Mage Legend-Chapter 816 - 55: The Search

After shaking off Lynch, the giant serpent could finally unleash its offensive on the Anriel Continent. Having defeated the original Light God Pate and absorbed the power of many ancient Dead Gods, its confidence was extremely inflated. With a wave of its hand, the torrents of snake-man armies surged south from the northern plains, crashing towards the civilized world of the south.

Moon Harbor City held out for only three days before being burned to the ground in a great conflagration. Most of the refugees fleeing by sea were slaughtered under the blades and spears of the treacherous fishmen. For a time, blood-soaked black smoke obscured the sky, shrouding the horizon, while shattered limbs and wrecked ships drifted slowly south with the waves.

Only a single silver elf ship escaped the fog, thanks to its speed and with the help of the Sea God. Though battered and barely afloat, it finally managed to sail to the capital of Pate.

The near-dead crew relayed the situation of the snake-man army to Kuboert, who was stationed at the temple, before passing out. It was thanks to this information, bought at the cost of countless lives, that the Paladin legion was able to swiftly retreat from the periphery and concentrate near the stronghold of the capital. This gave the local populace time to evacuate, bringing with them the remnants of the previous autumn's resources, to hide behind Pate's tall city walls.

When the snake-man armies arrived, they faced a strong fortress, united in defense. No one surrendered, no one shirked from battle, and no one spared any effort. Every knight, every priest, and even every pair of women and children became a steadfast bastion.

The battle was exceptionally brutal. The spirit of heroism and sacrifice inspired every soldier defending the city. In one-on-one combat with the snake-men, they held no disadvantage; however, the snake-men's numbers were many times their own, with a continuous flow of reinforcements. Both armies consumed each other's strength, with death tolls and resource losses climbing steadily.

But this was merely one battlefield among countless others across the continent. Even though the capital held significant political importance, its impact on the overall war effort was minimal. Any clear-headed person wouldn't hope for Pate City to hold out for long—whether a month or half a year, its significance was not as great as that of another location.

The attention of the entire continent was focused on the Five Realms Fortress, concentrated on the All-Knowing Tower.

The search for Lynch never ceased, whether by the Mage Association or the Elf High-level Mages, they exerted all their efforts. The Elf Princess Yilinrui, after being dragged to the Flying City by the little angel Soka, guarded the Magic Barrier day and night, expending all her energy to pinpoint Lynch's location in the Multi-Universe.

This was the first time Yilinrui used her natural gift—the prophetic vision of her eyes—to penetrate the barriers of space, crossing the limits of distance, searching in the vast, deep universe like searching for a needle in a haystack after losing her former lover. With all the Secret Scrolls in Lynch's possession, crossing space was no longer a hindrance, but the space Lynch occupied was beyond the reach of ordinary power.

Often, Yilinrui could sense Lynch's presence, vague and illusory. But every time she tried to grasp this feeling, she found the mage's hem slipping through her fingers. This cat-and-mouse chase continued, never offering any hope, yet also never leading the Elf Princess to despair. Yilinrui, sleepless and relentless, burned her own life, refusing to give up.

Watching the sweat-drenched, exhausted Yilinrui, Zilvra's heart was conflicted. On one hand, she would never abandon any hope of searching for Lynch, nothing could stop her efforts, and any price was worth paying; but on the other hand, she couldn't bear to see Yilinrui becoming more emaciated, the already not robust elf growing even thinner. A trace of sympathy and compassion—kindness was built on this foundation—began to slowly grow in her heart. She didn't realize, only cursing frequently, "Why are elves so frail? Are they so poor they can't even eat enough? Seeing Yilinrui so fatigued makes me feel ashamed for their race..."

However, she soon shook off such worries, as a more pressing matter required her attention—the serpent's army had already arrived next to the Five Realms Fortress, and an extensive military camp had been established, indicating the snake-men were prepared for a life-and-death struggle, vowing to erase the Five Realms Fortress from the map.