The unconscious Haddock was still adrift in the endless, distorted space.

Merlin's spell was indeed stupendous yet appalling; a flat wall adorned with portraits and emblems was transformed into a sparse tunnel with no clear destination. Minutes ticked by, yet the Grand Magus sank ever deeper, and no volunteer dared to enter the hole to aid their leader. The wizards were exhausted. The sorcerers were too. Their leader, Merlin, of course, was an exception. He still appeared as prime as he beat up the Western land mages, while Bartholomew Strongbark replaced Haddock once again to lead the melee.

Haddock stirred at last and found himself plummeting into a bottomless abyss that was, in reality, the wall of his office. A fleeting thunderstruck stopped his heart but he soon regained his composure. He noticed how far he was from the lobby as if sinking into the deepest trough.

"I shouldn't have used these spells, but I guess you've left me no other choice." Haddock took out a small chest containing a collection of Arcane mights, stored in several small capsules. Apparently, it was a bargain Alicia had exchanged for a fancy flare. The Grand Magus was cunning indeed.

He pulled out his wand.

"Integro!"

In the heat of battle, the monks and scholars sensed the tumultuous mana in the air, a whirlwind of wasted life force clumping together and forming a cloud that streaked into Merlin's tunnel. Haddock was attempting to absorb the mana he had taken out during the fight to flow throughout his body once more. Merlin too saw the clouds and knew that the Grand Magus, nicknamed "Europa’s Wonder Boy," had yet to concede defeat.

Mana was a practitioner's life force. When emitted through magic spells, it did not just disappear; instead, it flowed through the universe and merged with the force of nature. This Integro spell did not require a handful of mana, but a foreign energy hitting a person's body and being forced into it would cause the summoner to convulse. The pain was so harrowing it could even kill the spell user if overwhelmed. Hence, the spell was reserved for critical times and deemed one of the forbidden spells.

However, Haddock was no ordinary practitioner. He was a Grand Magus and a war veteran who would face yet another war. The pain was his daily bread. When the energy pool came, he greeted it wide. And the mana exposure greeted him back with a scalding thrill all over his body. If Haddock could not stand that, he would never have earned the title of the world's wizard chief.

With his mana restored, Haddock called forth his trusty steed, Jubilant Jay, and hopped on its back. He took one of the three small capsules containing the Arcane and stuffed it into another flagship device.

A long-barreled revolver.

Haddock and broom Jay cruised to the mortal realm's surface, the grandeur of the moment was not lost on the wizards who cheered for his arrival. Merlin, on the other hand, stood with a blank stare. Haddock returned the regard to the self-proclaimed "Merlin", with a piercing one.

The Grand Magus dismounted from his broom.

His shiny revolver was aimed at Merlin's head.

"Gun, Grand Magus?" mocked Merlin with his straight face. The other sorcerers raised their eyebrows, a gesture of underestimation towards the Grand Magus as well. But the scholars knew better. An abrupt silence struck over the crowd. The virtuous wizards lowered their wands. Bartholomew shook his head. Even the bravest among them was the first to step back, followed by his other colleagues.

"Don't tell me you intend to take 'that' out in a closed room, oh you fool!" Barthie mumbled as he pulled the others to flee from the site that soon would be a “crime scene”.

If a wizard decided to throw away his wand for a revolver, two possibilities (or certainty) emerged: one, the target was a world-class threat; two, the target's fate was sealed, destined for the embrace of Hades.

Haddock's only reply to Merlin's taunt was a single sentence:

"Iudicium Plumbum!"

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

The former Grand Magus should have retracted his words as a potent wind gushed behind the actual Grand Magus. Haddock's revolver barrel glowed violently they could no longer discern the entire room. Merlin's eyes widened in disbelief.

A beam of white gleam boomed towards Merlin and his followers!

It was so loud that all they could hear was a hum, some of them became deaf. The beam instantly nullified Merlin's magic and blew up the other side of the building. A gaping hole to the outside world. The intensity of the release even crumbled the walls behind Haddock, leaving nothing but white shadows in their wake.

Haddock's knee failed after that. He, too, could not stand the magic that destroyed his senses. Alas, the shot only resulted in a substantial deduction from his salary due to the sky palace almost turning into dust. Merlin and his followers evaded demise, and now they were standing upside down on the ceiling.

"Not bad," Merlin praised Haddock. "I've never seen such a spell in Wizardry. It was my fault for underestimating you."

Haddock smacked his lips, retorting, "And you managed to get yourself and the others away from my magnum opus. You're not just anyone, though I still refuse to acknowledge you as Merlin."

"Magnum opus? Son, you are too green and arrogant to call that magic a magnum opus. It's a disease of Westerners. Do not let your Gods’ Centre syndrome flare up again."

"I still have ammunition to kill you one more time, old man!"

A portal in the form of a dimensional crack materialised before Haddock. Ko Zarni, Tenshin, and Garnika were stunned by the ravaged surroundings.

"Seeing your condition, I don't think you can persuade the Child of Miracles yet," Merlin uttered to the trio standing below.

Tenshin's eyes darted to the source of the voice. "Master Merlin," he stammered, "Apology. A thousand apologies, Master! I have failed you. I did not concentrate well against her. I-I... I still need practice... I am ready to face any punishment you see fit once we return."

Merlin was silent for a moment, his gaze cold. "We're retreating for now. You three, create a portal for yourselves!"

Merlin and the others used the portal to escape to their hiding place. Alicia and her guardian wizards managed to break through the door, only to confirm the fact that she had missed another spectacular display of magic from the Grand Magus. Now it was rubbles remained. Not only them, a group of mages outside, along with mounted griffins, greeted their allies through Haddock's shot hole.

Alicia walked over to see the magic palace that was once spacious and beautiful, was now formless. All because of her. Guilt was growing in the girl's heart.

"Alicia...," Haddock called her softly. Alicia looked at the Grand Magus, who was being supported by another mage. "Whatever you think, do not think that this is your fault."

“G-Grand Magus….”

Before she could say another word, a voice from outside called out to her.

"Alicia!"

"P-Papa? Papa!"

The girl rushed to hug her father. She did not forget to hug Leith who came later. Tears welled up in her eyes again, but she held back a sob.

"Sis, are you alright?" asked Leith. Alicia nodded slowly.

Donar's hand gently rested upon his daughter's shoulder, a comforting gesture to quell the turmoil within. "Thank Silent Divine you are unharmed." Yet, amidst his relief, he could not help but notice the transformation that had befallen the once majestic castle of Magisterium, now reduced to a relic of ancient grandeur. "I feared the worst, my dear. I imagined you and the others pursued relentlessly by an enigmatic assembly of masked mages."

"Masked mages? How can Papa know? D-don't tell me..." Alicia's eyes darted between her father and brother. Her gaze then settled upon Leith, and with a careful examination, she discovered the concealed bandages and the telltale stains of crimson hidden beneath his attire.

"Leith, yer body!"

Leith pulled his shirt from his sister's grip. "I'm fine, sis. You're safe, that's what matters."

"Dinnae joke around! Those masked mages are our own kin, how could I be fine when they have no problem killing us all?" Alicia gripped the fabric of her father's clothes tighter. "This is unfair, I never asked for this in the first place."

Donar just sighed. "So there's no safe place for my daughter? Even for a magic fortress like Skycastle? Did the Crimsonmane wizards do this?"

"No, no." Haddock approached the Crimsonmane family. "This is the work of the Eastern sorcerer group and its leader called 'Merlin'.”

"Merlin? Why is he called that?”

“Take a guess. He claimed to be the same person as the Grand Magus during the Pendragon dynasty. I guess they're different from those masked wizards you're talking about, but you have a point. We can't just keep protecting her here all the time. Alicia won't be safe. Not with her Arcane might revolve around. Not with fate waiting for her.”

Alicia immediately turned away from the Grand Magus' face. “That 'Merlin'… he said the same thing. Yon Sorcerers too. That I have a big 'destiny'. You ken about it, aye? You once wanted to tell me. P-please, tell me what they meant!”

Haddock could not help but stare at the girl's pained expression with concern. []