Chapter 3301 Unique Fusion (Part 2). When they defended, the mana would flow back into the defensive artifacts, increasing their effectiveness by several folds. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎 "This… this is amazing!" Ayleen the Lich had jumped out of Bloodhaven to receive the blessing of the First Ruler of the Flames. She knew Ripha only by name but with her phylactery stored inside the tower, Ayleen had nothing to lose. The aura surrounding her staff, Lighthouse, followed her every command, attacking with the swiftness of a whip and the violence of a hammer. If an enemy dodged her blows, a mere thought was enough to recall the energy and turn it into an impenetrable defensive dome. Thanks to her quasi-Blade equipment, her bright white mana core merged with her artifacts, turning them into the perfect means to both attack and defend. "Blade Spells can draw power from multiple cores, but they still lack the destructiveness of an anti-Guardian spell." She mused out loud, uncaring for who or what heard her thoughts. "On the other hand, anti-Guardian spells can only draw power from the mana core and that's why they usually require seven violet cores or one white core. What would happen if I were to apply the principles of Silverwing's Spells to Blade Magic?" 'What indeed!' The World Tree knew the answer to that question. The Yggdrasill had witnessed the defeat of Argantyr the Elemental Lord through the eyes of their Chronicler and remembered all too well the runes that Soul Vision spotted coursing through the colossal hybrid. 'Until a while ago, I would have dismissed Ayleen's idea as crazy talk.' The World Tree inwardly cursed. 'People like Surtr have a bright white core and know Blade Magic, but even the Dragon of Light failed to improve on Silverwing's spells. 'That's because even if every piece of equipment he wears is enchanted with a power core, the mana they provide is nothing compared to the endless energy of his white core. Power cores are just tools to support their master's strengths and cover their weaknesses. 'On top of that, Silverwing's spells require seven kinds of mana to be in synch while Blade Spells accept only one unique mana flow. Even those under the When All Are One array can't combine their Blade Spells. 'There is supposed to be only one way to exceed the power of an anti-Guardian spell and it requires seven white-cored Awakened to cast Silverwing's spells together. Baba Yaga has a white core, a mage tower, and the ability to cast Blade Magic but she still resorts to casting multiple Annihilations as her trump card. 'Verhen is the only one to have ever succeeded in fusing Blade and Silverwing spells, but I have no idea how he did it.' The secret behind Lith's Tower Blade Spell, Extinction, was that not only was it fueled by the tower core, Lith's bright violet core, and Solus' bright blue core, but also by all the weapons stored in the Armory, the crystals in the Mines, and the metal in the Crucible. Unlike any white core, unlike even Baba Yaga's tower, Menadion's masterpiece drew power from multiple sources at the same time and amplified them all through the Menadion Set. 'Verhen defeated a lost city on his own just by using the so-called Prime Engine like a golem while in possession of four pieces of Menadion Set.' The Tree shuddered at the memory. 'Now he's fused with Elphyn and the tower has become part of his body. 'Even worse, I completed the Set for him! The Extinction should be long completed. Why didn't he-' The answer came in the form of a bolt of lightning that finished painting the hybrid's aura white. While Menadion tilted the scales of battle and his allies fought with everything they had, Lith and Solus kept bolting around the World Tree, killing sprouts and elves. With each passing second, they got accustomed to using the Ears. The artifact was linked to the Watchtower, the Heart, and the Mirror Hall, making them akin to a dimensional mage and giving them spatial control over an area spanning hundreds of meters. They Blinked freely, collapsing the dimensional passages of those who tried to follow them and their own, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. With each passing second, their power grew. The tower mended both their life forces, allowing Lith to use his full power without the risk of reducing his life span. It also sent more energy to Solus, hastening her recovery, which left the tower more power to fix their life forces. It was the repeated cycles that had brought their aura past the bottlenecks so quickly. It was also the reason the fringes of their aura started flaring up with bright white light the moment they reached the white. 'The fucker is waiting to reach the bright white if not go beyond that!' The World Tree thanked Mogar for the quick wits of their bloodline. 'Of course! Blade Spells drain the equipment and power cores don't benefit from Invigoration. 'It's another reason why anti-Guardian spells are superior to Blade Spells. Verhen can probably use Extinction twice, three times at best before the tower turns into useless rubble. 'I just need to force his hand and waste his energy before he becomes powerful enough to kill me.' With no other choice left, the Yggdrasill had the Golems and the elves give up on attacking and focusing on defense. Every strike of Ragnarök felled a puppet and the Tree needed them to repel the invaders after dealing with the hybrid. So the Yggdrasill used their minions to buy time while they combined the runes scattered in the sky to form multiple Annihilations. 'It stopped Elphyn's second escape attempt and even forced Baba Yaga's tower to a halt. There is no reason this shouldn't be enough. It must be enough.' Inwardly regretting being forced to spend five Silverwing's Annihilations to deal with a single enemy, the World Tree unleashed them anyway. If after the breaking of the arrays the runes looked like a luminous curtain that blotted out the sky and the sun, now they were reduced to giant clouds. There were still quite a lot of them, but the Tree also had still to deal with a lot of enemies. Both mouths of the hybrid curled up in annoyance as they dodged with Tower Warp just to find the anti-Guardian spells hot on their tails. They tried to Dominate the Annihilations but the World Tree had infused them with plenty of willpower and was focusing on them. The rest of the battlefield was crumbling at an accelerating rate, but the Yggdrasill couldn't afford distractions. Tezka, the combined powers of the Brood, Baba Yaga the Asura, and now Menadion's Blade Knights were toppling the Tree's forces but the situation was not beyond saving yet. 'Once I kill Verhen, I'll get the tower and rid of Menadion at once! She said the power she has given her allies is temporary and I bet it relies on her somehow. Menadion is not stupid enough to leave the secret of Blade Magic in the hands of potential rivals.' 'Those spells are too fast.' Lith and Solus thought while clicking their tongues. 'We guess we don't have a choice.' The hybrid merged Ragnarök's copies with the original and channelled their full power through the weapon.