It's time for plot armour to kick in...! Although the scholarly youth was unaware of this, he actually WAS a main character. That being said: How could he die just because someone else was stronger?
Hey, Samuel, Alex has already died, so are you going to come here or not?!Use your time powers already!! If you don't come, he's seriously going to die!!! Don't blame me if your only hope is lost...
"WHAT?!!!" The helmeted spearman immediately heard my narration and teleported to his side.
The man's eyes constricted, and time seemed to stop the exact moment Alex was clearly beheaded with a single slash... The Devilish Physique of Samuel's worked to its highest capacity as he used a Body Spell he hadn't used in a really long time.
"You're not dying today!"
[Body Whitening- Lightspeed Movement!]
[Time Veins- Rewritable Past!]
His body flashed towards the location where the scholarly freak's lifeless corpse was falling to the ground. Jasmine was clearly surprised, already swiftly retreated back the moment she realised a newcomer had arrived to interfere with her.
She believed the newcomer was definitely here to take revenge for a fallen comrade, so the moment she retreated back, multiple weapons manifested out of her body, and she was ready for a big fight!
However, Samuel just ignored her. His body flashed towards the location Alex's head was dropping at the speed of light. In his own eyes, the world itself rippled as his Time Attributed Body Spell activated.
One could see almost transparent figures in the reflection of his eyes as the clock turned back for the scene reflected in them. The transparent figure of the scholarly freak had its head reattached, then the sword of the similar figure of the Weapon Mistress reversed back. It almost looked like the woman's sword was 'reattaching' a head back onto the transparent figure... all past was rewritten.
Once that transparent figure looked alive in the reflection in his eyes, he punched towards the location where Jasmine once stood. The spearman rushed as there wasn't enough time left before the window of opportunity to save Alex disappeared.
His fist struck air, but the moment he hit the location where the Weapon Mistress once stood was when a paradox distorted the laws of casualty and effect. It wasn't that time reversed, but that a new future was created from where he changed it.
His fist, which was punching air, now smashed into the gut of the woman who was 'about to behead Alex' rather than already doing so, and she retreated with a groan after feeling that pain...
Time had been rewound, and Samuel's body had also returned to where he was when it happened.
The events had changed. In the perspective of the Weapon Mistress, she was just about to finish off the person who was interfering with her attempt to kidnap her fiancé, but just as she was about to behead him, something impacted into her chest.
There was nobody there nor did she sense any signs of someone doing long-range magic. There was a ripple in time as an impact hit her body before she could react. She thought of an answer as she looked towards the struggling Arcanist:
'He used a Time Spell?'
Of course, her assumption was wrong.
Though it was impossible for her to know that someone in the future had sent a punch back in time... This was the near 'story-breaking' power that Samuel was capable of using under stringent conditions. Past or future was irrelevant for his fist!
The moment the helmeted spearman returned back in time by a few moment before Alex was beheaded, he once again teleported back to the museum. However, this time he wasn't late.
The scholarly freak still had his head attached to his body, and Jasmine was putting her hand on her ribs in confusion. She didn't quite understand what kind of magic had been used against her just now.
But it wasn't like Samuel was going to go into a monologue for the sake of formality. The moment the man appeared was when he pointed his fingers towards her and used one of his favourite abilities.
The spearman's body was different from a Gaia Human. There was a good reason he re-chose his Class to be Dragoon, rather than only for the sake of a pun. Though his Devilish Physique gave him many advantages, his most prized combat-related quality came from the naturally formed 'Divine Physique' that layered over it thanks to his Class.
In the many years he had been alive while ignoring the laws of ageing in this world, his Dragoon Class had manifested a 'Mana Compressing Divine Physique' thanks to his efforts. Compared to other people, Samuel's Magic Pathways compressed Light Mana so densely that he didn't even need to use magical formulas to condense impactful Skills.
[Mana Burst- Homing Missiles!]
All he did was use his Mana Burst he had learnt from Brandon and shot out compressed bullets of energy from his fingers. The five 'missiles' didn't conform to conventional Light Magic... They all instantly shot towards the Weapon Mistress!
She slashed her swords and met the Homing Missiles with Light Waves the moment she realised they were too close to dodge, but was stunned by the explosion that occurred after hitting them...!
The shockwave pushed her back. Jasmine's face paled at the sheer strength of Samuel's casual magic attack. It was to the point she didn't have the guts to attack him as he grabbed Alex's bloodied figure and laid him down onto the floor right next to him. The only thing the woman was thinking of was countless tactics to kill Alex swiftly.
"You uselessly put yourself in danger again." The helmeted spearman spoke to the youth annoyedly.
"A-again?" The scholarly freak asked. He coughed a few times as blood ran down his chin from his lips. Samuel turned his head away from him as it felt dumb to explain himself TO himself.
He wanted to have a good talk with him, but he first wanted to dispose of the pest that was in his way.
Since he was unable to leave the injured youth's side, he couldn't quite utilise his fighting style to its fullest capacity. The only thing he could rely on was his magical abilities to hit Jasmine from afar.
"What the hell are you...?!?!" The woman who now understood that it was him who got in her way asked with a distressed expression, but she was able to hold back her disbelief to take a stance.
The sheer density of Samuel's Mana shouldn't be humanely possible. Even if he was a Lord Rank, it should be impossible for anyone to attain that level of Mana Density. No one on Gaia had ever been able to train themselves to such an absurd degree!
Cold sweat ran down her back as she stared at the newcomer, but felt some relief as she saw he wasn't going to move away from the scholarly freak laying beside him. A Bow Type Spirit Essence manifested into her hand after discarding one sword. She came up with a strategy: All she needed to do was to force him into long-range.
Judging from his spear alone, she believed him to be of a melee type profession who excelled in close combat. As long as she kept her distance and played to her advantages, she shouldn't lose to him at all. That was the great confidence she had.
The sword left in her right hand moved towards her bow as she used a Half Spell to turn the blade into an arrow. She didn't care if he was a Lord Rank, as even THEY were restricted by their professions.
It wasn't that Lord Rank individuals were infallible to those below them. Their Rank only meant that they could utilise an unlimited amount of Spells at their disposal. Considering he was a melee type, his Spells shouldn't be suitable for ranged combat.
Compared to her opponent, she wasn't restricted by a Class and could even blend them together to create unique Half Spells that weren't any less than Complete Spells. Her sword-arrow and bow combo being among the many Half Spells at her disposal...
Her confidence was boosted, causing a stoic look appeared on her face. She believed she could win!
But oh, how wrong she was...
In response to her question, the old freak, who had lived an abnormally long life as he changed the past willy-nilly, without thinking of the consequences of his actions, smiled slyly. He then spoke to her in a light, and even friendly voice:
"I'm your worst nightmare~" An air of danger arose around him as he stretched out his hand again.
Just like with Alex, the darkness of night was also his domain. However, this wasn't just because he had an advantage in stealth. Samuel was much more scarier since he also had a 'Beast Flame'.
As the moonlight shone down from the window on onto his body, a strange occurrence suddenly arose. The darkness trembled as his eyes glowed the the purest darkness magic Alex had ever seen.
His 'Wolfgang Eyes' Spirit Enhancement showed itself as Jasmine's body flashed in different directions. Using Lightspeed Movement to her advantage, she tried messing up his aim.
Normally, even Lord Ranks wouldn't use this Half Spell so many times in succession, as there was a risk of losing their accuracy from having to adjust themselves every time they changed location.
But that didn't stop the Weapon Mistress, one who had already reached full mastery in multiple Spirit Essences. She was a 'Master of all Trades' when it came to combat and fully utilised her advantages.
Little did she know that even without turning his head, Samuel was tracking her with his eyes easily.
[Space Trait- Dimensional Sight!]
With this first Magic Trait as someone with the power of a Beast, he was able to see everything within a certain distance of himself regardless of where he was looking. It was extremely useful to him for hunting down his prey without losing them.
[Time Trait- Clockwork Sight!]
Compared to the first Magic Trait, this second one only his cognitive abilities rather than his vision itself. Although those with high Light Mana purity could think faster than the average person, this ability did something different than just that.
He didn't need Time Mana to react and see things slower than they actually were. The best part of this Time Trait was that it perfected his internal clock to an abnormal degree, allowing him to accurately time movements of his opponents.
He was essentially doing maths to figure out where she'd be and how long it'd take to move there.
It was kind of redundant when paired with his Space Trait, but having his opponents moves perfectly timed allowed him to calculate and create many plans of action without worrying about having to see the opponents he was fighting.
It was to the point that Samuel could've easily struck Jasmine mid-movement even if her body was travelling at the speed of light, but he didn't do so as he was concentrating on his hidden power.
The Moon Wolves weren't feared solely because of their eyes. Instead, what made them most scary was the 'Magic Quality' of their Species, and the signature ability of their race, that could ONLY be utilised when under the luminance of the moon.
Jasmine was ready to attack, but the spearman felt was no different as activated his hidden power.
[Magic Quality- Moonlight Eminence!]
Dark Mana surged around his body and was devoured by the second Divine Physique of Ether Absorption that paired with his Mana Compressing body. It then concentrated together to form 'Moon Mana' that was as dense as his body's 'Sun Mana'.
[Weapon Combination- Sword Shot!]
[Mana Burst- Annihilation Orb!]
As soon as she let go of her sword and allow her bow to send it flying with the empowerment of a Half Spell, the helmeted spearman threw a solid orb of shadowy energy straight into its trajectory.
An explosion occurred as that orb of darkness continued to fly towards Jasmine after deflecting her sword to the side with a violent impact. She was shocked and dodged in a flash, yet found her heart freeze over the moment she looked back.
...Only to see the pillar she had made her attack from melted after being hit by the power of this particular 'Magic Skill'. His strong absorption of magical energy allowed him to mould it densely.
The corrosive quality of darkness manifested...
If the Light Attribute contained similarities to the Holy Attribute, then the Dark Attribute also mimicked the Evil Attribute when it came to its toxicity... This was especially true when the Dark Mana used was so pure that it formed Moon Mana.
After seeing that Mana Burst, Jasmine steeled herself time fight for her life after using her love for her fiancé, Spencer, to suppress her fear, but that one moment of distraction was all he needed.
[Time Spell- Clock Acceleration!]
Using the Spell Slot of his Skysquare Spear, the world became much slower. Then he turned around and dashed in her direction. The Weapon Mistress didn't notice his sprint until it was too late...! He appeared in front of her. All she saw was a blur and didn't even have the time to react as he attacked.
He punched her once, and that was all he needed to end this messy battle with a clear winner...!
The spearman didn't stab her with his weapon or claw at her with his fingers, instead only reached out his hand and flicked towards the guard she instantly put up the moment he appeared.
Jasmine couldn't understand his action, but only realised that she should have dodged instead of blocking that attack even if it looked weak. The helmeted spearman activated another Spell Slot.
[Space Spell- Impact Booster!]
Truly, the physical power behind his flick wasn't really that abnormal. Sure, it was coming from Samuel's superhuman body, but was still just a mere flick, which normally shouldn't be strong.
However, the moment he activated his Spell, the power of that one flick was magnified to the extent that a *boom* resounded, and Jasmine was thrown through the air as if she had been hit by a plane!
Even though she unconsciously used a Half Spell to defend herself and manifested a spear to anchor herself mid flight... after being smashed away, she still couldn't stop herself from being thrown out one of the high windows of the museum.
Blood splattered from her broken arm...
She was moving so fast in the air, it was as if she was using Lightspeed Movement again...
Then her body disappeared into the distance, only being saved a good distance away by a Mirror Priest who was passing by. If he hadn't done so, it was no mystery what would've happened to her.
Samuel ignored that middle-aged man who was flapping his energy wings, then turned to grab Alex and Spencer before leaving the museum. He didn't even bother to look back. Samuel headed straight for the scholarly freak's mansion with one person being grabbed by the collar in each hand. He didn't care if Alex's wounds worsened as he dragged him.
Was he treating them like stray cats...?
The Beast Master flying through the air didn't stop the man. He looked at the bloodied figure laying motionlessly in his arms, putting his priorities in order and deciding to get Jasmine healed first by taking her to Elemental Master, who actually had the power to heal someone with her injuries. He could only growl at Samuel's direction before leaving, promising that their Cult would retaliate...!
Not that the spearman cared. He wouldn't be scared even if Alan came personally to fight him.
And so, Alex was saved without a hitch...