In the anti, the second Protheus stepped into the magic world, an individual engulfed in billowing grey energies rose from his intricately carved throne. Loud noises echoed in the dimly lit place. Flickering shadows danced on his face as his upper lips rose in dissatisfaction.
"Who's foolish enough to enter my territory?! Is it one of these beasts again?" He spat, gritting his teeth in hate.
Closing his left eye, he gazed towards the energy signature, his vision piercing buildings, rivers and mountains alike until it landed on a forest by a small village in the Belloria kingdom. He then observed Andreas, his frown deepening.
"This idiot disappeared for a year only to bring with him a magus back?"
As his words echoed, the delicately carved columns supporting the vast do he stood in shook, raising billowing dust everywhere. The noise of old bones cracking reverberated next, breaking under the pressure the individual passively exuded.
"Humph! A newly promoted magus dares to invade other plans already! Idiot!" He said, his tone contemplative before his lips curled into a smirk. Since the fool didn't value his life, he'll make a perfect addition to his ranks after dying.
The next second, the cracking noises stopped, and the place recovered its peace. However, the individual's figure was gone.
And when he reappeared, he stood before the trio, his veiled mysterious figure causing alarm bells to resonate in their minds.
"T-T-THE MAGUS!" Andreas' voice cracked with terror, his eyes wide with fear as this world's overlord stood ominously before him.
Upon hearing the catastrophic words, Protheus' eyes narrowed behind his chitinous mask. He had not expected this individual to intercept them so swiftly, and, considering his nacing presence, a fight seed unavoidable. Yet, he still tried to reason with him.
"We co in peace to gather knowledge. If our arrival disturbed you, please accept my apologies."
"Interesting. I can give you all the knowledge you need and more..." The magus paused, his amused tone disturbing the forest's peacefulness. Then, he continued, his voice as sharp as a fiery blade. "After you die!"
"Luna, leave. Now!" He roared, glaring at the man's appearing staff with a somber expression. He could feel it even before it entirely materialised. This item was incredible. Its form alone conveyed the power and... the soul-chilling dread it hide.
As Luna vanished, the magus gripped the bony staff engraved with burning green symbols. Then, he spun it, making the sun's light reflect on the sky-blue gem the size of a fist floating above it.
Within a sound, he made his move, launching an invisible yet insidious spell at Protheus.
"URGH!"
A pained groan escaped Protheus' lips. His legs buckled as he felt a tearing pain assault him. However, he understood in the blink of an eye that the agony didn't co from his body but from sothing more ethereal. 'He is attacking my soul!'
"Atomic Blade!"
Echoing his roar, a torrent of shimring white energy coalesced into a floating razor-sharp blade of pure light. Scalding sparks danced along its edge as the air trembled and cracked under the spell's appearance.
BOOM
A discordant explosion blasted the nearby trees, vaporising everything in a two-hundred-ters circle, Andrea's body included. The atomic blade, hurled by the blast, disappeared, cutting through the wind like a scalpel and cracking space in its wake.
However, despite using the spell he was most confident of, his eyes bulged the next mont as the dust settled. His confidence wavered, and his thoughts descended into a chaotic ss. Instead of the devastation he had expected to cause, there was an eery calm.
Before him, the magus stood in all his glory, his body undamaged and the roaring blade clutched in his hand like a toy.
"Mhh. This elent doesn't seem to be natural. If it is, I've never heard of it before," the magus said, his eyes sparkled curiosity as he inspected the spell. He gently squeezed the hard mana, destroying it like a glass piece before scanning the energy's reaction and components.
However, this trivial movent caused Protheus' heart to hamr against his chest as a tsunami of confusion assaulted his mind.
'His body is powerful, too! How?! Isn't he a mage?'
However, he couldn't waste ti thinking. The situation was disastrous, and his adversary's aim was crystal clear: to kill him. But everything wasn't bad. He could get the knowledge desired using Mnemosyne's ability by touching him.
Acting on his idea, he used the magus' montary distraction to lunge at him, giving up on range battle while enduring the pain of feeling his soul crumble morsel by morsel.
"You just beca a magus, the first of your world, I bet."
The magus smirked at the man's ignorance. Would he be called the strongest human on this plane if his physique remained a shortcoming? No! He destroyed the body cultivator's path with his own hands, absorbing their thods like many others.
Before his words could register, his figure blurred in Protheus' eyes before a jolt jerked his head, then his entire body back. Like a cannonball, he flew through the forest before crashing into a tree. Splinters flew everywhere as his body drilled into the trunk. His bones snapped one by one, and the tallic taste of blood filled his mouth.
'Shit.'
His body couldn't hold anymore. The magus was too overwhelming. A single spell he had no way to counter caused his soul to suffer while he shattered his body with a single physical hit.
'He is a monster.'
His eyes trembled as the realisation thundered in his mind. He thought he had beco strong after reaching the eight-tier, yet he was only a frog in the bottom of a well.
'But I'll survive. Not for . For humanity, for Luna, and Atlas!'
A calculative light flashed in his eyes as he rose to his feet, pumping mana into the marks branded on his body to move his limbs forcefully.
Then, he walked towards his enemy, his steps slow and eyes burning in defiance.
Once he stood a few ters away from the arrogant individuals, he spoke, his voice genuine, yet his words shocking.
"I give up," he said, raising his hand towards the monstrous mage, showing he accepted defeat and recognised him as superior.
Intrigued, the magus stared at him for a mont. No words were needed. The man would die. However, he could return the respect he showed him by shaking his hand. Anyway, nothing could wound him, be it spells or physical strikes, not to ntion his defensive artifacts adding another layer of protection.
The next second, he raised his hand, shaking Protheus' as the latter smirked behind his mask, activating his mory manipulation ability at maximum power to plunder the magus' knowledge of souls. After all, this ability ca from Luna directly, awarded to Mnemosyne after her mutation.
"Mhh. That's not magic? I can feel you browsing my knowledge, but I can't stop the process. Fascinating!"
The magus contemplated for a mont, showing genuine interest in anything he didn't know. But even that interest had a limit.
"I'll take good care of you after enslaving your soul," he said, his playful tone replaced by one of desire. "Khu Shepsu."
"ARGH!"
An agony he had never felt before assaulted Protheus' soul. He sensed mana forcefully extract sothing from his body against his will: his soul. And he could do nothing to stop it!
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