After all this, fine beads of sweat appeared on both their foreheads, and their breathing quickened slightly. Enduring the backlash from the spell and casting such powerful magic was an immense burden on them. Both lowered their hands with relief, their gazes fixed on the golden figure supporting the "mountain," which grew smaller and smaller in their field of vision.
The spells they possessed had limited effect on beings of this level. This was the only way to buy Karl a little time and delay Dagon's escape and rampage. The rest... truly depended on Karl himself.
At this moment, Miali, panting, lowered her hands that had been controlling the water flow, her emerald-green face completely drained of colour. She watched as the figure gradually diminished into a tiny golden dot, yet still firmly supported the "small mountain" soaring into the sky. She turned her head, looked at Hen and Tissaia beside her, and then at Triss and the others in the distance, who appeared worried.
She spoke in a soft but clear voice: "His Majesty... will surely be able to slay the evil god."
"He is a god... and the sun... the closer he is to the sun, the more powerful he becomes."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone once again turned their gaze to the high, distant sky, which seemed to dissolve into the clouds.
Karl took one last hard look at the ground; even from this great distance, his vision allowed him to make out the figures on the shore. Triss's face, turned toward the sky, showed anxiety and fear; Yennefer's lips were tightly pressed together; Margarita's eyes were filled with gravity. Despite their negative reactions, Hen and Tissaia continued to use spells to support themselves, while Geralt, leaning on his sword and breathing heavily, maintained an upright posture. And the knights under his command, led by Dalton, whose ranks did not retreat even when exhausted...
They worried about him, fought for him, and placed their hopes on him. This deep trust and connection completely dispelled any doubts that might have arisen in Karl's mind. His gaze became firm, unwavering, and the strength supporting the entire iceberg not only did not diminish but surged anew.
He shot toward the high and distant heavens at supersonic speeds. The dense black mist emanating from Dagon's body crashed against Karl with frenzied fury. It transformed into countless tentacles, sharp teeth, and spikes, trying to pierce the golden light and devour his body and spirit. However, these malicious attacks proved futile against the double barrier formed by divine power and his biokinetic field.
"The power of the Cthulhu pantheon... its nature is abhorrent," Karl calmly assessed as he rapidly ascended. This was not merely a physical or energy attack, but a phenomenon characterised largely by mental contamination, cognitive distortion, and conceptual degradation. For those lacking in strength and mental fortitude, it was a hundred times deadlier than the most terrible plague.
His ability to withstand the assault so calmly was the result of multiple factors combined. Freya's blessing, combined with the Shield of Seidhel, her own divine power, and the protection of his biokinetic field... But Triss and the others were different. Though mages possessed great willpower, they were essentially still mortals — stronger ones, yes. As for ordinary people... the tragic state of Foltest's guard at this moment was the best proof.
Moreover... he recalled a scene from the previous battle. When resisting the most intense attacks of Dagon's black mist, his biokinetic field had been partially breached several times. However, this was immediately countered, cleansed, and dispersed by the more active divine power. This undoubtedly indicated that Dagon's power was not completely invulnerable to him.
If he spread his forcefield to cover and protect everyone on the ground, the defensive power would inevitably be significantly reduced. At that moment, facing Dagon's desperate struggle, he dared not risk the chance that the enemy's powerful surge might break through the weakened defensive field. Even if there was the slightest possibility, he must never gamble with the lives of Triss and the others.
Therefore, the safest option was to stay far away from them, to move the battlefield to a height they could not reach or that could not affect them.
Soon, a familiar feeling returned, and before him appeared that vast, boundless, and majestic magical dome, composed of countless runes. The last time he had approached, the faint sensation emanating from beyond the magic circle had made him feel extremely dangerous. But this time... that sense of crisis had vanished without a trace, and the light of the magic circle enveloped him, completely ignoring him. It even... emanated a faint feeling of acceptance. Was it the blessing taking effect? Or was Freya watching from the shadows?
Karl had no time to examine it closely; he lifted the "hill" and adjusted the angle. This caused Dagon, bound on top and still desperately struggling and roaring, to turn its body toward the barrier of the radiant magical shell. Then he sharply swung his hand upward and raised it.
"BOOM!!" The island that had been lifted into the air, along with Dagon upon it, crashed with force into the magic circle.
"HISS! HISS! HISS! HISS!!!" It was like a hot knife cutting through butter, or cold water poured into boiling oil. The moment the surface of the magic circle came into contact with Dagon's body, a violent reaction occurred. Countless golden runes blazed fiercely, and divine power rained down upon Dagon's body without restraint.
"HISSS!!!!" Dagon let out a terrifying roar, filled with pain and horror. The black mist over its body rapidly dissipated, and its scales and bone plates cracked and crumbled under the torrent of golden light, quickly blackening and charring. With just one touch and penetration, a layer of skin was forcibly stripped from Dagon's body. The surface of its body was blackened and charred, exposing in many places the writhing dark-green flesh and bones beneath.
Karl carried the "mountain" and easily passed through the magic circle, experiencing no discomfort or obstruction. To him, the powerful magical array protecting the planet was merely a soft veil of light.
In the next moment, a scene suddenly opened before him: an endless dark void, dotted with bright yet cold stars. In the distance, planets with their colourful rings slowly rotated, and further still, nebulae resembling fairytale veils could be seen. Beneath his feet lay a beautiful planet, wrapped in a magical circle, a mixture of azure and emerald green — the "home" he had just left.
Quiet, cold, boundless, utterly unlike the vibrant life that thrived on the planet. The sun shone upon him constantly, and the cells of his body were far more active than when he was on the planet.
Karl waved his hand, and the "small mountain" — which had already fulfilled its purpose, now blackened and charred and significantly reduced in size — along with Dagon, who had been terribly "burned" by the magic circle, he casually cast into the empty void ahead.
At this moment, beneath Dagon's charred body, dark-green flesh slowly writhed and regenerated. The extremely low temperature in the vacuum caused its limbs to become covered in frost, making its movements seem stiff and clumsy.
"Perfect opportunity!" Karl's eyes narrowed, and his divine power flared once more, preparing to take advantage of Dagon's weakened state to completely destroy it.