Blood Holy Scripture: True Ancestor Charlotte de Castel
Chapter 401: -149- Sacred Halo

Chapter 401: -149- Sacred Halo

North Port Mage Tower, the core of the Magic Energy Center.

Inside the huge Control Magic Cube, the body of the man wearing a mage robe, Chairman of the North Port Branch of the Mercenary Association, trembled, his face deathly pale.

Surrounding him, six Starry Mages tasked with assistance had bloodshot eyes, expressions of agony, looking like their magic power was overloaded and overspent.

And of those thirty-two Mage Apprentices forming a hexagram on the periphery, more than a quarter had foamed at the mouth and fallen into comas, lying on the ground convulsing...

Azure magic power tides swirled around the cube, spreading outwards from Chairman Laidon at the center.

The magic energy control network that connected all the spellcasters was already on the verge of collapse.

Every distant sound of cannon fire would make the spell shield that connected the entirety of North Port tremble violently, becoming ever more illusionary.

The Control Magic Cube was flickering on and off, as if it might stop functioning at any moment.

Suddenly, another series of cannon shots sounded, and the entire magic shield was struck again.

The weakest among the six assisting mages finally couldn’t hold on any longer, spurted out blood from his mouth, and then slowly slumped to the ground.

In an instant, the remaining magic maintainers felt their pressure surge further!

"Lord Layton, it’s no good... we... can’t hold on much longer..." a Starry Mage struggled to say.

"Lord Layton, we should... reduce the range, the shield... is at its limit..." another assistant mage on the edge of collapse urged with great difficulty.

As for the rest of the mages, although they were not yet unconscious, they were already unable to speak, barely maintaining the flow of magic power with their last instincts.

"No! Hold on a little longer! The shield must not break!" demanded Lord Layton, at the center of the Control Magic Cube, gritting his teeth and speaking with difficulty.

As the control core, he endured much greater pressure than the other spellcasters, but it was also for this reason that Layton could most keenly feel the ferocity of the Duchy Alliance Army’s bombardment.

The bombardment of North Port by the Duchy Alliance Army had almost reached a frenzied level.

He knew very well that if the magic shield were to be reduced at this moment, even if it could protect the city defenses of North Port, the entire city would suffer extensive damage.

It was clear that the Third Prince didn’t care at all what state North Port would end up in, he simply wanted to capture it as quickly as possible, he merely wanted to seize the Castel Domain at all costs!

As the core of the Magic Defense System, Lord Layton was well aware of this.

Layton didn’t want to see North Port suffer vast destruction.

As a mage who had lived in North Port for over thirty years, the city had long since become his second home in his heart.

Maintaining the operation of the entire defense magic was not only due to the occupational needs of a mercenary, but also a personal impulse from the bottom of his heart.

As a Transcendent of North Port, he wanted to do something.

"Chairman Layton! Please... look around you!" the Starry Mage behind him repeated with difficulty once again.

Lord Layton’s gaze swept around, taking in the exhausted states of the spellcasters, with magic power depleted.

Beside him, the mages were exhausted, and two more Starry Mages slowly fell, while nearly half of the apprentices around him had fallen into comas.

Although he didn’t want to admit it, when Layton saw the mages and apprentices on the brink of collapse, feeling the magic power inside him that might go out of control at any moment, he also had to face a reality:

That was, North Port... really couldn’t maintain the defense magic covering the entire city anymore.

"Enough, reduce the range, end the protection over the entire district..." Layton said with a soft sigh.

"If the Count inquires later, tell him that this was my decision."

There was no other way, Castel’s middle to high-tier mages were still too few.

Maintaining such large-scale defense magic should be doable only by a Blazing Sun, and for a New Moon like him, it was too much difficult.

If there had been other experienced Second Tier Mages who could replace and maintain it, perhaps the entire North Port’s magic defense could have continued for a while longer.

But now... it really was the limit.

All he could do was to avoid the worst-case scenario from happening and abandon the protection of North Port City.

This was not a decision that could bring happiness.

But Lord Layton had no other choice.

However, just as he ordered an adjustment to the magic defense system and began to constrict the entire spell shield of North Port, a familiar voice came from behind:

"No, the shield must not be retracted. Continue to maintain the operation of the entire North Port shield."

Layton was startled, then turned his head with difficulty, only to see the Lord of the Northern Land, the young Earl Castel, had already entered the interior of the control magic cube.

"Count... Count?"

Layton was about to say something, but he was stopped by the girl who had entered the control magic cube.

Charlotte approached Layton and said:

"Lord Layton, you’ve worked hard. Let me take over the operation of the shield."

"Take... take over?"

Layton was stunned.

He gritted his teeth and said:

"Count, I appreciate your kindness, but... please leave here quickly."

"Operating the control magic cube... isn’t something everyone can endure. Although you are already of the Silver Moon, it’s... still too soon..."

"The entire magic shield is already on the brink, and magic power is nearing overdrive. What you’re doing won’t sustain the shield, and it will put you in danger!"

Chairman Layton said urgently, hoping to get Charlotte to leave quickly.

Nevertheless, Charlotte had already bypassed him, standing willingly in front of the control core’s vortex of magic energy.

She looked up to Chairman Layton, smiled slightly, and said:

"Lord Layton, you’re right, maintaining the entire magic defense system of North Port is indeed very difficult..."

"But how do we know without trying?"

Try... trying?

Layton was again stunned.

But then he saw the girl go right beneath the control magic cube, and she knelt down gently.

Her eyes closed, hands clasped together, her expression devout, sacred and solemn:

"Oh, merciful God."

"Evil forces swallow up the Northern Land, corroding Your believers..."

"Please grant me strength to protect the people from disaster, bestow Your supreme grace, and bless Your children!"

"..."

This... was she praying to a God?

Chairman Layton was shocked once again.

As the Chairman of the Mercenary Association of the Northern Land, he had certainly heard some rumors about Charlotte de Castel, especially about her likely identity as the Saintess of the Holy Royal Court.

It was one thing to hear, but Layton had never seen before a God respond to a believer and actively participate in the worldly conflicts of humans.

But at the next moment, Layton’s expression froze.

As the girl’s prayer ended, a dazzling radiance suddenly burst forth from her, divine light soaring to the sky, enveloping the entire control magic cube!

...