Gordian Tree

Seventh of the Thirteen Forbidden Spells

It is divine power given form. The wrath of the heavens made manifest. The fire of our Goddess, cleansing the world with her fury.

— Aveon Demetrias, Saint of the Cassadean Church

This is probably one of the few times I am hesitant to speak about a spell. Solely for the reason that most anyone interested in this rather obscure part of the Arcane Arts is also interested in learning it. And anyone wanting to learn this spell cannot have good intentions.

Flash of Annihilation

by Franklin Chan

How I know that? Pretty simple, actually. Past a certain point, any spell becomes a deadly weapon. No matter the occasion or intention of application, it will result in death and destruction. Taking a life with the snap of a finger, burning away structures built over decades or alter the course of nature itself, all these things become possible.
The Gordian Tree is on a whole other level. It is, and I very much shudder at having to sound like one of the Church's fanatic goons, destruction incarnate. Anything present at the point of impact will cease to exist, erased by a lance of lightning over a kilometre thick. All that remains is an abyss of black glass.
It comes out of nowhere, and unless your a Mage, you will have zero chance of even anticipating it. Anything in a radius of over five kilometres is obliterated by a shockwave, and the air is burned to the point it becomes a lethal gas. If the winds are right, it can spread even further, making entire regions uninhabitable for years.

How to Destroy a Country

Now you might understand why this technique is among the Forbidden Spells. And really, I've been underselling just how destructive it is. The only good thing about it is that you need to be a veritable master of Mana Manipulation to even attempt it.

• First, you need to concentrate Mana in your hands, create a small sphere and make it as dense as possible. Focus on control. Don't let the sphere get volatile, or it could blow up in your face.

• Charge the sphere with the Lightning Element until it emits a strong blue-white glow. Then throw it into the skies via a Mana Push.

• Repeat steps 1-2 several times. Five should be enough. It is possible to create multiple spheres and then launch them at once.

• The dense concentration/s of Mana will draw in more energy from the surrounding air and charge it with the Lightning Element. Within a day, the area above the target will be so saturated with Mana that it will affect nature itself. A powerful but harmless lightning storm is the result.

• About two days after the first Sphere, the Mana concentration will reach its peak. Now it only needs to be unleashed on a target.

• Point forward with index and middle finger. Charge them with Lightning Mana, but focus on volatility to create a small Lightning Arrow. Concentrate as much Mana in it as possible. Fire it at your target.

It will explode on contact, releasing all the contained Mana in a single instant and breaking the fragile balance of the energy in the skies. All of that power will be drawn down toward the point of impact. It will begin in the points where the concentration is highest, many hundred streaks of lightning crashing down, combining before forming one massive spear. All you need to do is watch in awe at what you've wrought.

As much as I hate to admit it, Darius Kaseidis is right. This technique cannot be allowed to spread. I hereby motion the Council to condemn the Gordian Tree as one of the Forbidden.

— Grandmaster Varn Avida

Related Deity/Higher Power

Cassadea - Goddess of Justice

Related Discipline

Lightning Magic

Related School

Forbidden Spells (since 1019 JA)

Range

Theoretically Unlimited

Level

Grandmaster+

Requirements
Unlike the other Forbidden Spells, the Gordian Tree does not require an exuberant amount of power. Its destructive force is nearly entirely harnassed via the Mana already present throughout the world.
Instead, it requires control. Maintaining Mana in a concentrated form outside the body for any amount of time is a skill few Mages ever fully master.
And keeping the spheres together long enough for the natural energy to sustain them, many kilometres above the earth at that, is something only a true master of Lightning Magic could achieve.
Outlawing Magic
One might think it easy to outlaw a spell. Especially if said technique had caused the death of nearly three-hundred thousand innocents. But change in the Arcane Hierarchy often occurs at a snail's pace. In good centuries that is.
I tried my best to convince the Council to ban its use and teaching. Sadly they proved as stubborn as ever. It took another near apocalypse to change their minds. One of Cassadea's disciples, Aveon Demetrias, attempted to use it on the Temple of Kugiren.
I stopped him. Thankfully the shock was enough to convince them that even if only one in a hundred thousand could even attempt to learn it, each would be able to annihilate an entire country.

by Joseph Meehan