Chapter 366: _Been Preparing For Decades

Elian’s POV

*****

‘Continental grade…’ Elian subconsciously took a step back as the tower continued trembling. ‘Wait, what now?’

The runes running through the walls and ceilings lit up brighter.

If this shit was happening throughout the Obsidian Tower, people would be alerted. Holy mages. Guards. Disciples.

Fucking hell!

The plan would go to shit.

‘Little flame,’ Kyren’s voice burst through the bond again. ‘What’s happening there?’

‘Kyren,’ Elian’s eyes locked on Soren, who had the calmest, borderline manic smile on his lips. ‘Warn Aurora and the rest of the alliance.’

‘… What?’

‘The system just helped me run some calculations. The runes you described are an almost one hundred per cent match with the ones embedded in the tower. And they’re all part of a continent-wide runic formation.’

“You look terrified.” Soren mocked. “After everything I’ve heard about you… I thought you’d have a counter to this.”

Voices echoed from all around the tower.

Alarmed shouts.

Boots hammering on the floor as guards searched for the source of the breach—not realising he was standing before a holy Mage who’d tried sexually harassing him moments ago.

Elian’s fists clenched. ‘I’m not sure yet, but the plan here might be facing… a little hiccup.’

‘Elian, if anything happens—’

‘I have it under control.’ His mental voice was final. ‘Just focus on reaching the others. Until we’ve figured out what this spell she has around the continent is for, we might want to slow things down a bit.’

‘Elian, what about the Central—’

He cut the telepathic link, slowly raising a hand to the helmet masking his face. A single tap caused it to recede into thousands of nanites until it was gone completely.

“So you’ve got me figured out,” Elian stretched out his arms. “Now what? The rune formations are going to trap and kill me?”

Soren chuckled. “Oh, she did say you had a sharp tongue.”

“And fangs to match now,” Elian shone his teeth in a wolfish smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “So why not skip the performance and blast me or something?”

“Because her eminence needs you alive,” Soren’s tone became almost grave. “You should know this by now. Right, moon blessed?”

[Continental-Grade Runic Synchronisation: 6%.]

‘What happens if that thing hits one hundred?’

[Then whatever effect Amara had planned would instantly—]

‘I know THAT. But what exactly are the effects?’

[Running deeper scan…]

[Transcendent Core magic detected. This might take a while…]

“You’re not going to say anything?” Soren’s annoying voice once again snapped him back to reality. “I know what you’re thinking. You’re probably trying to channel your wolf abilities. But right now, in this tower…?”

His eyes glowed with a golden red light.

He raised a hand, the fingers sparking with magic of the same colour.

“… Even kings kneel to magic.”

Elian watched with a deadpan expression.

The man before him was a mythic core witch.

A week or so ago, he’d have probably shit his pants if faced with the overwhelming magic of one.

But now?

“Amara seemed to have miscalculated one thing.” Elian didn’t even lift a hand or chant any spells.

Yet when he stared hard enough… an invisible pressure snuffed out the magic from Soren’s fingers. The latter frowned, trying and failing to reignite his spell.

His face paled.

“You see, dear Soren,” the name rolled out of his mouth like a slur now, violet wisps of mana swirling around him like flames given life, “I’m not a wolfless omega or witch. I’ve transcended both terms not so long ago.”

His shadow stretched into an unnatural, beastly form behind him, the runes themselves appearing to warp underneath it.

Soren backed away, a crack of terror breaking through the mask of confidence he had from the beginning.

“Wh-What have you…”

In a blink, Elian was gone out of his line of sight.

In another nanosecond, he reappeared behind him, those violet eyes burning hotter than the depths of Solara’s core.

“Let’s make this quiet…”

He grabbed the back of the older man’s skull, his celestial core flaring. Although Soren’s mana burst out, attempting to regain autonomy… it was almost no use.

“No. You wouldn’t—ahh—!”

Seconds later, the white robes he once wore dissolved to the ground, leaving behind neither bones, flesh, nor even dust.

[Well, that was cold.]

“An absolute annihilation spell.” Elian withdrew his fingers as though he’d just finished getting rid of filth. “I guess reading through those advanced books in Kyren’s library came in handy after all.”

[Scanning completed!]

His attention shifted.

Finally.

A translucent screen expanded before Elian’s eyes, line after line of information racing across it faster than he could comfortably read.

[Continental-Grade Runic Synchronisation Analysis Complete.]

[Conclusion: This spell was not created recently.]

His pupils shrank.

‘What?’

[Estimated construction period: Several decades.]

[Runic formations were gradually embedded beneath major Arcadian cities over an extended period of time before being linked together through the Central Runic Core.]

[Individual formations remained dormant until activation conditions were fulfilled.]

A chill crept beneath Elian’s skin.

Decades.

This wasn’t something Amara had simply prepared recently.

She had been laying the foundations of this spell for years upon years. Probably since she became High Matron.

He clenched his jaw. ‘Its purpose?’

The System remained silent for only a fraction of a second.

Then another notification appeared.

[Primary Function Identified.]

[Siphoning all ambient mana and magical essence across Evaros through the continental runic network.]

[Final destination: The Central Runic Core.]

Elian’s stomach dropped.

“…No.”

Every forest, city, wasteland…

Everything possessing mana would eventually be drained into that single artefact.

Another window appeared almost immediately.

[Projected outcome if synchronisation reaches 100%… Insufficient data.]

[Probability of catastrophic continental event: 99.2%.]

His pulse thundered against his ears.

‘Can we stop it by destroying the formations?’

[Negative.]

[Estimated number of linked formations: Unknown.]

[Projected completion time before synchronisation reaches 100%: Insufficient.]

[Recommendation: Destroy the spell’s primary anchor.]

[Primary Anchor Identified: Amara.]

Elian didn’t hesitate another second.

‘Kyren!’

The Rogue King’s voice answered almost instantly. ‘Little flame?’

‘Call everyone back.’ Elian’s tone left no room for argument. ‘The cities don’t matter anymore. Amara does. She’s anchoring the entire spell. We have to find her before synchronisation finishes.’

Silence answered him for a heartbeat.

Then—

‘What about the Central Runic Core?’ Kyren asked.

Elian’s violet eyes lifted toward the countless glowing runes woven throughout the Obsidian Tower.

Somewhere inside this fortress, Lucian was still carrying out the mission they’d come here for.

A slow breath escaped him.

‘Lucian and I will handle the Central Runic Core.’ His fingers slowly curled into fists as violet mana danced around them. ‘You and the others work on finding Amara.’

Without waiting for another response, Elian severed the connection and broke into a sprint.

It was time to find his Alpha King.