Chapter 175 - Imperium Orbis (2/2)
”You gave your all,” Herellia replied to Aurus's words before letting out a sigh. ”That alone is enough.”
As she said this, she could not help but look at the barrier and say with a slightly melancholic tone, ”Haah…to think there would be a day where the whole alliance would be wiped out.” She then looked back at Aurus and said with a slightly melancholic chuckle, ”As the strongest alliance in Tempest Cliff, it's quite ironic, isn't it?”
”Well…” Aurus ignored Herellia's words of melancholy as he pondered over the other methods he had to break through the barrier. Surprisingly, it only took a few seconds for him to formulate a plan. Looking at Herellia with an aura of slight excitement surrounding him, Aurus could not help but say, ”Herellia, I haven't told you this before, but…”
”Hm?” Herellia could not help but radiate an aura of curiosity as she listened to Aurus's words. After listening to the full explanation, she could not help but radiate an aura of intense shock as she softly shouted, ”That's killing two birds with one stone! Chonk and his army would have their psychological barrier crumble while we're prepared to retaliate.”
”I'd still need the help of the alliance though,” Aurus said, knowing very well that Herellia had accepted his plan. ”Do we have any proficient illusionists that could cast a facade on the other side of the barrier, making it look like we're still here?”
”Hmm…” Herellia closed her sense of vision for a bit as she pondered. Not long after, she opened them as she replied, ”I've called the top 5 illusionists in the alliance. Will they be enough for this plan?”
”More than enough,” Aurus replied with the aura of excitement surrounding him intensifying. Just as he was about to tell the illusionists what they were going to do as they had just arrived, a familiar voice resounded throughout Aurus' mind. Hearing what the voice told him, Aurus could not help but chuckle as he imagined the shock on the body of the voice's origin.
”Hey Aurus, Chonk is going to start Phase 2 soon.” This voice said in Aurus's mind. This voice came from none other than Horell, who was a double agent for the Tempest Branch Alliance. Not long after, he added, ”Once Chonk shouts the phrase 'Tenfold Power', I'm pretty sure the alliance is going to lose. Make sure to break through the barrier before he shouts those words.”
”Hehehe.” In response, Aurus laughed at his words. He then said, ”I'll make sure the alliance breaks through before that happens. Not only that, but I'll also be giving you a big surprise you'll surely love.”
”Oh?” Horell could not help but say. ”What kind of surprise?”
”You'll have to wait and see~” After saying these words, Aurus then told Horell that he was going to break through the barrier, ending the conversation between the two of them. Not long after, he turned back to look at the 5 illusionists that had been called by Herellia to arrive at the center of the main hall.
”Alright, what I need you five to do is create a mirage on the barrier that would make it look like that we're still in the alliance,” Aurus said to the five before asking them, ”Can you five do that?”
In response, the 5 illusionists looked at each other for a bit, exchanging strands of energy with one another for a while. After a few seconds, one of the illusionists rolled forward and said to Aurus, ”No problem!”
”Make sure to do it as fast as possible,” Aurus said to the five before they hastily rolled towards the barrier, creating a sheet of energy that dr.a.p.ed over the barrier. A few seconds later, a carbon copy of the image that could be seen from the outside was on this sheet of energy, making Aurus radiate an aura of happiness as he muttered to himself, ”Time for me to do my part.”
Whoosh!
Summoning all of the FP in the body, he transformed it into strands that extended out of his body before intertwining with one another as a black light started to radiate from the center of the mass of strands. Not long after, he detached these mass of strands from his body, manipulating it to settle on the ground at the center of the alliance hall.
Vwoosh!
In an instant, the black light in the center had expanded to a great amount, emanating an aura that the black light was connected to another part of the world. In actuality, that was indeed the case, with Aurus expending quite a decent amount of his FP to form another mass of strands outside the alliance base. Sensing that the connection between the two masses was successful, he then shouted, ”[Lesser Portal Creation]!”
Swoosh!
In that instant, all of the remaining strands, which were not engulfed by the black light, had been engulfed as the aura that emanated from it had intensified, attracting the attention of all the alliance members that were panicking as to how they would escape the alliance base.
After making sure that the other side underwent the same phenomenon as well, Aurus then shouted without hesitation, ”Everyone! Enter the portal and we'll end up behind the alliance base! This will allow us to catch them off-guard!”
Noticing that some members were doubtful as to whether the black light in the center was a portal, Herellia continued where Aurus left off, saying, ”The orders of the Vice Leader are my orders. Enter the portal and we shall initiate Code 1, Phase 1.”
”If they're going to attack us with their full power, then let us attack with our full power as well!”
…
On the other side of the barrier, while being unaware of what was happening inside the alliance, Chonk looked at the members of his army with great confidence, sensing the great aura of power that emanated from each one of them.
He then turned around to look at what the alliance had done after that close escape, slightly surprised that the barrier was untouched after that. Seeing this, he could not help but feel that something bad was going to happen. Not long after, he suppressed this feeling and thought optimistically as he said, ”They just gave up on breaking the barrier. I'm sure that's what they did.”
After saying those words, he turned back to look at his army and took a deep breath. He then shouted, ”Everyone, release your skills!”
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
In an instant, multiple rays of light that varied in sizes and colors started to shoot out of each member in the army, converging towards a certain spot above Chonk's head. A few seconds later, two thicker beams of light shot out from Horell and Chungus, easily absorbing the power from the beams of the members as the two beams unified into a double-helix made out of light.
With this double-helix floating in mid-air, Chonk then jumped up and slashed out with his front paws, making the double-helix burst as the energy it contained covered a wide range, shrouding a large area with a faint white haze.
Soon after, Chonk summoned all of the mana in his body and channeled it through his paws as he slashed out yet again, allowing the white haze to absorb his mana as each member in the army felt themselves grow stronger.
With the aura of power radiating from the members growing twice as strong, Chonk could not help but look at them with a satisfied expression on his face as he shouted, ”Code Omega…”
”Phase 2…”
”[Imperious Orbis: Onefold Power]!”