Idle Mage: Humanity's Strongest Backer

A purple mass of pulsating flesh hovered in the air, right above a demonic ritual circle.

Alice watched solemnly as thought about any possible way to eliminate this threat without causing mass casualties. Unfortunately, she doesn't have enough time since it is clear that an explosion will occur and it is in her best interest to get out of there as soon as she could.

Meanwhile, over Blake's side...

He just finished gathering up enough energy. Raising his shield high, he let out a strong yelp before a strong light instantly flooded the whole street.

"Heavenly Fortress!"

Dark Golden light erupted and all of a sudden, all people vanished from the vicinity of the Apartment Complex. The young, old, men and women, even pets included...all of them were transported somewhere else safe.

They'd probably find this a little bit confusing but it doesn't matter. What's important is that they're safe and it better stay that way.

Blake's spell didn't just shift all uninvolved people out of the area, it also erected a massive barrier that would contain all the damage in one place. This way, no matter how strong the explosion would be, it will all be contained here.

And as it turns out...Blake's timing couldn't be any better because as soon as he was done casting that spell, the explosion occurred.

Boom!!

Shockwaves could be felt from miles away. A huge mushroom cloud could be seen as well. Many people jumped in surprised upon feeling the impact of the explosion.

It was contained and nobody was hurt, still, it was rather alarming for them since it's not every day that they experience such a violent thing...

"Girls, you good?" Blake asked as he hid behind his shield.

He heard coughing on the other side.

"I'm good, I was far enough from the explosion." Mary replied.

"I'm fine." Alice flatly stated. It was obvious that she was upset.

How could she not? This was her fault. If it weren't for Ashton's timely warning, how many people would've died because of this explosion?

This is her responsibility as a Conferred Knight, yet not only did she fail, but she also risked so many lives because of her recklessness. This was just unacceptable.

On the other hand, Blake feels a little bit upset about himself too.

Granted that he's someone who lived 9 lives so far, he should be more experienced when it comes to this. He had fought hordes of demons before in his previous lives, in theory, he should've been able to notice that something was amiss the moment he arrived there.

But instead of noticing anything, he was caught unprepared. Such a thing was unacceptable for someone like him.

As for Mary, well...she's fine. There wasn't much that she could do anyway. She was outclassed and nobody blames her for that.

Ashton on the other hand was still as easygoing as ever.

He remained seated on the chair, resting his back against it and watching the events unfold.

That being said though, his eyes remained critical. He surveyed the surroundings closely and saw something which made him slightly solemn.

"...Mary, I lost sight of the target. Anything on your side?" Alice said through the comms.

"Negative." Mary reported after scouring the vicinity from her spot.

"I don't see anything either," Blake reported.

"Crap!" Alice felt anxious.

Ashton sighed and said: "Mary, don't look down. Try in front or above you."

"...what the fuck is that!?" Mary's freaked-out voice sounded on the comms.

Blake and Alice didn't say anything, instead, they unhesitatingly went towards where Mary was to help her.

When they arrived there, they saw Mary looking pale and shaken up. She was staring above and didn't even react when they reached her side.

Blake and Alice followed Mary's gaze and then they saw it.

A black-skinned giant hovering above the air.

It stood about 15 feet tall, it emanated a strong stench of corruption that it was downright skin-crawling. Its eyes were crimson red and its muscles looked like they were made out of coils of steel.

The demon was an avian. It had a bird's head, a crow to be more specific, a human torso, the lower body of a cattle including a tail, and a pair of large wings flapping behind its body.

Aside from corruption, the demon released a faint intimidating pressure. Everyone who looks at it feels their soul being shaken as primal fear takes over their body.

Alice and Blake were fine. Their willpower is strong enough to easily resist something like this. Mary, on the other hand, she's in a bit on the weaker side and her curse is certainly not making things easier for her.

"Is that a Skydemon? It looks...strange." Alice wondered out loud.

"Yes and no." Ashton answered using the comms.

"What do you mean?" Alice inquired. But before Ashton could answer, Blake interjected by saying...

"It is a faux demon, I think. It doesn't have a demon's signature horns."

And that's when Alice was finally reminded about that important detail. Now it made sense why she felt that something was amiss when she looked at this thing.

"It's a Bioweapon." Ashton added casually. "I don't know what moron was stupid enough to create such a thing but it is highly unstable. It's nearly awake so you guys better are prepared for that thing's rampage."

"...here, have some buffs. This should last until the end of the battle. Do humanity a favor and vaporize that thing immediately." Ashton stated as he, once again, casually weaved 10 buffing spells on the three of them in the span of five seconds.

"...holy shit!" Blake couldn't help but exclaim, looking back at Ashton in disbelief. The same could be said for Alice as well.

To summarize what they feel right now, it'd be 'Invincible'.

Mana Weapon, Divine Protection, Holy Blessing, Font of Life, Hymn of Courage, Absolute Immunity, Vigorous Rage...the list of buffs goes on and on...

The sheer power and confidence they felt coursing through their veins were incredible. It felt like their bodies were bursting with power and it was insane.

Ashton's buffs also cleansed fear out of her system, allowing her to recover her composure. She observed her and her friends' glowing bodies, feeling the strength they possess, albeit for a limited period.

"...what's the level of your Spells?" Mary couldn't help but ask.

"Don't worry about it." Ashton replied, refusing to answer that for now. "Instead of focusing on the level of my spells, you have better things to do. Like focusing on the Bioweapon that's going to wake up in the next five seconds."

That got them going. At this point, nobody really doubted Ashton. He hasn't been wrong so far, so if he says that the enemy is about to wake up, then it is about to wake up.

And seemingly supporting this claim, the Demonic Bioweapon twitched and suddenly screeched at the sky, shattering several glass windows while it was at it.

The screech could be heard from miles away, at this point, there were already some people who couldn't contain their curiosities anymore and were headed toward this place. Fortunately, though, the barrier that Blake created earlier was strong enough to prevent them from going any further.

"Blake, you come with me. Mary, we'll try to make openings for you. Go for the head if you can." Alice immediately reacted and charged ahead followed by Blake.

The Skydemon noticed them and didn't hesitate to attack them. It was fierce and really strong. Blake could clearly feel the weight being its attacks when he tried to intercept the blow with his shield. Nonetheless, Blake remained stable.

Alice used that chance to poke holes into the Skydemon's body, but its flesh was exceptionally durable and her attacks just left a white scar instead.

She frowned and decisively used more mana to sharpen her sword. Compiled with her sword arts and Ashton's buffs, she was able to leave large wounds on the Skydemon's body.

Blake suddenly stepped in and used the Provocation Spell to shift the attention of the demon to himself.

Just in time to receive another strong attack from the Skydemon.

Mary was off at a distance, her bow was fully drawn to a perfect arc. Her shot was primed and ready, all she needs is the signal and she would definitely punch a hole in the Skydemon's head.

Alice and Blake continued to harass the Skydemon until finally, it slipped up. Both Alice and Blake noticed this so they signaled Mary who released the shot she was holding right away.

Because of Ashton's buffs, that shot was more powerful than any of them was expecting, even Mary herself underestimated her strength greatly. It was clear from her surprised expression when she saw how the Demon's head directly exploded just from a single shot of hers.

The Skydemon fell to the ground, its body turned lifeless and dissipated into dust. Blake and Alice were still recovering from the shock.

Somehow, they were expecting that fight to be much harder than that but they really underestimated just how strong they've become thanks to Ashton's assistance.

"Alright, good work everyone. Now come down here and rest, you deserve it." Ashton's playful voice woke them up from their stupor.