"No chanting?!"
"Haha! Looks like you really are a powerful mage!"
"But your magic… I've never seen anything like it!"
BOOM!
His body trembled violently.
The water ring surrounding him shattered open with a ruptured gap.
Oh?
This was the first time someone of the same level had managed to break through one of his spells.
"No need to hold back!"
"Show me everything you've got!"
"Make this fight enjoyable!"
The instant the water ring shattered, he was already charging straight toward Rei.
That burst of speed—while not quite as fast as the King of Aberrant Insects Rei had fought before—still carried a similar feeling to the nation-destroying Bloodsting Needle Bee.
A Level 2 warrior moving this fast?
As expected… the one who ranked first always had some real skill.
Heart-Draw Sword.
A faint sense of danger flashed through Rei's mind.
A barrier formed instantly before him.
Shing!
Yet the opponent's hand merely rested on the sword hilt—he hadn't even drawn the blade.
And still—
Rei's barrier was sliced apart.
It could cut through his barrier?
The attack power had already surpassed the explosive output of a Tier-3 Monarch-class monster…
Unfortunately…
It had only cut through one layer.
Just as Rei reached that conclusion—
Crack—
Boom! Boom!
The next two barriers suddenly revealed thin sword marks as well. Both shattered immediately after.
Whoosh—
In almost the blink of an eye, the man closed the distance and arrived directly in front of Rei.
His hand still pressed against the hilt.
His body leaned forward slightly, poised as though he were about to draw and strike.
Then, in that same instant—
He pivoted sharply.
A ring of sword light erupted around him and shot outward in the opposite direction from Rei.
BOOM!
Along the path of the slash, massive stone walls rose up.
The strike cleaved straight through two heavy walls and the barrier behind them.
Meanwhile, the Rei standing beside him dissolved into drifting water mist.
Far away—along the path where the sword light had flown—stood the real Rei.
[Water Magic: Mist Phantom (Tier-2) (LV:201)]
At the moment the phantom vanished, the entire battlefield filled with thick fog.
[Water Magic: Deep Hazy Mist (Tier-2) (LV:201)]
BOOM!
At the exact moment the fog erupted—
[Earthfire Ascension][Flame Vine Whiplash][Dense Thorn Field]…
The warrior—Atlando—felt a surge of alarm.
A deadly sense of danger descended instantly.
BANG!
He dodged the ground turning red as molten earthfire burst upward, landing among the tangled thorns.
He tried to cut them apart—only to discover the thorns were as hard as steel.
His hurried strike couldn't sever them all.
When he landed, several steel-hard thorns pierced straight through his legs.
Immediately after—
Dozens of flaming vines rose into the air, writhing wildly as they lashed down toward him like blazing whips.
Not once had he heard the boy chant a spell.
And yet these terrifying magics kept appearing out of thin air.
All of them… instant cast?
"Haha!"
"Now this is exciting!"
"You're exactly the kind of opponent I've been looking for!"
"Only someone like you can make this battle truly enjoyable!"
"Come! Let's make it even better!"
Battle intent surged within him.
A scorching wave of heat rushed forward.
He looked up.
The flaming vines descended like a blazing dragon crashing down upon him.
Heart-Draw Sword: Rapid Chaos Slash!
Slash!
In a single instant, dozens of flaming vines were cut apart.
A second slash burst forth, sweeping violently through the mist—
Carving a clear path through the fog.
At the end of that path stood Rei, staff in hand.
"Judging by your age, you must be one of those geniuses who awakened early!"
"I've heard that the Kumironi only choose the most promising youths to awaken!"
"You must be one of them!"
BANG!
He lunged straight at Rei.
Blood sprayed through the air as his injured legs moved mid-leap.
Before he even reached Rei—
His battle skill had already activated.
[Heart-Draw Sword: Rapid Chaos Slash]
Rei didn't move.
Yet around him—
Layer upon layer of shields appeared instantly.
SHING!
DUDUDUDU!
[Resilient Water Ring Shield][Encasing Stone Dome][Repulsion Wind Guard][Dark Erosion Ring Shield][Thick Molten Lava Shield]…
The slash struck the Resilient Water Ring Shield, compressing it inward like a dull blade striking a rubber ball. Most of the force was instantly absorbed.
The remaining power struck the Repulsion Wind Guard.
CLANG—
The slash was immediately deflected away.
It didn't even touch the inner layers—Dark Erosion Ring Shield or Encasing Stone Dome.
What terrifying defensive magic…
By now, Atlando had nearly reached Rei's position.
Rei casually waved his hand.
Countless invisible wind blades slashed outward.
"Draw Sword: Rising Dragon!"
SHING!
A rising slash surged upward.
Sword energy exploded outward on both sides, scattering every wind blade aside as it cleaved toward Rei's body.
Oh?
So he finally drew his sword.
BOOM!
Yet when that sword energy collided with Rei's shields—it still failed to break through.
The attack pierced through the Resilient Water Ring Shield, cut into the Repulsion Wind Guard, and slammed into the Encasing Stone Dome—
But even then, it failed to shatter the stone.
"Interesting!"
"You're the first opponent of the same level who's made me draw my sword since him!"
His movements suddenly accelerated.
After drawing the blade, he didn't stop attacking.
Instead, his strikes poured down like a raging storm.
Compared to his earlier attacks while the sword remained sheathed—
Now that the blade was drawn, his speed had clearly increased.
The power of each strike had also grown far more ferocious.
BOOM!
One slash alone cut through three layers of Rei's defensive barriers.
[Heart-Sword Unity: Frenzied Armor-Breaking Dance]
Slash!
Nine strikes in a single instant!
The piercing sword energy swept through, instantly shattering the shields surrounding Rei—even reaching the Dark Erosion Ring Shield layer.
Yet almost the moment the shields shattered—
They instantly regenerated.
Sword wind lifted Rei's hair slightly.
This uncle really was strong.
Despite being only Level 2, his combat ability probably rivaled a Tier-3 Monarch-class monster.
His strength and speed both rivaled the Bloodsource Monarch Rei had faced before.
No…
Perhaps they even exceeded it.
This man probably had the ability to solo kill a Tier-3 Monarch.
For a brief moment during his burst of power, he even resembled the Bloodsting Needle Bee.
Though his sustained speed wasn't quite as fast afterward.
Rei raised his hand again.
Forty-two ice lances appeared.
These were thinner than before, spinning far faster.
They darted through the air like needles, circling inward toward Atlando.
Yet the sword wind swept outward—
BANG!
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Every ice lance exploded in succession.
But frost spread across his blade, creeping up along his arm.
Atlando shook his sword, dispersing the ice.
Cold vapor escaped his mouth as he grinned wildly.
"You really are a powerful enemy!"
His gaze shifted to Rei's feet.
Up until now—
Rei had stood in the same place without taking a single step.
Click.
Atlando sheathed his sword again.
"AAAHHH!"
With a roar, his skin suddenly turned crimson.
White steam erupted from his entire body.
The next instant—
BOOM!
A sweeping slash blasted forward—
Rei's four layers of shields shattered instantly.
[Water Shield][Stone Dome][Wind Guard][Dark Shield]
The attack was finally stopped by the Thick Molten Lava Shield.
"You… must be a mage who has comprehended Origin Magic, right?"
"Let me see… your origin!"
"AAAHHH—!!"
[Rage Burst]
"HA!"
BOOM!
A shockwave exploded outward from Atlando's body.
The dense fog covering the battlefield was instantly blasted away.
Rei watched as he charged forward—
One slash.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five.
Six…
A total of seventeen strikes launched almost simultaneously.
Such incredible speed.
At that rate, he should be able to break through Rei's defenses.
BOOM!
In the blink of an eye, sword light flashed.
At last—
The attack completely shattered the nine layers of shields surrounding Rei.
And struck his body.
But the moment the blade touched him—
Splash—
Mist spread outward.
Rei's entire body dissolved into drifting water vapor.
Fake…?
Atlando froze for a moment, then snapped his head around.
Across the battlefield—
Different versions of Rei stood in various corners.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five…
Seventeen Rei.
Each wore identical clothing.
Each was surrounded by those same nearly unbreakable shields.
Wait…
When had he moved?
Why hadn't he noticed that the Rei he attacked was fake?
The first phantom earlier—
Atlondo had recognized it almost immediately upon approaching.
But this one—
He only realized it was fake after the strike landed.
Rei chuckled quietly in the shadows.
Of course you couldn't tell.
The Dark Erosion Ring Shield blurred detection and perception.
Anyone looking through it from outside would see nothing but a hazy shadow.
You couldn't even clearly see what was inside—
Let alone distinguish the real body from a phantom.
As for the first illusion—
Back then Rei hadn't activated the shields yet.
Atlondo had only noticed once he got close.
BOOM!
Atlondo burst forward again.
Oh… so he increased his burst power.
PFFT!
A phantom shattered.
Seventeen Reis were scattered randomly around the battlefield.
Earthfire.
Thorns.
Vines.
Seas of flame.
Waves of fire.
They all surged from every direction, relentlessly hunting Atlondo.
He smashed through stone walls.
Dodged eruptions of earthfire.
Severed vines.
Split apart fire waves.
Even ran across the sea of flames—scattering the fire beneath his feet.
Yet cold sweat formed on Atlondo's forehead.
The pressure… was enormous.
Destroy a few spells—and more appeared.
How could he control so many spells at once?
And why were all of them instant-cast?
He had fought Monsheel before.
But the feeling Rei gave him… was completely different.
"Let's increase the intensity a little."
Hidden within the mist, Rei lightly pressed his hand downward.
BOOM!
Every spell doubled instantly.
Hundreds of flaming vines and poison vines rose skyward, forming a dense jungle overhead.
Thorns completely covered the ground.
Every inch was filled with razor-hard spikes.
The sea of flames surged forward, igniting the thorn field.
Atlondo felt the pressure explode upward.
[Heart-Draw Sword: Extreme Rapid Chaos Slash]
Sword light flashed wildly.
He cut down vines attacking from every direction.
But even after severing a large portion—
More remained behind them.
And the ice lances and wind blades were already closing in.
Before one wave ended—
Another had already arrived.
BOOM!
A sweep of sword wind shattered a wave of spells near him—
But lightning flashes, falling boulders, and stone arms crashed down immediately afterward.
Hey—
Was this really the pressure a Level 2 mage should be capable of?
It was endless.
He shattered stone arms.
Dodged lightning.
Avoided falling rocks.
And then—
The sky filled with countless ice lances again.
The sea of flames had already reached his feet.
There wasn't even a moment to breathe.
Yet the more intense the battle became—
The faster his heart pounded.
This was the fight he had always longed for.
This was the opponent he had been searching for.
Rei—
You truly are a powerful enemy who can make me fight with everything I have!
BOOM!
He smashed through two more incoming spells.
His body was now covered in blood.
His legs were torn apart by thorns.
Even his feet had caught fire, flames burning against his skin.
Was he about to lose?
About to be defeated?
Was he already cornered?
That feeling surged up inside him.
That step—
It felt like he could finally take it.
Spell after spell continued attacking him relentlessly.
They didn't slow even as his condition deteriorated.
And among the seventeen Reis, he still couldn't tell which one was real.
Or perhaps—
The real one wasn't even among them.
"Good! Very good!"
"Come at me!"
"Let me break all your magic!"
He closed his eyes.
His hand rested on the sword hilt.
His heart pounded like war drums.
His blood roared through his veins.
Wasn't this exactly the powerful enemy he had been seeking?
I can become stronger.
I will defeat this enemy.
I will prove that I am the strongest.
Battle intent condensed within his heart.
All the accumulation of his life—
All the preparation—
In this moment—
It erupted.
His state of mind suddenly reached perfect clarity.
He opened his eyes again.
Everything… seemed to slow down.
Sight.
Hearing.
Smell.
Touch.
Taste.
Even instinct—
All of it became unbelievably sharp.
Ah…
So this was Total Clarity of the Five Senses.
More than twenty years…
And at last, he had grasped it.
He glanced once at the incoming spells.
Then looked toward a distant corner of the battlefield.
In that instant—
Rei felt their gazes meet.
The real body had been found.
BANG!
Before Rei even saw anything clearly—
A white trail of compressed air appeared behind Atlondo as he arrived directly in front of him.
An unbelievably fast burst of speed.
He completely ignored the spells attacking him from behind.
Oh…
Not bad.
Rei heard his lips move slightly.
A quiet whisper followed.
"It's over."
"Interesting opponent."
[Draw Sword: Soaring Piercing Dragon Flash]
BOOM!
The attack exploded forward, piercing toward Rei's body.
CLANG!
But the expected instant kill never came.
The blade struck a barrier—
And failed to penetrate even a fraction.
Rei spoke calmly.
"Impressive."
It had actually pierced through twelve layers of shields…
Three water shields.
Three wind shields.
Three dark shields.
Three stone shields.
And finally—
It had been stopped by a barrier embedded within the stone shields.
Inside that…
There were still fifteen additional layers of other shields remaining.