When Magnus realized what Heiman's true ability was, two urgent questions shot through his mind.
First, what was the range of that power? How much matter could Heiman control at once? Since Magnus was still alive, he figured the range wasn't big enough to swallow him instantly—but at the same time, Heiman had already shown he could extend it. The second thing that bothered him was the fact that Heiman had two bodies—one bound by magic, the other not. As far as Magnus knew, a single Nexus meant vampires could only use their true form with one body at a time; that was a basic limit.
If Heiman could control two, it either meant his Nexus was on a different level, or maybe he had more than one. Magnus was hoping it was the first option—otherwise, even [Deletion] might be useless.
And speaking of [Deletion]… Both Heimans looked exactly alike. Would that confuse the Command Console?
He relied on visualizing his target, but what would happen if two identical targets existed at once? Would it affect both, or neither?
He'd never had to worry about that before.
No point risking it. I'll memorize every detail of the clone, then damage one body so it stands out, and use [Deletion] on the other. That way, I've got a fifty-fifty shot at getting his Nexus. As for Heiman's ability… Basker, where are you?
[I'll be there in a few minutes, Master.]
A few minutes. It didn't sound like much, but in a fight at this level, even that felt like forever.
Well, not like I have a choice.
Magnus clenched both fists, eyes locked on Heiman as he began weaving together the mana for an Adept-level spell. Power built around his hands, coating them in thick, swirling layers of black and white mana—his signature. The same magic wrapped around his feet. He shot just one glance at the "original" Heiman—if that even mattered anymore. Like his clone, Heiman stood there, not in any hurry to escape the minefield Magnus had set up.
Fine, I'll ignore you and deal with this one instead.
Heiman had been curious about what Magnus was planning.
The next instant, he saw for himself. Magnus's fists, covered in magic, shot forward at hypersonic speed. The friction alone made the air flash with heat, almost like his punches were throwing off flames, backed by a shockwave as loud as an explosion. For a normal body, that kind of punch would've shattered every bone and torn every muscle.
But Magnus didn't have to worry about that anymore. Every bit of force flowed into the magic coating his fists, and in the next moment, that magic rocketed forward like a launched warhead. To the Hierarchs watching from the sidelines, the move was too quick, faster than even a Master-level knight could follow without their sixth sense. As for the second Heiman, his eyes went wide, reacting just in time to twist out of the way.
The mana fist blurred past, and Heiman turned his head, almost bracing for an explosion as it hit the mansion wall. But instead of detonating, the fist simply faded away. That's when his original body's perspective flashed through his mind—Magnus had already moved. Heiman spun around to see that Magnus had replaced the lost fist and was already throwing another strike. This time, the second Heiman wasn't caught off guard. His eyes flashed, and a disintegrating slash whipped out to try and cancel the incoming spell.
But again, Heiman was caught off guard. The moment he tried to neutralize the attack, the mana fist exploded with enough force to make him step back, blasting a hole through the floor.
He made them self-destruct, just like those rings?
For once, the second Heiman had no choice but to move. Magnus darted around like a pinball, bouncing off invisible walls. With [Self Body Puppetry] guiding every move, he didn't need to jump or push off the ground. Even the smallest step could send him flying at any speed he wanted, each movement giving him as much velocity as he needed, ignoring inertia. Because of that, attacks shot in from all directions—punches and kicks flying from outside Heiman's field of range.
Heiman's eyes darted everywhere, moving almost too fast to be natural, slashes bursting out around him to block each attack before they got too close. As he did, he finally figured out what kind of magic Magnus was using.
I get it now. It's not his movement making them unstable—it's the trigger. The magic stays dormant on his body until it feels a sudden spike in kinetic energy. When that happens, the spell absorbs the energy as it leaves him, turning each kick and punch into a high-speed projectile. At the same time, the magic shifts into an unstable state, just like the rings around my original body. They won't explode in midair, but if they hit anything or get disrupted, they'll blow up.
It was a perfect answer to the fact that Magnus couldn't afford to get close—plus, it forced Heiman to second-guess every counterattack, measuring how close he was to each spell.
"I never imagined a spell like that existed—or did you just invent it?" The second, Heiman remarked, genuinely impressed.
"Either way, it's clever." Honestly, it was a spell no other mage could really use. The whole thing worked by channeling the force of physical attacks into mana strikes.
Mages weren't knights, and aside from rare cases like Luden, even with magic, most couldn't match a knight's or a vampire's raw power—unless they wanted to burn through all their mana at once.
Only Magnus, who perfectly combined magic and physical skill, could actually pull off a spell like that.
"Still, you made it too sensitive," the second Heiman pointed out. Suddenly, the air changed—not just around Heiman, but across the entire second floor of the mansion. As dozens of Magnus's mana-charged attacks flew through the air, the space in their path started to condense violently. The air thickened so much that it looked like space itself was bending, and even the colors began to shift. In an instant, the area around Heiman filled with super-dense air pockets.
If anyone tried to walk through them, it would feel like moving through invisible jelly. For Magnus's attacks, which would go off at the slightest resistance, the result was immediate. As soon as they hit those pockets, a chain of explosions went off around Heiman. Black and white light flashed across him and the second floor, one blast after another, until each attack was dealt with, leaving clouds of dust and smoke everywhere.
"He can do stuff like that?" Magnus paused, watching as Heiman's figure disappeared behind the aftermath.
But it didn't last. All the floating dust and debris suddenly whipped together, sucked in like a tornado. In seconds, Heiman reappeared, now holding a massive, javelin-shaped spear made entirely of compacted dust. He knew how tough Magnus's body was, so the moment the spear finished forming, it started spinning at high speed, heating up until it glowed red from the friction.
With a wave of his hand, Heiman hurled the red-hot spear straight at Magnus.
[Combat Assistant] was ready to dodge, but Magnus caught onto the way the field around Heiman moved. Instead of just expanding, it split into invisible tendrils, stretching out in every direction Magnus might try to teleport or dodge to. There were dozens, all aiming at the places Magnus would likely go.
He's predicting my escape routes… If I dodge the spear, I'll get disintegrated for sure.
Thinking fast, he muttered, "In that case…"
He simply didn't dodge.
As the spear shot toward him, Magnus's eyes locked in, focusing hard. He dropped the magic on his hands and caught the spear, gripping it tight just before it could pierce him. Without using [Self Body Puppetry], the force lifted him off his feet, sending him flipping backwards through the air, still holding onto the spinning spear. It ground against his palms, smoking as it lost speed, but that friction was nothing to him. Instead, Magnus used its momentum—while flipping, he swung his leg and launched a slice of raw, unstable mana straight at Heiman.
Heiman acted just as fast, shrinking his field and sidestepping just in time as the mana slash rushed by, barely missing him. Even as he dodged, his eyes stayed locked on Magnus, who landed easily, feet first, already in a throwing stance. Without missing a beat, Magnus hurled the javelin back at Heiman, aiming for his head. It flew even faster than before, shaking apart as shockwaves from its speed tore at its structure.
"Good instincts," Heiman remarked, raising a hand—or more specifically, just a finger. The javelin, which had been formed from dust, struck the exact spot Heiman pointed to. But instead of shattering or disintegrating, the javelin transformed on contact. Its solid form broke apart and melted into droplets of water, scattering around him.
Magnus frowned, lips pressed into a tight line.
He can change the elemental makeup of matter, too? That's way too strong.
But that was the power Heiman wielded.
In an instant, the water droplets, as countless as raindrops, sharpened into tiny projectiles and shot back toward Magnus at breakneck speed—much faster than any bullet.
As the barrage closed in, Magnus didn't move to dodge. Instead, sparks of electricity danced between his fingers as he held out his hand toward the incoming wave.
With a piercing crack, a surge of lightning shot from his palm, cutting jagged paths through the air before smashing into the rushing water.
The electricity moved faster than either Magnus or Heiman could react. In a single instant, all the water exploded into steam, and a bolt of electricity jumped through the cloud, striking Heiman directly and ripping across his body like a blade.
"Augh…" Heiman grunted, stumbling back and clutching his face. The heat had burned straight through his clothes, leaving a charred gash that ran from his waist up to his face. It wasn't terribly painful—vampires didn't feel pain like humans—but it had destroyed one of his eyes, leaving him with only one until it regenerated.
But by the time he looked up, Magnus had vanished—hidden somewhere behind the thick curtain of steam.
Where is he?
Heiman scanned the area but saw nothing. Reaching out to link with his original body's viewpoint, he suddenly realized something was wrong.
It's gone? My original body—I can't feel it!
It was worse than that. Not only had he lost contact with his original self, but all the energy tied to it was simply gone. He hadn't noticed, since it had happened the exact moment he'd been struck.
So that's how he managed to take out so many of my Hierarchs—an ability that can cut us off from ourselves, or maybe just erase us completely.
Either way, Magnus immediately earned Heiman's full caution. Heiman's senses went into overdrive, sharpening to their peak. It didn't take him long to locate Magnus, picking up the sound of his body cutting through the air.
"Head on?" Heiman muttered, disbelief and surprise mixing in his voice as his head snapped up. Just as he heard, Magnus burst through the thinning steam, body poised to strike. He was fast—extremely so, but he was coming straight at Heiman, no magic or tricks, just raw speed and force.
Does he actually think he can beat me in a straight fight?
The idea was so ridiculous that Heiman almost scoffed, and his power kicked in at once.
With a single thought, the steam Magnus had rushed through began to twist and change. The mist suddenly hardened, taking on a dark metallic hue. Arms formed from the vapor, shaped into some metal, all moving as if they were alive under Heiman's perfect control. It was as if the steam had become a massive slime, stretching out tentacles of steam that transitioned into powerful metal hands, all shooting toward Magnus in midair.
Even without turning, Magnus sensed the hands closing in. They were just as fast as he was. At the same time, Heiman expanded his disintegration field—Magnus would be torn apart before his punch ever landed, if that was really his plan.
"Basker, now!" Magnus yelled, eyes locking onto something behind Heiman.
The shout made Heiman freeze, and the metal hands slowed for a split second.
Basker? So he's not alone after all!
Without waiting, Heiman lashed out behind him, sweeping his disintegration field in a wide arc. But when he glanced back, there was nothing—just empty space.
No one was there.
"Gotcha," Magnus whispered.
Before Heiman could turn back around, mana condensed around Magnus's fist. In one fluid motion, Magnus unleashed a punch at over five times the speed of sound. The shockwave instantly blew away the remaining steam and repelled the grasping hands. At the same time, the fist-shaped mana projectile slammed right into Heiman, hitting almost dead center. It detonated the instant it touched Heiman's disintegration field.
Magnus was blown back by the explosion of wild mana, the force tearing through the area. Heiman, who was much closer, took the blast head-on. The explosion smashed through his defenses and hit his body directly, launching him off his feet. But what he landed on wasn't the floor.
With his only remaining eye still locked on Magnus, Heiman couldn't see what Magnus—or any of the nearby Hierarchs—could see from their vantage point.
Jaws.
A massive skeletal head slipped straight through the second floor of the mansion, its wide mouth stretched unnaturally far, jagged fangs ready to bite.
It was the Nullfang.
No one had time to react before the giant skeletal serpent snapped its jaws shut, tearing right through Heiman's body and biting him clean in half. His lower half vanished into the Nullfang's bony maw, while the rest of him was sent flying across the room.
The next instant, Heiman's body hit the ground as the Nullfang surged fully onto the second floor. Wood and supports groaned under its weight, barely holding up. The lower half of Heiman's body was chewed to pieces, falling through the serpent's skeleton, leaking black haze—the sign of his true form. The Nullfang, or rather Basker, slithered over the rubble of broken walls and rooms, finally coiling partway around Magnus.
"What the hell is that thing!?" One of the Hierarchs blurted, staring at the creature. It was nothing but a giant skeleton, no muscles, no flesh, not even anything to make it look alive.
One of the others guessed, "A mana beast? Did he tame a mana beast?!"
But none of them had ever heard of a mana beast like this. And even more shocking, it had moved so fast, tearing through their Lord before anyone could react.
Still, shock only lasted a moment before another Hierarch barked, "It doesn't matter what it is! We need to help Lord Heiman!"
Heiman had ordered them to stay out of the fight, and they'd listened—until now. With Magnus bringing another party into the battle, and a mana beast at that, there was no reason for them to wait any longer. All four Hierarchs locked eyes, agreeing silently as they turned their focus on Magnus and the massive skeletal serpent protecting him.
The Nullfang was so big it couldn't even lift its head all the way up, keeping low and curling itself around Magnus in a semicircle.
Moving its head closer, Magnus reached out and patted the side of the Nullfang's skull. "Good job, Basker."
Right then, the BGM Glitch, which Basker could also hear, signaled an attack. Magnus looked over as the four Hierarchs sprang into action, charging from all sides. They moved so fast they blurred, their speed distorting their shapes.
Magnus narrowed his eyes, his face calm as he gave the order: "Kill them."
The Nullfang didn't hesitate. In a burst of speed, it uncoiled and slithered out, moving to intercept the Hierarchs. The floor shook, and the mansion began to fall apart under its weight, sounding almost like an army charging. But the Hierarchs weren't scared. It was faster than they'd expected, but still huge and not nimble enough to threaten all of them at once—if they split up, it could only hit one, they figured.
Two Hierarchs darted to the left and right, while the other two leaped into the air, all four getting ready to break the beast with raw power.
Watching from behind, Magnus folded his arms and commented, "Hmm, they lined themselves up for you."
At that moment, the Nullfang did something none of them expected. The Hierarchs assumed it would try to bite, just as it had done to their Lord, but they hadn't noticed the blade-shaped tip of its tail. The Nullfang twisted, sending all its momentum through its long body to the tail, which snapped like a whip. The blade whipped through the air at such speed that even the Hierarchs couldn't dodge it.
"Huh, it-" One Hierarch started to speak, but never finished. Frost followed the arc of the tail as it grazed his chest, and in an instant, his entire body froze solid.
"Ice Magic?!" Another Hierarch in the air shouted in shock, right before the tail hit him as well, then the next, and finally the last on the ground. That last one tried to dodge, letting the blade hit only his arm, thinking that would save him, but it made no difference. Wherever the tail touched, the victim froze instantly, clothes and all, turning into a statue of ice. Then, with a vacuum-like effect, whether the Hierarchs were mid-air or on the ground, they simply shattered under the slightest pressure from the residual winds.
The sound was soft, almost gentle, as they turned to nothing but snow dust.
Before they completely faded, their faces showed shock, but not fear. They probably thought the Nullfang's tail was some sort of Ice Magic and figured they could break out, or that they'd only be frozen for a couple of moments.
But the Nullfang's tail could reach Absolute Zero. At that level, molecules stopped moving completely—there was no transfer of energy at all. Getting hit by the tail didn't just freeze the Hierarchs; it stopped every energy-based process of their true forms. Vampires were sentient energy, basically immortal, but even they needed some kind of internal structure, like their Nexus. All of that was frozen and wiped out in a split second.
They lost their bodies, their minds, everything.
The moment they were struck, their minds went silent, a disconnect that Basker once described as losing all outside sensation—a silence that lasts forever.
Instant death.
"Now, then, only one more to send on their way."