BXBX NOVEL Chapter 416: The Other Side of Envy
The sky darkened rapidly as ominous clouds gathered above. The surge of mana intensified, a volatile brew of opposing forces – darkness and light colliding at the pinnacle of the magical spectrum. Then, with a blinding flash, the clash of energies descended upon the earth like a divine judgment.
A thunderous boom erupted from the point of impact. The explosion ripped outwards, a wave of destruction that scorched and obliterated buildings, corpses, and anything else in its path. As the shockwave slammed into the Sanctum Sanctorum, the previously hidden enchantments and leylines were cleansed and shattered by the raw power.
The very fabric of the sky seemed to fracture, a mirror shattering to reveal the secret realm cloaked within. Now, from the perspective of the outside world, an island suddenly materialized near the Hampton Beach coast, marked by the remnants of a colossal explosion.
The shockwave triggered a mini-tsunami, surging towards the beach. Fortunately, a barrier surrounding the island protected it from the brunt of the wave. However, the mainland wasn't as fortunate. The shockwave roared through the city, mimicking a devastating tornado, leaving a trail of demolished mansions, buildings, and public property in its wake.
Within the Sanctuary of Light, seconds bled into minutes. As the dust settled from the explosion's fury, a desolate expanse stretched before them. Where once buildings stood, imbued with magic and purpose, there was now only a smooth, featureless plain. Not even a single shard of stone remained as a testament to their existence.
Only the verdant embrace of nature – trees, grass, and wildlife – remained untouched. The very essence of magic and enchantment had been purged, leaving no trace, no whisper of their former presence.
A huddled group of survivors, a mix of frightened guards and masked figures, cowered in the aftermath. The leader, the man in Owl Mask, was nowhere to be seen.
Montgomery stood speechless, overwhelmed by the spectacle before him. The spell Daniel had unleashed was nothing short of a miracle. It possessed the unthinkable ability to differentiate between living and nonliving matter, destroying only structures and magical enchantment while leaving the natural world unscathed. This defied the very logic of mass destruction spells in the modern mage's arsenal.
True, selective curses existed, capable of operating under specific conditions to target specific groups. But these were curses, their mechanisms and spell operation vastly different from the destructive spell Daniel had just used.
Modern magecraft heavily relied on scientific principles and physics. They offered a convenient, low-effort approach to manipulating reality through magic.
After all, magic, at its core, was the art of bending reality using mana. The more one attempted to warp reality with mana, the more difficult and mana-intensive it became. Modern mages, existing in a world where mana was scarce, had embraced scientific and physical theories as the foundation for many spells, simplifying their magic use in this mana and resources deprived environment.
Because modern magic adheres to physics, and the laws of physics don't differentiate between friend and foe, spells born from it also lack discrimination.
An explosion spell cast in a crowded house full of people would obliterate both the structure and its occupants. However, Daniel's spell defied this norm. He could dismantle an entire building while leaving its inhabitants unscathed.
This astonishing display left Montgomery speechless. Even after fifteen minutes had elapsed and Daniel had directed Vlad and Hermes to detain the surviving guards and masked figures, Montgomery remained rooted to the spot, his gaze fixed on the distant horizon. It was as if his lifelong beliefs had been shattered into dust before his eyes.
"Ahem... Mr. Montgomery? Montgomery... Montgomery..." Daniel called out, but Montgomery remained unresponsive.
"Seems like you broke him, Daniel," Hermes chimed in. "I must say, the spell you just unleashed defied the very principles of modern magic, no wonder it shocked him so."
Seeing Montgomery's dazed state, Vlad strode towards him and delivered a resounding slap on his bald head.
"Wake up, you old baldy!" Vlad boomed. Montgomery jolted back to his senses, blinking around in confusion and rubbing his head.
"Oh, right... Lord Emberweave," he stammered, "what kind of magic was that? An ancient spell? I felt an explosion of both dark and light mana, and then... this." He gestured towards the vast plain, now devoid of buildings, with only grass, wildlife, and trees remaining. "Not even a speck of dust left behind."
"My apologies, Mr. Montgomery," Daniel said, "but that's a secret. Now, are you ready to return and meet with Ms. Envy?"
"Ah, yes! Yes, of course!" Montgomery exclaimed, flustered. "Forgive my rudeness, I was simply... overwhelmed. Let's go back, shall we?"
— 2 Days Later - Secret Space Under Golden Empire Tower —
Within the dark, damp, and dimly lit hallway, deliberately designed and using medieval technique to build, the sound of high heels reverberated through the old flagstone pavement. Along this corridor, numerous prison cells crafted from specialized stone and reinforced with adamantine steel bars adorned with enchantment runes lined both sides.
At the end of the hallway loomed a large interrogation room, furnished with an array of magical tools and contraptions designed to extract knowledge and confessions from prisoners.
These tools and contraptions were not solely meant to inflict pain; they could even extract specific memories from their victims, ensuring that the information obtained was genuine rather than coerced through mere physical agony.
The high heels' owner pushed open the heavy, double wooden doors, revealing the large interior of the interrogation room. Its austere, medieval aesthetic mirrored the hallway outside.
Inside, several figures were strapped to various torture devices, their faces contorted in a mixture of pain and defiance. Overseeing them were a group of lizardmen torturers, their reptilian eyes gleaming with a disturbing hunger as they leered at the prisoners.
"Klaxas, what have you learned?" inquired the owner of the high heels. A stunning woman with cascading, straight purple hair that flowed down her shoulders, she was adorned in a luxurious dress. This was none other than Envy, the witch of Envy.
"Greetingzz, Ladizzz Envizzzz," rasped Klaxas, the lizardman, his voice thick with a subservient tone despite the natural hiss of his reptilian tongue. Adorned with gold ornaments, he bowed deeply, a servant offering a meager tribute to his mistress.
Klaxas shuffled towards the corner of the room where a lone homunculus diligently recorded the testimonies extracted from the prisoners. He retrieved a neatly rolled scroll, sealed with wax, and presented it to Envy with both hands.
Envy accepted the scroll from Klaxas' grasp and unfurled it, her expression indifferent despite the screams echoing within the chamber. These were mere background noises to the witch of Envy.
"So, these individuals are a mixture of Olympian god followers, cultists, and opportunists aiming to establish a second Hightower for control over North America," Envy concluded after perusing the information.
"Yezz, mzzz Ladizzzz. Iz hazzz indeezzz beenzzz a long time sinzzz we laszzz encountered themzzz," Klaxas commented.
"Yes, indeed," Envy agreed, tucking the scroll into her storage space pouch, intending to share the information with her beloved Daniel.
To Envy, the last time these people dared show their heads was during Europe's second black plague. At that time, the state of the Curtained World was also like this. A state where some ambitious idiots thought they had a chance to control the Curtained World,
"The Curtained World can only be controlled by Daniel, my beloved. The Hightower is the sole exception, being Merlin's legacy," Envy declared, casting a cold glance at one of the victims, a member of the wooden mask conspiracy group.
"Lady Envy, please have mercy. That's all we know. We don't know who the man in the Owl mask is," the victim pleaded, looking at Envy with desperation in their eyes.
"Don't worry. Since you are cooperating, I'll release all of you today," Envy said with a smile, then turned toward Klaxas. "Free them, Klaxas," she commanded.
"Yezzz, mzz ladiezzz," Klaxas responded with a grin, a toothy display that did little to reassure the prisoners. He lumbered towards a control panel and flicked a switch, deactivating the restraining straps that bound the captives.
"Thank you for your mercy, Lady Envy," one of the victims stammered, a flicker of hope igniting in their eyes.
Envy's smile vanished in a heartbeat. "Klaxas! Intruders!" she roared. "Kill them all! Their flesh is yours and your brethren's to consume!" With a horrifying swiftness, lizardmen erupted from a hidden well within the chamber, weapons bared and eyes gleaming with predatory hunger. The recently released prisoners shrank back in terror.
"No, Lady Envy! You promised to release us!" A mage shrieked, her voice laced with desperation. She attempted to reach out to Envy with her empathy, desperate to plead for their lives. After all, Envy was known for her… kindness? A sliver of confusion flickered amidst the mage's terror.
Envy's smile turned icy, sending a shiver down the mage's spine. "Release you? I did exactly that," she said with a sly smirk. "Nowhere did I promise your safety."
The mage's fury boiled over. He lunged at Envy, a roar erupting from his throat. But his outburst was cut short. In a flash of reptilian savagery, a lizardman clamped down on his outstretched arm, tearing it free with a sickening crunch.
The chamber erupted into chaos. Mages scrambled to fight back, their spells sparking into existence. However, their efforts were in vain. Every brick within the interrogation hall was imbued with a special property, stifling their ability to properly channel mana. Magic-deprived, they were easy prey for the ravenous lizardmen.
Flesh tearing and bone munching coupling with symphonic screams filled the air as the dark banquet began. Envy watched without warmth or mercy in her eyes, venting her hatred. While she was indeed kind and merciful, it was selective and reserved only for her people.
Those she perceived as enemies, especially those who harmed her loved ones like little Sylvana, deserved to see the darker side of her personality, a side she rarely showed under the light of day.