78. Soldier III (Patreon)

I followed Albeyr through the military offices, but Amira stayed back at her office. That made me a bit nervous because if there was one person I could trust, it was the pure-soul arcanist.

We walked in total silence, passing by multiple military people who only reacted to Command Sergeant Major by saluting the man in very tense postures. I understood why they were scared shitless of their superior. The man in question didn’t react to them, though.

I had a solemn expression during these exchanges, as I wasn’t exactly relaxed. Thankfully enough, we reached our destination in a matter of minutes.

The eleven-star electromancer wordlessly guided me inside a heavily warded room with a dome-like ceiling. With a quick look, I was able to identify the place as an indoor training area. With some intuition and slight mind reading I realized he wanted to keep me out of sight for the time being.

“Now,” the storm talked for the first time, “I want you to show me the magical prowess of the mage that was able to fight ten-star mages and cowl an emperor into submission.”

Before I could refute his words and say that I didn’t cowl anyone into submission, the eleven-star mage attacked me.

It started with a quick flash that instantly put me on edge. It was a low-star projectile, most likely six-star, and I only managed to dodge by a finger’s width. Normally I wouldn’t be fazed by an attack this weak, but I wasn’t enthusiastic to taste my arcane defenses in my current state.

Yet just as before, the military man attacked me, not allowing me to explain myself.

This time a ball of lightning spawned by his side. A construct much like Mana Oasis and Mana Nullness. Though instead of being a powerful nine-star arcane spell, this ball was a seven-star lightning spell.

I didn’t have enough time to wonder what that spell did as it instantly shot a lightning strike against me. Still trying to avoid putting a strain on the Arcane of my soul, I spellcasted the dual Slow Fall synergy to dodge the spell. Ungravity would have been better, but the seven-star arcane spell couldn’t be spellcasted in the blink of an eye as I did with the synergy.

I successfully dodged the construct’s attack and the missed shot impacted the ground, yet it left not even a scratch as the room was heavily warded, overflowing with complex enchantments.

With a deep breath, I realized how much time had happened since the duel began.

Two seconds.

A look at the electromancer’s stoic face told me he didn’t even begin trying. And I doubted he would even hear what I had to say. If else, the true duel began now.

I had two choices currently, to win or to lose this duel, but both outcomes needed to be fast. It wouldn’t be sensible to push my soul until healed up.

My spiritual and corporeal vessels overflowed with soul mana as I amped up the power of Mystic’s Dominion. Even if I wanted to attack him with arcane magic (which I definitely didn’t) it wouldn’t affect him. I had before me an eleven-star electromancer whilst I was a nine-star arcanist. Magical attacks on the corporeal plane would be utterly nullified by just his passive defensive spells.

My only alternative was to attack him on a plane he couldn’t defend himself against.

Time seemed to slow as we both flared our dominion-type spells as if the singularity of concentrated power was enough to distort time itself. I was surrounded by a lavender haze that granted me incredible power, yet that palled before his electric dominion.

An energetic blue nebula, with shining white sparks that looked like stars, surrounded Fynn Albeyr. The ten-star lightning spell almost made me stop. It felt far more powerful than my dominion.

In my brief lapse of distraction, I was hit by a lightning strike. It was weak so my passive defenses were able to stop it, but it took far more mana than I was comfortable with. I had totally forgotten about the electricity orb floating around Fynn. It was an offensive construct, meant to attack independently from the caster.

I was hit with the realization that in this duel I wouldn’t have much time to process even the nature of the spells.

A feeble smirk appeared on the electromancer’s visage, amused that I had been hit by the summoned construct. Yet he didn’t move from the spot. He knew he didn’t need to move to win.

I felt the irony of the situation as I recalled my first duel against Saphar nine years ago. Back then I hadn’t moved either.

Mentally, I shook those thoughts out of me. I couldn’t afford to be distracted. I deactivated True Recall as it was only prejudicial at this moment.

Trying to get back some ground, I shot an Arcane Bolt from my fingertips. The six-star spell was simple enough that it didn’t put any strain on my elemental affinity. The spell flew toward Fynn, yet it expectedly fizzled out of existence when it collided with the man’s barriers. I knew it couldn’t affect him; I just needed a few instants to recompose myself.

With the help of Mystic’s Dominion, I transferred part of my consciousness to the spiritual plane, therefore accelerating my mental capabilities. It was once dangerous and difficult to do so, but after coming from the afterlife, it proved a menial and intuitive task.

I gained precious seconds of thought as I used them to analyze the field. The electromancer’s dominion was powerful and irradiated with energy. If I got close enough, the electrostatic charge would certainly electrocute me.

Yet I couldn’t win at range.

Arcane attacks were off the table as they were dangerous and useless. Only soul magic could do something. My best bet was to cast Astral Self and move my summoned avatar to attack him at melee range. A clash of souls was the only real chance I had.

But Astral Self is a nine-star spell, too complex to sling it around as I did with Arcane Bolt. To cast it I will need to make time.

I dislodged my consciousness, fully returning to the corporeal plane.

Fynn resumed his attack. This time he shot a lightning beam, fast and powerful, alongside the added projectile from the summoned construct.

I ignored the construct’s attack as I could block it easily with reactive defenses without wasting mental power on protecting myself. The beam was a whole other deal, though. My manaweaver instincts told me it was an eight-star spell. Not ungodly powerful, but it would hurt if I got hit by it.

Dispelling was an option, but it would slow the casting of Astral Self as I would be reverse engineering an eighth star spell, which wasn’t that different from conjuring one.

I barely dodged the beam thanks to the augmented movement capabilities that the Slow Fall synergy provided. Then I proceeded to cast a spell I had never used in my life before.

A black haze, vaguely shaped like a bolt, erupted from my hands and shot towards the electromancer.

For a brief instant, I saw Fynn’s pupils dilate as he focused on the unknown spell. I understood what that gesture meant. He acknowledged the power of the spell.

Having said so, it wasn’t a surprise when he finally moved, stepping to the side to dodge the tenebrous projectile. Yet that didn’t matter.

A handful more of dark spells flew in the air with the electromancer in their sights. It was easy for me to cast copious quantities of soul spells as a ten-star mystic, even if those spells in question were of the seventh star.

Realizing that he couldn’t just dodge the onslaught of spells, Fynn erected a powerful barrier around him. The defensive spell shone brightly as it was subsequently boosted by the electromancer’s dominion.

The corners of my mouth rose in response.

The spells I had unleashed were none other than Necrotic Bolt. One of the spells that composed Mystic’s Dominion framework, yet I had never used it. Even for a seven-star, the necromantic spell was expensive mana-wise, rivaling Astral Self as my second most expensive soul spell. The first one was none other than my dominion.

Simple yet powerful. That was the best description I could give to Necrotic Bolt. A crude attack that focused on damaging the objective’s soul.

Five projectiles impacted the nine-star electric barrier.

Though I wouldn’t say none were stopped.

The dark projectiles worked in the corporeal and spiritual planes alike. Yes, the barrier weakened them greatly, but that was because of the high concentration of mana, not because of the spell’s intrinsic defensive capabilities.

Before my spells managed to strike Fynn, three had already been banished to nothingness, succumbing to the will of the dominion. But two made it through, and that’s what mattered.

Fynn stopped dead in his tracks as he was hit by the two Necrotic Bolts.

He showed no pain, but his visage was ridden with discomfort and his body tensed up. Like most people, he hadn’t suffered spiritual damage in his life. But he also was an eleven-star mage. This was one of my most powerful attacks, yet it only made him flinch as his soul was just that overwhelming.

As the room grew in stillness, only the silence being broken by the occasional crack of lightning, Fynn talked for the first time.

“That’s what I was waiting for.” He said with a confident smile. “It’s time to get serious.” Then he promptly discarded his coat and shirt, revealing his naked torso.

But that wasn’t what worried me, but the mana flowing around him.

Oh shi-

The arena erupted in lightning as the Ceaseless Storm unleashed a nova of electricity around him, completely flooding the room.

In the few instants I had to prepare myself, I hastily forged a defensive spell, yet it was utterly and completely raped by the ceaseless lightning strikes.

My body flung to the wall, like paper on a tempest.

I lay stunned on the wall, trying to make sense of what had happened. As I tried to move, I found my body wouldn’t respond to me. I was paralyzed.

I flooded my body with soul mana, casting Regeneration multiple times to undo the spams the electricity had induced on my muscles. It was barely enough time to jump off the way as the electromancer madly dashed toward me.

Unable to stop, the Ceaseless Storm collided with the wall, threatening to shatter it to pieces with the impact.

I summoned Astral Self on the spiritual plane even if I hadn’t finished the casting. I knew I needed any mental faculty at my disposal to survive.

Then I spellcasted an Ungravity spell to remove the weight of my body and fly away. I was aware that the hero of war could also fly, but I needed to distance myself from him.

The Ceaseless Storm shot another beam at me as I was airborne, but instead of one, now four eight-star spells targeted me.

In a quick thought ridden with fear, I canceled Ungravity, making my body plummet to the ground but safely avoiding the quartet of deadly spells. In less of a fraction of a blink, I spellcasted Slow Fall to prevent my legs from being broken on impact.

This time the Ceaseless Storm decided to use a swarm tactic as he unleashed hundreds of weak projectiles, mostly of the four-star and under. Blocking such an attack would drain the mana reserves of any mage, but what alternative had they? The swarm came from all directions.

But then again, I wasn’t any mage.

My surroundings shone slightly as the lavender haze gained strength. The arena had been flooded with my soul mana at this point, making it as if I was at melee range for certain purposes.

With my fully and unoccupied mental capabilities, I focused on the hundred spells and dispelled every single one at the same time.

If the Command Sergeant Major was surprised, he didn’t show it. But he was certainly amused.

Taking advantage of this small window, I moved my Astral Self next to the Ceaseless Storm and unleashed my spiritual attack.

Astral Self and Mystic Dominion was an incredibly powerful combination, one that allowed me to interact with the spiritual plane with nigh-unrestricted ability.

For the first time, as my spiritual self touched him, I saw an expression of pain on the mighty eleven-star electromancer.

I had hurt him.

Yet as I delighted in victory, everything turned white.