Arcadia's Ignoble Knight: The Sorceress' Knights Tournament

Chapter 51

The earth rose before them on all sides, a colossal tide that drowned out the colosseum. Caspian saw nothing of the previous lay of the land, not the sky, nor the stands, nor anything at all. Everything had been cast into darkness, and the only thing that remained visible were the massive walls of earth that had risen above them.

"Odin All-Father, lord of the Nordic Tribe, I harken unto you this most urgent plea," Sylvia intoned quickly, chanting her aria with haste. "Come to my aid. Lend me a shining steed to break through the darkness that threatens to engulf me and my kin."

Caspian heard the words, but he didn't pay much attention to them, as most of his focus was on the blinding light that had suddenly appeared from within Sylvia. It burst forth from her body, ethereal flames flickering like a bonfire in the wind. The fire, which he recognized from its feel as mana, coalesced into a physical form, reshaped itself into that of a horse with eight legs. Sleipner. The eight-legged horse, the spell that destroyed everything in its path.

The horse reared onto its hind legs, and then, with incredible force, it blasted off the ground and into the air. Slamming head first into the dome that had, moments earlier, threatened to swallow them, Sleipner shattered the earth. Like a stack of cards that had been piled high, a domino effect occurred. Starting from the center of the impact and spreading outward, the dome crumbled into dust.

When the dome crashed, Caspian gasped. The colosseum was gone. He didn't understand what had happened, but it looked as if the dome that had been formed had swallowed the entire colosseum. What had once been a stadium that could fit over 100,000 people, now there was only piles of rubble.

"Is it over?" asked Christo.

"I hope so," Caspian said, and then he did a double take. "Wait a second. When did you wake up?"

"Just now." Christo chuckled. "I still feel kinda weak, though. I can barely move my arms. My legs don't work either."

Indeed, Christo was still lying on the ground, and it didn't seem like he would be moving any time soon. Caspian imagined the reason he was so weak was because of how much blood he'd lost.

Just then, the earth shifted and rumbled some more. The crumbled remnants of the dome scurried across the ground like a horde of ants. They journeyed to the center of the arena, merging together, amalgamating. A pair of legs soon formed from the earth, followed by a feminine torso, and then shoulders, which expanded into a set of arms. Finally, the neck and head reformed, revealing the face of Gaia.

This Gaia was not small. Unlike the previous one, which had been the size of a human, this version was large. It easily towered over them. They were like ants compared to this thing, which Caspian judged to be at least 15 stories tall, maybe even more.

"That is one really big monster," Christo said.

"No kidding," Caspian replied in stunned awe.

"Should we do something?" Elincia asked, biting her lip.

"Caspian," Erica said before he could answer. "You might want to pick up your friend and follow me."

"Why?" Caspian asked, though he did as told, grabbing his friend and lifting him in an overarm carry. He also grabbed Elincia's hand and held it tightly.

"Because Sylvia is about to get serious," Erica told him, her tone carrying a hint of trepidation that he'd never heard before. "And trust me when I say that you don't want to be in the way when she gets serious."

***

Sylvia frowned at the creature standing before her. She did not know how someone had summoned a spirit to this plane of existence, nor did she have an inkling as to who might have—or who could have—done it. However, at the moment, none of that really mattered.