Earth's Greatest Magus

Chapter 3098: The Bait

Hours later, the metal ark, which had been forced to fly at full speed for days, was finally pinned down, with massive hordes of infected riders blocking the path ahead while an endless sea of Scourge closed in from behind. The Floating Tortoise was surrounded on all sides, leaving them with no clear route of escape.

There was nowhere left to run.

When the battle began, Emery stood at the center of the ark, both hands firmly gripping the Star Plaque as he activated its full defensive power. For the past three days, while everyone else had been fighting continuously, Emery had deliberately conserved his strength, knowing that a moment like this would eventually come.

Now, that preparation finally paid off.

The Star Plaque erupted with brilliant golden light, and countless ancient runes across its surface lit up simultaneously, sending golden energy through the Ironstar Pillars and into the ark’s defensive formation. A massive barrier spread outward, completely enveloping the Floating Tortoise as the first wave of attacks came crashing down.

Hundreds of infected riders charged at once, followed by waves of Scourge that slammed against the barrier from every direction. More than a hundred Grand Magus warriors attacked together, their combined spells shaking the entire barrier with every impact, yet the Star Plaque continued to hold. The golden barrier trembled violently beneath the bombardment, but it refused to collapse.

Emery’s eyes narrowed as he watched the relentless assault. It was an impressive artifact, and now he understood why the Star Plaque was considered one of the three sacred relics of the High Elves.

Then the atmosphere suddenly changed.

The countless infected warriors became strangely quiet as an enormous pressure descended across the grassland. From the center of the horde, a massive figure slowly emerged, and even before Emery could fully see him, the overwhelming aura surrounding him made it clear that something far more dangerous had arrived.

The Supreme was a towering humanoid with dark gray skin covered in ancient tribal markings, while long black hair hung over his shoulders, streaked with silver.

Remnants of heavy tribal armor covered his muscular body, most of it cracked and stained with dark blood. Dark purple veins spread across his neck and face like poisonous roots, while his crimson eyes glowed with an eerie light that held none of the emotion expected from a living warrior.

Emery’s Divine Sense swept over him, and his expression immediately tightened.

Supreme.

The infected powerhouse raised one massive hand, and the surrounding air seemed to tremble beneath the pressure.

His crimson eyes settled on the Floating Tortoise as a cold smile appeared on his face.

"I am the voice of the hive... Surrender and become part of us."

He did not wait for a response before exploding forward.

The Supreme’s enormous body transformed into a streak of energy. It was as if the entire sky itself trembled as countless spectral beasts manifested around him, their ghostly forms twisting together before surging into his fist.

Emery’s pupils contracted as he immediately poured more energy into the Star Plaque.

BOOM!

The entire ark shook violently, and Emery’s body trembled as the impact traveled through the Star Plaque and into his soul. His mental defenses strained beneath the overwhelming pressure, while cracks began to spread across the golden barrier.

Before Emery could stabilize it, another blow landed.

BOOM!

A visible crack spread across the barrier.

Emery gritted his teeth and poured even more energy into the Star Plaque, desperately reinforcing the weakening formation, but the Supreme continued hammering the barrier without pause. Every strike was heavier than the last, and with each impact, the Floating Tortoise shook violently beneath their feet as the defensive formation struggled to absorb the tremendous force.

They couldn’t hold forever.

Fortunately, that was never Emery’s plan.

"Retreat!" he shouted.

The damaged engine roared once more, forcing the battered vessel forward while the barrier continued absorbing the Supreme’s attacks. They were no longer trying to escape the enemy completely; they were simply buying as much time as possible.

But they could not keep this up for long. The inevitable was approaching. The Star Plaque was nearing its limit, the ark had suffered damage that could no longer be repaired during the journey, and the engine was already struggling to maintain its remaining power, while the Supreme continued hammering the barrier without showing any sign of exhaustion.

Emery turned toward a group of twelve dwarves standing nearby.

Unlike the warriors fighting along the deck, these dwarves carried no weapons. They were the engineers who had designed, forged, and assembled the Floating Tortoise.

Emery looked at them.

"It’s time."

The dwarves understood immediately, and for a moment, none of them spoke as they turned toward the ark they had spent the last decade building.

Their eyes lingered on the battered hull, the damaged Ironstar Pillars, and the great metal prow that had carried thousands of their people across the Crimson Steppes.

Emery’s expression tightened as he raised his arms, and spatial energy immediately surged around his body. The twelve dwarves were pulled into his inner Domain one after another, disappearing from the deck before they could be caught in what came next.

BOOOOMMM

The massive metal ark exploded with tremendous force, tearing through the grassland in a violent wave of fire, metal, and energy. The explosion engulfed the surrounding infected riders and Scourge, sending burning fragments of the once-great vessel flying through the air while hundreds of pursuers disappeared beneath the blast.

Even the Supreme was forced to retreat from the center of the detonation.

By then, Emery had already disappeared.

He has access the Waypoints that carried him across the distance in an instant, to Soltz thousands miles away.

The old man stood beside several Grand Magus dwarves, all of them aboard a much smaller vessel that had already entered one of the narrow passages leading deep into the zero dark crevice.

They had abandoned the Floating Tortoise exactly as planned and were now using the twisting terrain of the Zero Black Crevice to conceal themselves from the massive Scourge horde.

Soltz broke into a wide smile when he saw Emery sudden arrivals.

"That crazy ability of yours... it works every time..."