Reidar raised his wand and used Summon Elite Rift-Sprite Battalion.

The air fractured.

His Perks triggered a chain reaction that increased the effectiveness of each skill he used.

Boundless Legion worked first and doubled the number of creatures summoned per skill. Since Summon Elite Rift-Sprite Battalion opened 40 portals, that number doubled to 80.

Then, Legion Commander got the effect, increasing the base number of 80 sprites by twenty percent. 80 became 96.

Ninety-six portals tore open around him. It was an explosion of light of different colors.

Ninety-six Elite Rift-Sprites stepped through the portals, made of Fire, ice, Lightning, and many other elements. They were all waiting for Reidar to give his orders.

The man did not send them forward; of course, there was much he had to do. He reached out with his Skill Sharing trait. He pushed the knowledge of the same skill that brought these creatures into this world into their very own minds.

<Bring some more.>

The order was absolute. Each of the ninety-six Elites raised their hands. They channeled their mana, and each sprite cast Summon: Twin Boulderbacks. Reidar got proof that many summons weren't going to work, so he focused on increasing the proficiency of the one he thought would give me a better advantage.

The street basically vanished. The alley vanished. The ruins vanished.

In seconds, the district drowned in a sea of lights. One became ninety-six. Ninety-six became 192. Then he summoned the spectral legion, the shadow guardians, the feral packs, the skeletal warriors, the titans, the bark behemoths, the shadow swarm, and the Vorathid Foragers.

However, that many creatures increased the amount of mana in the area. Deep within the Church's stronghold, Silas froze.

The Archdeacon stood in the center of his ritual chamber. He stopped his work on the siphoning circle. He turned his head toward the entrance, his eyes narrowed as he felt the shift in the air outside.

It wasn't a subtle fluctuation. It was a tsunami of mana crashing against his senses.

Silas remained unseen deep within the stronghold's ritual chamber, yet his presence washed over the ruins like a suffocating smog, for his mana extended outward, touching his mind.

"Is this it?" The voice reached directly inside Reidar's mind, riding a heavy current of mana that felt cold despite it not having any physical qualities. "A spectacular waste of mana. "

Reidar felt the air grow heavy, realizing it wasn't just the spell work but Silas himself causing the pressure. Even without a line of sight, the Archdeacon unleashed a fraction of his mana, a crushing weight that battled against the one released by Reidar's summon and his own mana.

"There is a chasm between us that no amount of fodder can bridge," Silas said. "Your swarm tactics are irrelevant against a god in mortal flesh, and you are simply delivering them to the slaughter."

Reidar gritted his teeth, sweat stinging his eyes as he fought to keep the mental intrusion from breaking his focus.

He sensed it deep in his bones—the raw power radiating from the building dwarfed his own like a blazing star next to a flickering candle.

<How could this be?>

There weren't many levels of difference between him and Silas, and yet, against such overwhelming might, his summons were merely lambs waiting to be slaughtered.

"Tell me, Reidar, why did you come here? Why are you courting death so much?"

Silas's voice then softened, shedding its mockery for an insidious warmth. "You have potential, Reidar. The System constrains you, limits you to these petty parlor tricks. Join us. The Progenitor offers freedom from these chains. Imagine what you could do with your talent unbound."

"I've seen what your 'freedom' looks like," Reidar said. "I won't turn into one of you, Silas. I won't feed on the world just to become strong."

He paused. "Besides, I know what you're building in there. I know what that circle does. You're preparing a massacre. When that thing activates, everyone within its radius dies to fuel your ascension. I won't be a part of your slaughter."

Reidar didn't retreat, although he very much wanted to, because he didn't need to checkmate the king; he just needed to block the board. The main goal was, and has always been, to prevent Silas from completing the circle, so even destroying the building was going to work.

"A massacre? Is this what you think, Reidar? That we are preparing to massacre everyone for the fun of it?"

"It is."

"Fool. What we are doing," Silas said. "It's just to allow humanity to ascend, to go past its limitations. To free us all from the system and the allied worlds."

"If getting rid of the system made you this strong, why don't you come out and prove it?" Reidar shouted. "If you're a god, as you claim to be, then show your face!"

A dry chuckle echoed through Reidar's mind, devoid of any humor. "Nice try, Reidar. But unfortunately, I know what you are trying to do." He paused. "Besides, why should I come out if my barriers will keep you out?"

The air shimmered. A semi-transparent dome of energy snapped into existence around the stronghold, enveloping the building in which Silas hid.

Reidar didn't hesitate. "Bring it down! All units, fire!"

His army responded. The Elite Rift-Sprites unleashed a torrent of elemental fury—fireballs streaked like comets, ice shards whistled through the air, and bolts of lightning cracked against the barrier's surface.

Behind them, the Spectral Mages added their projectiles, while the Twin Boulderbacks hurled chunks of masonry they had ripped from the ruins.

The other Titans joined the fray. The sky lit up; the bombardment over the barrier caused it to ripple.

And so Reidar thought. <Isn't it weird for someone so sure of himself for his barrier to ripple this much?>

But the difference in strength between him and Silas was still vast, and there was no overcoming it until Reidar reached level 300 himself.

For a moment, the sheer volume of attacks seemed overwhelming. Far less than what Reidar was used to, but many times stronger because of his titans.

But then, Silas's laughter cut through the noise, louder and more manic than before. "Yes! Yes! It works!"

The laughter grated on Reidar's nerves, a sound of triumphant madness that didn't match the situation. "What is going on?"

"You fool!" Silas said, dripping with ecstasy. "Did you think this circle was merely decorative? It might be incomplete, but the core parts are already working!"

Reidar's blood ran cold as he understood what the problem was. Silas likely tried the siphoning part of the circle back into the valley. He knew it would work; what wasn't complete was the part that increased the range and the part that stabilized everything.

Silas had already completed the first part; now only the last two were missing.

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