On Yize’s side, magic never ceased for a moment as he faced Bart’s offensive.
Low-tier magic acted like an unending tide, striking wave after wave. It forced the powerful Bart to retreat repeatedly, making it impossible for him to close the distance.
[Wind Pressure Art] and [Vine Entanglement] — the individual power of these two spells was almost negligible.
However, under the support of Yize’s terrifying quantity and precise timing, they produced miraculous effects.
Countless subtle bursts of wind pressure constantly disrupted Bart’s balance, while tough vines drilled incessantly out of the ground.
They forced Bart back, pushing him away from the city wall until he was eventually suspended in mid-air at the center of the battlefield.
This position exposed him perfectly to the range of more long-distance firepower while also distancing him from the majority of his allies.
Bart irritably tore apart another wave of incoming vines and twitched the corner of his mouth.
He looked at Yize, who was still casting spells in the distance, his voice filled with frustration and annoyance.
“You little brat, your magic isn’t strong, but your methods are certainly disgusting!”
However, Yize’s brow furrowed slightly.
He calmly observed Bart’s condition and discovered a severe problem — chip-away damage was, in the end, just chip-away damage.
Theoretically, as long as he had enough time, constant dripping would wear away the stone. He could indeed rely on this massive amount of low-tier magic to grind Bart to death.
But the efficiency was simply too low!
It was as if the opponent had 100,000 points of health and incredible recovery abilities, while each of his Tier 2 spells could only cause a forced “-1” point of damage.
Even if he could pour out hundreds of spells in 1 minute, that would only result in several hundred points of damage.
Compared to the opponent’s total health and recovery speed, it was like trying to put out a burning building with a cup of water.
Furthermore, Bart was not a stationary wooden stake. He would dodge, block, and erupt with blood energy to negate most of the damage.
If things continued at this rate, Yize feared his teammates would all die of exhaustion before he could truly deal a heavy blow to Bart.
‘Indeed… at this stage, trying to challenge an enemy at the threshold of a Demon King Seed using only the Chip-away Style is still too much of a stretch.’
Yize sighed helplessly in his heart.
‘Sigh, in the end, it’s my Elemental Affinity that’s holding me back. If I could release stronger magic, even just Tier 3, my efficiency would increase more than several times over…’
He realized his tactical library needed an update.
Relying solely on “chipping away” wasn’t enough; he had to find a way to increase his single-hit damage or find a more efficient way to strip away defenses.
Although he couldn’t quickly deal with Bart, Yize’s feat of single-handedly stalling a Blood Pillar had already relieved a massive amount of pressure for the entire battlefield.
Chise, who was currently in a fierce battle with Dio, also keenly noticed Bart’s predicament.
A flash of surprise crossed her crimson eyes. She clearly hadn’t expected that the black-haired youth, who had always appeared timid and cautious, was hiding such a horrifying amount of Mana and casting speed.
‘I really didn’t expect… that black-haired human was hiding so much,’ she whispered to herself, her tone carrying a hint of stunned realization at having been deceived.
However, she quickly calmed down and saw the limitations of Yize’s tactics.
“Low-tier magic is, after all, just low-tier magic.”
She nimbly dodged a sharp sword light from Dio and shouted toward Bart in mid-air.
“Bart! What are you dawdling for?”
“Stop wasting time! If we drag this out until No. 3 and No. 2 arrive, they’ll laugh us to death!”
Hearing this, Bart’s anger flared even hotter. He slapped away a cluster of fireballs and snapped back, “Chise! You’re talking about me? Aren’t you also holding back?”
Before his voice could fade, the previously restrained blood-colored energy around Chise suddenly surged!
She didn’t change her form like Horn. Instead, the vast blood energy around her shot up into the sky, aiming straight for the bright, white moon above!
Seeing this, Dio’s pupils shrank suddenly. His expression became incredibly solemn as he immediately raised his vigilance to the maximum.
‘Blood Awakening? Or some other ability?’
The memory of the overwhelming power Horn displayed after releasing his Blood Awakening flashed through his mind.
His heart felt heavy as he unconsciously gripped his longsword tighter.
However, Chise’s ability didn’t target herself.
The blood light shooting into the sky suddenly spread out across the night sky, quickly staining everything!
Within just a few breaths, the silver-white moonlight was completely dyed into an eerie crimson!
At a glance, the bright moon in the night sky seemed to have transformed into an ominous Blood Moon!
The moment the Blood Moon formed, a mutation occurred!
Every low-tier member of the Blood Race on the battlefield seemed to have been injected with a violent stimulant.
Their eyes were completely submerged in red, and they let out even more bloodthirsty, crazed roars from their mouths!
Their Speed increased by a large margin, and their strength surged.
The defensive lines, which had still been somewhat orderly, were suddenly hit with several times more pressure. Multiple locations even showed signs of collapsing!
Even Bart, suspended in mid-air, narrowed his eyes comfortably.
The blood-colored energy around him visibly became denser and more vast. His aura also surged significantly!
“Hahaha! Chise, your ability is still the most useful!”
Feeling the power filling his body, Bart couldn’t help but laugh loudly.
With the buff’s support, he felt his strength, Speed, and recovery had all been significantly enhanced.
Yize was stunned.
‘I didn’t expect Chise’s role to be a support?’
He clearly felt that Bart’s efficiency in breaking free from the vines and wind pressure had increased.
Even facing the harassment of water arrows and Thunder Flash, Bart was able to push forward toward Yize’s direction — slowly but steadily — despite the pressure.
A smile returned to Bart’s face. He stared fixedly at Yize, as if looking at prey that was about to be caught.
“Kid! I want to see how much longer your damn low-tier magic can last!”
“Just wait until I charge in front of you! I’ll see how I crush your bones one by one! I’ll play you to death!”
Yize looked at the gradually approaching Bart and offered a sincere, heartfelt reminder.
“Actually… personally, I suggest you don’t get too close to me.”
“Distance creates beauty. Right now, this distance is safer for me and for you.”
He truly didn’t want the opponent to get close.
Exposing this exaggerated casting speed and Mana capacity today was already conspicuous enough; he had already stolen enough of the spotlight.
He could almost foresee that once this crisis ended and Headmaster Kleya learned of his “talent,” she would praise him to the heavens. It might even attract the attention of the Imperial Royal Family.
This was already running counter to the salted-fish lifestyle he yearned for.
If even his physical strength were exposed… then his spotlight would likely overshadow the protagonist, Li En, in an instant.
It was hard to say what that would attract at that point. It would likely be all sorts of trouble and potential “Plot Kills”! This was absolutely the situation he least wanted to see.
Bart, however, was amused by Yize’s “advice” and sneered. “Stubborn even at the brink of death!”
In his eyes, Yize didn’t know Martial Arts. No matter how amazing his Mana was, his body still belonged to the human category.
Crushing him would be as simple as crushing an ant.
……
On the other side, the defensive line on the city wall was already in a precarious state under the impact of the berserk Blood Race army.
The sudden surge in the Speed and strength of the low-tier vampires made things even worse for the defenders who were already under immense pressure.
Emma’s face was pale, and her forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat.
She constantly waved her staff, casting large-scale [Healing Spells] and [Encouragement Auras] as if they cost nothing toward the soldiers who were struggling to hold on.
However, her own Mana reserves were being consumed at an unprecedented rate and were nearly exhausted.
‘The Mana recovery potions I refined and brought with me… they’re all used up too…’
Emma looked at the dozens of empty glass bottles scattered at her feet, a wave of despair rising in her heart.
Following this trend, the fall of the Betty Territory seemed to be only a matter of time.
Most importantly, the opponent’s core combat power — those two Blood Pillars — remained undefeated.
Although Yize and Senior Dio had achieved the unthinkable by each stalling a Blood Pillar, it was ultimately just a delay.
If they couldn’t defeat them, they couldn’t truly turn the tide of battle.
Amidst this pervasive atmosphere of despair, Lord Betty climbed the wall. Despite his exhaustion, his figure carried a hint of excitement as he brought news that was enough to boost the entire army’s morale.
“Everyone! Hold on! The Imperial Sword Saint — the Azure Sword Maiden, Lady Laura, has received our request for aid and is currently on her way at full speed! She is expected to arrive very soon!”
“Lady Laura the Sword Saint is coming?!”
This news was like a ray of dawn cast into the darkness, instantly igniting the hope in the eyes of all the defenders! The Imperial Sword Saint was the pinnacle symbol of human military force!
Her arrival meant the battle might finally see a real turning point!
Swan, who was currently fighting, also heard this news, and her spirits were lifted.
However, Iguneel asked curiously in her mind, ‘Swan, is this human named Laura very powerful?’
‘Why do you all look like you’ve been injected with chicken blood just by hearing her name?’
While releasing magic, Swan quickly explained in her mind, ‘Sword Saint Laura is currently recognized as the strongest human Warrior in our Empire.’
‘There are even rumors saying that if she had been born 100 years ago during the era when Jellal slew the dragon, then the title of “First Dragon Slayer” might not necessarily have belonged to Jellal.’
Hearing this, Iguneel immediately let out a dissatisfied snort, her tone full of pride and disdain.
“Hmph! That guy Jellal wasn’t even that strong!”
“Back then, if I hadn’t been in a weakened state during my power cycle, unable to use even Dragon Race Origin Magic, and if he hadn’t used underhanded schemes to ambush me, how could we have ended up dying together?”
Swan had already become accustomed to Iguneel’s excitement whenever Jellal was mentioned. She said helplessly, ‘Here we go again… even if he wasn’t that strong, didn’t he still slay you?’
“How can that be the same?!”
Iguneel’s tone was somewhat urgent. “It’s because he was despicable! He stole something very important from me! Otherwise, I wouldn’t have bothered coming to you humans’ territory!”
‘He stole your thing?’
Swan was stunned, keenly catching the new information revealed in Iguneel’s words.
From the sound of it, the dragon-slaying incident that shocked the continent 100 years ago seemed to hide secrets that no one knew about.
To be honest, after coexisting with Iguneel for so long, Swan had gained some understanding of this Ancient Dragon Soul’s personality.
In her view, although Iguneel was proud and sometimes childish, she wasn’t the kind of irrational, evil dragon who slaughtered indiscriminately.
On the contrary, her mind was even somewhat simple.
‘Could it be that there’s another truth behind what happened 100 years ago?’
The thought flashed through Swan’s mind.
However, now was clearly not the time to delve into old history. Jellal had long since become a part of the past; the urgent priority was dealing with the current Blood Race crisis.
At another section of the wall, Emma’s Mana was finally completely exhausted. her body swayed, and she nearly collapsed to the ground.
Luke, who had been fighting near her, was quick to react and caught her just in time.
“Senior Emma! How are you?”
“Don’t stop the medicine, hurry and take some!” Luke shouted anxiously.
Emma pointed weakly at the empty bottles on the ground and shook her head bitterly.
“No… it’s gone. I’ve drunk them all. The support magic cannot stop, otherwise, the casualties will be even greater… if I had known, I should have prepared more Magic Potions…”
Her tone was filled with self-blame.
“No more Magic Potions?”
Luke looked at Emma’s pale face and then at the soldiers around them who were constantly falling under the frenzied attacks of the Blood Race. He was frantic with worry.
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration hit him, and he slapped his own forehead hard!
“That’s it! Senior Emma, hold on! I’ll go get some good stuff for you right now!”
Without waiting to explain, Luke carefully helped Emma to a relatively safe spot, then turned and ran desperately toward Yize’s direction!