Wizard: The Emperor of Magic.

Author Note

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Chapter 14

Boooom!

I was airborne, barely dodging the Knight's powerful strike.

He had shifted into another stance mid-assault—low, grounded, fierce—and now glared up at me with eyes like sharpened steel.

Cold.

Focused.

Dangerous.

The Mage wasn't idle either.

With a gust of summoned wind, she glided through the sky with eerie grace, repositioning with each flap of invisible wings.

Her hands were already weaving another spell, her mouth moving too fast for me to catch the chant.

Below, the earth cracked beneath the weight of the Knight's next leap.

He smirked—confident, relentless—and launched into the air like a cannonball.

Despite all the spells I'd cast to enhance my physical abilities, they were barely enough to track his movement, let alone keep up.

He was a Tier 3—Golden Knight. I might as well have been standing still.

He reached me mid-air and thrust his spear forward with the precision of someone who'd killed hundreds like me.

I twisted just in time, but not fast enough—the spear pierced my shoulder.

Blood sprayed across the sky.

Before he could arc his weapon to slice my head clean off, I whispered the words of my newest spell, my voice trembling not with fear—but with thrill.

[Mana Spell: Explosion]

The mana around us thickened—dense, wild, unstable.

It screamed with chaotic potential.

Far below, the Mage shouted in panic.

"Move from there!"

Too late.

BBBBBOOOOOMMMM!

The sky erupted in flame and fury.

A blinding explosion consumed everything within a 20 meters.

Wind scattered.

Trees below bent under the pressure.

The air trembled.

And yet—I remained untouched.

Protected by the spell's core, I hovered at the heart of the blast while the Knight's body was thrown down like a meteor, trailing smoke and blood as he fell.

A golden blur crashing toward the forest below.

I descended as well, clutching my bleeding shoulder, my mana reserves dangerously low.

My vision wavered, but my heart raced—not in fear, but excitement.

This was it.

The feeling of death brushing so close it could kiss you.

I smiled.

I landed just in time to see the Mage finish her chant.

[Wind Spell: Raven's Frey]

From a swirl of greenish wind, a raven-shaped projectile took form—jagged feathers, a screech like a blade being sharpened.

It shot toward me faster than any arrow, faster than my eyes could follow.

No time for fancy counterspells.

I threw out my hand, gritting my teeth.

Telekinesis.

Nearby trees wrenched from the earth and twisted midair, crashing into the spell's path.

I reinforced them with raw mana as fast as I could.

[Mana Spell: Reinforcement]

The raven collided with the trees—

BOOOM!

Wood splintered into deadly shrapnel, scattering in every direction like razors.

But I remained standing, barely protected behind a wall of broken bark and grit.

I let out a breath—only to freeze.

He was behind me.

The Knight.

Bloodied, scorched—but alive.

Spear in hand.

Eyes wild.

He struck without hesitation, thrusting his weapon toward the back of my skull.

In a single, desperate motion—

[Mana Spell: Barrier]

A shimmering wall blinked into existence—but shattered instantly beneath his power.

I had already acted again.

With a flick of my hand, I used Telekinesis to rip stone from the ground and surround my head like a helmet.

I turned, bracing for impact—

[Mana Spell: Reinforcement]

Stone met steel.

BAMM—

I was thrown back, skidding across the shattered ground as the Mage behind me unleashed another high-tier spell.

[Wind Spell: Vortex]

The air screamed.

Sharp winds twisted into a spiraling vortex, violent and consuming.

The very grass and stone beneath it were shredded into particles, sucked into the chaotic spiral that devoured everything in its path.

And from the front—just as deadly.

The Knight had already begun his next assault.

His aura flared gold as he planted his foot and aimed his weapon.

"Spear Arts: Destroyer Thrust."

A low rumble echoed from his stance.

Raw power surged forward in a straight line, a concentrated point of annihilation heading straight toward me.

I was caught between both attacks.

It should've been terrifying.

A death trap with no way out.

But I didn't panic.

I smiled.

Far from the center of the clash, yet close enough to see it unfold—

Olivia watched, her eyes widening as she saw me at the heart of a double assault.

Her grip on her sword tightened.

She stepped forward, muscles coiling.

She was about to dash into the fray, knowing full well that she'd never reach me in time.

But she was going to try.

Just as she leaned in to launch herself—

A massive figure appeared before her, blocking her path with an outstretched hand.

"Don't."

That single word froze her in place.

His voice held no emotion, just certainty.

She clenched her fists in frustration but didn't move.

All she could do now… was watch.

Back in the heart of destruction, I took a slow breath.

I had already activated [Understanding] on the basic barrier spell.

And through that, I had created something new—something stronger.

A spell born not from textbooks, but from raw experience and desperation.

A spell of my own design.

I whispered the chant.

[Mana Spell: Greater Barrier]

Mana surged.

A sphere of glowing blue light formed around me—but it wasn't just a barrier.

Shapes began to materialize—overlapping triangles, forming layer after layer.

From the outside, it looked like many triangles were encasing my body.

But they merged, morphed—and became octagrams, countless ones interlocked, forming a mystical geometric shield that pulsed.

And then—

BOOOOOOMMMM!!!

The twin attacks collided at the same time.

Wind met spear.

The shockwave ruptured the air.

The explosion consumed everything in a 40-meter radius, blasting a massive crater into the battlefield.

Dust and debris scattered like meteors.

Trees collapsed.

Earth crumbled.

The center of the blast—the eye of the storm—was where I stood.

The Mage and Knight pulled back, both breathing heavily as they regrouped some distance away.

The Mage wiped her brow, her face a mix of concern and exhaustion. "I… I hope he didn't die."

The Knight nodded grimly. "Me too. If he does, the artifice will activate. He'll come back once… but only once. And if we trigger that… the Boss will be furious."

"We had no choice," the Mage said softly, almost to herself. "He just wouldn't go down."

They both stared at the crater, waiting for a sign.

And then—

Cracks of light pierced the smoke.

The dust cleared.

And I stood there.

My Greater Barrier was still intact.

No cracks.

No visible damage.

Nothing but quiet, radiant light surrounded me.

The Knight's eyes widened.

The Mage froze.

Before she could even shout—

I raised my wand.

At the tip danced a single, flickering speck of mana.

Small.

Almost harmless-looking.

But it radiated power.

Condensed death.

The Mage finally found her voice.

"Move! Get out of the way! Run—!"

But it was too late.

The flick of mana dropped from my wand and touched the ground.

And then—

White.

A blinding beam surged forward, horizontal and unwavering.

It didn't explode.

It burned.

A straight line of incineration, pure and clean, that erased everything in its path.

Trees.

Stone.

Soil.

Wind.

Gone.

100 meters.

A trench was carved into the earth—10 meters wide, 20 meters deep.

No bodies.

No smoke.

Just silence and a path of utter destruction where the two enemies had stood.

A spell at the level of a Tier 4 Mage.

No… perhaps even higher.

But power never comes without a price.

Blood dripped from my lips.

I stood there—frozen.

Not by choice.

I couldn't move.

Couldn't think.

Couldn't breathe properly.

The pain inside me… was beyond what most could even imagine.

It wasn't just physical.

It was soul-deep.

My mana was nearly gone.

My life force had been drained to fuel that spell.

My heart slowed.

My lungs drew in air like they were failing machines.

I was at death's door.

Yet I remained standing.