Blade of Ruin- Aspiration to the Heavens: Becoming the Supreme Mage Vol 3

Episode 9: Fear of the Future

*Adela*

[Meanwhile, in Eastern Mina]

My brothers and I continued flying through the eastern province of Mina. The landscape grew greener further westward as we drew closer to the warm winds flowing in from the equatorial sea. Yet, the air was still frigid. If I had to guess, we were about half way to our destination. Hopefully, Iah, Lei, and company were able to find high grade orichalcum.

"Something is coming this way," Xun said, halting in mid-air. He spun around.

Elliot and I followed his gaze. All three of us gasped even as we had yet to actually see what the object was. But it wasn't necessary to see it. To anyone with the ability to use magic within a hundred-mile radius, such an object was akin to blaring horn. To those on the ground right now, it was probably akin to a ringing sound. Luckily, the object was still high in the sky, but it was moving blazingly fast.

"We got to stop it!" Xun said. He turned his gaze back toward the west. "Based on its trajectory, it's heading toward the capital."

"Why did they launch that thing so high?" Elliot asked.

I leered at the object as its speed suddenly began to drop even as it drew closer.

Elliot was right to ask that. Why had they done that? Whoever sent that thing should've sent it at a lower trajectory. It wasn't only its height, but also its strength and reduced speed. While still dangerous, it was the weakest of its class of weapons. It was almost as if it was a warn...ing.

I gulped. If this object were indeed a warning then the perpetrator was likely...

"You're thinking what I'm thinking, aren't you?" Xun asked as he moved his prana-charged hands around rapidly.

I nodded. "Yeah. This has to be the doing of H.E.H."

Elliot kept his eyes on the sky. "Though, based on its trajectory, it was launched from Sera."

I rubbed my arms. I'd heard that Mina and Kyuu Seishin had prepared to go to war to liberate Sera from H.E.H. occupation, but this... well, I didn't see how any of it could end well.

"Brother, be careful," I said, knowing what Xun was planning to do.

"I know," he said.

"Where should we deflect it to?" Elliot asked.

Another good question. Unfortunately, Mina was surrounded on all sides by neighboring countries. On its land borders were of course Kyuu Seishin and our country. While across a relatively short distance across the sea were Wahkan and Vex. All of them were bad alternatives, especially Kyuu Seishin who would misinterpret its origin as Mina instead of H.E.H.-occupied Sera. That wouldn't only break the already fragile relationship between the two countries, it would send Mina and Kyuu Seishin into a war involving the most dangerous modern magical weapons. Weapons which hadn't been used in the modern era outside of testing.

"Wait!" I yelled. I gazed back at the sky. The object was starting to shift course slowly. "That missile, it's being propelled even in flight."

"What? How does one move an object that densely packed with magical energy?" Elliot asked. "Or better yet, who can possibly move it? It takes an entire squadron of mages to even launch one."

"Then a squadron of mages might be behind its unusual movements," Xun said as he continued charging energy into his now intertwined hands.

I glanced around the sky. "They would have to be near it as long distant channeling would be exhausting, especially for something of that magnitude."