The receptionist raised his right eyebrow and said:
"Assuming that you are a third year, graduation procedures won't begin until eight months from now for this semester."
Nick replied:
"The rules say that when a student becomes rank 3, graduation procedures will be initiated immediately."
The receptionist asked incredulously:
"Are you saying that you are a rank 3 Magician?"
The receptionist did not seem to be a Magician himself so he could not tell what Nick's rank was. Nick mused:
(He's probably not at fault for being surprised. Most students that graduate magic academies do so at rank 2 and if they ever get to rank 3, it's because of the guidance of the organization that they work for.)
Nick nodded his head in affirmation and said:
"Yes, I am a recently promoted rank 3 early stage Magician."
Unlike rank 1 and rank 2, beginning at rank 3, each rank was divided into stages and the difference in power between persons of the same rank but different stages was often not insignificant. The three stages for all ranks beyond rank 2 were called: early stage, middle stage and late stage. Since Nick had just been promoted to rank 3, he was in the early stage of that rank.
Once Nick confirmed it, the receptionist asked Nick to give him some time while he made a call. Nick let the receptionist do his job and stood by as the older man spoke to someone using a smartphone that had been lying on the desk. For some reason, Nick could not hear the receptionist while he spoke into the phone during the call.
The receptionist hung up the phone after two minutes and then spoke to Nick again:
"Someone is on their way to the lobby to speak with you. They will confirm that you are rank 3, then inform you of what will need to happen for you to graduate."
Nick thanked the receptionist for his help and then sat on one of the black leather couches within the area in order to wait on the person that was supposed to attend to him. Five minutes later, a man dressed in a three-piece suit walked out of the elevator that was on the opposite side of the reception area. This man's suit was all black except for his white dressed shirt; the man had a white complexion, seemed to be in his early forties, had short, but flowing grey hair, sharp blue eyes and visibly calloused hands.
The man stared at Nick as soon as he exited the elevator and within a blink of time, the man appeared sitting beside Nick on the opposite end of the black leather couch. The older man introduced himself:
"My name is Perry Reaves and I am an administrative officer of Richter Order Academy, responsible for student affairs. Do I have it right that you would like to begin graduation procedures?"
Nick replied simply:
"Yes."
Perry then asked for Nick's student ID and Nick handed it over without any hesitation. After looking at Nick's ID for a few seconds, Perry handed it back to Nick and said:
"I can sense that you are a rank 3 initial stage Magician, Nick, which does qualify you for graduation. Congratulations, we only have one other student set to leave our academy this month because he also recently promoted to rank 3. You will be the second rank 3 student to graduate within this semester."
Nick did not care whether he was the only rank 3 student to graduate or not, he just wanted to move on, so he stayed silent and let Perry continue speaking:
"Before you can officially graduate, however, we will have to arrange for an official test of strength between yourself and one of our faculty members. This is customary and basically a requirement so that we are aware of your standard before you leave. It is customary that the test will be announced and anyone on campus will be able to attend and watch it as it happens so be prepared for that. I can have the test arranged to take place five days from now, after which, we will present you with your diploma and you will be allowed to leave any time after."
Nick put away his ID and asked:
"Who will be the faculty member that tests me?"
Perry informed Nick plainly:
"You will be informed of the identity of your opponent as well as the time and location of the test two days before it takes place. Your chosen opponent will be the same rank and stage as you are. Remember that this will only be a test of strength and so killing will be prohibited. Is there anything else that you would like to know?"
Nick shook his head and replied:
"No, that's it."
As if he just remembered something, Perry asked:
"Oh, do you know what it is that you want to do after you graduate?"
Nick indifferently answered after a few seconds of thinking:
"I plan to open my own business."
Perry nodded in understanding and stood up from the couch; Nick did the same. Perry said one more thing to Nick:
"I hope your time at the academy was truly fruitful. Let me just say, you will find that your life will change in...interesting ways once you become a licensed Magician. Magic academies are granted the authority to hand out magician licenses by the government, so you will also be presented with your license after the test as well."
Nick nodded in understanding and immediately following that, Perry vanished from his sitting position and then reappeared within the elevator on the other side of the reception area. After that, the elevator closed. Nick left the Dean's Administrative Building and following that, he cast Saturn in order to raise himself about thirty meters into the air. Nick flew back to his commercial building to prepare for his departure from the academy.
No sooner than Nick left the Dean's Administrative building, news of his promotion and the upcoming test spread through official academy channels as well as unofficial ones. Nick had been relatively famous since the inter-academy competition years ago so although most people had not seen him in years or even had any idea what he was doing, they were eager to see what Nick was capable of after all this time.
"Well, Nick Capitol has been promoted to rank 3. That makes him the second rank 3 student scheduled to graduate this semester, behind William Rollins. "
"Yeah, William's test of strength was really something. Although he lost to the faculty member, that was no surprise since he had just become rank 3 and could hardly use his rank 3 methods so soon."
"The arena where this test is going to take place will probably be packed."
Jessica Jones sat in her dorm room, looking at the email that she received on her smartphone about Nick's promotion and pursed her lips, thinking:
(Nick got to rank 3 before me. I need to work harder.)
Pearl Wiles, who was currently on an academy mission, situated in some kind of jungle received the notification on her phone about Nick and his test and decided:
"I need to return to the academy. I don't know how Nick got promoted so fast but I will be there to critique him myself. Hmph!"
William Rollins sat at a restaurant table and heard the news as it was spoken by the other customers sitting close to him. He smiled and said:
Looks like I'll have to talk to Nick after his test is over. I wonder if he has been able to get ahold of any good rank 3 methods. He'll need them if he wants to win in his test, ha. I am still trying to familiarize myself with the rank 3 methods within my inheritance but it is taking a while. Rank 2 spells don't compare to rank 3 spells one bit.)
Victoria Nelson and Jessie Auburn, who were each resting within their respective dorm rooms had similar thoughts:
(I can't be left in the dust by William and Nick.)
Patrice Suez, who had been in closed door cultivation for almost as long as Nick, sat on the floor in her dorm room, wearing a purple dress and made a decision after seeing the email notice about Nick's graduation on her computer screen:
"I'm a little stuck at this point of my cultivation so I'll spend the time to go see Nick compete with the faculty member. It might give me some insights."
Thompson Varrow currently sat in a lively bar and also received the notification about Nick on his smartphone:
(Hmmm...so Nick isn't dead, good. With him, I never know what to think, but the fact that he has gotten to rank 3 means that he had been working all this time. I'll go see what his efforts have amounted to.)
*************************************************************
When Nick arrived at his commercial building, he landed onto the ground, in front of the entrance and cancelled Saturn before entering the building. Once he did that, he called Dewy on his smartphone and told him to gather all of the employees on the ground floor so an announcement could be made. Dewy accepted the instruction and Nick hung up the phone.
Nick sat at one of the tables within the ground floor's waiting area for three minutes before all five of his employees stood before him. They all wore professional attire, consisting of a white shirt and black pants along with a pair of black dress shoes, for some reason. Nick wasn't going to waste his time questioning their fashion sense so he looked them over while he mused:
(Dewy Ascott, Nate Ascott, Joy Clouse, Heath Tully and...Leon Vauxhall.)
Nick looked at the person whom he had not met before, Leon Vauxhall. He was a white man that seemed to be in is mid-twenties, had average height, a head full of short, blonde hair and green eyes. Nick greeted everyone politely:
"Hello, I'm sure that the three newest workers would all know who I am so I'll move on to why I called you all here. I will soon be graduating from Richter Order Academy and due to that fact, I will be leaving this building permanently and moving to somewhere off campus. I also have plans to start a company so I expect that all five of you will go along with any changes that take place and be okay with working under the banner of a company and not an individual, that is, me."
All five of Nick's employees seemed a little caught off guard by the news because the school semester had basically begun only a couple months ago but Dewy like always, replied to Nick loyally:
"Just give the orders, sir. We will comply with what you say."
The other employees nodded in agreement, indicating that they would be fine with Nick's arrangements. Nick's indifferent expression eased a little and he instructed:
"Dewy, I want you to get someone from a real estate agency to this building so that they can show me large commercial buildings that I can buy. The building has to have an underground level; the real estate agency should also have property management services available all year round. Also I will need you to get in contact with a hiring agency to find a corporate lawyer and a decent corporate accountant to hire long term. Just like my preferences before, I want people that are young and hard working. I need them right this moment."
Dewy replied:
"I will carry out your instructions, sir."
Nick then dismissed the five and went to the second floor to meditate at his work table. Nick had been meditating while he was developing his methods but minimally. He planned to devote the next few days to meditation.
(That's not difficult because since I obtained the Soul Cradle talent, I haven't needed much sleep; I only need a few hours of it every two weeks or so. The soul is very closely related to the mind and since the Soul Cradle talent is supposed to give my soul abnormal self-regenerative capabilities, it might be that my mind doesn't become weary easily. It has been a great boon in terms of my cultivation pace)
Nick meditated at his work desk for two days, which mostly consisted of him drawing magic energy into his mindscape and exhausting it through swirling the black miasma, which was all his magic energy, around within his mindscape at great speeds as well as bathing his own body in the black miasma at the same time until the magic energy was used up through interactive consumption. He would repeat that same process over and over again without stop. Those actions had a subtle nurturing effect on both his mind and body.
After those two days, Dewy finally presented Nick with the two new hires that were supposed to fill the roles of his corporate lawyer and corporate accountant. Nick met with them on the ground floor and they all sat at one of the waiting tables, the new hires on one side and Dewy and Nick on the other side. Nick had nothing to do with their actual hiring process so he did not know their qualifications but he didn't care about their specific qualifications.
(As long as they can do what I ask them to, I don't care where they came from.)
The two men were each dressed in black suits, which featured white dress shirts. Funny enough, Nick thought, the suits looked almost identical except that the lawyer wore a red tie and the accountant wore a blue tie. The lawyer was a slim man of Chinese descent that had lower than average height; he had neatly combed, oiled, black hair, dark eyes and wore black, plastic rimmed glasses. The accountant was a man of Indian descent and had long, flowing black hair that reached to the middle of his back, brown eyes, olive skin and was of average height.
The lawyer introduced himself to Nick first:
"My name is Sai Lee. I have been a professional corporate lawyer for a little over a year but I guarantee that I know my craft like the back of my hand."
Nick nodded his head and turned his attention to the accountant. The accountant took that as his queue to speak and so he also introduced himself:
"My name is Kurt Jessop. I've basically been doing accounting since I ran my first lemonade stand at ten years old but I have only been doing it professionally for six months. We will do wonders together, boss."
Dewy clapped his hands for a few seconds in response to both of the men's introductions before placing his hands into his lap. Nick nodded at Kurt and then got straight to the point:
"Okay, I hired you both to basically help me manage my new company but the current problem is that I haven't started the company yet. With that in mind, Sai, I will need you to create a private corporation with me as the only share holder. Also, a real estate agent will be here tomorrow to show me commercial buildings up for sale. I will need you to handle the paperwork and visit the building to check on it after I make a decision."
Sai's expression became serious and he immediately replied:
"Just leave it to me, Mr. Capitol. By the way, what kind of corporation are you looking to start."
Nick already had an idea of what he would be doing so he declared:
"The corporation's operations will involve mining and natural resource extraction within other realms. I'll name it...The Realm Exploration Company."
Sai was a little underwhelmed by that boring name but it wasn't his company so he said nothing about it. He took a notepad and a pen out of his jacket's pocket and wrote down the details that he needed to know. Nick then gave Kurt instructions:
"Kurt, you will shadow Sai and sort out all the financial aspects while he does his legal hoodoo. I will also need you to set up a corporate bank account after the corporation is formed. I'll start us off with £300,000,000,000. You'll basically be responsible for arranging payroll, purchasing the equipment and supplies for the building, obtaining security services and managing any other purchases that I or the others make."
Kurt gulped when he heard the amount of money that he would be overseeing. At first, he thought this job would be a measly opportunity to put some experience on his resume but it turns out that he lucked into being a part of the formation of a multi-billion-pound corporation owned by a graduating Magician.
(My friends would choke on their own spit if they found out. Who is wasting their life, now?)
Nick asked seriously"
"Does everyone understand what they are doing?"
Sai and Kurt answered at the same time, not minding that Nick seemed younger than them:
"Yes, sir."
"Yes, sir."
Nick replied:
"If you need any additional help, speak with Dewy first or come find me if the problem is too complicated. Make use of the other four persons that I have on staff but make sure to treat them with absolute respect. Let me say this only once, I am the only person in charge here. Do you both understand that?"
Nick's indifferent expression and stern tone made the two professionals a little nervous but they did not mind the warning. They both nodded their heads silently in understanding. Nick instructed Dewy:
"Dewy, give them two offices on the first floor where they can work until the new building is ready."
With that, Nick basically dismissed the three non-magicians and returned to the second floor to meditate until the next day at around midday when the real estate agent arrived. Nick had Dewy arrange a table where he, Dewy, Sai and Kurt could face the real estate agent. They all sat on the ground floor, within the waiting area and Nick and his three employees sat across from the real estate agent using office chairs and a plastic folding table that was covered with a white table cloth.
The real estate agent was a woman, who looked to be in her late thirties and was the employee of a very large real estate company, Real Moguls. She had a white complexion, a head full of lustrous, red hair that was tied up, a high nose bridge and dark eyes. She had brought a magical, holographic projector and her laptop with her; she began by introducing herself:
"My name is Ann Smart and I will be your real estate agent through Real Moguls going forward. Nick Capitol, right? Dewy has already told me who you were and I am pleased to meet you. Could you please inform me yourself about what exactly you are looking for?"
Nick didn't waste time; he went straight to the point:
"I need a relatively large building on spacious land that has more space for development. The building needs to have space to store magic and non-magic materials, vehicles, and machines There also needs to be office space, a conference room, bathrooms and a kitchen and lunch area. Oh, and the building should have excellent roads and infrastructure around it."
Ann nodded her head several times, then manipulated the buttons on her laptop and the projector produced an image immediately at the side of the table, to Nick's left. Since he was at the left most side of the table, he had an excellent view of the projection, which was highly defined. Ann showed Nick many buildings over a period of a little over one hour. Dewy, Kurt and Sai had their own opinions as to which building was the best but Nick ultimately chose a large commercial building that was newly built and located near to a commercial center within London. Nick thought:
(I might as well stay in London for now.)
The building was made of a mix of metal, stone and concrete and was painted cream and red; it had a lot of land around it that could be used for additional development. Ann made a note of the building that Nick chose and said:
"The asking price for this building is £180,000,000. To accommodate your other requirements, an additional £40,000,000 will probably be required, mostly to build areas that can house magic materials and redesign other areas."
Nick waved his right hand and replied:
"I accept. Sai, Kurt, make sure that the building's affairs are dealt with properly. I want it purchased using the company's name by the way. Dewy, if anything seems problematic, come find me."
Ann maintained a plain expression but she was overjoyed that she managed to broker such a high value deal without having to twist Nick's arm. At first, she could not believe that someone so young could buy a building even if he was an Apprentice Magician.
(Most Apprentice Magicians that I know aren't capable of buying a building like this without the help of their family but Dewy mentioned to me already that this young man doesn't have any real family. I wonder how he made his money.)
Ann knew that asking that was inappropriate so she moved on:
"Would you like to make use of Real Moguls' property management services long term? We can also provide construction services as well."
Nick plainly replied:
"Yes, I would like to make use of all of that. Your company is to talk to Dewy first about those matters and he will get me involved if necessary."
Dewy felt proud that he was going to be in charge of such things; he had basically resigned himself to a life as a common butler but Nick had given him the chance to be someone important. Dewy didn't say it, but he was grateful. After Nick decided on the building, his three lieutenants were left to sort out the details with Ann while he went upstairs to meditate.
Later that day, he received an email giving him the time and venue of the test of strength as well as the name and details of his opponent. The test of strength was set to begin at midday two days from now at one of the academy's two sports arenas and his opponent would be a recently hired instructor named, Clark Lance, who was a Time Magician at the early stage of rank 3. Nick mused:
(A time path Magician? I've met a few of those already but although time path seems cool in theory, those Time Magicians did not put up much of a good fight. Whatever, I don't necessarily need to win the match but this is a good opportunity to see what I've got against a rank 3 licensed Magician. I still remember Sergeant Dave McKoy rendering me helpless within Never Ending Battlefield so I'm itching to see how I stack up.)
Nick continued meditating until two hours before the exam was to begin, at which point, he showered, ate a few bags of butter bread with scrambled eggs and then got dressed. For the test, Nick wore a fitting, red silk polo shirt, a pair of dark blue jeans pants and a pair of black and brown combat boots. Nick summoned both the sheathed Failed Tool and Pressure Piece from his space band and holstered them to his waist, Failed Tool at his left side and Pressure Piece at his right side.
Nick walked to the ground floor and left through the front doors, following which, he cast Saturn in order to raise himself into the air by thirty meters. He then flew to the sports arena that the test would be held at.
***********************************************************
Near midday, one of Richter Order Academy's sports arenas was packed with third years and a few faculty members. The arena was about the size of a stadium used to play soccer and had a roof that could be opened or closed using magical or electronic controls. The arena's roof was currently open and the field had been lined with concrete to accommodate the upcoming test of strength.
Around the perimeter of the field were the stands where the spectators sat waiting for the test to begin. Behind the stands were the arena's blue, concrete and metal walls that housed its other facilities and entrances. Besides students and faculty members, there were also two Magicians present that were neither students nor faculty. These Magicians were Carla Jenner and Randolph Jenner, Nick's business partners. Randolph spoke to Carla:
"Carla, why do you need to spy on your own fiancé? Why didn't you tell him that we were coming along to watch his graduation battle?"
Carla indifferently replied:
"I did not want to bother Nick with such petty details while he prepared. After all, his opponent is much more established and experienced than him. It's common sense that he would need no distractions during this time."
Randolph kept a straight face but internally sneered; there was obviously some discord between her and Nick that she did not want to reveal. Carla maintained her indifferent expression but inside, she was very unhappy:
(Nick Capitol is too outrageous. He and I had a deal but not only has he lessened our communication, he did not even tell me that he raised his rank. Him becoming rank 3 before he graduates makes it difficult for me to control his actions once he leaves this academy. Although I am rank 4, Grand Earth is not a realm without courts and security forces. I cannot openly target Nick for no good reason and dealing with a rank 3 Magician in the dark is far more difficult than dealing with a rank 2 Magician unless I somehow lure him to another realm where I can discipline him. Sigh, forcing him into a corner and threatening him a few years ago was a mistake. He is keeping me at an arm's length because of my past actions. Even mentioning the marriage arrangement at this point is difficult...but he is still a share holder of The Magic Scroll Company, so he cannot completely disregard me. I will see how far he has come and decide where I go from there.)
There was another person among the spectators that was eager to see Nick in action. William Rollins sat beside Victoria Nelson and spoke to her:
"Man, to think that Nick would be fighting the same instructor that I fought. He is in for some trouble."
Victoria replied:
"I assume so. Nick has a common background, so what are the chances that he even has adequate rank 3 spells to face the instructor with. Not to mention that the instructor is a time path Magician. Time path is not well understood by people who don't practise it."
William thought for a bit before saying:
"Nick seems to be well off somehow. He might have the means to obtain rank 3 spells or even create them since I know that he is a master like me and has skills as a spell maker."
Victoria disagreed with William:
"Yes, you are a master. You also have an inheritance with quite a few rank 3 spells but did you manage to use them properly during your test?"
William replied:
"I couldn't because it takes a while to understand rank 3 spells from a theoretical standpoint. If you don't, you will have trouble in maintaining them. You might not know Victoria but rank 3 spells are far more complex in substance than rank 2 spells."
"I am aware of that, William, since I have my own legacy inheritance. What I am saying is that Nick might not be very well prepared for his test even if he bought rank 3 spells. Hmmm...even if he is a master in a path, is it so easy to create strong rank 3 spells?"
William shook his head, replying:
"I honestly don't know. Spell creation has stumped me up to now and I can't say whether it is possible for Nick to create useful rank 3 spells, considering he is a student like us...correction, a student like you."
William had already graduated and was only killing some time until the processes for his next transition were complete. Victoria was already aware of William's next steps and warned:
"Are you sure that you want to join the military? You'll be put through the wringer since the established families won't like new blood making the waters murky."
William slightly chuckled and said:
"I think that I'll do well in murky waters. Besides, my father has some interesting plans that I would like to be a part of."
While William and Victoria discussed, someone walked onto one end of the concrete field and stood with their hands within their pants pockets. The man was evidently the instructor that Nick would be facing in today's test, Clark Lance. He was a man with a height of about six feet, seemed to be in his mid-thirties, had a white complexion, a head full of short but flowing brown hair, green eyes and three curved scars on his right cheek. He wore a pair of straight legged, brown cargo pants, a simple long-sleeved, white cotton shirt and a pair of brown combat boots; he also had a red, expensive looking space band attached to his right wrist.
Clark had a slightly annoyed expression on his face as he thought:
(This damn academy set me up to face another graduate in a test of strength. When I took up the instructor position, I thought that I would be sitting pretty while I collected my £820,000 per month salary package. I was one of the best in my academy when I graduated and I have a promising future. I should not be made to do this grunt work but unless I want to piss Xavier Gecko off, I have no choice. Hmph! One day, when I establish my own family and enter the top ranks of the Magicians Association, I'll make even Xavier Gecko quake in his boots.)
No sooner than Clark had that thought, Xavier Gecko appeared in the middle of the concrete field and nodded his bald head at Clark politely. Clark was stumped for a moment before he realized:
(Oh right, it's natural for the dean to be present during a graduation test like this but he was not here for the match between William Rollins and myself because of academy business. Well...I hope that this Nick Capitol can at least put up a good fight. It will be too disappointing if he fails to cast rank 3 spells and starts flinging rank 2 spells at me like William Rollins did.)
Clark said that but he knew that recently promoted Rank 3 Magicians usually spent a few years still using mostly rank 2 spells before they were either able to gain rank 3 spells or study their rank 3 spells thoroughly enough to use them in a fast paced situation. It was different for Nick, however, who had created his own rank 3 spells. Not only was he at least a master of his spells' relevant paths but since he created them himself, he understood them like the back of his own hand after a year of their development.
Dean Gecko said nothing and simply remained silent on the field, as if he was waiting on something. The dean had drooping earlobes, looked like a monk and wore a gold and black magician's robe along with a pair of sandals. If one were out of the loop, they would never suspect that this genial looking old man was a powerful and famous Soul Magician, who had slaughtered the lives within entire realms in the past. Gecko soon turned his head upwards, looking at what he had been waiting for all along.
Nick used the effects of Saturn to slowly land at one side of the field, through its opened ceiling and positioned himself directly opposite to Clark; Nick cancelled Saturn as soon as his feet touched the ground. Once Nick landed, Dean Gecko addressed Nick, Clark and the spectators:
"You should all know who I am. It is a great honor to be dean of an academy that can produce rank 3 Magicians that will end up increasing our country's ability to compete with others around the world. Nick Capitol has always been a promising youth in my eyes since he was admitted to this academy years ago and I wish him the best in his future endeavors after he leaves our academy. I also personally know his opponent, Clark Lance, who is one of the most promising instructors that Richter Order Academy has hired in decades. These two will simply be sparring in order to demonstrate the standard of one of our academy's own. To that end, both Magicians may begin this test of strength!"
Xavier Gecko quickly glanced at Nick before suddenly vanishing from the field. Nick acted first since this was his test, anyway. He unsheathed Failed Tool from his left side with his right hand and then cast:
(Tyrant Domain.)
Following the resolution of Nick's spell, the space over the entire concrete field, going up to about twenty meters above ground, developed a slight, grey hue. After which, Nick suddenly disappeared from his position and then instantly reappeared at Clark's immediate front. Clark remained in his spot and raised his right eyebrow in response to Nick's actions, thinking:
(I was told that this man might use space path or soul path or blade path or even formation path methods. He chose to start off with space path and his spell is even rank 3. He is already pressuring me like this, so I better be a good instructor and teach him properly.)
Nick slashed out with Failed Tool towards Clark, his arm and hand movements exceeding what a normal human should be capable of, while casting another spell:
(Tyrant Aurora.)
(Cross Stream Sword Technique.)
Failed Tool's blade shone and glimmered with grey blade light, but only slightly. After a long time, Nick was once again employing the Cross Stream Sword Technique, which he hadn't used since the inter-academy competition years ago, but because of the influence of the dream state, where he had witnessed it being practised, the technique was basically seared into his brain. Although he was far from mastering the use of the technique, it was still a very lethal danger to anyone facing it.
Clark saw a crisscross of grey light coming his way and with his hands still kept within his pockets, he cast his own spell:
(Sometime Before)
Clark instantly appeared two meters to the left of Nick's right flank, dodging Nick's sword attack that only managed to cut thin air. Clark then took his left hand out of his pants pocket to point his left index finger at Nick, casting his spell:
(Sometime Before)
Sensing Clark's surge in time path power, Nick immediately cast Tyrant Armor and covered himself from head to toe in soul magic power. At that time, Nick's entire body briefly sparked with flashes of red and black lights before a pitch black layer of magic power covered Nick's skin and clothes, giving them a smooth and almost metallic look. Despite the appearance of Tyrant Armor, however, only a moment later, Nick vanished and then reappeared in his previous position on the opposite side of the field; the grey blade light emanating from Failed Tool abated at that time.
Nick creased his brows in response to being forcefully moved and a few moments later, he disappeared again and then reappeared immediately in front of Clark like before. Nick slashed at Clark using Cross Stream while Failed Tool glowed with grey blade light as Nick cast Tyrant Aurora once gain. Nick was fast but somehow, Clark was able to spare the time and effort to disapprovingly wave his left index finger at Nick and cast Sometime Before on himself again, following which, he disappeared and then reappeared at the position where Nick had first tried to slash him, dodging the sword attack again.
Nick did not panic when he saw that Clark had dodged his attack again and with such 'style'. After the grey blade light abated upon Clark dodging Nick's attack, Nick immediately turned towards Clark and cast:
(Tyrant Specter.)
Nick's magic energy that appeared as black miasma radiated from his body as exhaust while his spell resolved. Clark squinted his eyes for a few seconds and asked himself internally:
(That black miasma, is that his...magic energy or magic power?)
Before Clark could intuit an answer, however, he sensed an eerie mix of soul and blade path magic power emit from Nick as he saw Failed Tool bend in an exaggerated manner before reverting back to its original shape. Clark commented internally:
(Soul path and blade path magic. It actually feels like there was another path at work but I could not recognize it. Anyway, what exactly did he do? I'll put some pressure on Nick in order to figure him out.)
With his right hand still within his right pants pocket, Clark pointed his left index finger at Nick, about to cast a spell but at this time, a vague, translucent human figure appeared at Clark's left side and wrapped its right arm around his shoulders. Both Clark's eyes squinted again but before he could react further, the vague human figure disappeared and suddenly, Nick was standing at his immediate rear with Failed Tool stabbed into Clark's back and coming out at his front, through his stomach and belly. Clark was alarmed:
(What?)
Sensing that Clark was experiencing a false reality and seeing the latter's now vacant eyes, Nick took the opportunity to act ruthlessly against his opponent.
(Tyrant Form.)
After casting another one of his spells, Nick used the power of Tyrant Domain to instantly appear in front of Clark and slash at his midsection using Failed Tool; his arm and hand movements appeared like a blur from then on.
(Cross Stream Sword Technique.)
Failed Tool cut into Clark's abdomen and blood spurted out as a result, some of it hitting Nick in the face. Nick was only able to make two cuts within milliseconds that slightly revealed Clark's internal organs before Clark's eyes regained focus and the latter's false reality ended. Clark internally sneered and cast his spells:
(Lagging Present)
(Fast Forward Crash)
Nick's expression became solemn as he sensed Clark's time path magic power surge. Despite him trying to cut at Clark as fast as he could, Nick seemed to suddenly slow down tremendously; Nick was currently having a disconnect between his sense of his own rate of movement and the result of his actions on Clark, who Nick witnessed tap him on the forehead with his own left index finger.
Following that, Nick was somehow thrown backwards at the speed of cannon fire until he crashed into the wall surrounding the field on the opposite side of the field.
BOOM!
Nick's body was pressed one foot into the wall as a result of the impact, which caused the wall to develop wide spreading spider cracks with Nick at the center of the cracks.
Clark took the opportunity to press his left hand against his blade wounds and cursed internally:
(That bastard almost disemboweled me!)
Feeling the blood gushing from his abdomen wounds and seeing a pool of blood forming at his feet, Clark cast his healing spell on himself:
(Fast Reverse Seconds)
Clark's wounds suddenly glowed with a faint white light, following which, his falling blood, even the blood on Failed Tool's blade and Nick's face, glowed with a faint white light and then flew towards Clark's wound at a speed faster than a moving race car could keep up with. In that way, all of Clark's blood re-entered his wounds and the wounds forced themselves closed right after, following which, the white glow on Clark's abdomen faded, his healing spell having fully resolved.
Clark did not have time to relax, however, because only a few moments after he had been healed of his injuries, Nick appeared five meters behind him with Failed Tool raised above his head, glowing like a flare except with grey blade light. Nick then slashed down towards Clark using Failed Tool, his right arm and hand appearing like a blur, following which, a large arc of grey blade light was rapidly launched at Clark, threatening to envelop him. The blade light moved incredibly fast but Clark still managed to react in time, casting:
(Lagging Present)
Nick witnessed the grey blade light seemingly slow to a crawl when it reached within inches of Clark, so very close to consuming him whole. Clark openly sneered and was about to walk to the left position of the grey blade light, dodging it, before his Lagging Present's duration ended, but just as he took a step with his left foot in order to do so, the vague, translucent human figure appeared in front of him, seemingly blocking his path before it vanished a moment later.
At that time, Nick appeared standing immediately in front of Clark, having swung Failed Tool to his own left side, which resulted in Clark being decapitated without having been able to react in order to stop the attack. Clark internally cursed again while his head flew two feet away from his body:
(Fuck you, Nick Capitol!)