It was a special training exercise ordered by Ghislain. After hearing from Ziko about the undead trap, Ghislain thought it was an excellent opportunity.
Such passionate combat opportunities were rare.
Thanks to Ghislain, who pushed forward with the plan despite everyone's objections, Deneb and Kyle had to face hundreds of undead.
Groooar!
The undead, slowly being pushed back by the soldiers' efforts, naturally turned to attack the two as they drew closer.
Surrounded by both undead and allies, Deneb and Kyle had no choice but to fight as if their lives depended on it.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The undead fell rapidly. This was proof that Deneb and Kyle's skills had improved immeasurably compared to before.
The knights of Nordhill observed the situation and struck down the undead that approached the soldiers. Ghislain had permitted this level of assistance.
As the undead fell one after another, Ghislain and Yulian pushed through the undead blocking their path, getting closer to Basilud.
Seeing the two approaching, Basilud panicked.
"What, what is this?"
There were over a hundred undead positioned in front of him. Yet, they had been cleared far too quickly.
Moreover, the two hadn't even properly killed the undead. They simply knocked them aside, making their way forward.
And one of them, absurdly enough, was a mage!
"You insolent fools!"
Before Basilud, a massive wall made of bones rose. It was a wall so sturdy that even an ordinary knight would struggle to cut through it.
At the same time, his hands began to radiate an aura of darkness.
"I'll make you regret daring to challenge me!"
At that moment, Ghislain, who was ahead of Yulian, gripped his staff with both hands. Swinging it like a club, he struck with tremendous force.
BOOOOM!
A huge hole opened in the bone wall, sending fragments flying everywhere. Basilud's eyes widened as he prepared to cast a spell.
"You, you're a mage, aren't you?"
He blurted out the absurd question in disbelief. Even after witnessing it, he couldn't believe it.
"Clearly, I'm a mage," Ghislain responded briefly, swinging his staff downward with great force.
BOOOOM!
Basilud stepped back, deploying a shield while extending his hand to unleash black energy.
"Die!"
Even in his flustered state, his immediate counterattack was befitting of a 6th-circle mage.
From his blackened hands, a fierce energy erupted.
Shiiiing!
As Ghislain surged toward Basilud, he rapidly twirled his staff.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The black energy, colliding with the staff, scattered in all directions. Once again, Basilud was left dumbfounded, his mouth hanging open.
"What the...?"
What kind of magic deflects like a stone hit by a club? It was a scene beyond imagination.
"What... what is this madness...?"
Mage battles weren't supposed to be like this. They involved matching magic power, dispelling the opponent's spells, and gaining the upper hand. That was the standard.
Yet, this mage wasn't engaging in any mana contest.
Basilud, overwhelmed, retreated further. His mind went blank, unable to think of a way to counter.
In doing so, he forgot one crucial fact: there was another person moving alongside Ghislain.
Whoosh!
While Ghislain deflected the magic, Yulian swiftly closed the distance to Basilud.
"Gah!"
Seeing the sword swing before him, Basilud twisted his body. But it was a moment too late.
Slash!
"Aaaargh!"
One of Basilud's shoulders was sliced, his arm falling away.
Grinding his teeth, Basilud reached out his remaining hand toward Yulian. Though Yulian raised his sword in haste, a massive surge of power overwhelmed him.
Boom!
Unable to withstand it, Yulian was thrown to the side.
Basilud tried to follow up with another attack, but he didn't have the chance.
A long staff was swinging toward his face once more.
Quickly, Basilud raised his remaining hand to form a shield. However, distracted by Yulian, his reaction was slightly delayed, and the shield didn't fully form.
BOOM!
"Ugh!"
The tremendous impact caused Basilud to cough up blood as he staggered backward. With relentless attacks coming at him, he couldn't focus properly.
Even so, his superior mana allowed him to barely hold on.
'I need to... get some distance...'
Without even checking in front of him, Basilud stumbled backward. He needed to regroup his thoughts.
Bang! Boom! Bang!
Explosions erupted beneath his feet, propelling him backward as his body floated momentarily. Finally, realizing the enemy wasn't chasing him, he managed to catch his breath.
Ghislain hadn't followed him because he was attending to Yulian. It was intentional.
"Tsk, tsk, still inexperienced."
"Ugh."
Yulian, with one arm fractured and a cracked rib, struggled to his feet as Ghislain helped him up. Ghislain extended a hand, channeling magic.
"Heal."
Shiiing.
A clear green light enveloped Yulian's body, causing his fractured bones to gradually mend.
Though weaker than the holy power of a priest, the healing of a 5th-circle mage was still quite effective.
Ghislain looked impressed.
"Wow, magic is really amazing. Healing minor injuries is so easy now."
He marveled at his own handiwork. Of course, more than anything, he was simply enjoying himself. That was how deeply fascinated Ghislain had become with magic lately.
Seeing this, Basilud clenched his teeth in fury.
"You bastards..."
In an instant, he had lost an arm. Meanwhile, his opponents were leisurely healing themselves.
That he, a 6th-circle mage, was being so thoroughly bested was unbearable. His wounded pride turned into uncontainable rage.
"How dare you...!"
This was the first chaotic brawl he'd experienced since mastering magic. As such, he couldn't respond properly.
The relentless assaults left him unable to fight like a true mage. Grinding his teeth, Basilud stepped back further, summoning more power.
Rumble...
The ground shook, and nearby stones began to float as immense energy surged around him.
He intended to unleash a spell powerful enough to obliterate the entire area.
"Hehe... Clever. A mage engaging in close combat? You were trying to catch me off guard, weren't you?"
His initial plan had been to block the knights' approach and win with overwhelming magic. That's why he had placed the undead as a wall and prepared to unleash powerful spells.
He didn't care about losing the undead. With time, he could always create more from new corpses.
But those strange opponents had approached far too quickly, throwing his plans into disarray.
However, this time, it was over. He wouldn't fall for the same trick twice.
"I'll show you the difference in our circles."
Basilud's body rose into the air. At the same time, countless bones erupted from the ground.
He cast a spell strong enough to delay his enemies while preparing a decisive attack.
Rumble!
Black energy surged from his body, forming dozens of writhing black masses in the air.
Once this dark storm was complete, no one in the vicinity would survive.
"Now, what do you think? At your level, you'll never break this spell."
Basilud smirked confidently.
Even though he was a 5th-circle mage, Ghislain could reduce the spell's power, but canceling it was impossible.
The difference in circles also meant a significant gap in magic power.
And even with reduced power, this spell could easily sweep through the entire area.
Confidently, Basilud prepared to complete his spell.
But then...
Boom!
A fireball flew toward him.
"You bastard!"
Unable to cast multiple spells at once, Basilud quickly deployed a shield.
His casting was momentarily interrupted, but it didn't matter. The rearranged mana would linger briefly even if the casting stopped. He just needed to resume before it dissipated.
The fireball struck the shield and vanished. It was such a brief moment that he didn't pay it any mind.
"As long as I finish the spell quickly…"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
"Ugh! W-What? This speed!"
But Basilud couldn't continue his casting properly.
Fireballs rained down wildly, making it impossible to concentrate. Every time he deployed a shield, his casting was disrupted again.
Shocked, he widened his eyes. This wasn't even about canceling magic—his opponent was relentlessly bombarding him to prevent the spell! No ordinary mage could manage such a feat.
To do this required one particular talent.
"M-Multi-casting?"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Before Basilud could even process what was happening, dozens more fireballs hurtled toward him.
And that wasn't all. Ghislain's signature mana spears also shot out at him in rapid succession.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
"This... This can't be happening!"
Basilud frantically deployed his shield to block the attacks. Continuing his original spell was out of the question.
The rearranged mana began to dissipate as time passed.
Casting quickly required exceptional calculation abilities. Unfortunately for Basilud, that was one of his weaker points.
And as time dragged on, another problem worsened.
"M-My mana..."
He was already consuming mana to levitate and maintain his shield.
Having used a significant amount of mana for his powerful spell earlier, his reserves were now depleting at an alarming rate.
"N-No!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The barrage of spells didn't stop. He had never seen anyone use magic so recklessly.
Even as a 6th-circle mage, it was impossible for him to replicate this.
What kind of monster could use magic in such a way?
In truth, Ghislain had no intention of competing in a mana contest or attempting to cancel Basilud's spell.
Basilud had more mana as a 6th-circle mage. Counteracting his magic would require reverse-engineering his mana patterns.
"That's too much work."
Why waste time thinking when he could just keep bombarding him like this?
And Ghislain's strategy was incredibly effective.
At the very least, no one could match Ghislain's efficiency in managing mana. That's why he could fire off spells endlessly, even with less mana.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Basilud's shield trembled under the constant assault. He let out a horrified scream.
"This is absurd! You're just a 5th-circle mage!"
His magic power was undoubtedly greater. He also had a deeper understanding of magic.
And yet, he was the one being overwhelmed, unable to counterattack.
Every clash between his shield and Ghislain's spells drained more of his mana. In the end, Basilud had no choice but to descend to the ground to conserve his mana.
But Ghislain and Yulian were already charging forward, smashing through the bones scattered across the ground.
"Ugh! W-What are you? How can you use magic like this?"
Twisting his face in disbelief, Basilud screamed in frustration.
By then, Ghislain had already reached him, a fierce grin spreading across his face.
"Magic isn't about circles—it's about combat."
BOOM!
Ghislain's staff, brimming with mana, struck Basilud's body.
Basilud had deployed his shield with all his remaining strength, so he wasn't injured. But another chunk of his mana was depleted.
Clang!
Yulian, pouring all his mana into his blade, slashed at Basilud's shield.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The two attacked without pause. Basilud's face grew paler with every strike.
"N-No…"
His mana had dropped to less than half. Having never experienced such a battle, he had no idea how to respond.
In a situation like this, he needed to adapt quickly and switch spells. But he lacked the experience and skill to do so.
Naturally, his physical combat skills were also lacking. Dodging wasn't even an option.
This was a common weakness among mages.
That's why Jerome had always emphasized training in martial arts as well.
In the Magic Tower of Radiance, combat techniques were practiced before magic.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Basilud trembled uncontrollably.
To counterattack, he would need to release his shield. But doing so meant risking having his limbs—or even his head—cut off.
Once fear set in, he couldn't muster the courage to attack.
"W-Wait…!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Basilud called out in a trembling voice. His hands shook with every impact against his shield. His mana reserves were nearly empty.
But the two had no intention of stopping.
Sensing their opponent's morale breaking, they struck even harder.
"W-Wait! Wait!"
Basilud shouted desperately. No spells came to mind anymore.
His fighting spirit had already crumbled. The only thought left in his head was the desire to survive.
Unbelievably, a 6th-circle mage had been completely outmaneuvered by a 5th-circle mage's unconventional fighting style.
Feeling his mana run dry, Basilud screamed.
"Stop! Please, stop!"
BOOOOM!
His shield shattered. Basilud froze in terror.
Without hesitation, Ghislain swung his staff at Basilud's legs.
Crunch!
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