Earth's Greatest Magus

What followed was a slow, careful retelling—three decades of history compressed into a handful of grim facts.

The Scourge had first taken hold in the north. As the years passed, the corruption spread farther and farther until the entire planet was dragged into a war for survival. Versa and her companions had arrived as part of a relief force sent from the elven homeworld—a few thousand of her kin dispatched to reinforce the failing defenses.

The battle went on for months.

They were losing. For every Scourge spawn they killed, more seemed to take its place. Worse, their allies and friends were constantly being infected, turning the battle into a seemingly endless cycle of bloodshed and betrayal.

Versa had been severely wounded during the fighting and was eventually granted sanctuary within Kharzun Hold to recover. In the years that followed, reports of continued destruction slowly reached the settlement, each one worse than the last, until eventually even those reports stopped coming.

Their escape route had been severed entirely.

With nowhere else to go, Versa had chosen to remain within Kharzun Hold. She helped reinforce the settlement’s defenses using rare artifacts brought from her people’s homeland. Combined with the dwarves’ exceptional craftsmanship and mastery of formations, the result was a defensive array that had become nearly impossible to breach.

The Scourge had come for the dwarf settlement more than once.

On one occasion, even a Supreme had joined the assault. Yet despite the overwhelming force brought against them, every attack had failed to breach the seal.

Why those attacks had eventually stopped, she couldn’t say.

For more than a decade now, there had been nothing.

No word from the capital.

No word from anywhere.

”We were actually hoping you might have answers for us,” she admitted, disappointment plain in her voice.

Emery processed the information carefully. He also paid close attention to the exchange between Versa and Bragnir, and from it, he could sense the deep distrust the dwarves still held toward outsiders. It was understandable. Bragnir wasn’t only protecting himself; he was responsible for everyone living within this settlement.

However, it was clear that the female High Elf was the one who had vouched for him. As for the reason behind that trust, Emery decided not to ask.

The priestess continued, ”I suppose the two of you plan to go to the central continent? To the capital?”

Emery nodded. ”We assume that if there is any resistance left, it will be there.”

The priestess’s expression turned solemn.

”I was hoping the same. Unfortunately, I don’t share the same thought”

”Why is that?”

Versa fell silent for a moment, her gaze lowering as if she were weighing how much to say.

”Because the capital is less than a week away from here. If there were still any Supremes defending the city, we would have heard from them years ago.”

She paused, then continued.

”No. I believe Pardera is lost.”

The words settled heavily over the chamber.

”During the war, many of the surviving citizens were evacuated to the other six planets. If any of Pardera resistance remain, I believe they would have gone to the southern quarter.”

With a flick of her hand, a projection of the planet appeared between them. The image rotated slowly, displaying the major regions and settlements across Pardera. Versa raised a finger and pointed toward the far south.

”This is the South Star Fortress,” she explained. ”It was built around a settlement along the Rainbow River.”

Emery immediately understood.

Star Gates had their limitations, but the Rainbow River offered a natural solution for mass migration. With the Scourge advancing from the north, it made sense that any remaining survivors would have gradually retreated toward the southernmost stronghold.

After a moment of thought, Emery looked at Versa.

”You’ve planned this through. I assume you have plans to travel there as well?”

A faint smile appeared on the priestess’s face.

”Yes. We do.” 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

She then turned toward the dwarf lord.

”We can show them.”

Bragnir grunted. The distrust in his expression was still obvious, but after a moment, he pushed himself up from his stone seat.

”All right. Follow me.”

Once again, Emery and Soltz were led through the settlement’s winding tunnels. The passageways branched in several directions, some narrow enough that Emery had to walk single file, while others opened into larger chambers filled with dwarves working at various tasks.

Eventually, they reached a massive opening.

Emery’s eyes widened slightly.

A colossal metal Ark stood at the center of the cavern, A massive flying boat covered in intricate dwarven runes and layers of mechanical components. Dozens of dwarves worked around its base, carrying tools, inspecting formations, and adjusting various parts of the enormous structure.

The sheer scale of it made Emery immediately understand what they were looking at.

He turned toward Versa, surprise evident in his eyes.

”You’re planning to evacuate the entire settlement?”

The priestess took a deep breath before answering.

”Yes, we are.”

Her gaze sharpened as she continued, ”And we are hoping that both of you can help us.”

Emery turned toward Soltz, and the two exchanged a brief look. It was clear they had reached the same conclusion. Even traveling with a small group would be difficult, but moving several thousand people across an entire continent was an entirely different matter.

The dwarf lord noticed Emery’s reaction and immediately frowned.

”Huh! If you’re too afraid, then you don’t need to come.”

Versa quickly raised a hand, calming the dwarf lord once again before turning back toward Emery.

”Please. I assure you, we’ve been preparing this for years. I hope you’ll at least hear our plan before making a decision.”

What followed was a detailed explanation of their preparations.

The massive ark was nearly complete, with only one final step remaining. They needed to remove the settlement’s current defensive barrier and transfer the barrier artifact into the ark. Once integrated, the artifact would transform the entire flying vessel into an extremely durable fortress, allowing it to protect the dwarves throughout their journey.

They weren’t relying on the ark’s defenses alone, however. Another advantage was approaching.

In roughly a month, the next great desert storm would sweep across the Golden Desert. The storm was powerful enough to plunge the entire region into darkness for several days, creating a brief window when the Scourge’s ability to monitor the area would be severely reduced.

That would be their chance.

Emery listened carefully, considering every part of the plan, but even after hearing the details, he couldn’t shake the feeling that it was far too risky. Traveling all the way to the southern continent would take considerably longer than reaching the capital, and with a massive flying ark carrying thousands of people, they would most likely need several weeks to complete the journey. Remaining exposed for that long, especially with an infected Supreme somewhere in the desert, was extremely dangerous.

After thinking for a moment, Emery finally spoke.

”Wouldn’t it be better to send an elite group to the southern quarter first? At least then, we could confirm whether there is still a resistance force waiting for you there.”

This time, it wasn’t only Versa who fell silent. Even the dwarves’ expressions turned solemn, making it obvious that they had already considered this possibility.

Versa nodded slowly.

”We have.”

She paused before continuing.

”We sent three teams over the past three years, and none of them returned.”

The chamber fell quiet.

Versa’s expression grew heavier as she looked directly at Emery.

”The truth is, this is our last chance. The barrier protecting Kharzun Hold cannot hold for much longer.”

She took a slow breath before making her final request.

”Please. Will you help us?”