MIGHT AS WELL BE OP

Though the numbers appeared to be evenly matched, fifteen against fifteen, the reality was somewhat different.

On the adventurer's side, two of their ranks were healers, skewing the balance to more of a fifteen versus thirteen situation.

However, these healers were no ordinary practitioners of the art.

One wielded the radiant power of Light Magic, while the other commanded the intricate forces of Buff and Debuff Magic, a rare and potent branch of magic that could alter the course of battle with but a flicker of intent.

The air around them trembled with an intense energy, a cacophony of power.

Waves of raw mana and chaos surged as their auras clashed, sending bursts of shimmering sparks into the air like a storm of stars colliding in the heavens.

The very atmosphere seemed to hum, vibrating with the tension of the impending conflict.

And then, as if some unseen referee had blown a whistle, both sides surged forward in flawless synchrony, their movements seemingly ordained by fate itself.

[Chaos Magic: Dark Dimension]

In an instant, an Emperor rank cultist unleashed a spell, engulfing the entire surroundings in a suffocating blanket of impenetrable darkness.

The very air seemed to twist as the world was consumed by an eerie, malevolent void.

But before the other cultist Emperors could seize the advantage this darkness offered, a human Emperor acted with uncanny foresight, as if she had anticipated the attack.

She raised her hands high, her form bathed in a radiant aura of golden light.

[Light Magic: Luminous Reversal]

A brilliant glyph materialized above her, glowing with an ethereal brilliance.

As the glyph pulsed, a wave of light emanated outward, slicing through the darkness like a blade through mist.

The suffocating veil of shadows evaporated, banished by the overwhelming purity of the light.

The oppressive darkness that had once consumed all sight and sound now dissolved, leaving nothing but clarity in its wake.

With their senses restored, the warriors found their bearings once more.

The oppressive weight of the spell lifted, and their auras, once muted by the shroud of darkness, flared to life once again.

Without hesitation, the battle resumed, each combatant moving with renewed purpose as they plunged back into the chaos of combat.

Those who had been forced to kneel in the overwhelming presence of the Emperor level combatants slowly began to regain their composure.

Their bodies trembled slightly as they stood, their minds racing to catch up with the rapidly shifting battlefield.

But before anyone could stabilize themselves fully, the ominous figure of the Necromancer had already begun to channel his dark energy.

[Dark Magic: Corpse Explosion]

At his command, the corpses littered across the battlefield seemed to awaken, their lifeless forms twitching as a dark, malevolent force surged through them.

In the blink of an eye, they detonated in a series of violent explosions.

Shockwaves rippled outward, tearing through the air and throwing the nearby Grandmasters off balance.

The ground trembled under the force of the blasts, and the stench of death filled the air as body parts and shattered debris rained down.

The adventurers, however, were far from paralyzed by the chaos.

As the explosions reverberated through the battlefield, they surged forward with brutal precision.

A sword, gleaming with deadly intent, slashed through the air, cutting down a disoriented cultist in a single fluid motion.

A spear was thrust forward with relentless focus, its tip finding the soft spot in an enemy's defenses as if guided by fate itself.

Above, a volley of arrows rained down from the archers, each one finding its mark with unerring accuracy.

Amidst this storm of violence, the spellcasters unleashed their own destructive forces.

Fiery torrents surged from one mage's hands, searing through the chaos with blazing heat.

Lightning crackled from another, striking down cultists in a hail of electric fury.

Ice shards formed and spiraled through the air, freezing foes in their path, while others conjured walls of wind and earth to disrupt their enemies' movements.

The battlefield, once marked by the oppressive presence of darkness, had erupted into a cacophony of power and fury.

Spells of every element clashed with steel, and each combatant moved with singular purpose, their every action a testament to the unyielding will to survive and annihilate.

Daelen stood poised, his falchion gleaming with a deadly aura as he faced off against the King ranked cultist.

The weight of their battle was palpable as Daelen swung his blade wide, aiming to overpower his opponent.

But the cultist blocked with effortless precision, his own aura rippling in defiance.

Before the cultist could strike back, Mira's presence was felt.

[Earth Magic: Solid Prison]

The ground beneath the cultist's feet twisted and warped, the earth bending to Mira's will as it sought to encase him in an unbreakable prison of stone.

Yet, before the prison could fully form, the cultist reacted with a swift, furious attack.

[Chaos Sword Art: Numbing Slice]

The cultist's weapon became a blur of destructive power, its chaotic aura shredding through the earth, breaking the prison to pieces.

But that wasn't all.

As the dust cleared, Daelen emerged like a shadow.

With a flash of ice running down the length of his falchion, Daelen swung his blade with deadly precision.

[Sword Art: Frostfang Slash]

The cultist attempted to block, but Daelen was too fast.

His sword cleaved through the cultist's defenses with unerring accuracy, cutting him in half, before the body even had a chance to fall to the ground Daelen snatched the cultist's space ring from his finger, in one fluid motion.

As he turned to face his next opponent, a voice rang out across the battlefield.

[Chaos Magic: Lightning Fall]

The air crackled with the sudden surge of energy as a massive bolt of black lightning tore through the sky, aiming for Daelen.

But Mira was already there.

[Metal Magic: Adamantine Shell]

With a commanding wave, Mira shaped the metallic elements in the air, crafting a shimmering, silver structure around Daelen.

It formed into a near impenetrable barrier, its surface gleaming with protective mana.

The lightning struck with an explosive force, but the metallic shell cracked, the shockwave reverberating through the battlefield.

Yet, as the storm subsided, Daelen was already in motion.

With an explosive burst of speed, Daelen shot upwards, targeting the mage who had cast the lightning attack.

But before he could reach his foe, twenty cultist paragons descended from the sky, blocking his path.

Daelen didn't need to attack.

He and Mira were more than just allies; they were a seamless unit, forged in over two centuries of combat.

They shared an unspoken bond, their movements perfectly synchronized without a word exchanged.

[Wind Magic: Gushing Torrent]

The paragons felt the air around them stir, a shifting pressure that signaled an impending attack.

Before they could react, the wind exploded into a blade like force, tearing through them with unrelenting precision.

Within moments, twenty cultists fell, their bodies shredded by the slicing winds.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Daelen's falchion found its mark as he reached the mage.

The blade cleaved through the cultist's neck with clinical precision, but something was off.

The cultist's body didn't bleed; instead, it began to glow with an ominous light.

Instincts screamed within Daelen's soul, but he and Mira were slow to react.

A storm of black lightning erupted, engulfing Daelen in its deadly embrace.

It was a trap.

The cultist had been a mere clone, a decoy designed to explode upon death.

The force of the explosion hurled Daelen from the sky, his body charred and broken by the brutal blast.

Mira, however, remained composed.

There was no panic, no frantic rush to Daelen's side.

She was a veteran of numerous battles, and she knew better than anyone that reacting in haste would only hinder them.

The explosion had been from a clone, its power would be nowhere near the strength of the real cultist.

Daelen would survive.

"Healer"

Daelen's voice rang out, a clear command amidst the chaos.

Instantly, a healer responded, a green glow enveloping him as the spell took effect.

[Healing Magic: Mending Light]

The light seeped into his body, the intense pain subsiding as his wounds began to heal at an astonishing pace.

Within two seconds, the injuries vanished, leaving no trace of the devastating blow.

Daelen's eyes flickered, his gaze locking onto the mage who had orchestrated the trap.

A renewed determination burned in his eyes.

"You won't escape this time"

With the resolve of a seasoned warrior, Daelen prepared to strike once again.

He focused his mana, the temperature around them plummeting as a wave of cold spread.

Then he used a skill.

[Glacial Tomb]

The air turned icy as the spell's influence spread outward.

The ground cracked with the weight of the magic, and the cultist's attempts to resist were futile.

Ice encased him in a tomb like structure, freezing him in place.

But Daelen was relentless.

He closed the distance with unwavering resolve, his falchion gleaming as he struck.

Blood spilled as the blade cut through the frozen tomb, cleaving the cultist's body in two with a final, decisive blow.

The battle had claimed another victim, and Daelen, undeterred by the trials he had faced, moved on to the next challenge.

Mira raised her staff high, a determined glint in her eyes.

She wasn't about to let Daelen outshine her, not now.

[Metal Magic: Iron Tempest]

A storm of chaos unleashed as Mira's staff crackled with energy.

Metallic shards swirled around her like a cyclone, razor sharp iron cutting through the air, darkening the sky with their glinting, ominous sheen.

The cyclone grew in strength, the metal grinding together with an eerie screech as it expanded outward, tearing through the battlefield with relentless force.

The storm carved through everything in its path, shredding any unlucky enough to be caught within it.

Screams of agony were drowned by the relentless sound of steel slicing through flesh, hearts impaled, and bodies torn apart.

Those who thought they had a moment to breathe were swept away in an instant.

But amidst the destruction, Mira's thoughts lingered elsewhere.

'Where is Lorian?'

She couldn't help but wonder as she glanced around the battlefield.

The chaos was thick, the air heavy with the scent of blood and smoke, yet her eyes couldn't find him among the fighting.

Her gaze finally settled on a figure off in the distance, standing motionless with his hands clasped behind his back.

Anthony.

His demeanor was odd, especially considering the carnage unfolding all around him.

His gaze was focused elsewhere, his attention seemingly directed to something far beyond the immediate battle.

Mira's eyes followed his line of sight, but the distance was too great.

She squinted, trying to peer through the haze of dust and destruction, but what she felt was unmistakable.

Mana clashed violently with chaos in the direction Anthony faced.

The unmistakable presence of Emperor ranked beings locked in battle.

'Strange'

Mira's thoughts grew heavy with suspicion.

Though Anthony stood seemingly passive, the surrounding cultists did not seem to notice him.

They moved around him with a single minded focus, attacking others near him.

It was as though his presence had been erased from their perception, as if he were a ghost in this moment of time.

And even the adventurers around him didn't spare him a second glance.

No one acknowledged his existence, as if he was nothing more than a fleeting shadow in the corner of their vision.