A mage? A spell engineer!

Chapter 323 Finally, I've Waited for You

I am not the mountain, I am the mountain.

For a long time, the Kingdom of Istani has always turned a blind eye to the Shadow City. Even when counts and marquises are involved, they simply create an unmarked file and that's it. The disappearance of commoners is not a problem at all.

To this day, all the "wandering ghosts" have crawled back from the shadows.

"It seems the Iron Crown Knights don't need to go investigate." The Queen remained expressionless, calmly issuing orders amidst the commotion outside: "The Golden Rose and Leaf Song Knights will guard the palace, and two squads will escort the nobles out of the capital."

"The Ironcrown Knights and the Royal Police will work together to restore order, and any rioters engaging in looting or vandalism will be shot dead. The priority is to extinguish the fires and prevent a repeat of the Storm City fire."

"The Burning Lions and White Ashes are attempting to control the unknown creature. Do not attack rashly. Try to communicate first. Only retaliate if the creature exhibits aggressive behavior. Notify the Magic Guild, and communicate with the Storm Tower and the Tower of Time to request spellcaster support. Summon Sir Isaac to the palace."

After the Queen issued the order, the Grand Master of the Burning Lion Knights hesitated for a moment, then cautiously asked, "Should we contact the Church?"

"The Church of Islam is no longer of any use." However, the Queen thought of a new idea: "We can organize the general public to take refuge in the churches." There are churches throughout the city, and believers will not skimp on the cost of construction. The churches in the capital are often the highest quality stone buildings, which can be considered as usable civil defense facilities at present.

The massive shepherds were struggling to move through the real world, so they freed all the "sheep" and slowly walked out of the city.

Facing the throng of ratwhispers, Singhlev removed the Ironthorn Crown in front of them and casually handed it to a nearby soot sprite: "You've all left the Shadowlands, my mission is complete! I'm just a dwarf, how could I be your king? I know nothing about kings or countries, I'm better off continuing as an adventurer."

The little coal ball, clutching the crown, looked utterly bewildered: "Then, what should we do?"

The troubadour patted her head: "Singrev is right. In my opinion, you should follow the 'shepherd' and leave this place."

The last large shepherd was indeed waiting for something, turning back to look at the rat whisperers.

The little coal ball thought for a moment, then hugged Singlev and Freddy respectively: "Thank you."

The other rat whisperers did the same, embracing the dwarf and the poet in turn, before catching up with the shepherd's procession. Finally, the elder gave each of them a cloak made of rat skin.

"My back!" Hundreds of rat whisperers hugged him. At first, the poet bent over to match their height, but later he simply squatted down, which caused his back to hurt and his legs to go numb.

Rorschach and Caroline were currently suspended in the air, concealing their forms with illusion magic. Rorschach's fusion was still ongoing, and his strength had not yet reached its peak.

Once everything is ready, the Shadowlands will "explode" under his control. Spells based on "Exile" and "Disintegration" will cover the entire area. With the clash of the two modes, the Shadowlands will simultaneously detach from the surfaces of reality and symbolism, becoming a temporarily isolated plane.

What will happen after becoming an isolated plane is unpredictable, even for the wise. He has a few guesses:

Ideally, the Shadowlands, having lost its support from both realms, would collapse or crumble on its own. This would be the best-case scenario, and Rorschach would no longer need to worry about it, and everything would be fine.

However, it is also possible that the residual divine power within the collapse will erupt, shattering into small pieces or transforming into a shockwave that pollutes the material and symbolic worlds. This is unacceptable. Therefore, the phantom of the wise man is still holding out in the elven statue, activating the remaining power of the Lord of Order, which will erupt in the form of "light" to cleanse the "dirty things" in the shadowy ground.

This old man was so strong, and he had a strong sense of contractual obligation, working tirelessly until his death. Even as a ghost, he still had to clean up the mess. Rorschach was somewhat moved.

"Rorschach, can we begin now?" Caroline asked, somewhat worried, as Storm City was in a state of chaos and turmoil. She began trying to pinpoint a spatial anchor point on the continent, ready to pull Rorschach away at any moment.

This student's aura was extraordinary at this moment. The most direct feeling was that the magic in the environment was gathering around the boy next to Caroline, and this range seemed to cover the entire city.

Within the "eye of the storm" of magic, Caroline does not feel much oppression, which is also the result of Rorschach's restraint. However, when she tries to prepare to cast a teleportation spell, she finds that magic is difficult to obey her commands.

This feeling is like being in a strong wind; it makes it difficult to breathe.

"Wait a little longer. The overlap between Storm City and Shadow City is too high right now." If he "detonates" now, Storm City will also be greatly affected, and he will become a super villain who blows up a great royal capital.

However, Luo Xia frowned, realizing that things were not as simple as planned.

On the banks of the Tamss River, a magnificent building sprang up like mushrooms after rain, facing the West Cathedral across the river—the Upside-Down Church. The charred thatched roofs of the burned-out buildings of Storm City were now visible. The river's waves seemed to come alive, transforming into tentacles that climbed onto passing boats, churning them and dragging them into the water.

The billowing smoke from the fire, accompanied by flames, dyed the sky red, turning it into a dusky orange-red.

All signs indicate that the Shadowlands are being squeezed into the real world. No, the entire Storm City is accelerating its descent into the Shadowlands! Rorschach discovered that the underground was boiling over, with a foul and restless power surging up. He recognized it all too well—it was Mother Earth!

The Iron Crown Knights' tall horses galloped down the street when suddenly thick tentacles burst from the ground, lifting both riders and horses into the air.

The knight felt as if his chest cavity was being crushed through the deformed breastplate, and air was being forced out of his lungs. He struggled to draw his sword and slash at the tentacle, but unexpectedly, the pustules on the tentacle burst, and poisonous fog instantly erupted throughout the entire block.

This evil god had been lying in wait, waiting for Rorschach to break the seal and open the portal. Then, at the last moment, it greedily opened its blood-red maw. It no longer only wanted to seize the Shadow City, but also tried to devour the capital of Istani in one gulp.

Now, enormous tentacles are bursting from the ground and rising upwards throughout the city, spewing poisonous gas or shooting out countless tiny needles from their spiky pods, like clouds, killing charging knights and gun-wielding lobsters.

Rorschach could only spare some of his power to create a blue light barrier as large as possible, expanding it to cover an entire city block. The fleeing people, finding this sanctuary that could protect them from the tentacles, quickly flocked into Rorschach's shelter.

He invaded from below. The phantom of the Sage is still in the deep zone; if the power of the Lord of Order is detonated now, it can eliminate this disgusting creature.

Rorschach attempted to contact the illusory figure of the Sage and sense his presence downwards, but was obscured by the chaotic fluctuations created by Mother Earth.

Should we return to the deep-sea area?

As he made his decision, another rift suddenly tore open in space, unleashing a tremendous suction force. Rorschach resisted for a moment, then the rift ceased its attempts, and an old man appeared.

His appearance was extremely frail; his wavy hair was sparse and dry, and his hairline had receded to the point where the top of his head was exposed. But the old man's eyes were wide open like copper bells, revealing boundless vitality, and he was dressed in outdated traditional Istani clothing.

He raised a prism, and the scattered light swept across it, creating unnatural refractions in front of Rorschach and Caroline's illusion.

"Found you! You are the source of this disaster?" The old man smiled. "In any case, you have done a remarkable thing, so please allow me to introduce myself: Sir Isaac, I have come on orders!"

(End of this chapter)