Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Seven seconds.
Ramiro's face was filled with excitement and happiness. Her starry eyes sparkling, she walked quickly towards Lucien. Her expression, gaze, and gestures were screaming to others the fact that she adored Lucien. Meeting her idol at the first opportunity in Allyn, she could suppress her urge no longer.
It was normal that Lucien, whether as a musician or an arcanist, received such adoration from the younger generation of sorcerers. The other surrounding sorcerers only muttered about how it was such a waste of a beauty — According to street gossip, Lucien was a crazy researcher who practiced strict abstinence, just like President Douglas. The swarm of beauties surrounding them was left absolutely untouched. If it had been Oliver, it would have been the complete opposite result.
“Really…” The young magician who had brought in “Avelina” watched enviously. If he had even a fraction of Lucien's talents, Avelina would have fallen for him long ago.
Six seconds, Five seconds.
The ecstatic fan closed in on her idol. With slightly parted lips, she seemed to be considering how to start a conversation.
Lucien had also noticed that a young, beautiful young lady was heading towards him. He extended a hand and signaled her to stop. After receiving knowledge that his rank on the Cleansing List had risen to number 19, Lucien had kept a distance with everyone except his acquaintances.
It was caution that allowed him to still be alive. If she had anything to say, she could speak from where she stood. Only at this distance could his Contact Spell be activated undisturbed.
It seemed that Ramiro didn't understand Lucien's gesture and continued forward.
“Her” eyes were mystified; “her” cheeks were rosy. Most men would be harboring naughty thoughts by now.
Just a little bit closer, just a bit closer!
Four seconds.
Suddenly he saw Lucien raised his right hand, gripping the Sun Staff inlaid with a huge sunstone.
“What the f**k, he's this cold even towards such a beautiful admirer? Not even the slights shred of hesitation?” Grumbled Ramiro to himself in his mind. There was no doubt that if she took even a step further, Lucien would actually activate the magic.
The spell Thanos' Maze could not only trap enemies but also restore composure in excited “fans”. Lucien had no trouble selecting the magic spell to use.
If the one charging at him was an enemy, the element of surprise would have been lost after being trapped in Thanos' Maze. Within the walls of the Allyn Magic tower, it would leave the enemy entirely at his mercy. Even if Prince Dracula was here in person, there was no guarantee that he could leave alive. Grand arcanist in charge, along with the top-cla.s.s mythal, the legendary-rank magic tower, and quick support from other top legendaries — Now that G.o.d's Arrival was unavailable, even the pope would be wary of such a combination.
If it really was an over-eager fan, she would be left unharmed after Thanos' Maze expired — the shattered confidence in her intelligence ignored. A simple apology would resolve the matter easily.
A brief urge to swear flashed across Ramiro's mind. After estimating the distance, he suddenly bolted across the s.p.a.ce between them like a phantom.
Had he been just a bit closer, Ramiro could guarantee to land a magical blow on Lucien before the latter could react. That would drain his Contact Spell and set the stage for the a.s.sa.s.sination. However, now that the situation was already like this, and that it was very impossible that there would be another opportunity as good as this, he had to ignore the distance.
To a level-eight radiant knight, this distance was practically nothing. Also, Ramiro believed that his magic resistance could cancel out most of Lucien's magic — at this range, there was only enough time for one spell!
“So it's indeed an a.s.sa.s.sin.” With a mere thought of Lucien, the Sunstone on the Sun Staff shone brightly. If they were not immune to maze type spells, even legendaries could fall prey to Thanos' Maze. Though of course, considering the legendaries' magic resistance, it would depend on who was more blessed by Lady Luck — the chance of successfully trapping one is about once in twenty to thirty attempts.
Ramiro's gaze tightened, his acute instincts warned him of great danger. Thus, he abandoned the initial idea of relying on his magic resistance against Lucien's magic. He narrowed his eyes, and another idea hatched.
Three seconds
Boom, a huge explosion sound spread from within Ramiro's body. A horrifying shockwave rushed towards Lucien.
A rainbow of bright, clear protective s.h.i.+elds lit up one after another. The surrounding sorcerers had unconsciously used their most adept protective magic.
Simultaneously, they watched in horror as the beautiful young lady exploded into countless pieces in the blink of an eye. Finger, arm, feet, heart, intestines, and brain rained down all across the floor.
What had happened? As most high-rank sorcerers and archmages had just left through the Portal to the Alternate Realm, none present knew how to cast ninth-circle spells. Even if they could react in time, they could not pause the time.
With Ramiro's self explosion, Thanos' Maze suddenly lost its target and stopped. Lucien couldn't tend to anything else other than quickly altering the spell model within his soul. Suddenly a faint rippling light surrounded him as if he suddenly sank to the bottom of a lake, surrounded by water.
As soon as the intense shockwave came into contact with the “water waves”, semi-transparent whirlpools sprouted one after another, dissipating the force.
Sixth-circle magic, “Energy Absorption Field.”
“Self-explosion?”
Before Lucien could take a breather, he suddenly saw the body parts on the floor come to life and catapult towards him with a spring. The scene was strangely terrifying.
Other than the Portal to Alternate Realm behind him, the body parts blocked every path of escape.
Two seconds.
Since they were not energy, the body parts pa.s.sed through the absorption field with ease. Lucien was about to be hit.
If they were not energy, they must be matter!
Lucien was suddenly surrounded by huge whirlpools. Red, yellow, gold, silver… countless light spots gathered and spun. All body parts that attempted to pa.s.s through the whirlpools were decomposed into basic elements of charred coal, of gas, of iron sc.r.a.ps. All had returned to their original state.
Element Whirlpool!
Blood on the ground congregated and twisted into a humanoid shape. After his two failed attacks, Ramiro understood that his mission was going to end with failure. Now only one second remained before Allyn Magic tower and the grand arcanist on guard would react.
His gaze steeled. The blood began to boil, and suddenly, erupted with rays blinding as the Sun. The terrifying explosion headed for the Energy Absorbing Force Field like a tsunami.
This was the true self-explosion of a level-eight radiant knight. A power that could erase a mountain top was heading straight for Lucien.
From the beginning, Ramiro had not planned any time for escape, for it was unnecessary!
That's right, one who would self-explode into nothing would have no need to escape.
At the same time, the body parts within the Energy Absorbing Force Field no longer tried to pa.s.s through the whirlpools but exploded.
Attacking from both sides of the force field was the true power of a level-eight radiant knight's self explosion. Energy Absorption Field was torn into pieces, like a piece of paper in a storm.
Even if this couldn't kill Lucien, Lucien will not end well!
Energy Absorption Field shattered. Element Whirlpool shattered. But Lucien has yet to recover from the cooldown between castings.
In this time of crisis, Contact Spell was activated.
Short Range Blink and Energy Harm Protection were activated in an instant, and Lucien vanished.
However, Short Range Blink was not teleportation. The huge and terrifying surrounding energy could tear Lucien into mincemeat within the briefest of moments. There was only one direction left to go: behind.
After the blink, Lucien should have appeared across the hall, where he would only be affected by residues of the shockwave. However, unfortunately, behind him was the Portal to the Alternate Realm. So he blinked into the Portal, right before it regressed completely to the semi-activated state.
Starlight rippled like water. The shockwave immediately impacted on the door afterward, inducing violent vibrations. Many tiny cracks to appear on the Portal.
One second.
Allyn Magic Tower was activated, and the elegant, pretty Hathaway appeared above the Portal to the Alternate Realm. She pointed a finger, and the terrifying explosion disappeared immediately, as though they had never appeared in the first place.
Not a drop of blood nor a shred of flesh could be found on the floor of the hall. The power of the self-explosion had erased all traces. Only the cracks on the Portal remained as evidence of what had just happened.
Expressionessly, Hathaway waved and activated the Portal to the Alternate Realm. Then, she stepped in to confirm the safety of Lucien.
However, the Congress of Magic at the other side of the Portal did not see Lucien arrive. It seemed that the explosion had interfered with the teleportation, and as a result, Lucien had been transported to an unknown location.
The only thing that could be sure that Lucien was indeed in this new world, for the main s.p.a.ce joint did not change.
The Hexagram Station, Rentato.
At the warehouse that stored the deposited luggage, a black suitcase suddenly started shaking. It opened with a bang, and a pale hand stretched out from it, a hand that appeared to have been severed.
The hand was enveloped by a piece of gray cloth. Slowly, limbs, body, the other hand and legs, as well as an ordinary-looking head grew from it.
The black-haired young man coughed violently, sounding rather creepy and scary in the silent warehouse.
“Lucien must have been forced into the New World. Now let's see who he'll run into first, legendary sorcerers from the Congress of Magic or our Grand Cardinals,” Ramiro murmured weakly to himself.
This kind of full-on self-explosion came at a great cost to himself as well. His power would drop one-level lower in the short term. Even with treatment of the Holy Water and divine spells, it would still take him at least a month to recover.
Putting on clothes taken from the suitcase, Ramiro shook his head. This operation was too reckless and dangerous after all. He was almost caught by Hathaway.
Even someone who was used to immediate action like him still found this operation too bold in hindsight.
After he finished dressing, he took the suitcase and left the warehouse, heading towards the Radiance Church.
After he left, an ominous wind suddenly blew inside the silent warehouse. A creepy, creaky, barely audible voice said, “obtain Maskelyne's Protective Charm… I'd like to see if he would have some interesting interactions with the mysterious existence…”
Ramiro received his orders promptly upon returning to the Radiance Church.
“By the Pope's decree: The upper third of high-rank clergies, the top 200 night watchers, half of the radiant or higher-level knights of each country are to enter the New World.”
