
''They are the very things that cannot be forgotten,''
''And are right here with us.''
For a moment, Bai Qing's determined eyes flashed a brilliant blue light. Answering her call for help, the spirits of distant heroes, whose stories had been buried deep in the sarcophagus of history, took the form of a colossal mana wave, washing over the entire battlefield as if proving their undying hearts of peace.
⌈Sanctuary Of Bygone Valor—8★⌋
''This is...!''
''My wounds are healing!''
''It's a miracle!''
Suddenly, the Immortals who were tugging with the monsters for their lives felt invigorated, their wounds closing and their muscles bursting with power.
However, being the center of such a powerful sanctuary, Bai Qing naturally attracted many of those malicious beings. Kang Shuren, who stayed near the praying woman, could sense many presences approaching.
They all had grotesque appearances, seeming to be cruelly Frankensteined together with different mutated animal parts. Their deep, ominous purple skin, paired with their lifeless yet animated eyes, gave off a bad feeling to just about anyone.
Pulling out her sword, Kang Shuren took a calm stance.
Even if she was only at the peak of the Soul Transformation outwardly, with the help of mana and the Heavenly Shura's sword arts, she felt like she could take on the world.
''Come.''
Meanwhile, August and Kierra were breezing through the battlefield, each spearheading in a direction. The archwizard's automated projectile magic spewed out hundreds of spells at once, cleaning out multiple enemies at once while she collected the Immortals.
Before the group of Immortal Empresses went their way, Kierra made sure to have them give out a retreat order. Since there were so many of these abominations, it would be more efficient just to drop a nuke instead of manually taking them out. However, there were bound to be ones that couldn't retreat—the wounded—or couldn't receive the order.
August, on the other hand, was actively throwing people into the rifts she cut, sending them back to the designated spot beside Bai Qing, where the buff was the most potent. This way, they could help Kang Shuren protect Bai Qing as well.
With everybody working together, it only took a few hours for all the soldiers to be rescued, and after receiving the signal, Kierra took off to the sky.
Overlooking the vast field of death, Kierra couldn't help but feel regretful for the original landscape. Without these pests, it would have been a beautiful grass plain, but alas...
Since it couldn't be saved anymore...
'Raze it all to the ground.'
In a single heartbeat, Kierra's mana circles swell rapidly.