Chapter 30

Keith pushed Mind Division and Mind Enhancement to their limits the moment he recognized his life was on the line. Affected by the skills and adrenaline, his consciousness experienced the world move in slow motion, giving him ample time to consider what to do.

He estimated the dagger-wielding demon’s level was over 800 based on the fact that even though he used Mana Barrier’s Dragon Regalia and Battle Loadout, which swapped his equipment to resist physical damage prior to the attack, she had still cut off his hand in a single swing.

Instead of wondering what a demon was doing here, Keith’s divided minds sought ways to survive against an opponent far more powerful than him. He immediately considered using the fog to hide his tracks, though he first had to gain some distance from the dagger-wielding demon.

Having decided on a plan, Keith tapped the back of his helmet with his remaining hand as he ran, planting a Senory Link mark. He used the additional vision granted by the skill to impede the demon assassin with his flying weapons as best he could.

Unfortunately, Keith underestimated the demon’s prowess.

She easily bypassed the gang of weapons in a few moves, barely giving him enough time to increase the distance between them.

Keith, unwilling to give up, decisively dismissed the weapons before summoning new ones near his position without concern for the mana cost. The newly formed weapon gang launched themselves at the demon, and at the same time, Keith multicast Entangling Roots to back them up.

When Keith saw the demon waste more than a second before passing the weapons again, he inwardly whooped in delight.

The plan was feasible.

Next, Keith repeatedly did the same thing, dismissing the weapons and resummoning them to hinder the demon’s advance. By the time he spent over a million mana, he had left the demon far behind.

Not daring to slow down, Keith pulled out the whistle that could conjure the Dire Desert Eagle so long as he channeled the item for five seconds without interruption.

Before he was halfway through, the mind he delegated to observing mana signatures called out in alarm. Of the four mana signatures he sensed earlier, the one belonging to the dagger-wielding demon was some two hundred feet behind, while the two following on his left and right were now converging on his location.

Not good!

Keith activated Void Shadowstep’s magic immunity form just as a volley of black Firebolts burst out from the fog and phased through his body. At the same time, three glistening arrows came from the opposite direction.

Instantly summoning a thick greatsword, Keith blocked two arrows with the weapon’s flat side. The last arrow punched through his Mana Barrier and halfway into his armor, dealing some damage.

As Keith ran, the two ranged assailants continued their attacks, whittling down his health over time. Their coordination was impeccable, forcing Keith to chew through his mana by phasing continuously.

Although he felt they weren’t overwhelmingly strong, their attacks slowed him down, allowing the dagger-wielding demon behind to slowly catch up.

At the same time as Keith defended against the ranged attackers, a few of his divided minds stalled the dagger-wielding demon by using Arsenal of the Desert and Entangling Roots while the remainder engaged in discussion.

I overlooked something, one of Keith’s minds spoke up. Earlier, how come the dagger-wielding demon exited the fog as if she were a monster? Shouldn’t the fog keep its distance from her like it does for us? It should’ve been two clear areas approaching each other, right?

Another mind responded, Unless the fog works differently than how I thought.

I understand now, the previous mind shouted. What if the fog is a hallucination? It’s all in my mind. If that’s the case, the fifteen-foot clear zone around me is only clear for me. Nobody else can see it. These demons have likely collected quite a lot of Fog Repellent. Even though their clear zone is much larger than mine, it doesn’t work for me.

Good deduction, but how does that help me escape? A new mind interrupted the conversation.

I’ll try the sky, a mind said.

Ok.

Go for it.

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More minds gave their support.

After Keith defended against another wave of attacks, he summoned an Ice Wall at his feet. It rose from the ground, giving Keith a boost as he jumped off it. Activating Flight, he took to the skies.

The two ranged attackers followed in pursuit, though they were a tad slower than Keith, whose Mana Body upgraded his Flight skill by an entire grade. Keith was about to celebrate when the last mana signature he sensed earlier appeared above him.

Oh no!

The air trembled as the phantom of a giant fist the size of a house encompassed Keith’s vision, and the threat it gave off was so great that Keith instantly used Void Shadowstep’s magic immunity form.

The fist phantom passed through Keith when a demon adorned in heavy plate armor appeared beside him. Unable to teleport while phased, the demon plunged a fist deep into Keith’s stomach.

“Ugh!” Keith spat out a mouthful of blood, his body curling around the fist before barreling toward the ground so fast that his vision blurred.

BOOM!

A shockwave spread out from where Keith landed, uplifting the earth wherever it passed. At the center of the newly formed crater was Keith, half-buried under chunks of dirt. It was only now that his Mana Barrier crumbled to pieces.

A moment later, the four demons landed at the edge of the crater from different directions. They glanced at one another, then looked down at Keith as he struggled to his feet, a hand clutching his stomach.

The dagger-wielding demon spoke coldly, “Ustrek, you finish him.”

“Okay,” the plate-armored demon grunted.

Keith’s expression was grim. He watched Ustrek walk down from the crater's edge, not forgetting to keep an eye on the other three demons in case they were trying to deceive him. Now that Keith had lost his chance to flee, he shifted his mindset and devised a plan to counterattack.

It’s now or never, Keith thought.

Without warning, he summoned as many roots as he could, pumping them with so much mana they were thicker than he was tall. Instead of going on the offensive, the roots coiled around Keith and wrapped him in a cocoon.

One layer, two layers, three layers.

Keith consumed vast quantities of mana to bolster his defenses until he felt safe.

Ustrek clicked his tongue, and in one step, arrived next to the giant cocoon, punching out another fist phantom.

CRUNCH!

Sinking deep into the roots, the phantom broke past three layers before dissipating, leaving a fist-shaped indent in the bark.

Ustrek was mildly surprised by the cocoon’s durability; his attack did less than he expected.

Narrowing his eyes, Ustrek repeatedly punched out.

One phantom after another sunk into the roots, breaking them down through sheer force. Bark flew everywhere as the cocoon visibly shrunk under the barrage. And yet, moments later, Keith consumed hundreds of thousands of mana to replace what was lost.

At the same time, Keith allocated a few minds to lock onto the position of the four demons. Through Mana Manipulation, he normally saw blurry figures in his mind’s eye, but now, the pain from his wounds and the threat of imminent death stimulated Keith’s potential, sharpening his senses.

To his astonishment, the blurred figures gradually gained defined shapes.

In his mind, he saw a dense cluster of mana near the demon’s chests. Focusing on the heavily armored demon, the image enlarged, showing numerous skill arrays. One in particular constantly flashed whenever Ustrek punched.

Keith ignored the consecutive notifications informing him that Mana Manipulation leveled up and tried to familiarize himself with his improved mana vision.

Zooming out, Keith vaguely sensed the presence of mana all around him. Whether it was in the ground or air, it was ever-present. In addition, the mana took on five colors: light blue, green, dark blue, brown, and red.

The ground was mostly composed of brown with a mix of dark blue hidden deep underneath. Green filled the air while red was mostly nonexistent. Light blue covered everything. Keith discerned that each color represented an element: green for wind, dark blue for water, brown for earth, and red for fire. Light blue signified neutral mana.

Now that Keith could sense even small motes of mana, a mental map of his surroundings formed in his mind. The cocoon encompassing him, the crater, and some distance further. Everything within a hundred-foot radius reflected itself in his consciousness.

Atop the edge of the crater, when the dagger-wielding demon saw Ustrek struggle to finish the job, she spoke to her other companions in a commanding tone, “You two, assist him. Don’t waste time.”

At her request, the two demons assisted Ustrek, raining arrows and fire-based spells upon the cocoon. The fire spells in particular did more damage than the other two demons combined, as fire countered wood.

Keith knew he was running out of time when he saw the cocoon shrink at a rapid pace.

Taking a deep breath, Keith utilized his vastly improved mana vision and activated Quickdraw, praying that his plan would succeed.

Followed by a soft breeze, three Laegur Beam arrays manifested behind each of the three demons standing at the edge of the crater. With their attention fully on the cocoon, they remained unaware as the arrays started channeling mana.

Just as the Laegur Beam arrays fired, the dagger-wielding demon sensed movement behind her and jumped to the side. Although two of the beams missed her, one went right through her chest, obliterating both her lungs.

The other two demons were not so fortunate.

Three beams of concentrated mana pierced through their head and torso, killing them instantly. Their lifeless bodies toppled over and rolled down the crater.

Ustrek heard the commotion and turned, his eyes widening at the sight.

Right then, a beam shot out from a gap in the cocoon, ripping a hole straight through his skull.

Silence reigned on the battlefield.

When Keith saw the result of his counter-attack, he released the breath he’d unknowingly held, then suddenly paused.

In his mind’s eye, he saw the dagger-wielding demon begin to flee.

For a moment, he stood there, indecisive.

Gradually, his resolve hardened, and he flew in pursuit.

A few minutes later, he stood over the last demon’s body, observing the gruesome sight. The pool of blood reached his feet, yet he remained motionless.

Keith clenched his hands.

For the first time, he killed a person.

Four people.

Though it was self-defense, it was true he had snuffed out their life. Their future, hopes, and dreams, were now forever lost. How many would mourn their death? What of their families? Did they have children?

These questions made Keith feel a bundle of emotions.

Even then, he didn’t regret it, as his conscience was clear.

Keith slowly calmed down, thinking that death had come knocking, only to get the wrong door.