[You have selected the “Orb of the Unbreakable.”]
Rows upon rows of devastating spells raced toward Alex, each one packed with enough power to reduce him to nothing in an instant.
The moment he saw the sheer volume of magic bearing down on him, he knew he had only one option left: this orb.
If he didn’t thin out their numbers now, they’d just keep bombarding him, their spells raining down nonstop.
Even with [Destiny Shift], it wouldn’t be enough.
If his body kept getting obliterated the second he revived, he wouldn’t even have time to react.
And he only had a five-second window.
If he died again, it was truly over.
No hesitation.
Alex selected the [Orb of the Unbreakable] and crushed it in his hand.
The moment he did, a translucent golden barrier sprang up around him, glowing with a faint shimmer.
It was a small but absolute defense.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The first wave of magic smashed into the barrier, violent explosions erupting as spell after spell detonated against it.
Shockwaves rippled outward, shaking the very foundation of the room, but the barrier stood firm as it quite literally couldn’t be broken.
The grand mages didn’t stop, though.
Even after the first attacks landed, they continued firing, convinced that overwhelming him with sheer firepower was the best strategy.
They didn’t even bother to check if their attacks were hitting him: thick clouds of smoke and magical residue filled the room, making it impossible to see.
They assumed he was gone.
And that… would be their greatest mistake.
Inside the barrier, untouched and unharmed, Alex’s lips curled into a smirk.
[Orb of the Unbreakable: Grants an indestructible barrier for five seconds. Cannot be moved. Reflects all incoming damage back at its source.]
“Reflects all incoming damage…”
That was the key.
Every attack they threw at him, every spell, every enchanted weapon, every summoned projectile was now turning against them.
Alex watched as fireballs, lightning spears, ice lances, and magic swords slammed into his barrier, only to pause for a brief second… then reverse direction.
Back toward their senders.
The moment the spells rebounded, the grand mages finally realized something was wrong.
“Huh?”
“What is this—”
“Is that my [Magic Sword]?”
Their confusion lasted only a moment before the retaliation struck, with nobody able to predict that it would happen.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The Meeting Room was instantly drowned in chaos.
Each mage was hit by their own most powerful spell.
Fire swallowed some, ice froze others, lightning tore through bodies, and dark magic consumed flesh and soul alike.
Screams filled the chamber for only an instant before they were snuffed out by the destruction.
When the barrier finally disappeared, its five seconds spent, silence followed.
An eerie, unnatural silence.
Alex stood in the middle of the wreckage, his gaze scanning the aftermath.
He expected some resistance, maybe a few survivors, but as the smoke cleared, all he saw was a bloodbath.
The room that once held fifty-three grand mages…
Now had only two survivors.
Arceus and Isolde.
Arceus had clearly been killed.
He had managed to cast a shield in time, but the sheer force of the reflected spells shattered it, tearing his body apart.
And yet… he was still here.
[Immortal Regeneration: Instantly restores 50% of HP and MP, even if mortally wounded.]
Even after dying, his skill had revived him.
Isolde, on the other hand, was still standing, though barely.
His breath was ragged, and blood dripped down his arms and face.
The [Ultimate Barrier] he had conjured had saved his life, but it was in tatters, flickering weakly from the sheer power of what had just happened.
He had almost died.
Alex looked around.
Limbs, scorched robes, and pools of blood littered the chamber.
The once-mighty grand mages, who had thrown everything they had at him, had been wiped out in an instant by their own magic.
They hadn’t even defended themselves.
They had attacked with absolute confidence, too much confidence.
‘Fools.’
Alex had expected maybe half of them to die, but for every single one to fall?
That only meant they had all used their strongest spells without holding back.
Isolde trembled as he looked around at the corpses of his former allies.
His lips curled in rage, and his fists clenched so hard they bled.
“Idiotic…” His voice was quiet at first, but then he exploded with fury, “A BUNCH OF FUCKING IDIOTS!”
His aura burst outward, shaking the room.
“YOU FOOLS!” Isolde roared. “YOU THROW EVERYTHING AT HIM WITHOUT THINKING?! NOW LOOK AT YOU, GONE! DESTROYED! ALL FOR NOTHING!”
Then his furious gaze snapped to Alex.
“When the gods hear about this…” Isolde’s voice dropped to a deadly whisper. “You will wish you had died here.”
Alex met his gaze with a smirk, “I’d love to see them try.”
He had wiped out nearly every grand mage in this room with their own magic.
Now, only the [Grand Mage Master] himself remained.
Isolde seethed, his aura flaring once more, but instead of rushing at Alex, he turned toward Arceus.
Before either of them could react, Isolde lifted his staff and cast [Mental Sleep].
Arceus’s body went limp, his consciousness forcibly shut down.
“I’ll deal with you later,” Isolde muttered. “Torture and information will be useful… even if I’m the only one left.”
Then his eyes snapped back to Alex.
The nine [Universal Orbs] still hovered around Alex, pulsing with power, but Isolde wasn’t fazed.
Instead, he muttered a spell under his breath.
[Ultimate Buff].
A golden glow erupted around him as his stats surged to terrifying heights, and his injuries were all healed.
This was no ordinary enhancement, this was a transformation.
His body, once that of a frail mage, now held the raw power of a front-line warrior.
Then…
FWISH! BAM!
Isolde moved.
One second he was standing across the room, the next, his hand was around Alex’s throat.
Alex’s eyes widened.
‘He’s fast…’
Before he could react, Isolde spun and hurled him with monstrous strength.
BOOM!
Alex crashed through the ceiling.
Then through the floor above.
Then through another.
And another—
Until—
BOOOOM!
Alex burst through the roof of the mansion, soaring into the open sky before gravity yanked him back down.
He barely had a second to process what happened before…
CRASH!
His body slammed into the ground outside, deep within the garden.
Pain flared through his body as he coughed up blood.
“What… the hell…” he muttered, forcing himself to his feet.
Since when was he this strong?!
Then his instincts screamed at him.
[MOVE!]
Alex threw himself to the side.
BOOOOOM!
A split second later, Isolde landed where Alex had been, the sheer force of his impact creating a massive crater.
As the dust settled, Isolde stood in the center, his eyes glowing with pure rage.
His hands gripped his [Master Staff] tightly, spinning it with unnatural ease.
“Let’s end this,” he growled, his voice filled with venom.
Alex clenched his fists, his mind racing.
This… wasn’t the power of a mage anymore.
‘No.’
This was something else.
Something terrifying.
Still, backing down wasn’t an option.
Alex steadied himself, shifting into a stance, his grip tightening on his weapons.
If Isolde wanted a fight to the death, then Alex would gladly give him one.