An old man with crimson hair could be seen exiting the Endless Forest. He flew atop a vast ball of fire; the oxygen burned as he streaked across the sky. His trajectory indicated he was headed towards the Sinux Magic Tower.
Despite his swift movement, his motion seemed very static and rigid. This was typical. Spells that permitted free sky movement were intricate, often requiring high-grade magic equipment for flawless execution.
'I couldn't find any evidence of Arthur's death. His body parts were scattered throughout the forest, devoured by creatures, rendering it impossible to use his remains to witness his last moments. That young upstart is crafty,' thought the man, his face contorted in anger, considering the ramifications of his disciple's demise.
This airborne man was Erick, a Rank 1 Magus and the mentor of Arthur. Despite their master-disciple bond, they didn't share deep emotional ties. Erick's fury stemmed from a contract with Arthur: in exchange for aiding Arthur to reach Rank 1, the latter would represent him in an impending family plane invasion.
Plane invasions involved dominant beings entering worlds or planes, seeking to conquer native races. These confrontations typically bore high mortality rates, particularly for a Magus like Erick, whose battle skills were limited.
Initially, Erick wanted to exact revenge on his disciple's murderer, unconcerned with justification. However, after learning that the killer was a runemaster, his strategy pivoted. Erick intended to assess Zatiel's prowess, arrest him under some pretext, and then hand him over to his family, thereby excusing himself from the looming war.
His plan was thwarted when the necessary spell to revisit a person's last moments demanded a substantially intact body.
'If I can't capture you, I'll end your life and seize everything you possess. Your exceptional abilities can't solely be attributed to talent,' Erick thought, a fusion of rage and greed evident on his face as he approached the magic tower.
As Erick neared the city encircling the tower, he spotted a middle-aged man floating in mid-air. The man seemed to have anticipated Erick's arrival.
Halting half a kilometer away, Erick's exterior remained poised, but his energy levels soared. "To what do I owe this honor, having the renowned Poison Wind Jhon greet me?" Despite the courteous phrasing, Erick's tone brimmed with animosity.
"I heard Magus Erick was visiting our magic tower, and I wished to welcome you," replied Jhon, appearing affable, as if oblivious to Erick's confrontational tone.
"Enough! You know precisely why I'm here. Hand over the apprentice responsible for my disciple's death, and I'll depart promptly. Should you refuse, I won't hesitate to use force. You're not an Imperial Family member, so leveraging the tower to boost your power is off the table for you," Erick warned, summoning flame whips around him.
"Well, I've been meaning to test out a new skill. Your arrival is timely," Jhon remarked, conjuring green wind orbs, his smile indicating readiness for combat.
Without another word, Erick commanded his fiery whips to lash out at Jhon.
These flame tendrils resembled gargantuan serpents, hurtling toward Jhon with astonishing speed. In defense, Jhon deployed a wind vortex with his right hand to counter the flaming assault, while his left directed the green orbs toward Erick.
Erick endeavored to avoid the swiftly approaching spheres. While his fiery trajectory was fast, the orbs were faster, and his ability to maneuver atop the fireball was limited.
Just as the spheres were on the verge of collision, Erick focused a significant amount of energy within himself and executed a spell.
"Flame Repulsion!"
A detonation of flames emanated from Erick, obliterating everything in its vicinity, including the green spheres.
Seizing the momentum, he amplified the power of the flame snake to temporarily immobilize Jhon and released his second spell.
"Meteor Shower!"
Meteors plunged toward Jhon's position, spanning a vast area, making evasion immensely challenging.
Erick was aware the spell wouldn't be lethal for Jhon, but he anticipated seeing a hint of panic in his opponent. To his astonishment, Jhon, facing the formidable fiery boulders, merely smiled.
'What's transpiring? Even if he survives, a direct hit should inflict serious damage,' Erick pondered but soon witnessed a glow encompassing Jhon's legs.
To Erick's disbelief, Jhon began performing air jumps with such precision that he managed to avoid most meteors and dodged the rest.
Seeing his adversary approach, Erick attempted to increase the distance between them, but before he could retreat, Jhon closed in and unleashed his attack.
"Poison Hurricane!"
A green hurricane erupted from Jhon's hands, hitting Erick and sending him crashing to the ground. The surroundings began to decay as they came into contact with the green wind.
Despite assuming his adversary was injured, Jhon ceased his attack and remained stationary.
"Coward!" roared Erick from the ground, as a column of flames ascended to the sky. When the flames dissipated, a flame cloak, seemingly fleeting, enveloped his body. Although largely unharmed, portions of his body turned green and showed signs of decay.
"Enough, your Rank spell is barely sustaining. Persisting in battle will only lead to your downfall."
"Lofty words from someone reliant on a youngster's runes," retorted Erick, envy evident in his eyes, recalling Jhon's use of Aerial Walk to evade his spell.
"If you insist on continuing, I'll oblige. But remember, this mandate is from Lord Clive. Any harm to the runemaster Zatiel or his associates is prohibited," Jhon's aura subsided as he spoke.
Hearing Clive's name extinguished Erick's combative spirit immediately. He might confront Jhon, but against a Rank 2 Magus like Clive, insolence was out of the question.
With a derisive sneer and without uttering a word, Erick departed, heading away from the tower, his face betraying his lingering greed.
'If you presume this is over, you're gravely mistaken.'