Supreme Magus novel Chapter 218

"Gods, no!" Scarlett and Balkor screamed in unison, watching the scene unfold.

Everything had happened in just a few seconds from the moment the array had been destroyed, not leaving the Scorpicore the time to even think about sending reinforcements.

Losing Kalla was a huge blow for Scarlett’s army. Despite the fact that she had only recently evolved, she was still the most talented Necromancer they had at hand.

Balkor had the advantage of experience and careful preparation. Their best counter was true magic’s surprise effect and the versatility Kalla’s true Necromancy had displayed earlier.

She had been able to reinforce her troops and change strategy according to the situation, while Balkor’s thralls, without their master supervision, could only follow a script. The presence of greater undead had completely upset the balance.

"Damn you and your information, Linjos. The Valors weren’t supposed to come out until the last day!" Scarlett roared.

"She has only recently evolved and close combat has never been her specialty. I only let her go alone because you guaranteed us that tonight we would face those black things again!"

"How I was supposed to know that Balkor would change his plans so much?" Linjos tried to defend himself.

"Look on the bright side, it means he is desperate. By butchering all of his Tox Spitters during the first day, you must have forced his hand. The Valors are his trump card. If we defeat them, the battle should be over. He shouldn’t have stronger troops."

"What if he does? What if..." Scarlett stopped herself halfway. There was no time for recriminations.

"We can’t afford to keep our cards hidden anymore. We can only go all out and pray that you are right."

Unbeknownst to Scarlett, Balkor’s situation was even worse. Kalla’s final move had been devastating to his plans. The massive release of darkness magic had destroyed all the Spitters attacking the north side along with the two Valors.

Unlike the lesser undead that required only a small spark of his life force, each Valor was empowered by a huge amount of it. It was a double-edged sword. On one hand, it allowed Balkor to share their senses and directly control them telepathically despite the distance.

On the other one, he would feel their lives slowly slipping away like they were his own. The sudden disappearance of so much of his life force further damaged his already compromised body. Balkor fell to the ground, convulsing and spitting blood non-stop.

With their mind link temporarily broken, the Valors were unaware of the huge blow their army had sustained. They continued to follow the original plan, going deeper and deeper into the enemy lines until retreating became almost impossible.

The same thing was happening on all four academy battlefields. The invaders were getting bolder, mistaking Balkor’s sudden silence for approval. Despite their high intelligence and extensive combat expertise derived from the memory crystals, the Valors were still newborns.

By giving them his memories, Balkor had also infected them with his rage, a feeling they were incapable of controlling without their master’s supervision.

Trasque, Nalear, Ironhelm, Linjos, and all the Professors with the richest combat experience finally came out of the headquarters, aiding the royal army and the magical beasts in holding their ground against the swarming enemies.

Only eight Valors remained, but each had strength on par with Protector, making them extremely dangerous. They looked exactly like Balkor did the day his family died.

Red-haired youths, barely sixteen years old with a naïve visage. They were about 1.67 meters (5’6") high with a skeletal build like they had long suffered from malnutrition. The red light burning inside their eyes and their savage visage revealed their true nature though.

"Thank the gods that Wraith warned us, otherwise I would be dead already." Professor Trasque had barely dodged the darkness bullet that the Valor had conjured at point-blank range.

Greater undead were naturally attuned with darkness magic, allowing them to use its true magic form even without being Awakened ones.

"That Wraith had a name! Couldn’t you at least respect Kalla’s memory, you oaf?" Ironhelm scolded him.

He had always considered magical beasts as inferior beings, but after witnessing their bravery and willingness to sacrifice themselves in a battle that wasn’t their own, he now harbored a deep respect for them.

"If you have the strength to quarrel like an old couple, use it to destroy that thing!" Nalear scolded them both. They were three against one and under the effect of the best potions the White Griffon’s Alchemists could provide. Yet they were still on the back foot.

The Valor displayed all the swordplay he had inherited thanks to the memory crystal, using dozens of techniques with such mastery that it was like he had practiced them for years. To make things worse, he was still faster and stronger than them.

He was capable of shooting rays of darkness from his free hand, eyes, and mouth with barely a split second notice, easily interrupting their casting whenever they attempted a spell.

The only reason they were still alive was because of their teamwork.

"Resistance is futile, humans. Surrender and die!"

The Valor spread the fingers of his free hand, which turned into a mass of tendrils that whipped towards the trio to immobilize them. Nalear preferred to dodge, while Ironhelm and Trasque cut them down with their weapons.

Each amputated tendril emitted a shrill sound, like it was alive, spurting a purple liquid with a pungent smell. Ironhelm managed to block the liquid with his shield, but Trasque wasn’t so lucky.

He was wielding dual sabers, so part of the liquid reached his face, turning out to be a powerful acid. Trasque screamed in pain, suddenly full of openings that the Valor didn’t miss, focusing all the tendrils on him and piercing his lungs, heart, and stomach in multiple points.

"Vastor, where are you? We need help! Man down!" Nalear yelled into her communication earpiece, making Vastor Blink to the rescue and bringing what was left of Trasque to safety.

Without Trasque, their formation collapsed quickly, to the point that their efforts barely slowed the Valor from reaching the students.

"Where are the reinforcements?" Ironhelm yelled in his earpiece, his body covered in wounds.

"Sorry for the delay, folks." Protector swooped down from the sky, hitting the Valor with his full weight. Protector was engulfed by flames, his body infused with enough air magic to turn him into a living meteor.

The hit was supposed to blow the undead away, maybe even injure it. Yet the frost aura the Valor had conjured to weaken his human enemies easily snuffed out the flames. The Valor didn’t even attempt to dodge, the strike was too fast for him.

The impact only managed to push the creature several meters away, leaving deep furrows in the ground. Protector felt the opponent’s bones cracking and reforming almost at the same time.

The regeneration speed of the enemy was so fast it was hard to believe.