"Understood, Sir."
Uranus ended the call after giving his instructions. At that time, Aria, who had short hair in contrast to Jenine's long, flowing hair, asked:
"Should I go get Parvone?"
Uranus answered:
"No need. I had already instructed him to come to this office before the call ended. This situation is actually fortuitous. Parvone has been in closed door cultivation for two years, and I was planning to test him, anyway. I just did not expect that the opponent would be chosen like this."
Yarvo, Bobby, Jenine, and Aria were all familiar with Parvone. Yarvo mused:
(Parvone specializes in both light path, and fire path, cultivating them simultaneously. He has also been at rank 3 middle stage longer than me, Bobby, or Jenine. Hmph! He acts arrogantly because he is the son of Elder Midwar…)
Yarvo commented:
"Maybe Nick will teach Parvone a thing, or two about magic."
Just after Yarvo said that, a deep, male voice rebutted him:
"Certainly not. Only Elder Uranus has the right to teach me anything."
Yarvo, Bobby, Jenine, and Aria all simultaneously looked at the entrance door of the room, where the voice had emanated from. They saw a man wearing an orange, scaled magician's robe, and a pair of orange suede combat boots enter the room. The man seemed to be in his mid to late thirties, had pale-white skin, well-styled, blonde hair, and dark eyes. A strange, glowing ring hovered about half a foot above his head; the ring had a diameter as wide as his head. The man also had a small, glowing, red spike embedded into his right ear lobe.
The man politely did a slight bow to Elder Uranus before winking at Jenine. Jenine frowned in response, and reproached him:
"Parvone, behave yourself. I won't tolerate your lewd, and irresponsible behavior. Why did you bring an unrelated party with you to this room?"
Jenine was not the only one to notice the peculiarity. Uranus spoke authoritatively:
"Young man, make yourself known."
Following Uranus' command, a man that seemed to be in his early thirties moved to stand in the doorway, behind Parvone. This man wore a dark-red magician's robe that had black patterns all along its two long sleeves, and a pair of black leather boots; he also sported a red ring on his right, middle finger. The man had slightly tanned, white skin, short blonde hair, and blue eyes. He addressed Uranus politely:
"Greetings, Elder Uranus. Kirst Eltshire is pleased to have your attention."
When Yarvo, Bobby, Jenine, and Aria heard that name, they raised their brows slightly. Bobby asked before Uranus bothered to speak:
"Why are you here? Blood Magicians should stay with their own lot."
Kirst ignore Bobby's comment, and patiently waited for Uranus to address him:
"I had long heard from Parvone that you and he were in communication, exchanging cultivation experiences. If you were not younger than him, then surely you would be at rank 3 middle stage as well."
Kirst responded with practised eloquence:
"I am content with being at rank 3 initial stage for now. I have much to learn, and I do not intend to rush. Cultivation must be done faithfully, after all."
Uranus chuckled a bit in response to Kirst's words before replying:
"Well said. Why are you here?"
Kirst made his intentions known:
"I planned to exchange notes with Parvone since he invited me here for lunch. We were just on our way to the battle arena."
At this time, Parvone spoke:
"Apologies, Elder Uranus, for not notifying you of Kirst's presence, but I knew that you were preoccupied with the other students."
Uranus stared at the plain-faced Parvone for a few seconds while thinking:
(Oh really…)
On the surface, however, Uranus soon said:
"It hardly matters. Forget exchanging notes with Kirst. I have an opponent that I want you to face. He will serve as a test of your progress during closed door cultivation. I expect you to overcome him."
Parvone clenched his chin using his right hand for a few seconds while sporting a thoughtful expression. He then asked:
"Who is my opponent?"
Uranus replied:
"He is a chap named Nick Capitol. He is probably younger than you, but has achieved rank 3 middle stage. He saved the lives of your fellow disciples from a rank 4 magic beast at rank 3 initial stage."
Parvone said thoughtfully:
"Oh, did he?…"
Kirst's expression became blank for a few moments before he regained his poise. He spoke at this time:
"Nick Capitol? If he is a white-haired Magician, I know him. I met him back at the inter-academy competition some years ago. He is an interesting Magician that practises space, soul, and blade magic. I also thought that he had great potential until he surrendered in a match without even fighting. I cannot accept such cowardly practices."
Parvone turned slightly to look at Kirst without saying anything while Uranus responded:
"The past matters not. Parvone, you will face him. Wait at the battle arena until he arrives. I, and your fellow disciples here will attend the battle."
Parvone immediately performed a slight bow in response to Uranus' instructions, saying:
"I will not fail."
Uranus kept a straight face while thinking:
(Sigh. You are my favorite student, but for your own good, I wish that you would fail, at least once…)
******************************************************
Cylus returned to the reception hall, and addressed Nick:
"We will have the 50 vatas sent to your bank account immediately, and we will allow you to access Greet Tree once, including a return trip. The battle…will be hosted at our Elder's magic tower, so if you don't mind, please follow me."
Nick wasn't surprised that they were not giving him time to prepare. Rank 3 Magicians were busy people, and the Nefaris would not spend too much effort in arranging, and preparing for this contest when Nick was basically an unknown.
(Fine with me. I left Wide Crag in decent condition, anyhow.)
Nick silently followed Cylus through the same side door as before, but this time, they spent close to twenty minutes walking to a door on the left side before Cylus turned to face Nick, who maintained his indifferent expression. Cylus explained:
"Beyond this door is the interior of a magic tower belonging to Elder Uranus Nefari. Do not do anything reckless while you are there. The Elder is a rank 6 Magician, and the magic tower is not a place for people to act foolish…and leave unscathed."
Nick thought that it was very convenient that the Nefari Travel Company had a direct space path gateway to an Elder's residence. That kind of efficiency was admirable. Nick replied to Cylus:
"Don't worry. I only want to see how strong I have become."
Cylus nodded his head in understanding before opening the door, and stepping aside for Nick to enter. Nick picked up on the cue, and proceeded to walk through the doorway that only revealed a black void right now. After Nick had walked through, and had disappeared, Cylus followed his lead while closing the door behind him.
As soon as Cylus turned around after closing the door, he found himself in a luxurious hall that had marble floors, walls, and stairs. Gemstones had been embedded into the walls on every side, and they lightly shimmered with magic light. Nick stood in front of Cylus, but was apathetic to the appearance of the hall.
Nick slightly turned towards Cylus, and asked:
"Where to next?"
No sooner than Nick had spoken, both Nick, and Cylus heard footsteps approaching their position. They both turned their attention to the wall on Cylus' left side where a large corridor could be seen. From that corridor, a grey-haired, middle-aged man, and a woman with short, blonde hair emerged, walking towards them.
Nick recognized the short, blonde woman that walked beside the man. She was one of the Nefaris that he had saved within Wide Crag. Nick noticed that Cylus was now standing at attention like a soldier, and guessed that the grey-haired man was someone important. When the middle-aged man reached within one meter of Nick, he genially greeted him:
"Hello there. My name is Uranus Nefari. I am an Elder of the family, and a Magician with some skill. You are Nick Capitol, correct?"
Nick's indifferent expression persisted, but his tone was polite:
"Yes, I am Nick Capitol. Where will the battle be taking place?"
Cylus almost moved to slap Nick on the back of the head after hearing him be so frank, but he kept his composure in the end. Nick was not afraid of being straightforward; the battle was the reason why he was here in the first place. Uranus stroked his grey beard in amusement while Aria answered the question:
"Hello, Nick. My name is Aria Nefari. I hope that you remember me from Wide Crag. The battle will take place within the tower's battle arena. Your opponent will be my fellow disciple named Parvone Nefari."
Nick thought for a few moments about the name, but it ended up having no significance to him, so he replied:
"Well, let's go, then."
Cylus shook in response to Nick's casual behavior. He wanted to scream at him, but could not do so in front of Uranus. Uranus chuckled a bit because of how lax Nick was in such an unfamiliar place, thinking:
(This man must be used to strange environments. Our intel indicates that he is mostly self-taught. To get to this level without the aid of a mentor is praise worthy. The battle will also be a test for him as well, I suppose.)
Uranus spoke to Nick like a kindly uncle:
"It is good to be hungry for battle at your age. We will go to the battle arena this very moment."
Uranus leisurely waved his left hand, following which, everyone witnessed the hall being replaced with a large, concrete-like platform that had the color of desert sand. The platform's surface area had to at least be 300 x 300 meters squared. Nick looked above him, and saw a pleasant, blue sky with the sun overhead, so he at first thought that they had been taken outside, but Uranus clarified:
"This is an artificial environment generated through space, and other kinds of magic. You should have enough room for a fair contest of power here."
Nick looked around, and besides the platform, there were rows of bronze, throne-like seats that were positioned a little beyond the platform's perimeter. At one end, there were already four people seated. Nick recognized all four as the other three rank 3 Magicians that he had saved within Wide Crag, and Kirst Eltshire, who he had met years ago at the inter-academy competition.
Nick would not forget the Blood Magician because the battle between he, and Uriah Narco had been etched into his mind. It was that battle that led Nick to realize the significance of magic tools. Nick thought:
(What is he doing here? Oh…I did hear once that the Nefari family and the British royal family, the Eltshires, were close.)
Nick then focused on the man on the opposite side of the stage. The man had a glowing ring hovering over his head, and a small, glowing, red spike embedded into his right earlobe, which Nick quickly recognized as magic tools. Nick asked:
"Is that the man that I will be battling? What was his name? Parvone?"
Uranus nodded his head once in confirmation before saying:
"Parvone is already aware of the battle arena's general rules. The fight stops when a Magician is incapacitated, or dies. I might also end the fight if I feel the need to prevent a Magician from dying. In the spirit of magic, I promise you that if Parvone happens to die, the matter will not be pursued as far as you are concerned, and I will take full responsibility. It would likely not be in your best interest to hold back your power."
Nick replied plainly to Uranus:
"I appreciate the opportunity."
Parvone stood alone at his side of the fighting platform, and observed Nick. He felt that Nick's appearance was goofy, and based on Kirst's words, that he would not be a good opponent, but an order given by Uranus could not be disobeyed.
(Hopefully, he will die quickly. I still have to entertain that brat, Kirst. I swear, trying to gain influence in the royal family is proving to be tedious. Kirst's potential justifies going through the tedium, though. He might help me eclipse even Uranus, someday. For now, I will have to show off my skills, so that Uranus will devote more resources to my growth…)
Wanting to get on with the battle, Parvone decided to make a show of his power by spreading his magic energy over the platform. He stretched his shoulders backwards while releasing over 50,000 magical units of his magic energy towards Nick, and the others.
White light instantly radiated forward from his body, bathing everyone present. The light was not so intense that it affected anyone's sight, but the magic pressure that it carried was almost heart-stopping to most of them.
Yarvo, Bobby, and Jenine covered there mouths while sitting in there seats to prevent vomit from escaping as they sensed the power within Parvone's magic energy. Kirst's expression showed slight discomfort, but he remained seated with both his arms folded, sitting beside the other three. Kirst said to them:
"Hey, get yourselves together."
Cylus stopped standing at attention, and eyed Parvone with a slightly surprised expression, thinking:
(He has grown so much in a short amount of time. It has just been two years since he went into closed door cultivation.)
Aria seemed like her knees were about to buckle from the magic pressure induced by Parvone's magic energy, but Uranus acted quickly by waving his left hand at her, causing the pressure acting on her to instantly fade. Aria glanced at her teacher with a grateful expression. Uranus mused:
(Parvone's magic energy is filled with light path characteristics this time around, but has such heavy influence. It is very dense. His divergent mindscape has probably evolved somewhat. His talent is really something…)
Uranus couldn't help but notice that Nick did not react in the slightest in response to Parvone's magic energy:
(Hmmm…Cylus' words lead me to believe that this person only recently promoted to rank 3 middle stage, yet he is coping with Parvone's pressure so well. He might really be able to offer a good challenge to my star student…)
Nick internally commented while trying his best to maintain his indifferent expression:
(That guy's magic energy is insane. It has the form of actual white light, and it definitely moved faster than even my own miasma-like magic energy. Not to mention this pressure. He, he, he…Cylus did not let me down. I'll be able to test my full strength using Parvone…)
In a few seconds, Parvone stopped emitting his white light magic energy, so that he could begin to passively recover it. Uranus waited thirty seconds for both fighters to mentally prepare themselves, turning to look at both fighter's conditions, before he spoke to Aria, and Cylus:
"You two, come with me."
After saying that, Uranus waved his left hand, following which, he, Aria, and Cylus instantly disappeared before reappearing in some seats in that order to the right of Yarvo, Bobby, Jenine, and Kirst, who sat in that order from right to left.
Uranus then spoke with a magically amplified voice:
"Parvone, Nick. Go ahead, and start the battle. May the best man win."
Parvone was not used to hesitation, so he took one step forward with his right foot, over two hundred meters of platform being between Nick, and himself. After that one step, however, Nick quickly raised his right index, and middle fingers while his other right fingers were clenched, making the sign according to his instinct, while speaking with a magically amplified voice:
"If you hold back, you might die."
Suddenly, most of the fighting area was instantly enveloped by what seemed like a solid, pitch-black void; both Nick, and Parvone were enveloped by the void as well. Yarvo, Bobby, Jenine, and Aria were shocked at the sudden development while Uranus, Cylus, and Kirst simply used their scouting methods to peer into the void.
Inside the pitch-black void, thousands of white bones appeared littered onto the floor, and a fifteen-meter-high, decrepit temple stood erect behind Nick, who slightly bent his knees, standing firm as his spell resolved.
(Malevolent Shrine.)
Parvone stopped himself from taking another step forward for fear of wasting time during his counter. He made a brief outburst before his entire body emitted white light magic energy:
"Ha! Not bad!"
Sensing the intense power of Malevolent Shrine, Parvone did not dare be relaxed while casting his spells:
(White Vision)
(Spectral Laser)
(White Demolition)
Parvone raised his right index finger, following which, an inch long beam of white light was emitted from his right index fingertip, which then turned purple, and split into hundreds of smaller purple beams before shooting out in many directions.
At the same time, slightly beyond the perimeter of the black void, dozens of thick beams of white light rose from the floor to thirty meters into the air. The intensity of the light, and fire magic power they contained made Aria swallow some of her saliva unconsciously.
Within the void, Nick quickly covered his entire body with the charcoal-black scales of Dragon Armor, which had already been active. Parvone felt what seemed like a slight gust of wind blow against him, immediately following which, dozens of shallow cuts that bled were created all over his body.
It was then that many of Parvone's purple light beams dissipated before the rest struck against the black void, and Nick, but the void remained unharmed, and Nick's body only emanated copious amounts of vapor as his soul path defense held up against the intense heat of the purple lasers. At that time, the dozens of thick, white light beams that surrounded the black void struck down like knives, slicing the void apart in an instant, and dissipating after hitting the floor.
Already having sensed the white light beams using Spatial Awareness, Nick summoned Hard Marvel into his right grip, and cast Dragon Hold before swing the sword upwards, producing a wide, crescent-shaped arc of obsidian-black blade light.
SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
The floor of the fighting area quickly developed a molten-orange hue because of the heat of the white light beams. When all of Parvone's lasers as well as the bones, tattered temple, and destroyed, black void of Malevolent Shrine dissipated seconds later, Nick, and Parvone were revealed to be standing in the same positions that they had been at before the clash.
Uranus, and the others observed the heavily cut Parvone before focusing on Nick whose scale armor was currently receding to only cover his right arm. Although Nick seemed physically unhurt, his brown skin had become a shade paler, indicating that he had suffered as a result of Parvone's methods.
Cylus commented:
"That was an incredible show of power on both sides. Parvone's purple light path, and fire path lasers practically provided resistance that spared him from being cut into shreds, and his white lasers destroyed that black barrier from the outside to free him from his predicament. Nick did not escape unscathed, though, even with his soul path defense, the extreme heat of Parvone's lasers has harmed his body in ways that we cannot see."
As expected of an experienced rank 3 middle stage Magician, Cylus' scouting method is not average, and he was able to sense what happened clearly during the exchange. His commentary informed Yarvo, Bobby, Jenine, and Aria of the situation. Uranus, and Kirst kept silent, but their rapt attention betrayed their interest in the fight.
Jenine was confused about something, however. She asked:
"At the last moment, I was able to use my scouting method to sense the purple lasers attacking the black void, but they did nothing. The white lasers, however, cut through the void instantly. The spells that produced both lasers should be advanced grade light, and fire path spells, right? How comes only the white lasers harmed the black void?"
Cylus remained silent because he did not know the answer to the latter question. Uranus soon answered instead:
"The black void must be strong on the inside, but weak on the outside. It is a flaw in Nick's spell. You should all be familiar with Parvone's halo-like magic tool, Hovering Grace. Its active ability, White Vision, allows him to view into, and past objects surrounded by white light. It would have been simple for him to notice the flaw, and form an effective counter. If not for trying to destroy the black void, he might not have sustained so many cuts as a result of Nick's method."
Jenine, and the rest finally understood Parvone's reason for enduring so many cuts. On the fighting platform, Nick mused:
(Those purple lights intercepted much of Malevolent Shrine's blade magic. I consumed 60,000 magical units in activating the spell, but only gave Parvone some shallow injuries. Well…at least I forced him to reveal some of his tricks.)
The fighting platform quickly cooled, and so reverted back to its original hue. During that time, Parvone cast:
(Quick Cauter)
Following that, the cuts on his body were seared shut. He gritted his teeth in pain but a few seconds later, the burn scars vanished. Parvone then followed up with another spell:
(Reverse White)
Nick immediately frowned. Spatial Awareness fed him an image of a white laser somehow being shot at him from behind, starting from tens of meters away. The laser was thick, and moved at incredible speed. Nick wasted no time in exuding a few thousand magical units of his deep-blue miasma magic energy, which engulfed him in no time at all. Nick activated Cursed Vessel, following which, the miasma partially developed a red hue, and vanished along with himself.
The white laser lost its target as Nick appeared floating ten meters above his previous position. Parvone cast another spell in response:
(Quick Glow)
His body slightly glowed white before he vanished. Immediately afterwards, the white laser produced by Reverse White glowed along its moving length until the glow reached directly below Nick. Parvone then reappeared within one meter of Nick at his immediate front. The white laser below then dissipated.
Nick was caught off guard by Parvone's incredible movement speed. It had taken Parvone a few milliseconds to reach him. Regardless, Nick was confident that he had room to counter in case of a speedy attack:
(Light Magicians…their speed never gets old…)
Parvone poured much of his magic energy into casting his next spell:
(White Killing)
Six thick, white lasers formed out of nowhere, and struck towards Nick, crashing into him in quick succession, but not before he had the time to spread Dragon Armor's black scales all over his body. The six lasers still passed through his defenses, however, and simultaneously impaled him. Nick beared with the pain while casting a spell of his own:
(Dragon Specter.)
Parvone had no need to cancel Hovering Grace's White Vision ability, so after a brief surge of formless magic power from Nick, he easily saw that the black blade of the sword in Nick's right hand strangely bent out of shape before being corrected again.
Parvone frowned, but before he could react further, Nick swung Hard Marvel at him, creating a wide, crescent-shaped burst of obsidian-black blade light that quickly crashed into him, and enveloped him.
(Quick Glow)
Parvone slightly glowed with a white hue before disappearing, and then reappearing below, having sustained a few shallow cuts to his face, torso, and limbs as a result of being enveloped by the blade light. The six lasers impaling Nick soon dissipated thereafter.
Nick forced the black scales to recede to cover only his right arm again. Nick's clothes had holes in them at where the lasers struck, and where he was bleeding due to his skin being burnt off, but he immediately cast Dragon Recovery to remedy the injuries. In moments, the bleeding stopped, and Nick's internal injuries became light, but his complexion became paler..
When Parvone sensed this, he internally fumed:
(Something is wrong. My lasers should have been fast enough to strike him before those black scales covered his body. The black scales provided enough soul path resistance to mitigate his injuries, turning what could have been fatal to only somewhat grave.
Now that I am suspicious, I am actually noticing that there is some spatial magic present that is giving Nick slightly more breathing room, different from the one that is helping him to produce the blade light. That magic saved his dog life. White Killing is a purely light path, advanced grade spell. It may not be as innately harmful as my hybrid light, and fire magic, but it is faster by a few degrees, making it highly lethal. The match should have ended with that spell.)
Parvone realized then that he was not the only one with good magic tools. Nick also had his helpers.
Nick canceled Dragon Recovery when his injuries became bearable, following which, he spread Dragon Hold's special space to envelop the entire battle platform in an instant. Under Nick's influence, the space above the platform was suppressed. Parvone immediately felt stifled, but he began emitting some of his white light magic energy to resist the suppression.
At that time, tank-sized, red, and grey spheres of rotating space magic power appeared at both Parvone's sides that quickly closed in on him. The spatial suppression resulted in Parvone being one moment too late to cast his Quick Glow movement spell. When the red, and grey spheres came in contact with Parvone at the center, cream light radiating everywhere was the result, and Parvone was immediately forced into the floor. The platform cracked a few meters across as a result of Parvone being forcefully lodged over three meters beneath the surface.
Following that, the red, and grey spheres dissipated. Nick then retracted his special space to have a one-meter-radius. He also summoned Stoic Grave into his left grip, and activated Sheer Soul's ability, Sheer Hold.
Nick spread Dragon Armor's black scales to also entirely cover his left arm. He then instantly processed 40,000 magical units of deep-blue miasma magic energy outside his body, following which, he quickly drew the miasma into his mindscape.
Realizing what Nick did, Uranus stroked his beard, commenting:
"This Nick Capitol is very interesting like you said, Kirst. Do you know where he learned his methods, or if he has any talents?"
Kirst politely answered:
"I do not know if he has any talents, but the last I heard, he is a spell maker who uses his own creations."
Uranus changed his expression which made him seem slightly amused when he heard Kirst's words. Kirst continued:
"Nick has also obtained a few new magic tools since the last time that I saw him. His swords are good quality, but he clearly also has another soul path, and a space path magic tool."
Cylus asked curiously:
"Why is Nick so rich? Even many of our family members are not so well equipped. Our intel says that he only graduated Richter Order Academy recently."
Kirst shrugged his shoulders, answering:
"I do not know either."
(Reverse White)
A thick, white laser quickly shot down towards Parvone's position very close to Nick's immediate front.
(Quick Glow)
The length of the laser gradually glowed brightly until the glow stopped advancing directly opposite to Nick, at which point, Parvone appeared within arm's reach of him. Parvone pointed his right index finger at Nick, following which, an inch-long white laser shot out from his right index fingertip before developing a purple hue, and then splitting into hundreds of purple lasers that had accelerated speed.
Nick instantly exuded deep-blue miasma magic energy that engulfed Parvone while Nick himself spread Dragon Armor's black scales to cover his entire body again. Nick barely managed to cover himself with the black scales in time before the purple lasers struck all over his body. He immediately felt like he was being roasted alive, but he maintained the presence of mind necessary to activate Cursed Vessel.
The deep-blue miasma that engulfed Parvone suddenly, and partially gained a red hue. Parvone sensed something amiss, and so began to emit his own white light magic energy to resist Nick's magic energy, but to his surprise, a beastly cry resounded the next moment that made his white light magic energy dim.
Before Parvone knew it, he somehow appeared at Nick's left side where his White Vision showed clearly that Nick's soul path sword was already being swung at him while Nick still endured the last of the purple lasers. Nick's swing was too fast, and precise; Parvone could not dodge in time.
SHING! SPSSSHHHH!
The air made a sound as it was split apart before Parvone's right side was sliced through. Blood spurted out from the wound; it was a tragic sight for Parvone to witness. He did not recoil, however, and quickly reached out his right hand, imbued with his magic energy, to touch Nick's left shoulder using his right index fingertip, casting a spell:
(Internal Demolition)
Nick, who currently resembled a smoked fish as thick streams of vapor rose from his black scales, and his wide opened mouth, was harmed further when within his abdomen, six searing, white lasers shot out from him, three at the front, and three at the back. Nick was in so much pain that he struggled to remain conscious, but he somehow did so.
Parvone was not done, however, and was about to use his quick spell casting to end the battle, but his expression suddenly became blank before his perspective changed.
Parvone now stood in a black void without the ability to use his magic. He screamed out:
"Where the hell am I?"
No answer came. Perplexed, Parvone tried to look for something that could give him a clue when suddenly, he found Nick's blade path sword lodged into his chest, and Nick standing a meter away from him with his hands placed into his pants pockets. Nick appeared to be observing him using his indifferent, cold eyes. Parvone's world went dark for a moment.
Uranus, and the rest watched as Parvone listlessly fell towards the floor for seemingly no reason. The white lasers that had come out from Nick dissipated at this time, and Nick, familiar with his spells to an almost instinctive degree, cast Dragon Recovery, healing the burns, and internal injuries that were mostly hidden by Dragon Armor's scales; black scales that had been burnt off were also restored. While his healing magic was going to work, thick streams of vapor emanated from his burnt body.
Just before Parvone was about to hit the ground, his eyes seemed to regain focus, and he cast Quick Glow to disappear, and then reappear standing on his feet some thirty meters away from Nick. Parvone did not try to go on the attack immediately because he was concerned about the last method that had afflicted him; it reeked of soul magic. Not only that, but his body felt stiffer than usual, and he suspected that the cause was not his side wound.
(Nick's soul magic must be having a prolonged effect on me. I am suspicious of when I witnessed the strange phenomenon with his blade path sword, and then there was the moment when his soul path sword cut me…)
Parvone cast Quick Cauter to instantly stop his bleeding, but then also cast an additional healing spell to mend his severe internal injuries:
(White Suture)
His entire torso immediately emitted many soft, white lasers, following which, his complexion that had turned paler soon regained its original shade.
By that time, Nick had healed his injuries to a manageable state, following which, he canceled Dragon Recovery, and instantly processed 40,000 magical units of deep-blue miasma magic energy before drawing the miasma into his mindscape.
Yarvo spoke in realization:
"That blue miasma is Nick's magic energy. He is actually recovering it by processing it outside his body before drawing it into his mindscape. What kind of power is that? It goes against common sense. Normally in battle, unless one had an absolute advantage, they could only recover their magic energy passively unless they had a rare magic energy recovery spell. Is that what Nick is making use of?"
Kirst squinted his eyes in suspicion, thinking:
(I am not so sure that ability is a normal spell…)
Uranus confirmed Kirst's doubts:
"That ability is likely a characteristic of his mindscape. It is too wondrous to be otherwise, at his rank. If it was so easy to recover that much magic energy so quickly during battle, do you think that I would have failed to give you all such spells? Do you think that Nick Capitol has greater spell making abilities than the Magicians that I can commission?"
Uranus was speaking from the experience that he gained from interacting with Magicians with all kinds of talents, and powers. He would never have suspected that Nick was a scholar of any path, and even if he did, at rank 3, it was still not easy to make use of a spell that actively, and efficiently recovered magic energy.
(That is because in general, the rank 3 mindscape is fundamentally an inefficient instrument for processing magic energy, producing much waste as it does. Nick clearly has a divergent grade mindscape with a very special ability.)
Parvone soon canceled White Suture, having been fully healed of his physical injuries. His mind, however, felt somewhat heavy, and his body still felt slightly stiff. He was about to go after Nick again when he saw the latter let his blade path sword float freely at his right side while he himself formed a hand sign using his right index, and middle fingers, the same hand sign that Parvone saw at the beginning of the battle.
Parvone opened his eyes wide in frustration, the first time he had ever done so in his life:
(Why is he even still able to carry on? I practically roasted him multiple times. The Heating Element magic tool embedded into my right earlobe passively doubles the temperature of my fire path spells. Even if he has a healing spell, the body cannot endure being taken out of equilibrium again, and again without showing some lapse…)
Parvone did not know about Nick's Dragon's Advantage talent that increased his agility, and endurance in proportion to battle experience. Dragons that possessed this talent were often the most savage, and even hated by their own kind.
(Malevolent Shrine.)
60,000 magical units of magic energy within Nick's mindscape was instantly consumed as the spell's pitch-black void enveloped the fighting platform once again. Pale-white bones were scattered across the floor, and a fifteen-meter-high, decrepit temple appeared, standing erect behind Nick.
Parvone wasted no time in spell casting:
(Ocular Demolition)
(White Demolition)
A thick, white laser emerged from each of Parvone's eyes before quickly developing a purple hue, and accelerating to many folds it previous speed. The purple lasers even out-sped Malevolent Shrines power. The purple lasers were emitted swiftly in zig-zag patterns, and struck Nick in milliseconds.
With Dragon Armor's black scales still present, Nick was roasted in place again. Steam emanated from him like he was a kettle, but he still maintained his consciousness while Malevolent Shrine's power went to work.
Parvone was satisfied with his spell's speed, thinking:
(I have the Spectral Light talent that allows my white light to adopt another color of the light spectrum, increasing its speed. I also have the Heat Conduit talent that decreases the conflict between my spells' light path, and fire path laws, making the lasers more animated, and flexible. For good measure, I even have the Light Conduit talent that increases my magic energy recovery rate in proportion to the presence of white light. I was built to win…)
Unfortunately for Parvone, his searing lasers did not stop a slight breeze from flowing against him, but at this time, dozens of thick, thirty-meter-high, purple lasers rose up out of the floor a little beyond the perimeter of Malevolent Shrine's black void, and struck down onto the void without delay. Uranus was the only one who could observe the purple lasers due to their high speed.
As soon as hundreds of lines of blood appeared on Parvone's body, the black void was sliced through, forcefully canceling Malevolent Shrine, and dispelling its effects. The black void, the white bones, and the decrepit temple vanished in an instant. The lasers of White Demolition vanished before they struck the fighting platform.
The lasers being emitted from Parvone's eyes also dissipated. Parvone then fell onto his right knee as he breathed heavily, and blood oozed from his many shallow cuts. His fast resolving spell had saved his life, and he was painfully aware of that. This was the first time that death had come so near to him, and he was a little shaken:
(What the hell is wrong with me? Even if I almost died, I shouldn't be this distraught. My mind is showing signs of unusual frailty…)
Just as Parvone was about to cast Quick Cauter, a hand appeared on his left shoulder. Surprised, Parvone turned his head to look at who it was. What he saw was a translucent human figure with facial features that matched Nick Capitol's. The translucent figure then suddenly vanished, and Parvone's expression became blank.
Uranus, and the rest all saw what happened. As Parvone knelt, a translucent figure silently emerged from his body, touched him, and then vanished just as silently. Parvone no longer seemed responsive after that. Bobby expressed his confusion:
"What the hell was that?"
Jenine slowly shook her head, replying:
"That was undoubtably Nick's method."
Kirst enlightened them:
"I saw Nick use a similar soul path method at the inter-academy competition. This version is clearly of the rank 3 standard, though."
Parvone's perspective changed to the same black void that he previously visited. He reflexively cursed because he could do nothing else:
"Son of a whore!"
After saying those words, an obsidian-black blade was driven through his chest from the rear. Parvone looked behind him to see Nick standing there with his hands placed into his pants pockets, looking on indifferently. Following that, Parvone's world became dark.
Nick cast Dragon Recovery again, noticing that Parvone was experiencing a false reality. Nick did not immediately go on the attack because he could not control how long the false reality lasted. While he healed himself, he processed 40,000 more units of deep-blue miasma magic energy around his body before drawing it into his mindscape:
(That heat from Parvone's lasers have incredible penetrative power. Most of Dragon Armor is still intact, but I keep getting burned. Things cannot go on like this…)
Nick healed his injuries to where they were manageable before canceling Dragon Recovery. He was tempted to cast Malevolent Shrine again, but he knew that would likely cripple his mind for a while. If Parvone countered then, he would be finished.
(Don't solve one problem by creating another.)
Nick exuded thousands of units of deep-blue miasma magic energy from his mindscape, and had it quickly flow towards, and engulf Parvone in moments. Nick activated Cursed Vessel, following which, the deep-blue miasma partially developed a red hue. Parvone's eyes became focused at this time, but before he could do anything, a beastly cry resounded in his ears, freezing him on the spot, momentarily.
By the time that Parvone could move, he was already in midair, in front of Nick, who was already mobilizing the power of one of his methods as he gripped Hard Marvel again:
(Advanced Blade Works.)
In an instant, Nick, and Parvone seemingly vanished without a trace. Cylus quickly stood up with wide, opened eyes. He blurted out:
"Is Nick kidnapping Parvone? Elder Uranus, that cannot be good…"
Uranus interrupted Cylus' words:
"Sit down. Nick, and Parvone are still here. Nick has dragged Parvone into an adjacent, artificial space."
Everyone else's expression became weird after they heard that explanation. Jenine expressed her doubts:
"Is that possible? Parvone's magical resistances are very strong; being able to drag him into an artificial, special space that is so well hidden that we cannot perceive it would be an onerous task. Nick only took an instant to do it. We did not even sense that he cast an advanced grade spell."
Uranus slowly shook his head before saying:
"He did not cast a spell. Instead, he made use of one that was already in place?"
Everyone except Uranus himself, and Kirst became confused by Uranus' words. Kirst clarified the matter by muttering two words:
"Magic Formation."
Uranus looked over at Kirst with some appreciation showing on his face. He really favored well-learned people the most. Uranus said:
"Cylus, and my pupils, you may not have sensed it, but how can formation path magic fool this old man's eyes."
*****************************************************
Parvone rose from his half kneeling state, the sand of his new environment having stained his already ruined, orange robe. Parvone observed that the ground was brown sand as far as the eye could see. The horizon seemed nothing more than a black void. He cast Quick Cauter to seal his cuts while thinking:
(A special space? Hmmm…not one that I can break out of easily this time.)
Parvone concluded the latter point from the fact that White Vision's power could not allow him to peer out of the special space. Nick stood wordlessly, six meters away from Parvone. He did not think that anything needed to be said. The battle had gone on for long enough, and they both knew it.
Nick canceled Dragon Armor; its defense was suppressed in this special space, anyway. Nick then retracted Dragon Hold's special space to within inches of his body, and swords. He also cast Seeker Instinct, and Dragon Form. Nick's eyes suddenly, and partially gained a slight red hue.
Parvone felt that despite the battle dragging on, Nick's magic power had not weakened. Instead, it had been strengthened. He even felt that his light magic was being suppressed in this space. Parvone soon canceled Quick Cauter before flexing his arms, ready to take Nick on.
Nick moved first; he slashed down with Hard Marvel, following which, a wide, crescent-shaped burst of obsidian-black blade light quickly struck out, and enveloped Parvone.
(Quick Glow)
Parvone disappeared from his position faster than the blade light could harm him. Nick canceled Dragon Hold as soon as he sensed Parvone's disappearance. Parvone then reappeared at Nick's immediate rear the next moment.
(White Killing)
Six thick, white lasers seemingly shot forward out of nowhere, and impaled Nick, but as if completely unaffected, Nick turned around before walking away from the lasers, and then through Parvone. Parvone was internally shocked, but did not let the shock overwhelm his thinking.
The moment that Nick completely walked through Parvone, he turned around swiftly, and swung Stoic Grave at Parvone using his left arm. Parvone tried to react quick enough, but the power of Dragon Form increased Nick's slashing speed incredibly. Parvone was also still stiff because of the power of Sheer Soul.
Nick created a long, diagonal gash along Parvone's back from his right shoulder-blade to his left hip. Nick mused at this time:
(Having the use of blade light is great but Seeker Instinct becomes less effective the more spells that I have active. That is why I canceled Dragon Armor, and Dragon Hold.)
Parvone coughed out a mouthful of blood while casting Ocular Demolition. Purple lasers were immediately emitted from his eyes, moving in zig-zag patterns to reach his rear in almost an instant.
The two purple lasers seemed to strike Nick before moving through him like he was not there. Nick side stepped them completely before he slashed down using Stoic Grave, this time aiming at Parvone's left arm, cutting it off from the latter's left shoulder joint.
The purple lasers dissipated when that happened, but Parvone did not react because he began to experience another false reality. His expression became blank as blood poured from his left shoulder stump like a fountain.
Nick internally commented:
(This guy is done. I do not want to kill him, though. He was strong, but my advantages just stacked as the battle went on…)
Thinking that Parvone would not admit defeat just because he lost an arm, Nick used Stoic Grave to cut off his opponent's right arm in the same way as the left arm. Nick then used Hard Marvel to cut through Parvone's knees with one wide slash. Parvone fell into the sand on his back like a stone while he bled profusely due to the amputations.
At that point, Parvone finally overcame the false reality, but blood started to flow from his mouth, nostrils, ears, and eyes in great amounts. Parvone tried to cast his spells, but his mind refused to focus, and he could hardly even move his eyelids. He concluded that his soul had been severely damaged by Nick.
Not wanting to continue anymore, Nick softly declared:
"I have won."
Following that, he willed for them both to be ejected from Advanced Blade Work's special space.
When Nick, and Parvone reappeared on the fighting platform, everyone except Uranus, and Kirst was shocked to see Parvone's mutilated state. Uranus silently mused:
(This is what I wanted you to experience, Parvone, so that you would not ignorantly waste your time currying favour with the royal family. The world of Magicians is cruel, and savages don't care about your social relationships…)