Wait, he knew?!

I did suspect that he was from the same place I was, but…

I guess my fears were rooted in facts.

After I woke up, I did expect someone to be sent to find me… To have some kind of an arrest warrant or some shit…

But for me to be followed here?!

Or rather US. Now at least there was no question: that was why he was chasing Axelrod. Or rather Mike.

-You indirectly destroyed billions of lives! And you think you can get away with it with just some words!?

-Ah. I didn’t expect…

He didn’t let me finish.

-So, you DO admit it? What, I refreshed your memory or something?!

Kon and for were staring at me expectantly. Probably thinking that it was some misunderstanding. But after the last sentence, it was clear that it was not the case.

I could feel the question bombard me, the two of them trying desperately to contact me, but I just ignored them.

-I do remember. But I didn’t expect for someone to follow me here that was not involved in… that.

-Involved? HA. INVOLVED. THE WHOLE WORLD WAS INVOLVED YOU MANIAC. YOU DESTROYED CONTINENTS. YOU AND YOUR STUPID FRIENDS. AND NOW YOU HAVE THE GUTS TO JUST LIVE HERE LIKE NOTHING HAPPENED?!

I mean, he was not wrong, I was planning on that.

But, that didn’t change anything for me. I very well knew that the situation we left behind was… bad. Maybe not on the scale he was presenting me, but still.

Despite that, I was not going to just lie down and take it, whatever he was planning to do. And not like he could do much to me for that matter.

I mean, sure in the confrontation, probably, but not in the long run, as demonstrated by my recovery. Maybe not instant, but still.

-I am flattered that someone has dedicated their whole life for me. Do you even get paid for that? What am I talking about, of course you don’t. People here don’t care.

-Wrong. And I don’t need any money to do the right thing.

-Right, sure. Everyone cares, including Axelrod.

-Oh, don’t pretend, you know him. You know that he is as involved as it gets.

-Of course I know. But he is the largest power in this world. I doubt that any of his “subjects” would care about that. If his power wouldn’t be enough, he’d just talk his way out of it. And judging by your sorry company, he has enough of it to keep you in check. Hell, I am surprised that you still exist.

-Hmfp.

-Boss, what’s going on…?

One of his men finally asked about his weird demeanor. It took them long enough, after all he’s just been talking to himself for the past few minutes. At least from their perspective.

-Smartass is trying to weasel his way out of it.

He was not wrong. But it was clear that I was not going anywhere with that approach. So, I decided that I should probably act.

-Kon. For. I am going to attack. As soon as you’re free, get in cover.

-Finally!

For was apparently eager to act.

-What?! Mor, is that really you?!

Right. It was the first time I contacted him with this form. He did recognize me, though.

-Yeah, yeah, we’ll talk later.

-No, stop! If you attack, then…

But I was not listening.

I already had a spell in mind. It would be the first time I’ve used something like that, though…

Nivemu, gepfo. Mohet, csymo.

No words. Just a thought was enough.

I was sure it was going to be a costly one. At least the first one.

That was directed at my own binds. Those were made out of something metal, or at least I assumed so, so instead of burning, I straight up heated it up to the point of melting.

It worked flawlessly. Hell, even a bit too good. I mean, heat didn’t do much to my own skin, but having drops of molten metal sprayed everywhere was a bit unsafe for everyone. Good thing they moved me away from the rest of the prisoners.

The second spell was targeted towards the binds of other people.

I guess they didn’t expect them to be so powerful, because they just used simple ropes that burned as easily as it gets.

That worked… a bit too well.

I mean, I expected that I’d feel the mana drain from me, or at least felt some kind of a difference in my supply, but nope. Hell, it was the opposite: I felt invigorated, like I just got a shot of adrenaline.

Strangely, my companions weren’t exactly in the same boat.

Quite the opposite, actually. While For and Kon were able to get out of their binds, that’s as much as they were able to do. They were barely able to stand and while they did try to follow my earlier instructions, that was not the efficiency I was expecting.

It’s not like they used much mana or anything, yet…

Something was wrong.

I quickly tore off the gag from my face and screamed on top of my lungs.

-MOVE! Gymnu tehu!

I conjured a handful of arrows made out of pure lightning and aimed them towards the enemies.

-Fotoho lek qigo!

Again, I didn’t feel anything being drained from me. I felt energized.

Something was very wrong.

The arrows split into multiple shards and flew right at the “boss” and his team. But they didn’t move. They just… took it.

And at the same time, I noticed one of the kids fall down, face first on the sand.

Did I fuck up?

Did I accidently aim it at them too?

No, not possible. I am not that careless. The kids were nowhere near where I was aiming for…

Yet, in a blink of an eye, more of them started to faint.

Yeah, they were fainting alright. I could tell their mana was getting diminished by the moment…

Wait a second.

Their mana was not just disappearing… it was… going somewhere.

It was going towards… me?

At the same time I had the realization, so did the rest. And they did not like it at all.

-The amulets! Quickly!

Amulets?

Right, they did mention them… that they were able to drain mana…

But why was it going towards me though?

Before he used to somehow control me… or rather everyone. It should only affect those wearing it, right? So why was I part of it too?

Wait.

What were those things made out of?

Could that be that… just like that thing they were forging before…

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Was it made out of my own Origin Crystal as well?

It would definitely explain the fact that I was affected. Not so much the effects, though.

But that was good news! I had the advantage then! It wouldn’t be a problem if not for the fact that I couldn’t get a proper hit on any of them.

Of course, they were not just waiting to get hit. Quite the opposite. The moment my spell hit, they already were chanting some counterattacks,

I could tell that most of the spells had in some way using light magic: the same thing that managed to get me

Yet, when I was hit by three balls of light and another ray mixed with some fire, there was no damage.

No. Just like with other spells, I could effortlessly drain the mana from it. Not good news for them.

I couldn’t help myself but laugh. I didn’t really understand what was going on, but it was exhilarating.

I mean, it’s not like I ever considered feeling powerful before, but for some reason, this time the feeling hit me with full force. I don’t know, it might have had something to do with me being connected to others more closely, thanks to the amulets… Because as soon as the prisoners noticed me just shrugging the attacks, or I mean those that were still conscious, that is, they were positively elated. Some even started cheering. Funny bunch.

But, the happiness didn’t last long.

After the quick exchange of spells, or rather me just taking a full force of their attack laughing, left without the scratch, they decided to change tactics.

-If I can’t get you that way, let’s see if you can stomach all this!

I was not sure what he was on about, nor did I care, but he did have some kind of plan in mind.

He was now holding about five amulets, pulling together his other people. It was strange, looking like he was dragging them behind him on a very short leash.

-We are yours to command!

Well, at least they were loyal to him.

-Xvuqsy!

Oh. A third level spell. A bit strange though, just a singular word: infuse. Hm.

I am unsure what he was expecting to do with that vague of a spell.

But, as soon as mana hit me, I understood.

“Infuse”- he was pouring mana towards the amulets he was holding. And, since I was connected, he essentially was transferring his, and his men’s mana right towards me, with incredible speed.

But what’s the problem, right? He’s going to just make you more powerful, right? There’s no point!

That's right and wrong at the same time.

Sure, he would make me more powerful, but to what degree?

I can only assume he was planning that he’d just somehow overwhelm me with so much mana that I’d get drunk or incapacitated from the powerful stream now being absorbed by my body.

Before, that would probably be a good idea. Maybe even worked.

Not now, though.

First off, I was connected to more than just him. I had the kids and, of course, Kon along with For. Meaning, I had quite a handful of people that I was able to use as a battery.

To boot, it was also not hard to deduce that everyone here was not in the greatest shape mana wise. Drained, tired or what else: that stream that was pouring into me was getting split between the rest, refreshing them.

Second, I still was myself. Just like the rest, I was not in the best shape: my mana deficit was still a thing. Not for long though.

Even with my large capacity, the desert did a number on me: what they were now fixing for me.

How nice of them.

Time to act.

-Temvo!

One word and I felt my legs toss me right towards the “boss” and his lackeys.

What was for me just an enhanced jump, for them must have looked like I just materialized right next to them, along with a cloud of sand.

I didn’t even bother using more magic.

I just started punching.

One blow was enough to knock most of them down to the ground.

First people didn’t even give me any resistance: just flopped onto the sand, unconscious, their mana absorbed by my own fist.

They did not expect physical alteration. While I was not very athletic, my boosted speed was more than enough to overwhelm most of them before they reacted, and even then, when they finally started giving me some resistance, they couldn’t do much. Spells just were getting absorbed and everyone who tried to attack me was just forced to take the brunt of draining.

But, while I was clearly at an advantage and being able to put them down flat on the ground, that doesn’t mean that they stayed there.

They were considerably resilient, standing up as soon as they were knocked down, getting back into the fray.

“Not for long”, I thought to myself.

I scanned them for the source of their supernatural ability to recover, and it was clear to me as day: that was the pendants' fault.

Every time they were knocked down, the mana from the amulets were getting them right back up. Whatever I drained got pulled back to them via the same method I was getting the power-boost.

It was just a large tug-of-war, if the rope was circular: utterly pointless.

I had to change targets: go for the amulets. Those things were bad news. I mean, those were made out of my own body, no wonder, Origin Crystal is a pain to deal with, no matter what form it takes. I am the first and a main example.

But, it was not like they were going to fold and let me get them off me without a fight.

Same with their boss. As soon as he shook off the initial surprise, he immediately went towards the prisoners.

They were not defenseless, though.

Kon and For were also under the influence of this ridiculous mana chain, and since they were also partially made out of Origin Crystal, they were dealing with the effects a bit better than them: the crystals were, just like me, getting a better share of the combined mana pool of everyone else.

Meaning, they were stronger than before.

It was clear even without looking closely, the first spell For tossed looked like she casted so effortlessly, and yet it was the largest one I’ve seen from her yet.

-Geksu fytu!

A shower of fire sparks flooded the enemies, burning everyone in sight.

Or at least that was supposed to happen, judging from the incantation.

What she actually conjured, was more like a hail of small meteors that knocked most of the enemies on the floor.

They stood up instantly, but that still gave Kon time.

-Wisfe moho!

Although the spell was straightforward, the effect was not.

Boosted by the mana he was getting, instead of conjuring a binding net out of plantlife, he created… just pure energy.

It probably also had something to do with the fact that the desert was not really full of life, so creating flora was harder. If not impossible.

That was a bit more problematic though, because even though the green net that sprawled through the enemies and wrapped itself around their legs was indeed stronger and faster, it was easily dispelled by anyone who touched it with the amulet.

I was going to do that as soon as I was to step closer, though, so it wasn’t much of a problem.

It did manage to give me time to grab one of the amulets…

Before that, their boss managed to toss a spell at me. Or rather, all of us.

Throughout this scuffle, he was trying to keep his composure and act calmly and carefully, despite the fact that he was both scared shitless and shaky as hell. I am not even going to mention the fact that he just stood there for a good while, stunned with the outcome of the events, knowing very well that it was his fault.

As soon as he realized that he was not going anywhere though, his demeanor changed.

It was obvious that in the long run, we were the ones holding advantage. Since we were carrying within ourselves the actual and original Origin Crystal, mana was naturally being drawn towards us. To some more than to others, but still, the three of us were definitely going to be standing victorious if the state of affairs was not to change.

He knew that.

And he was getting desperate.

He grabbed the nearest “companion” of his, although at that point I am unsure if he even was thinking enough about them to call them even “acquaintances”, and got hold of an amulet of theirs, at the same time getting his own off and holding is as far away as he physically could from himself.

-Boss, are you sure…

Whatever he was going to do, the guy realized what’s up immediately. And… Well, he was not thrilled.

-I am. We need to do this. They are getting an advantage.

The guy nodded, and his demeanor changed.

-We can’t let them repopulate.

What?

But before I was able to process what they were talking about, the situation went south really quick.

It wasn’t really hard to figure out, because I have seen that spell before. And it was not good news for anyone here.

They were trying to blow themselves up.

I was not going to let that happen.

I mean, at least try to. It wouldn’t be a problem when it’s just one suicidal maniac, but with a whole gaggle of them?

Before they even managed to start chanting, I already managed to grab the first one and torn off their necklace. But that did not stop the rest. Instead, they seemingly changed the spell, because the incantation seemed different from what I expected. Although the effect was still the same.

-Jomva, svury qyo zyza nom ucspahy!

Great. They were still adamant on blowing themselves up in a fiery explosion.

I dived down to the ground, trying to not get completely blasted away by the fire. But, not before I managed to tackle that “boss” of theirs. If they were going to blow themselves up, they could do that.

I just needed one.

-Jomva, svury qyo zyza nom ucspahy!

-Jomva, svury qyo zyza nom ucspahy!

The spell echoing through the ruins, accompanied with paired explosions was the only thing that I was going to hear for the next minute or two.

I could feel the warmth of fire searing my back, along with the wild flow of mana rampaging through me: be it from the explosions or the fact that every second one source of magic that was connected to me was disappearing.

That, and the fact that I was still holding down the guy and draining his mana was not helping the overall torrent of magic.

Yeah, as I fell down, I pinned him down, half to immobilize him and prevent him from casting, half to save him from instant vaporization. He wouldn’t be useful to me while dead, right?

I was a bit worried that I’d drain him completely, but luckily he still had enough clothes for me to avoid most of the direct contact, letting me minimize the draining to whatever I wanted.

At first, he was squirming, but strangely, not even once he tried casting a spell. I mean, I wouldn’t let him do that anyway, by draining it at a source, or just straight up knocking his lights out, but after he realized that I was protecting him from the explosions, he stopped moving and was just staring at me, terrified.

Finally, the explosions stopped.

I looked him directly in the eyes.

-It would be the best for you if you’d not move or try anything stupid.

He did not reply.

-Moho.

My spell was as basic as it gets: I created a rope out of pure mana and wrapped it around him, tying him in every possible way imaginable.

He was not getting away from me, nor casting any spells without me noticing. And not like he had mana for anything in the first place. I mean, he always could try blowing himself up, but that I would be able to prevent.

-Good.

I stood up, and finally realized the scale of destruction that I was just witnessing.