The still, tranquil mana pool started to jolt awake. Waves started to form, I slowly lost my balance before I gave up and departed into the air. It was getting too chaotic, too hectic, and too…
[Dragon's Authority] again.
The vibration in my horns, and quickly, he arose from the depths of the pool with such speed. Mana got all over me and I flew back destabilized, and when I finally regained my balance under control, I felt a hand latch onto my neck.
He looked at me.
And for once.
I didn't know who it was.
Along his body, his veins glowed silver-blue. His own skin cracking like overcharged glass—especially around his arms and jaw. The eyepatch remained in the depths of the pool, and I got to see what was there this whole time.
A rune socket. Pink.
I tried to release myself from his grasp, but his grip was too strong. I could barely even breathe.
"Whew, I feel much better. All this power in my veins…it's like I'm finally awake." He says, as if this was the first time he could string together sentences. I assume the affects of the potion just degraded his mental capacity overtime…
…and now, with a new breath of mana through his lungs and veins, and beating heart.
He thinks no one can beat him.
Looked over to his hand, stretched and flexed it out. Feeling the power course through him. It's not him breaking his limits, no, even the cracked skin. It's his limits breaking him.
He thinks the effects of the potion are gone because he took a dip into the mana pool. All it did was turned him into a sponge to combust. I don't think he even knows that.
And the worst part?
You're never supposed to go near these pools.
Unrefined, too radioactive, unsafe. This thing kills your magic if you get overexposed to it. Even just breathing in it is still potential for harm.
But now?
He's…supercharged.
It's a gimmick in the game that allowed you to spend more mana, and that way, create far more crazier skills. Seemingly amplifying a spell by pouring double, sometimes triple the mana you normally would.
Each magic skill has a supercharged variation, which means it's not just a new spell, but a modified, dangerous form of one.
This, right here.
Is it.
And of course…he can fly. Why wouldn't he?
He stretched out his hand further, fingers spread. I struggled to get out of his grasp, kicking my legs for any affect. When I realized I had no more options, it was back to ol' reliable.
I flashed my fangs, then bit into his hand. He screamed, yelled, and let go of me. I flew back, spitting afterwards. Yeah, tasted straight like mana, not even blood was present. A confusing mix between the silver potion and straight mana.
Wiping my lips afterwards. We both floated over the mana pool. Last thing I needed for him was to get a serious power-up. Nothing I can't handle, though.
He rushed forward, and I blocked the initial punch. A shockwave rang out that felt like it shook the entire cave, even managing to catch that punch is more than enough. I threw his fist back, and clenched my fist hard enough to retaliate.
It connected straight towards his chest, and he flew back faster than I imagined. This was no longer about trying to reason, no. I have to beat him here. Right now.
He stabilized himself, but was already unaware of both my presence and speed. I appeared right behind him, both of my fists locked into each other. With massive weight and speed, it connected towards his head, and was sent skirmishing down into the mana pools again.
I sensed, [Dragon's Authority] wasn't fooled that he was over with. Just as he sunk, I could see his dark image arise…but something was different. Light again. Bright, shining, blinding.
He arose, but the light was carried with him—no, it emitted from him. I covered my eyes, but the light was already so bright.
I flew back, and when I blinked my eyes, I could hear several gasps and screams. There, the leader stared against me as he and I floated over a table. Multiple people around us.
Quickly looking around, he must've used some variation of [Teleportation] magic, because, why not? Not sure if he knew that, but it seemed to work in his favor.
He and I didn't move a single beat. Not a single inch in the air. His eyes would occasionally glance at the unsuspecting civilian, but nothing more.
I assessed the new change of surroundings now. Everyone looked young to old, aisles of books. If anything, I figured this was a library. But…it looked to regal and to populated to be just a library. Perhaps one inside school?
He didn't waste any chance, his fingers flicked, just like claws again. No, not here. He's going to use magic, but in the vicinity of anyone and everyone here, he would just get them killed without a second of remorse.
I fly straight ahead with my hand outstretched, he cracks a sardonic smile as he extends his. Before the sigil could appear, my fingers interlaced with his, locked.
He looked stunned, and then, with quick thinking, I used my other hand to grab onto his arm. Shifted my body, and sent him hurling out a window. Glass broke, fell to the ground, but most of them dodged anyways.
Shooting out the window like a torpedo, I followed up. Turning my head just slightly to look outside where we came from, my guess stood correct. It wasn't a library.
No, it was something greater.
An entire castle. Accompanied by smaller buildings down below. I figured we were no longer in Ja'nan, no. This building looks something from Royalia. I know, because just not too far from it, was a monument.
One that Lucen and Sultan were there not too long ago for a debate.
Fixing my attention to the leader again, he ragdolled in the air. As high up as we were, I wouldn't have any problems using magic again. Just not near anyone else, or buildings, or any life. Not when I'm trying to exterminate this cultic bug.
He regained his balance, but was only met with a driving fist I cocked back. He was sent flying down past Royalia, and into the ocean. I flew close behind as he skidded across the water, before jumping back on his feet.
Rushing in again was no problem, leading in with a extended elbow right towards his nose, my next punch wouldn't landed had he not caught it—barely. My tail wrapped around his wrist to free my hand.
He looked shocked, and then threw in another fist, I caught that one with my left hand. So, with both of his hands rendered useless. My right hand formed into a knuckle, I polished it on my cloak a bit for good measure.
Then, looked at him.
"This might hurt."
Black flames covered my fist, not sparkling, didn't ignite either. Just…naturally weaved as if it was water. He looked in shock as he struggled to release himself from either of my grips.
Without a second to spare, I drove my first right into his face. A massive shockwave occurred that blew the waters around us back greatly. The haymaker landed nicely, and I looked back at my clenched hand. Smoke emitting from it.
Clearly, the punch was too great. The ocean split just from it, even exposing some of the seabed. I landed with both feet, one than the other, Corals. Fish that were flopping around. All wet.
The high walls of the ocean surrounded us almost like a bowl. An arena, there, I finally saw the leader. Face disfigured, massively bruised. But, he's supercharged. He probably won't feel a thing.
Not to say my attacks never had an affect, but he's currently generating mana way faster than I am right now. It's like…getting hot, and your body always supplies you with cool AC. You would feel it, then chill later.
Which meant, if anything. He could survive that, I don't want to know what else he could survive.
Let me end this before it gets any worse…or before it becomes a massive problem for me.
Looking around, I estimate that we would probably have a few minutes before the large waves come back in crashing again. We were at the seabed, but by no means was this the deep end. If it came to that…I think I could survive the water pressure.
No, focus Ryuuzen. We are beating him.
We have to.