Mage Adam

Mage with enhanced vision could see clearly that when the level-six Dilus touched the energy pillar, something strange happened.

Its mouth seemed to split into dozens of layers. Each layer hungrily devoured the energy, and when one filled up, it shattered. But instead of causing harm, the energy was absorbed into a special organ inside the creature.

Meanwhile, the main cannon fired at double power, and the Dilus absorbed the blast straight into its body.

Adam quickly realized what was going on.

Absorbing energy during a fight was risky, even for a powerful Level Six Dilus. The creature had no time to transform the energy into something it could use, and keeping the energy under control took extreme focus.

Adam understood---this creature was gearing up for a counterattack.

Without hesitation, Adam took control of the situation. He ordered the twenty floating fortresses to change formation. "Charge the defense systems! Max out the shields, no matter the cost! Master Mages, get out of there!"

The mages didn't waste a second. They followed Adam's orders, and soon, twenty layers of solid energy shields formed, merging into a single, stronger barrier.

But before Adam's command fully echoed, the Dilus's body shuddered, curling up like a flower.

A crack appeared at its center, and the gray energy it had absorbed from the main cannon shot out in a fierce blast, slamming into the shield.

The shield's strength dropped fast. Magic array nodes in the defense system started overloading and breaking, one after the other.

Within ten seconds, the Dilus's attack faded, but that one strike had drained sixty percent of the fortresses' energy reserves.

The level-four mages who had dodged the attack rushed back in to intercept the Dilus. Their job now was to buy time for the floating fortresses to repair the magic arrays. 

But only ten minutes had passed since the fifteen-minute rotation began.

If the fortresses fell apart, their deaths would be the least of their worries---the real catastrophe would come if the defense line was breached.

That would give the Diluses a chance to break through and disrupt the transdimensional mages' work, which could turn the tide of battle against them.

The Warlords floated in the air, fully open and ready. The Titans were perfect for this kind of fight.

With a few skilled alchemists at the controls, they quickly restructured the circuits on the Vital Generators to suit their needs.

The Titans shifted, doubling their combat power in an instant.

The floating fortresses, however, hesitated for a moment.

Ordinary Diluses took advantage of this, launching wave after wave of attacks.

As the battle sped up, commands could hardly keep pace with the chaos. In the final five minutes, the defenders were barely holding on.

The Titans, meant for transport, abandoned their tasks and flew out of the fortresses without a second thought.

Most were wiped out within seconds.

By now, fully repairing the fortresses was out of the question. The mages could only restore basic combat functions before they flew out in groups to cover the gaps left by the Titans. They formed tight battle formations, creating the last stand.

Even with dozens of level-four mages surrounding it, the Level Six Dilus fought on fiercely. Ignoring its wounds, it attacked recklessly, seemingly ready to trade its life for theirs.

The level-four mages were falling one by one.

Now, only Adam and the level-two mages remained in the fortress. With their tasks complete, the level-two mages silently replenished their energy, stepping onto the deck. They were ready to join the fight at any moment.

On this battlefield, the power of level-two mages was almost nothing. Joining the battle for them was basically marching to their deaths. Yet, not a single one of them hesitated.

Adam couldn't afford to leave. He was in control of all the fortress's weapon systems, mechanically calculating coordinates and firing the main cannon, just trying to buy more time. He didn't have the luxury to worry about whether the continuous bombardment might cause the fortress to collapse entirely.

Finally, after twenty-three tense seconds, the remaining mages received a message from central command: "Fortresses 2480 to 2500, retreat from the front line immediately and await further orders. You have fifteen minutes to rest."

...

Within the seal of the Devourer, a sea of gray energy swirled.

The gap between Level Eight and Level Nine was like an uncrossable abyss. Even though it was just one level, the difference in power was staggering.

The Devourer hadn't fully advanced yet, but the gray energy already bore the hallmarks of a Level Nine.

Ayesha and her companions were among the elite of the level-eight mages in the entire Mage World. Normally, they could handle situations like this with relative ease. But now, every step forward was a struggle.

Each step required a long pause, and pushing through each layer of gray energy felt like breaking through an entire world.

The transdimensional mages of the Third Tower were unlike ordinary mages. Their bodies were surrounded by runes that emerged from their very forms and souls. 

Whenever the gray energy attacked, these runes would instantly shape into the right spells to counter it. If an ordinary mage's true form was like an active skill, theirs was a constant state of passive readiness.

"We need to move faster," Ayesha urged. "The army outside doesn't have the power to withstand this much longer. If they're wiped out, we won't be able to face His Holiness Maxis's wrath."

The other five mages paused, dismissed their runes, and then they conjured Mage Armor using discontinuous functions. One of them muttered, "This armor feels awkward, like it's about to tear me apart."

"But it works," Ayesha replied calmly. "This mission is harder than we expected. We might not be able to keep these bodies."

The mages nodded, unfazed. "It doesn't matter. We'll experience a period of weakness after losing bodies, but it is a small price to pay. As long as we succeed, His Holiness Maxis will cover our losses."

Ayesha nodded in agreement. "Alright, let's move to the second plan. Clear a path for me; I need to conserve my strength to invade the Devourer's soul."

They knew full well that the Devourer could hear every word they spoke. But even as his gaze grew more intense and colder, they kept speaking openly, without a trace of fear.

Ayesha led the charge, so her words were the only command they needed. As soon as she gave the instruction, the first mage didn't hesitate. He ignited his magical power, and a soft chorus of whispers filled the air around him. Runes flickered densely across his body as he stepped forward, parting the gray sea.

In that moment, one-tenth of his body and soul disappeared.

The others followed closely, each step taking a heavy toll.

After just ten steps, the first mage had burned away his entire existence. He gave everything to bring them one-fifth closer to the Devourer's soul.

Then the second mage stepped up, followed by the third.

Each made the same choice, sacrificing themselves to carve a path through the gray energy.

Before the fifth mage vanished completely, he turned to Ayesha with a faint smile. "It's up to you now. You have to succeed, or we won't even be able to resurrect."