Reinventing Magic: An Inventor's Tale-Chapter 84: Ascension of the Veil

Kael lifted his gaze to the sky, his sharp eyes tracking Alice as she engaged the monstrous, alien-winged creature.

She moved with inhuman grace, her strikes precise and unrelenting, but the beast was equally formidable. Every impact of her blows sent shockwaves rippling through the air, yet the creature showed no signs of weakening.

’She needs help.’

Kael clenched his fists, recalling the spell he had discovered in the Sacred Mountain’s ancient data records. It bore striking similarities to the augmentation magic he had meticulously crafted—a simplified version of Gregor’s 6th-tier Titan Leap spell.

His own spell had served him well, amplifying his speed and agility by 500%, further enhanced by his twin daggers, which granted an additional 60% boost.

But the spell from the Sacred Mountain? It pushed beyond mere agility; it enhanced speed and agility by 500% while also amplifying raw strength by an overwhelming 1000%.

If he combined the spell with his daggers’ enchantments, his overall speed and agility would skyrocket to 620%, with the added advantage of a staggering strength increase. ’That power... it would be enough.’

Kael had engineered his augmentation spell to be chantless, functioning purely through visualizing the manipulation of gravity. However, this would be his first time casting the Sacred Mountain’s variation.

To fully grasp its mechanics, he needed to speak the incantation inscribed in the ancient tongue and analyze the flow of mana within his circuits.

His fingers tightened around the hilts of his twin daggers. No hesitation. No doubt. He exhaled slowly, his breath steadying his mind as he began the chant.

"Siri lina runa daru kin siri lina viro. Runa siri lina siri daru runa kin lina viro runa siri lina daru siri—Siri lina runa viro! (Ascendant Veil)"

A surge of raw energy coursed through his body. His circuits ignited as if set ablaze, the intensity of the spell forcing his mana to flow at an unprecedented rate.

Silver and crimson threads of arcane power wrapped around his form, cascading over his limbs in a luminous, shifting aura. The weight of his own body seemed to vanish; his muscles coiled with newfound power, his senses sharpened to an almost unnatural degree.

The sheer mana cost of the spell would have drained him in an instant, but his Arcane Gauntlet of Aetherium mitigated the expense, allowing him to harness the spell’s full might without immediate exhaustion.

The moment his foot touched the ground, he vanished.

A shockwave burst behind him as he reappeared mid-air, his movements so fast they left afterimages.

The wind howled as he wove through the sky, his body weightless, his mind razor-sharp. The beast barely had time to react before Kael struck. His daggers carved through its hide, black ichor splattering into the air as his enchanted weapons distorted space around each cut.

The monster screeched in agony, its massive wings flaring outward as it reeled from the unexpected assault. Alice’s artificial eyes flickered as she recalibrated her stance, seamlessly shifting to account for Kael’s entry into the battle.

Recognizing Kael’s presence, she executed a fluid, calculated movement, shifting her assault pattern to accommodate his entry into the battle.

Kael vanished and reappeared in a blink, teleporting mid-air to the monster’s exposed flank. His daggers struck true, slicing into the beast’s vulnerable joints.

With his Blink spell, he continuously repositioned himself, ensuring his attacks struck with deadly precision.

Kael materialized beside Alice mid-air, his daggers humming with residual energy from his previous strike. His body hovered effortlessly, balanced by his flight spell, while his breath remained steady despite the overwhelming power coursing through his limbs.

"Master.." Alice observed, her voice even, yet laced with an almost imperceptible note of approval. Her eyes, though artificial, held an intensity that hinted at the intricate calculations she constantly ran.

Kael smirked, rolling his shoulders.

"Had to make an entrance. Ready to end this?"

Alice nodded, raising her hand as the runes on her back began to glow with an ethereal light.

"Acknowledged. Engaging termination protocol."

With that, they moved as one, an unstoppable force converging upon the monstrous foe. The battle had truly begun.

The beast roared in frustration, its massive tail sweeping through the air in a desperate attempt to drive them back.

Kael twisted mid-flight, effortlessly evading the attack. The Ascendant Veil spell made him feel as if gravity itself had surrendered to his will.

Alice conjured a spectral blade of pure mana, slashing at the beast’s tail with pinpoint accuracy. But even her devastating strike barely penetrated its natural defenses.

Kael narrowed his eyes. ’Its hide is resisting direct magic, but...’

He lunged forward, his daggers flashing as he targeted its joints, where armor was thinnest.

’Shadow surge.’

The beast howled as its left wing faltered. Alice’s sensors flared.

Kael’s twin daggers flashing as he unleashed a rapid flurry of strikes aimed at the beast’s joints. Shadows surged around the edges of his weapons, their enchantments specifically designed to bypass armor and magical protection.

Each slash cut deeper than it should have, penetrating the beast’s once-impenetrable hide. The creature bellowed in pain as its left wing faltered, unable to support its massive frame.

Alice’s eyes glowed as she analyzed the damage Kael inflicted. The enchanted wounds—the ones that Kael’s daggers had carved—were different. They pulsed with disrupted energy, raw and vulnerable. That was the key.

"Master, the wounds you inflicted exhibit disrupted energy flow. Hypothesis: Its defensive matrix has been compromised."

Kael smirked. "Then let’s finish this."

Alice raised her hand as the runes on her back began to ignite, glowing with a fierce and otherworldly light.

"Proton Cannon."

A sphere of blinding energy formed at her palm, crackling with raw power before she unleashed it in a concentrated beam.

Unlike before, the blast targeted the weakened areas, rupturing the already-compromised flesh.

The beast shrieked as the devastating force tore through its chest, sending its massive form hurtling downward, smashing into the earth below and carving a deep crater upon impact.

Kael didn’t hesitate. He teleported mid-air, using Blink to position himself directly above its head. His daggers glowed with ethereal light.

"Shadow Fang!"

With a final burst of speed, he dove, twin blades piercing its skull.

A pulse of dark energy rippled outward from the impact, shadows hungrily consuming the corrupted power that had kept the beast alive. It let out one final, ragged cry before its grotesque form collapsed into stillness.

Unlike the lesser creatures, it did not dissolve into nothingness. Instead, its corpse lingered, radiating an unnatural, ominous energy.

Kael hovered above, his breath steadying as the fading traces of his spell dissolved into the air. His sharp gaze locked onto the monstrous figure below, taking in the unsettling reality—it had not vanished like the others. Its lifeless body pulsed faintly with an eerie, unfamiliar energy. This was no ordinary beast.

Alice observed the remains with analytical precision.

"Master, its molecular composition is inconsistent with known entities. Hypothesis: It possesses intrinsic resistance to natural decomposition. Recommendation: Secure for analysis."

Kael nodded, raising a hand. A vortex of swirling darkness opened beneath the carcass as he activated his infinite storage. The colossal corpse was swiftly consumed by the void, stored away for later examination.

He turned to Alice, smirking.

"You handled yourself well. We make a good team."

Alice’s artificial eyes glowed softly.

"Acknowledged. Efficiency has improved. Further refinement—possible."

But before they could celebrate, Alice’s gaze snapped to the horizon.

"Additional threats detected. Reinforcements advancing from the eastern perimeter. Estimated arrival: ten minutes."

Kael exhaled, shifting gears. "Then we move. Astra and the dwarves need us."

He activated Blink, vanishing into a wisp of shadow. Alice followed, her form blurring into streaks of silver and light.

---

Back at Anvil Bastion, the battle raged on. The Dwarves, hardened warriors of stone and steel, fought valiantly, but exhaustion gnawed at their strength.

The walls trembled under the relentless assault, and for a moment, it seemed as though the fortress might fall.

"Damn these cursed beasts! They fight like demons unleashed!" bellowed a stocky Dwarven warrior, his axe cleaving through a grotesque creature’s skull.

"Aye! But we’re Dwarves! We don’t break! We don’t bend! We fight till our last breath!" another roared, slamming his hammer into the ground, sending shockwaves rippling through the enemy lines.

High above the battlefield, Astra fought with an unyielding efficiency. His nanite blade sliced through the creatures with deadly precision, yet the sheer number of enemies made the process frustratingly slow.

His Spirit Crystal pulsed as he analyzed the battlefield, calculating probabilities and strategic weaknesses in the enemy’s assault pattern.

’Reinforcements required. Calculating optimal strike zone.’

A sudden, high-frequency alert flickered through his system. Energy signatures detected—Kael and Alice had arrived.

Kael materialized atop the bastion’s ramparts, his daggers humming with residual power from his previous battle. He scanned the chaos below, his sharp mind already piecing together the most effective course of action.

Alice landed beside him, her gaze cold and calculating.

"Master, enemy presence quantified. Estimated count: fifty-seven thousand remaining. Their advance remains constant."

Kael frowned. "Not for long."

Raising his hand, he called forth a spell of his own design, an amalgamation of science and magic—a plasma bombardment.

The air crackled as a sphere of concentrated energy formed above his palm, its core a swirling mass of white-hot destruction.

Kael’s voice resonated in the ancient tongue, his command infused with power.

"Astra, enshroud the bastion in fortitude!"

The very air trembled as his words shaped reality. Then, switching to the modern tongue for the Dwarves, he barked, "Dwarves, take cover!" his voice cutting through the chaos like a blade.

Astra registered the order immediately, shifting his stance.

"Acknowledged. Engaging defensive countermeasures."

The Dwarves, though taken aback, quickly understood who held command. They had seen Kael’s control over Astra and Alice, his words carrying the weight of authority.

They did not hesitate. With hurried steps, they withdrew beyond the defensive line, their heavy boots pounding against the scorched earth.

Only when the last of the warriors had cleared the strike zone did Kael flick his wrist, unleashing the spell.

A thunderous roar split the sky as the plasma bombardment descended. The impact was instantaneous—a searing explosion of energy erupted at the heart of the enemy forces, vaporizing dozens of creatures in an instant. The blast radius expanded outward, consuming everything in its path.

The Dwarves barely had time to brace themselves, shielding their eyes from the blinding inferno.

Their hearts pounded, breath caught in their throats at the sheer magnitude of destruction unleashed before them. When the light finally faded, the battlefield was left scorched, thousands of monstrous bodies reduced to ash.

"By th’ forge o’ me ancestors..." one Dwarf muttered, gripping his warhammer tighter. "Tha’ was no spell—I swear tha’ was a bloody act o’ the gods."

"Aye," another grizzled warrior added, his voice hushed with awe. "We fight wars with steel an’ fire, but he? He wields th’ very storms themselves."

Astra immediately took advantage of the aftermath, leaping from the walls and carving through the remaining stragglers with lethal efficiency.

Alice followed suit, unleashing a barrage of high-density mana projectiles that tore through the enemy ranks.

Kael watched as the tide shifted. Victory was within their grasp.

One of the Dwarven commanders, a veteran with a deep scar running down his cheek, approached him, eyes wide with something akin to reverence.

"Lad... ye just wiped out half th’ damned army in one fell swoop." The old warrior let out a deep chuckle, shaking his head. "Remind me never ta get on yer bad side."

Kael smirked, sheathing his daggers.

"Let’s finish this."

The final phase of the battle had begun, and this time, Anvil Bastion would not fall.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from f(r)eeweb(n)ovel.𝒄𝒐𝙢