Reinventing Magic: An Inventor's Tale-Chapter 56: Victor in Danger

With a final surge of mana, Livius managed to break free from the singularity’s grasp. He landed on the ground with a thud, panting heavily. His eyes glowed with a fierce, otherworldly light as he raised the Veilbreaker Staff one last time.

Livius smirked, despite the sweat trickling down his brow. "I have to admit, Kael, I underestimated you. I didn’t think you’d last this long."

Kael’s expression remained unreadable, but his stance spoke volumes—he was done entertaining Livius’ ego. "Your spells are strong," Kael admitted, "but you’re too predictable."

Livius let out a short laugh, shaking his head. "Predictable, am I? Then allow me to correct that assumption."

He raised the Veilbreaker Staff, mana surging through its voidsteel and elderwood frame. Above him, five orbs of condensed infernal energy materialized—each one radiating a blistering heat that warped the very air around them.

"Five Inferno Orbs at once?" Keira gasped from the sidelines, watching in horror. "Even for a Fifth-Class Magician, that’s excessive!"

Livius grinned maniacally, his crimson eyes gleaming. "Let’s see how predictable this is, you brat!"

With a flick of his wrist, the five blazing orbs spiraled toward Kael at the speed of light, leaving searing trails in their wake. There was no time to dodge. No room for error. Yet, Kael remained unshaken.

The instant the orbs were unleashed, Kael instinctively raised his right hand. The crystal embedded in his gauntlet pulsed, absorbing mana from his core. A portal of swirling energy tore open before him—just large enough to consume the incoming spell. One by one, the Inferno Orbs vanished into the void, swallowed whole as if they had never existed.

Livius’ smirk disappeared. His eyes widened in disbelief. "What—?"

Kael lowered his hand, the portal dissolving into wisps of ethereal energy. Stepping forward, his gaze remained locked on Livius. "You’ve used that spell multiple times already," he said, his voice cool and confident. The wind carried the subtle menace of his words. "And I’ve accounted for it each time. You’re far too predictable."

Livius took a step back, his mind racing. He had relied on overwhelming firepower to end this duel swiftly, but Kael had nullified it effortlessly. Worse yet, Kael had absorbed his spell into an unknown space. Did that mean he could unleash it at will?

Panic flashed across Livius’ face. He instinctively activated the flight magic stored within the Veilbreaker Staff, aiming to create distance between himself and Kael. However, the moment his feet left the ground, an unseen force wrenched him downward.

A crushing pressure bore down on him. His vision blurred as his body felt ten times heavier. "What the—?!" he grunted, struggling to rise.

Kael floated down to the ground, his fingers splayed as he manipulated the space around Livius. "Gravity magic," he murmured. "The simplest counter to flight."

Livius gritted his teeth. He reached for his ring—his last hope. The Phantom Shift Ring pulsed with magic as he attempted to teleport away. But as soon as the activation sequence began, the gravitational force multiplied.

A sickening crack echoed through the battlefield as Livius collapsed to his knees, blood trickling from his lips. The weight was unbearable, crushing his very bones. The ring’s glow flickered, unable to fully activate under the sheer pressure Kael exerted upon him.

Kael stepped closer, his gaze cold and unwavering. "I made that staff," he stated, his voice calm but laced with finality. "I know everything about it. Every spell it stores. Every limitation it has."

Livius’ breath came in short, ragged gasps. His once-proud posture had crumbled, his body trembling under the oppressive weight of Kael’s magic.

Kael’s eyes darkened. "And now, I’ll make sure you never use it against me again."

The gravity intensified. The ground beneath Livius cracked and cratered. His screams were muffled by the sheer force crushing his lungs. His mana flared wildly, but it was futile. The overwhelming pressure rendered his spells useless.

Then, silence.

Livius Gregor, the prodigy of Arcadia Tower, the arrogant son of Count Gregor, lay motionless—defeated.

Kael exhaled, releasing his spell. The battlefield stilled, the dust settling around him. He turned away, leaving Livius’ broken form behind.

Keira approached hesitantly. "Is he... alive?"

Kael didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he glanced at the Veilbreaker Staff, now resting lifelessly beside its fallen wielder. He reached down, picked it up, and examined its intricate runes. A weapon of immense power, forged by his own hands—now reclaimed. Without a word, he handed the staff to Keira, his expression stern.

"He’s dead," Kael finally replied, his voice heavy with finality. "He won’t be bothering anyone ever again."

Keira let out a shaky breath of relief, but her expression remained wary. "Young Master... you’re different. What you said earlier... Did you really advance?"

"I did," Kael interrupted. He turned to her, his gaze unreadable. "Let’s go. This battle isn’t over yet."

As soon as the words left his mouth, a spine-chilling sight met his eyes. Across the battlefield, Victor lay utterly defeated, his twin swords discarded on the ground. Count Gregor stood over him, holding Victor by the neck, an evil smile twisting his lips.

Kael’s heart sank. The victory against Livius felt hollow. His friend was in grave danger.

Kael’s mind raced as he watched Count Gregor effortlessly lift Victor by the throat. The older knight struggled, his gauntlets clawing at Gregor’s fingers, but the Count’s grip was unwavering, his strength amplified by the sinister power of the Umbral Doomstaff.

Kael didn’t hesitate. With a flicker of blue light, he vanished from his spot—Blink. Reappearing instantly beside Gregor, he swung his fist, mana surging through his arm. His punch, enhanced with dense mana infusion, aimed straight for Gregor’s face.

But in a blur, Gregor deflected the strike with his left hand, still holding the staff. His grip on Victor’s throat remained unyielding, while the staff remained firmly in his grasp. The impact sent a shockwave through the air, but Gregor remained unfazed, his crimson eyes glowing with an unnatural light.

"Predictable," Gregor sneered.

With a monstrous display of strength, he hurled Victor at Kael. The knight’s armored form crashed into him, sending them both hurtling backward. Kael twisted midair, wrapping an arm around Victor to steady their landing. Summoning his mana, he cast Blink once more, teleporting them just before they would have smashed into the defensive wall behind them.

They reappeared a few meters away, Victor collapsing to the ground with a groan. His armor was dented, and blood dripped from a wound on his forehead. Kael knelt beside him, hand glowing with healing magic, but his gaze never left Gregor.

Something was different.

The Count’s eyes burned a vivid red, pulsating as if something vile resided within him. His body seemed to radiate an aura of overwhelming malice, dark energy coiling around him like living tendrils.

Then, without warning, a gust of wind howled through the battlefield. Before Kael could react, a blur of red and gold crashed into Gregor with the force of a meteor.

BOOM!

Gregor’s body was sent flying, slamming into a nearby stone building. The walls cracked and crumbled from the impact, dust and debris filling the air.

Kael’s eyes widened. Standing where Gregor had once been was Alice.

But she was different.

Her once human-like skin now glowed with a faint metallic sheen, her silver-gray hair flowing wildly, infused with a faint magical aura. The runes on her back shimmered with intense golden light, each symbol pulsating as if feeding off her immense mana reserves. Her gray eyes, usually calm and serene, now burned with a cold, mechanical precision.

She had activated her Golem Mode.

"Alice...?" Kael breathed, astonished.

She didn’t respond immediately, her gaze fixed on the rubble where Gregor had landed. Her posture was poised, a silent predator assessing its prey. Then, she slowly turned her head towards Kael, her voice soft but firm.

"I have determined that Count Gregor is an imminent threat to your safety, Master."

Kael felt a chill run down his spine. This was the first time he had seen Alice fully unleash her Golem Mode in battle, and the sheer pressure emanating from her was staggering.

From the rubble, Gregor’s laughter echoed.

Dust swirled as he emerged, his cloak in tatters, his face bloodied but twisted into a grin. His eyes flared with an even more intense glow, the Umbral Doomstaff pulsing in his grip.

"Well, well," Gregor chuckled, spitting blood onto the ground. "That actually hurt."

Alice took a step forward, raising her fist. The air around her shimmered, a distortion of raw magical energy compressing within her palm.

Kael exhaled sharply. "He’s a monster," he muttered, realizing the extent of the battle that lay ahead.

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