The Prince Of Magic

...

...

When he took a step forward, Hadrian let out a sigh.

He watched as the air he breathed out became a visible puff of mist in front of him. He switched his attention to his surroundings, surveying the area from left to right. He stared at the black ground, the thick mist scattered across the island, and the glittering crystal trees. Then, he turned his gaze to the front where he saw the crimson beacon of light blinking deep within the heart of the isle.

"To think I would step foot here." He shook his head, smiling wryly. "Must've lost my damn mind…"

"Fou…" Fou, his white fluffy familiar, cooed from her perch on his shoulder.

The young mage smiled, rubbing the familiar around her nape as thanks for her comforting gesture.

On his way to the island, Hadrian couldn't help but feel apprehensive.

He had felt it before back in the main headquarters of the Watch, but now that he had stepped foot unto the island, the fear in his heart was more prominent.

No mages, regardless of their prestige and noble ranks, would dare venture into the territory of an Ultimate One. His grandfather was even wary of putting such a thought into motion, despite his superb abilities and tricks.

The Wizard Marshall might be daring at times, but when up against a powerful entity, even Zelretch would exert extreme caution.

It was the same as how he handled his battle against Crimson Moon.

Hadrian had heard it from his grandfather quite a number of times in how he approached the ancient bloodsucker, and it was with a combination of wit and cunning.

His grandfather had always taunted the bloodsucker to throw him off his guard, while coming up with different ways to end the ancient alien.

Needless to say, his grandfather had lost count on how many times he had managed to successfully annoy Crimson Moon, which the old mage seemed to take p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e in recounting and took it as his main victory in their battle.

In hindsight, it was also probably the reason why the ancient vampire turned his grandfather into a Dead Apostle, for causing him an aneurysm for the first time in his long life.

His grandfather's bravery aside, he was quick to warn his grandson of approaching possible encounters with hostile aliens.

'Don't rush in. Prepare your escape first before planning out your attacks. Better yet, just don't come near where aliens hangs around, okay? Don't do what I did!'

That was the wise advice of the infamous Wizard Marshall, of which he passed onto his grandson.

And yet, here he was, venturing into the Spider's territory to rescue his retainers from their problematic predicament.

"Too late for that…" Hadrian sighed.

He had spoken to his seven retainers and gave them some support by casting a few buffs and a healing spell to ensure their safety and escape.

It might be minuscule, but his buff and healing spells can go a long way.

It was the least thing he could do for all the troubles they encountered. It was also what helped him and Arturia throughout their battles in the Moon Holy Grail War.

Now, he had just finished his preparations for their escape, and had sent King Hassan and Dia deep into the island for something important.

If they happen to encounter the others along the way, then it was all the better for them to stick together and guide them to him so that they can be sent to safety.

The only problem he encountered was that the teleportation circle cannot transport more than five people. The actual process would be instantaneous, but it was limited for five at a time and there was a temporary break once the transportation was used before the action can be repeated.

The break would last for about thirty seconds after each turn, which poses as a problem due to the dire situation.

His retainers were being chased, and still are.

Hadrian can sense it, and the automaton reported to him as much.

If need be, he would not hesitate to use the remaining Command Seals if the situation takes a turn for the worse. The seals would replenish itself by the next day, courtesy of the automaton's doing.

Thus, he was not concerned about using them and down to the last tattoo.

Also, he was not naïve to expect that he and the others would be able to leave the island without encountering some kind of trouble.

With no time to waste, Hadrian spent some of his time in checking and re-checking the bounded field he made around the teleportation circle.

The bounded field was ten meters wide and fifteen meters high, which covers more space so that the small clearing would also be protected. In addition, he also placed several traps in certain areas around the clearing within the bounded field.

That way, the spawns would be delayed momentarily, giving him and his retainers more time to make their escape.

The bounded field mostly consisted of magical and physical interference, and he cast about ten of them (five of each) to prevent any living creature (other than humans and his retainers) from being near the teleportation circle.

Hadrian had a feeling that the spawns might bulrush through the boundary line, so he made ten and layered them on top of the other as a safety precaution.

He even used a bit of his unique magical energy to reinforce the barriers, rendering them stronger than normal.

The magical traps on the ground would trigger in a similar way to a mine bomb would. The traps were not design to explode, but to restrain the target's movements.

At first, he had thought about using bombs, but he discarded the idea since he didn't want to risk jostling the island due to the effects of the explosion.

The safety nets might be over the top, but against the spider's spawns, Hadrian was not even sure it was enough, despite his efforts.

...

...