Versatile Mage: Get the Desert Emperor clone at the start

Chapter 214 Locking in the Divine Arbiter? None of you will escape.

These words shocked everyone present.

The image of the submerged ocean in Hokkaido is still vivid in my mind; the column of water that swallowed everything seems to be spinning right before my eyes.

And now, the same signs—the abnormal gathering and forced absorption of seawater—have appeared in the heart of Japan, Tokyo Bay?!

“No…it can’t be this fast…” the Prime Minister muttered absentmindedly, but there was no confidence in his voice.

Imperial-level spatial manipulation techniques... what is impossible?

The annihilation of Hokkaido in ten hours has completely shattered all their understanding based on "common sense"!

Ten hours ago, it was a bountiful pearl in the northern border of the Cherry Blossom Kingdom, with vast snowfields and bustling fishing ports.

It has now completely sunk beneath the sea.

"Summon all forbidden spellcasters of the nation to assemble and await orders in Tokyo Bay!" A deep, authoritative voice broke the oppressive silence.

The speaker was none other than Ito Musashi, the commander-in-chief of the Honshu Island military and the supreme commander of the entire Sakura National Army's magic mages.

He stood in front of the command console, his deep-set eyes bloodshot, reflecting the despairing blue of the screen.

After a brief silence came an even deeper chill.

Then, the voice rang out again, resolute and decisive, carrying an almost cruel resolve:

"Order: Strategically abandon Shikoku and Kyushu! All stationed forces, transferable resources, and surviving civilians must immediately retreat to Honshu! All defensive focus must be placed on protecting Honshu!"

The order was like a thunderclap.

A general in charge of Kyushu's defenses suddenly looked up, his face ashen, and cried out, "Commander! But... there are still three million people in Kyushu who haven't been evacuated! The mage corps from the four countries are still holding the line! We..."

“No buts!” Ito Musashi turned around abruptly, his sharp gaze sweeping over the general and over every face in the command room that was filled with shock, grief, or despair.

His voice lowered, yet carried an iron will: "This state is the lifeblood of the nation, the last bastion, our only ark of survival! Scattering our forces will only lead to our being defeated one by one, ultimately swallowed whole by this merciless sea! By concentrating everything and holding this state, we... have a glimmer of hope!"

He deliberately emphasized the phrase "a glimmer of hope," as if he were trying to convince others, and also himself.

The heavy price was the loss of millions of lives on the other two islands.

He took a deep breath, suppressing his surging emotions, and turned to the communications officer, issuing his third order: "Immediately send a highest-level distress signal to the Supreme Council of the Continental Magic Society and the Seventh Legion of the United States! Repeat the signal! Tell them that the Sakura Kingdom... is on the verge of collapse! Requesting assistance!"

"Yes! Commander!"

The orders from the Supreme Command quickly spread throughout the remaining territory.

On Shikoku and Kyushu, cries of grief and despair were forcibly suppressed.

Even with tears of blood in their eyes, the stationed mage troops had no choice but to obey orders and begin their retreat and relocation.

On the coastline, what remains are hastily abandoned positions, desperate and helpless people, and the ever-approaching roar of the tide, like that of an ancient behemoth.

However, their struggles proved futile in the face of absolute power.

That being, fearfully called the "Emperor of the Sea-Suppressing Spirit Beasts," seemed to have long been aware of humanity's intentions.

Instead of deliberately "pursuing" the retreating teams, it summoned the tides to first engulf the islands in the present moment.

Then, one could see towering waves, hundreds of meters high and shimmering with a ghostly blue magical aura, crashing down mercilessly on Shikoku and Kyushu from the north and south respectively, like two moving walls of destruction! The islands' outlines twisted and shattered under the giant waves, and the resisting magical light was extinguished instantly like sparks thrown into the sea.

In just a few hours, Shikoku and Kyushu were also covered by that boundless deep blue.

Now, only one island remains in Japan – Honshu Island.
-
An unexpected incident occurred while Hokkaido was being flooded.

After the Archangel Sariel of the Holy City was killed by the Silverwing Ant Queen.

In order to uncover the "truth," the Holy City dispatched two distinguished "Holy Arbiters" to secretly infiltrate the Cherry Blossom Kingdom, with their target being Crane City.

They happened to be passing through Hokkaido when the disaster struck.

The towering waves and the desperate cries of the Sakura Kingdom's monks were nothing to them.

Faced with this catastrophe that swept across the world, the two Holy Arbiters tacitly chose to stand by and watch. They took advantage of the chaos to retreat from Hokkaido at full speed, bypassing the core of the battlefield!

The team members held their breath and, using the surging waves and collapsing buildings as cover, attempted to glide silently towards a relatively safe area.

However, just as they breathed a sigh of relief at being about to escape danger, a cold, sharp will that seemed to pierce through their souls suddenly locked onto them!
It was the Silverwing Queen Ant!

Like a precision scanner, she instantly detected an extremely faint yet strangely familiar energy fluctuation in the sea below.

Just moments ago, in order to withstand the aftershocks of a vortex containing the violent power of a vortex monarch that swept in unexpectedly, one of the Holy Arbiters instinctively used magic in a moment of desperation. This power carried the unique aura of the "angelic" lineage!

"The aura of an angel..." The Silverwing Ant Queen's icy mental fluctuations echoed in the void, filled with a chilling killing intent.

Last time in Crane City, she personally tore apart Sariel's wings and forcefully killed that angel.

The Tsar said of her actions, "Well done."

These three words are an unparalleled honor and recognition for her!
Now, sensing that "angelic" aura that she both loathed and longed to destroy once again, how could she tolerate these minions of the holy city slipping away?

This is practically a merit awarded to us on our own!
"Oh no! We've been discovered!" Alarm bells rang in the Holy Arbiter's mind, and the chill of death instantly enveloped his entire body.

They reacted extremely quickly, immediately diving to their full potential in an attempt to escape using the murky, icy seawater.

But it was too late.

The seawater in front of us seemed to have instantly solidified into a transparent, indestructible crystal wall!

The seawater on both sides, behind, and even overhead lost its flowing nature in an instant, becoming like a cage made of fine steel!

Space itself was forcibly distorted and imprisoned by an invisible hand! They crashed into an invisible, incredibly tough "wall," losing all means of retreat.

This is the Silverwing Ant Queen's spatial cage!
A cold, mocking, and absolutely domineering mental message flooded their minds: "Trying to escape? None of you will get away!"

The two judges were filled with rage; the threat of death had unleashed their full potential.

Without a word, a vast and boundless holy light erupted instantly!

A spear of judgment materialized in one person's hand, its light piercing through the dark seawater and fiercely striking the spatial barrier.

The other person was surrounded by layers of holy shields of light, chanting ancient and powerful protective spells, attempting to withstand the impending destructive blow.

However, it appeared so fragile in the face of the Silverwing Ant Queen's immense spatial power.

(End of this chapter)