It had finally been completed. Ivan sat up from his laying position before inspecting both of his arms. The right arm for destruction, and the left for creation. He reached out to pat Yue on the head, this time not afraid of using his right arm.
And she in turn received the affection without any hesitation, not afraid of what the arm may do to her. It had taken two weeks but Ivan had gained enough confidence in his control of the right arm that he no longer worried about destroying things with it.
Though there were quite a few incidents that took place leading up to that level of control, such as when he reached for toilet paper to wipe himself. The pain and sadness he felt when it exploded in his hand was paramount to when he discovered the 100th floor wasn't the end of the dungeon.
But now he didn't have to worry about stuff like that, hopefully. Now that brings us to the inception of the left arm, the arm of creation. As it sounds it does the reverse of his right arm. At least it is supposed to. Instead of stopping at the destruction sequence of alchemy its purpose was to complete all three without the need for an alchemical circle, seeing as how it'd replace such a requirement.
As for how it looked, it differed mostly from the right arm as in the inscriptions and engravings were also reversed as well, running up his arm instead of down it. It was a change he welcomed, as if they ended up looking similar then he would be afraid of mismatching them. But all he has to do is make sure the symbols and runes went away from him to use his arm of destruction, and make sure they went against him if he wants to use the arm of creation.
Ivan went out to the field to once again test this new addition to his arsenal, Yue following behind him just in case. But they weren't too worried this time seeing as how its function differed from the arm of destruction, which could destroy Ivan's own body if he wasn't careful. He held his left arm in front of him as he closed his eyes.
BZZZZZZZT!
The now familiar blue sparks didn't appear as they were replaced by something else instead. When Ivan opened his eyes he was greeted by the sight of red sparks. But compared to last time, he didn't show a reaction. He had expected such a result, in fact he rejoiced in it. It would only help him in distinguishing which arm he was using. Though that may not necessarily be a good thing seeing as how his enemies over time would notice it too. However that only meant he would have to end his fights fast, the whole reason the arm tattoos were invented in the first place.
With his left arm sending red sparks through the air Ivan traced it as the lines of the tattoo held a similar color. He nodded satisfied with the outcome. Though now it would be good for a more practical test.
He looked at the familiar obliterated tree as he held his left arm up against what remained of the trunk. Nothing happened for a moment before the sparks grew brighter. The red in his arm became more luscious as the trunk of the tree slowly started to grow, well it was more stretch than anything. But in only a short matter of time it became the height it once was.
Ivan put down his arm as he inspected it. He was afraid of outputting all of his mana and making the tree explode into the air so he made sure to do the recreation process slowly. But now he was going to have to input a certain amount if he wanted to compare it to his usual transmutation.
BZZZZZZZT!
He held up his left arm to the now tall tree trunk, he closed his eyes as he imagined what it looked like before it was stretched out. The red sparks activated from his arm again as the tattoo's faint glow became brighter. And then, voila.
The moment he opened his eyes the tall tree trunk that was before him became an identical match to the destroyed trunk from before. It only took a single second, but the scene had changed to match the past. The only discernible difference being that the tree was no longer covered in debris as it once was, as if someone vacuumed it clean before leaving it there.
Ivan stared at the scene for a moment, pondering in his mind. This was the exact outcome he desired. The only problem being that whole debris thing. Sure, normally people don't go up to something destroyed and inspect around looking for the scraps. But anyone who could discern the difference from normal destruction would surely become suspicious.
He looked down at both of his arms before smiling happily. As far as he was concerned this experiment was a success. All that's left was to familiarize himself with the new arm and then practice using both in tandem.
Ivan felt giddy all over just imagining the look on someone's face when he grabs their spell with his own hand before repurposing it to attack them. It would also be another process left to some practice and adjustment but to him it didn't feel all that unfeasible.
He ran up to Yue to ask her if she'd be willing to unleash another magic spell on him, this time something more powerful. He was quite afraid he wouldn't be able to manage using both at the same time but living in fear wasn't going to get him anywhere, or so he felt.
So against her worried exclaims Ivan only asked Yue to trust him. She nodded reluctantly as his words before taking a position of her own. Sweat dripped down Ivan's face as he stood far from her. The scariest thing about this trial was that he wouldn't know if it worked until it was right in front of him.
Yue mulled over her arsenal of spells, looking for something powerful yet not lethal enough to severely injure or kill Ivan. She was quite nervous but according to Ivan's words one must take risks if they were going to accomplish anything, and if she was going to become a useful assistant to Ivan the last thing she wanted to do was doubt his words.
"Here we go. Force Lasher." A vacuum of wind was shot in Ivan's direction before its spiraling nature threatened to suck him up and mince him in its strong force.
However he did not move a single step, instead opting to hold both of his arms in front of him. Slowly his feet started to get pulled by the vacuum force but even then he dug his heels deep into the ground. It was only a matter of time before the thing reached his palms and by god was he going to wait for it.
In his mind he imagined its decomposition, reversing the steps from its inception down to its basic forms. The outcome, the mana infused, and the magic circle. Though the last step did not apply to Yue it was still something he kept in mind. Once his right hand took care of that then he would move on to the left.
While the mana would be dispersed because of the spell breaking so long as he was quick enough he would theoretically be able to reconstruct it with his left arm into its former spell. From that point it would just be releasing it back to his enemy before it consumed him.
And so, he decided to do just that.
WHOOOOOSH!
The whirling winds became louder as he was nearly dragged from his spot. Looking at the attack only meters from him Ivan only sighed. He prayed in his damn heart that this'll work otherwise he might be bedridden for a while. But even those remarks became obsolete as he hardened his resolve, staring resolutely at his impending pain.
25 meters.... 20 meters….. 15 meters….. 10 meters….. 5 meters...0!
Ivan snapped his arms forward as the whirlwind touched his palms, for a moment he felt a sharp pain in his right arm as he charged up its tattoo. He then released it all in one burst and—
BZZZZZZZT!
The blue sparks glowed brilliantly as the whirlwind died down and became reduced to nothing, but that wasn't all as he threw his left arm into the air as well. This time red sparks erupted into the air as the rest of his arm glowed a dark crimson.
BZZZZZZZZT!
A low buzzing noise grew louder as the winds that had calmed down all of a sudden returned to a frenzy. Ivan felt a large force of gravity engulf his left arm as he struggled to hold it into the air, the force of the wind growing stronger as he directed his arm up towards the sky.
And with another burst of his mana—
WHOOOOOSH!
The previously vanished 'Force Lasher' popped back into existence, this time coming from Ivan's direction. Ivan stared in amazement as the whirlwind flew up into the air before dispersing back into nothingness.
"....hahaha, Hahahaha, HAHAHA!" His silence only lasted seconds as the faint laughter coming from his mouth grew louder in volume. He looked over at Yue who was locked in the same amazement he was.
To her, Ivan had just become the enemy of all mages.
She returned his gaze as they stared at each other for a moment. At least that was until they started running towards each other, Yue jumping into the air as Ivan caught her and spun in circles.
Celebratory cheers resounded throughout the floor as Ivan and Yue made their way back to the manor. Ready to celebrate all through the night.
This experiment had become a success.
—------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It had been two weeks since the inception of the arm of creation. This time Ivan was able to familiarize himself with it quicker than the arm of destruction seeing as how he was already quite well adjusted with the required sequences.
In that time Yue and Ivan worked hard to prepare themselves for their return to the surface. Whether it be training their skills or creating new equipment. Yue was excited to see what life was now like on the surface. Ivan on the other hand was worried about how much trouble they'd receive because of the war.
The last thing he wanted was a war he was not involved in to interfere with his craft and life. And while it may seem quite selfish he held no intention of helping his classmates out on it. Sure maybe he might lend a hand to those he considered friends, like Aiko and Hajime. But as for everyone else, well he could only say good luck to them.
He didn't suffer down in this hell for who knows how long just to become a dog of war again.
He smiled at Yue while passing over a gold ring and a pair of matching earrings. These were a little something he came up with using the schematics Oscar left behind in his workshop.
Yue only held out her right hand before staring at the ring intently. Ivan only laughed wryly before placing it on her ring finger, nodding satisfied with his handiwork.
Yue only smiled brightly at the ring before using her other hand to gesture at Ivan to give her the other thing. Ivan sighed embarrassed before taking out a matching ring from his pocket. Yue took it out of his hands as she pulled his left hand forward. Then adorning the ring onto him she nodded satisfied.
"Am I to take this as a proposal, Yue?" Ivan smiled smugly as he stared at Yue whose face had become flushed.
"And if I say it is then how will you respond?" She spoke softly in response to his teasing with a question of her own. Her curiosity became apparent behind her embarrassment.
"Maaaaa~ Then I would say, I do." Ivan smiled warmly at Yue who had shown the most radiant smile he had ever seen according to his words.
With each hand holding the other, they stepped onto the magic circle before embracing each other as they were enveloped in a dazzling bright light.
And just like that the floor that had been unoccupied for centuries returned to its dormant state.
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Hell yeah! Finally out of the dungeon! I felt like it's been forever. But anyways I hope you guys really enjoyed the development so far. It really means a lot to me seeing the support you've all shown with my work. Never did I imagine such a positive response. So for once I wanna say thank you all, love ya guys, and see you next time.
If you want to support me and read ahead 10-15 chapters, you can check out my p.a.t.r.e.o.n right here: https://bit.ly/ardoaleister
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