Toz and the others looked around a second time and confirmed that there were no enemies stationed within the chamber, probably because they would absorb and steal the demonic energy from the Fountain. And since they didn't have any more time to waste, they prepared to destroy the Fountain of Death.
It was just that destroying the Fountain was easier said than done. It was a complete artifact, and considering how much demonic energy surged out of it, it was of an unbelievably high grade. Even if it weren't geared toward defense and were nothing more than a source of death attribute demonic energy, the Fountain would still be sturdy to the degree that was akin to the materials that had gone into making it.
The stone pedestal looked like ordinary granite smoothened to an even, grey surface. But based on the air of death and the faint markings that looked more like the faces of wraiths the longer one looked, the pedestal wasn't made from ordinary stone.
And that was only the pedestal and how the base material looked. It was impossible to tell how the orb had been made or what kinds of enchantments and magic filled the Fountain.
But Toz and the others hadn't come this far to back down in the face of their target just because its atmosphere was daunting.
If anything, Toz almost looked forward to cracking the orb open. For some reason that he couldn't tell, Toz hadn't been able to move his gaze away from the orb after putting his eyes on it. He didn't know if it was his instincts or simply the overwhelming amount of demonic energy taking over his mana vision that locked his eyes in place. But he was sure to find out why he was drawn to the orb if he could get his hands on it.
Unfortunately, he couldn't really explain this peculiar desire to the others. If they smashed the orb before him, they might get a rightful claim to whatever it was inside. Or they might even break the orb if it was the orb itself that Toz wanted.
"The base of the pedestal looks to be the structurally weakest point. Let's focus our attacks there."
Toz was a little uncertain if the others would listen to him. But it seemed like his display of skill and power, both with the stealth magic and during his bout with the armors, had inspired the others to trust him enough to listen to him. Toz had been more doubtful about Seich's attitude.
But Toz's words were reasonable, and no one had any other suggestions. Seich even agreed with Toz's point of view. He was just about to attack that point when Toz said they should attack together.
It was a little risky attacking all at once since their magic could interfere with each other. Thankfully, no one had any contrasting elements. If anything, their elements synergized quite well.
Mifter's wind could help strengthen Toz's fire and lightning, and Toz's fire and lightning would strengthen Seich's light attribute. And on top of all that came Wyrie's amplification magic.
There were also Toz's other attributes and combination magic, but they didn't possess the same explosively destructive properties or the same ease of use, so Toz held back on using them for now.
Toz and the others roused their mana to the limit as they prepared the strongest attacks they could.
Seich's blades started trembling from all the light that Seich concentrated into them, and the more he condensed the mana, the brighter the lights grew.
Mifter conjured a line of needles of wind that spun through the air so fast that it was impossible to follow their movements.
Toz used the most powerful attack he could, his Fireball spell. And he focused on strengthening the explosive properties of the spell. He also made sure that the explosion would face away from them and that all the force would turn toward the pedestal. His Fireball was powerful, but it would be useless if the power wasn't concentrated on one spot. And it would be even worse if the Fireball backfired and affected the others.
As the three attackers were getting ready to unleash their attacks, Wyrie also got ready to step in. Since she was running out of mana and barely had enough left to defend herself against the death attribute demonic energy, she was prepared to do the same she had done when Seich broke through the line of knights. Wyrie was only going to amplify the effects of their magic at the moment of impact. Any more, and she might not be able to endure the demonic energy eating away at her ankles.
Toz, Seich, Mifter, and Wyrie exchanged glances and got ready to attack, while Hal and Braxton got ready to contain the damage and sound of the attack.
Toz's fist-sized ball of orange inferno started twisting the air around it due to the heat that managed to escape Toz's control.
Mifter's finger-sized needles lined up and created a cone, inside which Toz guided his fireball. The currents of air helped guide and control the power of Toz's fire. It would also help direct the explosion toward one point on the Fountain.
Mifter's cone and Toz's Fireball would lead the assault.
Since Seich's attack would get stronger the brighter its surroundings were, he would launch it the moment Toz's Fireball made contact with the pedestal. Thankfully, light magic was fast enough to make it to the pedestal after Toz's Fireball made contact but before it fully exploded.
As he felt the power of the three instances of magic, Braxton prepared a shelter for them to take cover behind after the three maniacs unleashed their attacks.
Hal and Braxton were already hiding behind the sloped and curved wall. Hal was ready to isolate the noise, and Braxton still didn't feel safe, so he continued reinforcing the earthen shield.
With one final exchange of glances between the four responsible for the attack, they unleashed their magic upon the Fountain of Death.