Chapter 200: Hot Pursuit
Sein’s Solar Eye spell not only hindered Gade’s chase but also caused a momentary halt in the advance of the nearby group of magic initiates.
This brief pause was sufficient for Sein to make his escape.
The metal disk beneath his feet was propelled to its limits by Sein.
Simultaneously, Sein’s hands were busy casting a series of obstructive, area of effect spells.
Among them, Fire Wall, the intermediate magic spell, proved to be particularly effective.
In the sky, the initiate enveloped in a golden pillar of light began to fade into the distance, leaving behind a sea of flames and a fiery shower trailing across the sky.
It was truly a magnificent spectacle.
Despite momentarily stalling his pursuers with the Solar Eye and other spells, Sein’s predicament was far from over.
He became the prime target for countless long-range magic attacks, as his visibility in the sky made him an unmistakable mark.
Fireball!
Hydro Arrow!
Lightning Chain!
Umbra Energy Ball!
Geo Spear!
***
All kinds of spells were hurled at Sein.
Fortunately, Sein’s aerial agility, enhanced by the metal disk at his feet, allowed him to swiftly dodge the barrage of magic spells.
The magic spells hurled at Sein was a chaotic mix, with many spells coming from initiates of two different divine tower academies.
Yet, most of them collided with each other and detonated prematurely well before reaching Sein.
Even so, the ensuing elemental clashes and shockwaves were formidable.
Within minutes, the geo elemental shield enveloping Sein was riddled with cracks.
At times, impacts too powerful for the shield forced blood to Sein’s throat, which he forcibly swallowed.
His escape route led southwest across the hilly battlefield, a region with fewer initiates and ongoing clashes between the two divine tower academies.
Sein had no time to plan beyond his immediate escape, as the glaring pillar of golden light emanating from him made him a conspicuous target.
His actions and identity would soon become the talk of the entire trial space across the five divine towers, assuming he survived.
CRACK!
His geo elemental shield finally shattered.
Just as some initiates began to revel in their apparent progress, a new pyro elemental shield flared to life around Sein.
Ever since Sein became a Quasi Mage, he had mastered various shield spells.
However, due to their high mana consumption, he primarily relied on the geo elemental shield ring, seldom resorting to the self-cast pyro elemental shield.
This was mainly because no initiate had yet withstood several waves of Sein’s Solar Eye spell before this.
Additionally, Sein was a careful strategist who promptly retreated after delivering a single, decisive strike.
Until now, no opponent had pushed Sein to such extremes.
The red pyro shield repelled many of the incoming spells.
Through these tactical shifts, Sein had nearly reached the battlefield’s edge.
His reliance on Levitate, a flying magic spell with high-mana consumption, was not without reason.
In such a perilous battlefield, the ability to swiftly flee when overpowered proved invaluable.
Had Sein attempted to flee the hilly battlefield on foot, he likely would have been obliterated by various magic spells before covering even a thousand meters.
The number of initiates pursuing Sein had dwindled, not as overwhelming as initially.
After all, Levitate was not a spell that many initiates could master until they had become a senior initiate.
As Sein gained distance, most intermediate and junior initiates who were no longer able to match his speed, fell behind.
Meanwhile, the war between the initiates resumed its course after the disruption.
“Ah! Maeve was killed by one of you from the Divine Tower of Land Academy, I demand revenge!” a male intermediate initiate roared from a corner of the battlefield.
In truth, this intermediate initiate from the Divine Tower of Radiant Thunder bore little animosity toward Sein.
While Sein had indeed slain numerous initiates from the Divine Tower of Radiant Thunder, their numbers paled compared to the total casualties on this hilly battlefield.
Sein’s top ranking in score held no direct relevance to this intermediate initiate, nor did it significantly affect the vast majority of initiates participating in the battlefield!
Even if someone managed to kill or defeat Sein, only one individual could inherit half of his points—and the likelihood of that person being this particular initiate was slim.
Rather than focusing on a distant, unfamiliar initiate like Sein, the majority of initiates from both sides of the conflict were more intent on confronting their immediate adversaries.
The frustration and frenzy exhibited by that intermediate initiate from the Divine Tower of Radiant Tower were not unique; they mirrored the sentiments of many others on the battlefield.
As Sein disappeared from the scene, the temporarily paused chaos resumed once again.
Most importantly, Gade, momentarily stunned by Sein’s Solar Eye spell and his skepticism over Sein’s strength and potential rule-breaking, failed to rally the initiates for a continued pursuit.
Gade's hesitation was rooted not only in his uncertainty about Sein’s strength and the possibility of cheating but also in the inherent characteristics of Geomancers.
They were not known for their agility or speed in pursuit; they were typically considered slow and cumbersome.
He could not help but wonder should the other initiates manage to defeat Sein, who would claim Sein’s points.
If it were an initiate from the Divine Tower of Radiant Thunder, he would not mind. However, if it were someone from the Divine Tower of Land Academy...
Could he justify eliminating his allies just for points?
These considerations, combined with the chaotic war dynamics and Sein’s array of strategies, created a complex situation.
Ultimately, Sein managed to escape.
A group of over ten senior initiates from the Divine Tower of Land Academy continued their pursuit in the direction Sein had fled.
However, the senior initiates and Quasi Mages from the Divine Tower of Radiant Thunder ceased their chase.
At that moment, with Gade’s renewed command, a full-scale offensive against the Divine Tower of Radiant Thunder was reignited, necessitating their return to the battlefield.
Sein, now veering toward a region controlled by the Divine Tower of Land Academy, was still followed by a dozen senior initiates and Quasi Mages. Gade did not call for them to halt the chase.
Not only was he unable to enforce such a directive, but these initiates were also likely reluctant to forgo the opportunity to harvest Sein’s substantial point value.
Within the Divine Tower of Land Academy’s territory, it was mostly the intermediate and junior initiates guarding the resource points.
The bulk of the academy’s elite forces had joined Gade in the conflict against the Divine Tower of Radiant Thunder.
Those left behind were predominantly weaker initiates, not adept in combat.
Not all initiates from an established institution like the Divine Tower of Land Academy were battle-hardened. Some were purely academic.
At that moment, a rare spectacle unfolded in the Divine Tower of Land Academy’s territory.
A brilliant golden pillar of light was seen darting swiftly across the sky, unhesitatingly moving deeper into the territory.
Trailing this radiant beacon were several small black dots, presumably the senior initiates and Quasi Mages from the academy, in hot pursuit.
“What’s going on?!” exclaimed a junior initiate from the Divine Tower of Land Academy, gawking at the scene atop a hill at the Snakeberry Forest Resource Point.
The Snakeberry he just bit into and dropped to the ground.