CHAPTER 69

THREE STEPS OF GOD

  Xandor's curiosity was piqued as he pondered which path Hans would choose: power or life. He had a peculiar intuition about Hans, one that the young boy himself was not aware of. He yearned to test the limits of Hans's psyche and discern how much control he possessed over the thing that silently influence his decisions. He was sure of Hans's answer however, the boy's response startled him.

Without the slightest hesitation, Hans replied,

"The book."

  Xandor's disappointment was palpable, a tussle between his rational and emotional sides. Part of him longed to hear the answer that Hans had given, but the other side yearned for the opposite response. He had hoped to see a glimmer of Samson's unwavering loyalty in the child's eyes, even if it was forced by a "thing" in his head but all he could discern was an unquenchable thirst for power, similar to his own.

Hans impatiently demanded,

You have the answer, now give it to me.

Xandor let out a deep sigh before replying,

I don't want to.

Hans protested,

But you just asked me to choose.

"I never promised to give it to you or spare either of you," Xandor retorted.

  Hans gritted his teeth in frustration. He had assumed that Delimira would be used as a bargaining chip so his choice won't influence her safety but he feared that the book might be lost forever if he didn't act quickly. So, he made a hasty decision and chose the book.

  Xandor wasn't the only one let down by Hans' choice. Even though she was paralyzed, Delimira could hear the conversation between the two clearly. Her relationship with Hans was not so deep to risk their lives for each other but still, she had thought of Hans as a dependable person, but his decision to choose a book over her life left her feeling deeply disheartened. Regardless of his motives, Hans's reliability in Delimira's eyes had hit an all-time low.

  Completely unaware of Delimira's thoughts and feelings, Hans was singularly focused on acquiring the solar mage book. As he pondered his next move, he remembered the close call he'd had with Xandor in the past, his Seedbullet almost wounding him. This time, he could draw three mana paths for the attack, and all of them were aimed squarely at Xandor's head. Although TheVeganCarnage and Mutilate were his most powerful spells, Hans didn't want Delimira to be caught in the crossfire so his hand got tied in a fight that he can't win before it began.

  Hans was under no illusions about his chances of winning this fight. Given the current circumstances, he knew that if he didn't take the initiative, he'd be killed without even leaving a scratch on Xandor's face. His only hope for survival was to put some distance between Xandor and Delimira, giving him enough space to unleash his most lethal spells.

  Xandor had been through enough battles to know how to read his opponents, and his previous encounter with Hans had given him insight into his choice of spells under high tension. With a wicked smile, he skillfully dodged the three SeedBullets coming for his head and swiftly took the paralysed Delimira with him.

  With each step Xandor took, the distance between him and Hans grew wider, and since his junior made the first move, he had to demonstrate the vast difference in their strengths. With a calculated ease, he channelled his magic into a spell, one that brimmed with a potent energy of at least six circles.

"LET ME SHOW YOU THE TRUE POWER OF A WARLOCK," he spat, relishing the chance to unleash his might upon a brat who dared to attack him first.

~ SummonBattalion ~

In an instant, Hans found himself surrounded by an army of nearly a thousand skeletal warriors, each one brandishing a sword and shield. Though individually they posed no threat to him, their sheer numbers were overwhelming, and Hans knew he couldn't handle them alone.

  He couldn't help but wonder if the intense magic he was wielding would be detected by Concordia. Yet, it was possible that Xandor had the power to conceal it, just as he had done before in Edenberg County. Hans realized that he needed to create an explosion so powerful that it would shatter whatever veil of isolation Xandor had cast.

  But there was a catch. After unleashing such an attack, Hans would be utterly defenceless. All he could do was hope that someone was nearby to help him when it happened. But the truth was that he was gambling on his luck, and he knew it. In theory, he knew how it worked but he never got a chance to visualize it beforehand.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  Undeterred, he began to swirl the mana around him, increasing its density by several folds. With every passing second, his power grew, and the air around him crackled with energy that seemed almost to leave traces in the surrounding.

FIRST STEP

Hans took a step forward, stretching the centre of the swirling mana without relinquishing control. The strain and weight of the mana caused a familiar pain to course through his body, but he was not going to stop there. It was time for him to step up his game. He shouted and pushed even further.

SECOND STEP

As Hans took another step forward, the pressure doubled, and the skeletal army that had been closing in on him felt its weight upon them, slowing their advance. The surroundings started to shake, causing the trees to sway violently, as though a powerful storm was brewing.

  To Xandor's surprise, Hans had already surpassed his expectations, unleashing an unprecedented level of power. However, unexpected scenarios were not what Xandor wanted. He had hoped to see Hans on his knees, pleading for mercy. To make that happen, Xandor added more mana to the skeletal army, raising the spell from the sixth to the seventh circle.

THIRD STEP

Hans refused to stop there; he was determined to push beyond his limits. Despite barely being able to hold onto the turbulent mana, he took another step forward, crying out in agony as the pain tore through him, causing wounds to appear all over his body and blood to gush out.

  Finally, Hans stopped, gasping for breath as he struggled to maintain control. After a moment, he let out a fierce yell, releasing the overly stretched mana in a burst of energy so hot that it scorched the surrounding grass, plants, and even the soil.

~ ManaStorm ~

Hans had secretly practised it, but he could barely take the second step without injuring himself. He didn't know how he had succeeded this time.

  The violent tornado of mana continued to expand forward, disintegrating everything in its path. It crushed the army of undead skeletons in mere seconds but didn't stop until it had erased everything within a 300-meter radius

  Although Hans knew that this attack couldn't harm Xandor, his aim was to break down any possible barrier and attract someone to his location. The shockwave alone was enough to reveal his position.

  Hans could feel the excruciating pain surging through every fibre of his being, tearing his muscles apart and cracking his bones. Blood was still oozing out of his every orifice, yet he refused to succumb to unconsciousness. He knew he had to remain conscious, for he was facing a foe more dangerous than any he had ever faced before.

  Xandor had achieved his half-goal, bringing down the sad reminder of his king to his knees, but the satisfaction he thought he would get did not come. Unscathed and menacing, he materialised before the battered Hans and addressed him in a mocking tone, "I must say, you are quite something, brat."

His gaze shifted to the barren wasteland around him once more and a smirk played at the corner of his lips."Neutralizing my almost seventh-circle spell is quite the feat, even if it's a one-time use," he said, his voice dripping with condescension.

He reached down and roughly grabbed a handful of Hans' sweat-soaked hair, pulling him closer. "If you want the book, then bring me the 'Rebellion'," he demanded with a sneer.

  Upon hearing Xandor's proposal and realizing that he was not going to be killed, Hans's will weakened, and he finally succumbed to unconsciousness. The unstable mana storm had already knocked out Delimira some time ago and had successfully achieved its purpose. As a result, a continuous drumming sound reverberated through the sky.

  Xandor's face paled as he uttered a string of curses under his breath. "Why is this pacifist bastard moving now?" he exclaimed, his eyes frantically scanning the area to catch a glimpse of the man. But before he could react, the man appeared right in front of him and delivered a punch so swift that it sent Xandor flying.

  The situation was far from over, however. With an unseen force, the mysterious man raised his hand, causing Xandor to freeze in place before being pulled back towards his initial position. With a voice filled with rage, the man declared, "I had enough of your charade, no blood of mine shall spill, not again, not in front of me."

  Having known the man in front of him for a long time, Xandor understood the gravity of the situation and the potential for it to quickly escalate. As the leader of Eclipse, he possessed a wealth of battle experience and knew the importance of taking risks to achieve success.

  Determined not to succumb to another attack, Xandor pushed forward, allowing himself to be pulled towards the mysterious man while surrounding himself with dark mana. In a dramatic show of defiance, he cried out, "Protecting a fake, Han!! If only you had taken action sooner, I would still have a king to serve, you pacifistic son of a bitch."

  Just as a clash between Xandor and the mysterious man seemed imminent, another voice echoed as thunder aided his descent. Rudolf the Warlord had finally managed to find Hans's location and with all his might, he bellowed at the top of his lungs.

"XANDOR!" His voice carried an immense sense of rage, powerful enough to consume anything in its path.

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