Energy. The only matter in the universe that can neither be created nor be destroyed but can change into different forms.
Mana which magicians circulate throughout their body which allows them to use magic is also an energy present in Magic Land. It can change into different other energies giving birth to different types of Magic.
Elemental magic is the best example that uses Mana to change into different elements such as fire, water, lightning, etc. Every magic depends on Mana as a base and allows the wielder to perform what they couldn't even dream of unlike some which are rather different.
And in this land where only strong survived to step above weak, Magic was life.
"ILLUSION WORLD!"
Only bright light covered his eyes and he could only see white no matter in which direction he looked.
"What's happening?"
Slowly the bright light dissipated, and with a clear vision, he could now see the surrounding.
"What the hell is happening?"
Oslo was confused as to what had occurred but it seemed like the area they had previously battled on had been fixed. There were no tears in the ground nor any cracks, what he could now see was the place before the battle. The hole in the stone house had also disappeared along with the trees that were uprooted and utterly destroyed.
He with his leg shaking walked a bit forward with next to no sign of magician when he fell in the ground again.
"Damn! The cracks are still there, is this whole place an illusion created by him?"
Suddenly William appeared a little far from him near the house,
"He's far...with my legs down I can't go there and smack him down." He mumbled glancing at his legs.
But the legs were totally fine.
"My legs are fine? Is this an illusion as well?"
He tried moving it and felt a slight pain as compared to before. He then glanced at his shoulder, which had also healed.
"What the...? How did they heal? Come to think of it, I have been speaking for a while with ease. Has my face healed as well?"
Touching his face, he was flabbergasted.
"Has my healing ability gone off the charts?"
Although he said that, he knew it wasn't the reason and he was simply too weak. It must be the deed done by something else but he couldn't say what.
Jumping slightly, he warmed up before again dashing towards William. He again tried punching him but again the image turned into smoke then disappeared.
"So your fist has something like magnetic property. No wonder I got drawn in, but your trump card has been exposed. You shouldn't have revealed it too early, you have a lot to learn." The voice echoed all around him.
Then in only a moment of time, hundreds of Williams appeared out of nowhere surrounding him.
"Unlike you, I have my trump card which will be the cause of your death."
Hundreds of Williams said as they walked towards him with their hand straight like knives ready to kill everything in its path.
Oslo didn't wait for them to make their move though. With each punch, one image disappeared which got replaced by another image. There was simply no end as they continuously spawned.
"DIE KID!"
East. West. North. South.
With every direction occupied by Williams, there was nowhere to run. Oslo's killing of them was simply a massacre but what was it to the illusions that could respawn themselves.
Slash~
One of William finally managed to hurt Oslo. Illusion couldn't hurt others so he knew that was the real one for sure. He then mercilessly kicked the William that slashed him which also turned into smoke and disappeared.
"How? Was my thinking wrong and they can hurt others?"
"Haha, having trouble finding the real me?" Hundreds of Williams said in unison.
If the illusion could really hurt him then it was the worst scenario possible. Oslo looked at the Williams surrounding him which was even more than before.
"Just give up, you cannot find the real me. Obey and die an instant death."
Cough~
William had now given up on killing Oslo slowly for he knew his time was limited and the wounds he had suffered against the battle with Mystic Clan were opening up and making him suffer internally. Clutching his chest he spat out a mouthful of blood.
"With every passing moment, it's getting worse. I must kill the boy, the next chance I have."
Wiping the blood from his mouth, William glanced on his back. The image of the white crane had almost turned purple.
"It's bad. It's really getting bad. I have to hurry."
Oslo was getting impatient as he couldn't find the real William. He roared looking at the illusion before him,
"If I can't finish you one by one then I'll finish you all at once."
His fist gleamed in green light brightly,
"Come here, babies!"
"If all of them get hit at the same time, your real body will get hit too."
Every William at the surrounding started gathering towards the fist which was gleaming with a green light. The newly formed wound that was given to him by William had also healed as the wounds he had suffered from before.
But his mana which was spent hadn't returned. It seemed as if only his body could recover, not his magical prowess.
In a single lone line, every Williams was cramped up and heading towards Oslo.
BEAM~!
"Since you wanted to kill me, you don't mind me killing you, do you?" Oslo said with a grin.
The mana on his punch shot out like a beam upon contact with the body of a William, piercing through every William there was.
Boom!
Every illusion turned to smoke and disappeared from sight. Though the mana he used was too much, no trees were harmed. Maybe it was because the trees were illusions as well, he guessed.
"Yeah, I don't mind!"
Stab!
A hand appeared out of his stomach. With a shocked expression, glancing back he saw William's face, cold as ever pasted with a grin of triumph and his hands which had skewered him from the back.
Drip!
Drip!
Drip!
Blood dripped from his hand as William twisted it.
"Aaaargh~" Oslo couldn't speak as he was in that position.
"It's game over, kid."
Cough~
With a cough filled with blood, Oslo tried punching at William. William knew that the punch didn't have any strength behind it didn't even bother dodging, looking at Oslo's pathetic try with pity. He said,
"Just give up! One should know when to give up."
Oslo knew any further movement would only result in faster death... but there was a chance that he could avoid it because of the unknown reason that healed his previous wounds. He needed to get out of the position he was in to survive.
The fist opened and hit William's chest with a palm.
"Like I said..." William was speaking when Oslo's voice interrupted him.
"Cough...Re...pel!"
Suddenly, William was pushed back and with his hands out, Oslo dropped in the ground facing the sky. Blood was gushing out of his body as he laid down.
Cough~ Cough~
Slowly, his eyes closed.
Standing up William looked at Oslo's body lying in the ground with a pool of blood around it.
"All that talk and nothing. My blood would suffice? Not minding killing me? Why don't you try and kill me now, huh?"
Repeatedly kicking Oslo like a mad man, he finally calmed his nerves and squatted down to affirm that the kid was indeed dead.
"No heartbeat!" William sighed in relief, "Cough~ Cough~ Cough~"
'It's getting worse.'
While engaged with his thought, William felt something wrapping around him. His eyes widened upon the sight,
"How could it be? You should be dead."
He straightened his back in lightning speed as the blood was still flowing out of the hole William had created on his stomach. With his eyes, he looked at William struggling to get out of his hold,
"Hah...hah...I won't miss from this distance."