Fire Mage-Chapter 674: Battle at Baston Fort

Chapter 674: Battle at Baston Fort

As Grace absorbed the bloodline essences, Charles manipulated his wisdom power to extract a head-sized reddish crystal from the corpse within seconds.

Moving swiftly, he repeated the process with nearby corpses, pulling out elemental crystals one after another.

For two hours, Charles worked amid the ruined town, collecting elemental crystals and storing them carefully in his ring.

"I’ve gathered 1,358 Fairy Crystals—553 Legend Rank Elemental Crystals and 805 Pseudo-Legend Rank Elemental Crystals. Along with the others, I should have around 2,000 Fairy Crystals total."

He considered bringing the corpses back to sell at a high price but realized his storage ring was nearly full.

’Once I return, I should get a Pocket Dimension to carry everything.’ Nodding to himself, he shifted his gaze toward the distant Human Settlement.

"I should head there too."

Casting the [Fallen Angel’s Wings] spell, eerie black wings sprouted from his back. With a forceful flap, he soared into the sky.

Hovering 300 meters above the ground, he released his wisdom power and scanned the surroundings.

"No magical beasts within five kilometers. Hmm? I also sense the Pendant’s location—Thera."

Though she hid her presence well, even from the Evil Goddess, Charles’s spiritual imprint within the artifact let him detect her.

Moments later, he vanished and reappeared more than two kilometers from the ruined city. Slowly descending, he landed beside a towering tree.

Thera, simultaneously deactivating her concealing artifact, cautiously stepped forward.

Charles regarded her solemnly.

"How did you keep the Evil Goddess sealed in the Space-Time prison for over 15,000 years?"

Thera chuckled, returning the Pendant to him.

"If she hadn’t been sealed and weakened completely, I wouldn’t have lasted even a few seconds. Thanks to my specialty in Souls, I managed to block her soul from escaping the coffin."

Charles nodded in understanding and fastened the Pendant around his neck.

"So, what’s our next move?" Thera asked.

Charles thought for a moment.

"We’re going after the Evil Goddess—to see what’s happening."

Though he wished to avoid her, it was necessary to achieve his goal.

"I’m certain Devil Crow and the other Commanders already know about this Evil Goddess. A major battle is coming soon," Charles said as he flapped his wings and rose into the sky.

Thera summoned foggy wings of her own, flapping fiercely as she ascended beside him.

...

Baston Fortress

The entrance was thronged with thousands of Demons and Devils, alongside hundreds of Humans, Elves, Dwarves, and many other races—all Legend Rank powerhouses, well-armed and battle-ready.

Though many of these chaotic races openly despised one another, they dared not fight thanks to the Order’s sacred oath.

Suddenly, a gigantic shadow of a bird appeared in the sky, drawing closer to the fortress.

Before long, a 20-meter-tall bird with eerie black feathers landed before the assembled army, crimson eyes glaring at the crowd.

"I don’t sense any Commanders here. Where are they?" the bird asked in an ancient voice.

A human-like demon with crimson eyes and bat wings stepped forward.

"Lord Erwin said they’re preparing a secret ambush. He asked us to act as decoys, my Lord."

Devil Crow nodded without suspicion.

"Then I will confront the intruder head-on, giving them a grand opportunity. You all support me from behind."

It spread its massive wings and let out a fierce cry, releasing its wisdom power in every direction.

"Oh? A Succubi?" Devil Crow snorted, waiting patiently.

Minutes passed. Then, a small figure flew through the cloudy sky, landing a few hundred meters from the army.

Instantly, Human Mages, Elven Archers, Demons, and Dwarves wielding Rune weapons took aim with long-range attacks.

The figure was about 170 cm tall, adorned with eerie black horns, dressed in a tight black dress that revealed ample curves. She held a black scythe and smiled playfully at everyone.

Her beauty radiated an uncanny charm. Male warriors from all races fell under her strange spell, their guards dropping. Even some females showed signs of succumbing to the strange energy, lowering their weapons.

"What are you all doing?" Devil Crow screeched, releasing its wisdom power to block the seductive influence.

"What a rude interruption to my amusement," Evil Goddess Vespera purred, licking her lips as she moved like a shadow.

With a swift strike, Vespera appeared before the towering Devil Crow and swung her black scythe. The air twisted with chaotic energy.

The Devil Crow cawed defiantly, unfurling its massive wings to prepare for battle.

Their clash unleashed a storm of energy, shockwaves rippling across the battlefield. Demons, humans, elves, and others watched in awe and fear.

Devil Crow spewed bursts of infernal flames to counter Vespera’s dark energy. Vespera darted with ethereal grace, evading attacks with ease.

The battlefield became a chaotic symphony of magic, elemental power, and otherworldly forces.

Everyone watched, sensing the weight of this confrontation.

"We should join too!" shouted a vampire from earlier, stepping forward.

Suddenly, Vespera’s speed doubled. Multiple sharp wounds appeared on Devil Crow’s body. Like a shadow, she hovered above it, slashing one of its wings deeply.

A shrill, soul-piercing scream echoed through the dimension as Devil Crow staggered, unable to bear the agony. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Just as Vespera prepared to strike again, a gigantic tree made of bones and flesh appeared overhead. It released a strange blackish bone vine, pulling Devil Crow away.

"Chaos Lord! I don’t need your help!" Devil Crow roared, struggling to stand, enveloping itself in pure black flames.

"Dumb bird, she’s just toying with you," the Lord of Chaos said grimly. "I don’t know who she is, but neither of us can match her."

Turning toward the Evil Goddess, the Chaos Lord spoke:

"Please calm your anger. Don’t attack my people without mercy. We will heed your demands."

"Humph! Begging for your lives now? Pathetic!" Devil Crow spat back, gathering a strange orb of black fire near its beak.

"Oh no! That bird’s going to use the Black Sun spell!" Lord of Chaos exclaimed, alarmed, trying to intervene.

For the first time, surprise flickered on Vespera’s face.

"Interesting. I never expected to see Seiyon’s unique flame here."

She shook her head, snapping her fingers.

Instantly, all the negative energies hidden nearby surged into Vespera’s hand, forming a pure black orb.

"Unfortunately for you, I’m an expert at manipulating negative energy."

The orb in Devil Crow’s beak dimmed, then vanished. Eyes across the battlefield widened in shock.

The Lord of Chaos realized it was futile to convince the evil being to leave the dimension. With no other option, he joined the battle.

At that moment, the Demons, Humans, and other races also grasped the true terror of the Evil Goddess and retreated hastily toward Baston Fortress.

The Devil Crow did the same. After losing one of its wings, it dared not stay near the battlefield. Quietly, it slipped away and flew back to its base.

I’m not being cowardly. If I fight this being at my base, I can crush it and kill it mercilessly! With that thought, it conjured a fake wing made of pure black flame and soared southward.

Unbothered by the Devil Crow’s retreat, the Lord of Chaos descended slowly to the ground and unleashed a wave of frigid energy. A freezing aura radiated from its body, instantly encasing the Evil Goddess in thick layers of ice and hindering her movements.

Despite being wrapped in crystalline frost, Vespera remained calm. She tilted her scythe slightly, releasing a dark red aura that shimmered around the blade.

A second later, scorching heat radiated from the scythe, melting the ice at an alarming speed.

As the last shards of ice dripped to the ground, Vespera stepped forward with composed grace and raised her scythe. With a single vertical slash, she unleashed an invisible force toward the towering tree.

In an instant, a deep, vertical cut appeared on the Lord of Chaos’s trunk, nearly splitting it in two!

But then, a dense wave of chilling energy surged from the trunk and enveloped the tree in mist. The icy essence within its body activated, swiftly sealing its wounds and regenerating its tissues. Within two seconds, the Lord of Chaos appeared completely healed.

Its trunk suddenly split open to reveal two eerie eyes that glared straight at the Evil Goddess.

At the same time, its roots slithered toward her like serpents, lashing from all directions.

Vespera parried the attacks with swift precision, her scythe slicing through the roots with ease. Yet, she quickly noticed something strange. The roots possessed both life and death energies—making them almost impossible to destroy.

Each time she severed a root, it reattached itself and healed the wound.

Simultaneously, an insidious soul power flowed from the trunk’s eyes and penetrated the astral realm, targeting Vespera’s soul.

If this power had been aimed at the Devil Crow—or even Charles—it would have worked flawlessly, corrupting their very essence.

But Vespera’s soul was like a vast, boundless sea.

She sensed the invasive power almost immediately and blocked it with a thin force field of her own.

Realizing that even its trump cards had failed, the Lord of Chaos drew upon every ounce of its death energy and cast another spell.

A moment later, a massive skeletal hand burst from the rocky ground, reaching to grasp her.

Vespera smirked as the skeletal fingers closed in. With a twirl of her scythe, she sliced through them effortlessly, turning bone into dust. She stepped forward, her movements fluid and graceful.