The Lich stared at Yuna, Alicia, Vin, and Den. He then shifted his gaze toward Nurveus, pointing at her as a Shadow Magic Circle appeared above him. Seeing this, Nurveus manifested several water orbs, preparing to attack. However, the Lich suddenly redirected his aim toward Den, and the Shadow Magic Circle fired a Shadow Laser at Den and the others.
Nurveus was shocked and turned around. Damn, I won't make it in time!
Just as the Shadow Laser was about to hit Den, Yuna, Alicia, and Vin, a voice rang out: "Barrier Room." A semi-circular barrier appeared around them; the Shadow Laser was blocked by the barrier and dissipated against it.
The Lich was surprised. That Magic Spell... it is a high-level Magic Spell.
Shortly after, Yuira appeared beside Yuna, Alicia, Vin, and Den.
Seeing him, the Lich said, "I didn't expect~ to meet one of the three genius wizard siblings, Yuira Frontsen, the Third Archmage."
Hearing the Lich's words, Yuira asked, "You know me?"
"Of course! You are one of the youngest Wizards to hold the title of Archmage, and also... that Magic Spell was created 3 years ago by a first-year Flore Academy student. Wasn't that student you, known as the best magic student in the history of Flore Academy?" the Lich said.
"What you say is true, but... who are you?" Yuira asked.
Hearing that, the Lich replied, "Ah~, forgive me, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Narvier, a member of the Doom Bringers."
Velt, who had been thrown back, stabbed his sword into the ground to stop himself, landing right beside Yuira. "Oh, Yuira!" Velt called out.
Arviel, exhausted and wounded, landed beside Narvier and said, "Brother! You have risen!" Narvier looked at his brother. "Arviel, seeing you in such a state... it seems your opponent was quite troublesome."
Velt stood up straight, but his sword immediately snapped. "Ah... damn, I should have just bought two swords," Velt said. "Brother Velt, use my sword instead!" Yuna shouted while handing him her sword.
Velt quickly took it and threw away his broken blade. "Ah, can you give me the scabbard too?" Velt asked.
Hearing that, Yuna untied her scabbard and gave it to Velt, who then rested the sword over his right shoulder.
Velt looked at Den and Yuira, then he turned around and gave a small smile. This is just like in the dream, but the opponents they face are... us!
As Velt kept his eyes on Narvier and Arviel, Yuira asked, "Hey, what do you think of him?"
"What?" Velt asked.
"You fought him earlier. What do you think of that person's strength?" Yuira asked while drinking a bottle containing the Bluish White Vendalion Flower Poison.
Velt touched his chin and looked up, closing his eyes. "Well~, I think they are very..." Velt looked down, opened his eyes, smiled, and said, "Weak!"
Velt watched Yuira continue to drink the poison and asked, "Do you still have a Healing Potion?" Yuira manifested a Yggdrasil Healing Potion and gave it to Velt. "But your condition is still fine," said Yuira, still drinking poison. "No, I'm giving it to him!" Velt said as he threw the Healing Potion to Arviel.
Arviel caught the Potion and watched it warily. "Drink it, I don't feel any Holy Power in that Potion," Narvier said. Arviel opened the bottle and drank it; his wounds began to heal, and his body felt refreshed. Arviel tossed the bottle aside and said, "I will fight him again!" Narvier asked, "Are you sure? He is superior to you."
"From the start, I haven't been serious," Arviel said coldly as he walked forward and lunged toward Velt. Velt quickly jumped back, and Arviel began to pursue him.
Narvier pointed his hand forward, and a Shadow Hand emerged from his shadow.
Yuira uttered "Light Spikes." A Light Magic Circle appeared above and shot sharp, light-shaped lights downward.
Just as the Shadow Hand tried to touch Yuira, it stopped because its body was pinned by the Light Spikes.
"What?" Narvier asked.
"Freeze Field," Yuira said. The ground around Narvier instantly froze.
Narvier felt his feet could not move. He looked down and saw that his legs were frozen as well. "He froze—"
Before Narvier could finish, Yuira immediately said, "Diamond Punch."
A Diamond Magic Circle appeared beneath him at a 45-degree angle; the Magic Circle then fired diamonds at high speed, hitting Narvier's stomach and sending him flying far away.
Nurveus approached Yuira, who then manifested a gray cube with a bright cyan circle on top.
"Yuna, use this," Yuira said while handing the cube to Yuna.
Then Yuira said, "Nurveus, protect them all!"
Nurveus nodded, and Yuira immediately used Wind Magic to take flight.
Vin, seeing the cube, asked, "What is that?"
"Ah, this is one of the Artifacts brother made; it's called a Barrier Cube," Yuna answered. She touched the circle on the cube, and a 10-meter semi-circular cyan barrier appeared.
They were all amazed, and Vin said, "H-How wonderful!"
Velt landed. "Hey~, relax a little," Velt said.
Arviel remained silent and swung his sword downward. Velt jumped back, and Arviel jumped forward with incredible speed, appearing right in front of Velt. Arviel tried to thrust at Velt's face, but Velt moved his head to the right. Arviel swung his sword to the right, and Velt ducked his head, avoiding the attack.
Arviel quickly grabbed Velt's hair, pulled him, and threw him into the building behind him. Seeing Velt cornered, Arviel immediately lunged for his head. However, Velt tilted his head to the left, and Arviel's sword got stuck deep in the wall. Velt backed up slightly and kicked Arviel.
In the city of Greya, Envy walked into a cafe and saw Lloyd sitting outside drinking a cup of coffee. Envy smiled and approached him. As Envy sat down, Lloyd said coldly, "Drink, this is for you."
"Oh~, thank you," Envy said. She took a sip of her coffee and asked, "So~, what did you want to talk about that you invited me? Is it possible you want to date me?" Envy teased.
Lloyd replied coldly, "Of course not. I only want to ask: how strong is your brother?"
"Which one?" Envy asked.
"The last one!" Lloyd answered.
"Ah, Velt... Well~, you could say he is a gifted child because he can master all types of swords," Envy replied.
Lloyd said, "Yes, I saw him using several other types of swords too."
"Yeah~, besides that, if I fought using my sword along with my brother Zeref, who uses one of the Forbidden Weapons, against Velt using a Basic Sword... I'm not sure we would win easily."
Back in Vilka, Arviel rose, and Velt manifested three Shadow Auras. What is this? One Shadow Aura swung its sword diagonally to the lower right, and Velt performed the same movement. Arviel moved to the left and avoided the attack. This is a Shadow Aura. Another Shadow Aura spun and swung its sword horizontally to the right, and Velt did it again; Arviel pulled his head back slightly. In that case, he must be at the Sword Expert or Sword Master level.
The last Shadow Aura appeared, and simultaneously, Velt and the Shadow Aura thrust at Arviel's face. However, Arviel tilted his head and kicked Velt's stomach, sending him flying back.
Velt immediately got up and manifested three more Shadow Auras. "It's useless," Arviel said while dodging Velt's attacks. As the last Shadow Aura swung its sword horizontally to the right and Velt did the same, Arviel pulled his head back and said, "I told you it's use—" Before Arviel could finish, Velt struck the right side of Arviel's neck with the sword scabbard.
What? A scabbard?
Since Arviel's mouth was open, Velt shoved the scabbard into Arviel's mouth. "You know, my Shadow Aura only works if I use a sword!" Velt said enthusiastically.
Narvier, who had been thrown earlier, crashed into the ground, shattering the earth. He rose, and Yuira landed in front of him.
"Hey, Mister, considering you know about me, when did you die?" Yuira asked.
Narvier asked, "What is today's date?"
Yuira replied, "17 Ran."
Narvier touched his chin. "That means I died 7 months ago..."
"In that case, Mister, I will use Elemental Magic, except for Light Magic and Holy Magic, to fight you. How about that?" Yuira asked with a smile.
Narvier replied, "Fine, I'll be the one with the advantage anyway."
Narvier then uttered, "Shadow Piercing." Three sharp thrusts emerged from the shadow in front of him.
Yuira quickly said, "Diamond Magic... Diamond Wall!" A Diamond Magic Circle appeared on the ground, manifesting a wall of diamonds.
However, the Shadow Piercing broke through the Diamond Wall. Yuira tilted his head and avoided one of the Shadow Piercings aimed at his head.
"Diamond Magic? So that's a new evolution magic~... It's not as hard as I thought," Narvier said dismissively.
Narvier was surprised to see a purple light on the ground. He looked up and saw a large purple Magic Circle with a lightning bolt symbol.
Yuira smiled and said, "Lightning Magic... Lightning Strike, 10 times."
Narvier quickly said, "Tch, Flying Shadow!"
His feet were enveloped in shadows, and he flew forward quickly. The Magic Circle manifested 10 purple lightning strikes simultaneously, destroying the ground.
As Narvier flew behind Yuira, he immediately said, "Shadow Head!" A shadow from one of the buildings manifested a monster's head with sharp teeth.
As the Shadow Head tried to devour Yuira, he pointed his Magic Wand at it and said, "Eternal Fire Magic... Phoenix Bird." An orange Magic Circle with a hint of blue and a symbol of a Phoenix spreading its wings appeared in front of his wand.
The Magic Circle released fire shaped like a Phoenix bird; the Phoenix Bird flew through the Shadow Head, making it vanish. Seeing this, Narvier flew faster to avoid the Phoenix Bird, which only flew in a straight line. Yuira used Wind Magic and took flight.
At the same time, Arviel bit Velt's scabbard and crushed it, then kicked Velt's stomach, sending him flying. "Come on, you've kicked my stomach three times already," Velt said. Arviel spat out wood splinters and said, "Fine, I will be serious against you!" Arviel's body was enveloped in shadows, and his eyes turned red; then, with incredible speed, he appeared before Velt and swung his sword vertically.
Velt immediately coated his sword with his red Sword Aura and blocked Arviel's attack. If I were just a bit late, I would be a piece of meat. Velt jumped back and remembered his dream in the white Colosseum. Against an opponent like that, that person's moves are worth trying. Velt crouched and pointed his sword forward. Arviel jumped to attack, but Velt spun and swung his sword horizontally to the right.
Arviel jumped forward. Velt, having performed the movement, spun slightly and said, "I knew it, this move only suits a Two-Handed Sword." Velt took his scabbard, threw it forward, and moved in. Arviel parried the scabbard, but Velt was already in front of him. Velt swung his sword vertically then horizontally, creating a plus-shaped wound on Arviel's chest.
Arviel quickly punched Velt, sending him flying. Velt rose and saw Arviel pointing his sword up, saying, "Dark Warrior Slash!" He swung his sword down vertically. A slash of darkness emerged from Arviel's swing and headed toward Velt. Damn, I can't dodge it! The slash hit Velt and severed his left arm; blood sprayed out, and Velt fell. Arviel turned away and said, "I must help my brother!"
Shortly after, he heard Velt's voice, "Hey, where are you going?" Arviel was shocked by the voice. He turned and saw Velt standing up. "H-How can this be? I aimed for your heart!" Arviel said. "I just coated the area around my heart with Aura; I didn't expect it to actually deflect it slightly and cut my left arm instead." Velt then planted his sword. "In that case, I will use my family's Swordsmanship." Suddenly, Arviel was in the same place as Velt's dream: a white Colosseum. Before him stood the same person from the dream, wearing black Full Armor with gold patterns and planting a sword in the ground. "That black armor with gold patterns... no way, it's just like in the fairy tales I read... the God of Sword!" Arviel said. Even if this is an illusion, why does it feel so real? Arviel returned to reality, and Velt was before him. "Malvelle Swordsmanship... Five Slash!"
Velt swung his sword diagonally to the lower right, wounding Arviel's chest with one slash, while four other slashes appeared like claws. Arviel was thrown back and dropped his sword, falling to the ground as his body returned to normal. Velt felt both joy and pain, but suddenly his blade shattered. "Damn," Velt said.
Velt saw the Dark Warrior's longsword lying on the ground. "What is that?" he asked curiously. He approached the sword and held it. Suddenly, his body changed: his skin turned black, his hair turned white, and his irises turned red. He was covered in knight armor without a helmet, exactly as Arviel had been when using the sword.
"What is happening to my body?!" Velt shouted in confusion.
Arviel was shocked to see that Velt could use the Dark Warrior Longsword. Damn it, why? I had to kill over 500 people to qualify to awaken that sword's power.
Yuira pointed his Magic Wand forward and said, "Wind Magic... Wind Piercing Shot." Two mint-green Magic Circles with tornado symbols appeared and fired mint-green wind thrusts.
Narvier quickly turned and parried them, then said, "Shadow Guardians!" Shadows from various buildings began to merge and take the form of two giant, half-bodied humanoid creatures.
The two Shadow Guardians reached out to catch Yuira, but he avoided all their grasps. Once behind them, he pointed his wand and said, "Eternal Fire Magic... Eternal Fire Eruption!"
An Eternal Fire Magic Circle appeared beneath the two Shadow Guardians, erupting upward like a volcano and making them vanish. Yuira quickly flew toward Narvier.
Yuira uttered, "Diamond Magic... Diamond Trap." Dozens of Diamond Magic Circles appeared in various directions in front of Narvier. The circles fired diamond pillars one by one rapidly. Narvier avoided the pillars, but he crashed into one and fell.
Narvier rose and looked back, seeing only diamond pillars. Yuira landed behind him, making him turn around. "Hah~, it seems there is no other way." He pointed both arms forward and asked, "Any last words?"
Yuira replied, "One moment." He pointed his wand backward toward a building, and a Diamond Magic Circle appeared, firing at the building and leaving a large hole through it.
"Done?" Narvier asked, then said, "Shadow Cannon." A large Shadow Magic Circle appeared in front of his hands, firing a massive shadow laser toward Yuira.
When the laser faded, Narvier saw the building with the giant hole. "It seems he is dead... My mana is spent," Narvier said.
He turned around and suddenly heard the sound of clapping. "Whoa~, that was a great attack."
Narvier turned and looked at the rooftop; he was shocked to see Yuira still alive.
A moment ago, when the shadow laser approached him, Yuira used Wind Magic to propel himself backward. As he passed the building behind him, he propelled himself upward using Wind Magic again.
Yuira said, "In that case, I will show you one of my strongest Magic Spells!"
Yuira smiled and put his wand in his pocket. A baby-yellow Magic Circle with a symbol of angel wings appeared.
"Damn you! You said you wouldn't use Light Magic or Holy Magic!" Narvier shouted.
Yuira smiled and said, "Yes... But I didn't say I wouldn't use all light-type Magic." Hearing this, Narvier stared at the Magic Circle again.
If this isn't Light or Holy Magic, then... don't tell me, Divine Magic!
Yuira spread both arms, and a pair of wings appeared on his back, like an angel without a halo. "Divine Magic... Heavenly Punishment." Another Divine Magic Circle appeared above the thick clouds.
Arviel rose, picking up a broken wooden block. Velt asked, "You still want to fight?" Arviel rushed forward and swung blindly; Velt easily dodged every attack. Then Velt saw Yuira preparing what seemed to be a lethal spell. He smiled, and Velt quickly appeared before Arviel. Arviel was shocked as Velt, with his new power, kicked him aside, sending him flying to the left.
Arviel crashed into Narvier. In his wounded state, Arviel said, "Brother, I'm sorry, I lost."
Narvier replied, "It's okay, we're finished anyway."
The thick clouds parted, and an increasingly bright yellow light appeared. It wasn't sunlight, but a yellow laser fired from the Divine Magic Circle above them.
The laser descended rapidly; Narvier and Arviel were struck by the yellow light. Narvier was now in a void-like white dimension. W-What is happening? My body feels light, but I can't move it.
Shortly after, a woman with long blue hair and a black hood appeared, her eyes covered by the hood. The woman reached out and touched Narvier's chin. Who is this woman?... This black hood and blue hair. The Goddess of Magic? Narvier savored the sensation as his body slowly turned into grains of light.
In a forest, a woman with long blue hair and a black robe sat on a throne made of trees. A lake nearby reflected the battle of Yuira and Velt. "Heh~, I didn't expect anyone to recognize me in that world; I thought I was known there as an unknown myth," said the woman. She was one of the High Levels, Aetheria, the Goddess of Magic. The forest was her created dimension called the Magic Forest.
Aetheria glanced at Velt and said, "And also... I didn't expect that boy (the God of Sword) to make this red-haired human his avatar... Just because he's the strongest at the Intermediate Level, he makes creatures in various worlds his avatars as he pleases," Aetheria said dismissively.
Aetheria looked at the lake, showing Yuira. "But... it turns out he can use Divine Magic. Well~, at least that is a very strong attack in this world and several others," Aetheria said, continuing to watch Yuira. "Stay alive, my avatar... because I want to speak with you face-to-face in person," Aetheria said.
To be continued...