The Golem Mage Chapter 1085: Multiple Deaths 1.

The spectators couldn't get enough of observing the War God Mage Academy's maneuvers across the battlefield, yet they weren't alone in relishing every thrilling second.

Ember Citadel Team members, who had appeared utterly dejected before, now viewed the scene with fresh hope sparkling in their eyes, as they saw the War God team navigate the arena while holding onto their upper hand.

Although it was commonly thought that the War God team lagged behind Bloodline Academy in overall power, their performance in the match painted an entirely different picture.

The battle style they witnessed emphasized tactics and positioning far more than brute force by itself.

Raw strength remained essential for claiming and guarding the rune points, yet the unfolding clash demonstrated how strategy could dramatically turn the tides, and the War God team's precise movements ignited a spark of optimism within the Ember Citadel members' hearts.

They began to believe that maybe, just maybe, they could discover a path to victory in their upcoming bout, simply by studying the strategies and maneuvers employed by the War God team.

_ _

By then, Pale and Endrick had already sneaked through a shattered edge of the battlefield, making their way toward the western rune in hopes of arriving without crossing paths with any Bloodline Academy Team members.

Their stealthy approach didn't endure, however, for Carmilla was darting rapidly across the devastated terrain when her mental perception picked up the mana traces of two unknown mages close by.

Though she had wanted to rush directly to the central area as Damien ordered, she recognized the danger in leaving their secured rune point undefended with enemies nearby.

She was fully aware it stood unguarded right now, allowing the War God team to widen their lead effortlessly, so she altered her course.

Utilizing a hidden path on the battlefield while following their mana signatures, she swiftly overtook them moments before they hit the rune point, erupting from the flank as Carmilla materialized abruptly in front of the pair and lashed out with her blood scythe in a broad sideways sweep the instant she appeared.

Though she ambushed them unexpectedly, Endrick and Pale stayed calm, reacting without hesitation the moment her strike loomed, ready to repel the surprise assault while keeping their cool.

Endrick ducked low as Pale lifted both hands, summoning an ice shield that materialized in front of him.

Tang!

A piercing clang echoed when the blood scythe's edge crashed into the shield's core, shoving Pale back as he scraped his heels along the dirt to halt his slide.

“Go capture the rune. I’ll keep her busy!” Endrick shouted, advancing to block Carmilla and prevent her from pressing the attack on Pale.

Endrick started weaving hand signs right away, but Carmilla bridged the gap in a flash and slashed with her scythe once more, aiming to bisect him.

With the Creation Stone shielding all fighters and offering three resurrection opportunities, Carmilla felt free to strike without restraint.

She assaulted fiercely, unconcerned about slaying her foe outright; facing the descending blood scythe, Endrick abandoned his signs and stumbled sideways in evasion.

But Carmilla pivoted sharply, ignoring pursuit of him to charge at Pale, who had just entered the western rune circle.

With an enemy mage now inside, the blue glow signifying Bloodline Academy's dominance over the Rune Point started to dim.

Less than five seconds had passed, so the rune hadn't reverted fully to neutral white, but its control was already slipping away.

Yet in her total focus on halting the capture, Carmilla missed a crucial detail: she faced not one, but two mages—and she had gravely misjudged their capabilities.

[ Mid-Tier Spell – Reinforced Ice Walls ]

Pale thrust his hands skyward and completed his incantation, causing a towering, dense ice wall to surge from the earth and seal off Carmilla's advance.

As the barrier ascended, Pale called out to Endrick.

“No matter what, she must not get through. Don’t forget Alec’s plan.”

Carmilla's irritation surged upon seeing she couldn't breach the rune before the ice fully rose; she swept her scythe sideways, unleashing a surge of blood energy that slashed a deep gash across the formidable ice wall—yet it endured.

Puchi!

The moment Carmilla attempted to melt her scythe into blood energy for reshaping into a new form, a sharp stab lanced through her left shoulder.

Glancing down, she spotted an arrow tip jutting from her flesh.

[ Mid-Tier Skill + Spell – Verdant Archery: Ironwood Piercer ]

She instantly grasped that the arrow held no iron; it was wood, but infused with potent plant mana to create a rigid Ironwood point capable of penetrating her defenses.

Whirling around, she beheld Endrick positioned behind her, clutching a distinctive bow in his left hand; fury ignited in her gaze as she reached for her spirit equipment set, crimson tattoos blooming across her skin to trigger its power.

Yet before the shift finished, Endrick nocked another shot, a wooden arrow wreathed in vivid green nature energy materializing on the string, which he loosed with icy resolve.

Faced with the incoming arrow, Carmilla released her spirit equipment link to protect herself.

Her scythe had by now liquefied into blood, reforming into a blood shield that sprang up in front of her.

Clang!

The arrow struck the shield and ricocheted away; after the block, she flung her right arm wide, and the shield followed, clearing her line of sight.

But as her view opened, she sensed trouble.

Endrick was gone.

In raising the shield for defense, it had obscured her vision, letting him slip completely from sight.

Unease gripped her mind as she swept her mental senses over the surroundings. After the initial arrow, she knew another hit would spell doom.

Her left arm remained sluggish from the first strike.

Uncertain if poison coursed through her, she distinctly felt thorn-like protrusions from the embedded wooden arrow in her shoulder, creeping further inward.

And should those thorns propagate unchecked, she realized she'd face a dire predicament.