Supreme Magus - Chapter 644

Chapter 644
"Exactly! They split the array into different parts to disguise its real structure . " Quylla said .





"It's more than that . " Said Professor Neshal, the Master Warden from the Earth Griffon .

"The five arrays can work both individually and as one . The Odi found a way to make overlapping arrays more than the sum of their parts . But you are right . The final array is the weak spot because once you discover the truth, it allows you to destroy them all at once .

"It's unbeatable if you don't know the trick behind it, but once you do, you can topple them all like a house of cards . It would be revolutionary otherwise . " She sighed . Neshal admired the Odi for their ingenuity and despised them at the same time for their conceit .

They had clearly thought that no member of the 'lesser races' would notice the fatal flaw in their creation .

"Excellent work, Quylla . " Said Professor Phesta from the White Griffon . "I'll make sure that you are rewarded properly by the academy . Without your insight, we might have wasted days standing in front of the door . "

"Thanks, Professor!" She was brimming with joy . "Can we open it now?"

"Absolutely not . " All those present said in unison .

"We have no idea what lies beyond the gate and we are all tired . We will work on the sixth array after we are fully recovered and are ready for any surprise the Odi might have left behind . " Professor Gaakhu said .

Quylla was kind of disappointed . After struggling so hard and for so long, she had to continue waiting to see if the fruits of her labor would pay off . Lith didn't share her anxiety . He didn't need Life Vision or mana sense to perceive the danger that kind of array posed to his life .





The next morning, the Professors used earth magic to conjure a table made of stone and worked together to safely open the door . As soon as all the papers were laid on the stone surface, Lith made his proposal .

"I don't think that opening the array is a good idea . Destroying it will require the same energy and it's much safer . "

"Are you insane?" More than one Professor said .

"That kind of technique in laying arrays constitutes a relic by itself . Even if it's a faulty product, we could study it and learn a lot about the ancient Odi magic . We might even find a way to improve their creation!" Professor Syndra said .

"Indeed . But what if we open the door, trigger a trap, and the arrays activate again? What if they shoot us in the back the moment we walk through that door? Is a single relic worth our lives?" He spoke looking in Phloria's eyes .

She was the commander of the expedition and the only one who was aware of the anomalies occurred while battling the Teks .

"I agree with Ranger Verhen . " She said . "Take your time to study and copy the array formation if you must, but no one is going inside until that thing is taken down . The first rule for every combat situation is to have a clear retreat path .


"If the Odi's defense system identifies us as members of the 'lesser races' and the gate closes behind us, we'd have no time to open it again . Leaving our back exposed is out of the question . My decision is final . "





What started as a low grumble soon rose in intensity, until outraged yells echoed throughout the entire cave .

"Give it a rest, will you?" Morok's voice overcame them all like a roar . "We could be attacked by a whole army and I would miss their arrival because of your yapping . If you want to die, leave me out of it . "

The bickering went on until it started to grind on Phloria's nerves .

"Maybe you're not familiar with how the army works . The discussion is over . " She said .

"Maybe, and maybe not . " Professor Gaakhu replied . "Over two-thirds of the members of the expedition disagree with you . We demand to speak with your commanding officer . "

"How dare you questioning my judgment?" Her voice was low, yet it was perfectly audible and scarier than any angry yell or threat .

"I dare because I think that due to your young age you fail to realize how important this discovery might be, Captain Ernas . Ours is not just the temper tantrum of some old fogeys . " Gaakhu replied .

"We are concerned that your hasty decision can harm the development of magic and the Kingdom itself . Not to mention that albeit Ranger Verhen has a point, I believe that your past relationship is affecting your judgment .

"Being careful is good, being paranoid is not . As the head of the expedition, it's in my right to veto your decision if it damages the Kingdom . "





"Fine . " Phloria knew Gaakhu was right .

Since there was no emergency situation and the army communication amulet still worked, she had to rely the message . Yet it was the first time during her military career that someone had disrespected her orders so blatantly .

She broke the communication silence and called the high command, explaining to them everything that had happened . She mentioned Lith's insight on the most recent attack and emphasized the risks that keeping the array would imply .

"Interesting . " Commander Berion replied while tapping his mahogany desk with his forefinger .

"Who proposed to preserve the array?" He asked .

Judging from his choice of words and his tone of voice, the Professors understood that he agreed with them so they introduced themselves one by one . With the Mage Association's bleak looking future, receiving the support of a rising star in the army like Berion could lead to countless benefits .

Even some of those who had previously agreed on destroying the formation switched sides . Only Professor Yondra and Professor Syndra were adamant in putting their safety first and didn't change their mind .

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your honesty . I have to agree with Captain Ernas and Ranger Verhen . They both have a 100% mission success rate, so I'll trust their judgment since it's the only reason you are still alive .

"No offense, Professor Gaakhu, but without Ranger Eari the coordinates of the ruins would be lost . On top of that, in case the expedition gets wiped out, the Kingdom would have lost some of their most valuable subjects .

"Captain Ernas is right . Study the formation as much as you want and take it down when you are ready . Over and out . "

Berion's calm attitude disappeared as soon as the communication ended .

"Damn idiots! I didn't invest so much to keep Ranger Verhen under my command just to lose him to preserve a crappy array . Even if he wasn't there, I would think twice before putting at risk one of the Ernas's daughters on a whim, but two of them?

"I like my head where it is . "

Once he managed to calm down, he called his secretary and instructed him to update the status of the expedition .

"I don't know whether those Professors suffer just from hubris or dementia, and I don't care . Flag their personal files as unfit to command for the next missions . "

Meanwhile, in the cave, Lith was sighing in relief .

'I'm not willing to risk my life for those morons, worst case scenario I'd have been forced to commit insubordination . Luckily for me, Berion earned his spot by working in the field . ' He thought .