Earth's Greatest Magus

Chapter 2968 Sealed

Kayelin dominated close combat, using her transformed body to continuously pressure both the masked man and his Cosmic Projection. Meanwhile, Klea remained airborne, circling high above the battlefield with the Icarus Wings while launching spells, talismans, and ranged attacks alongside Kayelin's two fairy companions whenever opportunities appeared.Together, they somehow managed to hold back a Three Cosmos cultivator.

Five minutes passed.

Then ten.

Eventually fifteen.

Yet despite their efforts, the difference in cultivation remained overwhelming.

Klea gradually felt the strength leaving her inbody once again. The Icarus Wings no longer carried her as effortlessly as before, forcing her to expend more and more energy simply to remain airborne. Fresh blood continued dripping from her wounds despite the recovery pill, while the repeated strain on her spirit sea left her feeling increasingly exhausted.

Kayelin was not faring much better.

The brilliant runes covering her body had begun flickering erratically, forcing her to consume increasingly powerful enhancement potions simply to maintain the Fey Lion transformation. Even then, her attacks were gradually slowing, and the explosive force behind each strike was beginning to weaken.

The masked man, however, remained relentless.

Little by little, he began reclaiming control of the battlefield.

The Cosmic Projection recovered its momentum and pushed Kayelin backward. More magma birds emerged from the crimson moonlight surrounding him, filling the sky with burning wings and molten feathers. With every passing minute, his attacks became heavier, faster, and more aggressive, steadily driving the two women toward defeat.

Just as they were being pushed to their limits, the ground beneath the battlefield suddenly trembled.

At first it felt like a distant earthquake.

Then the shaking intensified.

A deep rumble echoed through the mountains as enormous cracks spread across the broken slope. Hundreds of meters away, near the partially collapsed mountain face, the earth suddenly split apart. Bedrock shattered. Entire sections of stone were hurled into the sky as a terrifying spiritual pressure erupted from deep underground, punching a tunnel through layers of solid rock.

Everyone turned toward the disturbance.

Then an elderly figure burst from the fissure like a meteor.

Soltz had arrived.

The old Grand Magus landed heavily upon the battlefield, his mere presence causing the surrounding spiritual energy to churn violently. His gaze immediately locked onto the masked man, and the pressure radiating from his body swept across the mountainside like a tidal wave.

The masked man's reaction was instantaneous.

A sequence of hand seals flashed before him. The colossal Cosmic Projection dominating the battlefield suddenly exploded into countless streams of crimson light. The crimson radiance wrapped around his body before collapsing inward into a single point.

When the light faded, he was gone.

The entire escape lasted less than a second.

Soltz stared at the empty space where the enemy had stood before releasing a frustrated sigh.

"I came as quickly as I could, and he just ran?" The old Grand Magus snorted. "What a coward."

His aura surged as he prepared to give chase.

"Wait."

Klea's voice stopped him.

Klea slowly descended from the sky, her condition looking miserable. Blood stained her clothes, several wounds remained open across her body, and exhaustion was written plainly across her face. Yet despite her injuries, her expression remained surprisingly calm.

"He was still hiding part of his strength," she said while catching her breath. "Let him go."

Soltz frowned.

"You know who he is?"

Klea nodded slowly.

"Not with complete certainty, but I have a very good idea." Her eyes shifted toward the distant horizon. "Besides, we have more important matters to deal with right now."

The battle might have ended, but the crisis certainly had not.

Her eyes shifted toward the mountain entrance.

The entrance itself was enormous, nearly fifty meters wide. Yet despite its size, it looked almost small compared to the sheer number of people flooding out of it.

Thousands of captives poured from the underground facility in a seemingly endless stream. Exhausted refugees, imprisoned cultivators, and frightened civilians stumbled across the rocky slopes as quickly as they could manage. Many were injured. Some could barely remain standing, relying on strangers to support them as they fled. Behind them echoed screams, collapsing tunnels, and the distant sounds of fighting that still raged within the deeper levels of the prison complex.

Using her divine sense, Klea could see far beyond the fleeing crowds.

Several hundred meters behind the escaping captives, large groups of infected were rushing through the underground passages with frightening speed. Wherever they caught someone, screams followed. Bodies were dragged down, torn apart, and consumed before the horde continued its pursuit. Although some Magus-realm cultivators were desperately fighting rearguard actions to buy time for the civilians, they were clearly being overwhelmed by sheer numbers.

Then, amidst the chaos, Klea spotted a familiar figure.

A fat man dressed in torn noble robes was desperately running down the mountainside.

Lord Gerardy.

The ruler of Dawnstar looked nothing like the influential noble she had met previously. His expensive robes hung in tatters. Sweat soaked his body. His face was pale with terror, and every movement was driven entirely by panic.

Behind him, dozens of infected charged forward while the remnants of his Royal Guards desperately tried to buy him time.

"I am your lord!" Gerardy screamed. "Protect me! Move aside! Get away from me!"

It was a hopeless effort.

One guard disappeared beneath the horde.

Then another.

A third was dragged screaming into the mass of bodies before vanishing entirely.

"Help me!" Gerardy cried again, his voice breaking from fear. "Please! Somebody help me!"

The noble stumbled across a loose patch of stone and nearly fell before awkwardly scrambling back to his feet.

"I am your lord! Save me!"

Nearby, Soltz watched the scene unfold before glancing toward Klea.

"Should we help him?"

Klea remained silent for a moment.

Her gaze shifted toward Kayelin.

The fey priestess stood calmly beside them, showing no visible reaction whatsoever. There was neither hatred nor sympathy in her expression. She simply watched the fleeing noble with the detached indifference of someone observing the consequences of another person's choices.

Klea slowly looked back toward Gerardy.

The memories surfaced one after another.

The many crimes he did to people of Dawnstar.

Whether through greed, ambition, or sheer stupidity, Gerardy had willingly allowed all of it to happen.

"Aaaah..." Klea sighed dramatically. "I'm still exhausted from the previous battle."

She rubbed her shoulder and stretched slightly.

"Give me a minute."

Unfortunately for Gerardy, he did not have a minute.

The infected caught him only seconds later.

His remaining Royal Guards fought desperately to reach him, but their formation had already collapsed completely under the overwhelming pressure.

"No! Get away from me! Hendrik!! Where is Hendrik!?"

Gerardy's terrified scream echoed across the battlefield.

For a brief moment, his Magus cultivation and protective artifacts actually saved him. Several defensive barriers exploded outward from his body, blasting nearby infected away and creating a temporary opening. Using that chance, the fat noble broke free from the swarm and crawled several meters across the rocky slope, his expensive robes covered in dirt and blood.

Hope briefly returned to his eyes.

Then he looked up.

More infected were already rushing toward him from every direction.

The color drained from his face.

"No... no... somebody help me!"

This time there was no escape.

The horde crashed into him once more, larger than before.

His screams grew louder.

More desperate.

More frantic.

Until they suddenly stopped.

Blood splashed across the rocks.

The Lord of Dawnstar disappeared beneath a sea of bodies.

Klea watched the scene for several seconds before blinking slowly.

"Oh no..."

She paused.

"We were too late."

Even Soltz had to cough and look away.

There were no objections.

No arguments.

More importantly, there were still thousands of innocent people who needed help.

Klea immediately rose to her feet and joined the rescue effort.

With Soltz, Kayelin, and Klea guarding the massive fifty-meter-wide entrance, the escaping captives finally gained a chance to flee. Three Grand Magus-level experts standing side by side formed an almost unbreakable defensive line. Every infected that emerged from the tunnel was instantly cut down before it could reach the survivors.

For nearly ten minutes, the evacuation continued.

Thousands escaped.

Gradually, however, the flow of captives began to decrease. Fewer civilians emerged from the darkness, while larger and larger groups of infected appeared from the deeper tunnels.

Then a dark figure suddenly burst through the horde.

Varkul.

The leader of the Midnight Brotherhood emerged covered in blood and wounds. Slung over one shoulder was the unconscious body of Boraan, whose condition looked grave even from a distance.

"What happened?" Klea asked immediately.

Varkul's expression darkened.

"Aeric..." he said through clenched teeth. "I'm sorry. We couldn't beat him."

Klea slowly exhaled.

Looking toward the mountain entrance, she could still sense countless infected moving through the deeper levels of the underground complex. Although eliminating them would not be difficult for the three Grand Magus present, every one of those infected had once been a real person—refugees, prisoners, and victims whose bodies had fallen under parasite control.

After a brief moment of consideration, she made her decision.

"We seal the mountain."

Soltz immediately nodded.

The Three Cosmos earth-element powerhouse stepped forward and raised both arms. Massive earth-element techniques surged through the battlefield as the entire mountain began to tremble. One tunnel after another collapsed beneath thousands of tons of stone and debris, while hidden passages and underground chambers disappeared beneath the shifting earth.

When the dust settled, every entrance to the facility had vanished.

The mountain stood silent once more.

For now.

"Right now there are more urgent priorities," Klea said.

Without wasting another moment, the group sent emergency reports toward Emery before taking flight toward Dawnstar.

The journey was swift.

Unfortunately, the moment the city appeared on the horizon, everyone's expressions darkened.

Even from a distance, Klea could see the massive battle.

Smoke rose into the sky.

Buildings had collapsed.

The streets were stained red.

And at the center of it all stood a lone figure.

White robes stained crimson.

A sword still gripped firmly in one hand.

Gwen.

Klea felt her heart tighten.

"No..."

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Author Note

This chapter concludes the month of May, and once again, I would like to express my sincere gratitude for your support and I hope it has been an enjoyable read.

Thank you so much for your continued support and patience. I truly appreciate it, and I look forward to sharing more with you in the months ahead.