Chapter 1941: Evolved Humans (part 1) When Lith perceived that Final Eclipse had reached its limit, he made it explode, turning the dome into several small tornados of black fire aimed in the opposite direction from which the enemy spells had come. The mages who had moved from their original position saved their lives while the others were turned into charred flesh. “Stop his spellcasting!” The general used an air magic spell to amplify his voice and be heard despite the boom. “Buy time for our mages and fight until your last breath!” If quality didn’t work, they would swarm him in numbers. A plan that might have worked if Lith hadn’t already finished casting Mjolnir. Suddenly, the ground below the soldiers’ feet became soft like sand, and several holes opened in the ground. Where hard rock had been until a second ago, now there were several holes. The black knight plunged the crimson bastard sword into the ground and from it came a spell that defied logic. Bolts of lightning erupted from the earth as a strong electrical current coursed through the enchanted armors, bypassing their protection and paralyzing the soldiers in an area of 100 meters (330 feet) around Lith. The bolts of lightning that found their target killed them and then joined those that had missed, forming a thick thundercloud a few dozen meters above the ground at a speed visible to the naked eye. Less than a second later, new lightning bolts rained from above while more erupted from below. Each one of them that missed their mark or had any residual energy after striking would be absorbed and shot again in an endless cycle. The earth fed the thundercloud and the thundercloud rained water on the ground, further increasing its conductivity and reducing the already limited protection that the enchanted protections offered. The mages attempted to fly away, but they were soaked with positively polarized rain that turned them into lightning rods. The electricity followed the path of least resistance by nature, without the need for Lith to use willpower to make them chase his enemies. “Retreat! we must-” The general’s voice died in his throat when he recognized the Blade Tier spell that was taking form. Countless red and black runes surrounded the dark knight, and more came out of his armor and blade by the second. To the members of the army and the mercenaries, it was the stuff of the legends, but to Lith, it was just a prototype. He performed a simple horizontal slash and conjured Ruin. The energy of the Blade Tier spell burst out in the form of a dull red shockwave that cut everything on its wake. Spells, metal, flesh, and bones were struck at the same time and ended up the same way. Shredded. Only the mercenary groups that had kept themselves out of the fight were still alive, but it was an easily corrected problem. Lith’s eyes could see them despite the distance and their attempt to hide behind the rocky formations. He simply aimed what remained of Plague Tempest, Mjolnir, and Ruin at the survivors. The three spells chased their respective marks without giving them the time to conjure a Warp Steps. Those who knew dimensional magic Blinked, but moving thirty meters away couldn’t change the outcome, only prolonging their suffering as the spells followed them relentlessly until they fumbled their hand signs in panic. Pa nda Novel Lith cast a Life Detecting array before returning to the cave, to make sure that no one had gone hiding underground or had somehow escaped his notice. Life Vision had a limited range whereas the magical formation fueled by his violet core covered a wide area. ‘I’m sorry, Solus. I gave them a choice just like I did to the Kingdom’s soldiers after saving Dad.’ He said via their mind link. ‘I know.’ Her voice was sad. She knew that the bloodshed couldn’t be avoided but that didn’t mean that she had to like it. The only silver lining was that Lith had taken any pleasure in it either. He was satisfied with his new spells and of having succeeded in using a Blade Tier spell without Solus’s help, but that was it. “Has V- I mean, the Master arrived?” He asked. “Luckily for you, not yet.” Zoreth said, looking at him with a mix of sisterly pride and envy. “What do you mean?” “The Master would have been greatly fascinated by your spell and drowned you in questions whereas I’m willing to keep another of your secrets.” She replied. “Are you talking about Ruin? It’s just a half-baked Blade Tier spell.” Lith replied with a shrug. “I’m going to use it a lot once I get back to the Kingdom, so it’s hardly a secret. Feel free to share it with the Master.” “No, I’m talking about the one that used both earth and air magic.” Zoreth shook her head. “Yeah, that was one odd spell. I was about to ask you the same thing, whoever you are.” Theseus said, making Dolgus inhale sharply in annoyance. The Abominations had clearly forgotten about them and were speaking freely. He was eager to learn about an unknown kind of magic but the Bastet had ruined everything. “My name is Lith from the Desert and these are Xenagrosh and Bytra.” He gave the other two men a polite bow. “Nice to meet you. My name is Theseus, and this is my friend Dolgus. I wouldn’t be alive without him.” The Bastet returned the bow. “Thanks for protecting our brethren.” Zoreth sniffed the air loudly before adding: “Griffon. We won’t forget your kindness. Now, if you excuse us, we still trust the two of you as much as you trust us so…” She completed the sentence by conjuring a Hush zone. “Dude, words are important, but sometimes silence is better. If you just kept your mouth shut, now we would be listening as well.” Dolgus grumbled. “I wanted to take part in the conversation. I’ve been alone for years and you are getting grumpier by the day. You are not a very nice companion.” He replied with an offended look. “I get grumpy because you try to eat me every other day!” While the two quarreled, the real conversation continued inside the Hush zone. “What’s so odd about Mjolnir?” Lith asked. “I created it almost one year ago. It’s just a tier five spell imbued with the power of two elements.” “Two opposite elements, though.” Bytra said. “It’s something very hard to accomplish because they usually neutralize each other. I know a few spells like that, but they use one element as the base and the other has simply a support role. “Like for spells that drain the vitality or that heal the very damage they cause. They are usually just mono-elemental spells with a quirk. In the case of Mjolnir, instead, not only did the two elements mix, but they also complemented and enhanced each other.” Lith pondered their words and had to admit that from their point of view Mjolnir was indeed weird. “Can you tell us how you did it?” Zoreth asked. She had an expectant look in her eyes and Lith knew enough about human emotions to understand that more than his secrets, she cared about his trust.