Chapter 20 : Thirty Seconds

At Crimson Fortress, a massive magic circle had been activated in the very center of the fortress while soldiers and officers hurried to prepare for evacuation.

The formation was not an ordinary transportation array. It was an enormous emergency teleportation formation that had been constructed beneath the fortress long ago, buried deep beneath the ground specifically for the possibility of a catastrophic situation. Its activation required authorization from the acting commander of the fortress, approval from the receiving party, and, most importantly, permission from the Master of the Mage Tower - or someone of equivalent or greater authority, such as the White Dragon.

Despite having existed for years, the formation had never been activated.

Not once.

Until today.

Alexander Marilz stood upon the raised platform overlooking the formation, his eyes moving across the fortress as soldiers rushed back and forth beneath him. Groups were being organized according to their units, the wounded were being carried toward the designated evacuation areas, and officers shouted orders to keep the retreat orderly. Everyone understood that something had gone terribly wrong, even if very few knew exactly what they were facing.

Then—

Rumble. Rumble. Rumble.

The earth shook.

The first tremor was followed by another, stronger than the last. The stone beneath their feet trembled violently, and several soldiers instinctively looked toward the sky.

Beside Alexander, Ethan Marilz swallowed hard.

"What the hell is going on?"

His voice carried genuine fear.

"What is the Master of the Mage Tower fighting?"

Alexander remained remarkably calm.

"Nothing we know more about than what we already know."

His eyes stayed fixed on the fortress below.

"We'll find out what's happening after we get out of this mess. Until then, there's no point guessing."

Ethan hesitated before asking another question.

"What about the other side? Did they give us permission?"

"Yes, Elder."

The answer came from one of the officers nearby.

Almost immediately, the enormous formation beneath them began to glow.

Faint lines of light spread through the intricate patterns engraved into the ground, gradually becoming brighter until the entire formation illuminated the surrounding fortress. The air above it began to distort as spatial energy gathered, and the soldiers waiting nearby instinctively stepped back.

A few minutes later, the evacuation finally began.

The soldiers started retreating in organized groups, entering the formation according to the order they had been given. The wounded were placed among the first groups, while the officers maintained the formation and ensured that no one was left behind.

But there were simply too many people.

Thousands of soldiers had to be evacuated, along with the wounded and the personnel responsible for operating the fortress. Even with everyone moving as quickly as possible, the process required time.

And time was exactly what they did not have.

Suddenly, Alexander heard a faint ringing inside his head.

He immediately opened the virtual screen.

Maxwell's face appeared before him.

Blood was visible at the corner of the mage's mouth, and although his expression remained composed, there was an urgency in his eyes that Alexander had never seen before.

"Boy Marilz."

Maxwell spoke without wasting a second.

"I'm currently pursuing an Origin creature. It's targeting your fortress, and it's about three minutes away from you."

Alexander's expression remained unchanged.

Then Maxwell continued.

"Boy Marilz ..... No-"

His tone became more serious.

"Acting Commander of Crimson Fortress, I order you, as the Master of the Mage Tower, to protect this fortress and everyone inside it until I arrive."

Silence followed.

For a brief moment, the two men simply stared at each other through the virtual screen.

Alexander was the first to speak.

"How long do you need?"

"Thirty seconds."

Alexander's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Understood. Commander of the fortress has received the order."

"Good luck, Commander. Your contribution today will not be forgotten."

Maxwell was about to end the connection when Alexander suddenly spoke.

"Sir."

Maxwell paused.

"I hope you'll be merciful to my clan."

For the first time, something softer appeared in Maxwell's eyes.

"I will. May the Eternal Soul watch over you."

"Thank you."

The connection ended.

The virtual screen disappeared.

Alexander remained standing on the platform, his back straight as always. Yet something about him had changed. The calm posture remained, but the atmosphere surrounding him had become different.

More imposing.

And somehow, more frightening.

He turned toward Ethan.

"Ethan Marilz."

Ethan immediately straightened.

"From this moment onward, you're in command. It is your responsibility to complete the evacuation."

Ethan's expression changed.

"What is happening, Elder?"

Alexander looked toward the distant horizon.

"There is a destructive monster about to reach the fortress."

"A monster...?"

Ethan's voice tightened.

"Don't tell me it's the one causing these earthquakes. And what happened to the Master of the Mage Tower?"

"He's chasing it."

Alexander paused.

"But he may be late."

Ethan stared at him.

"But, Elder..."

He lowered his head slightly, attempting to hide the expression that had appeared on his face.

What could possibly happen?

It was only a corrupted monster.

Surely Elder Alexander Mariles would be able to deal with it.

Alexander looked at him.

"Do you underestimate me?"

Ethan immediately shook his head.

"No, Elder."

Alexander smiled faintly.

Then he stepped forward and gently punched Ethan in the chest.

"Good."

A small object fell into Ethan's hand.

It was a command insignia.

"This is the command seal. It controls the formation."

Ethan looked down at it.

Alexander turned away, taking several steps before stopping.

"Send my regards to the other elders of the clan."

Ethan lowered his head.

"Understood, Elder Alexander."

Alexander raised one hand in response.

Then he rose into the sky.

His figure quickly disappeared beyond the fortress.

Alexander flew through the sky, moving farther away from Crimson Fortress rather than toward it.

He had chosen the battlefield himself.

One minute passed.

Then another.

The time continued to disappear.

As the third minute approached, a crimson streak suddenly appeared in the distance.

It tore through the sky at an astonishing speed, leaving behind successive explosions of compressed air. The shockwaves followed in its wake, while the surrounding clouds were scattered by the force of its passage.

Even from a great distance, Alexander could tell exactly what it was.

He smiled.

"What a joke."

His eyes narrowed.

"Thirty seconds, Master of the Mage Tower? You're giving me far too much credit."

Alexander reached into his storage and pulled out a small bottle.

He uncorked it without hesitation.

An elixir that enhanced regeneration.

He drank it in one motion.

Then he took another.

An elixir that burned his life force in exchange for greater strength.

Another.

An elixir that strengthened his mana.

Then another that enhanced his senses.

Then one that increased his physical strength.

Then another that increased his speed.

And another.

And another.

Alexander consumed one elixir after another without hesitation, each one pushing his body beyond its natural limits. The effects began accumulating rapidly. His breathing became heavier, his veins swelled beneath his skin, and dark lines gradually appeared across his face.

Poisoning.

His body was reaching a critical state.

Any ordinary warrior would have stopped long before reaching this point.

Alexander did not.

Because while his body was deteriorating, his aura was climbing.

Higher.

Higher still.

It had reached a level he had never achieved in his entire life.

And yet even that was not enough.

Alexander reached into his storage one final time.

This time, he took out a crimson pill.

He stared at it for a moment.

His trump card.

A rare breakthrough pill.

Low-level breakthrough pills were already considered precious, but this one was on an entirely different level. It offered its user a chance to forcibly break through a bottleneck and step into a higher realm.

The risk was equally enormous.

Failure could result in death.

The sudden leap required an enormous amount of enlightenment, and the higher the level of the pill, the greater the danger became. That was precisely why such pills were not commonly used, especially by noble clans. A breakthrough was never something that could be forced without consequences.

But this was not an ordinary battle.

This was his final battle.

Alexander placed the pill in his mouth.

And swallowed.

For an instant, nothing happened.

Then his aura erupted.

It rose like an erupting volcano, surging violently upward before crashing into an invisible barrier.

A bottleneck.

A wall that seemed like an endless abyss.

Alexander's expression tightened.

His aura struck it again.

And again.

The barrier refused to break.

But Alexander did not stop.

His body rose higher into the sky as his beard and hair whipped violently in the pressure surrounding him. His skin gradually turned red, and the heat radiating from his body became so intense that the air around him began to distort.

Then he burned.

Flames erupted around him.

They swallowed his entire body until he could no longer be seen within the fire.

The flames continued spreading outward, forming an enormous wall that connected the earth to the sky.

Alexander's figure stood within that wall of fire, his body completely engulfed in blazing crimson flames.

His eyes remained fixed on the rapidly approaching red figure in the distance.

"Come."

The crimson figure accelerated.

Alexander did not move.

The distance between them vanished.

Their eyes met.

For a brief moment, the Immortal Blood looked directly at Alexander.

Then a mocking smile slowly appeared across its crimson face.

It accelerated.

And disappeared.

Alexander's pupils contracted.

The next instant, the Immortal Blood appeared directly before him.

Its hand pierced through Alexander's chest.

The force of the impact did not stop there.

The Immortal Blood continued accelerating, carrying Alexander's body backward at terrifying speed.

"AAAAAAAGH!"

Alexander's expression twisted from the pain.

His teeth clenched.

But instead of letting himself be dragged away helplessly, he reached out and grabbed the enormous wall of flame surrounding him.

His fingers dug into the blazing energy.

He used it as an anchor.

The Immortal Blood continued pushing forward.

Alexander's body was dragged farther and farther backward, leaving a massive cone-shaped trail through the sky. From a distance, the image looked like a crimson spear tearing through an enormous wall of fire.

But then—

Alexander stopped.

The Immortal Blood's forward movement halted with him.

For a moment, neither moved.

Alexander's blood flowed from his mouth, but a smile slowly appeared on his face.

He looked directly at the creature.

"One."

The mocking smile on the Immortal Blood's face disappeared.

Alexander's voice remained calm.

"Twenty-nine seconds left."