The defense of the Underside was set. It was an impossible task to fortify the entire hidden city, it was vast, a subterranean realm almost as large as the city above. But their focus wasn’t on the whole; it was entirely centered on the several key entry points that converged near the Dark Guild’s base.
Raze moved with a speed that defied his recent near-fatal injuries. He flashed across designated areas, his hands blurring as he rapidly drew plex Magic Circles onto the cracked, damp ground. Immediately after, he placed large, glowing Beast Crystals directly onto the designs, sacrificing the powerful energy reserves to permanently power the prepared spells.
Other mages, those who had chosen to join the fight for revenge against Cerberus and their allies, watched Raze in wide-eyed awe. They stood guard on the rooftops of the ramshackle housing structures, their gazes fixed on the sky but occasionally dropping to the arcane power being unleashed below.
"What are some of these spells?" one of them mented, clutching his stave nervously. "I can only figure out half of what they are even supposed to do."
"Do you not remember?" another mage whispered back, an edge of pride in his voice. "The Dark Magus was a Nine-Star Mage before his disappearance! His knowledge is second only to the Grand Magus themselves. We practically have someone as strong as the true Grand Magus on our side now."
"Of course we do, idiot!" a third person snapped, adjusting their makeshift armor. "We already knew the Dark Magus was strong; he defeated two of them already! That’s why we’re here."
"You’re right," the first mage conceded, a flicker of doubt still in his eyes. "But I thought that was mainly because of the Dark Magic he used. And besides, are they even the same person? The other Dark Magus should be ancient, and he never used a sword. Plus, some of these spells... they don’t look like Nine-Star level work at all."
Arguments rippled through the gathered munity regarding the Dark Magus’s true identity. Was Raze the same, impossibly powerful man reborn, or merely someone continuing an old, terrifying legacy?
Some believed Raze had somehow managed to refine his body, being younger, and was now fighting with a new style adapted to take his enemies down. Others simply thought it was a new leader trying to continue the fearsome reputation of the past.
But for those fighting in the Underside, their opinion was unanimous on one key point.
"I like the new Dark Magus," one veteran fighter mented, his eyes fixed on the sky. "He is actively helping all of the Underside, rather than just forgetting about us or exploiting us, no matter where we are from."
"The fight he is fighting," another added, his voice gaining strength, "it feels like it’s purely for us to rise up!"
The group stood, waiting patiently, a nervous energy vibrating through the crowded tunnels. Then, from their various vantage points, they all noticed the same thing: a flicker of light, far above them in the surface world.
Suddenly, several of the large, metal sewer caps that sealed the Underside from the city above began to glow with powerful, destructive magic. They burst open violently, the sound deafening. Not only were the seals destroyed, but large sections of the streets above were instantly annihilated as well. This was calculated destruction, designed to allow a flow of several mages to enter simultaneously from multiple, different points.
In the center of the action, higher than any of the other makeshift watchtowers, Raze stood atop a newly constructed pillar. He had asked Beatrix to quickly and discreetly build the temporary structure right in the middle of their defensive zone.
From this high position, he could clearly see every single area where the invading forces had entered.
So, ten different locations in total? Raze thought, his gaze sweeping the entry points. I wonder how many people he’s managed to rally up into ing down here for this.
Now that Raze had confirmed their entry, he stretched out his hands, the flow of his massive magical power surging. It moved rapidly outward, flowing like an unseen river until it had reached the numerous Magic Circles that had been meticulously drawn and charged beneath the ground.
"Hey, Raze, do you want us to do anything to deal with them before they hit the ground or something?" Liam yelled from a nearby rooftop, eager to engage.
"There’s no need," Raze replied, his voice calm, yet carrying absolute authority across the distance. "Let me use as many of the magic circles that have been set up as possible first."
The mages were already flowing into the underground. Some were using wind magic quite proficiently to slow their descent, while others, obviously the better, more experienced members, were holding the rest of the troops aloft. There were even a few wearing enchanted clothing that granted them the ability to fly or glide.
As they poured in, Raze scanned their faces. He failed to recognize a single person. There were no members of the Cerebus Guild in the initial waves, and more critically, there was no sign of Gizin.
For him to have gathered so many mages this quickly... I should have expected Gizin to have this many people under his thumb, Raze realized grimly. He truly has his own secret army.
There was another, darker reason for Raze using the magic circles to their fullest potential: he needed to conserve his own personal strength.
As one of the core people behind Sabrina’s death, Gizin deserved to receive all of Raze’s focused pain. Raze had to be cautious about using his full power, especially given the high-level conflict he was managing in the world of Pagna and the delicate situation with the Rylon religion that might still relate to the events here. He couldn’t risk revealing everything yet.
With Raze’s intention set, all of the magic circles suddenly lit up simultaneously. A massive, explosive amount of magic surged from the ground.
On one of the circles, several ice shards shot upward, a deadly spray of freezing projectiles that instantly struck the descending mages, taking them out of the fight before they could even scream.
From another section, a giant vortex of wind appeared, rapidly spinning, and it instantly bined with a third circle, which added raw, scorching fire to the funnel. The resulting fiery whirlwind captured a group of mages in an instant.
Then there were the traps that shot out blinding lightning, making it appear as if Raze was simply zapping annoying flies from the sky. Even huge, tangled plants formed from the earth, their thick, restricting vines wrapping around the mages and holding them captive in mid-air.
The invaders who managed to avoid the initial onslaught paused, looking around in plete confusion, wondering just what type of hellish place they were attacking.
"You should never give a mage time to prepare," Raze muttered, a dangerous satisfaction in his voice as the traps did their work. "Especially one as knowledgeable as me!"
**
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