Suffer a setback

Zevan stepped forward when he noticed one of the sorcerers, Minister Chauncey coughing out a mouthful of blood. He clenched his palms until his nails dug into the flesh, wishing for him to hold on until the end.

Alas, his wishes were unheard. It was just the beginning. More problems started to arise soon after.

When Minister Chauncey spat a mouthful of blood, everyone performing the spell felt a break in the link. The collective and individual energies were weakening, and if this continued, nobody would escape from being harmed, death even.

Elion gritted his teeth as he held on, pushing out everything he had. His energy was dwindling rapidly and he felt a strong metallic taste assaulting his tongue. Swallowing his blood forceful, he tried to concentrate with all his might.

However, the situation only went haywire when the second sorcerer, Minister Barnaby collapsed suddenly. The man did not even cough out blood. Instead, his eyes rolled back in his sockets before he stopped breathing entirely.

With him, the link was completely broken and one by one, everyone started to suffer a setback. Even the fake Jarett was not spared. 

Zevan felt a heavy weight pressing down upon his chest when he saw the dead man. He wanted to intervene badly and stop the spell. However, it was not a wise thought.

Interrupting the spell now would lead to serious consequences and the ones to suffer the setback would be the remaining six people who were barely holding on. 

Zevan did not care about the imposter. He even wished it was he who had died instead of Minister Barnaby. They would then have one less problem to handle.

Zevan wanted to ask his Master if there was anything he could do, anything at all. But he did not dare disturb and break his concentration.

Distressed, Zevan was just short of losing his mind when he heard someone in the crowd say, "They are all losing their energy. If this continues, they will all die."

Another person then replied, "Unless someone with a higher level of mana helps them, it will be difficult for them to succeed."

An idea struck Zevan's mind and he stared at his Master whose face was as white as snow. Even from where he was, he saw droplets of sweat trickling down his cheeks. It would not be long before he too collapsed.

Zevan did not know if his idea would work or not. But there was no harm in trying. After all, they were already at the sharp end of the sword.

Sucking a deep breath, he approached the heptagram, startling everyone in the crowd. 

"Zevan, come back," one of the men shouted. 

But he gave a deaf ear to his words.

"Zevan, what do you think you are doing? Do you want to die? Come back," another ordered.

Once again, he did not listen to them.

"Zevan, do not be foolish. Do not go," a familiar voice exhorted.

But Zevan failed to recognize who it was. His attention was on his Master who had failed to swallow his blood the second time. A trail of crimson ran down his chin while he suppressed the discomfort as much as possible.

Disregarding the crowd's cautions, Zevan picked up his speed and stood beside Minister Barnaby's now lifeless body. Pulling out his dagger, he sliced his palm and allowed his blood to fall onto the heptagram.

Closing his eyes, he focused on his mana and directed his internal energy, contributing to the spell as much as possible.

At first, nothing happened. There was no reaction. With every passing moment, Zevan felt his heart drop and his hopes crash.

Was this the end? Did they have no other choice? Was everyone going to die?

Zevan was just about to give up when he felt of strong sensation of his energy being sucked out of him. The feeling was so intense that he felt his chest constrict.

The crowd, which was previously lamenting Zevan's reckless actions and scolding him for being foolish, held their breaths as soon as they saw the dwindling fire in the heptagram burn with vigor once again.

What was that? How was that possible? 

Their eyes rounded and jaws dropped as they stared at Zevan in wonder. 

Unbeknownst to what had happened, Elion frowned deeply when he felt a sudden influx of strong spiritual energy. The link that had broken was reconnected and the pressure on the others was reduced drastically.

Not just Elion, even King Harold, King Thalor, King Darcy, and Minister Chauncey who was barely holding on sensed something to be not right. However, they did not budge and continued with the spell.

The imposter was the only one who did not show any reaction. However, that did not mean he was oblivious to everything happening. Even with his eyes closed, he had seen everything that was happening. He was impressed and admired Zevan even more. Zevan was stronger than he had assumed. 

'If only he joins us, Lord would be delighted,' he thought excitedly.

He did not remain excited for long. His focus drifted back to the spell. After all, just like the others, he too wanted the Soul Avenge Spell to be a success. It was only that his reasons were different.

With Zevan contributing to the spell, it became easier somehow. Despite being horrified by Zevan's abilities, the crowd's confidence was reignited as he silently cheered for everyone involved in the spell.

As moments passed, the fire continued to rage higher and higher until the flames engulfed the seven people. The crowd could not see them. The temperature soared and a strong suppression filled the place, making it increasingly difficult for people to breathe.

The weaker ones fainted while the stronger ones barely held on. It was as if the spell wanted to claim the lives of not just the seven people but the crowd as well.

But all of it was momentary. The feeling of oppression vanished and the crowd sighed in relief before they started tending to the unconscious ones.

The fire started to diminish slowly until it completely died. The high temperature plunged suddenly and it became bone-chilling cold. Strong winds started blowing, making everyone's teeth clatter.

Even though it was biting cold, the crowd was awestruck as they stared at the seven people in the heptagram. Their gazes were filled with fear, reverence, surprise, and most of all, delight.

The Soul Avenge Spell had been a success.