Chapter 888: United Chanting Formation
In the Blazeforge Realm, the Black Iron Orcs have always been the brutes among orcs—powerful, but lacking finesse. Yet this old fellow was different. He never wielded the iconic broadsword of his kin, instead favoring a short blade just over a meter long—barely more than a dagger for a Black Iron Orc.
But this short blade had, over the years, dismembered countless foes and drunk deep of enemy blood. His combat style—if seen in the human world—would be considered artistry, all precise technique and controlled violence, nothing like the usual orcish brute force.
Once, in the most outrageous of battles, this old orc faced a ninth-level Title Archmage who unleashed the eighth-level spell Meteor Descent. With that same short blade, he carved a massive meteor—hundreds of meters across—into fragments in just three seconds.
Dissector—that was his unique title!
Even now, with his rank diminished and looking every bit the dying old warrior, no one dared underestimate him. After all, the Dissector's greatest battle was against the George Family's strongest.
That mage, able to cast an eighth-level spell in three seconds, was flayed alive by the Dissector—reduced to a walking skeleton. The blade work was so precise, not even the bones were damaged...
So when Wagner saw the Dissector now, how could he not be terrified? An eighth-level Sword Saint, but far more dreadful than any ordinary Black Iron Orc Sword Saint!
That last strike had said it all—no matter how close to death he seemed, no matter how much his strength had waned, he was never someone to be trifled with.
Wagner froze. The urge to destroy that sacred relic was doused instantly, as if someone had poured a bucket of cold water over his heart.
When Wagner caught sight of Lin Yun not far from the group, his eyes suddenly lit up.
Right, wasn’t the vanguard’s business handled by the Merlin Family? Now that there’s an enemy, it’s only natural for them to take care of it…
Wagner waved at Doug and glanced over at Lin Yun. Doug immediately understood what he was supposed to do.
Doug quickly ran over to Lin Yun, head held high, and with a hint of dissatisfaction, he questioned him.
“Mafa Merlin, now that we’ve run into the enemy, why are you all just standing here staring blankly? Have you forgotten our agreement?”
Lin Yun didn’t reply. He glanced at Kurumu.
“No problem, right?”
Kurumu nodded solemnly.
Now, more than ten mages in the Mage Legion had advanced to Title Archmage. After these past days of battle, even those who hadn’t broken through before were advancing one after another. The Legion’s combat power was surging rapidly.
Although the opponent seemed extremely experienced in battle, he was simply too old. His strength was probably at the level of an eighth-rank Sword Saint. Even if he was slightly stronger, the Mage Legion should be able to hold him off.
The Mage Legion mobilized. All fifty members wore tense expressions, channeling their mana. Streams of flame began to swirl around each mage.
As flames suddenly erupted from Kurumu and his body elongated, transforming into a four- or five-meter-tall incarnation of elemental fire, the rest of the Mage Legion followed suit, each manifesting their own elemental fire avatar.
Blazing flames surged outward like waves, instantly turning the hundred-meter area around them into a sea of fire. Each elemental stood within the inferno, as if this place had become a miniature of the Elemental Plane of Fire.
Dense fire transformed into a liquid of red-gold, flowing in a specific pattern through the flames, rapidly increasing the concentration and activity of elemental fire in the area. It was as if a portal to the Elemental Plane of Fire had opened here.
Even before any spells were cast, it already felt like hundreds of fire mages were casting together.
A look of surprise flickered across the Dissector’s aged face, his expression growing more solemn. Scarlet battle aura slowly appeared on his body, eventually forming a crystal-like, fierce armor that covered his torso and joints. The oppressive aura radiated outwards in visible ripples.
As someone who had once nearly broken through to the Heaven-rank, his battle aura armor could now solidly cover most of his body. This was the Sword Saint’s greatest power. Low-level spells no longer affected him at all. Even if he jumped into magma, it would be like soaking in a comfortable hot spring.
The next moment, the Dissector swung his short blade, tracing a perfect arc in midair. Scarlet battle aura burst forth, forming a crescent dozens of meters wide that spun toward the Mage Legion.
The Crescent Slash spun wildly, tearing through the air and leaving a long spiral tail. In an instant, it reached the front of the Mage Legion.
A probing strike—yet not a single mage dodged.
From the dense sea of flames ahead, endless fire condensed into a massive red-gold hand, slamming down upon the scarlet Crescent Slash.
The moment the two collided, a piercing hiss erupted from the spell. Waves of flame shot out in all directions like arrows.
A second later, the red-gold flame hand dispersed, and the Crescent Slash vanished with it.
But it was as if the Mage Legion’s flames had been fully ignited. Each mage, transformed into an elemental, raised a Dragon Scale Staff, casting crimson light. In an instant, hundreds of fireballs—each two or three meters across, trailing long tails—hurtled toward the Dissector.
The Dissector, face cold, swung his short blade. Scarlet flashes tore the Fireburst spells to shreds. The few that struck him were blocked by his crimson armor.
In a flash, the area around the Dissector was engulfed in a sea of fire. The first wave of attacks had no effect at all.
(Irrelevant system message skipped.)
But Kurumu still held his Dragon Scale Staff aloft, directing all the legion mages to cast spells relentlessly. In just a few seconds, hundreds of Fireburst spells rained down, completely obscuring the Dissector, who was now drowned in flames.
Yet everyone knew—the Dissector was still completely unscathed. Within that sea of fire, scarlet blade-light continued to flicker.
A few seconds later, the Dissector sensed something amiss and tried to break out of the inferno. But Kurumu decisively swung the Dragon Scale Staff.
All the Fireburst spells instantly transformed into Explosive Flame spells!
When cast by these mages, Fireburst was only a fourth-level spell, but the sheer quantity made it perfect for boosting the concentration and activity of elemental fire in the area.
Most importantly, for the legion mages, opening with Fireburst was perfectly normal. The Dissector hadn’t noticed anything amiss.
But when he realized there were far too many Fireburst spells, and the elemental fire had condensed into vast swathes of flame, turning the area into a true sea of fire, his battle instincts urged him to escape immediately.
But it was already too late…
Fireburst focuses on raw flame power, almost entirely on burning. But Explosive Flame is different—it’s all about pure, instantaneous explosive force.
When Explosive Flame detonates in a place with such terrifying elemental fire concentration and activity, the spell’s power is boosted by at least one tier…
And right now, that’s exactly what was happening…
When dozens—hundreds—of Explosive Flame spells went off together here, even a dragon would be in trouble…
Dozens of Explosive Flames didn’t all strike the Dissector directly. Instead, they landed at specific points around him, sealing off every escape route.
Blue fireballs, trailing long tails, landed in the sea of flames. Instantly, red and blue flames intertwined, forming massive whirlwinds that shot skyward. The roaring sounded like an ancient titan taking a deep breath.
The Dissector swung his short blade frantically to defend himself, scarlet battle aura pushed to the limit. So many explosions surrounded him, but only a fraction of their power could strike his body—and even that couldn’t break through his crimson armor.
After three seconds of relentless attack, the strongest force had passed. The Dissector was ready to break out with a burst of power.
But just as he exploded forth, not only did Explosive Flame spells erupt all around him, but a dozen gold-red Spears of the Fire God rained down from above, forcibly suppressing his surge of strength.
Forty mages in the legion cast spells without restraint, pressing the attack. Kurumu held his Dragon Scale Staff, with nine of the legion’s strongest mages at his side—ten in total. They began chanting in unison, surrounded by a ring of golden flame that seemed to form a unique alchemical array.
This was a special spellcasting technique taught by Lin Yun, unique to the Mage Legion.
United Chanting Formation!
It’s not like the old legion method for large-scale spells, where a whole group chanted a single incantation, led by one guide, spending several times longer to cast a spell far beyond their level.
On the battlefield, the success rate for legion mages to jointly cast a large-scale spell was extremely low—only possible when they had an advantage, or perfect defense.
But with the United Chanting Formation—a technique that emerged during the Mage Legion’s frenzied development in the future colonial era of the Northend World—everything was different.
When the legion mages’ levels were similar, their magical runes matched, their core meditation laws aligned, and even their mana imprints were the same—plus perfect teamwork—a handful could chant different parts of a spell together!
Yes, each person chanted a portion of the incantation!
Each person only bore a fraction of the spell’s burden. That meant the Mage Legion could cast above their level—or easily unleash spells that normally required great effort.
But nobody knew this technique now. More importantly, it was practically a different spell: the incantation for a solo caster and for a United Chanting Formation were worlds apart—the difference was huge…