– Era of the Wastes, Cycle 219, Season of the Setting Moon, Day 63 –

The battlefield burst forth with fresh waves of wrathful mana.

The remaining pseudo-avatars channeled the rage of their otherrealm ruler.

Cultist-loyal sun elf squads were now seeing their comrades die at the hands of the cursed creatures they had been coordinating with just moments ago.

Terry could finally let loose. His mana burst and he darted forward on the battlefield while taking out the enemies in his path. With the numbers of the funghouls losing most of their meaning, his gaze was now fixed on the three pseudo-avatars channeling the cursed faith.

The armies were still fighting, but the fight had changed. The cultist-loyal faction had diminished from the moment Terry had painted the truth as finger runes onto the battlefield and into the vision of every mage. Those that had coordinated with the funghouls had naturally been the closest to them, and therefore, the most vulnerable when the funghouls ceased differentiating between the different combatants.

The allied armies were facing the funghouls, but Terry knew the battle for this realm could not be decided like this.

They had backed the cultist channelers into a corner and the avatars would react. With no tree left to protect, with no army of funghouls to direct, this battle would now hinge on who would fall first.

The cursed avatars channeling their false god?

Or the combined power of mortal magic Terry had led to this battlefield?

Terry subconsciously filtered his attention, which made him feel like everything slowed down, despite the ongoing chaos. He couldn't apply the strategy they had followed in the folded space. He couldn't count on a slow and careful battle of attrition. He couldn't stretch himself to protect and coordinate everyone.

Not in this battle.

Many allied spells rushed towards the pseudo-avatars. The combined mana investment was unfathomable, but unfortunately the combination was not bigger than the sum of its parts. The effects were merely additive instead of multiplicative, except for a few coincidentally combined air and fire spells.

The unleashed avatars shrugged most of these spells off like droplets of water. The sheer number only served to turn a drizzle into a rain shower.

Reality rippled when the three avatars channeled torrents of mana. A storm of compressed mana manifested. Glowing orange leaves. Razor sharp and swirling in complex patterns before rushing forward.

Mana barriers appeared and were torn apart, but buying just enough time for spatial barriers to shape up and block the assault.

William. Mia.

Terry could feel the allies he would be able to count on from here. He knew the rest of this battle could not be won with numbers. Numbers wouldn't allow apprentice mages to overcome an archmage.

'You see, sometimes numbers aren't enough to repel the threats to this realm. Victory is determined by those at the pinnacle of power, not by the mediocre masses.'

The monster's words involuntarily slipped into Terry's mind, which only served to fuel his fury for those that had invited the otherrealm creature into their minds.

Terry hated Anand, but the prince of the Lich Kingdoms was right on one point. Against overwhelming magic, numbers meant little.

'Everyone can be beaten. Everything has a weakness. If there is none, you create one.'

The mantra of the Veilbinder was his mind's reply to the monster's words.

The Veilbinder had slain False Gods without ever resorting to something as monstrous as the Heart of Syn.

If Anand and those like him couldn't find a better way, then that was their own weakness. A weakness that ought to disqualify them from lecturing others on power.

What does that make me?

Terry could admit that if numbers meant little, then it was his own lack of ability to properly utilize them. Unfortunately, it didn't change the fact that he really didn't.

There were only a few mana users present that could join a direct confrontation with the avatars. Everyone else was a casualty waiting to happen.

Terry knew it.

Everyone knew it.

And the battlefield shifted with that knowledge. Messages spread over the area. Dimensional gates and teleportation spells followed. The allied armies spread out and distanced themselves from the avatars.

A blast as bright as the sun erupted from one avatar and tore the spatial barriers apart.

Terry's eyes narrowed at seeing the display of power. Seeing the avatars unleash enough burst power to destroy a spatial barrier was disheartening, even if not entirely unsurprising.

The true surprise was that this was not simply a channeled ability. Terry had seen something similar before with the channelers of the Bright Lady, who were able to include the holy aspect in their regular spellwork.

The magic that had torn through Mia's spatial barrier was the result of otherrealm aspects empowering the cultists' own magic. Seeing the outdated and fragile spellwork of this realm empowered to such a degree was… equal parts fascinating and horrifying.

Not for the first time in his life, Terry thought channeled abilities were simply cheating.

Fortunately for Terry's side, they had Mia and Yorgos. By the time the barrier fell, no allied forces were left in the sun's burst of destruction.

Plenty of funghouls, though.

Terry's senses didn't miss the vast mass of fungal spores unleashed by the carnage. Spores that didn't care for the blast and went against the force to envelop the cursed avatars.

Terry noted a flicker in one of their marked souls. He couldn't be sure, but it was worth a try. [I believe the one in the east is the one closest to falling to the curse.] He shared his thoughts via his communication talismans.

Terry pushed his mana closer. Forced it forward against the powerful magic raging everywhere. It compressed into disruption fields that targeted three channeling anchors and the spells shaping up in cursed hands.

Can't empower your spells if you can't even shape them. Your otherrealm helpers can't do anything to fix your shitty spell structures.

Terry felt three unworldly gazes focusing on himself. He grinned defiantly. "Yup, still here. Come and get me if you can!"

You're only so confident because you still have Bugsby ready and waiting on your back.

Terry ignored his intrusive thoughts. He knew he didn't have the offensive power to take out the avatars, but he also knew what he could do. Not for the first time, he pictured himself as a pestering splinter in some raging monster's path.

Pestering enough to catch attention.

One avatar unleashed a channeled ability towards Terry. The ability manifested as a colorless cloud of mana draining the life out of everything in its path.

Now that's an ability very unbecoming of a faction that supposedly worships life.

Terry thought pointless thoughts while darting away from the cloud of death pursuing him. His divine barriers were broken in an instant, so dodging was all he could do for now.

For now.

Terry smirked to himself when his senses showed what he had been waiting for. A volley of empowered spatial blades were punishing the avatar aiming for Terry. Disintegration rays from the shadows were added to the mix until the combined assault appeared unavoidable.

Terry almost chuckled. He knew he wasn't the one to take out the avatars, but the avatars either didn't know his weakness or they were annoyed enough by his presence to single him out as if he were one of the most powerful combatants.

A fatal mistake with capable Guildheads and Guardians around.

Let's see how you block that without your spellwork…

Terry tightened his grasp on the disruption fields targeting the avatars while Bugsby teleported him away from the death cloud. He waited for the last moment to further constrict them. He didn't want to risk his oscillating mana breaking the blades before they could do damage.

He needn't have worried. The avatars didn't know the effects of his oscillating mana, nor would they dare to rely on Terry making a mistake to defend themselves of the most feared magic among all.

Seeing the amount of mana the avatars channeled to overcome the assault reminded Terry once again how much of an outlier his oscillating mana really was.

To him, a spatial blade was the kind of attack spell he wouldn't even worry about, at least when his mana pool was filled. To everyone else, though, the spell was the most dreaded scourge of the battlefield.

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A scourge that required massive amounts of mana to fight against. A spatial blade couldn't be blocked. Not really. Not physically. It had to be overpowered with a mana-based attack precise and intense enough to break the blade's core structure or powerful enough to break the space itself, even if only momentarily.

The avatars with their spellwork debilitated by disruption fields evidently weren't capable of the former, so they had to resort to the latter.

Another burst of mana erupted from an avatar, but in contrast to the life-like sun from earlier, this one practically reeked of venomous mana.

No, not just venom… There's something extremely corrosive in it.

Terry couldn't place the aspect, but to his senses, it appeared distinct enough to be separate from the minor poison aspects centering around the major nature aspect he was familiar with.

Terry carefully observed the otherrealm ability rooted in foreign aspects. He didn't care that it was powerful enough to tear through all the spells. He cared about the difference in expended mana.

If they had to hold out against a god-like being's mana pool, then they better be efficient about their mana use.

More importantly, Terry cared about the change in the channeler unleashing the ability. It was the same pseudo-avatar whom Terry had kept an eye on since earlier. The cultist closest to falling to the curse.

Terry hadn't just unleashed his disruption fields to rob the cultists of their mana-efficient spellwork. Forcing them to rely exclusively on channeled abilities was not just an objective to preserve their advantage in mana efficiency.

It was not the means to an end.

It was the end itself.

These cultists were channeling a faith cursed by the only cursemage among the Faithless Saints. A curse infecting all mana, but not all mana equally.

Terry had noticed it during the sun-like burst earlier.

Would the Ungodly Angel Thuzar really unleash a blind weapon onto the realm?

Of course, not.

Terry didn't know how to describe it. If mana could have feelings, then the spores rushing through the air from every killed funghoul appeared absolutely furious when the cursed faith was channeled.

The Saint's Wrath wrestled itself into the weakened cultist. It encroached further and further into the avatar's channeling anchor.

Good. Perhaps this is the kind of battle of attrition we can win.

The Ungodly Angel might not have survived this realm, but she was still with them. What more could he ask for than a Faithless Saint at their side?

How about a spell to actually do something besides being a nuisance and dodging?

Terry ignored his intrusive thoughts. He had to do his best to block and evade an insane volley of what appeared like serrated teeth coated in the corroding mana from earlier. One avatar had used the temporary reprieve from his companion destroying the incoming spells to prepare a counter-attack.

The divine hammer stopped and deflected some projectiles.

Terry tentatively transfixed a few more. He was glad to see his spell working, but dismayed at how much mana it had cost. The corrosive coating appeared to eat into his mana when aiming his spell structure. If it hadn't been for his training with mana touch, his casting might have ended in failure instead of simply shortening the duration the spell remained active.

Terry retrieved and transfixed an unfolded tertium cube to provide enough cover for himself while stretching his senses to see if he had to help out anywhere else.

He wondered if he should simply step into the shadows and rush the avatars through the shadow plane, but he dismissed the idea. He knew he wasn't the one to finish these avatars off.

Terry dismissed letting Bugsby teleport him away again for the same reason. That and he wanted Bugsby to conserve mana. The beetlefolk's void-touched teleportation ability was their last lifeline if he got himself into a situation he couldn't get out of.

Just when Terry was wondering what he could possibly add to the main fight, he heard Tiana's words in his mind. [Why did you stop coordinating everyone? The Moon and the rest of the expedition and sun deserters can hold out against the funghouls with a fraction of the mages.]

Terry furrowed his brow. Surely, Tiana understood the situation just like he did. In the fight against these avatars, numbers mattered little.

Surely, she knew that.

So what was she getting at?

What am I missing?

Terry trusted Tiana, especially her battle tactics. If she was asking such a question, then she could see something he didn't.

But what?

Terry had seen countless spells achieve nothing against the unleashed avatars. So even if he could give those mages orders, what would it do?

What could it do?

True, he could coordinate the allied mages with finger runes, at the risk of exposing his orders to his enemies. But even if he could get them to cast combinations of wind and fire or water and lightning, would it really help?

[Oy, brother, what are you waiting for?] Rafael's voice echoed next in Terry's mind.

Terry opened his mouth slightly. Tiana was one thing, but Rafael? Admittedly, his felan friend always had good battle instincts, but he was also not the type to seek out orders.

Might just be the martialist recklessness talking. I wonder…

[Terry, are you okay? Why are you silent?] Jorg's voice transmission reached him. [What can we do to help?]

Okay, I'm missing something.

Terry subconsciously focused on his mana sense, taking in the flow of the entire battle once more. He had viewed his role in the remaining battle as bait. Perhaps, at best, as someone to buy time or provide an opening to allow his more powerful allies to land a significant blow, just like he had fought with Apex against Vicious.

But something must be different in how his companions viewed his role. Not the real powerhouses like Mia and William, but his closest companions.

His closest companions.

The people that knew Terry best.

[Remember the battle against your Ma and Pa?] Tiana's voice jolted Terry's mind awake.

"I'm an idiot," exclaimed Terry. How had he not seen it?

Because this time, I can't do the setup on on my own, and—

"Make it work." Terry ordered himself and focused on his options. No, not just his options, but taking everyone into account.

Terry had viewed himself as an outsider of this battle even after their plan against the cursed tree had worked. With Guildheads like Mia, Yorgos, and William around, it was easy to dismiss his own power as insignificant against the otherrealm threat.

Terry had been too focused on what he couldn't do that he had overlooked what he could do. Overlooked, that he wasn't alone, either.

There were other mages with power easy to dismiss just like his own.

Plenty of those.

Tiana was right. He could coordinate the mages. Even if their spells were like droplets of water, perhaps rain was just what he needed to make himself useful. To make all of them useful.

Tiana reminded him how he, Jorg, and Rafael had defeated the powerful anti-magic constructs his aunt had sent into the family match. Sure, the same specific combination wouldn't work. He wouldn't be able to get close enough to trap the avatars in liquified metal.

But he also wasn't limited to just two helpers here.

Finger runes would expose my orders to the avatars as well, though…

"So what?" hissed Terry. This was something he could do. Not alone, but he could. He just had to make it work.

***

All around the allied forces, the familiar and reassuring runes shaped up again. The elves saw them. They didn't understand them, but it didn't matter.

The words from heaven had revealed the truth to them.

The words from heaven had guided them throughout this entire battle.

They would not ignore the words from heaven now.

[Water. Douse them in water. Envelop them in water for as long as you can.]

"What good is that going to do?" asked a moon elf. "I'm sure they have a way to not drown. That's so inefficient." Even while he was complaining, the mage was frantically casting the only water-aspected spell he knew.

"Stop complaining and cast," hissed Penelope. She, too, was casting according to Terry's orders.

"What about the mushrooms?" a sun elf mage approached the elder of the Moon. Layla did not interrupt her casting even while running to ask her question. She recognized the elder and she didn't know who else to approach with her question. The Moon had fought with the mage, so they might know.

"Who allowed you to speak to me?" barked Penelope.

"Shut up," hissed Patricia. She really couldn't stand this insufferable woman. She reminded herself of why she was fighting here. Patricia knew she couldn't add much to the fight against the avatars, which was why she had chosen to keep an eye on the Moon's leadership and watch for backstabbing attempts. A reasonable decision, but an annoying one. "We're all fighting together, if you hadn't realized." She turned to Layla. "What do you mean?"

"I saw them when the fight began," said Layla. "They did something to spread mana, but also something that summoned rain."

"Right, good point," said Patricia. She sent a message to Terry and Jorg. She didn't know how to communicate with the shroomans, but there were a few who did. Originally, Bugsby had always acted as the interpreter, but somehow Terry and Jorg had managed to achieve at least some rudimentary conversations with them independently. Patricia chalked Jorg's success up to the dwarf's new antennae but she had no idea how Terry managed.

It didn't matter.

Terry had always been strange, but Patricia trusted him. Before long, magically summoned rain was added to all the numerous water spells.

New runes shaped up all around them.

[Ice. Freeze them. Even if it's fragile. Encoat them in ice.]

***

Terry frowned. On the one hand, he had been right about the avatar to go down first. On the other hand, the avatar had used his last bits of consciousness to unleash a sacrificial ability and summon a gigantic snake covered in black diamond-like scales.

A gigantic snake that spit an acid drenched in the otherrealm corrosive aspect.

And technically, we didn't even kill the pseudo-avatar. The Ungodly Angel killed it. The avatar chose suicide before its channeling anchor was completely overwhelmed.

Terry scowled grimly when he saw the otherrealm snake creature survive a spatial blade.

Focus.

Terry waited with bated breath. While Mia, Yorgos, William, Khaled, and many other Guildheads and Guardians directly engaged the snake and avatars, the water around them was rising and gathering.

Until a sequence of spellwork froze the water in place and grew rapidly all around the cultist enemies.

Wherever the ice was forming, Terry's mana was already there.

Terry hadn't considered this option because his own water manipulation imprints were too limited in range and getting that close had appeared less than wise.

With so many mage supporters to lend their magic to his plan, however, the combination became feasible.

Terry's spells washed over the freezing water. Turning bits immovable. Trapping their opponents. Allowing another layer to grow above before rotating his spell and allowing layers of ice to merge.

Little by little, both the two avatars and the snake creature were encased in immovable ice.

It wouldn't kill them. Not quickly, at least. They might suffocate eventually, but Terry held other hopes.

Terry's allies knew not to waste their mana against an Immovable Object, but he could already sense that at least one of the remaining avatars had faith in their own borrowed power.

Terry felt the same mana sequence he had felt during the ability that destroyed the barrage of spatial blades and other spells.

All that power…

Terry scoffed and grinned viciously when he sensed the pulp of blood. "…only to blow yourself up with it."

Two down. One more to go as well as an overgrown snake.

Unfortunately, Terry didn't have time to feel happy at their progress. In his soulsight, he saw something strange. Something had moved from the immovable prison with nothing but gorey pulp remaining in its center.

Moved from the dead avatar right to the otherworldly snake creature.

"That can't be good…" Terry clicked his tongue.

***

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