Chapter 100: A God
’This is...’ Novus couldn’t help but feel lost for words as he observes the outcome of his decision, his senses feeling a bit overwhelmed as a completely different sensation had taken over them.
The paths of attack that were wavering under the intensity of Gallad’s spell twisted and turned once more, each wave seemingly overlapping with the others, looking all too chaotic and endless as if the path itself had lost its direction.
And Novus, seeing this phenomenon firsthand, began feeling nauseous, with his vision following suit and spinning around with the paths of attack, the uncomfortable sensation being pushed even further as his talent’s side effects hit him as well.
The world spins, and so is his vision, to the point that colors mixed into a messy kaleidoscope and his surroundings turned into nothing but a blur, his ears ringing, his skin tingling, his nose seemingly gone, and his tongue feeling burnt as if overwhelmed by all sorts of tastes.
That odd, uncomfortable sensation felt like it lasted for a long, long time; it is, however, much the opposite of such an assumption as the young man gradually began stabilizing himself, still feeling dizzy from the intensity of that stimulus; however, the spinning was already bearable enough for him to regain proper standing.
It is only now that he realizes that a moment has yet to pass since he began attempting such a stunt, the opponent’s fist moving in slow motion as if time is gradually approaching a standstill; this experience only lasts for a little more as he fully regains his consciousness.
His muscle twitches, pain from the intense heat charring his living body all flowing towards his brain, tens of times amplified, causing his lips to twitch for a moment before he finally made his move.
[Immortal Energy: 775/1166]
[Immortal Energy: 750/1166]
[Immortal Energy: 725/1166]
He blocked the fist with his palm once more, causing his opponent to feel a bit more confident as he witnessed the rate of regeneration clearly slowing down, even if it was just for a bit, making him conclude something that will give him even more confidence.
’This brat... he’s nearing his limits...’ Gallad thought to himself as he began pushing forward once more, deciding not to give his target the chance to create distance between the two of them, as he himself knew that should this student do so, it would eventually result in him losing in a battle of attrition, the kind of defeat he wants the least.
’Beautiful...’ meanwhile, it is only the opponent, Novus himself who knew that his regeneration wavering is not the result of hitting his limits, as it is more of the fact that he got a bit distracted looking around him, light of sheer, pure fascination glowing underneath his gaze as he allows his senses to touch upon the new discovery that Sensory Expansion allowed him to witness.
The paths of attack that he so relies on previously appear as nothing more than a simple method of prediction compared to what he is witnessing right now, the chaotic wave that came from such a wide area spell never disappearing, however, out of that chaos, the most unexpected of order, or rather, a semblance of one, was born.
Gone were the paths that were aiming right at him, allowing him to see the flow that goes deeper than his previous understanding, the smile on his face turning from the previous manic one to an enlightened, seemingly satisfied grin.
It was a lattice, not too different from the usual magic circle; the only defining factor that made them completely different from each other was the scale on which this ’magic circle’ is deployed, mana flowing in a robust, refined structure that removes coldness and amplifies heat itself within its range.
And within this lattice lie multiple points where several lines converge, mana surging to and from these points, keeping any cold element from barging in and maintaining the immense heat inside.
Amidst the intense flow of mana, those points resisted, pulsing ever-so-slightly yet nevertheless retaining themselves, unchanging despite their environment.
Seeing those points, Novus instinctually knew.
Those are his targets.
And the moment that the thought popped into his mind, he immediately acted upon it, mana surging despite the intense heat as corporeal blades formed around his arms, the smile on his face turning manic once more as he dashed forward, intending to end this as swiftly as he could.
[Immortal Energy: 690/1166]
[Immortal Energy: 655/1166]
[Immortal Energy: 620/1166]
Immortal Energy continues being expended, this time, at an even faster rate as the damage his body is taking increases once more with the burden of Mana Blade continuously tearing through his arms.
Any normal person would’ve already screamed, experiencing such pain; however, the biggest reaction he had given was his lips twitching along with the faint shaking of his muscles as he willed himself to endure the excruciating burning, exposing his nerve endings into the air, along with the flesh-tearing Mana Blade continuously revolving around his arms.
And even then, he still finds it in himself to smile, each step making Gallad waver as his mind begins wondering once more what gets into the mind of this opponent of his, that confidence glowing in said opponent’s eyes, brilliantly disguised under controlled urgency, making him feel something he had never felt in his entire life.
It was like he was the prey laid bare and defenseless on the chopping block, and the predator wielding the butchering knife was the young man in front of him.
And this feeling is reinforced even more as the young man explodes in speed, not away, but towards himself, his skin tingling and his entire being feeling the shivers as he sees the smile he is sporting on his face.
There’s no anger, no frustration, only sheer joy that he saw on those smiles, as if this is nothing more than an entertainment to him, that expression making Gallad falter even more as one word came to his mind.
’Monster...’
He thought to himself as he unconsciously began taking steps back, the intrigue turned into curiosity and interest before transforming into killing intent, now blooming into a completely different feeling altogether.
Terror.
Novus has yet to do anything, yet from the expression on his face alone, Gallad is already faltering like he never did before. With each step Novus is taking, his ears hear all too well, as if there’s nothing but the two of them in the world right now.
"Get away from me!!" he screams as he wills even more mana into his original spell, intending to burn the young man along with everything else caught in the range of his spell, no matter whether they are friend or foe.
Usually, such a last resort should’ve worked for him; the consequences might be severe given that his allies will be caught in the crossfire, making him look bad in his superior’s eyes; however, all those thoughts are inconsequential now, with his mind’s first priority already being eliminating this young man at all costs.
It usually works, that is.
Novus’ figure disappears, crossing the gap between himself and his opponent in no time at all, taking note of the three-meter range where he was dealt the most damage.
This time, however, it is not because of wariness, but because of the several points where the lines converge.
One slash.
And several numbers of those nodes were cut into clean halves.
The effect? Completely immediate, as the caster himself couldn’t help but show a confused expression on his face, feeling his spell’s weakened output despite the mana he is supplying to it not receding even a single bit.
’H-how??!!’ he couldn’t help but ask in utter confusion as he watched the young man towering a bit in front of him, the predatory gaze causing his body to freeze in place, his mind not even comprehending the next bits of words that came out of this opponent’s mouth.
"A god, huh..."
Novus’ manic smile never receded as he remarked, his attention more on the remaining nodes rather than on the baffled expression of the rogue academy staff in front of him.