Chapter 177 I'Ll Be The One Laughing In The End!!
[Inside the Seal Temple, Central Control Room]
In the dome-shaped space with a giant pillar-type control device, 5 Space Magicians from Chronosphere and 4 Space Magicians from Four Families side, including the 3 heads of the families, were engaged in an intense magic battle.
Countless blades of magic were flashing and dancing in the air, and magic barriers were being deployed one after another to counter them. If anyone else were here, they would be helpless and torn to shreds in an instant.
Four Families side had 15 people, including the heads of the families.
In terms of numbers and the quality of their magicians, they should have had a crushing victory. After all, they had 3 heads of the families on their side.
However, reality was different.
"What the...?! They're all from branch families, aren't they?! Why are they so strong?!"
Space Magic――[Space Rupture Slash]
The good thing about this magic is that it can control the speed and trajectory of the slashes to some extent.
As a Space Magic, it's an extremely simple attack magic, but its power is basically a guaranteed kill if it hits. And since hundreds of them were flying towards them from different directions, they had no choice but to defend themselves.
But even the 5 skilled Space Magicians on their side shouldn't have been able to fire off so many [Space Rupture Slash] attacks in rapid succession like this. It was impossible according to our common sense.
It wasn't a problem of magical energy quantity. The issue was the calculation ability and capacity needed to activate the magic.
No matter how much the brain-computer interface device assists, this activation speed is impossible.
(Noah... did you find a way to enhance the interface's functions...!?)
Isaac and the others didn't know, but the 5 magicians facing them, who had undergone the "adept" treatment in Chronosphere, had an extremely high compatibility rate, second only to Ickle and Noah among the Space magicians. That's why their enhancement rate was also high.
They were far more excellent than the Space magicians currently attacking the Caduceus-excluded 4 households. That's why Noah had brought them along to this crucial moment.
Their actual strength was something Isaac and the others, who hadn't undergone the treatment, couldn't possibly match. They were overwhelmingly inferior in terms of basic abilities.
At first, Isaac and the others were able to break through their [Space Closure] because they had unleashed a mass magic attack with all the magicians from their household. If not, they wouldn't have been able to teleport to this location.
Due to the power gap, they were forced into a situation where they had to deploy a defense magic with everyone...—
"Ugh!? This attack will destroy the barrier in one hit!!"
"If this continues...!! Our magical energy will run out first...!!"
"Please, at least you, My lord, escape!!"
Even with everyone deploying the [Space Barrier], they could only block one hit from the [Space Rupture Slash] with a single barrier.
In reality, the magical energy consumption was higher for the barrier, and lower for the [Space Rupture Slash]. If they kept using up barriers to block each of the enemy's attacks, their magical energy consumption rate would become overwhelmingly faster.
Even if it were originally supposed to be a difference in numbers, it should have been over by now...
"You guys' magical energy is endless, isn't it!? You're continuing to attack like this, and yet your magical energy doesn't seem to be running out!!"
Isaac yelled, his face twisted in frustration, as the enemy magicians continued to cast magic with calm faces, showing no signs of running out of magical energy. As Space Magicians, Isaac and his group could sense the detailed amount of magical energy using [Space perception]. They were aware of the remaining magical energy of the enemy magicians, but even with their current rate of consumption, it wouldn't run out for at least an hour.
"It's not just that their magical energy is high...!! Their magical energy recovery speed is also abnormally fast!!"
Duncan Gridavor, the head of the Gridavor family, remained calm and continued to defend while making a detached observation.
Zephyr Aron also agreed, continuing the thought.
"If we just focus on defense, we'll be at a disadvantage. We need to decide what to do quickly, or our chances of winning will dwindle."
Then, Isaac Kirke made his decision.
"If we focus all our energy on defense, the 3 of us can hold out for a while. In the meantime, we need to open up a path for the others to attack."
"...So, you mean the 3 of us will defend, and the others will attack?"
"That's right."
Isaac nodded in response to Zephyr's confirmation.
"Hmm...well, I suppose that's the only option we have left."
Duncan also agreed, nodding his head in acquiescence.
Besides them three, the other twelve people are definitely very skilled. But if they start attacking, this balance of power will collapse. So, they have to find a way to hold on and wait for the others to make a move, because there's no other way to create an opening for themselves.
However, it's clear that three of them can't keep up this large-scale defense for much longer.
"I've told you all, haven't I? When we deploy the [Interdimensional Isolation Barrier], You'll launch a simultaneous attack and crush them!"
"Understood!!"
But there's no more time to hesitate.
Duncan gave orders to the surrounding magicians, then glanced at Isaac and Zephyr, and the 3 of them simultaneously activated a new magic.
Space magic――[Interdimensional Isolation Barrier].
It's a higher-level magic than [Space Barrier], a sturdy barrier.
Isaac and the others deployed multiple barriers around themselves, surrounding themselves with them.
The enemy's [Space Rupture Slash] collided with the newly deployed [Interdimensional Isolation Barrier]. However, unlike before, it didn't break with just one hit. The [Interdimensional Isolation Barrier] withstood 5 or 6 [Space Rupture Slash] attacks before cracks spread across it, and it finally shattered like broken glass.
"Hah, with this, we can somehow manage, even with just the 3 of us!!"
Duncan said, wiping the sweat from his brow with a forced grin.
The [Interdimensional Isolation Barrier] was broken one by one by the enemy's attacks, but the speed at which it was broken was incomparably slower than when we used [Space Barrier]. That's why Isaac and the others were barely able to keep up with re-deploying the barrier.
Of course, it was a desperate defense, but the fact remains that they managed to keep up.
So, the hands of the 12 magicians were completely free――that's the situation.
Space magic――[Space Rupture Slash]
Space magic――[Space Rupture]
Space magic――[Space Transfer]
The relentless attacks of magic were being unleashed one after another. On top of that, they would transfer [Space Rupture Slash] to the enemy's blind spots or near-death areas, making it extremely difficult to dodge.
However, against these high-intensity attacks, the Chronosphere magicians remained calm.
Space magic――[Space Suppression]
Space magic――[Interdimensional Isolation Barrier]
They perfectly blocked the numerous slashing attacks with [Interdimensional Isolation Barrier], while [Space Rupture] and transfer attacks couldn't even be defended against. Space magic [Space Suppression]――it was like [Sealed Space] and other similar magic, capable of putting a certain space under their magical control.
In other words, it could block transfers to blind spots or near-death areas, and even prevent the activation of wide-range magic like [Space Rupture].
Within the area affected by [Space Suppression], unless there was a significant power difference, remote activation magic couldn't be used. Even so, the magicians on the 4-family side thought they could "get through" with their numerical advantage, but――,
"Tch!"
"Damn it!"
Realizing they couldn't penetrate the enemy's [Space Suppression], the magicians quickly switched to shooting-type magic, [Space Rupture Slash], and unleashed their magic.
But the enemy's [Interdimensional Isolation Barrier] easily blocked their [Space Rupture Slash], and their attacks couldn't get through. It seemed like taking risks and going on the offensive was pointless――or so they thought, but that wasn't the case.
"""――――!"""
The enemy magicians' expressions twisted slightly.
Since they had to set up a barrier to defend against their attacks, their counterattacks were slowing down.
As a result, the rate at which Isaac's barrier was consumed slowed down, and so did the consumption of magical energy. Their battle time increased by a considerable amount.
But if they couldn't defeat the enemy, prolonging the battle time wouldn't mean a thing.
About ten minutes had passed—
They switched to an offensive stance, and another ten minutes went by.
"This is bad...!! ."
Isaac scowled.
"My magical energy is running out..."
How many [Interdimensional Isolation Barrier] had he created, anyway? Even as the head of the family, the amount of magical energy he consumed was no joke. If he kept using magical energy at this rate for a few more minutes, it would definitely run out.
"This is hopeless... Let's retreat!!"
If they continued fighting, they would end up dead. With defeat looming, Isaac decided to retreat.
But 2 people stopped him.
"What are you doing, idiot?! If we retreat, we'll never make it back to [Seal Temple] in time!!"
"What's the point of being one of the 4 families if we can't even hold our ground here?! You're the head of the family, so make up your mind, baldy!!"
"BEING BALD HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THISSS!!"
Isaac was enraged by Zephyr's words, but his anger didn't last long, probably because he was really desperate.
"I'm not bald, but what's the point of continuing like this?! We're not going to win no matter what! I don't want to die!!"
"I don't wanna die too!!"
"I'm the same, you know!! If you have time to chat, resist for at least one second!!"
"What's the point of doing that?! No way, no way, no way, no way!! I still wanna live!!"
The blady is bawling his eyes out while deploying a barrier, looking utterly pathetic.
It seems like even he's trying to escape on his own.
The collapse of the Four Families' front line is imminent. It's only a matter of time before it happens. Everyone thinks so, and then――
"Right away, milord!!"
"Father! Are you safe?!"
"Old man! Are you still alive?!"
"Father! What's the situation――no, I mean! Are those people enemies?!"
The Space Magicians from the Four Families, as well as Zephyr's sons, including Eva, start teleporting into the control room.
"Eva!? What about the mansion?!"
Isaac asks frantically.
There are many magicians in the Four Families, but only a few are here because the Four Families' mansion was attacked right before the stampede started.
As a result, they couldn't teleport many people here.
However, not only Eva but also the others who teleported here start explaining their situations.
"The mansion is mostly taken care of! Garon and the others came to help!"
"Old man! We took care of most of the attackers too! Some unknown but super strong young ladies came and wiped them out!"
"Father, it's the same for us. We were saved by some reliable young ladies and men who... um, eliminated the attackers..."
As Eva and the others report, more and more Space Magicians from the Four Families teleport into the control room.
The number kept increasing, and before he knew it, it exceeded 50.
"Kukuku...!!"
And, Isaac, who had been crying until then, burst out laughing.
"Hahahahahahaha!! As expected, God didn't abandon me!!"
Isaac, who was shouting like he had gotten a devil's head, received a pale stare from Duncan and Zephyr.
"No, that's exactly why that God is our enemy..."
"This baldy..."
"I'll be the one laughing in the end!! You bastards!! You won't be forgiven!! Regret your actions and die!! Ah! You guys! Take care of them!!"
With his mood elevated, Isaac gave orders to Eva and the others.
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