Meanwhile, Lynn and the others were making their way to the castle from the other side, underground.
Everyone was well aware of the pressing time. Barton, injured as he was, had even refused Buck's assistance. After a hasty makeshift bandage for his back wound, he gritted his teeth and followed the rest.
In that moment, Lynn was still replaying the details of his spellcasting in his mind.
"Magic Missiles," as a fundamental zero-tier spell, wasn't particularly difficult to learn or use. The real challenge lay in presetting the trajectories for each missile.
Lynn hadn't joined the first wave of counterattacks with Jonny and the others. He had been preparing his spells.
Unless 071 assisted him with targeting, controlling twelve Magic Missiles simultaneously was his limit. Their power was roughly equivalent to a higher-tier first-circle spell.
"Are you really Karl?" In the midst of the silence, Buck couldn't help but ask.
"Of course," Lynn nodded.
"But when did you master the Helram Formula?" Jonny was also very curious. She had handed Lynn the book "Fundamental Magic for All" just over an hour ago. It didn't make sense that he could learn it so quickly, did it?
"Just a little while ago," Lynn casually replied. Then he suddenly remembered that he had only been studying magic for half a year in his original body. He thought he might be coming across as too confident and quickly added, "My teacher explained the principles of this formula to me before. It didn't seem too difficult."
Not difficult? A perplexed expression crossed Jonny's delicate face. If it was so easy, why had she spent several months trying to grasp it herself?
Buck and Barton were convinced that their mentor, Kora, must have given Karl some extra help.
"Dove, report the enemy's positions and distances!" Lynn changed the subject and looked at the silent girl by his side.
Although her killing of Will raised suspicions, they had no choice but to rely on her abilities in this crisis.
"Enemies are everywhere, and it seems like they're trying to surround us," Dove said, her body trembling with fear.
"What about Archbishop Anluke? Where is he?" Jonny suddenly inquired.
"I don't know. My psychic sensing can't detect him," Dove almost burst into tears.
"In that case, find a place to gather as many enemies as possible and deal with them first!" Lynn calmly analyzed. Apart from the still-unused Grand Archbishop, the biggest threat to them right now was the rain of arrows from the crossbowmen. If they were in an open area, a few volleys of crossbow fire would kill at least half of them.
"Are you serious, Karl?" Buck's eyes widened in astonishment.
They didn't even have time to escape right now, and Lynn was thinking about gathering the enemy for a counterattack. It sounded like a fairy tale.
Lynn didn't reply but instead looked at Barton, who was struggling with his bleeding back.
Buck then realized that they were still carrying a wounded member who couldn't move well. It wouldn't be long before the enemy surrounded them from all sides, and once that happened, there might be no escaping at all.
"How confident are you?" Jonny asked directly.
"That depends on how many types of magic you guys have mastered!" Lynn declared decisively.
...
With Dove's perception and Lynn's coordination, guards from several directions nearly converged on the group of wizard apprentices in a side hall of the castle simultaneously.
A total of six squads of guards had gathered, with the mysterious and unpredictable Grand Archbishop Anluke stationed at the entrances and tending to the wounded. All of them were now assembled.
Even though they outnumbered the enemy, Aaron, who had just suffered a severe setback at the hands of Lynn, didn't dare to be complacent. He ordered the guards to advance using a shield wall and crossbow formation, and then worked alongside other priests to cast supportive divine spells.
"Fear Nullification," "Sacred Blessing!"
Two consecutive beams of white light shone. The shield-bearers, now brimming with courage and vitality, boldly advanced with their thick shields.
In front of them, Buck stood alone, barring the way for the numerous shield-bearers. He lifted a counter that weighed several hundred pounds from the ground, his already muscular arms swelling once more. With superhuman strength beyond the limits of a human body, he hurled the heavy counter forward.
"Kill them all!"
The heavy counter collided with the dense wall of shields, producing a tremendous muffled sound.
Then, the solid stone floor underfoot suddenly sank.
This was the result of Jonny and Barton, who were hiding in the shadows, working together to cast a first-circle spell—Fossilize to Mud! The sturdy armor had ceased to protect and, upon impact, the legs of the shield-bearers, who were standing on fine sand, immediately lost balance. The once neatly aligned shield-bearers fell to the ground, all out of place...
Though it was a combined spell of two wizard apprentices, the range of its impact was still limited. Behind them, the crossbowmen had already raised their crossbows, and more than forty sharp crossbow bolts glinted ominously, aimed at Buck...
Please, Dove, be quick!
A bead of cold sweat slid down Buck's forehead as he silently prayed in his heart. This moment was the difference between life and death!
Fortunately, Dove didn't disappoint him. Just as the crossbow triggers were about to be pulled, an indescribable shrill sound echoed through the castle.
Soul Wail!
Everyone present felt as if their brains had been struck with a heavy hammer, losing all control over their bodies in that instant.
Injury was sustained on both sides, and the enigmatic nature of psychic magic was unmistakable!
The range of the Soul Wail's effect was extremely wide, but its magical power consumption was incredibly intense. It was forced to stop after only two seconds.
Dove's figure wavered, almost falling to the ground.
Jonny and the others felt a sense of unease. They had done everything they could, collectively buying them five seconds and gathering all the enemies together.
For Lynn, this was enough. Pale yellow phosphorous powder was already suspended in his palm, rapidly expanding into a huge fireball nearly half a meter tall.
The yellow-white flames didn't seem particularly remarkable, but all the wizard apprentices and priests present couldn't help but shiver with a deep sense of dread.
However, this massive fireball didn't target Aaron and the others; it flew into the air and disintegrated, with sparkling embers trailing behind, like a beautiful fireworks display in the sky.
Buck's face turned ashen. He couldn't help but suspect that Dove's Soul Wail just now had interfered with Lynn's spellcasting.
You see, fire magic had always been concentrated for effective use!
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