PART 13: THE SECOND OVERTURN
Chapter 042
III – Augurbind
Luminar dashed off the rooftop and plunged toward the ground. Her figure vanished to the side, away from the Armiton HQ and into the surrounding fields. The three kings watched sharply as they crashed down after her, magic sizzling violently from their armor.
But she suddenly veered, cutting a sharp corner and closing in on the royal tower. They adjusted their course to tail her. Just before she disappeared behind the walls, Tyllida caught sight of a malicious smile. He grumbled, the look that made his spine tingle. “You wretched cheater,” he whispered to himself.
Then he shouted to his triumvirate, “Trotto, hold your foot!”
The kings halted and glanced at one another. Trotto furrowed his brow and asked, “What is the issue? Why do you want to stop me?”
Tyllida answered, his gaze fixed on the royal tower as two glowing eyes peeked through its windows. “She has most likely activated Augurbind, a dangerous power acquired from RathNah. It allows her to declare five conditions that, if all are met, grant her a power boost. The more demanding and ambitious the conditions, the greater the boost.”
The single word made Trotto’s face loosen, eyes wide with thoughts running in his head. “Augurbind. It is the power that destroyed the previous—”
“So if we inadvertently fulfill her conditions, we are done for,” Kallanor said. “What are those conditions?”
“Anything,” Tyllida replied. “We do not know. It will be a game of puzzle pieces and trickery.”
—LUMINAR—
Quick Speed ? Lv. 32
Augurbind ? Lv. 5 — 0/5 Conditions
They looked ahead at the beaming eyes, unmoved and waiting. The realization of the upcoming battle made their feet grow heavy. It was a battle that the long-ago king had fought—but came out defeated. The fight was humiliating, devastating. And now, they were about to fight the same battle. That one word kept ringing in their head, the word that had spread across the world. Harrick Frieda of PortThorioh knew the weight just the same, the power that made the hands of three mighty kings turn cold:
Augurbind.
“Curses!” Trotto scoffed. “Then we must seize her before our actions grant her power!”
“I do not care how powerful she can get. Get her before she can do anything,” Kallanor grumbled.
“So be it,” Tyllida declared. “As long as we remain unpredictable, she remains powerless.”
All three kings surged forward. Luminar closed her eyes, and the piercing gaze vanished into the darkness of the corridors, waiting for them to step onto her game board.
They stormed through the entrance, and before they could assess the situation, soldiers were all over the place, gazing at a distant empty corridor with shock and confusion. Some had their hands reaching for the hilts, though not quite touching them. None of them had a clue what they’d just seen. “Was that Luminar?”
And to find their kings on the level floor with them, they were beyond startled. “It’s King Trotto and the—”
Two of the kings split off while commotions erupted, dashing down separate halls in pursuit of Luminar. Tyllida stayed behind, rallying the soldiers. The Commander of the Halls arrived, his armor gleaming, sword already drawn—as always prepared. None of these men ever undressed themselves of readiness; they lived poised for incoming threats. And today was no exception.
“Commander of the Halls,” Tyllida ordered, “gather your men and find and kill Luminar! She has betrayed your loyalty and ours!”
With a startled nod, the commander QS’d down the corridor and entered his watchtower beside the royal tower. The base stretched outward in all directions, each room housing four soldiers in their bunkers. The Halls were another branch of the military, divided into two shifts—day and night guards—that guarded the royal tower. Their strength surpassed the Chains, though they fell short of the Legions.
The commander seized the hornpipe and blew into it. A deafening howl thundered through the tunnels and out into the open air. Runes etched along the metal pipes shimmered, forcing the air to vibrate at greater magnitude and amplifying the sound. The grim tone awakened the base, and hundreds of eyes snapped open.
Doors soon burst open one after another as a flood of men stormed into the halls, armored, armed, and brimming with magic. The howling cry continued to tear through the air, screaming with urgency that had never been sounded for years. The sound reserved only for true threat.
“Find Luminar and kill her!” Trotto (left hall) and Kallanor (right hall) shouted in unison from opposite halls. “Trap her in this domain. Do not let her escape!”
Tyllida’s eyes burned as he advanced down the central corridor leading to the royal tower. Soldiers followed, QS activating as they tailed him at blinding speed. Moments later, forces from the left and right corridors converged behind the other two kings.
More men spilled into the surrounding fields, scattering to every post that demanded watch. Brick-ringed fences filled with vigilant soldiers, like sparrows perched and waiting for prey. Grasslands and pebble-strewn roads bristled with magic and steel. Others leapt onto rooftops, claiming windows, chimneys, and ceilings—every possible exit—
to trap her in.
“The Augurbind must never be completed,” Trotto whispered to himself, teeth grinding. “Play smart… Do not attack her like a barbarian. Our assaults must be restrained. If we act intelligently…”
“Five conditions—five statements to be fulfilled,” Tyllida said, flanking from the left. “If those statements are simpler, they are more likely to succeed, but grant less power. As long as they are not ambitious…”
“Chances are the conditions are grand,” Kallanor said from the right. “If so, as long as we remain unpredictable…”
“We will defeat Luminar—”
“We will defeat Luminar—”
“We will defeat Luminar—”
—LUMINAR—
Rippling Magic ? Lv. 13
Crushing Aura ? Lv. 11
The air suddenly grew heavy. Kings and soldiers alike staggered, nearly tripping as a crushing weight pressed down upon them. Trotto forced himself to a halt, and the other two did the same.
Veins of magic surged through the ground, the walls, the ceiling—curling even through windows and pillars. Their gazes snapped downward as the glowing light vanished in an instant. Then the ground began to tremble. The ceiling groaned. Debris broke loose and fell, dusting their wary expressions.
Soldiers stumbled behind the kings, pinned flat by the pressure. They lay trembling on the floor. Trotto and the others knew this was Luminar’s doing. And so it was.
Ahead, where all the halls converged at the heart of the royal tower, spiraling upward, Luminar stood. She fixed Trotto with an unnerving confidence. Stone and debris cascaded down around her, leaving only her glowing eyes visible for a fleeting second.
The ground directly before the kings then erupted. Stone and polished marble surged upward from left to right, forming a solid wall that filled the corridor. The rising barrier slammed into the ceiling and halted, the impact sending a shockwave racing through the halls. Windows shattered. Glass and shrapnel rained down upon the men.
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
…
Telekinetic Magic ? Lv. 64
Telekinetic Magic ? Lv. 62
Telekinetic Magic ? Lv. 59
The kings unleashed their magic, threads lashing outward to catch every fragment before it could strike the soldiers. Glittering shards hovered midair like suspended crystals. Once no man was harmed, the three shifted their focus back to the wall blocking their path to Luminar.
Incantation Magic ? Lv. 50
Incantation Magic ? Lv. 48
Incantation Magic ? Lv. 51
With their free palms raised, they aimed at the towering barrier and released beams of magic. Concentrated energy tore into the stone. Chunks of rock and earth exploded outward, coating kings and soldiers alike in dust. While the wall was shredding apart, soldiers scrambled to their feet and poured through windows and openings along the sides to advance first.
When a massive breach opened, the kings ceased their IMs and dashed through, the remaining men following close behind. Pressing forward, the three kings saw Luminar at the center, battling soldiers one by one. Each blow against her was rendered useless; her movement and combat prowess overwhelmed even the power of RrodKa.
The kings accelerated together, converging on her position, shouting her name in unison.
Luminar lifted her head toward them, meeting three burning palms pointing at her.
Incantation Magic ? Lv. 50
Incantation Magic ? Lv. 48
Incantation Magic ? Lv. 51
The kings activated their IMs, unleashing searing beams of magic that hurled toward Luminar at fatal speed. But she stretched her arms wide, her translucent dress unfurling and white wings opening in defiance.
—LUMINAR—
Fluttermorph ? Lv. 73
Quick Speed ? Lv. 32
A flash of light engulfed her from head to toe. She shrank into a tiny shimmering insect with two streamers trailing below like tails. With QS and a sharp snap of its wings, the creature shot skyward, ascending the massive tower.
The three beams of light collided at the center, forcing the air to rupture outward and hurl debris in every direction. An explosion thundered. Stone and dust blasted from the ground, and soldiers were flung into walls or swallowed by the rising cloud.
But from within the dust emerged the three kings.
At the same time, forces flanking from outside climbed the walls and breached the upper levels, hurling themselves through windows with explosive crashes, glass shattering as they entered, ready to intercept Luminar from above.
The tower had three spiraling staircases. Trotto ran one end. Tyllida touched down on another, arms raised. Kallanor leapt onto the third opposite them. As soldiers rushed ahead, upward to close in, hundreds of glass shards began rattling on the floor. Suddenly, they rose from the dust-choked pit below. The kings activated their TMs, sending the shrapnel streaking upward toward the flying insect.
The creature flashed sideways, then morphed back into Luminar. She landed on a set of stairs. She activated her Rippling Magic (RM), veins of magic racing across the tower. When the light vanished, the stairs started trembling. Cracks formed at the base, and then they tore free from the walls. Floating mid-air, each step broke into chunks and then into halves. Dozens multiplied into hundreds. They scattered across multiple levels, obscuring her position amid the debris.
Glass shards collided against drifting stair fragments, rendering the kings’ attack useless.
Trotto grumbled and released the suspended glass, the others doing the same. Activating their QS and Vertical Leap (VL), they maneuvered upward through the chaos.
They jumped from fragment to fragment until they spotted Luminar among the floating stones. Soldiers above unleashed fire downward, targeting her position. One flaming sphere struck her square in the back, knocking her forward.
–22 HP
HP: 492 / 514
Luminar caught herself and leapt from her platform. Mid-fall, she transformed back into the insect and activated QS, flickering rapidly through the labyrinth of suspended stairs.
Trotto was the first to intercept her at the same level. His eyes darted wildly, struggling to track her absurd speed. “Who knew her insect form multiplies the speed.”
Once he caught her trajectory, he lunged with QS. She changed direction in a blink. Trotto had missed, but he quickly gathered his footing and pursued without pause.
Tyllida followed next. He stayed put, studying the two figures streaking through the air like a violent game of tag. Activating his IM, he hurled flames upward, firing with calculated precision.
Kallanor was last. He leapt onto the nearest stair fragment and began dismantling the battlefield itself. He used his TM to crush every stair into fragments, then swept them aside, steadily clearing the field. His hands worked full throttle, palms spinning to rotate the massive stones and fingers curling to crush them.
Soldiers followed across the floating debris until they were only meters above the ground. A single misstep would send them plummeting into the ruins below, where shattered glass and rubble waited. They lifted their heads, watching two figures tear through the air, another raining fire again and again, and the last demolishing the abode.
Those stationed above could only watch, swords drawn, prepared in case she ascended higher.
But she did not.
The kings continued their relentless pursuit. Either Luminar would tire and be caught, or they would land a decisive blow and bring her down. None of her conditions appeared fulfilled yet—a realization that drove the kings to push even harder. Maybe with a confident grin, they were evading her conditions.
Trotto slammed into a wall to gain leverage and launched forward—crack.
Every missed shot from Tyllida struck stone—growl.
Kallanor tore away the supports holding the structure together—rumble.
And the beast was roaring with immeasurable stress. The beast was falling.
The soldiers watched in horror as the walls groaned and split. The royal tower, once piercing the skies, began to sway. Pebbles and massive chunks of stone broke free and rained down. Soldiers scrambled for safety—leaping down multiple levels or fleeing through newly formed fractures. Those at the top retreated entirely, jumping off and barely cushioning their landings with magic.
Only then did the kings realize the destruction they were causing, their focus shifting from the insect to the tower on the brink of collapse.
With a piercing crumble, they looked up.
The ceiling dropped.
A massive slab of connected stone and marble tore free, obliterating what remained of the walls and sending hundreds of rocks raining down upon them.
“Heads!” Trotto shouted. He and the other kings dashed for the nearest windows and leapt. Luminar followed after them.
Moments later, the royal tower struck the ground in a catastrophic burst. Dust exploded outward, rolling through the air in crushing waves. Massive stones tumbled deep into fences and clearings, toward soldiers who watched in horror as the cloud swallowed them. Dozens were buried beneath rubble, stone, and soil.
The Armiton was shrouded in the remnants of its fallen legacy.
When the dust finally settled, the soldiers who had escaped in time looked around in stunned silence. The land was leveled. Where the tower they had long admired once stood was now nothing but earth and ruin. Nearly half of their numbers lay buried beneath the remains.
Then magical threads seeped from the earth, pushing stones aside. From beneath the wreckage emerged the three kings, along with a handful of soldiers they had managed to save. Their armor was scarred with dust and deep scratches. Trotto panted, a cut trailing blood down his chin. Tyllida brushed his hair aside, revealing a portion of his earlobe torn away. Kallanor stood composed, though his armpads were shredded from the impact.
And then there was the creature.
It drifted gently to the center of the devastation. The three kings formed a ring around it, watching as the insect dissolved into Luminar.
Her dress was no longer white. The hem hung in tatters. Cuts traced her shoulder and neck, and a thin line of blood slid down her split cheek. Yet beneath her battered state, she lifted her head. A silent grin formed on her lips, and her system mirrored it.
Her screen burst into view, forcibly declaring its presence to all who could see her. Systems were meant to be private, personal by design. But hers defied the rules, proclaiming its first accomplishment amid the wreckage with a shout.
● SYSTEM ALERT ●
Augurbind — 1/5 Conditions Fulfilled
…
The kings’ confidence collapsed into dread. Cold sweat streamed down their faces. They had thought they were acting cautiously. But had they? The very first words shook them to the core. Each fulfilled condition would be publicly announced by Luminar’s system, revealing exactly what had been achieved.
Their eyes dropped to the text beneath the alert.
Condition #1:
“By its own lords shall the royal house be brought low, until the last stone lies in ruin.”
As their gazes fixed on the words, they understood. Luminar had known all along. She had understood their foolishness perfectly.
She smiled at their panting, stunned faces and said, “The kings stand crownless. Now, let us make the crown kingless.”
