CHAPTER 128: THE ESCAPE (1)

"Done." Zephyr leaned up from the array of parchments he’d been writing calculations on.

Komi, by his side, squinted her eyes at the numbers and mathematical symbols on parchments that covered the whole table.

"So how are we going to get this across to this translator spell model you speak of?" Zephyr eagerly looked at Komi, waiting for her response. "Will the spell model understand what I wrote down, or...?"

"No. It’s nothing as troublesome as that..."

Komi shook her head. "If your calculations are really correct, then we’re past the hard part..." she stared at Zephyr pointedly. "So are your calculations correct...?"

Zephyr nodded without hesitation.

"..."

"Well, I don’t need to emphasize the risk we’re about to take to you... you clearly understand it well," she turned back to the calculations and spread them out in their correct order.

She carried a very simple-looking manual from the compartment of another shelf, going through the steps it provided while Zephyr looked over her shoulder.

It was the guide for the spell model in question—a grimoire, basically. Komi just needed to input the answers Zephyr provided in each section of his calculations into some specified slots in the spell model.

The output of all these variables together would then be translated into instructions the advanced spell models that held the pocket dimension would understand.

She started the process, checking the grimoire for what Zephyr’s answers correlated to as a spell model symbol.

After writing everything out, she calmed herself down, preparing to start up the spell model.

"What are you doing?" Zephyr stopped her abruptly with an agitated look. He had been watching the whole process with rapt attention. This was their only chance to survive whatever was happening. So when he saw Komi getting ready to jump right in to weaving the spell model, he was caught off guard.

"You’re not in any shape to be casting spells just yet. Not to talk of the one spell that we’re banking on to get us out of here." Zephyr shook his head.

"I can handle it just fine, Zephyr." Komi grunted.

"Really? Are you sure? Because you’re looking like you could drop at any moment."

"I’m fine." She waved a hand. "Besides, what other choice do we have? You can’t weave spell models, so I’m the only one who can do this."

"Not right now, you can’t. You don’t even know how much mana this would take out of you." Zephyr persuaded. "What if you start it up only to get drained of mana within a few seconds...?"

"No. I don’t think father would make something like this only for the requirements to be as extreme as that," Komi shook her head. "I will be able to handle it even in my current state."

Zephyr still looked unconvinced. "This is still too rushed. At least try resting for a bit to build up your mana reserves..."

Komi chuckled. "If I allow myself some rest... I’m afraid you won’t have anyone to start up the spell for at least a whole day," she swayed slightly on her feet, causing Zephyr to catch her, holding her steady.

"I won’t fail, Zephyr," she stared him right in the eye with a burning gaze that contrasted against her feeble-looking body.

The fierceness of her gaze eventually got through to Zephyr, and he breathed out, taking a step back with a nod.

She nodded in return, priming herself for the spell.

She scooped a handful of a very high-quality, mana-conductive dust and sprayed it into the air. She wasn’t taking any chances with this.

Unlike regular spells, where she could make do with using small dust particles in the air as a medium, this was different. She needed every bit of push she could get.

As the air became saturated with these fine, high-quality, mana-conductive particles, she slowly started to weave the spell model into the air.

Zephyr watched with full focus, ready to jump in at a moment’s notice if anything went haywire. Even though he couldn’t weave a spell model himself, at least he’d be able to save Komi from any potential spell backlash.

It was the first time he saw the process of weaving a spell model in vivid detail. Komi took her time to weave it very slowly to prevent any mistakes, so he saw everything as they fell into place... all the arcane symbols, the spell logics that he could recognize, and even a few other loops and meshes he’d seen from the time he tried analyzing spell models.

But this was even more advanced. There were lots of other symbols he didn’t even recognize. They all made the interior circle of the spell model, its core structure.

Then, on the exterior circle, Komi started to slot in the symbols from the answers he’d gotten from his calculations.

As they slotted in one after the other, Zephyr frowned slightly. The spell model started to act weirdly... like it had begun to gain depth. From its previous two-dimensional shape, it began to look like a three-dimensional object floating in the air.

Komi started to look visibly strained as she slotted in more symbols into the spell model, causing the space around them to begin to oscillate slightly after each slotted symbol.

Zephyr looked around in agitation, watching Komi’s face for a sign of anything wrong. He’d thought the spell effect was only going to activate after the spell model itself was completed, but from the current situation, it seemed it was happening right as Komi wove the spell model.

He wanted to do something to help, but there was nothing he could do at all. He could only watch with bated breath as Komi forged forward with the spell weaving.

She had slotted in the answer to twelve parameters already, and there were eighteen more to go. She was almost halfway, but the gap looked more difficult to surmount the further she went, almost like her mind was trudging through thicker and thicker mud. Like her mind could feel the pocket space itself trying to separate from the host planet’s pull.

She gritted her teeth in concentration, slotting in the symbol for another parameter.

She wasn’t going to fail here! She was going to push through!

.

.

Just as she was fighting the battle for their escape, on the outside of Freehold, the Exalted One, who was watching his spell eat at the barrier with a patient look, suddenly perked up.

"Hmm," he stared in the direction Sage Maximus’ Estate was in the sanctuary, almost like his gaze could pierce through the chaotic spell and even the barrier below.

"I won’t let you..." he breathed out softly.

"LAW..."

"...Travel is prohibited here!"

A/N: Only 1 Chapter today... Sorry guys. I’ve been bogged down for a while. Wasn’t in the right mindset to write at all, but I made sure to finish this Chapter at least.

I’ll make up by pushing out more Chapters tomorrow.

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Astrl