Princess's Struggle for Survival-Chapter 563: Arcanist Entry

Everything happened too fast. By the time the city guards noticed the sudden downpour of light, it was already too late to dodge. Facing these torrents of light that seemed like shattered fragments of the sun raining down, some new recruits were even paralyzed by the overwhelming holy aura, unable to move as they stared blankly at Death approaching.

Would the transparent barrier overhead, which had previously shielded them from boulders, be able to block this spell too?

No one knew the answer, or perhaps deep down they already suspected the truth. But at this point, stepping outside the spell’s range was impossible. Their only hope lay in blindly trusting the city’s defenses. Many had already pressed their backs against the wall, curling their bodies and trying to hide in the shadows.

Inside the command room, Lyra’s mind was under extreme tension. Immersed in the magic circle, she felt the impact more acutely than anyone. If the previous boulders and light spells had only slightly damaged the defensive barrier without causing irreversible depletion, then the power of this current spell was at least a hundred times greater, comparable to comparing fireflies against the full moon.

If she resisted head-on...should the shield break, her spirit would undoubtedly suffer backlash from the magic’s recoil...

Yet if she didn’t fully activate the magic circle, the soldiers below would have to face the attack with mere flesh and blood, resulting in unimaginable casualties.

In less than half a second, Lyra grasped the stakes. She immediately channeled all her mental energy, fully erecting the defensive circle.

The enemy’s Arcanist mage had already acted. From here on, the battlefield will be dominated by forces at their level. As long as she preserved these troops, the rest could be left to her subordinates and the Arcanist mages.

She exhaled softly, sat down at the desk in the command room, removed her pair of white short leather boots, and summoned the Holy Light Armor. Silvery-white metal boots encased her stockinged, snow-white feet, climbing up her straight legs and completely covering them. The sturdy armor enveloped her shorts and shirt, adding a touch of valor to the pink-haired commander.

The Holy Light Armor not only defends against elemental and physical attacks, but also offers some resistance to mental backlash.

Not to mention... she might soon have to intervene personally...

The instant the armor fully formed, Lyra sensed something. She closed her eyes and analyzed carefully. Transparent currents were drawing the air element particles, starting slowly at first, but as mana poured in continuously, their flow speed increased exponentially. Within two or three seconds, a gale surged above the entire White Maple Town, blanketing the sky.

Charlotte stood atop the highest tower of White Maple Town. A perfectly tailored leather coat draped over her shoulders, while a wide, layered elegant white dress concealed nearly all of her lower body, revealing only a small section of soft, lustrous silk-covered legs. Her long black hair floated gently behind her without wind, and her hazel eyes reflected the dazzling sky.

Finally, the day had come when the Kingdom of Velys, unable to endure the stalemate, took the initiative to deploy an Arcanist mage.

Thus, it directly demonstrated the necessity of mobilizing Arcanist mages to the frontlines. With this, Amalia would have greater confidence when confronting those selfish nobles. Likewise, dear Regent would be able to completely let go, everything was unfolding exactly as they had anticipated.

Internally, after prolonged warfare with no decisive result, the King and the Pope had indeed grown estranged. Or perhaps since the beginning, secular royal authority and transcendent ecclesiastical power had never aligned on their war objectives.

One waged war for tangible gain, the other blindly crusaded for a corrupted faith.

[Holy Light Manifestation Torrent of Light] burst forth like divine light breaking through the heavens. Charlotte gently tapped her heels. Semi-transparent winds formed an invisible barrier, seemingly solid as rock from the outside, yet internally flowing at extreme speeds, capable of effortlessly tearing apart even steel with chaotic turbulence.

The cascading waves of light instantly shattered into countless specks upon meeting the fierce wind. The clash between Arcanist mages relies not only on the outward manifestation of elements, but also deeply on the strength of their mental power.

Air element particles infused with Charlotte’s immense magic wildly collided with the light particles in the area. The turbulent magical energy enhances the stability of the light spell, causing even light, an advanced element, to lose most of its power when countered by the fundamental element of wind.

Of course, for Charlotte at her current state, completely nullifying the [Holy Light Manifestation Torrent of Light] was still unrealistic. From this initial exchange, judging by the spell’s intensity and scale, she roughly gauged her opponent’s strength.

Same realm as her, a middle tier Arcanist mage, with considerable affinity for light elements, but nowhere near Lyra’s extreme level.

Feeling a few scattered waves of scorching light that had slipped through Charlotte’s storm barrier, Lyra erected a dome. The blazing light fell like feathers onto the magical shield. In that single instant, the transparent dome violently trembled, its instability far exceeds that caused by a barrage of boulders or even the [Holy Radiant City].

The mere afterwave of an Arcanist-tier spell, neutralized by an equal strength opponent, had already brought the once-unbreakable defensive circle to the brink of collapse.

Had Charlotte not interfered, that single strike alone would have destroyed over half of White Maple Town’s defensive structures.

A brief flash of fear flickered through Lyra’s mind, but as a frontline commander, such emotions didn’t cloud her judgment. The young woman put the ornate sword scabbard against her chest and continued observing the battlefield, ensuring no other attacks could breach the defense and harm the city guards.

Seeing her initial attack fail, behind the Church’s Knight Order, a blond-haired, blue-eyed Church Knight wearing rectangular glasses continued channeling mental energy.

Meanwhile, beneath the walls, the Church Knight constructing [Holy Radiant City] suddenly felt wind stirring beneath his feet, his body beginning to waver.

Flowing air particles weaved between the knight’s boots, bypassing the army formation’s light magic defenses and operating from within.

The raven-haired beauty atop the bell tower moved slightly. Her pristine, ornate pleated skirt fluttering in the wind, revealing more of her smooth, snow-white legs, making her appear both elegant and noble.

In the high-latitude northern plains, aside from light element particles that appear in dense or sparse clusters depending on time, there was mostly centuries-accumulated permafrost and constant, relentless winds sweeping across the mountain ridges of the city walls.

Before enemy Arcanist could unleash another spell, Charlotte’s counterattack arrived first. A surge of turbulent air currents rapidly formed within the enemy formation. Fragmented gusts, sharp as blades, precisely targeting the exposed joints and skin of the knights. Instantly, misty sprays of blood erupted, merging with the storm.

Even with formation protection and bodies enhanced beyond those of elite knights, the Church knights below couldn’t withstand Charlotte’s casual strike.

The storm was gathering. Blood stained the earth. Massive amounts of dust were already being torn from the ground by the gale, and a greater hurricane was about to form.

In the extremely limited intelligence available to the Kingdom of Velys, there was indeed a figure named Charlotte. An Arcanist mage without noble lineage, yet closely aligned with the Regent, and the primary researcher of magic-tech devices, her presence in White Maple Town was fully anticipated by the Church’s knights. And this unique spell, whose mechanism was never recorded, was clearly her signature technique.

A destructive wind-element magic famous for extinguishing the breath of all living beings, combining high pressure and extreme cutting force: [Drowning Sea of Wind].

The initial fragmented wind blades were merely the most insignificant prelude of this spell. The subsequent storm clusters were the true, terrifying weapons of mass destruction. Once fully formed, every Church Knight here will fall within the spell’s range, or more accurately, all life will enter its countdown.

The Church Knight Order naturally understood this. The next second, the knights simultaneously raised their shields, ceased constructing [Holy Radiant City], and collectively adopted a defensive, contracted stance, both individually and as an entire formation.

The flat ground beneath their feet rippled with golden arcane patterns. Pure light spread along the lines, slowly rising, instantly reinforcing the space.

Middle tier Arcanist mage arcane spell: [Elemental Stagnation].

Within the affected area, the activity of all elemental particles was suppressed, wind with its high fluidity, lightning and fire with their intense activity, and light, which constantly shifted between wave and particle states.

Only the inherently inactive earth and ice elements were less affected by this spell.

As expected, under the hindrance of [Elemental Stagnation], [Drowning Sea of Wind] could no longer form directly within the Church knights’ formation. Instead, it could only gather wind elements from above as supplementary magic.

At the same time, Charlotte sensed something different, this [Elemental Stagnation] and the earlier [Holy Light Manifestation Torrent of Light] were clearly not the work of the same Arcanist mage.

More Arcanist mages had joined the battle.

Everything unfolded exactly as Charlotte predicted. The sun above her suddenly became blindingly bright. Light element particles, gathered over a long period at an extremely slow rate as a deceptive preparation, had just concentrated directly above Charlotte, like a space-based weapon focusing its beam for precise destruction, it unleashed searing, scorching energy toward the ground.

Not targeting the walls, but launching a direct assault on an Arcanist mage?

No... his goal was to destroy the defensive circle, specifically Lyra, the circle’s focal point...

The flowing air surrounding Charlotte instantly carried her out of the impact zone. And just one breath before the searing light struck the barrier, a black longsword precisely severed the beam. Invisible mental wings carry the sword-wielder high into the air. Cold eyes stared toward the distant Holy Church. The blade flicked slightly, and serpentine lightning coiled around the frigid iron.

Charles, nominally a middle tier Crusader but actually possessing peak tier Crusader strength, personally entered the battlefield, adding another weight to the clash between Arcanist mages.

Meanwhile, Lyra’s order was relayed to the entire army: the magical circle’s protection would collapse in fifteen minutes. All soldiers were to retreat from the walls, prioritizing their survival, and withdraw to the magic-energy shelter caves that Astrid had earlier drafted craftsmen to dig.

As the battlefield of Arcanist mages, regardless of which side emerged victorious, the town known as White Maple Town would vanish from the map, leaving only scattered ruins as historical remnants for future generations.

Upon receiving Lyra’s command, new recruits on the walls immediately wanted to drop their weapons, only to be scolded by veterans into picking them back up and continuing to spit fire at the knights below.

"Retreat in order. Commander Lyra gave us a timeframe, so we definitely have time."

"Don’t forget the drills. If everyone starts running, none of us will survive."

Order was paramount within the army. The rear guards responsible for transporting logs and stones were semi-logistical personnel. If the soldiers on the walls fled first, it would not only disrupt order and cause trampling, but also allow enemies below to catch up. Engaging in close combat with those elite, heavily armored knights will have unthinkable consequences.

"Alright... I understand."

Hearing this, the new recruit realized that panicking and fleeing would only put him in greater danger. He reluctantly returned to his post, praying the Arcanist mages’ clash wouldn’t reach him.

At this moment, they were like ants beneath giants, even a single drop of sweat could drown them.

Lyra sensed the state of the army on the walls, confirming that only a tiny minority were panicking, while most still maintained order and held their posts. She silently exhaled in relief.

Her arrangements had indeed worked. Guided by veterans who had survived the great retreat from Liya Tower, these battlefield novices, once reminded, knew what to do and what not to do, avoiding becoming established in a military tribunal.

Next, she hoped more of them could survive.

In truth, long before the war began, Lyra had understood her role. Astrid’s intent was clear: these conventional defenders exist to obstruct the Church’s knights from entering White Maple Town through ordinary force, thereby threatening the commercial cities behind.

In other words, they were, to some extent, bait, using resilient defense to force the Kingdom of Velys into exposing weaknesses, compelling Arcanist mages to enter the fray.

Although she had analyzed the pros and cons, knowing such a situation was unavoidable from any perspective, facing it directly still left a bitter taste in Lyra’s heart.

As the overall commander, she could only pray these soldiers survived as much as possible. She will also hold the dome’s protection until the very last second amid the Arcanist mages’ clash, rather than the fifteen minutes stated.

She pushed open the window. Outside, the sun is still hanging high. Chaotic elemental particles entangled and collided, causing the view to flicker between light and dark. Howling winds shrieked, the earth trembled with each sword strike from Charles, and higher up, blinding flashes of light seemed to ignite the clouds and sun itself. The surrounding air twisted, everything like a prelude to the end of the world.

Feeling the battlefield’s intense tension, Lyra’s ocean of mental energy rippled violently. The invisible shackles, already struck multiple times, show signs of loosening once more.

And beyond those bindings lay the entry ticket to participate in this battle.