My Level Zero System

"Don't trust him, Tolimus."

"Even if he lets you go this time, and allows you to replenish your forces with my tools, won't his team also grow stronger?"

"Because of that, no matter what, you should at least even the playing field."

"And I have no intention of retaliating against you further. Tolimus, you conspired with Faith to trap me, so I eliminated one member from your team, and next will be Faith's team. You should clearly see the situation and make a decision."

Kain's words hit the core, causing Tolimus to awaken.

Yes, Kain no longer had any reason to target him, just as he couldn't eliminate Kain without turning his own faction into the absolute weaker side in this battle.

A Calculated Decision

Undoubtedly, Faith would devour him and his team.

Kain observed Tolimus's continuously changing expression, seemingly weighing a crucial decision. This was how he exploited the weaker party's instinct as a tool to balance the combat power.

The prerequisite for an alliance without deep-seated foundations is a balance of combat power. Of course, no one wants to join an alliance only to be gradually swallowed up.

Thus, when Tolimus faced two choices—either cooperate with the stronger party to crush the remaining weaker one, thereby indirectly crushing his own escape route, or cooperate with the weaker party to resist the stronger one while maintaining his independence—Tolimus would obviously choose the latter.

What was the purpose of all this?

For Kain, it was to buy time.

"The timing still aligns. I just hope Myra can be a little faster."

"Mera must have completed her task by now, but I need her to buy me a little more time, and I also need her present here, where everything will conclude."

"It's tough, but... victory is already ours."

"Faith, what will you do now?"

Kain mused. At that moment, Tolimus accepted the alliance, and Faith's team, seeing this, attacked once more.

Kain joined the fray, immediately significantly reducing the pressure on Tolimus's team.

His target was Cody, the strongest member of Faith's team.

"As per our agreement, I'll tie this guy down. You all try to eliminate the other enemies."

Without waiting for Tolimus's agreement, Kain charged towards Cody like a lightning bolt.

Facing an opponent as large and lumbering as Cody, Kain was not foolish enough to engage in close combat.

"From the previous situation, this guy seems to be proficient in [Earth Magic] and [Enhancement Magic], both reaching the level of a mid-class Magus."

"I wonder if he has any other magic. But I don't think so; it's rare enough to push two types of magic to mid-class at this age."

Cody looked at Kain coldly. Although he always presented himself as a loyal bodyguard to Faith, it didn't mean he was a thoughtless fool.

Due to the unique nature of a Magus, where ego is the source of magic, no Magus is truly foolish; they are all extraordinary geniuses in their own minds.

"Planning to attack me from a distance?"

Guessing Kain's intention, Cody immediately touched the ground. Instantly, several large figures emerged and charged towards Kain.

This was a mid-class magic skill of [Earth Magic], [Earth Golem]!

These Golems were five times the size of a normal human, their bodies appearing sturdy enough to be knights or warriors. The Golems' bodies looked as if they were made of earth, but in reality, they were micro-particles of soil compressed and compacted down to tiny dust specks, linked by magic, resulting in their incredibly formidable durability.

Those unfamiliar with magic often mistakenly perceived Golems as bulky figures, like buffalos, with only limbs. But that impression is long outdated. Now, with magic refined and perfected, the Golem's form closely emulates the perfect fighting physique of a human: agile and powerful.

"I can't let them get close!"

As this thought flashed through his mind, Kain unleashed his power without holding back. Lightning bolts materialized from the air, pulled from nothingness by Kain's magic. These bolts quickly spread out like an incredibly complex network, yet still adhering to some order. From the junctions of these lightning strikes, [Thunder Spears] formed at super-fast speeds, making their shapes somewhat unstable. Still, they were powerful enough to attack.

The moment the first Golem stepped into the lightning's territory, Kain fired the [Thunder Spear]. A series of terrifying explosions erupted, and the first Golem took the full brunt of the damage, its entire body shattering into a pile of dust. However, its sacrifice cleared a path for the other Golems to advance.

At this point, Kain suddenly stopped maintaining the lightning network and instead detonated it.

A storm of lightning erupted, engulfing the Golems in a blinding flash that even affected nearby battles, illuminating the entire area.

But before the afterglow of the explosion faded, Kain was seen standing in one spot, raising his hand. The air around him suddenly grew intensely hot, like a blazing furnace, so hot that it warped the light and air itself.

In truth, [Thunder Magic] wasn't the best choice for dealing with [Earth Golems].

If he had a choice, [Air Magic] or [Fire Magic] would be better. One possesses unparalleled cutting force, and the other unparalleled explosive force. Either could breach the Golem's sturdy defenses at a lower cost.

Fortunately, Kain possessed [Fire Magic].

[Fire Blade]!

Kain activated his magic skill, energy surging wildly through his body, creating a long, flat shape of burning fire and intense heat.

Seeing that this wasn't enough, Kain used an additional mid-class magic skill, [Enhancement Magic]. A stream of power extracted from his magic coated the [Fire Blade] with a thin, ethereal layer of pale purple.

Only then was Kain satisfied.

It was spoken slowly, but it happened in a flash. Just as the blinding light from the lightning dissipated from their vision, Kain had completed the final step of his magic preparation, and he unleashed it.

The [Fire Blade] shot towards the Golems, but just before the attack could strike them, a figure leaped in front, blocking the path. One shield appeared, then two, three, four layers of shields, directly intercepting the attack.

These were water shields, their flowing currents eroding and extinguishing the fire.

The [Fire Blade] was originally an incredibly potent attack, even more so with the added [Enhancement Magic]. But when faced with the continuous erosion of flowing currents, even a hard rock could be smoothed away, let alone something as ephemeral as fire.

Of course, if Kain's fire were strong enough, he could directly evaporate the flowing water. Unfortunately, it wasn't quite enough yet.