I Pioneered Scientific Magic - Chapter 373 (Patreon)

Chapter 373: The Divine Ritual at the Cost of Legend!

"Grand Wizards Herlram and Victorio, you have confronted that pseudo-god before, so you must have some understanding of her," Aurora inquired, casting her gaze toward the two legendary leaders.

Herlram and Victorio exchanged a glance before shaking their heads, sighing as they spoke, "All we can say is that the gap is even larger than you might imagine!"

"Even with both of you joining forces, you couldn't restrain her?" Aurora furrowed her brow, puzzled.

"Actually, Edweil's divine ritual was not completed thoroughly. We merely had a brief encounter with that so-called pseudo-god," Herlram expressed with a hint of resignation.

"She only used one divine spell throughout… I managed to barely fend it off, but I had no assurance of breaking it!" Victorio supplemented from the side. "In fact, if Master Lynn hadn't ambushed and killed Edweil, the one casting the spell, we might all have perished there!"

As Victorio paused, he recalled the immensely powerful divine magic that seemed to halt time and space, instantly overwhelming their magic. Even Lynn's formidable and enigmatic 'Everlasting Flame' couldn't escape its fate.

This revelation astonished all the wizards present.

Regarding the grand battle within the capital, both legendary leaders, Lynn, and Master Raphael, had maintained silence. They gleaned only fragments of insider information from individuals like Pearce. Consequently, they had believed the two legendary leaders defeated the pseudo-god of the Holy Church, successfully expelling the foe.

However, reality stood far from their assumptions.

If even the combined efforts of the legendary leaders couldn't harbor hope of defeating their opponent, would they not be at the mercy of such divine rituals in the next encounter?

Pondering this, Sanchez and others became increasingly anxious, and the meeting room soon filled with fervent discussions.

Some even felt they should immediately retreat from the Kingdom of Hadralata, returning to the wizard lands by the sea to fortify themselves and find a way to reinforce the protection of the Misty Sea.

This sentiment quickly garnered support from nearly half of the wizards. If the strength of the pseudo-god, Aila, far surpassed their expectations, with no hope of victory, staying in the wizard lands seemed a safer option.

Witnessing the rise of this 'retreat' faction, Lynn couldn't remain silent any longer and had to interject.

"Don't forget, this time the Church dispatched an expedition fleet to the Misty Sea. That indicates they've likely found a way to locate our wizard lands. Thinking of retreating and waiting there is just sitting ducks!" 

The wizard lands were indeed too small, housing only six hundred thousand people. Resources were severely lacking, and continuing their isolation would significantly hinder industrial progress.

Moreover, they had invested substantial time, effort, and resources in the Magic Kingdom project; leaving now would mean immense losses.

"What else can we do, Master Lynn? Even with both legendary leaders and you, we couldn't defeat that pseudo-god. At least in the wizard lands, we can utilize geographical advantage and block the Church's forces at sea," a prominent supporter of the retreat faction expressed with a hint of frustration.

Tiek also nodded, showing reluctance to coil back into such constraints if there was another way.

The victories in these two wars had cost numerous wizards their lives, and their efforts hadn't been in vain...

"At least we're all still standing here. That implies the situation hasn't worsened to the point of necessitating a retreat," Lynn said calmly, immediately diverting everyone's attention.

"I believe the 'Gate of Heaven' is not an easily wielded divine spell. Otherwise, when the Imperial fleet suffered heavy damage, they should have used the divine ritual…" 

"Right? Lady Aurora?" Lynn turned to ask.

Aurora nodded in agreement, echoing Lynn's speculation.

The assembled members of the council fell into contemplation. They had been rattled by the words of the two leaders but now realized that the Church might not be able to use the divine ritual at will.

"Lord Victorio, did you extract any useful information from the captured Archbishop's mind?" Lynn inquired, turning to the 'Magic Creator' beside him, hoping for valuable insights.

After the kingdom's war, they had captured several priests and bishops. The highest-ranking among them was Archbishop Pulson, the most likely individual to possess such intelligence.

Due to religious beliefs, delving into Pulson's memories was not an easy task. His memories were safeguarded by potent divine magic, risking severe backlash if they attempted to probe his mind using psychic magic. Hence, this responsibility fell to Victorio.

"Based on Pulson's memories, it seems that such a divine ritual might require the sacrifice of a legendary individual!" Victorio pondered, carefully articulating his findings.

In just five days, he hadn't fully decrypted Pulson's mind, but he had garnered useful information. Throughout the hundreds of years of the Church's history, there were only six recorded instances of the 'Gate of Heaven' being invoked. The casters unquestionably were legendary figures within the clergy, often retiring or even meeting an early demise shortly after casting.

Evidently, wielding divine power wasn't a straightforward task. Initiating this ritual meant the Church would inevitably lose a top-tier combatant, whether successful or not.

Additionally, Victorio speculated that Aila's true form might be confined to another space, the so-called Heaven, subjected to certain restrictions, preventing prolonged existence in the outside world...

Victorio shared all his conjectures.

This somewhat eased the worries of Sanchez and others. As a result, unless absolutely necessary, it seemed unlikely that any legendary figure would easily relinquish their power and life.

According to their intelligence, the Church publicly boasted five legendary figures – Edweil's existence was an anomaly beyond their intelligence.

Such instances were likely rare; after all, becoming legendary wasn't an easily surmountable feat.

The current legendary council members in the wizard lands had gained their status through accumulated time, their lifespans shrouded in mystery.

For instance, the oldest among the council members, Victorio, exact age unknown, had been in the wizard lands for over three hundred years. His experiences were mystical, and it was rumored that his talent was unremarkable until he broke through to legendary status at over a hundred and eighty years old...

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