Chapter 194: Lich Slayer (6)
The earth trembled. The air quaked and resounded. Faced with the vast, overwhelming mana before him, Maloka forced himself to stay calm, or at least, that was the intent.
That bastard is only a seventh circle mage. There's no way he can control mana of that magnitude!
Mana overdrive was one of the greatest dangers a mage had to guard against. Hadn't even Theoderic, an eighth circle mage, collapsed due to mana reflux caused by an uncontrolled surge?
That bastard will cough up blood and collapse any moment now!
But he didn't.
"Haven't handled this level of power in a while."
With a sweeping motion of both hands, Karnak skillfully adjusted the raging mana and regulated its flow with ease. The massive energy that had surged like a storm now coursed through the air, flowing like a mighty river.
It settled calmly into the world, splitting, merging, compressing, and dispersing with flawless control. There wasn't even the slightest sign of mana overdrive. In fact, Karnak was handling it far more adeptly than Maloka himself could.
This is impossible. How is he doing that so naturally? After perfectly subduing the surging mana, Karnak grinned from ear to ear. Can't deny I got lucky this time.
His gaze landed on the inside of Maloka's robe, or more precisely, on the jet-black cube peeking out from a torn section of fabric.
***
At first, he hadn't realized it. Karnak's group had leaped off the cliff only after Maloka's mana had suddenly surged. By then, the situation had already unfolded, leaving Karnak no way to discern the sequence of events. But the second time was different.