The boost that Kate received from Mayor Henry felt surprisingly natural. It didn't feel like her abilities had been forcefully elevated, but rather like she was in control of the power her future self would have. Her cultivation was only pushed to the late Earth Realm, but that was enough to give her the confidence needed to try a spell she had only theorised was possible.
Kate linked her senses with the wind and grasped its motion using Heavenly Wind Control. It was still vague, but she could touch upon the natural laws of wind and have the air bend to her will. With this power, she aimed at the enemies below.
"Heavenly Wind Control - Storm Cluster."
Suddenly, small, condensed, spinning orbs of wind appeared around the members of the Blaze Union. These orbs even appeared inside barriers, and the moment they made contact with anything physical, they exploded in a small range with the same instantaneous power as one of Kate's normal Storm Impacts. The time between the orbs' appearances and their explosions was too short for most to realise the danger, so they died without sensing the air of death.
When the dust cleared, the ground was filled with small holes and bits of flesh and blood. These Blaze Union members had been confident that Cyrus would belong to them, and now that confidence was gone with their lives.
"You, monster!" one of the survivors cried.
They were the strongest among the several groups that had invaded the city, but Kate felt no fear even as she lost the boost given by Mayor Henry and slowly drifted to the ground. With a wave of her hand, the bloody stench that pervaded the area was swept away, but below her feet was still painted red. Though she had less experience killing humans compared to evolved beasts, Kate was well aware that mercy to the enemy was cruelty to the self. If it meant protecting her loved ones, then her fists wouldn't loosen even when drenched in blood.
"Die!"
From outside the city, a powerful presence abruptly launched an attack at Kate. Although the three former core elders and current Blaze Union leaders didn't enter Cyrus, they were still able to sense everything happening inside. They had considered acting the moment Kate unleashed that giant spear of wind but held back out of fear that they were being baited by Mayor Henry. Now, such fears couldn't stop one leader from striking at Kate in revenge for killing their young members and elders.
"Hmph!"
With a snort, the barrier covering the tower expanded and protected Kate. Mayor Henry hadn't expected that Kate would deal such devastation to the Blaze Union, but he was prepared to stop the core elders from interfering.
The union leader's attack shook the barrier but showed no signs of breaking it.
"Henry! Offer this savage to us and we will retreat from the city."
It was a drastic decision, but it proved how much he hated and feared Kate. The three union leaders knew that the power she used to kill their men was borrowed, but the way she used it gave a hint of how horrifying it would be to let her grow as an enemy. A threat like this had to be removed early even if it meant delaying their goal.
Upon hearing the leader's request, Kate showed no uneasiness on the outside, but internally she prepared for betrayal. She didn't know Mayor Henry very well after all, so she couldn't let her guard down. Fortunately, she wasn't disappointed.
"As if there's anyone more deserving to be called savages than you people. For your sins against my citizens, I will execute every member of the Blaze Union within these walls. If you want to stop me, then you'll have to stop watching like spectators and take action yourselves."
At the end of his declaration, Mayor Henry activated a barrier around the city. This barrier could be easily broken by a Sky Realm expert, but those in the Earth Realm would have to exert much time and effort. Once the barrier was raised, Mayor Henry easily dispatched the stragglers of the Blaze Union one by one with lightning spells.
"Damn you, Henry! Don't go too far!"
Another Blaze Union leader shattered the barrier in one hit, but it quickly repaired itself. Judging from the speed of the repair, there was enough time to send a few members of the Blaze Union inside, but without the support of the union leaders, that would be the same as sending them to their deaths. Now that Mayor Henry was on the offensive, only the union leaders could stop him.
"Brothers, I'll go."
The only union leader yet to make a move stepped forward at this time.
"But Brother Lut, if he's taunting us like this, he surely has something to rely on. What if-?"
"We already knew this. At this point we can only take that risk and then strike once he reveals his trump card. Don't worry, I don't plan to die here."
The other two union leaders were aware that Elder Lut stood the best chance of surviving whatever Mayor Henry had in store, so they grimly agreed to let him go. As for the option of retreating, they didn't think Henry was that much of a threat to consider it.
"Henry! It's time to put an end to this."
Elder Lut easily shattered the city barrier and entered the city before the barrier repaired itself. He could sense that the barrier had grown stronger after its repair, but he didn't let this bother him.
Once Elder Lut appeared above the city, Mayor Henry also revealed himself. The mayor was stuck at the first level of the Sky Realm, while Elder Lut had reached the fourth level. Normally, this would be enough of a difference to finish the battle in one move, but in Cyrus, the mayor was able to wield above his true strength.
Soon after the two faced each other, they exchanged attacks without another word. Each strike echoed throughout the city but caused little collateral damage. Kate found her attention drawn by the high-level battle, but she reluctantly pulled her eyes away so that she could carry out the task Mayor Henry assigned to her.
"He better not lose."
Meanwhile, one of the few remaining groups of invaders continued to occupy the martial academy. This group had basically no one from the Lava Stream Sect but rather was comprised of a merchant family that was close to the sect and traitors of Cyrus. It was these traitors that allowed the Blaze Union to make its move so quickly and make great progress in the initial stages of the siege. There had been much gloom when Mayor Henry started smiting their comrades, but now that the Blaze Union leaders were involved, they were assured of victory once more.
"I told you there was nothing to worry about, elders of the Wright family."
As the representative of the Valet merchant family, Cruz spoke freely with the representatives of the traitors. There were four elders from the Wright family, including Anders, and none of them possessed cultivations below the Earth Realm, the same as Cruz. The elders of the Wright family had established themselves in Silver City, so they were acquainted with Cruz and his family, and it was through this connection that they found themselves in this position. These two groups had little loyalty to the Blaze Union or Cyrus; they merely chose the option that seemed most profitable.
"Yes, I admit that we were wary when the mayor went on the offensive, but in the end he's simply delaying the inevitable. With young Rizer assuming the role of headmaster, there's no one in this academy that can pose a threat to us, so we only need to wait for the sound of victory."
Head Elder James took charge of responding to Cruz. The elders of the Wright family were ranked according to seniority and then strength, and as the last remaining member of his generation, Head Elder James was both in the late Earth Realm and in the last stage of his lifespan. Although the active generation had some infighting, the elders were united and rarely had any conflict, so whatever Head Elder James said could be considered the opinion of all the elders.
However, whether his opinion matched that of the rest of the family was another story.