Chapter 1242: Chimera

The magic formation that maintained the barrier around the Divine Throne was far more complex than any array I had encountered save for the World Barrier. Its construction was remarkably similar to it, save on a smaller, tighter scale. There were fewer vulnerabilities to exploit, but the advantage was in the ease of access to its core. It drew power from deep within the earth, the same tactic employed at Darkreign Keep. That meant it was drawing power directly from the World Shard.

Strange that they wouldn’t keep the formation in the archives, unless...

"There’s another one," I whispered.

That was the only answer. Which meant whatever they had down there was even more important than protecting the entire Divine Throne.

The minutes passed slowly as I immersed myself in the beauty of the ninth-level barrier. The runes whirled about like snowflakes, but they were so small compared to the circles they created that the whole array seemed to be spinning slowly.

"Can you really dismantle this?" asked Verity, staring up at the array with wide eyes. "They must have used a hundred priests to cast it!"

Dismantling a spell was much harder than destroying it, requiring an almost perfect understanding of how the spell was crafted and currently functioned in the first place. Failing to account for any mana flow, no matter how minor, could lead to the entire thing collapsing in a potentially violent way. That seemed to be part of the church’s strategy.

I raised my hand and embraced my mana, letting tendrils of delicate Fate Magic wind around the nearest runes, beginning my analysis. It was going to take some time, but—

"Wait, you mean you actually can by yourself?" Verity asked, her eyes widening.

I glanced at her with a half-smile. "That was the plan, wasn’t it?"

"I know, but that was before I saw this," she said, gesturing helplessly at the array.

"Just watch and keep an eye out for any inquisitors Jessia lets slip by. I don’t know how concerned she is with us anymore."

She nodded and summoned her silver sword. "Will do, but be careful. My life is tied to yours, after all."

"Oh, you’re already a ghost. What’s the worst that could happen?"

She chuckled and then gave me some space, allowing me to focus. As I peered at the array with the Oracle of Eternity and studied its runic patterns, I found myself feeling at peace. It was as if the rest of the world, including the raging battle outside, faded away. This was the kind of thing I’d studied for, not sneaking around the halls and playing bait or fighting in a pitched skyship battle high above a city.

Over the next few minutes, I unleashed my full mana, throwing everything I had into it. The realm’s inheritance had slowed slightly, still influenced by the various spells I had active and those I’d thrown across the Divine Throne during the battle raging beyond, but I had more than enough.

And now I had Oblivion too.

It was much more difficult to weave than the soft, familiar Fate Magic. It was cold and chaotic, reminding me of the Fatesworn demons before they’d been brought under the influence of my primordial mark.

Most remarkable about the dark power was how mana came apart at its touch. I wielded it like I’d seen Jessia do, so instead of just erasing the spell, I broke it into fragments where I could more easily study it. Oblivion naturally identified the cycles, spreading like dye through a flowing current.

As I worked, Fate began to react, thickening into a golden mist that filled the room. Images and scenes flashed across it like illusory screens, showing events taking place wherever my aura spread. I caught glimpses of the battle beyond the walls: Bethiv leading a charge against a legion of paladins, and Cinderis releasing a firestorm upon a small cluster of skyships trying to flank the Astral Fleet.

Then the scene shifted inward, drawn by the powerful surges of mana closer to the center.

"Is that Korra?" Verity asked, glancing toward a vision of the Water Hero.

I didn’t need to look to see what she was talking about. I could feel it, and a complete picture entered my mind, playing out in real time like a memory.

Korra and Gayron were on the mage training fields where I’d spent countless hours working on my spells with Selina. It was there, in the surrounding gardens, that I’d learned to cast Water Ball, and together we’d crafted the modified version of the Light Crystal spell. But now there were no students learning or priests practicing. The fields were filled with blood and fire.

Korra and Gayron were avatars of destruction, rampaging unchecked through entire ranks and battalions of mages and soldiers, dyeing the crisp white uniforms of the Divine Throne red with their blood.

Overhead, Fable had engaged in battle with a ninth-level mage. I didn’t recognize them, but they seemed to specialize in crafting shimmering blades and attacks from raw mana. They fought like Colin and Victor, conjuring several swords at a time and sending them flying through the air.

It might have been effective against any other opponent, but Fable had spent countless hours sparring against the blade demon and knew the techniques well. Even worse, he was shrouded in Adaptive Resistance, and his coat was harder than any enchanted steel. He leapt about, using towers, ramparts, and walls as his perches, dodging, weaving, and snapping magic blades with his claws and jaws.

A powerful aura suddenly descended, gripping the gardens and training fields with immense pressure. The soldiers scattered, wounded, bleeding, and limping away from Gayron and Korra, who quickly joined up, casting wary glances around for their new opponent.

The ground erupted with light beneath them as a titanic magic circle, stretching the entire width of the courtyard, emblazoned itself across the ground. It was a summoning spell, though I doubted either of them would recognize it as such.

The light condensed, forming a creature close to two hundred feet long. It had thick, heavy plated scales, broken by coarse tufts of dark brown fur. It had three heads: a dragon’s head, an eagle’s head, and a serpentine head that resembled the basilisk I’d fought in the Solori Mountains. Its tail twisted into a long, sinewy serpent with fangs as long as Korra’s arm.

Its soul pushed the peak of the eighth level, dangerously close to the threshold of ninth.

"Damn. Where’d they find this thing?" Gayron muttered, adjusting his grip on his sword.

"Who cares? I’m just glad the wolf’s not getting all the fun," Korra said, cracking her knuckles.

Gayron didn’t look convinced, studying the magic circle. "Looks like they’ve had this thing here for a while. Must be one of the many tricks or traps they’ve prepared for us. We shouldn’t take it lightly."

"Oh, come on! Don’t tell me you’ve been studying with Emlica."

He snorted, a lick of fire escaping his nostrils. "R’lissea invited me a few times. What was I supposed to say? No? You’d never forgive me if I made her sad."

"Well, at least you’ve got that straight."

The monstrous creature, a chimera, or so I’d seen in my studies, roared as it fully formed, built from a dozen different attributes and magics. It took a few steps, crushing church soldiers as they fled its terrifying aura.

The serpentine tail snapped out, swallowing a sixth-level mage whole, wards and all. A glowing bulge traveled down its throat until the light abruptly went out as his magic finally gave in.

"Acid," Korra muttered, eyeing the foul fluids dripping from the fangs of each head.

"Then just don’t get hit. Again, that might be hard for you. You’re pretty clumsy," Gayron said with a chuckle.

"Whatever. I’ll draw its attention. You just find a way to take this thing down."

Korra ran forward, sprinting across the courtyard. In a blaze of Water Magic, the creature turned toward her, and the dragon head roared. She kicked off the ground like a blue meteor, and it slapped at her with a massive clawed hand, splitting the air itself.

Korra led with a fist, and a tremendous shockwave erupted from the collision. The creature’s paw was thrown back, but so was she, crashing toward the ground. At the last second, she flipped into a roll, catching herself while kicking up deep furrows in the ground as she slid back almost a dozen feet.

"It’s strong. Try not to take any direct blows!" she cried.

Gayron raced past her, throwing out his left hand and shooting a gout of flame between its legs. The monster looked toward him, but a second Gayron appeared beneath it, lashing out with a fiery sword that caught a chink in its armor.

The ensuing explosion blew chunks of flesh and blood across the courtyard. It roared in fury, and the basilisk head snapped downward. Gayron’s Flicker barely avoided its fangs, lashing out and leaving a long laceration across its scaled jowl.

"Hey! Keep this thing’s attention!" Gayron shouted.

Korra caught up quickly, unleashing a huge wave of water that, while having little power behind it, crashed over the basilisk’s head in a veil of white water. Foaming waves cascaded down its body as it roared and shook itself, borne down by the sheer weight of the tidal wave.

It gave Gayron an opportunity, and he summoned several more Flickers, attacking the leg with them in tandem. Their swords bit deep, and the monster screeched, lashing out and sending several of them flying. They dissipated into flame, returning to Gayron as he split himself again and again, constantly cycling so that swords were always buried in the creature’s hide. No matter how many Flickers were destroyed, there was always another ready to take their place.

For a few moments, the battle seemed to be going in their favor, but everything changed when Korra dodged the dragon’s bite, only for the eagle’s razor-sharp beak to strike from the side. It moved so quickly I hadn’t even realized she’d been hit until it had already clamped down on her.

She screamed as its hooked beak punctured her side. The monster was so huge it nearly tore her in half before flinging her away, sending her spinning through the air with blood trailing in her wake.

"Korra!" Gayron shouted.

A Flicker appeared in a burst of embers, catching her before she could slam into the walls of the Divine Throne.

For an instant, she hung limp in its arms.

My concentration slipped.

One of the runes beneath my fingers flared dangerously, forcing me to tear my attention back to the barrier. I steadied the mana flow by dissolving the surge into a strand of oblivion before it could collapse, but my heart pounded now, the vision of Korra’s blood still burning at the edge of my awareness.

I couldn’t go to her. I couldn’t even look away from the formation for more than a few seconds.

And whatever the church had summoned against them wasn’t finished. The chimera reared back, and a single pure white magic circle appeared before the dragon’s gaping maw.