Episode 280
“Are you saying six spells at once?”
Zeke asked, and Xeros nodded, rewinding the holographic display.
“Yes, let me show you in slow motion. The remarkable thing about dragon magic isn’t just the lack of incantations; it’s the incredible combinations you can create by linking spells based on their attributes.”
Xeros pointed out each spell as they unfolded rapidly.
“What you see are lightning, ice, and fire spells, but actually, support spells were cast first.”
“What kind of support spells?”
“First, a Slow spell was used to reduce the knight’s speed, and then the lightning spell activated, freezing his movements entirely. Next, a Grease spell was cast to make him lose balance, followed by an ice spell to immobilize him. If you look closely, you’ll see a Confusion spell was also used. With the mental magic taking effect and the fire spell hitting simultaneously, he was completely trapped.”
“So instead of starting with a big spell, you created openings with support spells to enhance the effects of the main spells.”
“Exactly. Nowadays, battle mages use similar combinations, but casting spells without incantations is difficult, and the circle level of such spells is usually low, so they’re not widely used. Knights can easily dodge or break through such low-level spells and strike with their swords.”
Zeke nodded in agreement with Xeros’s explanation.
On the battlefield, battle mages were typically tasked with casting wide-area spells that could damage many enemies at once. For smaller attacks, archers with bows or crossbows were more effective.
Moreover, spells above the third circle were effective against regular soldiers or in sieges, so high-circle wide-area spells were preferred over combination attacks.
‘For someone like me who can cast without incantations, combining support spells with wide-area spells is much more advantageous.’
By absorbing artifacts through his unique ability, Zeke could acquire skills, including support skills. He hadn’t utilized them much because he didn’t see the need to use low-circle spells as skills.
Zeke turned to Xeros and asked, “Do you have any resources on the combinations and support skills commonly used in incantation-less magic?”
Xeros, excited by Zeke’s interest in his research, dashed to his room and returned with all his research materials.
“Here you go, Sir Zeke.”
Zeke calmly reviewed the materials Xeros brought.
‘There’s a lot of theoretical content.’
He decided to store all the information for later review.
‘System, save all this content.’
The system linked with Zeke’s dragon eyes and stored Xeros’s research in a secure archive.
[Storage complete. Please assign a name.]
‘Incantation-less Magic Theory.’
After naming the file, Zeke pretended to browse the materials and asked about the common combinations used by mages.
Listening to Xeros explain the basics of battle magic, Zeke found the content intriguing.
“So magic has basic forms like swordsmanship techniques.”
“Yes, if mages duel, the most crucial aspect is defense.”
“Isn’t it better to attack first?”
Xeros shook his head.
“In magic, that’s difficult because if your opponent defends and counters your spell, the backlash can be severe.”
“Timing the first strike is crucial, then.”
“Exactly. Mage duels are like chess. You have to make every move count to exploit any openings.”
Hixon, who had been listening, shook his head and said, “Sir Zeke, Xeros’s advice might not be very helpful. He’s a top-level warlock, so he can use battle magic with such precision. Not many can do that. When he was out there, his nickname was ‘The Artist.’”
“The Artist?”
Zeke’s curiosity was piqued by the nickname, and Xeros scratched his head, embarrassed.
“I tend to use magic delicately for a battle mage.”
Intrigued by the nickname, Zeke’s eyes sparkled as he asked, “Is there a training ground here?”
Xeros was taken aback by the question.
“Uh, we do have a battle magic practice room, but… are you serious?”
Zeke nodded.
“I’d like to spar with you.”
Hixon clapped his hands in excitement.
“Hey, this is going to be fun. Magic battles are your specialty. Show us what you’ve got.”
Xeros hesitated but eventually nodded.
“Alright, though my skills are lacking, I’d be honored to spar with you, Sir Zeke.”
Hixon, thrilled, went to the wall, picked up a phone, and shouted, “Hey, you shut-ins! Xeros is going to battle Sir Zeke Draker!”
He hung up and opened a door beside him.
“This way, please. The practice room is downstairs.”
Zeke chuckled at Hixon’s enthusiasm and followed him. They opened the door to find an elevator waiting.
Zeke, Hixon, and Xeros took the elevator down.
After exiting the elevator, they walked down a narrow corridor and entered a spacious room.
‘Is this the magic practice room?’
It looked like an indoor gym, with mana stones embedded in the ceiling and a control panel in the center. Several circles of varying sizes were drawn on the floor.
Hixon pointed to the largest circle.
“Stand over there. I’ll activate it.”
Hixon went to the control panel, and a translucent wall rose from the circle, forming a dome.
Zeke marveled at the dome.
“Fascinating. Is it a barrier?”
Xeros nodded.
“Yes, magic can be unpredictable, so we need protection.”
Hixon explained the rules to Zeke.
“Sir Zeke, you must keep your gloves on. You can use aura, but no aura blades. Xeros will only use up to fourth-circle spells.”
It was Zeke’s first formal duel with a mage, so he wasn’t familiar with the rules, but it seemed there were some.
Zeke nodded, drew his sword, Bahamut, and faced Xeros.
Suddenly, the practice room door burst open, and a crowd of mages poured in.
They all looked exhausted, with dark circles under their eyes, like zombies.
The mages murmured excitedly.
“Wow, Xeros is really going to battle.”
“This is a rare sight.”
Hixon raised his hand.
“Alright, you shut-ins, the match is on. Let’s start.”
The mages raised their hands.
“I bet 10 pesos on Xeros!”
“I’ll put 20 pesos on Xeros!”
Zeke, puzzled, asked, “What’s a peso? I’ve never heard of that unit.”
Xeros scratched his cheek and explained, “It’s a virtual currency used only within Nirvana.”
“I understand currency, but what’s virtual currency?”
“Well, it has value but doesn’t exist physically.”
Zeke decided not to delve further, as he wasn’t fond of complicated matters.
“So it’s a type of currency. Can it be converted to gold?”
“Yes, the current rate is about 10 pesos to 1 gold.”
Zeke looked at Hixon.
“Is anyone betting on me?”
Hixon shook his head.
Zeke chuckled.
“I’ll bet ten thousand pesos on myself.”
Hixon’s jaw dropped at Zeke’s declaration.
Hearing Zeke’s bet, the mages quickly placed more bets, but surprisingly, they all bet on Xeros.
This showed how much the mages of Nirvana trusted Xeros’s skills.
Xeros looked slightly embarrassed, and Hixon raised his hand and shouted.
“Alright then! Let the battle begin!”
As the duel started, Zeke charged at Xeros with his sword.
Whoosh!
Zeke swung his sword lightly at Xeros.
Xeros left only an afterimage and vanished, reappearing behind Zeke.
Simultaneously, Xeros extended his hands, and magic circles formed in each palm.
Vroom!
A Grease spell activated beneath Zeke’s feet, and a Confusion spell targeted him.
An ordinary knight would have panicked, lost balance, and fallen.
But Zeke was different.
Flash!
He planted his sword in the ground, pivoted, and stepped out of the greased area.
At the same time, he used his phantom step technique to close the distance swiftly.
Whoosh!
Xeros slid back at high speed, casting a spell with a wave of his hand.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Small explosions erupted near Zeke’s legs, arms, and ears.
Xeros snapped his fingers.
Zing!
Zeke recognized the technique.
‘Dissonance.’
As a Blue Knight, Zeke often used the combination of Dissonance and flash bombs.
Xeros seemed to favor that combo too, as he conjured a sphere of light and hurled it at Zeke, causing it to explode.
Boom!
A blinding light erupted in front of Zeke, engulfing the area in a flash.
Xeros didn’t stop there. He formed hand seals, preparing more magic.
Four magic circles appeared around him.
Hixon and the other mages watched in awe.
“Wow, that’s insane. Four magic circles at once?”
“Unbelievable. Seriously.”
“There’s no way to block that.”
The four magic circles hovering in the air began to expand, shooting out in all directions toward the spot where the flash had erupted.
Once they locked into position, Xeroth’s spell activated.
Crackle!
Electric magic surged simultaneously from the fixed circles. Each was a 4th-circle Raiden spell, but together, they packed the punch of a 5th-circle Mega Raiden.
“Four-layered magic? That’s crazy.”
“He’s an artist. Pure artistry.”
Yet, Xeroth’s face was tense, despite the impressive display.
‘Why isn’t there any reaction?’
Xeroth had unleashed his most powerful magic, out of respect for Zeke. He couldn’t believe Zeke would be taken down so easily.
But with no response from Zeke, a sliver of worry crept in.
Then, as the flash dissipated, the scene within was revealed.
Crackle!
Amazingly, the Bahamut embedded in the ground was absorbing Xeroth’s electric magic, channeling it harmlessly into the earth.
But Zeke was nowhere to be seen.
Just then, Xeroth sensed something ominous behind him.
Whoosh!
Zeke was lunging at Xeroth with a powerful punch.
Xeroth twisted his body, using Blink to teleport away.
Flash!
He reappeared on the opposite side of the arena, his face pale.
Even a glancing blow from Zeke’s fist had left him gasping for breath, his lungs feeling like they were being stabbed with every inhale.
‘Is this the power of a knight?’
This was a completely different kind of battle than those between mages.
Xeroth withdrew his electric magic and readied himself again.
Zeke calmly walked over and retrieved the Bahamut from the center of the arena.
The mages watching swallowed hard.
Surprisingly, it was Xeroth who moved first.
In an instant, he conjured dozens of magic missiles, sending them flying toward Zeke.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The missiles streaked through the air, converging on Zeke from all sides.
Zeke raised his sword, deflecting the missiles, while Xeroth retreated, widening the distance and forming hand seals.
Vroom!
A magic circle etched itself into the ground, and something began to emerge from it.
Roar!
A summoned creature, its body made of wood, rose up to block Zeke’s path.
‘A Stump? That’s a rare sight.’
It was more akin to a spirit born from an ancient tree than a monster.
Roar!
The Stump extended its wooden tendrils to ensnare Zeke.
He slashed at the tendrils with Bahamut, charging forward, then unleashed a dragon-slaying technique on the Stump.
Slash!
Zeke’s sword cleaved the Stump in half.
Rumble!
As the Stump’s summoning was dispelled, its wooden tendrils vanished into the ground.
The mages watching were awestruck by the one-hit takedown.
“Wow, he took out a Stump in one blow…”
“That must be the dragon-slaying technique. Incredible power.”
“At that level, even defensive magic is useless.”
With the Stump defeated, Zeke turned and charged at Xeroth.
Meanwhile, Xeroth completed his spell with a series of hand seals.
Vroom!
Six magic circles appeared behind Xeroth, leaving the mages gaping in disbelief.
“Six-layered magic? That’s overkill.”
Vroom!
The circles vibrated, and fiery whips shot out from them.
Crack!
The fiery whips lashed out, ensnaring Zeke’s limbs.
Whoosh!
With Zeke’s movements restricted, Xeroth’s true spell activated.
Rumble!
A giant of fire emerged from the magic circles, charging straight at Zeke.