Absolute power.
In the depths of Graviel’s consciousness surged an overwhelming sense that coursed through his veins as he unleashed the most potent spell of his life. The elixir he had consumed granted him abilities beyond his wildest dreams, and the sensation of wielding such immense power felt almost surreal.
However, amidst the adrenaline given by the rush of power, Graviel couldn’t shake the fear inside him. If he were to lose here, then wouldn’t all the things he had done be for naught?
Once, he was not as ambitious a man as he was now. Living his life normally, devoted to the pursuit of knowledge and truth. However, when the Merlin family discovered that he had almost no talent for magic, they callously abandoned him, as if he was a defective product. In a world where strength reigned supreme, not being able to use magic and suffering from an unknown illness spelled a certain doom.
It was at that moment that the Cult took an interest in him. Curing his ailment of magic talent and promising him boundless knowledge and unparalleled power — an offer he couldn’t refuse. But there was no free meal in this world; Graviel had to give them something in return. Thus, he orchestrated the expedition upon learning of a Magus inheritance that held the potential to help him.
“VICTOR!!” Graviel shouted with all his might, channeling every ounce of his mana into the spell.
Yet, the force of the scorching cyclone his spell clashed with was no least bit inferior to his own. In fact, it was pushing against him ever so slightly, threatening to overwhelm him. He refused to accept it; he refused to lose at this place.
Therefore, he pushed his body to its limits, sacrificing his potential to reach the “pinnacle” state of any magician — mana overload. Every shred of infused mana within him was drawn forth like it was about to explode, his entire being consumed by the raging snowstorm he commanded. Inch by inch, the snowstorm was finally able to overpower the other force somewhat, and victory was in sight.
Even if this meant leaving him crippled afterward, Graviel cared not. As long as he achieved victory and claimed the legacy of the Steelrose Order, then every problem would be solved. He would no longer have to become the dog of the Cult — the Armageddon Cult!
But just as triumph was drawing near, several unseen ethereal blades sliced through the colliding forces, hurtling toward him with deadly precision. Caught off guard and unable to divert his focus from maintaining the spell’s power, Graviel was defenseless to the sudden attack.
“Argh!” Agony lanced through him as the blades struck true, sending him hurtling backward until his body collided with the chamber wall. His transformation abruptly ended, blood spilling from his lips as he succumbed to the injuries inflicted upon him.
The ambition that flashed through his mind was getting further and further away…
***
Victor was standing motionless as the colliding forces dissipated. He looked ahead at the fallen figure of Graviel, whose transformation had abruptly ended. What remained of his former self was a frail figure, barely recognizable as human, ravaged by injuries. His face resembled that of a charred corpse, and his once vibrant red hair was reduced to ashes. But despite that, he was still alive.
Nevertheless, that didn’t stop Graviel from making a last-ditch effort to rise and face Victor. Even now, the last flicker of ambition inside his eyes had yet to fade.
“It’s over. Resistance is futile; you can’t win this,” Victor stated, shaking his head.
“No! Not yet!” He, with all his might, managed to conjure a high-quality health potion from his interspatial ring and downed it in one go. Though his injuries began to heal at an astonishing rate the nature of the elixir that he had consumed was too demonic. His body which had somewhat healed up became even more grotesque than before with him screaming in agony.
In spite of that, Graviel was undeterred and attempted to cast a spell toward Victor, but nothing came forth.
“Enough. I shall end your life here.” Victor was about to cast a spell, but the elemental energy almost failed to gather on his palm; he was running low on mana. Two relentless battles had depleted his reserve, and he was also physically exhausted by now — he even checked it on the status screen.
MP: 31/420
“You lowly cur! You can’t do this to me!” Graviel shouted through gritted teeth. “The Merlin family won’t sit idly if you kill me, their precious heir, and the Arcane Radiance College will also intervene!”
Isn’t that the same line I uttered back when they double-crossed me? Victor thought wryly. Funny. It is truly ironic how the table has turned.
“Who cares.” Victor gave a mocking smile. “This place is secluded inside a pocket dimension; it would be near impossible to trace you here. And even if they did, they would think your demise was simply an ‘accident.’ Besides,” he added with cold, confident eyes, “even if they come to find me, I’ve total confidence in my ability to wipe them out.”
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
Victor was aware that large Magus families like the Merlin family would have soul lamps where their members put a trace of their aura. The moment someone died, their corresponding soul lamp would shatter. Even his own family — the Asteriscus Magus family — did have those, only in small quantities and used by the upper echelons only.
“Damn you!” Graviel cursed loudly, his eyes bloodshot as he struggled to stand, only to fail and resemble a hideous living corpse looking up with threatening eyes. “You may not care about the Merlin family nor the academy because you got some backing, but the Cult that backs me up… not even ten Arcane Radiance Colleges could contend. The Armageddon Cult will bring a new order to this world and call upon the power of the ‘outer gods’! You would be dead meat—”
“Are you done?” Victor had let him keep speaking so that he could gather some information about the force backing him. Now that he had some insight, it was time to end his life. Conjuring a thin purple ethereal blade with his remaining mana, Victor hoisted it above Graviel’s body.
Given Graviel’s current state, turning him into a mindless NPC with a mind-controlling spell would be futile; he was nothing more than a living corpse. Thus, putting an end to him here would be the most prudent course of action to prevent future troubles.
“With this, vengeance is mine!” Victor plunged the sword into Graviel’s back, effortlessly piercing through him like cutting butter.
“Aagh!” Graviel shrieked in pain.
“Victor, I curse you!” What Victor did not expect was that Graviel had taken a strange demonic statue out of his interspatial ring and used the blood from his injuries to fuel it. He tried to pull the blade out and tried to decapitate Graviel, but an unknown force from his incantation seemed to stop his motion, making him unable to stop him!
“By the ancient words of old, let the shadows bind thy soul. By the blood of the forsaken, let darkness consume thy essence. May the echoes of lost souls pierce thy being, and may despair be thy eternal companion—! {Mortalbane Curse}!” he chanted using the ancient Seraphian language. Subsequently, sinister dark red energy materialized from the demonic statue and lunged at Victor.
“Well shit!” With the proximity between him and Graviel very close, Victor had no time to back away, but luckily, there was enough time to activate his magic tool, the Twilight Moon Pendant, turning him into an ethereal moonlight shadow, making the sinister energy miss him.
“What?!” Graviel was speechless upon seeing him dodging the curse, but a smile returned to his face not long after.
Alas, this state couldn’t be maintained longer than several seconds, so as soon as the effect disappeared, the sinister energy seeped into him. What rotten luck.
“Hahaha! You’re dead now! That curse will slowly sap your life force and vitality until you’re nothing more than a dry corpse. Not even an official Magus would be able to last more than a week!” Graviel laughed satisfyingly like a maniac. “It cost me my life, but it’s worth it!”
True to his words, Graviel’s body started to slowly crumble into dust. On the flip side, Victor experienced extreme weakness — his vision was beginning to blur like a drunkard. It was a familiar feeling, with him experiencing a similar thing when he was poisoned in the past.
“Ugh!” Victor fell to one knee, almost unable to keep himself from collapsing. He was, after all, already physically exhausted, now coupled with this, he had no strength left. If it wasn’t for his extraordinary constitution, he would have died then and there.
It was at that critical moment when a familiar white silhouette appeared beside him and barked. Moreover, it absorbed the sinister energy with its mouth before letting out an unexpected burp.
When Victor managed to focus his blurry vision, he was dumbfounded. “L-Lumen? How did you…”
To think that his magical mount, whom he had left outside the mechanical tower, would come to his rescue when he needed it the most. Just how the heck did it happen? Victor was absolutely clueless.
Graviel was yet to disintegrate totally and witnessed the curse that had cost him his life to cast being consumed by the magical wolf as if drinking water. “Wh-What?! What kind of magical creature is this?! Impossib—”
“You’ve been uttering that word multiple times already; my ears are ringing from hearing it. As I said before, ‘nothing’ is impossible,” Victor stated.
However, as opposed to displaying unwillingness, there was a slight recognition on his face. “Victor, listen… If anyone can achieve what I couldn’t, it’s you. But don’t get cocky; I’m still counting on the Cult to take you down and undo everything you've built up.” He chuckled bitterly as his body crumbled to dust, leaving nothing but his equipment and a silver ring — a grim testament to the steep cost of his actions.
The Cult… The Armageddon Cult. Outer gods… There are too many shocking things that he spilled. As a member of a small Magus family in the countryside, he was not privy to most of these terms. His knowledge was so limited that he might very well be compared to the players when they first joined his “game.” Totally ignorant.
When Victor was swimming in his reverie, a resounding ding appeared in his head.
[Mission Accomplished!]
[Congratulations on passing the mission. You have enacted your vengeance in a brilliant way and punished those who have wronged you.]
[The reward (Mermaid Tears Elixir) has been issued.]
Sweet.
With this, the only objective left was to finish the side mission by investigating any treasures that were worth taking. But more pressingly, he had yet to address the elephant in the room.
Turning his gaze toward Lumen, Victor said as he patted her head affectionately, “You saved my butt twice, pal. I owe you more than words can express. But first, how did you even get in here and find me?”
Victor found this fact implausible. The main entrance was heavily guarded by golems, making it seem unlikely that Lumen could have entered undetected. Even if there were alternative entrances to the tower, they would likely be similarly protected. To top it all off, to be able to find Victor in this extremely expansive interior within a short time frame seemed impossible. Unless… someone deliberately allowed Lumen entry and guided her to my location. And that “someone” must be—
Right then, enthusiastic applause suddenly broke the silence, followed by two pairs of approaching footsteps and a familiar voice. “Incredible! Absolutely stunning! A performance worthy of admiration. We enjoyed watching this thoroughly.”
Victor’s muscles tensed as he felt a sense of déjà vu wash over him. Lumen, too, quickly stood in front of him and growled at the darkness.
Turning to the source of the voice, he beheld the two individuals who had orchestrated this entire ordeal, having outsmarted even him in this scheme.