Chapter 63: Pope’s Order

To fully unleash the destructive power of this combined light and fire forbidden spell, a considerable amount of magical power was required. Although Sir Cervantes' magic couldn't compare to that of a dedicated archmage, and his swordsmanship was weaker than the other temple knights, he was the most suitable candidate among the knights for this mission.

But now, he was just one step away from completing it—just one step! Yet, that one step seemed insurmountable. He hadn't expected the evil eye leader's perception to be so acute. The invisibility spell that had fooled all the other evil eyes and eye tyrants had been detected. Once discovered, he could no longer find any opportunity to use the scroll.

Frantically cutting down the swarming harpies around him, Sir Cervantes prayed desperately to the Lord above for a miracle, a chance to use the scroll. Though he had prayed for over thirty years without ever witnessing a divine miracle.

But this time, it seemed he finally saw one. When the blinding light illuminated the surroundings and the harpies around him were incinerated into charred remains, he almost believed it was a divine miracle, a sign from the Lord to vanquish evil.

The radiant light illuminated the entire massive cavern. A small sun-like orb descended from above, spewing incredible heat and light. It grazed past the harpy swarm and landed on the ground, melting the rock into a pool of red magma. Anything close to the orb—harpies, evil eyes, or other objects—was instantly carbonized by the intense heat.

Chief Lorelei let out a maddened screech, her eyes almost bleeding with rage. This single spell had turned at least half of the gathered harpies into charred remains. Even those not directly burned had their feathers set ablaze. The agonized screams of hundreds of her kin tore at her heart.

The evil eye leader also let out a strange cry. It wasn't just the harpies that suffered; dozens of evil eyes floating in the air were also reduced to ashes by the orb's power.

Their eyes, along with Shaman Timmah's, immediately turned to the top of the cavern. The orb had descended from above. They could tell this wasn't a divine miracle—it was the pinnacle of fire magic, the Blazing Nova.

The cavern's ceiling was nearly a kilometer high. Earlier, Shaman Timmah had used this terrain to unleash a meteor shower-like spell. Now, as they looked up, they saw snow beginning to fall from the ceiling.

Countless snowflakes formed from the moisture in the air, growing larger and colder as they swirled together. A strong wind, seemingly conjured out of nowhere, began to whip through the cavern, carrying the snow and cold air with it. The remaining harpies and evil eyes in the air were immediately scattered by the sudden blizzard.

"A blizzard? A mage? Is there a hollow space above?" Shaman Timmah's vision was obstructed by the sudden storm, but he quickly deduced what was happening.

No mage could cast a Blazing Nova and immediately follow it with a Blizzard. These were top-tier spells of fire and water magic, respectively. Clearly, magic scrolls had been used. The blizzard now enveloping the battlefield wasn't just cast—it was being controlled by a water mage.

The ceiling had just been subjected to a meteor shower. It was impossible for the temple knights' allies, or even a fly, to have been hiding up there. The only possibility was that the cavern's ceiling was part of another cavern. Such overlapping caverns weren't uncommon in Nigen, but discovering this at such a critical moment was disastrous.

There was no time to ponder how the temple knights had known about this hidden terrain, which even he hadn't been aware of, and set up an ambush there. The most important thing was still the temple knight and the scroll in his hand. No matter what, the scroll couldn't be allowed to activate.

"Don't let him use the scroll!" Shaman Timmah roared, his massive form darting toward the temple knight with speed rivaling that of the harpies. Chief Lorelei and the evil eye leader followed closely.

The scorching heat wave had incinerated the harpies surrounding Sir Cervantes. If not for the elemental resistance of his glory armor, he would have been injured as well.

In an instant, the blizzard began to fall from above. Sir Cervantes, who had been on the brink of despair, almost believed this was indeed a divine miracle. But now wasn't the time to ponder the nature of this miracle. The interference around him was gone, and the tide of minotaur warriors was still some distance away. This was the perfect opportunity he had prayed for. He pulled out the scroll, ready to activate it.

"Sir Cervantes, come up here!" A voice from above made him pause. He looked up.

Amidst the raging blizzard, a spherical veil of water shimmered like a massive blue gemstone, encasing a mist-like elemental giant as it descended from above. Atop it stood a golden-haired female swordsman.

"Knight Talice?" Cervantes' hand, poised to unfurl the scroll, hesitated for a brief moment. In this situation, casting Purgatory Paradise would mean reducing her to ashes along with everything else.

At that moment, a violent elemental wave erupted from the ground. Sir Cervantes leaped into the air as dozens of sharp stalagmites shot up from the ground, crisscrossing in the spot where he had just stood.

Sir Cervantes jumped high, and the air elemental swiftly flew to his side. Talice reached out and pulled him into the water barrier, landing on the elemental's back.

"Knight Talice, what are you doing here?" Sir Cervantes asked, both surprised and relieved. He couldn't understand how this miraculous savior could be Lancelot's disciple, who was supposed to be on a training journey. Nigen's underground was no place for casual exploration.

Talice' expression flickered briefly, but she didn't answer directly. Instead, she guided the air elemental upward, saying, "This isn't the time to explain. Let's get out of here first."

Sir Cervantes didn't dwell on it. He pulled out the forbidden scroll again. His magical power was just enough to fully unleash this spell.

"Retreat! Everyone, get out of here!" Shaman Timmah's roar reached every minotaur on the battlefield. Whether scattered across the battlefield or rushing toward the scene, they all hurried toward the exits. They had already understood what was about to happen from the high priest's earlier shouts.

The dark elves and medusas, already in retreat, found the exits from Othello too narrow to accommodate so many in such a short time. The battlefield devolved into a chaotic massacre as the underground creatures fought, bit, and trampled each other to escape.

While the soldiers retreated, the three clan leaders did not. Though they could see the air elemental and the temple knight in the air and sense the impending magical surge, they refused to give up.

The evil eye leader, though the slowest, was the first to act. A ring of light spun around his massive eye, and a beam several times thicker than before shot out.

The evil eye's beam was nearly instantaneous, leaving no time to dodge. But the beam didn't hit the air elemental or the temple knight. The thin layer of water surrounding the elemental completely blocked the beam, which could have melted rock. With a hiss, both the water barrier and the beam dissipated.

The evil eye leader let out a harsh, guttural roar. His massive eye was bloodshot from the strain—this had been his full-power attack. The other evil eyes, tossed about by the blizzard, couldn't even stabilize themselves, let alone fire their beams.

Shaman Timmah was the fastest. Despite his massive frame, he moved with agility rivaling that of a dark elf. As he ran, he chanted a short incantation, and the stalagmites that had shot up from the ground earlier now launched themselves like arrows toward the air elemental.

Sir Cervantes, now standing on the air elemental, gripped his sword tightly. The glory armor on his body glowed with the light of Blessing of the Heavens. These stalagmites could tear the air elemental apart. The earth magic spell Stone Barrage might be magical, but its effects were purely physical. There was no way to avoid the rocks except to block them head-on.

But even if he could block all the stalagmites, the air elemental's body wouldn't withstand the impact. He had to leap forward to intercept them. Before gripping his sword with both hands, he tossed the Purgatory Paradise scroll to Talice, saying, "Use this scroll as soon as you fly higher. Do as much as you can. This is the Pope's order…"

"Don't panic. Stay still," Talice said as she caught the scroll. She quickly pulled out another scroll and activated it. A hurricane suddenly formed around the air elemental.