Chapter 486: Chapter 485: Advancing to Tier 4 (1)

The night passed softly, and by early morning they were already on the move again as the attack against the Mana-Devouring Beasts began.

Azar stepped into battle once more, his heart heavy. In his palm, he held the pendant Oru had given him. The carved surface was rough, and inside the small crystal embedded within it was the faint image of a little girl smiling.

He tightened his grip for a moment... then let it rest against his palm as he moved forward.

He watched as Oru and the rest advanced ahead as the vanguard. Azar, as usual, was placed in a protected formation, dozens of Magi forming a loose circle around him while the rest scattered across the battlefield.

The wind swept over the battlefield, carrying a coldness that did not belong to the season.

Above them, the sky darkened.

Today was supposed to be a windy day, but the clouds that gathered overhead were unnatural. Thick and heavy, they rolled across the sky like a suffocating blanket.

The Magi could feel it.

Their hearts tightened.

Their breathing became shallow.

Thunder rumbled in the distance.

Time dragged slowly, every second stretching like an eternity.

Then...

The ground trembled.

At first, it was faint.

Then stronger.

Then constant.

A low, rising vibration that traveled through bone and soul alike.

"They’re coming..." someone whispered.

The mana in the air itself began to tremble. It felt unstable, as if reality itself was reacting to what was approaching.

"Formation!" a voice shouted.

Immediately, thousands of Magi across the battlefield raised their hands.

Chanting began.

Hundreds of voices layered together, forming a rising hum of power.

Mana gathered.

Spells formed in the air like glowing sigils, rotating and compressing, waiting for release.

Across the distant hill, the mana devouring beasts finally appeared as their shadows lead then their figures. An endless tide of mana-Devouring Beasts poured over the horizon like a black flood, their bodies overlapping, crawling, running, leaping—an unstoppable wave of hunger given form.

The ground beneath them cracked as they moved, the air itself distorted under their presence and for a moment, even Azar felt it.

A cold pressure pressed against his chest as the Magi finished their chants.

"Release!"

The battlefield lit up.

Hundreds—no, thousands of spells erupted at once.

Fire spears tore through the air.

Ice storms descended like falling stars. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Lightning bolts cracked downward with blinding speed.

Earth spikes rose from the ground like jagged teeth.

The first wave of beasts collided with the spells.

BOOM!

A massive explosion of mana erupted across the front lines.

hundreds of beasts were torn apart instantly with their flesh and bone disintegrated under overwhelming elemental force. The ground itself cracked open, forming trenches of destruction.

But the tide did not stop as the beasts roared and pushed through the destruction, stepping over the remains of their fallen kin.

"Again! Don’t let them through!" Oru’s voice rang out somewhere ahead.

At the back, Azar inhaled sharply as he raised his hand, this was not his first battle anymore.His fingers moved with precision as mana gathered at his fingertips.

"Fire Lance—no... too slow."

He cancelled the spell mid-formation as his eyes moved around as he took it sight the huge amount of mana devouring beast, his mind worked as countless thoughts and path were being mental used and finally he could see it.

The flow of mana, the delay in casting, the range and efficiency. It was all lacking, he needed change as he thought of a better usage of mana. He was about to do something no one thought of, create spells out of the blue.

"Fire Lance: Compression Variant."

Instead of a wide spear of flame, the spell condensed into a thin, unstable line of burning energy.

Azar released it.

SWHOOOM!

The fire lance shot forward like a beam piercing through one beast’s head as it continued.

Two more beasts fell before it finally dissipated.

Azar’s eyes sharpened , it worked , he actually created a spell using the reference of an original spell. This was insane and the damage had improved but he couldn’t be too happy. It wasn’t still enough.

"Wind Cutter... layered with Fire Step..."

He raised both hands now as two spells formed simultaneously, one in each hand then he overlapped them.

Wind wrapped around fire as a rotating blade of flame formed in front of him.

"Go."

He pushed forward.

The spinning fire blade tore into the horde.

Where it passed, beasts were sliced apart as they were burned and shredded at the same time. It didn’t explode like normal spells. It cut through.

A Magi beside him glanced in shock.

"Who taught you that combination?"

But Azar couldn’t answer time was important as he was already calculating the next one.

His breathing was steady now but his fear and worried didn’t dissappear but buried under focus.

The battlefield turned chaotic with beasts slamming into the Magi lines.The frontline defenders clashed directly, weapons and claws colliding, blood sprayed across the ground dying it red as screams followd.

Azar stepped slightly forward within his protective circle as his eyes narrowed but just as he move...

"Don’t overextend!" a Magus shouted behind him.

"I’m not," Azar replied calmly raising his hand again, this time he didn’t cast one spell, he casted three.

"Earth Bind."

"Lightning Mark."

"Explosive Trigger."

Three sigils formed mid-air as he flicked his fingers. The earth bind shot into the ground as Dozens of beasts suddenly had their legs trapped as stone erupted beneath them.

Lightning Mark attached itself to their bodies, flickering faintly like glowing tattoos.

Then...

Azar snapped his fingers.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Chain explosions erupted across the marked targets as the rolling dark clouds sent lightning that brunt them to crisps.

For a brief moment, the surrounding Magi paused,even Oru fighting at the front glanced back.

"...He’s improving fast," someone muttered but the battle did not allow admiration with the charging beasts adapting quickly.Stronger ones began breaking through the outer defenses.

A massive Tier 3 beast, larger than the rest burst through the formation, its body covered in armored bone plates.It roared and charged directly toward Azar’s section.

"Stop it!" a Magis shouted but it was too late as Azars moved to the side dodging the charge and casted.

"Twin Layer Spell."

The air vibrated at once as a shock waved spread.

Two spells formed at once ,! compressed wind barrier in front and a delayed fire core behind it slamming into the beast.

BOOM!