Such quick reflexes—sealing off an escape route with residual magic the moment an attack misses.
Is this the gap in combat experience?
Roger tilted his head slightly, glancing at the ice-sealed door before refocusing on the figure in front of him.
He clapped lightly, his tone carrying a hint of admiration. "Impressive magic control… as expected of the boss."
"But," he continued, his voice tinged with just the right amount of curiosity, "since my magic signature and appearance were flawless, how exactly did you figure me out?"
Kane raised a hand, tapping his eyes lightly with his fingertips. "Your gaze."
"The moment you walked in, your eyes were sizing me up—subtly, but I caught it."
"Hans," Kane's voice was calm but certain, "never looks above my shoulders. It's a habit he's had since he was a kid."
As his words fell, Kane's expression sharpened. He sprang to his feet, his right hand clenching the air. A burst of frost exploded, forming a massive, shimmering blue ice sword in his grip!
Gripping the blade with both hands, he swung it down fiercely at the empty space before him!
CLANG!!!
A deafening metallic clash rang out! The sword struck empty air, yet a bone-jarring recoil and a numbing sensation shot up Kane's spine!
"Not transformation magic," Kane muttered, his eyes narrowing as he whipped his left hand up in a flash!
Buzz—!
A massive blue water-based magic circle materialized before his palm!
[Water Jet]
BOOM—!
A waist-thick torrent of water roared out, tearing through the air with a piercing shriek, charging toward the northwest corner of the room like an enraged dragon!
BANG!!!
A heart-stopping thud echoed as a shadowy figure was slammed into the stone wall by the water jet. Fine cracks spiderwebbed across the surface with a crack-crack!
As the water dissipated, cold mist filled the air, and the shadowy figure slid down like a broken puppet.
The wall bore a deep, human-shaped crater.
Kane's icy gaze swept over the fading illusion of Hans in the corner as he lowered his hand. "You used illusion magic to create a fake Hans before even entering."
"Then you crafted a decoy to draw attention while you hid, waiting for your moment to strike."
His cold eyes locked onto the crumpled figure on the floor. "A mage with such convincing illusions is rare."
"Too bad you couldn't fully suppress your magic fluctuations during the attack. Otherwise, that sword might've killed me."
With the enemy dead, Kane's taut nerves relaxed slightly. He was about to sit down and call his subordinates to clean up the mess when—
A strange, scarlet glow flared without warning, inches from his face!
Kane's pupils contracted as an icy premonition of death gripped his heart! He instinctively raised his left hand to cast a spell to block the attack.
But a chilling silver flash, faster than a bullet, tore through the air with a whoosh, piercing his raised right shoulder the moment his magic began to surge!
Splatter!
Blood sprayed as his entire right arm was severed at the shoulder, hitting the ground with a thud!
The blue magic circle in front of him flickered violently before reluctantly fading out.
"Impossible! His magic signature vanished—he should be dead!"
Kane's mind reeled as he clutched the gushing wound, frantically channeling magic to stem the bleeding.
He sucked in a ragged breath of blood-tinged air, forcing himself to focus through the searing pain.
"Water—"
His left hand struggled to rise, the familiar blue magic circle forming once more.
But this time, the circle formed sluggishly, haltingly.
A heavy wave of exhaustion crashed over him! His eyelids felt like lead, and his magic surged chaotically, like a wild beast breaking free, refusing to obey!
"The sword was poisoned!!"
Kane shook his head violently, trying to shake off the dizziness, but the numbness from his right shoulder was spreading rapidly.
Each attempt to channel magic brought a deeper roar in his mind, and a seductive whisper echoed in his skull: "Sleep… sleep…"
"Use that…?" A groggy thought flickered through his mind.
His body swayed, his vision blurring. Gritting his teeth, Kane's trembling left hand reached into his coat, pulling out a cold, black vial etched with eerie patterns.
Whoosh—!
Another deadly silver flash, too fast for the eye to follow, tore through the air, aiming straight for the hand holding the vial!
Splatter!
Blood bloomed like a grim flower! His left arm went limp, the excruciating pain radiating from his shoulder as his left hand and forearm, still clutching the black vial, fell uselessly in a spray of blood.
The vial rolled away.
Kane's last shred of consciousness flickered out like a candle in the wind.
His eyes dulled, becoming hollow. A bitter, pained smile tugged at his lips.
"In the end… I didn't even see my opponent's face…"
"What a cunning hunter… If not for the lingering injuries from negotiating with that dark guild…"
"How could I have been so pathetic?"
"Such profound illusion magic, paired with requip magic that launches weapons…"
"What an extraordinary mage."
[Ding! Enemy defeated. Gained 1,000 Magic Power.]
[Ding! Congratulations, obtained Angel Halo.]
[Effect: When worn above the head, the halo's strength is directly tied to the wearer's purity and conviction in their faith in angels. The purer and stronger the faith, the greater the power boost (e.g., healing, protection, exorcism, etc.).]
[Warning: If faith reaches its extreme, the wearer's power source will undergo an irreversible transformation, fully integrating into the angelic system and losing their original traits.]
As the system's notification faded from his mind, Roger's figure materialized silently a meter behind Kane, like mist coalescing.
"Experienced fighters sometimes rely too much on their experience," he said softly, rubbing a necklace he'd removed from his neck.
"Once someone forms an idea, most will follow that train of thought to its end."
"With a little misdirection—creating an illusion of an attack—enemies naturally stop noticing the 'me' standing still in place."
"After all, who'd think an illusion could launch an attack?"
He glanced at Kane's lifeless face on the ground.
"And when an enemy dies, everyone instinctively lowers their guard. That's the perfect moment to strike."
The necklace in his hand glimmered faintly. "This thing's ability to suppress magic fluctuations is even better than I expected."
Knock, knock-knock.
A short, then two long knocks came from the door, its faint ice coating no longer under magical control.
Hearing the prearranged signal, Roger's lips curved slightly. "Come in. The door's unlocked."
BANG!
The door was flung open, the battered panel creaking under the strain.
"Roger! We took care of everyone outside!" Erza burst in, her face flushed with excitement.
She hefted a massive sack almost as tall as she was over her shoulder. As she ran, the clinking of heavy metal echoed from within.
Stopping in front of Roger, she dropped the sack with a thud, kicking up a small cloud of dust.
"We searched everywhere and found this in the warehouse! It's all money and treasures!"
Wiping sweat from her brow, her eyes sparkled. "These guys are way richer than those bandits we dealt with before! The gold coins and gems alone are piled into a small mountain!"
"Roger, quick, store it all in your spatial magic!"