Chapter 1

Huge fiery orbs fell with a disgusting sound. It seemed as if the very sky had split open and hell had descended upon the earth. The scale of the event was impressive. The vampire was witnessing the effects of combat artifacts for the first time and was deeply amazed. If he had been in the fortress at that moment, he would have been terrified, but now, watching from the outside, he could only admire the skill of the attackers.

Then the defensive artifacts came into play, and all the fire raining down on the defenders' heads was expertly deflected and thrown outside the perimeter of the defense.

"Smart! They deflected the energy of the spells instead of taking it on the shields. Very smart."

But there were no amateurs among the attackers either; the next volley consisted of a double shot. Some of the "fiery meteors" fell from the sky again, and as they were deflected and nearly driven out of the fortress walls, the remaining artifacts struck from the side. The fortress shields not only absorbed the side impact but also all the energy of the deflected spells.

The "celestial shield" covering the defenders became visible to the naked eye, rippled, and burst with a pop. Of course, a new "celestial shield," shimmering with pristine purity in magical vision, quickly replaced it, but the morning clearly began with a success for the besiegers.

Such an occurrence could not go unnoticed in the fortress, and clouds of the "storm front" formed over the camp. The mages protecting the tents and shelters did not falter. A variety of defensive spells absorbed the lightning that began to strike from unnaturally low clouds. As the mages focused solely on repelling the attack from the sky, indistinct flashes leapt from the fortress walls and flew towards them parallel to the ground.

The defenders used the same trick that had caused them to lose one of their shields a few minutes earlier. The "light blades," almost reaching their targets, suddenly changed their direction sharply and, like pancakes, bounced off the ground and shot into the sky, directly into the storm clouds created by the previous attacking spell. If the colliding spells had belonged to the same school or at least had something related in their essence, it might not have been so catastrophic, but they were too different, as were the energies composing them.

The roar was deafening, an unimaginable fireworks display lit up the sky, rain poured down, and rainbows appeared. Two powerful attacking spells were destroyed, creating a magical chaos in which hundreds of various spontaneous spells and manifestations of magic were born and died. And all this happened in a limited period of time. But the nightmare unfolding in the sky could no longer harm those on the ground.

"Two-nothing in favor of the attackers. I wonder what happens next?"

Next, the fortress walls were struck again by "fiery meteors."

A cup of berry brew was gently placed on the table. The aroma spreading throughout the room brought back childhood memories.

— They're asking to review the financial papers more quickly; they've been with you for a long time, — Yulia, who had brought the wonderful drink, firmly took the mirror the knight was looking into.

— The ones you're so insistent that I read at home in bed? But as soon as I start looking at them in the office, you send me off to construction?

The secretary didn't answer but merely lowered her eyes in embarrassment.

— Have you read them yourself? — Alexander decided to change the subject.

— Yes.

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