At the same time, on the other side—
What was it like to face a Magus from the Age of Gods, and how did it feel to be their enemy when they were fully prepared?
Touko hadn't fully grasped it before. The only Age of Gods Magus she knew, Merry, had only ever used illusions, and her combat abilities hadn't been fully revealed.
But now, Touko understood.
*BZZZZZZZ!*
Inside a simulated barrier made of illusions, a massive magical formation covered the entire upper part of the domain. Countless points of light shone brightly within it, each node of the formation resembling a star. Looking up, it was like gazing at a breathtakingly beautiful starry sky.
However, no one would be captivated by the beauty of that starry map, for as it radiated its dazzling light, anyone who saw it could feel the shadow of death enveloping them.
*TING!*
Beneath the starry map, floating in the air, Morgan tapped the void with her staff, and in the next moment, as if activated, all the shining stars in the magical formation suddenly glowed even brighter before plummeting from the star map!
Celestial Magecraft: Starfall.
Over the past ten years, Morgan hadn't been idle. Relying on her divine domain magical talent and to pass the time, she had created various types of Magecraft, with Starfall being one of them.
*BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!*
Countless meteors fell from the sky, a true meteor shower filling the entire illusion domain, making it feel as though the heavens themselves were collapsing. In reality, that's exactly what it looked like.
On the ground, staring at the falling meteors, Merry's mouth fell open in shock. "Whoa~ Morgan, you're incredible, quietly developing Magecraft on this scale… If this were the Age of Gods, it would've been an even more astonishing sight."
The illusion barrier's range was a spherical domain with a hundred-meter diameter, capable of covering its dome. Even in the modern era, where the Greater Source had weakened, this already demonstrated the prowess of an Age of Gods Magus.
In the Age of Gods, it would have been akin to a miracle.
"Touko, my advice is to have Rider activate Aegis's shield to its maximum. While each meteor's power is only equivalent to a magic cannon, when hundreds or thousands combine, the strength is still terrifying."
No need for Merry's reminder—Touko had already instructed Odysseus to do so. A futuristic shield was deployed to its fullest, protecting the three people behind it.
The next moment—
*BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!*
*BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!*
*BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!*
The ear-splitting sound of meteors crashing echoed throughout the illusion barrier. Bright blue light converged and expanded into a massive firework, engulfing and submerging everything on the ground!
A sea of brilliant blue flames instantly replaced the original ground!
Straining to maintain the protective shield, Odysseus, while enduring the meteor barrage, glanced at his Master and Shiki behind him. "Holding up, Master, Miss Ryougi?"
"Huh? What'd you say?"
The deafening noise made it impossible for Touko and Shiki to hear Odysseus, forcing them to guess from his lip movements.
(This isn't good if it continues. I'm fine, but Master and Miss Ryougi won't hold out.)
Protected by Aegis's Conceptualism, Odysseus could withstand this meteor shower to defeat Morgan without issue. But right now, protecting Touko and Shiki was more critical. If his Master died, it would mean total defeat.
(Speaking of which, this is truly an extraordinary Magecraft achievement. With this level of Magecraft, how was the Berserker team defeated so easily last night?)
Was it because they were caught off guard? Or was Saber's Master really so powerful as to defeat Morgan like this?
(Keep holding, Rider. A large-scale Magecraft like this can't be sustained indefinitely; it must have a duration. When this Magecraft ends, that's the time to counterattack.)
At that moment, Touko's command echoed in Odysseus's mind. Though the sound of the meteor impacts drowned out spoken words, communication between Master and Servant was unaffected.
(Understood, Master.)
Touko wasn't wrong. Starfall wasn't a Magecraft that could be used continuously. Its Mana consumption was immense, and even Morgan couldn't sustain it forever. By seizing the moment Starfall ended to counterattack, Morgan, temporarily drained of Mana, wouldn't be able to resist.
*BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!*
The meteor shower's intensity suddenly weakened, and a few seconds later, as the last meteor in sight vanished along with the protective shield, Odysseus immediately deactivated defense mode. Several rocket thrusters on his armor's back extended, and a burst of blue light propelled him into the sky at high speed!
(The timing is perfect, acting decisively, but—)
The tip of Morgan's staff suddenly emitted a blinding light. The starry magical formation, which had been breaking apart and scattering in the air, transformed into countless streams of Mana, like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea, converging in front of her staff to form a new magical formation.
Overwhelming Mana fluctuations radiated continuously from the staff, and then—
*ZRRRTTTTTT!*
A magic cannon beam, like a comet falling from the sky, filled Odysseus's entire field of vision in an instant!
Reflexively, Odysseus tried to change direction to dodge, but at the same moment, he realized the consequences of doing so. Forcing himself to stop, he faced the blazing comet cannon head-on, shielded by Aegis!
*DOOONNNGGG!*
Without hesitation, Odysseus's entire body was blasted back to the ground by the magic cannon!
Morgan sneered. "Unscathed? Truly worthy of being called the strongest armor in Greek mythology. A single shot is far from enough to pierce that armor."
"You're really sharp, Morgan. That's enough." Merry said, approaching Morgan with a smile. "If you keep fighting, my illusion won't hold up anymore. Your Magecraft's power is too great."
"Is this the extent of a Grand Caster Magus?"
"Candidate! I'm a candidate! Besides, a Grand Caster Magus can't do everything! At least consider that our strengths are nearly equal! You're not much different from me. Asking me to keep withstanding a storm of attacks without fighting back is just bullying. No matter how strong someone is, they can't endure that."
[Is this the place?]
Suddenly, as Merry spoke, a voice came from outside the illusion barrier.
Then, as if shattering glass, one corner of the illusion barrier broke. A hand, adorned with rings on all five fingers, gripped the edge of the crack and pulled hard—
*KRAK!*
The illusion barrier shattered completely!
The people inside the barrier instantly returned to the real world, and in that real world, the one who broke the barrier—Solomon—glared sharply at them.
"Found you."
"Rider."