At this moment, the head of House Windwhisper felt a wave of dizziness, as though his vision darkened.
He could not believe that, after investing so much time and preparation to set up this magic array, it could be… gone in an instant.
Wasn’t this just impossible?
Was this all just a trick?
The head of House Windwhisper looked towards Blake, the array master he had hired at great expense.
Blake’s expertise in magic arrays was renowned.
Surely, he had taken every precaution to ensure its success, hadn’t he?
But at that moment, Blake himself frowned.
He hadn’t been able to see exactly how his magic array had been breached.
The magic array was maintained by multiple mages, each acting as a node in its structure.
Blake’s design for this magic array aimed to weaken anyone trapped inside, depleting their strength, mana, and stamina until they were defenseless and completely at their mercy.
This was a method he had researched extensively to deal with a larger number of enemies — one he considered foolproof.
Since the secret realm’s boundaries were predetermined by the three great houses, he had only needed to set up the array materials beforehand, awaiting the arrival of prey.
It was like a seasoned hunter laying a trap and simply waiting for his quarry to stumble in.
The mages standing at critical nodes of the array served to ensure the smooth activation of the magic array.
Blake held control of the array and, at his command, the mana surged through pre-established nodes, connecting the array’s patterns and forming the barrier.
In theory, at this stage, no one should have been able to break through his magic array!
To disrupt a magic array, there are generally only two methods: one is to understand its design and destroy the nodes to make it inoperative, and the other is brute force — using a widespread, indiscriminate magical attack to overwhelm it entirely.
But Blake had anticipated the second method.
He had buried the array’s magical items deep underground at varying depths to prevent any single strike from dismantling it.
Moreover, he had set up a backup system: the mages.
Once the array was activated, these mages could theoretically leave, as the array was sustained by the magical materials at its nodes, operating on a self-sustaining cycle after the initial mana infusion. ƒгeewёbnovel.com
To be extra cautious, Blake had instructed the mages to channel their mana as part of the array, turning them into additional nodes themselves.
If the magical materials were destroyed, the mages’ mana would still keep the array running.
Blake had put his heart and soul into this magic array.
Unless someone was more familiar with his array than he was — an impossible notion, Blake thought — no one could break it in such a short time.
Even if they tried to analyze it on the spot… no mage, no matter how talented, could decipher the layout and locate the nodes so quickly.
And even if they did, by then the array’s effects would have rendered them powerless.
Blake was confident that only death awaited anyone trapped within.
But to his utter shock, the magic array had indeed worked perfectly.
Even the mages who had positioned themselves at key points were unaware of anything amiss.
The head of House Windwhisper had deftly hidden the array’s true purpose from them.
Once the mages were in place, House Windwhisper’s head activated the array himself, and everything proceeded as planned, flawlessly.
The scene before him was perfect.
The people trapped inside had already lost their only chance of escape.
Within the array, their strength would soon drain away entirely.
In fact, House Lunastone and House Windwhisper’s mages were now poised to start casting spells to finish them off.
To Blake, those within the array were already dead.
Regarding any powerful opponents inside, according to the intelligence provided by House Windwhisper and Blake’s own sources, the highest level of strength in Crossbridge Academy was held by a few platinum-tier supervisors — not even worth a second glance, in Blake’s mind.
As for the academy’s headmaster, he was merely a child who inherited the academy after his father’s passing.
What strength could he possibly have?
Besides, Blake had heard of Daniel’s poor reputation in Riverside City, making him look down on Crossbridge Academy even more.
With the array now fully activated, House Windwhisper and House Lunastone’s plan was ninety percent complete.
The remaining task… was to handle the academy’s teachers and students.
After eliminating the academy’s gifted ones and its administrators, the rest would be easy prey.
Even the mages of the two houses would be more than enough to suppress Crossbridge Academy’s remaining forces without Blake lifting a finger.
Blake’s role was essentially done.
Now, he simply waited for his payment.
The people in the array were beginning to falter, and some had already fallen.
The array’s effects intensified for weaker individuals.
Blake’s gaze shifted to the finely dressed figure standing at the forefront within the array: Daniel, headmaster of Crossbridge Academy.
It matched the information he’d received perfectly — just a young man who’d inherited his position by luck.
Blake had seen his share of such second-generation heirs, all riding on the achievements of their predecessors.
But… why was he still standing there? And why did he appear unaffected?
The thought crossed Blake’s mind, especially as he noticed the tier-platinum mage named Rowan behind Daniel, showing visible signs of discomfort.
Rowan was clearly feeling his power drain away.
But Daniel? Why did he seem unaffected?
Blake shook off the thought.
No one could escape his magic array; even he, as its creator, would need time to break through it.
This array was designed to withstand even the destruction of a node or two, allowing it to continue functioning with reduced effectiveness.
Blake was certain no one could meet such stringent conditions!
But at that moment, Daniel spoke, his words dripping with mockery!
His words… left no doubt — this array was weak! House Windwhisper and House Lunastone’s forces were weak!
Blake and the two heads of the great houses were incensed.
Blake, furious, adjusted the array’s settings to intensify its effects on Daniel, determined to silence this insolent youth.
The heads of the two houses commanded their mages to begin their assault. Kill every last one of Crossbridge Academy’s members!
But just as they moved, the mages maintaining the array were all struck down, falling to the ground as if they had suffered a severe blow.