Reinventing Magic: An Inventor's Tale-Chapter 83: The Breaking Point

Kael exhaled sharply, wiping the sweat from his brow. The seal was complete, each rune meticulously etched into the floor, forming a complex, interwoven lattice of magic. It was a masterpiece of arcane reverse engineering, but it was useless without power.

The four mana crystals embedded at key junctions were barely holding together, their inner reserves flickering like dying embers. If he tried to force them to absorb more ambient mana, they would shatter instantly.

He had only one option left.

Bracing himself, Kael knelt and pressed his palm against the center of the circle. The cold stone pulsed beneath his touch, resonating with the remnants of power within the crystals.

Taking a deep breath, he pushed his mana into the enchantment, the intricate runes flaring to life as they hungrily drank in his energy.

A sudden tremor shook the ground beneath him.

Kael’s head snapped up, eyes widening as another fracture tore across the rift above. The jagged wound in reality split wider, distorting space as something massive pushed against it.

Then, with a sickening crack, a monstrous hand emerged, its fingers clawing at the edges of the rift. The air grew heavy with malevolent energy, the sheer presence of the creature pressing down on him like an unbearable weight.

A second hand followed, thick and sinewy, its blackened claws raking against the edges of the tear. Kael’s pulse hammered in his ears. He didn’t need to see more—he knew what was coming.

It was the same abomination he had glimpsed through the holographic projection, its sheer scale and power defying reason. If it got through...

"No!" Kael gritted his teeth, forcing his focus back to the seal. He had no time for hesitation.

Pouring more of his mana into the circle, he felt the crystals greedily absorb the influx, their glow intensifying. The entire chamber vibrated with raw energy, the runes burning a brilliant blue as the enchantment roared back to life.

A deafening roar echoed from above, shaking the very foundations of the ruin. The monster’s massive leg forced its way through the rift, its clawed foot slamming into the ground with a tremor that sent cracks spiderwebbing across the stone floor.

Kael felt his mana draining at an alarming rate. The seal was stabilizing—but it wasn’t enough. The rift was still open, the creature still pushing through. His vision blurred as exhaustion threatened to take hold.

"I need... more..." he panted. The realization struck him like a thunderbolt. If he kept this up, he’d burn through his reserves and collapse before the seal could fully activate.

Opening his mana circuits, Kael forced them wide, drawing in the ambient mana around him. The pain was immediate, his body protesting the sudden influx. He could feel the raw energy searing through his veins like liquid fire, but he had no choice.

The runes flared violently, the magic circle humming with an almost deafening resonance.

The four crystals pulsed in unison, their light fusing into a singular beam that shot toward the rift. The energy slammed into the monstrous limbs still emerging, forcing them back with an agonized shriek.

Kael clenched his jaw, pushing every ounce of strength he had into the spell. His vision darkened at the edges, his limbs trembling as the last reserves of his mana funneled into the seal.

"Close... dammit... close!"

The rift shuddered. The hands clawed desperately at the edges, but the seal held firm. With a final, ear-splitting wail, the creature was wrenched back, the rift snapping shut like a steel trap.

Silence.

Kael collapsed to his knees, gasping for breath. The seal was still glowing faintly, its magic stabilizing, but the threat was gone. For now.

His body screamed in protest, every muscle feeling as though it had been wrung dry. He could barely keep his eyes open, but he forced himself to stay conscious. If another crack formed, he had to be ready.

Sprawled on the cold stone floor, pain wracked his entire body. His limbs felt like lead, his breath came in ragged gasps, and the world spun around him.

He gritted his teeth, clutching onto the shreds of his willpower. The seal was reactivated—he had done it—but the effort had drained his mana reserves to a dangerous level.

His mind wandered to the ancient mages who had forged these seals five millennia ago. He had saw their effort through the holographic images, but only now did he truly understand the torment they must have endured.

To power something of this scale—this magnitude—was an unfathomable burden. He could barely fathom the sheer force required to fully activate it, let alone sustain it for centuries.

He was fortunate. The crystal embedded in the seal still held a fraction of its original energy. All he had done was jumpstart it. If reactivating it had drained him to this extent, how much worse would it have been if he had to power it from scratch?

Kael exhaled, his breath misting in the cool air. Turning his head slightly, he looked towards the fortress in the distance. Through the crumbled section of the wall, the swarm of monsters continued their relentless assault.

Their grotesque, alien forms twisted and contorted as they pushed forward, claws scraping against stone, their guttural screeches filling the night air.

With great effort, Kael shifted to his side, planting one trembling hand on the ground and pushing himself up into a sitting position. His body was intact, but his mana reserves were utterly depleted. He needed to recover quickly—there was no time to waste.

He reached into his infinite storage, summoning several red mana crystals into his palm. Among them was the Naga core he had obtained from his battle with the serpent-like creature.

A valuable resource, but absorbing its essence would take time—time he did not have. Alice was still occupied, leading that massive winged monstrosity away from the battlefield. Without her assistance, the process would be too dangerous.

"I’ll settle for these," he muttered, gripping the four red mana crystals tightly. Their glow pulsed gently, brimming with untapped energy.

Closing his eyes, he drew the mana directly from the crystals, allowing it to flow into his mana circuits. The rush was immediate. Warmth spread through his veins, his depleted reserves slowly refilling.

Once he had absorbed enough, he returned the crystals to his infinite storage. It wasn’t enough for prolonged combat, but it would keep him on his feet.

Back at Anvil Bastion, the battle raged on. Astra stood unwavering, his cold, analytical mind calculating the most efficient means of eradicating the creatures attempting to scale the ruined walls.

His energy blasts had been effective, but maintaining such output for thirty-eight consecutive minutes had triggered system warnings. His internal diagnostics advised him to reduce output to prevent potential shutdown.

Yet, he did not stop.

The inheritor had commanded him to defend the wall, and he would comply until the directive was no longer valid.

Adapting his tactics, Astra switched to close-quarters combat. As a creature lunged at him, he sidestepped with inhuman precision, nanites swarming around his arm to form a sleek, razor-edged blade.

The weapon solidified in an instant, flowing into existence like liquid metal. One clean motion—an elegant arc of destruction—and the beast collapsed in two. It disintegrated before it hit the ground.

Beside him, the dwarves fought with unyielding ferocity. Their war cries echoed across the battlefield as axes and hammers crushed through hardened exoskeletons.

Dwarven Rune Priests wielded their enchanted staves, unleashing torrents of flame upon the advancing horde. But fire alone was insufficient. The creatures, resistant to magic, required follow-up strikes from their kin to be fully destroyed.

Astra noted this inefficiency. Adjusting his tactics once more, he coordinated his movements with the nearest dwarven warriors, his calculated strikes ensuring that every wounded monster was felled before it could regenerate.

Kael, now somewhat recovered, watched the battle unfold from his vantage point. He clenched his fist, determination flaring in his chest. The seal was holding, but the battle was far from over. He needed to return to the frontlines.

Steadying his breath, he forced himself to stand, ignoring the lingering exhaustion in his limbs. There was still much to do. ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com

And he would see it through to the end.

Meanwhile, Alice moved with supernatural speed, her form flickering across the battlefield as she evaded the winged beast’s relentless breath attacks.

Each time it prepared to fire, a pulse of light surged from its tail to its chest, signaling the imminent blast. Alice remained vigilant, narrowly avoiding the devastating bursts of energy that scorched the ground beneath her.

Alice narrowed her eyes. This was no ordinary beast. It possessed tactical awareness far beyond the others.

The creature let out a piercing shriek and surged forward, its massive claws swiping at her with incredible speed. Alice twisted midair, narrowly evading its talons, only for its powerful tail to whip toward her. She barely had time to conjure a mana barrier, the impact sending shockwaves through her body as she was knocked back.

Regaining control, she retaliated. A thought—Blink. Her form vanished, reappearing at a new angle just as the beast unleashed another breath attack. Again, she flickered out of sight, keeping it off balance.

Frustrated, the creature roared, thrashing in search of its elusive target. That was her moment.

Pouring raw energy into her fists, Alice struck. Her mana-infused blows landed with thunderous force, each impact denting the beast’s armored hide. She vanished and reappeared, attacking from unpredictable angles, pushing the monster to its limits.

Below, Kael watched as she methodically dismantled the beast’s defenses. She wasn’t just attacking—she was breaking it down, exploiting its sluggish recovery time between breath attacks.

The battle was reaching its climax.

It was time to end this.

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