“Dang, they cut it pretty close getting these to us,” Ben said as he looked over and sniffed the same bar of food they’d gotten during the first wave, made by the divine chef and imparting incredible buffs even to someone like him who didn’t have the sort of constitution to let him enjoy them to the same extent as so many others.

“At least we got them at all,” Thera said with a shrug, about to eat hers but watching as Ben slipped his into his ring. “Not going to have it right now?”

“Saving it for a special occasion,” He told her as he instead took out and downed one of his mana regeneration potions. “This should do for now.”

After having experienced its effects during the first wave, he’d decided it was the sort of thing that would be best saved for a low point, with Thera following his lead after hesitating a second.

“Just don’t go trying to make me take yours if things look bad,” She warned, getting a smile for her efforts.

“Would I do that sort of thing?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, well I won’t this time. Anyway, what do you think the odds are that Falk could get me a meeting with the divine chef now that he’s at the third tier? He could probably set up a meeting for me, right? Maybe score me a snack or two too.”

He’d be happy to get any scrap she cooked, if only because that meant he’d be able to replicate it with his actualization in Myriad’s realm to enjoy at his leisure, but Thera just shook her head.

“I feel like your odds would have been best asking before this wave, there’s no way she’s going to have time to entertain you after, even if it’s only for a few minutes.”

“Lame, but likely correct. Ugh, okay, now I’m fully motivated for this world to win. We’ll do everything we can to make it happen.”

“Please be fully motivated about that because of your own survival, not your stomach.”

He grinned as she sighed, having lightened the mood just a bit before the final flare went up, telling them there was only a minute left as he couldn’t help but take her free hand as part of him counted down.

All of the mages around were holding out their staves, already preparing to cast as he wondered if he should have made himself the same before ultimately shaking his head. He’d had the glove he’d made himself in the dead god’s trial to channel his mana through but hadn’t even really felt the need to use that after awakening his magic, his control was simply too good at that point to require an additional aid and he couldn’t imagine a proper staff making too much of a difference for him when it was something he wasn’t used to. If anything, he was more likely to fumble with it unless he’d take a couple days to practice first. Even if not for everyone, the way he did things is what suited him most in the end.

Forty seconds.

He could feel the potion taking effect as he casually burned some of his mana, manipulating a piece of stone in his pocket by breaking it into its composite parts and remaking it before letting his mind linger on some of what filled his spatial ring.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

Amongst the food and potions, it was filled with something else, tens of thousands of iron ball bearings, ready to be taken out as needed and making up how he would be attacking as he pulled out his first handful to prepare, feeling their weight in his grip and giving him a surprising amount of comfort given what was to come, the feeling of something strong and sturdy that he knew he’d be able to kill with giving him something to focus on within his grasp, even if he was going to have used them all up before the first day was done.

That meant he’d need to make more when it came time to get their bit of rest, meaning he’d be stealing some of Thera’s mana while she slept to materialize what he’d need and might even end up doing so during the battle that day as it went on depending on the way things turned out. With the potions he’d given her though, combined with her vast supply, he wasn’t too worried about the strain that might place on her in the end. She wouldn’t be materializing left and right like she’d had to when the outsider attacked, meaning that if things went well she’d have plenty to spare.

And not just for me from the looks of it.

With his sacrilege, he could see the faith within everyone, including the various spirits that filled the air around her, all ready to do their part in what was to come and taking advantage of her ambient mana while they still could and given the lack of awakened skills among the mages who stood nearby with them, he could easily predict a future where he’d need to transfer some of Thera’s massive supply over if they got too low to let them keep fighting.

While ordinarily it wouldn’t make sense to take the mana of a more powerful mage to give to a weaker mage, Thera’s quantity allowed that to be a viable option.

Twenty seconds.

Even reaching out early to poke into the minds of those around them, Ben felt a variety of things. Fear, an ocean of it coming from people as they all did their own little countdowns with varying degrees of accuracy, with everyone afraid of what was to come.

False hope too, with more than a few wanting to believe they’d get a repeat of the last wave, that something would happen to cause enough terror among the demons that they’d want to close the gates early again, giving them just a little more peace compared to what any of their lost worlds would have been dealing with in that same time.

It was a hope all of them would be losing soon enough. The conditions that had allowed for that sort of thing to happen wouldn’t repeat. There was always the chance that Naloth, the high elf who’d caused the disaster that was opening the gate to hell, would show up somewhere to display whatever strength he might have gained from his mad ritual, it would be better than just hiding away with the power he’d risked the world for, but even then he wouldn’t be able to make a difference that large.

No, be it days or weeks, they’d be losing what tiny bits of hope they held, forced to accept the reality of it all. They were in a good position thanks to the events of the first wave despite what it had cost, they’d need to accept that was the only advantage they’d get and use it for all it was worth. The planet hadn’t been devastated as they waited for the first wave and the death toll was small at the moment, those extra bodies would just need to put in the work they could.

Ten seconds.

“Oh, damn it,” Thera muttered before giving into something she’d been avoiding, pulling away her hand from Ben’s and pulling a metal circle from her ring to shove on her head at the last moment, looking like she absolutely hated the experience of putting it on as her mind split and the speed of her thoughts and learning sped up. “Your circlets are absolutely the worst and I wish you didn’t pack them.”

“Ah, but since I did you had no choice.”

“Obviously, I can’t just not use something so useful right now.”

Her absolute displeasure so close to the gate opening left him wanting to laugh at the sheer, ridiculous contrast of it all, but he never got the chance. Before he got even one more word out, his countdown had finished, showing how true his timekeeping kept up with the interstellar gate opened, ushering in the second wave.