Mage Adam

The Devourer struggled fiercely. Gray energy burst from him, showing dazzling changes.

Adam was overwhelmed by the many abilities. He couldn't understand most of the energy's uses, but they were all terrifying.

Titania, already fragile, almost fell apart because of the Devourer's struggles. Large chunks of land floated in the void, turning to dust with the slightest breeze.

The hand in the sky looked ordinary except for its size. It reached out directly, without any energy radiating from it. Yet it easily countered all the Devourer's efforts.

It truly grasped him, like a snake catcher grabbing a snake.

The Titans stared in shock at the scene above. They couldn't speak for a while. They couldn't believe that the terrifying enemy, who had just shown no care for their lives, was now struggling like a trapped beast.

The hand pulled out the Devourer's half-disappeared body, slowly dragging him into the dimensional rift formed by the magic array.

Lord Svorsi's body made a cracking sound, like joints suddenly moving. "Adam, what is that? Another god?" he asked.

Adam was just as amazed. This kind of power, without any earthly traces, seemed more magnificent and mysterious than any terrifying magic.

"A god? No, that is a Great Archmage's arm. He is the greatest being in parallel universes and multiple planes, closest to truth, the pinnacle of all life, and the embodiment of knowledge and energy."

A powerful field surrounded the arm, confining all the Devourer's resistance within its range. His gray energy couldn't escape this area.

Lord Svorsi had countless questions, but the scene left him speechless. He and the other Royals had often wondered about the world behind Adam, and why he was so sure his kind could kill the Devourer and save the Titans.

Seeing it with their own eyes, they realized their imagination was limited by their weakness. 

The power of the arm's owner was beyond their understanding. Clearly, if the arm's owner wished, he could easily destroy the healthy Titania and all the beings in the plane.

The Titans' worries and preparations over the years were laughable in the face of such power.

As they spoke, a fifth of the Devourer's body was already pulled into the rift.

The Mage Network prompted:

"Rule conflict detected."

"Energy exceeds the carrying limit."

"Array about to collapse."

Adam was stunned upon hearing this. The Great Archmage's power was even stronger than he had imagined---it clashed with the fundamental rules of the ethereal void. The void was rejecting the Great Archmage's descent into this world.

At that moment, the Great Archmage's voice echoed again, "What a bother!"

The Great Archmage loosened his fingers, giving the Devourer a moment to breathe.

The Devourer immediately gathered all his strength to escape the void rift. He no longer had any plans for Titania; his ambitions of devouring planes and building a Fortress to plunder the void were completely gone.

Now, he only wanted to flee, to get far away from the mage's sight.

But that was just his wishful thinking.

The Great Archmage's arm raised high and then slammed down on the Devourer's body. At the point of contact, billions of light dots appeared, connecting into chains. These chains instantly bound the Devourer's enormous body, releasing a tremendous energy wave.

Lord Svorsi muttered, "That energy?"

"That's ether, purer than the crystals I gave you before."

What shocked Adam even more was that the chains formed an Alchemic Array, indicating that the Great Archmage was once an alchemist.

Since Adam had become a true mage, he had seen few real alchemists. He never thought he would directly witness one who had become a Great Archmage.

The chains multiplied and tightened, soon forming a net that enveloped the Devourer.

Then, the ether materialized into an unknown substance, trapping the Devourer in his original form. If not for the Genesis Flame still burning in his mouth and the eyes still gleaming coldly, Adam would have thought he was already dead.

"Is it over?"

"Of course not. The mage army hasn't descended yet. Besides, if it ended now, your remaining strength wouldn't be enough to defeat these..." Adam pointed to the countless Metal Eaters in the sky and on the ground, "even stronger than before."

After trapping the Devourer, the arm retreated into the void rift. The rift gradually closed, leaving a fifth of the Devourer's body stuck in it. He couldn't move at all.

"Final jump initiated. The legion will arrive at the designated coordinates soon."

The void became an ocean, rippling with continuous waves.

Portals filled the sky, and six enormous magic warships slowly emerged from them.

Beams of light shot from the warships' tops, connecting with the chains, forming a hexagram around the Devourer.

Countless small drones flew out from the ship doors. Some circled the Devourer's body, dropping unknown spells to strengthen the seal, while others flew straight into the Plane towards Adam, casting various spells along the way to drive away or kill the Metal Eaters.

At the same time, the spatial anchor automatically flew out from Adam's personal space. A beam of light shot from it into the sky, enveloping Adam. This was the call from the Command Center.

"Calm your people. You can make reasonable requests to the mages, like repairing the floating fortress or covering your return to your previous territory. We'll discuss other matters with the Command Center after the hub is established."

Lord Svorsi was stunned, "What about you? Are you leaving?"

Adam shook his head, "I need to go to the Command Center first. I won't be leaving for now."

With that, he disappeared in the teleportation light.

...

Adam had just steadied himself when a deep male voice greeted him, "Explorer Adam from the Fifth Tower of Elements, hello. I am Transdimensional Mage Arnold from the Seventh Tower of Alchemy."

Adam looked towards the voice and saw a transdimensional mage in an unfamiliar style of mage robes.

"Nice to meet you. But why is the Seventh Tower here?" Adam asked, puzzled.

Arnold smiled, "Because many ages ago, it was the Great Archmage Maxis who led the expedition to annihilate the Dilus tribe. That tribe once attempted to invade the Mage World. So this time, the expedition is led by the Seventh Tower's united legion."