Delmuth recoiled slightly as Ghislain erged unscathed from the roaring inferno of his Fire Storm.
"That bastard…"
It was plausible if the opponent was exceptionally skilled. After all, Fire Storm was an area-of-effect spell, aning its concentrated damage in one spot could be weaker. But even so, it was a 7th-Circle spell. The sheer heat should have lted an ordinary knight to the bone, yet Ghislain hadn’t even a singed thread on him.
The amount of mana his opponent possessed was clearly beyond what Delmuth had anticipated. Wasting no ti, Delmuth began preparing his next spell.
Ghislain, his crimson eyes glinting, lifted his head. He could feel the torrent of mana gathering around Delmuth.
“Too slow.”
BOOM!
The ground cracked beneath him as Ghislain shot toward Delmuth like a missile.
In the blink of an eye, his sword extended, shrouded in a blade of crimson-black aura.
“Ugh!”
Before Delmuth could finish his spell, the aura blade was already swinging toward him.
Whoosh!
With no choice, Delmuth abandoned his casting and hastily conjured a flaming shield in front of him.
CLANG!
“Argh!”
The hastily ford shield of fire was shredded in an instant, unable to withstand the aura blade's devastating force. A long gash opened across Delmuth’s chest, blood spurting from the wound.
“Tch.”
Ghislain clicked his tongue in annoyance as he landed back on the ground.
Had it been anyone else, they’d have been cleaved in two. Yet Delmuth managed to suppress the aura blade’s force at the last second. He wasn’t a 7th-Circle mage for nothing.
Still, Ghislain found the outco encouraging.
“You’ve yet to fully master your power, have you?”
Delmuth had only reached the 7th Circle a few years ago. As a result, his mana control was slightly sluggish. Furthermore, like a typical aristocratic mage, he lacked real battle experience.
To deal with such an opponent effectively, Ghislain needed to keep him too overwheld to unleash any major spells.
Whoosh!
Around Ghislain, a new swarm of crimson-black spears materialized, flickering ominously.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Dozens of spears shot toward Delmuth like arrows.
“You insolent wretch!”
Delmuth wasn’t one to fall so easily. With a wave of his hand, flas erupted, disintegrating the incoming spears with ease.
But that was only the beginning.
ZING—!
“Blink!”
Delmuth’s body shimred and vanished, reappearing so distance away. However, the space he vacated was imdiately slashed by Ghislain’s aura blade.
Each ti Delmuth tried to prepare a powerful spell, he found himself under relentless attack.
SHWEEE!
Out of nowhere, a streak of black energy coalesced in mid-air and shot toward him like a beam of light. Delmuth had no choice but to abandon his preparations and counter with a hastily cast spell.
ZING—! ZING—!
Around him, more dark energy gathered, forming jagged spikes that shot toward him. The spears no longer resembled pristine weapons but crude stakes. Nevertheless, their sheer number overwheld Delmuth.
Forced to focus on rapid-casting smaller spells, Delmuth could only counter in a limited capacity.
“Protect !”
FWOOOSH!
A burst of fire erupted in the air, forming a shimring barrier around him. The flas coalesced into floating spheres of molten energy, radiating an almost gem-like luster.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The stakes collided with the fiery spheres, exploding on impact. Though unable to cast his strongest spells, Delmuth’s mana and willpower still allowed him to maintain formidable defenses.
“Fire Field.”
FWOOSH!
Mana surged from Delmuth’s feet, spreading out in a blazing tide. The earth beneath him turned into a searing wasteland, the flas licking at everything in sight, threatening to consu all within the mana barrier.
True to his reputation as the kingdom’s greatest pyromancer, Delmuth’s flas transford the battlefield into a hellish inferno.
“Take cover!”
Hubert’s frantic scream sent the Scarlet Tower mages scrambling to retreat further. Even the Crimson Tower mages had already backed away to avoid the catastrophic heat.
Vanessa, clutching Alfoy’s wrist, held her ground.
“Don’t grab like that all of a sudden, I—ack!”
Vanessa ignored Alfoy’s protest and stretched out her hand toward the encroaching flas.
“Aqua Field.”
RUMBLE!
Water drawn from the atmosphere and soil gathered around Vanessa, forming a massive barrier of liquid. The water surged forward, clashing against the advancing flas.
HISSSSS!
Steam erupted, obscuring vision and creating a suffocating fog. Despite her best efforts, Vanessa alone couldn’t completely extinguish the flas of a 7th-Circle mage.
“Damn it!”
Gritting her teeth, Vanessa attempted to channel more mana into her spell. Around her, other mages began chanting their incantations.
“Earth Shape!”
“Ice Wall!”
“Water Strike!”
From all sides, spells aid at suppressing the fire sprang into action. Together, the combined efforts of dozens of mages managed to halt the flas' advance.
But Delmuth paid no attention to the struggle around him. His focus remained solely on Ghislain, who was darting through the fiery wasteland, relentlessly attacking.
“Burning Fire.”
WHOOSH!
A massive jet of fla burst from Delmuth’s hand, chasing Ghislain.
“Hmmph!”
BOOM!
Ghislain stomped the ground, channeling mana into his feet. The force pushed the flas aside, extinguishing them instantly. Stabilizing his stance, Ghislain extended his aura blade and swung it forward.
SLASH!
The fiery jet split in two as the aura blade’s energy tore through it. The slash didn’t stop there; the sharp wave of mana sliced through the flas and continued toward Delmuth.
“Tch!”
Delmuth twisted his body, narrowly avoiding the attack.
SHRRIP!
The front of his robe was torn by the invisible force. He couldn’t afford any missteps—not with such precision strikes.
BOOM!
Before Delmuth could recover, another volley of crimson-black spears rained down on him from all directions.
“Damn it!”
Flaming orbs flared to life around Delmuth, intercepting the incoming spears.
BOOM!
SHWEEE!
Even as he dodged and defended, more spears appeared in his path, forcing him into constant movent.
“How does he—?”
Delmuth blurted out in frustration. It was as if Ghislain knew exactly where he’d appear next, laying traps at every turn.
BOOM! BOOM!
Though he managed to deflect most of the spears, a few hit their mark, leaving cuts and burns on his body.
Before Delmuth could recover from the impact, Ghislain appeared out of nowhere, a savage grin on his face, swinging his sword.
SLASH!
"Kuh..."
Delmuth narrowly avoided Ghislain’s strike once again by teleporting away, but not without consequence. Another part of his body was slashed, drawing blood.
Zing—! Zing—! Zing—!
He couldn’t catch a single mont to breathe. At this rate, he would continue to be driven back, his mana slowly drained until nothing remained.
The longer the fight dragged on, the more he realized how difficult Ghislain’s fighting style was to counter. It was hard to believe such a young man could fight with such ferocity and precision.
He had heard tales of Ghislain’s exploits, but this was far beyond anything he had imagined.
“You arrogant wretch!”
Delmuth grudgingly acknowledged Ghislain’s skill. This man wasn’t just talented; he was frighteningly adept at fighting mages, with both the strength and battle instincts to overwhelm even a 7th-Circle mage.
Still, Delmuth wasn’t without his own experience. He decided to change his strategy. Continuing like this was pointless.
“RAAAAH!”
Fueled by fury, Delmuth unleashed his full mana reserve.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Ghislain’s crimson-black spears exploded mid-air before they could even reach him. The sheer pressure of Delmuth’s mana began crushing the space around them, dominating the battlefield.
RUMBLE!
Ghislain bared his teeth in a predatory grin, his crimson eyes gleaming.
"Now we’re really getting started."
A 7th-Circle mage’s mana reserves were on a completely different level. No matter how much pressure Ghislain applied, Delmuth would endure. This would make it difficult to bring the fight to a swift conclusion.
Unlike Delmuth, Ghislain’s explosive power ca at the cost of a rapidly depleting mana pool. The longer the fight dragged on, the more dangerous it would beco.
But now, Delmuth had fallen into Ghislain’s trap. By pouring all his mana into an all-out assault, the battle had shifted into a pure contest of strength.
Delmuth’s next move confird it.
“Fire Pillar!”
BOOM!
Massive columns of fire erupted from the ground, one after another. Wherever Ghislain moved, a fiery explosion followed.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Ghislain reacted instantly, dodging the mont he felt mana gathering in the earth. His instincts were razor-sharp, predicting the spell's activation before it even fully ford.
To the onlookers, it appeared as though the flas were engulfing him. Their eyes couldn’t follow his movents amidst the chaos.
Even while evading, Ghislain kept up his relentless offense, launching spears of mana to disrupt Delmuth’s focus.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The two combatants moved so quickly that the mages watching from a distance could barely track the battle.
anwhile, Alfoy, who had been drained of mana and was now slumped in Vanessa’s arms, muttered weakly.
“Lord Fenris… his skills are insane… My heart swells with pride…”
Alfoy had seen Ghislain fight countless tis before, even single-handedly defeating dozens, if not hundreds, of opponents. But this was the first ti he had witnessed his lord going toe-to-toe with a 7th-Circle mage.
The Scarlet Tower mages shared his awe. They had never seen Ghislain in action before, and their faces were pale with shock as they watched the intense battle.
“Is Count Fenris truly a Master?”
“And he can use magic too…”
“What Circle has he even reached?”
The destructive spells and devastating attacks were beyond anything they had imagined. Though they couldn’t identify the nature of his magic, its speed and raw power were undeniable.
The Crimson Tower mages were even more shaken.
“This can’t be real. It’s hard enough to master one discipline…”
“How could soone so young hone both swordsmanship and magic to this degree?”
“This is impossible… It shouldn’t be possible!”
At first, they had been confident Delmuth would secure an easy victory. But as the fight wore on, it beca increasingly clear that their tower master was struggling.
A 7th-Circle mage was considered superhuman, capable of single-handedly turning the tide of battle. Yet Ghislain was matching Delmuth blow for blow.
Delmuth had ascended to tower master when Ghislain was nothing more than an unremarkable upstart in the North. Now, only a few years later, the man who had beco the ruler of Fenris was fighting a 7th-Circle mage as an equal.
The realization filled the Crimson Tower mages with a bitter sense of inferiority.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The battle continued to devastate the surrounding landscape. Delmuth poured imnse mana into rapidly cast spells, exponentially increasing their destructive power.
The ground shook, and flas consud everything in sight. Against this backdrop of chaos, Ghislain’s silhouette appeared small, as though dwarfed by the firestorm.
But that was only an illusion.
Every step Ghislain took extinguished flas beneath his feet.
BOOM!
Every movent created ripples of mana, and crimson-black spears continued to materialize around him, launching relentlessly at Delmuth.
Though many were destroyed by the flas, the unending barrage forced Delmuth to retreat step by step. The battle was becoming a contest of raw power.
Inside Ghislain’s mind, Dark observed the situation with a mix of awe and concern.
‘Wow, Master really is incredible.’
Dark had known Ghislain was strong but had never seen him fight at full strength. The way he held his own against a monstrous opponent like Delmuth was nothing short of miraculous.
‘Then again, if I compare this to that crazy mory… he was even stronger back then.’
Even this display of overwhelming power paled in comparison to what Dark had glimpsed in the mories of a future Ghislain. It only reinforced the suspicion that Ghislain truly had knowledge of the future.
‘No, it has to be true. Otherwise, none of this makes sense.’
Still, if the battle ended poorly, Dark wouldn’t survive either. They were inextricably linked, and Ghislain’s death would an Dark’s end as well.
Dark’s voice echoed in Ghislain’s mind.
—Master, your mana’s running low.
Thanks to Dark’s abilities, Ghislain’s mana pool had been significantly amplified. But the intensity of the fight was rapidly draining his reserves.
“Hah, yeah. I guess it’s ti to finish this.”
Ghislain knew this wasn’t a battle he could win with tricks. The ti had co to end it decisively.
RUMBLE!
Ghislain activated his third-tier core, and an overwhelming surge of mana coursed through his body.
—M-Master! Don’t! You can’t handle that!
Dark panicked. The second-tier core already amplified Ghislain’s mana exponentially when combined with Dark’s abilities. The third-tier core would multiply that power several tis over, but Ghislain’s body wasn’t strong enough to contain it.
—Your body will tear itself apart!
Ghislain grinned savagely.
“Then I’ll kill him before that happens.”
BOOOOOM!
Crimson-black mana erupted from Ghislain’s body like a tidal wave, filling the battlefield with its ominous presence.
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