Chapter 888: Dark Flame
From the moment the Guran Lizard God struck, to the space fortress intercepting the attack, and then to the Moknu High Priest making its move, everything unfolded within mere moments.
When the silver meteor shower unleashed by the High Priest descended upon the mage formation on the right flank of the battlefield, a cold snort reverberated across the sky.
A massive black elemental shield materialized from above, protecting the mage legion below like a dark eggshell.
Sparse black flames danced along the surface of the barrier.
It was no surprise why the Tower Master of Dark Flame had chosen such a name for his divine tower.
Perhaps “Dark Flame” was also his title within the Magus World.
The mastery displayed in this spell revealed the tower master’s extraordinary achievements in both umbra and pyro elemental magic.
This umbra-pyro elemental protective barrier shaped like an egg was indeed impressive.
While dual elemental spells were not unheard of in the Magus World, creating a defensive shield of this magnitude, one capable of protecting thousands of mages, was a feat reserved for the most elite spellcasters.
If Lorianne or any of the other magic beast kings had been capable of this during the Sandstorm World War, the Magus World Army’s losses would have been significantly reduced.
After providing a layer of elemental protection to the mage legion, the tower master moved again.
Without even moving his lips, two dark flames surged upward, transforming into raging black dragons that shot toward the two native Rank Four gods.
When the black dragons, formed of elemental energy, materialized above the battlefield, Sein’s eyes reflected a mix of disbelief and awe.
As a Pyromancer, he could immediately discern the profound quality of these dark flames.
They rivaled his own Verdant Flame in rarity and power, possibly even surpassing the Everburning Violet Flame.
It was clear to him that the Tower Master of Dark Flame was no less powerful than Master Gregory. He could not help but wonder what other hidden trump cards this formidable mage possessed.
The strength of Rank Four and above mages was always more than met the eye.
The sheer might of the Dark Flame alone was undoubtedly on par with Gregory’s Verdant Flame.
However, Sein knew that the true measure of strength between the two would require a direct confrontation.
What truly impressed Sein was not the Tower Master of Dark Flame’s sheer might, but the groundbreaking insight and unparalleled talent displayed in pyro elemental utilization.
Grandmaster Feylis was impressive enough to create the Verdant Flame, and this tower master seemed to share that same innovative brilliance!
“Let’s head over there. Help me collect as much of the Dark Flame’s Fire Seed remnants as possible!” Sein called out to Natalya and Reina in excitement.
In an interplanar war, approaching the battlefield of Rank Four beings was no doubt a suicidal and insane act.
Yet, Sein’s expression betrayed no fear—only the glint of a lunatic driven by excitement and ambition.
Even more astonishing was the fact that neither Natalya nor Reina opposed his absurd request.
Without hesitation, the group began advancing toward the battlefield where the Rank Four creatures clashed.
Yuri, pausing her collection of spoils, silently positioned herself behind her master, serving as a shield against any potential threats coming from the diagonal flanks or rear.
A battle between Rank Four creatures was incomprehensible to lesser beings, let alone something they could hope to influence.
Unlike Sein’s previous interplanar wars, where towering Rank Four beings ascended to high altitudes or even left the plane entirely to engage in battle, the Rank Four creatures of Gumo Plane remained near the ground.
They fought amidst their armies, in the heart of the Akre Plains.
This was an intentional strategy by the native gods of Gumo Plane.
Knowing their ultimate extinction was inevitable, the Rank Four powerhouses of Gumo Plane had cast aside all restraint.
They fought recklessly, their immense pressure and power not only devastating the invading forces but also decimating their own native legions.
Even Gumo Plane’s natural environment suffered under their destructive might, yet they showed no concern.
Having already sacrificed their own people, why would they care about the fate of their homeplane?
The native gods of Gumo Plane had gone to an extreme that surpassed even the Gorilla Gods’ desperate struggle during the Wild Gorilla World War.
Leading the charge with reckless abandon were the Guran Lizard God and the Moknu High Priest.
As the first native creatures to face the invading legions of the Magus World and narrowly escaped annihilation by the dark flames of a Rank Five mage, the Guran Lizardmen and Moknu had paid a heavy price.
With sunlight absent from Gumo Plane’s surface for nearly seven years, it was no exaggeration to say these two dominant species teetered on the brink of extinction.
The war had claimed tens of millions of innocent lives due to famine, seismic upheavals, and other natural disasters.
Having paid a heavy price, Guran Lizard God and the Moknu High Priest fought fiercely, unburdened by fear of further loss.
Unlike the Guran Lizardmen and Moknu, the Goul Groundworms had not suffered catastrophic losses. They remained relatively unaffected by the geological and environmental changes tearing through Gumo Plane.
While Guran Lizard God and the Moknu High Priest fought against the Rank Five Magus World mage with everything they had, the Goul Groundworms, making up more than seventy percent of the combat forces, bore the brunt of the casualties.
This exemplified the division among Gumo Plane’s three dominant native races.
To Guran Lizard God and the Moknu High Priest, the deaths of the Goul Groundworms had nothing to do with them.
It was the Goul Groundworm King’s limited intelligence and lack of strategic foresight that had led to the Goul Groundworms suffering heavy losses in the early stages of this decisive battle.
At the heart of the Akre Plains battlefield, a creature over a thousand meters long thrashed and twisted violently.
The Goul Groundworm King’s massive form left deep trenches into the ground with every movement as countless dark flames clung stubbornly to its body, refusing to be extinguished.
Despite the Goul Groundworms’ extraordinary resistance to fire, the relentless erosion of the dark flames caused even this massive creature to writhe in agony.
“Of course... That Rank Five mage has infused the Dark Flame into every one of his spell models,” Sein murmured, observing from a distance.
“Rank Five mages possess elemental bodies that some extraplanar beings refer to as the ‘Divine Body’. I wonder what the true strength of a Rank Five mage from the Magus World is?” he mused, ambition igniting in his gaze as he watched the battle in the center of Akre Plains.
In his hand, he held a puddle of black substance flickered with faint, dying flames.
It was a prized specimen of the Dark Flame that Sein had managed to collect, though, regrettably, it was little more than a piece of ember.