Chapter 382 – New Generation (3)
The third rule of the duel, if more than half of the body falls into the sea, it is a defeat.
In other words, if one cannot resist Verden's
'No matter how exceptional the talent, if they cannot deal with even a single spell like this, then there is no reason to waste time.'
If one lacks the minimum ability to cope, then even if it's not
Verden had no thought of approaching this duel loosely.
Born a Genius, and intending to confirm the combat strength raised by the Society, he meant to make this magical battle part of his experience.
A situation where he faced two nation-class powers at the same time was rare even for Verden, who had lived through fierce struggles.
Zzeojeok, zzeojeojeok.
Overwhelming pressure bound Unia and Cain.
Dozens of cracks spread across the ground beneath them, sinking down.
A shock strong enough to make a mediocre practitioner not just faint but even suffer severe injury.
The Sage of Power, Osgar, stroked his long beard as he observed the magic.
"Ho, he has imbued the magic power itself with the attribute of gravity. It doesn't seem like he's opened the Mado, so it must be an ability of some artifact... Even so, controlling it wouldn't be easy."
"Such tremendous magic power manipulation. An ordinary person would not even dare to stand before Shinseong."
Melard voiced her admiration.
She seemed not the least bit concerned that Unia and Cain had been subdued.
Not only him, but all others as well.
Osgar gave a small laugh.
"But just because they lack practical experience, Shinseong, I would not suggest taking them lightly. Outwardly they may look young, but in terms of years since entering the path of magic, they are no less than veteran Mages."
Unia had been a Mage since the day she was born, and Cain, as soon as he awakened his magic power at the age of five, already possessed mana circuits approaching the 3rd-tier.
Beings beyond the framework of existing magical concepts, the world named them trait-holders.
As fraternal twins, their appearances, genders, and talents were not entirely the same.
But the overwhelming Genius they had inherited was the same.
The twin siblings were raised directly by the three Sages.
From childhood, they began professional magical training, built upon their innate comprehension.
The Sage of Wisdom and the Sage of Guardianship taught them every kind of magic and theory, while the Sage of Power passed down the martial skills and techniques he had mastered.
Not only that, but external growth factors such as demon cores were given to them without reservation.
'Unia and Cain's tier limit is as high as 8th-tier and 7th-tier.'
Among them, Unia possessed talent surpassing even Dahit Wethroel. In terms of personality there was nothing lacking either.
She was destined to be the next to lead the Society, undeniably one of the rare Transcendents who would be counted across the entire continent.
The Society's ideals are not realized in a single day.
They are a hundred-year plan, something that requires decades or even centuries to bear fruit.
Unia and Cain are that starting point.
A great change that will shake the magical world in the future, the new generation who will be the protagonists of the next era.
Zzeojeok.
"This is... a little, heavy...!"
Unia slowly lifted her upper body.
***
Resistance fiercely pushed back.
She looked strained, yet a bold smile lingered on her lips.
With words breaking off like snapping threads, Unia, enduring the weight, spoke.
"It hasn't even, started yet, and you're already casting magic. Rougher than I thought? Not bad. But... first you want to see, if it's even at the level, worth calling a duel?"
Unia's blue eyes flickered.
Activating her mana circuits, she slammed her hand onto the ground.
"There's a limit to being underestimated!"
An intangible reversal engulfed the surroundings.
Two spells with opposing directions of force collided and completely neutralized each other.
Kwaaang!
Feeling
At the same time, using pre-calculated 5th-tier and 6th-tier enhancement spells, he reinforced his body and drew a strangely-shaped sword.
The demonic sword, Cretima.
An artifact that resonated with the user's mana circuits, strengthened according to the magic power infused into it.
Fwaaah!
On the white blade imbued with magic, a blue shimmer wavered. Additionally, it manipulated the air to minimize air resistance.
Swift and stable.
That movement was not something created by only a few years of training.
Verden fixed his gaze on Cain.
'Though a Magus, he has made the sword his main weapon, meaning he is specialized for close combat.'
And he could wield elemental magic as well. Versatile in many ways.
In any case, since this was a duel, there was no reason not to accept it.
With his characteristic calculation power, Verden instantly raised his physical capabilities and swung Orient.
Jjeoeong! The air vibrated shallowly.
While their weapons clashed, Cain dipped his head slightly.
"I will learn from you, senior."
He was asking for instruction?
He understood the purpose of the duel to some extent. And unlike Unia, he was courteous as well.
"All right."
Verden replied briefly and pushed Cain's sword aside.
Then immediately cast
After all, the stage was not the Society's island but the open sea.
Cain followed without delay.
Close enough that their arms could reach each other. The demonic sword and Orient collided repeatedly, heavy metallic sounds resounding.
The two of them skimmed across the sea surface, stirring winds and waves in their wake.
'...This should be enough.'
They had put sufficient distance from the island.
Beneath their feet lay the vast ocean, where they could rampage without issue.
A perfect field for a magical battle.
Then, just as Cain was displaying refined swordsmanship, he suddenly retreated.
Immediately, magic was sensed from above.
"To think you could hold your own against Cain with his demonic sword. You're more than I heard! Let's see if you can dodge this one too!"
Double Casting.
Nearly a hundred scorching flames surged forth.
Fire magic, combined with the higher attribute of gravity magic.
As expected, he seemed to have high affinity for multiple attributes.
'Even as twins, their talents and fighting styles are entirely different.'
Heat poured down like a torrential rain.
With 6th-tier
Chiiiiiik! Flames were diverted sideways, colliding with the surging seawater, white steam billowing thick. Verden slid through it.
But rather than indiscriminately bombarding the area, the feeling was more that they were herding him.
A tactic of some sort?
He discerned it, but Verden purposely revealed himself from the steam.
Concealing their presence, the twins had approached and now flanked Verden front and back.
The demonic sword and staff struck at once.
Kaang! Keong! Kagagagagak! Huuung───jjeoeoong!
A fierce clash in seconds.
Countless sparks burst among the three figures entangled with the sea as their backdrop.
With their bodies reinforced by enchantment magic, there was little difference in physical ability between them.
Verden spun together with Orient.
At the precise timing, he blocked the two strikes and aimed for an opening.
A movement beyond form.
Crossing multiple lines of death, the level of Verden's self-mastered, unique combat style was unparalleled.
'But it's not easy.'
The offensive surged without rest.
Like a storm.
So thorough that it was difficult to create a fracture, the sword and staff perfectly complemented each other's gaps.
Was it because they were twins?
Unia and Cain made no mistakes, even without exchanging the slightest signal.
It felt as if he were fighting against multiple Mages at once.
Kwaaaang!
After one clash, an ultra-close battle followed.
Though Verden gripped Orient with both hands, it was not enough to overcome purely by strength.
Pressed down from above by the demonic sword and staff, he was pushed back.
The tips of his feet dipped into the sea.
Unia, her face flushed with the heat of battle, smirked.
"Honestly, I didn't think you'd hold out this much against the two of us. To think your experience is nearly on par with the Sages, not just your skill. But why don't you open the Mado now? At this rate, you're going to fall into the sea."
Surely, if the previous exchanges repeated, he would gradually be pushed back.
Unia and Cain's close combat ability was not something Verden could take lightly.
'However, the weakness is clear.'
Their combined assault was harmonious, as though from a single fighter, yet it could not escape a fixed pattern.
The answer lay in unpredictability.
Kkiig.
Verden twisted Orient in a wondrous motion, entangling their weapons together.
"Oh."
Unia and Cain widened their eyes. A natural reaction.
This was something he had learned when the Administrator, the avatar of the Demon King, passed down
In an instant, Verden broke free of the encirclement and slammed down onto the sea's surface.
From the shockwave of runes, seawater surged upward, a violent spray erupting.
Their vision was blocked.
Unia and Cain sharpened their sight and senses, chasing after the blurred presence.
A shadow beyond the curtain of water. Without hesitation, they thrust a strike.
The waves settled.
In their eyes appeared Verden, pierced by the demonic sword and staff.
Of course, it was not the real body.
"...An illusion?"
When had it happened?
Before the thought even finished.
Kwaaang!
From the blind spot, Orient rushed in.
Before he could block, Cain was struck in the abdomen and blown away. He skipped across the water's surface, raising sprays like skipping stones.
"...!"
Unia reacted late, but too late.
Verden aimed at her from close range with his empty left hand.
Magic power was already gathered.
Unia's eyes widened in shock.
"What kind of magic calculation is this fa───"
The blast of air struck Unia.
She almost fell into the sea from the sudden jolt, but barely held on.
Focusing her mind, she arrested her flying body.
Cain and Unia raised their heads.
They glared at Verden in the center, raising their arms simultaneously.
The same spell flew from both sides.
Rotating projectiles of small whirlpools, their penetrative power sharpened.
'A type outside the existing tiers.'
A derivative spell learned from the Sages, perhaps.
Verden focused magic power at his fingertips and flicked his arm lightly. The trajectories of the spells, caught by his mana control, twisted.
Losing their original paths, they turned toward Unia and Cain themselves.
How would they respond?
He watched.
Fwaaaah!
Suddenly, magic power gathered in their hands, a familiar wave arising.
The
Verden raised his eyebrows slightly.
'Mana control?'
Not merely resembling, but exactly the same magic power manipulation technique.
For the Society to use a technique native to the Arnak Empire... it must mean that either the Sage of Power or the Sage of Guardianship was once a War Mage of the Empire.
Come to think of it, especially in Unia's movements, such traits could be glimpsed.
'Perhaps even the previous Warlord before the captain of the Ark, Legrit.'
Black Hour, Warlord... then who was the other?
Verden pondered the origins of the Society's founders.
Meanwhile, Unia and Cain, having experienced the exchange, widened their eyes.
"How does senior know mana control...."
"What, you were a War Mage? I've never heard that before."
Stopping the duel mid-way to ask, they seemed terribly curious.
Of course, Verden had no intention of answering.
"Who knows."
"Even if you don't say it, it's obvious. No wonder you're so skilled in close combat despite being an elemental magic user, now I understand. Well, all the better. I'd rather fight someone in the same category as me."
Unia, making her own assumptions, spun her staff smoothly.
"Let's do this properly."
Her eyes gleamed sharply.
"Cain!"
"Understood."
The currents surrounding Unia shifted.
Drawn by immense magic power, seawater rose into droplets.
Opposite, Cain performed a ritual gesture, laying his finger on the blade of his demonic sword.
Along his breathing, a peculiar wave of magic power pulsed.
Mado
Mado
They displayed the paths each had pioneered.
Unia, her aura different from before, spoke to Verden.
"Let's say we lost the first round. From here, the second round begins. So, how about showing the power you've been holding back? Like a proper senior."
"I ask the same of you, senior."
An unusual light rose in Unia's eyes, the same in Cain's.
Of course, even without their request, Verden had intended it.
To face two who had revealed their Mado while he refrained from even using his Mystic Eye would be arrogance.
Moreover, he had no thought of dragging this out merely because it was a duel.
'It reminds me of the exchange battle with Legrit.'
Overall, the situation was similar.
Verden recalled that not-so-distant past and opened the Mado of Infinity.
And even the level of a Quasi-Transcendent.
Tududuk, tuduk.
A small world shuddered.
Thick raindrops fell from dark clouds.
The sea, dyed in darkness, churned violently, waves large and small crashing against rocks, shattering.
Suddenly, Unia and Cain shivered, dumbfounded as they raised their heads.
"The sky...."
The sunlit, beautiful scenery had vanished without a trace.
A massive storm began to rage.
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