Ashley

The event rages on as Dhalia's team continues marching on through the current defense phase team's defenses. Knocking back numerous attacks from different types of towers, blocking powerful attacks they wouldn't be able to counter, and dodging those they can't block. The attacks from the most powerful towers.

And with each attack, powerful shockwaves resonate from within the arena.

Shockwaves strong enough to force back members of the audience watching, knocking many of them onto their seats.

It's to the point that quite a few spectators have barriers of their own up around them. Except for those in the VIP Viewing Room here, since while we can feel the shockwaves here too, they're nowhere near as powerful as they are outside.

So they can't harm us here, much less push us over.

I tap the armrest of my seat a few times as I watch the event continue. All the way until Dhalia's group finally make it to the last stretch of the route, where the defending team have a massive platform on top of a bridge overlooking said route.

A platform where all of the defense phase team are currently standing at the ready to bombard Dhalia's team with attacks.

I can't help but lean forward a bit in my seat as they begin sending attacks at Dhalia and her team. Attacks which Dhalia's group immediately begin countering.

But to my surprise, Dhalia just continues moving ahead while chanting something with her eyes closed.

My eyes narrow as I watch, only for her to keep chanting for nearly an entire minute. All the way until they reach the bridge.

She's not the only one chanting though, as the leader of the defending team is also chanting something while looking out from the bridge at Dhalia as they pass under the bridge. And whatever spell he's chanting doesn't take as long to cast judging by how he finishes it before the offense phase team can get several meters ahead of the bridge.

Holy shit…

The moment the spell finishes, dozens upon dozens of spell circles of all kinds appear all over the route with powerful bolts of energy being built up around each one of the spell circles. Then all at once, the spell circles release the bolts straight at Dhalia and her team.

But then Dhalia finishes her own spell and opens her eyes again while shouting, "And may the bounds of purgatory protect its denizens!"

Which, if I'm being honest, is the first time I've ever heard Dhalia raise her voice before. So that's interesting.

Anyways, upon the completion of her chant, massive black and red portals that look like they're full of blood and bones. Only for said blood and bones to immediately begin to climb out of the portals and form especially bloody skeletons and zombies.

And not just a few of them either.

She summons a massive swarm of thousands upon thousands of them. Maybe even tens or even hundreds of thousands.

Then said skeletons and zombies all end up being blasted by the Successor of Magic's spell, taking up all of the damage that was meant for Dhalia's team. All while sending massive shockwaves out that literally send members of the audience flying despite the barrier protecting them from the battle.

A barrier that's almost destroyed at this point.

If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

Just like the route around them, which is just as destroyed even if it's constantly being repaired.

I feel a sense of awe fill me as I watch this incredible battle. As I feel the small remnants of the shockwaves reaching even within this booth. And as I watch Dhalia's team finish making it out of range of that platform.

The sheer power of the attack and the defense that it ended up hitting… they're both incredible.

I glance at Chaos.

Were those both Successor Skills?

They look powerful enough to be.

Chaos just shakes his head as he answers in my mind, "Nope. Those were spells made by the two Successors themselves personally. They haven't used any major Successor Skills yet."

My jaw drops open at the thought of those being spells they made rather than some sort of skill.

I turn my attention back towards the two teams again as Dhalia's team continues pushing all the way until they reach the defense phase team's heart and shatter it into pieces.

"Don't worry, you'll be at their level eventually," Chaos says while reaching over and patting me on the head. "It's only a matter of time."

Right.

I think back to everything I've been through so far before comparing it to the battle I just watched. And honestly, there wasn't much of a comparison.

If I were to have taken the Successor of Magic's spell, I'd have been erased with just one of those bolts. Much less the entire swarm of them.

And for the Successor of Death to easily block that sort of power… I'm sure that spell of hers could be used for the offensive as well as defense too. Which makes it even more incredible.

The MC goes on to chatter about everything that just went down, but I'm too busy thinking about what I could possibly make with my own spells to pay much attention.

Until, that is, Dhalia's team begins setting up the defenses for their own defense phase.

I watch with intrigue as she and her team work to set up a defense that's quite a bit better than the previous defense phase team's defense. For obvious reasons, seeing as they now know well what all of the towers and other defenses do. They're also well acquainted with the route itself.

So they know what to do a lot better than the first defense team that was just setting it up without seeing it beforehand.

Although they still place the platform at the same spot. But that's because that spot was most likely designed for the platform.

The bridge is the only place across the entire route that they can be within the route itself in a way. Even if they're not allowed to leave the bridge.

And hunters at their level don't really need to be able to see their opponent, so the bridge being in the way of part of the route isn't a problem for them.

I eagerly watch as the round begins, with Dhalia's opponent team already getting off to a slower start. Simply because of the fact that their team just doesn't seem to be as well built for a race as Dhalia's team.

And to add to that, they're slowed down by the better trap and defense placements. To the point that they're already behind Dhalia's team by the time they reach the bridge.

But at this point I don't care about who wins.

I just want to see what happens at the bridge. Because I'm sure it'll be one hell of a fight to watch.

And I'm right on the money there as Dhalia begins chanting before they even reach the bridge. Before they even get in sight of it.

Something that the other team clearly didn't think of doing.

So by the time they reach the bridge, Dhalia is already finishing up chanting her spell.

And this time her spell is clearly on the offensive side as more bloody rifts appear all over the route with bloody hands reaching out of them.

But unlike what some people initially expected, the hands don't just stop the people they grab. Instead I watch as the two people on the Successor of Magic's team that are caught by the hands literally begin to wither away before my eyes.

It's like the hands are draining away their life force.

Actually, that's probably exactly what they're doing.

They don't just stop with their life force though. Because I can see a black and purple mist forming around Dhalia the more life force she absorbs. And right when the two she caught die, which happens to be around the time the others make it past the bridge and are running away from the bridge, she shoots the mist out straight at them.

Turning the route into hell.

Quite literally, as skeletons and zombies all begin to rise out from the ground while the team themselves appear to struggle with breathing. Slowing them down even more.

But in the end, the Successor of Magic, who was chanting ever since he saw Dhalia finishing her chant earlier, finishes his own chant. Making a powerful blast of mana shoot out and push away the mist while crushing the undead.

Giving him and his remaining team members the chance to finally get out of range of the bridge. At which point they finally destroy the heart.

It's too late now though as they did that quite a bit slower than Dhalia's team.

Granting Dhalia's team, the team of Purgatory, victory in this Planetary Official System Event.