Reinventing Magic: An Inventor's Tale-Chapter 81: The Abyssal Conspirator

Kael’s voice rang out, sharp and unwavering. "Alice, lure it away from the fortress and wait for me. I’ll look for the seal, see if I can close that rift."

"Understood, Master," Alice responded, her voice devoid of hesitation.

Kael turned to Lucien, Isolde, and Astra. "The two of you stay here. I need you to help the dwarves with air support. Astra, I need you to help the dwarves defend the wall. Do as much damage as you can, but do not overexert yourself."

Lucien and Isolde exchanged glances before nodding in unison. "Understood, My Lord."

A rare smirk crossed Kael’s lips. "Good luck, everyone. And don’t die."

Without another word, the three blinked out of the Sentinel, each heading toward their designated roles.

Alice materialized before the massive winged beast, its grotesque form blotting out the fractured sky. A pulsating light traveled from its tail to its chest, growing brighter by the second. It was preparing to unleash another devastating breath attack.

There was no time for hesitation.

Alice activated her transformation. Her clothes disintegrated in a flash of golden light, replaced by red and gold armor plates emerging from within her body. They slid seamlessly into place, forming her exoskeleton. The transformation was smooth, efficient—like a machine of war brought to life. Her body expanded, reinforced with arcane nanites, until she stood a towering force of destruction.

The beast roared, sensing her growing energy signature. Alice shot through the sky, the air trembling in her wake. She had to lead it away, give Kael the time he needed.

Meanwhile, Astra appeared atop the fortress wall in a silver streak of light, his sudden presence making the dwarves jump.

"What in the stone’s name?!" a dwarf yelped, nearly dropping his war hammer.

Astra’s cold gaze swept over them. "I am here to help."

He spoke in the ancient tongue, his voice devoid of emotion. The dwarves exchanged confused looks.

"What did he just say?" one of them grumbled.

"Speak plain, or we’ll have yer head off!" another warned, raising a crossbow.

Astra paid them no mind. His attention was focused solely on the battlefield. The creatures below moved like a relentless tide, clawing at the walls, their grotesque forms illuminated by the fires of war.

"Initiating defense protocol."

Silver plates emerged from Astra’s body, shifting into place like clockwork. His form expanded, transforming into his battle mode. The dwarves gawked as weapons unfolded from his back—cannons, blasters, and arcane turrets, a veritable arsenal forged in the lost age of his creators.

"By me beard..." a dwarf muttered, eyes wide with awe.

Without another word, Astra raised his arm, the plates shifting into a high-caliber energy rifle. The moment his targeting systems locked onto the enemy, he fired. The shot rang out like a crack of thunder, the projectile searing through the air before detonating in the midst of the horde. A blinding explosion erupted, incinerating dozens of monsters in an instant.

The dwarves who had been skeptical mere moments ago erupted into cheers.

"Well, why didn’t ye say so? We could use a few more o’ ye!" one bellowed, grinning as he hefted his axe.

Astra did not acknowledge the praise. His calculations had already begun—predicting enemy movements, allocating firepower where it was needed most. He had one directive: defend the wall.

And nothing would stop him from fulfilling his mission.

As Alice hovered high in the sky, leading the monstrous creature further from the battlefield, and Astra tore through the enemy ranks, Kael sprinted through the ruins toward the heart of the disturbance. The closer he got, the stronger the arcane pulse became.

The rift loomed ahead, an abyssal tear in reality itself, crackling with unstable energy. And at its core, the seal—an ancient construct pulsing weakly, struggling to contain the chaotic force trying to break free.

Kael’s eyes narrowed. "Now... let’s see how we can fix this."

He stepped closer, extending a hand toward the seal. The energy lashed out at him, forcing him to brace himself. His veins pulsed with mana energy, the Arcane Gauntlet of Aetherium amplifying his power. If he failed, this battle would become unwinnable.

Summoning his twin daggers, Shadowfangs, Kael fought off the alien-looking creatures emerging from the rift, their grotesque forms lunging at him relentlessly. Even as he struck them down, his gaze flickered toward the seal, analyzing the enchantment etched into its surface. If he could understand its structure, he might be able to repair it.

As Kael continued his own battle, shadows slithered from the edges of the rift. A dark figure stepped forward, its crimson eyes gleaming with malevolent amusement. frёeweɓηovel_coɱ

"Oh, Lord Bryndis... you’re too late."

Kael spun around, his grip on Shadowfangs tightening as his gaze locked onto the dark hooded figure stepping out from the abyssal rift. His heart pounded, his instincts screaming danger. The air around them crackled with raw energy, the chaotic pull of the rift intensifying.

"Who are you? Are you the one behind this?!" Kael demanded, his voice cutting through the distorted hum of the rift.

The hooded figure took a slow step forward, his dark robes rippling despite the stillness of the air. Then, with a deliberate motion, he pulled back his hood, revealing a face that seemed untouched by time. His grayish hair framed his youthful yet unnervingly ancient features, his piercing silver eyes glowing faintly with an unnatural luminescence.

"They call me Zarathor." A smirk curled his lips, one that dripped with amusement and condescension.

Kael’s mana sense flared wildly. The sheer magnitude of power emanating from this man was staggering. He had sensed something similar before—the very same mana signature as the hooded figure who had taken Gregor away during the last war. A lump formed in Kael’s throat.

A monstrous beast, one of the many creatures born from the chaotic rift, lunged at Zarathor with a guttural roar. Before it could even reach him, Zarathor casually lifted his left hand and released a silent burst of energy. A crackling black blast erupted from his palm, sending the creature flying backward in a charred heap.

Kael’s eyes widened. No incantation. No visible effort. Pure, unrestrained magic.

Impossible.

Only he, along with hybrids like Alice and Astra—whose spirit crystals acted as mystical hard drives—had the extraordinary power to circumvent incantations, storing spells and unleashing them through sheer will. But Zarathor... what set him apart? How could his magic be so overwhelmingly potent?

Kael clenched his jaw, silently casting his augmentation spells. Strength, agility, and speed coursed through him, his body surging with power. Yet, despite the enhancement, he could feel the gap between them. A cold bead of sweat trickled down his temple.

"You..." Kael’s voice was low, controlled, but filled with barely contained fury. "You orchestrated the war between Gregor and my house."

Zarathor’s smirk widened. "Correct. But our discussion is premature, Lord Bryndis. I have already taken what I came for." He gestured toward the rift behind him, where an eerie glow pulsed ominously. "Enjoy the beautiful chaos I’ve left for you."

Kael’s blood ran cold. "What?!"

Before he could react, Zarathor’s form flickered. One moment he was there, standing at the edge of the rift, and the next, he was gone, vanishing into the shadows as if he had never been there at all.

Kael cursed under his breath, his mind racing. Whatever Zarathor had taken, it couldn’t be anything good. He had to seal the rift—fast.

Gritting his teeth, he turned back to the unstable seal, its ancient inscriptions barely holding against the raw energy of the abyss. He had no time to waste. The battle wasn’t over yet.

Kael’s mind was racing as he tried to analyze the seal sequence while fending off any monster that came his way. This made it difficult for him as he had to keep on guard.

"Damn it," Kael muttered. "This wasn’t just damaged—it was sabotaged."

The alien-like monster that had just emerged from the rift immediately sensed him as he was the one nearby.

"Damn it, they just keep on coming."

An idea came to his mind—this monsters does not fly. He smiled and activated his flight spell, soaring higher beyond the monster’s reach.

A swarm of monsters gathered below Kael, and moments later, as the monsters were unable to do anything with their prey above the air, they moved to find a different prey and went directly to where the Dwarves’ fortress was located—the Dwarves’ Iron Wall Fortress that was now destroyed.

"Oh no, you don’t." Kael, who had just remembered the spell he stored inside his infinite storage, it was Livius’ 5th-tier spell.

He opened up a portal, accessing his infinite storage, and released the spell toward the hordes of monsters, obliterating them from existence.

’That was satisfying to watch.’ Kael thought. Now back to business.

Taking a deep breath, Kael refocused on the seal. He isolated the altered portion, his mind racing through possible methods of repair. He had to reverse-engineer the tampering, but without knowing the saboteur’s intent, brute-forcing a solution could make things worse.

No time for hesitation.

Summoning a stream of pure mana, Kael wove the missing sequence back into place, using his scientific knowledge to stabilize the flow. It was like reprogramming a failing AI, realigning corrupted code with precise adjustments. The glyphs flared, their brilliance intensifying.

Meanwhile, Alice and the winged alien beast continued their deadly battle in the skies. The creature was far stronger than the Storm Wyrm they had fought on their journey to the Sacred Mountain.

Its breath attack was devastating—a single hit could reduce her to ashes. But Alice had the advantage of mobility. Each time the beast charged its attack, she would blink away, avoiding the deadly blast and repositioning herself for a counterattack.

Her silver-gray hair flowed behind her as she reappeared above the beast. Summoning a barrage of magic-infused projectiles, she launched them at different angles, striking at the beast’s vulnerable spots. The creature roared in pain, its wings flapping furiously as it twisted in midair to retaliate.

From the top of the fortress wall, Durnek, the dwarven inventor, watched in astonishment. His wide eyes locked onto Astra, whose mechanical form moved with precision and deadly efficiency. It was the first time Durnek had seen such an advanced construct in action.

"By me beard, what manner o’ marvel be this?!" Durnek exclaimed, his voice thick with dwarven accent. "How in the molten halls did ye forge such a masterpiece?!"

Astra, unable to comprehend the modern tongue, ignored the dwarf’s awe-filled words and continued his relentless assault. Cannons mounted on his arms fired arcane energy, reducing monstrous foes to ashes in mere seconds. His targeting systems calculated optimal angles, ensuring maximum destruction with minimal effort.

Durnek could hardly believe what he was seeing. "Bah! That be nothin’ less than divine craftsmanship, I tell ye!" he rumbled, his voice gruff and tinged with awe as his eyes gleamed like polished steel. Then, with a bewildered shake of his head, he turned toward Alice, who soared above the battlefield in fierce battle with the monstrous, winged beast. "By me beard, how in the name o’ stone is that lass flyin’?"

Then, disaster struck.

A sharp, invisible force slashed through the air. Alice barely had time to react before the attack struck her. A searing pain shot through her body as she was sent hurtling down from the sky, crashing into the ruined fortress below. Dust and debris exploded upon impact.

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