Even though the staff was made of wood, his sword barely sunk into it. Evenon’s arms shook, then faltered. As the blade continued to descend, he tilted the staff, making the steel only cut his shoulder slightly.

Unshaken, Rylan kicked Evenon’s chest and pushed against it, creating distance between them. He heard the air leaving the man’s lungs. However, despite this, Evenon continued to chant. Rylan immediately dashed forward. He couldn’t give Evenon any time to cast. He didn’t know Evenon’s full abilities, which was why he needed to finish this quickly. He grabbed the hilt with both hands, stepping strongly with his lead foot. His mana circulated at its fastest.

Time to finish this.

His physical state reached its peak. As he was about to use Thunderbolt, Evenon slammed the bottom of the staff on the ground, speaking with a raspy voice.

“Fire Wall.”

Much faster than Rylan had expected, Evenon’s mana around him ignited, surrounding him with flames. As they touched his skin, he gritted his teeth. There was no time for pain. The flames crawled over his flesh, scorching it almost instantly. It made him stop for a second. He overcame the suffering of being burned alive with nothing but an iron will. He needed to end this.

Stormcaller Sword Style, First Movement: Thunderbolt.

He split the flames in half, forcefully slicing through the spell. His body moved at its highest possible speed as he thrust the sword forward. His mana roared within him and the atmosphere shook. Yet, as the blade cut through the fire, it collided with something before it touched Evenon’s body.

For a fraction of a second, it stopped in place as a thought arose in Rylan’s mind.

A Magic Shield?

A layer of green and red mana surrounded Evenon’s figure. It was impossible. There had been no time to cast another spell after casting Fire Wall. Rylan was completely certain of this. It could only mean one thing.

He can dual cast.

Evenon had cast Magic Shield and Fire Wall at the same time. But it wasn’t enough. The Shield cracked under the weight of the Sword Art, and the blade pierced through the crack accurately. However, because of the Shield, its trajectory changed. Instead of reaching Evenon’s neck, it sunk into his left shoulder, coming out on the other side in a heartbeat, almost severing the arm. The two of them slid backward together as Evenon was forced to move because of the attack’s power. Rylan strained himself to push the man even further. Evenon slammed against the outer wall of his own building, grunting. The Shield had kept him from being too injured, but Thunderbolt had been effective. The wooden wall cracked as splinters flew.

Rylan decisively grabbed the hilt with both hands. He pulled the blade out and to the side, slicing through the muscles and blood vessels on its way. Blood flowed, but it was as if Evenon couldn’t even feel pain. He raised the staff as the red crystal glowed.

Rylan immediately backed off with Drifting, avoiding the Firebolt that had been flung at his head. Evenon’s Shield crawled over itself, mending the crack. The man likely hadn’t stopped feeding it mana. The Fire Wall had already disappeared. Surrounded by his Magic Shield, Evenon looked at his crippled left shoulder with a pained frown. Then, he looked at Rylan as if he were staring at a mythical beast.

“To think there were things about you that I still didn’t know about. No, that’s impossible. You don’t have layers.”

Rylan took advantage of this temporary lull to evaluate his condition after putting out the fire in his hair. There were several burns on his limbs, some of them deeper than others. His clothes were ruined, as the leather armor had done little to protect him from the flames. The agony muddled his mind as his breathing hurried. The hands around the hilt trembled. His fingers were also burned, making the very act of holding the sword painful. He gritted his teeth.

“We could’ve been much more than this. It’s a pity,” Evenon continued.

Rylan slowly got into the Stormcaller Sword Style’s stance, replying.

“That’s not the path I want to pursue anymore.”

“You were exactly the same for five years. You will never change. I was the only one who accepted you.”

In a way, it was true. Rylan’s past self, before he remembered his past life, had been accurately described by Evenon. Their relationship had been mutually beneficial. He had had no intention of changing the way things were. But then, he remembered his life as Roland and was fundamentally changed. He felt no desire to keep doing the same things as before.

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Rylan scoffed. He heard footsteps. Without turning around, he raised his left hand. The sound stopped. Calan’s voice reached him.

“Rylan! Just hold on! Reinforcements are coming!”

Maybe Gerard would come himself since it was now known that Evenon was a Fourth Circle Mage. However, Rylan had no desire to rely on other people to sever this one trace of the person he used to be. He would fight and kill Evenon alone. It had been his oath.

“No need. I’ll do this alone,” he replied.

“You’re up against a Fourth Circle Mage! Don’t be stupid!”

Rylan shook his head, still staring at Evenon, who was looking at him with a grin.

“He’s my prey.”

“That’s right. That was our promise,” Evenon said, smiling widely, then looked past Rylan and at Calan, “It’s not something people like you would be able to understand, kid.”

From behind him, Rylan could hear the voices of the people in the crowd.

“What!? They’re fighting! How did Rylan survive!?”

“This is impossible! He overcame a spell cast by a Fourth Circle Mage!?”

Their words of shock and disbelief echoed, but Rylan had no room to keep listening to them. It didn’t matter if they were surprised by his power; the enemy in front of him demanded his full attention.

This will be difficult.

He had expected Evenon to be more powerful than he seemed, but the man had surpassed his expectations. The higher one went, the greater the gap between each Circle, as Gerard had once explained to him. The distance between the Third Circle and the Fourth Circle was much greater than the distance between the Second Circle and the Third. This situation went beyond what he had prepared for with his father. He would need to believe in his instincts and Roland’s battle experience.

Evenon cracked his neck. The Magic Shield still surrounded him.

“Now, should we get back to it?” the man said.

The temperature increased. Flames coalesced around him, gathering in a large sphere. Rylan had no time to yell at Calan to retreat.

“Fireball.”

Rylan’s senses perceived his surroundings. There were twelve guards behind him, and the crowd further behind. They wouldn’t be able to avoid the Fireball in time. If he dodged to the side, Calan and the guards would be hit by the spell. He recognized it as one of the spells Gerard had used against him when training. It was a Third Circle spell. Once it reached its target, it expanded, causing damage to a significant area.

I can’t dodge.

If he did, too many people would be seriously hurt. His mana circulated within him at unprecedented speeds, improving all of his senses and body. It was as if time had slowed down. If he wanted to completely nullify the Fireball’s effects or, at least, to be the only one injured by it, he needed a Sword Art. However, he had already used one. Using another would render him almost completely unable to fight. In this frozen world, only his mind raced.

He raised his blade over his head. His mana circulated according to the Mountainpeak Swordsmanship. He couldn’t dodge, but he couldn’t use a Sword Art. It meant that he would need to sustain an unknown amount of damage. To minimize his injuries, there was only thing he could try and do.

His mana roared within his body. It leaked out of his pores, slowly crawling over his skin to create a defensive layer. It circulated as if he were about to use a Sword Art, reaching the current limit of its speed. The Fireball mercilessly flew toward him, not giving him any time to prepare and adjust his mana. He glanced at Evenon. The red crystal still glowed. Roland’s battle experience whispered to him.

He's going to detonate the Fireball before my sword reaches it.

Evenon had already seen him split a fire spell in half, even though it had been empowered by the staff. He wouldn’t make the same mistake again. As Fireball was a spell that didn’t need to hit the target directly to cause damage, that would be the best plan. He needed to act at the right time.

Not yet.

His senses reached their peak. It was as if everything was moving more slowly. The Fireball flew toward him. Its heat reached him and made him sweat. His injuries burned as the sweat flowed over them, threatening to break his concentration. He controlled his breathing. The sound of the guards’ screams from behind him disappeared in the wind. Only the hot air and incoming attack existed.

Not yet.

The flames now were close enough that he wouldn’t be able to dodge even if he wanted to. He let out a breath.

Now.

He dashed forward with Drifting, getting closer to the Fireball instead of away from it. Not wasting a single moment, he brought the blade down in a vertical slash. The mana crawling over his skin extended itself onto his sword. It was crude and inefficient, but it was the only way to deal with this. The mana-coated edge reached the flames. As fire and mana fought against each other in a contest of strength, the slash continued. Finally, the Fireball was split in half. Rylan let out a breath. This was the best he could do. His gaze zeroed in on Evenon’s figure as the red crystal glowed.

The Fireball exploded in a storm of flames. They immediately reached the mana covering his skin. After a brief clash, the fire, now weakened, reached his skin. The same pain as before arrived, but this time much more intense. The flames roiled over his burns and wounds, making them worse. His blood boiled. It was hard to even breathe; the pain was all-consuming. But he couldn’t fall here. With a scream, his mana resonated, pushing outward from his body. The flames were forced to back off.

After what felt like an eternity, the fire disappeared. Rylan heaved. He didn’t have to analyze his body to know how dire his condition was. He had been injured by the Fire Wall, but it didn’t compare to this. Everything hurt.

“Rylan!”

Calan’s voice came from behind him, but it only managed to make him angry. Hadn’t they understood that they needed to retreat?

“I told you to get the fuck away! Stop being a burden!”