The small wound on Lith's neck was already healed as he watched his two Professors fight against the human faced monster that was Thrud Griffon. Even after being hit with the full force of Vastor's spell, not a hair on her head was out of place.
'Solus, analysis.'
'It's exactly as we predicted. Her equipment, combat skill, and mana core are superior to yours. Judging from our exchange, she should be on par with Scarlett the Scorpicore overall. Plus, you have to take into account her artifacts.' She promptly replied.
'We have a few advantages, though. Fusion magic allows your body to exceed hers, even if not by much. Also, she is underestimating our numbers and the Professors' skill. Last but not least, this place is built above a mana geyser.
'Now that I have had the time to check, I have confirmed that she hasn't tapped into its power for her arrays, nor has she sealed the geyser. Which means it's mine for the taking.'
Solus's ring assumed its gauntlet form, and then it kept growing until it covered Lith's arm up to the elbow. Razor sharp claws extended from his fingers and small blades extended out from it along the outside of his forearm.
A gemstone rested on the back of his hand, which turned from a deep shade of green to a bright one as the world energy flowed into her body. Thanks to their bond, Lith's recovery abilities improved instantly.
Unluckily, there was no space for him in the current fight.
Manohar's light constructs had uncanny versatility and he used that to its fullest to be unpredictable. They would constantly turn from weapons into shields, or even into some kind of exoskeleton whenever Thrud forced him into close combat.
Vastor had never been blessed with a nimble body, but he had long since learned how to overcome that limitation. His tier five air spell Glide allowed him to fly around the room with great speed without sacrificing finesse.
Lith knew how hard it was to use air currents to propel oneself in such an enclosed space without crashing against the walls or the columns. Yet the Professor managed to move with short controlled bursts of speed.
They made him untouchable while he chanted one spell after the other and dodged everything Thrud threw at him. Lith went to check Jirni's condition while Solus kept an eye on the events, waiting for their opportunity to intervene.
Lady Ernas was puking blood and bile from the earlier kick. Manohar's protection had allowed her to survive, but she was still messed up. Lith removed her concussion, fixed her ribs, and healed her punctured lungs.
"Don't waste life force on me." Jirni said as she felt her strength returning.
"That woman is beyond anything I can do, whereas with your spells you might make a difference."
Lith ignored her words since it was Solus's mana geyser empowered Invigoration providing her treatment.
'I need every edge I can get.' Lith thought. 'Jirni's cunning and battle experience cannot be underestimated, yet it's what the Mad Queen is doing. What makes her so arrogant?'
The answer came in the form of a joyous laugh. A snap of Thrud's fingers conjured one of her tier five personal spells, Raging Griffon. It made a small tornado appear around her which drew everything inside the room that wasn't bolted to the floor towards her.
The pull it exerted was sudden and powerful, making Manohar almost lose his footing. Thanks to his hit and run tactics, Vastor wasn't as affected but he had other problems to worry about.
The tornado was sucking the air away, making chanting harder. It wouldn't have been much of an issue, if not for his need to avoid being pulled toward Thrud and dodge the sea of corpses which were now spinning around the room.
All of Thrud's clones were being lifted off the ground and turned into deadly projectiles. Thanks to their enchanted clothes, the corpses would deal no damage to the Professors, but the impact would break their focus or maybe even drag them into the whirlwind.
Thrud's spell consisted of countless air blades spinning around their master with enough speed to generate the tornado and blend everything it touched into a puree. Manohar had nothing prepared for such a threat, so he had to use gravity magic to keep his balance while his light constructs brought him to safety.
Vastor wasn't capable of using gravity magic. The only thing he could do was raise stone walls to protect himself.
'The fat rat is cornered, so I'm free to deal with the so called genius.' Thrud thought as she darted toward the defenseless Manohar.
"Son of a…" Was all he managed to say before the air blades surrounding Thrud almost bit into his flesh. Manohar recalled all of his constructs around him and avoided the worst.
The shields would crack and shatter after a few hits, but he could replace them with the others that surrounded him while his will reassembled the fragments. Yet even with his great mana reserves, it was only a matter of time before they were exhausted.
To make matters worse, Thrud snapped her fingers again and unleashed another tier five spell, Black Griffon. Six griffons as big as horses and made of darkness galloped towards her enemies.
Usually darkness magic's weak point was its slow speed, but aside from Thrud everyone else was locked in place. Lith was the only reason why Jirni wasn't already dead.
He had protected both of them with an air shield while casting spells from time to time to test the enemy's defenses. Earth and water magic were useless since they took physical forms that Rampaging Griffon had no problems destroying.
The lack of oxygen greatly weakened fire magic, leaving only darkness and air magic viable for him to use. Lith and Solus were still racking their brains when they saw two Black Griffons rushing against them.
There was one for each member of his group and two for Manohar who also had to face them almost at point blank range.
"This doesn't bode well." He said as the summoned creatures ripped through his barrier faster than he could reform it.
"Save yourself, you idiot. There's no point in dying together." Jirni snarled while trying to push Lith away.
"How exactly?" He snarled back. "That thing would chase me and the windstorm would suck me in at the tiniest mistake."
Lith shot a barrage of Plague Arrows towards the Griffons. It slowed their advance and reduced their size but it didn't stop them. Lith activated Death Call, conjuring four arms made of darkness that tackled his aggressors.
'What the fuck?' He thought in surprise when the two spells made contact. 'Darkness can touch darkness like they are both tangible, maybe I can do this!'
Or so he believed until the huge energy mass composing Thrud's tier five spell consumed his thinner tier four.
Even with Solus helping him to constantly regenerate the shadow limbs, Lith could only delay the inevitable.
Hidden behind a column at the far end of the room, away from the fight, there lay the last Spellbreaker. Kilian had worked hard in the backlines, using his skills to tamper with the outposts protections despite the distance separating him from their source.
"Short distance Warps are now possible!" He yelled as he Blinked to the other side of the room. The Black Griffon chasing him didn't stop in time. It crashed against the layers of runes which sealed the area and disappeared in a puff of smoke.
