An altar is a "field"—a place where large-scale magic is manifested through the use of countless magic circles of all sizes, various catalysts, specific procedures, units of dozens of mages, and sometimes even sacrifices.
Since ancient times, they have existed in the form of architecturally superior structures such as temples and royal tombs. Throughout history’s turning points, various rituals have been performed using these altars.
This is the nature of large-scale magic. It far exceeds the scope of what an individual can handle, requiring the use of an altar and the combined efforts of several mages to activate.
Naturally, there was no way I wouldn't be interested in something that sounded so fun. I had wanted to try it for a long time, but I simply lacked the means.
I didn't have dozens of mages who would move exactly as I wished, nor did I have a vast space to use freely, the necessary magical equipment, or a location where I could test-fire such spells.
That was why I decided to embed an altar system into Diguardia itself.
From the machine’s dragon-like shape to the spell formulas inscribed in every nook and cranny—everything that seemed meaningless at first glance actually served a purpose.
In addition, the acoustic devices installed in both palms were reading out the long-duration chants I had pre-recorded.
"■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■——————————————————"
The automatically played spell bundles converged, focusing into my palms.
"And the fine-tuning will be handled by me—"
"And myself," Jiriel added.
The mana bundles, further refined by the hands of Grimo and Jiriel, spiraled together. They let out a low roar as they gathered around me, the caster.
The amount of mana was staggering. If the amount I usually used was a one, this easily exceeded a thousand.
It was truly on a different level.
So this was the power of the large-scale magic used by dozens of mages. This was going to be interesting. Yes, very interesting indeed.
"D-Dammit! It won't come off...!"
Tartarus struggled desperately, but it couldn't move an inch.
What currently pinned Tartarus down was the earth system large-scale magic, "Heavy Binding Array."
It was a barrier that layered elements with particularly high capturing capabilities from within the earth system—sand, swamp, and trees.
Stretching vines snared Tartarus, dragging it down into the earth, which had shattered its bedrock to become a bottomless quagmire.
"Gehehe! It’s useless, useless! This is large-scale magic that can entangle even an army of giants!" Grimo cackled.
"Indeed. A mere golem has no means of escaping our Chief God!" Jiriel declared.
For some reason, the two of them were acting incredibly triumphant.
"With something like this... my Tartarus... Guh, I won't... lose...!"
As if responding to Ido's scream, Tartarus's armor opened, and its boosters spewed flames.
While the machine shook violently, it tore through the vines and began to ascend.
"Oh, what incredible power! Then how will you handle this?"
I turned the tuner to switch the spell formula.
Lightning system large-scale magic, "Black King Lightning."
Jet-black lightning poured down from the heavens, searing Tartarus.
"Ga... ah...!?"
Tartarus fell, scorched along with the vines.
Lightning system large-scale magic could only be activated through the double casting of wind and fire. Among such spells, "Black Lightning" specialized in raw power; its condensed flames were hot enough to char the very atmosphere.
Hence, the black lightning.
"I’m just getting started. 'Wind Kamui'."
This was a large-scale magic said to have once sunk a fleet that attacked from beyond the continent.
A storm was born in an instant, swallowing Tartarus and sending it into a tailspin like a leaf in a whirlpool.
"And furthermore... 'Water Piercing Dragon'."
A mass of water gathered directly above Tartarus, which had been lifted high into the sky, and poured down all at once.
The massive volume of water falling like a cataract looked like a dragon descending from the sky when viewed from a distance.
Tartarus was slammed into the earth with a thunderous roar, gouging a massive hole in the ground.
"This is insane... Large-scale magic is supposed to have strategic-grade destructive power on its own, but even a gathering of average mages couldn't produce this much force," Grimo noted.
"A true natural disaster. It is a power akin to a divine miracle performed by our Chief God. I can say nothing but 'as expected,'" Jiriel agreed.
While the two were marveling at the sight, the edge of the crater crumbled.
I could see Tartarus climbing out from the gap.
To think it still wasn't broken after taking all those attacks. Wonderful.
"Guh... uuh...! N-Not yet... I'm not...!"
Though it let out a voice of agony, Tartarus stood up and took a stance.
Good, good. This was fun.
Since I finally had the chance to use large-scale magic, I wanted to try all sorts of things. He was more than welcome to keep struggling.
"Then I'll go a bit stronger—"
I switched the spell formula and shifted up another gear.
The density of the chants emanating from the acoustic devices increased, and the machine's frame began to scream.
"Gu-Guoh!? The load spiked all at once!? What's with the density of this spell bundle! Just keeping it together is pushing me to the limit...!?" Grimo shouted.
"Even just the portion for one hand has a staggering mass... Kh, but there is no way I could fail where a mere Majin succeeds...!" Jiriel countered.
The mana the two of them refined while grumbling swelled until it was nearly bursting, flowing into me.
I used tens of thousands of spell formulas to efficiently organize, channel, compress, and weave that vast mana.
The mana flow was like a great river, and I focused it into a single point.
Ugh, it really was heavy. If I let my guard down even for a second, it felt like it would sweep me away.
But with large-scale magic using this much mana, I wondered what kind of amazing thing would happen.
With my heart pounding in anticipation, the ultra-massive spell formula was completed.
"Star system large-scale magic: 'Heavenly Star Impact'."
The sky let out a low, thunderous rumble.
The sky, which had been heavy with black clouds, was suddenly tinged with vermillion.
The light gradually grew brighter and began to radiate intense heat.
"Wha—"
Ido let out a stunned gasp.
In the direction Tartarus was looking as it peered up at the sky, a brilliantly glowing red sphere had appeared.
"W-What the hell is this!? Master Lloyd, just what did you do!?"
"This magic... could it be the legendary 'Star-fall'?"
What was currently falling from the sky was one of the stars drifting far above this world.
"Heavenly Star Impact" was a spell that caused such a star to fall from an ultra-high altitude, burning up as it struck the enemy directly.
The red star, which was said to have once destroyed an entire nation with a single strike, was already right before our eyes.
"Q-Quintuple Barrier!"
A thick physical barrier manifested above Tartarus, but it shattered the instant it was touched. It couldn't slow the falling speed for even a second.
And then, the light made contact with the earth.