The decisive battle began with flames that heated the atmosphere until it felt like the world was burning up. As sand and gravel grew soft, Theo glanced quickly around the arena.
It’s not quite perfect, but…
Any magician who heard him would be dumbstruck. This 7th Circle spell was a strategic magic which burned at one point when the user placed it in focus, but it could also be spread widely.
Theo had just reached the 7th Circle, so it should be impossible for him to cast it so quickly. But Theo had something that made the impossible possible. The secret weapon he’d obtained by passing Seimei’s test, Artificial Yin and Yang, proved to be the difference.
[+? Artificial Yin and Yang (Imprint)]
[The result of Aquilo’s Blood Mark and the Ring of Muspelheim circulating to form the shape of yin and yang, the two forces of fire and water embody the idea of amplifying each other’s strength without opposing each other. The affinities of both attributes have risen to the limit, and any existing abilities have been inherited. Additionally, the imprints have the ability to rotate and generate magic power independently of the user’s Circles.
* The rating of the imprint is Legend.
* The abilities of Aquilo’s Blood Mark have been passed down.
* The abilities of Ring of Muspelheim have been passed down.
* Understanding of water magic and fire magic has greatly increased, reducing the casting time of magic. Ignores attribute damage that is below the user’s level, and halves it if it exceeds the user’s level.]
This was a completely fraudulent combination. The Ring of Muspelheim and Aquilo’s Blood Mark were undeniably powerful, but the result of the combination was more than that. In the past year, Theo had completed the 7th Circle and maximized two attributes! That was the secret behind completing Inferno in just a few seconds.
However, leaving that aside, Theo’s choice was correct. If he couldn’t find Hyde, he had to force Hyde to defend himself from Inferno’s flames using aura. Otherwise, he’d be assassinated instantly.
Theo focused all of his senses on finding the spot the fire storm couldn’t reach. Seconds later, he found an anomaly.
Inferno’s flow is disconnected in that place… It should be… Eh?
It was only… three steps in front of him?
“-Kuk!”
His instincts screamed as Theo jerked his head back. A few strands of hair floated in the air for a moment as a reaper’s scythe barely skimmed his bangs. Theo felt more attacks coming, so he kept dodging frantically. The blade that came down on his head scratched his clavicle. The next one aimed for his heart. As Theo desperately flung his body out of the way, the blade changed to aim for his calves.
Theo had unusually agile footwork for a magician. Alfred’s senses and Lee Yoonsung’s martial arts had saved Theo’s life.
W-What the hell is going on?!
Theo was full of questions, rather than fear, he ducked under the slash that aimed for his neck. No matter how watertight a swordmaster’s defense, this situation was impossible. Inferno was one of the best attack spells of the 7th Circle, so it shouldn’t be blocked with just a little aura. Why was Hyde moving freely within the flames, like he wasn’t affected at all?!
Gluttony read Theo’s mental state and answered.
– The reason is obvious.
What?
– Claiomh Solais is a sword that symbolizes light and fire, so its user naturally gains resistance to those attributes.The person might be unqualified, but it has joined as part of his body.
… Hey! You should’ve told me that first!
Theo, who had just slipped past another killing blow, was distracted by Gluttony. He wanted to yell at Gluttony for a few hours, but regrettably, he couldn’t.
If this kept going, he would die without even touching Hyde. Inferno was ineffective, so that meant all fire and light magic was useless. Theo’s power would’ve been sealed completely if he were a typical Red Tower magician. However, he still had one more main attribute, and this crisis was a perfect opportunity. Theo waited for the opponent to move one step closer.
「инейштормовой (Frost Storm)!」
A human voice shouldn’t have been able to speak that language. It was a tongue that allowed dragons to rule over the laws of nature. The fact that Theo could already use Dragon Words was proof he hadn’t been playing around for the past year. Aquilo’s Blood Mark, amplified by the synergistic effect of Artificial Yin and Yang, immediately changed the fire storm into a frost storm.
Which descended on Hyde without warning!
“What, this is…?” Hyde couldn’t hide his surprise and frustration. However, before he could say anything, the frost storm slammed into his body.
Jjejeok.Jjejejeok!Jjeok…!
The melted ground froze over, creating a picturesque landscape.
Theo admired the power of the frost storm as he examined the newly snowy battlefield. He could reproduce this with the 7th Circle Blizzard, but Dragon Words relied solely on nature instead of his magic power. The strength and efficiency simply couldn’t be compared.
Even a sword master with a god-sword had to avoid a direct hit.
“… Truly, the empire was right to mark you as an enemy.” The sword master Hyde was amazed as he put some distance between them.
According to his information, this young man was still in his early twenties. If Theo continued to grow at this rate, Meltor might welcome their third 8th Circle magician. It was a crisis that the Andras Empire had never experienced before.
Hyde glanced down at his artificial left hand, which still hadn’t vanished. The arm of silver which blocked all magic was the sword his master had given him. If it wasn’t for Claiomh Solais, the frost storm would’ve frozen half his body and decreased his combat strength. Theo’s trump card was terrifying. Moreover, despite Hyde’s assumption that he would be overwhelming Theo in close combat, Theo had avoided all of Hyde’s attacks without a single critical hit. ｏｖ𝚕．ｃｏ𝚖
“Cough.” He spat blood to the side.
Despite having the advantage in this battle, Hyde had failed to stay warm. No matter how he circled his aura, there was no way to escape from the cold. His left arm was fine, but the mobility of his right side was two or three times lower than usual.
If this were an ordinary mission, Hyde would’ve retreated. However, it wasn’t, so he tightened his grip on his sword with a determined expression. This was his loyalty to Fermut, his sense of duty as one of the empire’s Seven Swords, and his intuition as a warrior.
“I have to kill you here,” Hyde declared.
He realized that it would be impossible to kill Theo later if he didn’t do it now.
***
On the other hand, after calling up the frost storm, Theo was worried about how to attack the opponent. He had used Dragon Words, but the frost storm hadn’t dealt any serious blows to Hyde. It would hinder him, but it wouldn’t interfere with the continuation of the battle.
Theo frowned as he took off his torn robe.
Damn, he isn’t someone who will fall for the same technique twice.
It was a serious issue that Hyde hadn’t fallen from Theo’s previous counterattack. Theo had thought that a crisis was a chance, but he wasn’t stupid to try the same trick twice. The tactic of using Dragon Words as a surprise attack was over. However, it was difficult to find a strong spell to use when Hyde’s left arm would just neutralize it, especially while the sword master was being more careful.
If he compared their cards, Theo only had two uses of Dragon Words left. His odds of winning in a close match was less than 1%. The duration of Frost Storm was around five minutes. He had plenty of magic power left, and his wounds were negligible.
Meanwhile, Hyde had his left arm which neutralized magic and his Aura Ability.
“Tsk, in the end, that damn arm is the problem.” Theo thought of a few tactics and then clicked his tongue as he realized how annoying Claiomh Solais was in this battle. Neutralizing any spells meant that both areas of effect magic wouldn’t chip away at his opponent’s defense, and pinpoint strikes would be cleanly blocked. If long range and close range attacks weren’t enough, then there was only one answer left.
“Would a hit and run attack while maintaining a medium range work?”
To be honest, it was crazy. Theo could combine Battle Song and Lee Yoonsung’s martial arts, but it wasn’t enough to match the sword master in front of him. It was impossible to challenge Hyde unless he had Veronica’s physical abilities. Theo planned to keep a ranged spell around his body to keep track of the opponent’s position and use magic to strengthen his body. His magician’s brain was working overtime.
.
“Okay, time to start.”
This was a strategy only Theo could employ. It took advantage of his natural calculation ability, Gluttony’s functions, and his inherited experience. If all else failed, he also had Umbra’s abilities to avoid a fatal blow.
Theo condensed Frost Storm to swirl around his body and took a few steps forward.
“… Are you thinking of something cheeky, magician?” Hyde noticed Theo’s movements and raised his sword. All he needed was a single opening. His eyes were like a cold hunter watching prey.
However, Theo just laughed. “Who knows? Are you great enough to even say that?”
It might be a bit cruel to Hyde, but it was true. Theo had faced stronger and more dangerous opponents in Abe no Seimei’s test. Veronica had overwhelming strength, while Blundell used unthinkably powerful spells. Orta had killed him without even moving, while Aquilo and Superbia had crushed him effortlessly.
In comparison, Hyde’s only advantage was the god-sword. Theo had high odds of winning if he was careful.
Baduk.
As Hyde noticed this truth, more blood dripped from Hyde’s lips. However, this blood wasn’t from his injuries, but from grinding his teeth so hard that they broke.
He gritted out between bared teeth, “Die.”
“Let’s try something new,” Theo took on a unique posture.
With one palm above and the other below, his two palms symbolizing heaven and earth framed Hyde between them. This was the Above and Below, Heaven and Earth stance. It was a stance designed to pull out as much harmony as possible.
What happened next might be coincidence, or simply inevitable. Hyde raised his left arm and his sword, while Theo gathered magic power in both hands. But the two moved in perfect synchrony.