Chapter 487: Across The Dead Province

Percival’s eyes widened as Kylarod finally began to react.

But before the demon could retaliate, Bernadette intervened using her space magic which pulled the space between herself and Percival together, dragging him out of Kylarod’s immediate reach and bringing him to safety.

At the same moment, Hayley entered.

In her full wolf form, she lunged forward and drove her fist directly into Kylarod’s face.

The impact whipped his head backward.

Kylarod attempted to launch a counterattack with his other fist, but Eduardo had already returned to the fight after being blown away earlier. He seized the demon’s arm and held it in place, giving Hayley the opening she needed to strike more times in rapid succession.

Valerie simultaneously provided additional support, using her sealing magic to restrict the space around Kylarod’s movements and prevent him from freely escaping while Hayley’s attacks continued to land.

For several moments, the group maintained their coordinated assault.

Then Kylarod suddenly released a roar that came directly from the mouth of his skull face.

Dark energy erupted from his body, forming a massive orb that rapidly expanded around him and engulfed his immediate surroundings.

The force exploded outward.

Hayley was blasted backward as a result, skidding across the ground. She dug her feet into the earth to stop herself, managing to hold her ground before spitting a mouthful of blood onto the ground.

Eduardo was also sent flying, but quickly recovered. He seemed to have incurred a bleeding bruise by the side of his head.

The two casters were safely outside the attack’s range.

Percy had already been moved away beforehand, while Wilson used the red vampiric wings granted by his Gerach trait transformation to stabilize himself in the air.

A considerable distance away, Pan watched the battle from within a bluish protective orb.

The panda-folk gave no expression as he observed the fighting.

Just as he had told Morgana earlier, he had no intention of participating in the battle. Not even this one.

The problem with gaining an upperhand in this battle was that Kylarod possessed power comparable to a Grade 9 demon.

That made the difference in strength between him and the group increasingly apparent. The only two fighters capable of making the battle somewhat challenging for him were the members of the Grand Class: Eduardo, the hybrid, and Hayley, the Alpha of the Arcorys Clan.

Wilson, even with the DNA adjustments provided by Ethan’s serum, was only comparable to an SS-Tier, roughly equivalent to a Grade 7 demon.

Percival, despite the blessings from the Spirit King, was seemingly around the same level as Wilson. His enhanced abilities allowed him to fight effectively, but he still lacked the power necessary to inflict any significant damage on a Grade 9 demon like Kylarod.

The same problem applied to the casters.

Bernadette and Valerie had yet to commandeer enough natural mana to empower their spells to a level capable of seriously affecting such a powerful demon puppet.

And all of this was made even more difficult by the extreme heat surrounding the battlefield.

Even from their current location, the intense heat radiating from the distant battle between Ethan and Agravain made fighting increasingly uncomfortable.

The temperature was steadily scorching the environment around them, forcing the group to contend with the oppressive heat while simultaneously fighting an opponent far stronger than most of them.

Still, they could not relent.

And they would not.

Despite the overwhelming difference in strength, the group charged straight back into the fray, their bodies scorched by the heat as they resumed their assault against Kylarod.

——

On another part...

The battle between Nathan and the High Mage Lucius had developed into an unusual stalemate.

The two appeared remarkably evenly matched, or at least their abilities possessed mechanics that allowed each of them to counter the other.

When it came to magical knowledge and versatility, Lucius held an incredible advantage over Nathan.

The High Mage had mastered numerous forms of magic, wielding a wide variety of magic elements ranging from the natural elements to more unconventional ones such as light and sound.

He also possessed the ability to multicast, allowing him to cast several different spells simultaneously.

Nathan, however, possessed an exceptional defensive system.

His numerous souls could attack, intercept and restrain incoming attacks, while his magical shields allowed him to directly parry spells.

And whenever an attack was too difficult to counter directly, Nathan could simply disappear into the Astral Realm and emerge from another nearby location.

This made it extremely difficult for Lucius to pin him down with his spells.

There was, however, one occasion when Lucius managed to catch him. This was when he had introduced a different element into the battle.

Illusion magic.

Nathan had seen wind vortex forming to his left.

Everything about his perception told him that the attack was coming from that direction. It was the only incoming spell he could detect at the time, so Nathan extended his arm toward it, sending several souls forward in an attempt to seize control of the vortex and disrupt the spell before it reached him.

But he was wrong.

That attack wasn’t coming from his left, but directly in front of him.

The wind vortex suddenly struck Nathan with its full force.

Its rotating currents possessed razor-sharp edges, shredding through his clothing and tearing into the flesh beneath. His body was ripped apart by the violent winds before he was sent flying through the air and crashed into the remains of a destroyed building.

Nathan’s regeneration immediately activated, rapidly repairing the damage.

But this was the first time Lucius had actually managed to land a direct attack on him.

Nathan quickly realized how it had happened.

Before launching the wind vortex, Lucius had subtly cast an illusion that deceived Nathan’s senses.

It wasn’t limited to his ordinary five senses either. The illusion had even fooled his magical perception, the sixth sense through which he detected magic and mana.

Another attack followed up, but rather than attempting to determine where the attack was coming from, he allowed his body to fold into a swirling vortex as he disappeared into the Astral Realm.