The Runic Alchemist

The slower they approached, the more time Damian had to draw his runic circles. With mana concerns no longer an issue, the only limitations on maintaining multiple spells were his focus and mana control.

His high INT stat already gave him an edge, and his mana control improved with every passing second in his life. He could now even fully sense the intricate workings of his soul-bound weapon. No matter how refined a runic tool Damian crafted, his spear remained the only item in his possession capable of withstanding the immense power of third-rank-level mana without breaking.

Though the spear contained only a single spell, its versatility increased as he channeled greater amounts of mana into it. Still, it showed no visible runic circles.

"Who are you, kid?" asked the muscular man in the tight uniform, his thick, dark, and stylish hair framing his gruff voice. "Where are you from?"

Damian ignored him and turned his attention to Moondancer. She was glaring at him with eyes like daggers-At least that's how her gaze felt. As always, she kept her face hidden, but for some reason, he had an image of her gritting her nonexistent teeth in anger in his mind.

"You will die today, kid..." she whispered in an eerie, haunting voice. "You saved me the trouble of crossing this miserable kingdom..."

The man glanced at her. "You know him?"

"He's the kid I was talking about," she replied.

"Oh? The Morph Vialist? The Emperor could use him.."

Before the man could finish his thought, Moondancer conjured a massive black sword imbued with her ability and aura. With a scream of pure rage, she swung it with full force at Damian and Sam, shouting,

"YOU WILL DIE TODAY, YOU BASTARD!"

The man beside her shot her a glare before stepping aside, ensuring he wouldn't be caught in the path of her attack.

Damian's first action was to launch a light barrier spell, pumping enough mana into it to strengthen it to the maximum. It encompassed the ship behind him and the two of them within a golden dome. The black sword crashed against it with a deafening boom, but that was all it could do—create noise. The barrier was perhaps the strongest ever made, second only to the ancient defensive mechanism Vidalia had once used at her camp. It was the same spell, only smaller and more concentrated.

The man, stunned by the impossible display, extended his hand to the side and summoned a blade of his own. It was the first time Damian had ever seen someone wielding a soul-bound weapon, aside from himself. Channeling his terrifying aura into it, he tripled its size and smashed it down overhead, directly where the barrier protected them. Layers of the barrier broke, but Damian replenished the mana, and it rebuilt instantly.

Lucian and the others had already reached the baron and were working to free as many captives as possible. Damian wanted to remain within the barrier, but he had not created it to shield himself and Sam—it was for the ship. If he stayed idle, the two attackers might turn on the others. His goal was to delay the fight long enough to keep other third-rankers from joining so they could finish the rescue mission and escape before reinforcements arrived. The Emperor, he assumed, with the third-rank mana—strangest and strongest among the four—was somewhere in the middle of the army, while the last third-ranker was at the very back.

The man and Moondancer struck the barrier again and again, their disbelief growing as they stared at the unyielding golden layers.

Damian connected the barrier to the mana generator, leaving a small gap for the mana threads to reach him. Then, with Sam by his side, he stepped out.

The man in the uniform abandoned thoughts of capturing Damian. At blinding speed, he charged, his aura-enveloped sword leaving an ominous, blood-red trail. More than a weapon, it felt like a part of his body.

They both released their full aura onto Damian and Sam. But with mana coating his body, Damian was unfazed. Sam, his strength enhanced beyond normal second-ranker levels in his lightning form, managed to endure the pressure, albeit with difficulty.

Damian unleashed his own aura at full force, cold and menacing. While not as vast as theirs, it was equally unsettling, causing the charging man to raise an eyebrow. Even Sam took a step away from him.

Fortunately, the waygate was far from their ship, minimizing the distance Lucian and the others had to travel with the freed prisoners. It also provided Damian and Sam more freedom to engage their enemies.

Moondancer rushed in behind the man, reducing her sword's size and hurling tens of massive dark javelins as they closed in.

"She's vulnerable to light and fire," Damian muttered. "Keep her busy. Call if you need help. I'll handle him."

Infusing his spear with a massive surge of mana, Damian unleashed a torrent of searing red-hot fire at the oncoming duo. Holding the spear steady, he advanced.

Moondancer immediately summoned her flying black beast, ascending above the fire. The man, a spell-sword, leapt to the side, narrowly evading the blaze. Damian pursued, forcing the man to use defensive spells and his aura to shield himself from the scorching flames.

Seeing him busy, Moondancer descended straight toward Damian's head. He didn't even bother looking up. The moment she came close, a flash of lightning streaked past him, and he watched as blue and black blurs collided, crashing far away on the ground from him.

Even with enhanced speed and strength, Sam couldn't overpower her. After landing, Moondancer grabbed him, sending him flying with a wave of dark arrows following behind. The strength disparity was clear. Even an esper, third-ranker could overwhelm Sam, despite his surging, lightning powered body. Find more to read at My Virtual Library Empire

It wasn't that easy, though. Sam let out a furious scream, producing a dome of pure blue air—a shield-like hue, likely one of his abilities. The hundreds of dark arrows struck it, barely failing to break through until Moondancer's massive sword landed atop the electric dome, shattering it. Sam was too quick to be caught by the massive, slow-moving sword.

Bored of fire, Damian activated three spells he had created at once. The first spell transformed the entire area around him and the spellsword into sinking mud. The man, already struggling to shield himself from the fire, now found himself sinking. Damian kept the radius of the sinking mud large enough to trap a spellsword without flight ability, making it nearly impossible to escape.

The second spell was a massive 20-meter-wide light orb. Damian left it suspended above Sam and Moondancer. What if it was the darkness of night that she could harness? This light would be enough to illuminate the entire army, bright and clear.

The third spell was Vidalia's flying spell. Damian, Of course, didn't want mud ruining his nice clothes.