Destroying the Alliance (Chapter 153)

'What the hell.'

Leo Brult wondered if he was dreaming.

He had never felt anything like this before.

"Damn it, damn it!"

"Where are the enemies?"

"Northwest—no, now north… wait, northeast? What? Now they're in the west?"

It felt like fighting ghosts instead of people.

In the tall reeds of the eastern field, they were being utterly decimated.

'What the hell is this.'

Every move they made was seen through as if by magic.

On the other hand, they were constantly caught off guard by ambushes from unexpected angles.

The only messages his magic detection brought him were reports of disaster.

'The Yellow Tower's Amelia Party… annihilated.'

'The Blue Tower's Bierson Party… eliminated too.'

'Wait, when did my own team's signals disappear…?'

Before he knew it, more than half of their forces had been wiped out.

And throughout it all, Leo Brult had never even seen the enemy mage’s face.

'At the very least, if I had lost in a fair fight…'

If they had clashed head-on, exchanging spells in a battle of skill, he could have accepted it.

He would have been frustrated, but he would have accepted defeat with grace.

But this—this was different.

'Why do I—why do we have to lose like this?'

They were strong.

In a direct confrontation, they were confident they wouldn’t lose to anyone.

And that made the sense of helplessness weigh even heavier on Leo’s shoulders.

It felt as if he were shackled in heavy chains, unable to move.

"Leo!"

The surviving mages of the Red Tower gathered around him.

"What about the Blue and Yellow Towers?"

"Haven't seen them in a while. Judging by the situation, they're probably already taken out."

"……."

Three of the Four Great Towers had joined forces, yet they had been defeated without even putting up a proper fight.

Then who was their enemy?

As he asked himself that question, only one name instinctively surfaced in Leo Brult's mind.

'Oscar Crucian.'

The moment he pictured that elegant face—

Rustle, rustle.

Over seventy enemy mages emerged, parting the reeds as they finally revealed themselves.

"……Hah."

There was only one reason for them to show themselves now.

'The Blue and Yellow Towers must have already fallen.'

And the next Tower to fall was obvious.

Drawing in his magic, Leo Brult shouted.

"Come out, Oscar Crucian!"

Even if he was fated to lose, he wanted to see Oscar's skill with his own eyes.

Perhaps facing him directly would ease the weight of frustration in his chest.

But as if mocking his challenge, Oscar never appeared.