Supreme Magus

Chapter 2261 Natural Enemy (Part 1)

ʼIf I take Verhen down, the Demons will fade and the Golems will stop. It all comes down to him and me again, but this time no Guardian will interrupt us.ʼ

The Garuda used the speed from his wings and the Life Maelstrom to move too fast for the Awakened forces to stop him amid the chaos of battle.𝐟𝙧𝐞e𝔀e𝐛𝐧𝐨𝚟𝑒l.c𝗼𝙢

Xondar was confident in taking down the Tiamat because Garudas were considered the closest thing to a Dragonʼs natural enemy.

They were capable of flight, had four prehensile limbs, were physically stronger, and were talented in close-quarter combat. Dragon Eyes could do nothing against raw physical might and Life Maelstrom made the gap even wider.

When a Dragon and a Garuda met, it was all about distances. If the Dragon managed to keep the Garuda away, they could win. If the Garuda came close, the battle would be over in seconds.

Despite his unusual appearance and odd bloodline powers, the Tiamat was still considered a Dragon by the Awakened community.

Lith was too busy weaving the second Ruin to cast other spells so Xondarʼs arrival caught him unprepared. One second the Garuda had been behind Bimaʼs walls and the next he was in front of Lith.

Xondar lunged his spear at the Tiamatʼs head, forcing him to dispel Ruin and block. The charge was too quick and strong for Lith to stop it but he still managed to thrust forward with War.

The blade slid along the haft of the spear, pushing it aside and dispersing the force of the blow.

The Garuda sighed in relief as his plan succeeded.

With no time to waste, he had opted for a simple attack, easy to predict but strong enough to kill. Xondar couldnʼt risk performing a complex maneuver and give Lith the time to complete the Blade Tier spell.

ʼIʼm in the air and heʼs on the ground. I have Life Maelstrom and heʼs weakened. This is already over.ʼ The Garuda thought until something strange happened.

He was about to push Warʼs tip away to disrupt Lithʼs guard when something came out of it. Life Vision didnʼt show him any dimensional opening, yet a golden figure was popping into existence right in front of his face.

Solus had traveled through War which Lithʼs lounge had brought meters away from her target. She held a Fury in each hand, hammering with both in the face of the still-flabbergasted Garuda.

ʼWhatʼs the point? Sheʼs so sm-ʼ Despite her size, Solus had the mass of a Divine Beast, and her Furiesʼ heads were made of purified Davross.

Xondar felt as if a mountain had dropped on his head while the blow threw him off balance. With no more obstacles in its path, War severed the Garudaʼs neck in one swing.

Solus squashed the head with her hammers while Lith pierced through the Garudaʼs heart until Warʼs hilt struck the armor. Xondarʼs body disappeared, recalled by the Golden Griffon before it turned into a corpse and the mana core cracked.

”That was amazing!” From her Throne Room, Thrud gave the Tiamat a standing ovation. ”Verhen killed a violet-cored Divine Beast in seconds. How was that possible?”

”Thatʼs Solus, my Liege.” Phloria explained. ”No matter where he goes or how bad a situation is. Lith is never alone. They are one in mind, body, and core. You canʼt face one without the other.”

Despite the slave spell, Phloria was cheering for him as well. Thrud could see her new servant smile with a mix of pride, joy, and sadness.

”Really? What does his wife think about her?”

”The last time we talked, Kamila told me that sheʼs happy to have Solus in her life.” Phloriaʼs face darkened as her enslaved persona blamed Solus for all the bumps in her relationship with Lith.

”Kamila says that knowing that Solus is always watching Lithʼs back puts her heart at rest.”

”Damn right she is.” Thrud clenched her hands in anger. ”I wish that Jormun had his own Solus. This way, he would still be alive.”

The Mad Queen took notes of every ability that Lith used and Phloria explained, passing them to her Generals in a way that would keep the secret of the tower hidden. Luckily for her, everyone already knew that Lith was some kind of Horseman.

The fight between Solus and Hystar was yesterdayʼs news. Everyone thought that Lith was like Acala, no more and no less.

Meanwhile, in Zeska, the Kingdomʼs army had taken the city by storm.

After the fall of the arrays, reaching and taking control of the Warp Gate had been childʼs play. Everything had happened so fast that the defending army had failed to grasp the situation and react in time.

Truth be told, even though the attackers knew Lithʼs plan, they had been taken aback as well. If not for Orion yelling until the Generals had snapped out of their stupor and the Golems leading the battle, things wouldnʼt have gone so smoothly.

”Good gods, what was that?” Lotho the Treant asked Lith as soon as he came to retrieve Raptor and Trouble.

”Is that a trick question? Anyway, I donʼt have time to waste. Just tell me if the troops have reached the city of Phogia as planned. Thereʼs no point for me taking down the defense system if thereʼs no one to take control of the city.”

”Slow down, kid.” Lotho said. ”I canʼt cast Blade Spells, but I know how they work. They take a huge toll on both mana and power cores. You need time to rest.”

”No, I donʼt.” Lith shook his head. ”I used Invigoration only once to charge my Golems so Iʼm still full of energy.”

As he spoke, Trouble and Raptor dispelled the Demons and entered standby mode. By standing next to Lith, they would slowly recharge thanks to the runes and the elemental crystals absorbing the world energy from the geyser below Zeska.

”How is that possible?” Crank was back in his honey badger form, scratching his head and butt in confusion.

”I may have not Forgemastered War, but these two babies are all me.” Lith showed them the Sage Staff and Double Edge.

The former was drawing in the world energy, greatly enhancing his recovery speed. The latter worked in unison with War, sharing its burden and fueling its pseudo cores.

”Now it makes sense.” Lothoʼs eyes shone with envy at the sight of the artifacts. ”They have changed again since the last time I saw them. It must be one of the benefits you enjoy from Salaarkʼs friendship.”

According to the rumors going around in the Awakened community, War was the gift of Faluel, Salaark, or both. The other two artifacts werenʼt as good but they confirmed Lithʼs claims about his ability to craft tools for studying Blade Magic.

”Indeed.” Lith nodded, glad to use the Guardian to cover for the existence of his tower. ”Her Creation Magic made my Forgemastery progress by leaps and bounds while my siblings helped in my crafts.”

”Feel free to go to Phogia. They are waiting for you before completing the encirclement.” Lotho sent Lith away before taking out his communication amulet.

He pressed the runes of all of his disciples at the same time in order to not have to repeat himself.