Omega's Rebirth-Chapter 760: Bleeding Sky ()

A violent tremor rocked the earth.

It wasn’t the first, and it would not be the last.

It was difficult to tell if it originated from the stirring volcano, or the imploding mana pools as the Fae drained yet another mana pool of energy in their sinister spell.

The mana pools imploded in quick successions, only to be replaced by yet another. Fort Inferno was a territory blessed with an abundance of natural magic, not even the Fae’s efforts could change that.

It was only to their benefit. No matter how many mana pools they destroyed, there would only be more to replace it. They would never run out of energy and their spell thrived, rich and vicious.

Neveah stood atop the Southern watchtower of the city gates, her eyes locked onto the enemy encampment in the vast forest surrounding the lower and middle districts of Infernal City. From this vantage point, she could see everything.

The entire forest was within a thick, gleaming magic barrier, keeping the Fae protected from fire offensive or any attacks from the sky. That barrier was currently bombarded by flames as a unit of infernal dragons attempted to breach. The barrier cracked underneath the assault, but the barrier unit of the Fae battalion was ready, they retaliated by reinforcing the barrier immediately before the cracks could spread. Meanwhile, the Fae advance magic unit was hard at work.

Their spectral wings fluttered as they circled a particular point, taking up some strange formation that was continuously reinforced.

A dark green rune gleamed viciously in the sky, vines intertwined with each other to form the strange shape. From the core of the rune, greenish fumes poured out, rapidly spreading across the sky, swallowing up the already waning daylight and casting the parts of Inferno they touched in an eerie, green hued darkness.

Plant poison...at least that was Neveah’s guess.

There was a strange, unpleasant stench carried with the fumes. If Neveah could sense it from here, it was difficult to imagine what it would do to the dragon lords up there in the sky.

It was ironic how a race that claimed to exist for the purpose of safeguarding and preserving nature was currently using it for their own nefarious purposes. Corrupting the skies without a single care of the effect it would have on all things that lived and breathed in Inferno.

"That thing won’t end in the skies, will it?" Neveah murmured.

"We know better than to expect the Fae to be reasonable." Xenon replied, his tone tight. "If they hope to take possession of Inferno, they must rid it of all life. Dragon and humans alike."

The skies bled the green fumes, tendrils spiraling and expanding like a living wound festering right above Inferno. The air crackled with raw, unstable mana. It stirred the magic in Neveah’s veins, calling to her, tempting her to tap into it, to draw from it.

This was the beginning of a war that was centuries in coming. There had never been a confrontation between the Fae and dragon kind, the two most powerful species left in the stronghold after the fall of the dark empire. Even now, it was difficult to say who had the upper hand.

And Neveah knew this had to be nipped in the bud, early enough, before the other races began picking sides.

"If... the mages fail, and we missed the golden time to launch a fire offensive on the Fae because of me... the casualties..." Neveah trailed off, her grip on the parapet tightened.

"Do not do that." Xenon reprimanded. "Do not second guess yourself. You have it under control... trust your methods, because I do."

Neveah nodded, sucking in a breath to steady her heart.

Another mana pool imploded, and a second onslaught of flames hit the barrier. This time, the crack was even larger than the rest and the barrier flickered in and out of view before it was reinforced again.

In two exchanges, it was obvious that the fire power of the dragons was even more terrifying than magic. It was inexhaustible and did not need to be reinforced like the Fae barrier. It was why the Fae did not dare face the dragons head on, but instead held their barrier.

This in no way meant the Fae was weak. Far from it. The Fae battalion was made up of four distinct units. The advance magic unit, the barrier unit, the combat unit and forest spirits.

Forest spirits as Neveah had learned were not Fae, they were magic beasts guarding the Fae forests. Each clan had a specific beast type that guarded their forests, in battle, they served as mounts to the combat unit.

There was so much about the Fae she had only read about, but now, those tales would play out right before her eyes and all the secrets hidden within the bounds of their forests would come to be known.

Since the Fae battalion had been spotted a few days before the first offensive, it had been missing two units. The barrier unit and advanced magic unit had launched their attack, but the other two units were nowhere to be found...at least not yet.

Did they cross into inferno? Or were they lurking behind a portal, awaiting the completion of the spell?

The barrier unit hoped to drag out time with the barrier, until the skies were toxic enough that the dragon lords would be forged to abandon their habitat and battle on solid ground. With the massive sizes of dragons, a battle on solid ground would be catastrophic.

It would give the Fae an upper hand. And if the Fae took control of Inferno, then all the mana pools would be a part of their territory. They would turn their sights to The Rudder and Kezrar Dun, two other territories that had just as much magic potential as Inferno.

Neveah also understood why Fort Inferno was the first target. The volcano made for a perfect advantage.

Now that the dragons had attacked, the Fae would be overrun if they did not lay all their cards on the table. They would have to complete the spell faster, sooner... which meant drawing more mana.

And yet, unseen beneath the chaos, her mages were already striking back.

Neveah could sense it. The poisoning of the mana pools had begun.

A slow, insidious counterstrike, magic laced into the ancient ley lines that fed the mana pools, corrupting them from within. If the Fae did not notice soon, their own spellwork would begin to crumble from the inside out.

But the battle had to hold long enough for that to happen. For that, the missing two units of the Fae battalion had to reveal themselves.

She had not planned a retaliation only to take down half of the battalion.

A third assault on the barrier completely shattered it. The dragons circled the Fae, steering clear of the spreading fumes. They did not attack, it seemed like they were wary of the fumes, but they in fact did not have any orders to attack in the first place. The barrier was down, they had done their part.

Much too soon, but Neveah had expected that.

"Anytime now..." Neveah murmured, leaning forward on the tower.

A jump portal tore open right where the barrier had stood and a terrible shriek split the air.