Leveling up the World

Chapter 807: Reunion of Illusion

Youre a noble. Mage Tisakus voice trembled.

It wasnt the colossus that had him scared, nor Euryales forces joining the battle area. What terrified him was the impossibility that he had just witnessed.

A mage cant become a noble.

An aether sphere surrounded him, pushing back against the colossus grip and Dallions spells beyond that. Had the settlement remained at level one, that would have been enough to shatter the guardians entire body, let alone its hand. After improving to level five, though, the entity had become as solid as steel and as hard as diamond.

Theres no way, the mage hissed through his teeth.

Whys he acting so differently? Dallion asked in his realm.

Because hes faced with an impossibility, Vihrogon explained. Theres never been a case of a mage becoming a noble.

Ive seen nobles that can do magic, Dallion countered.

Its the other way around. While rare, nobles are sometimes granted a new trait upon passing the eightieth level gate. The Purple Moon is always picky, so its not as often as one might think, but there always are a few cases. Being born with magic, on the other hand, seals an awakeneds fate. They can become the greatest awakened that ever was, but never a true noble. And still here you are.

Indeed, here Dallion was. In less than a minute, he had gained five levels and fifteen trait points without even trying. And that was just the tip of the iceberg. The fact alone that he had joined the ranks of the domain rulers had made people instantly react. In Tisakus case, Dallion could feel the fear emanating from withininnate fear that was in the heart of every awakened since birth.

No wonder nobles and hunters didnt mix. Due to their way of life, hunters were partially immune to this, which made them a nuisance in the eyes of domain rulers.

And yet I have, Dallion added the subtlest note of fear in his words. If he wanted, he could have even attempted to use that to invade the mages personal realm, but chose not to. The empire has one, this one. Youve lost.

You think just because youve got me that youve won? A sudden bout of calm came over the mage. The Azure Federation already has what it came for. The empire has already fallen.

Dallion split into instances, looking around. Despite the unexpected reinforcements, more and more golems and wyverns kept on appearing even as the vortexe towers had started disappearing. It was a single moment of distraction, but Tisaku took advantage of it.

A ray of flame erupted, melting through the glass colossus hand, shattering all of Dallions aether spheres. At such a proximity the spell was strong enough to scorch part of the mage himself, but it also let him break free.

Damn it! Dallion quickly waved his aura sword, casting a new series of combat spells, but the initiative was gone. The glass colossus also attempted to grab Tisaku once more, yet was met with another destructive flame spell shattering his other hand.

Ill get him! Dark shouted, flying in the mages direction.

Dark! Dallion shouted. You and Eury hold back!

But the dragon attempted to protest, but was quickly interrupted by the gorgon on his back.

Its his fight, Euryale said. Are you sure you can handle it, Dal?

Yes.

Both nobles could feel the determination of the other. Dallion knew that she had the same abilities as him, and probably a higher awakened level. On the other hand, he had the ability to cast spells.

Ill deal with things on my part of the battlefield, the gorgon said. Lets talk when its over.

Id like that. Dallion nodded.

With a snort Dark did a flip in the air, flying back to the spot where the dwarven forces were clashing with the Azures.

They grow up so fast, dont they, dear boy? Adzorg asked from Dallions personal realm. Reminds me of you in a way.

Another blast filled the air, accompanied by the shattering of class. The colossus was having serious issues. Even in a weakened state, Tisaku proved to be quite capable. Now that the initial shock had worn off, the battle mage was almost back to peak combat efficiency.

Time to end this, Dallion whispered. His aura sword moved about, casting a series of spells. None of them were particularly difficult; in fact, he had learned them back when he was just a novice in the Learning Hall. At the moment, though, they were the greatest weapon he had to resolve the situation.

Eight spells flew to the ground, creating an octagonal pattern. They were shortly followed by twenty-four more.

Argus! Dallion shouted. Clever to use the vortex fields to fuel your army. A pity that my side didnt consider that. Now its over, though. A giant portal formed between the individual spell dots beneath. Say goodbye to your advantage.

One thing that the otherworlder had learned while chasing after Adzorg was exactly how the timepiece functioned. Its main role was never to create vortexes, but weaken the barrier between worlds and realms. Vortexes could be described as a symptom that one could benefit from. However, if someone wanted to really be creative, they could do what the void had done in its attempt to find Dallion: Open a portal to the banished realm.

At first, nothing happened. The giant portal kept on shimmering on the ground as if it were a very expensive special effect. Then an arm emerged. Far larger than anything else on the battlefield, it grabbed hold of the ground around the portal, as if it were reaching out of a well. Then, a head the size of a mountain pear peered out.

The Moons had warned that breaking their rules would come with consequences, but right now Dallion wasnt breaking any such laws. The spell that he had cast merely took advantage of the weakened state of the world realm.

The sheer force of the ancient colossus returning to the world shook the entire battlefield, causing dozens of vortexes to fade out. More importantly, it eliminated the Azure mages that were syphoning their magic.

REALM DESTROYED

A red rectangle emerged in front of Dallion. Clearly, his domain had proven incapable of withstanding the arrival of a new colossus.

Easy come, easy go, Dallion thought. At least my level didnt drop.

Vihrogon also disappeared, reverting to his armadil shield form. With Dallions realm no longer in the real world, he had been reduced to an item guardian once more.

Lux, Dallion whispered. Take me to the brightest spot

Once again, he was propelled through the air with such speed it seemed as if he were teleporting.

Purple lightning cracked through the sky, striking more wyverns. One of the remaining battle mages was doing everything in his power to foil Dallion, especially now that he had seen what the otherworlder was capable of. The spell was followed by a second that cast fire lightning on the wyverns in question, having them act like living torches intent on destroying their target. Unfortunately for them, Dallions second weapon was more than capable of producing enough water to extinguish the threat in its infancy.

How did you become so strong?! Tisaku shouted from the other side of the battlefield. The battle mage was experienced enough to know when a fight was lost. That by no means meant he liked it. You were a nobody! An upstart with aspirations of grandeur that only got where you did because of the people around you.

Dallion smiled. There was no denying that. Early on, others had fought his battles. He had only been there to provide the final push in the appropriate direction. Even until recently, his victories were thanks to those fighting for him. Now, he could call on entities to fight for him, but ultimately, it was him leading the battle and everyone knew it.

Things change. Dallion cast a two-circle spell, levitating a piece of rock from the ground. He then added several magic symbols to vastly increase his speed and threw it in the direction of the battle mage. From this distance, it was impossible to achieve a hit, but it served more than enough for a warning. Whatever you did here, whatever you attempted to do, its over. Ive made sure of that, just as Ill make sure to let everyone know what will happen if you use vortexes to boost your army ever again.

Thats overdramatic, Vihrogon said. Considering that youve got the attention of your old flame and your new crush on you, I fully approve.

You never change, do you? Dallion shook his head.

Things change. Those we serve along with them.

Drops of water flew off the harpsisword in repetitive fashion, drilling through any wyverns that approached Dallion even remotely. Harp had been quiet during the entire battle, but that didnt mean she had neglected her duties.

With the risk of ruining the mood, I think you should go after him, dear boy, Adzorg said. Even shaken, hes a dangerous opponent, not to mention that hes one of the few who actually knows what the Azures plans actually are.

I will. Dallion waved his aura sword, casting another series of portal spells. Just as soon as I make my point.

A new large portal was made, bringing a second colossus into the world. No matter what happened from here on, this place would remain in legends as the place where armies clashed against giants just like Ogres Gorge. At this point, there was little doubt that a similar battle had taken place there. It had to have been before the Tamin empire, possibly a lot further. Maybe Pan knew something on the matter, maybe not. Now that Dallion was a noble, he could finally have a real conversation with the copyette. In the meantime, he would finish what he had started.

Propelling himself to a new spot above the battlefield, Dallion cast a portal to call yet another colossus. More than two-thirds of the vortexes had faded away; some had done their job, preventing the void from seeping into the world, others had been absorbed by colossus or Azure mages.

One last time, Lux, Dallion said. Pick a good spot.

Four colossi? Isnt that a bit overkill, dear boy? Adzorg remarked. Arent three of them enough?

Dallion just smiled and cast another portal spell. That one was significantly smaller than all the previous ones, yet it was a lot more special. As the portal formed, everyone on the ground instinctively ran away, fearing what would follow. Dallion did the opposite, landing down a few steps from it.

Your turn, little guy, Dallion said, bringing Ruby out of his personal realm. Have fun.

The shardfly flicked its wings, then darted into the portal. An aether golem, more daring than all the rest, charged at Dallion in an attempt to take advantage of the situation. Before it could reach him, Nox popped out into the real world, slicing it to shreds with one strike.

Weak, the crackling puma said, eyes covering its entire body.

Probably didnt get enough magic. Dallion petted his familiar. Or maybe youve grown a bit stronger.

The creature purred, then walked by Dallion, rubbing its massive body against him. At the end of the day, it remained nothing more than a big cat.

In the air, the cloud forts started moving in again. With the key elements of the Azure army gone, they could afford to go on the offensive. Lightning and aether shards were raining down, eliminating enemies inch by inch. There was no doubt about it, the fight was already won. Now, it was all a matter of mopping up what was left until the fighting stopped.

Suddenly, a cyan light emerged from the nearby portal. Ethereal wings stretched out, as thin as a soap bubble. It was said that beauty was subjective, and in many cases, it was. At the same time, there was a concept of objective brilliancethe one thing hardwired in everyones mind of a world, making them regard something as admiration itself. And in this case, such a creature had just appeared.

Took you long enough. An eight-winged butterfly made entirely of light emerged from the portal. Large enough to be the mainsail of a giant ship, she flapped her wings, dispersing specks of glittering dust. At least you kept your promise.

I usually try to, Gleam. Dallion smiled.

Just above the massive shardfly, Ruby fluttered about, making every attempt to stretch his size as much as possible. It was comical in a very endearing way.

Ready to come back home? Dallion asked.

Maybe. If you make something suitable for me.

I will. Until then, fancy going on a hunt?

Gleam flapped half of her wings.

Thought youd never ask.