When the smoke finally cleared, the leader of the black magic cult stood in the middle of the devastation. His clothes were torn to shreds, his breath ragged, his eyes blazing with murderous fury as he glared at Noah as if he were prey.
In his hand, he gripped something tightly. Noah focused his gaze it was a magic tool.
Realization struck him. It wasn't that the explosion hadn't been powerful enough the cult leader had used a protective magic device to weaken the blast, ensuring no one was killed.
"Damn it! You made me waste a life-saving artifact for this!" the man roared. "Everyone, attack that brat! Kill him!"
The cult leader's twisted expression sent a ripple of fear through his subordinates. Those still able to move scrambled to their feet. None wanted to feel the leader's wrath, so they unleashed their magic all at once.
Magic circles of every color flared to life, sending a barrage of spells screaming toward Noah.
Noah darted left and right, narrowly avoiding the blasts. In this Thought Projection form, one direct hit would drain his magic reserves heavily and he couldn't afford that.
The cult leader barked fresh orders. "Split into four teams! One team follows me to kill the little devil. Two teams circle left and right head straight for the village and finish the mission. The last team takes the wounded back to the ships!"
The cultists broke formation. One squad charged after Noah, two more began flanking maneuvers toward the village, and the last gathered the wounded to retreat.
The leader would have preferred to abandon the injured entirely, but captured survivors could expose secrets. Killing them outright would damage morale, so he grudgingly assigned escorts for treatment, cutting into his manpower.
His anger deepened. This was supposed to be a simple job raiding an undefended village should have been effortless. Instead, they'd lost people before even reaching their target.
Snarling in frustration, he shouted, "Move! Kill that brat now!"
Under his command, the cultists pressed their assault even harder.
Noah weaved between their attacks, answering with quick bursts of low-cost magic to keep them at bay. At the same time, he kept scanning the positions of the two flanking teams. When they entered the right range, he triggered the traps he'd prepared.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Twin explosions erupted on both sides, though with less force than the earlier blast he hadn't had enough time to lay as many traps this time.
"Damn kid! You've trapped the whole place!" the cult leader bellowed, fury boiling over again.
The detonations spooked the cultists. The teams advancing from the flanks halted, looking around warily.
Noah stopped moving as well, calling out to the leader with a faint smirk. "Of course. I figured you'd split your forces. Want to guess how many more traps are waiting for you?"
The cult leader's expression twisted further. He didn't fully believe Noah's bluff, but the possibility was enough to make him cautious. Even as he kept pressing the attack, he ordered scouts ahead to check for traps.
The flanking teams also slowed, probing the ground before advancing.
Noah welcomed their hesitation. The slower they moved, the more time he bought for the village and the less pressure he faced.
Noticing how Noah kept dodging without taking a single hit, the cultists began to conserve their energy. Only a few maintained a steady attack on him while the rest focused on scouting and recovering their magic as they pushed forward.
Noah kept his distance, occasionally firing off spells at the black magic cultists to slow their advance.
The battlefield fell into a tense lull. Aside from the occasional blast, there was no shouting, no taunting only the sound of movement and the crackle of lingering magic.
Both sides understood the situation. For now, neither could completely overpower the other. But this stalemate would not last. Eventually, one side would press the attack, the other would be forced to defend, and the true clash would erupt at Rosemary Village.
As they drew closer to the village gates, Noah's counterattacks grew sharper, while the cultists' spells came faster and harder in response. The rhythm of the fight shifted, magic crashing against magic as the two sides edged toward a decisive confrontation.
When the gates finally came into view, Noah suddenly clapped his hands together. A golden magic circle flared before him, and a storm of shimmering light bullets tore through the air toward the cultists.
The unexpected surge in firepower threw the enemy into chaos. Panic rippled through their ranks until the cult leader barked furiously,
"Why are you panicking?! The brat's just burning the last of his magic power! He'll be empty in moments wait, and you'll watch him die!"
Hearing their leader's voice steadied the cultists. They quickly switched to dodging or erecting magical barriers, weathering the barrage until, as expected, Noah's fire finally ceased. He braced himself on his knees, his breathing heavy, looking every bit the exhausted mage.
"He's finished!" the leader roared. "Rush him! No don't kill him! Cripple him! I want him to understand the price of crossing me!"
Infuriated by Noah's earlier traps, the cultists charged en masse.
Noah sidestepped the first two attackers, dropping three others with swift strikes. The leader and his main force were closing in fast. Out of the corner of his eye, Noah saw the two flanking squads from the left and right drawing near as well.
He exhaled softly. "What a pity… if only they'd gotten here sooner."
The cult leader froze mid-stride, a chill creeping up his spine. Something about Noah's tone made every instinct scream danger. Before he could shout a warning, Noah leveled his sword and commanded,
"Explode!"
From a distance, the two flanking squads saw it a blinding light erupting directly beneath their leader's feet.
BOOM!
The blast tore through the formation, hurling bodies in every direction. Thick smoke rolled outward, swallowing the scene.
The surviving cultists scrambled to drag the wounded away from Noah, fear replacing their earlier fury.
When the wind finally swept the smoke aside, the leader emerged. His robes hung in tatters, his body streaked with blood. Though clearly battered, his voice was still strong too strong for the injuries he appeared to have.
"That damned brat… another trap! And another one of my life-saving tools gone!"
Noah tilted his head, genuinely surprised. "You really value your life, don't you? To carry so many life-saving devices… But if you're that afraid to die, why join the black magic cult?"
The leader sneered through bloodied lips. "Hmph. To complete the R-System, to resurrect our great 'God,' and to stand before the most powerful Black Mage… of course I have to preserve my life."