As soon as Ronad got to 'one', his hands moved towards Ember's head. However, before he could reach it, he and Alvis suddenly felt a change, one that immediately halted Ronad's movement.
The change was subtle, very subtle. It was the type of change that one would feel and dismiss as mere paranoia.
But to Alvis and Ronad, both grandmaster individuals, individuals who had faced numerous battles and nearly lost their lives more times than they could count, this change sent shivers through their entire beings.
The millisecond they felt this change, they both immediately looked into their storage rings.
Swifty, they each brought out golden slates from their storage rings and, without hesitation, channeled mana into it. The slate emitted a bright glow that encompassed both of their forms, and swiftly, Alvis and Ronad immediately disappeared from the scene.
At a speed beyond the comprehension of those currently present, the sky above the camp churned with clouds that crackled ominously with frightening lightning, darkening the entire sky as they gathered with unprecedented force.
The very air grew charged with tension as the whole world seem to slow.
In a heartbeat, it was as though the heavens themselves had come to pass judgment upon the battlefield, an incalculable number of lightning streaks materialized out of thin air and descended upon the camp grounds.
As if directed by some divine will, each of these bolt moved with supernatural speed and precision as they descended upon each and every member of the Obsidian Order locked in combat below.
Advanced rank, expert rank, master - it didn't matter. With a blinding flash, each bolt struck its intended target, their powerful forms instantaneously reduced to ashes.
All of this happened within the span of 5 milliseconds, a speed that only those at the least grandmaster rank could fully comprehend.
The staff and instructors of the Raven Camp who were initially in battle stopped, surprised by this sudden turn of events.
All eyes, including the trainees' who were now free from Alvis's aura, turned upward to witness an extraordinary sight they would never forget in their lives.
A man, his very presence commanding the world to bow before him, floated in the sky. Draped in a pristine white robe, his entire form was enveloped in a mesmerizing dance of crackling lightning.
His once piercing gray eyes had transformed into two blazing orbs of unbridled power, their fierce brilliance akin to a thunderstorm's fury.
Behind him, thick and unyielding clouds writhed, fissured by the electrical fury within. Each rupture was accompanied by a blinding burst of light and deafening claps of thunder that resonated with such force that they seemed to shake the very earth itself. The clouds covered the entire expanse, creating the illusion of nightfall.
There was only one embodiment that could describe this man – the God of Thunder.
And then, every single one of them, be it clerk, librarian, or instructor, whether their bodies were riddled with injuries or not, all of them got down on one knee, bowing and paying their respects.
Their Paragon, Magnus Ravenstein had arrived.
Despite the excruciating pain that wracked his entire body, Atticus managed to turn and lay on the ground, gazing up at Magnus's imposing figure in the air.
Every inch of his body throbbed with agony, but despite that, Atticus's mind was focused on one thing: the overwhelming power he had just witnessed.
That power… that was what he needed. If he had that, none of this would have happened.
He wouldn't have been so helpless, Ember wouldn't have almost been killed in front of him, and those bastards wouldn't have escaped.
Atticus clenched his hands and gritted his teeth, adding to the pain his body was feeling.
"I need strength," Atticus muttered with unwavering resolve, his voice barely above a whisper.
And unsurprisingly, all his exhaustion and suffering caught up to him, and he immediately lost consciousness.
"Atticus!" Aurora yelled as she dashed towards the unconscious Atticus. Her cry broke Ember out of her daze, and she also ran towards him to see if he was okay.
As Aurora reached him, she immediately checked whether he was breathing and let out a sigh of relief when she saw that he was okay, just unconscious.
Magnus gazed down at the camp, his thoughts racing.
It had been close, very close.
The first thing he did as he got close enough to see the camp was search for Atticus and Ember. He had sent this attack a few hundred kilometers away when he saw what Ronad was about to do to Ember.
If he had been just a second late, he would have lost his granddaughter.
Seeing that Atticus and Ember were okay, with no life threatening injuries, Magnus turned his gaze away and looked at the devastation that was once the Raven camp.
As he gazed upon the lifeless forms of the staff and trainees, Magnus emitted an aura of profound sadness.
He was supposed to be their protector, the one everyone in the family looked to lead and protect.
Countless generations had passed with each of the paragons leading the family to new heights. The weight of that legacy was something he had borne with pride.
But under his rule, one of the important members of the family, his son, Ariel, was targeted and killed.
Under his rule, some of their youths, the future of their lineage, were targeted and came very close to being wiped out.
Magnus gazed down at the camp and clenched his hands, an action itself that seemed to influence the environment, making the clouds crackle with thunder, illuminating the whole area.
'I have failed,' Magnus thought, his heart heavy with regret and sorrow. It was a failure that no amount of power could mend.
As if feeling what Magnus was going through, the skies began to weep, drops of water fell from the skies, a torrent of cleansing tears that washed away the blood and gore that had tainted the once-hallowed grounds, marking the sorrow that now enveloped the Ravenstein family.