Compared to Old John, Bairon placed greater trust in Lady Isabella.
Her silence was an affirmation of Old John's words. Bairon ascended the steps.
As he passed the "Equilibrium" scale, he glanced at the parchment and was taken aback to see an additional signature: "Bairon·Stewart".
The handwriting was an exact match to his own.
"Sorry to break it to you, but you've been had," Old John said with a teasing smirk.
Bairon gave a wry smile. "So, I take it there's no backing out now?"
"The gifts of fate always come with a price, predetermined in the shadows," Charlotte remarked.
"Thank you for the consolation, milady," Bairon said, bowing slightly towards the statue.
He then gently pushed open the doors of the Dark Tower.
The wooden doors creaked open slowly, the rusty hinges producing a resonant "creak" that echoed throughout the world of the Dark Tower.
Bairon hesitated for a moment before stepping inside.
Contrary to Bairon's expectations, the interior seemed ordinary.
There was a cylindrical structure embedded within the tower, with a circular corridor between the structure and the wall.
At the end of the corridor was a spiral staircase leading to the second floor.
Bairon walked around the corridor, observing.
The outer surface of this cylindrical structure had a wooden door every two meters, totaling six doors, all identical in appearance.
After ensuring there was no issue, Bairon returned to the starting position and, following Old John's instructions, approached and opened the second door to his left.
A slight wave of dizziness washed over him.
When Bairon opened his eyes, he found himself in a vast sandy arena, enclosed by four walls with only one door leading out.
Beyond that door was a world shrouded in gray mist.
The arena was considerably larger than the first floor of the Dark Tower, especially considering he had entered through a small door within the tower.
There was only one explanation.
"An illusionary realm?" Recalling Old John's words, Bairon quickly realized that the moment he pushed the door, his consciousness was pulled into an illusion.
Suddenly, something seemed to dawn on Bairon.
He reached into his pocket, realizing that the level 3 mana core had disappeared, and clicked his tongue in annoyance.
Before long, a shadowy figure approached slowly from the mist-shrouded world outside the door.
The figure looked familiar.
In shock, Bairon understood what Old John meant when he said the "sparring partner would pique his interest."
It was none other than Charlotte·Isabella.
The Lady Isabella before him had golden tied-up hair and deep sea-blue eyes.
Although she wasn't a statue, her physique matched perfectly with the sculpture outside the tower.
She wore a gray magus robe with a miniature badge of the Dark Tower pinned on the left side of her chest.
"Lady Isabella?" Bairon asked tentatively.
"It's been a long time since I've stretched my muscles, Lord Stewart," Charlotte's lips curled up ever so slightly, revealing a hint of an almost imperceptible smile.
"Let's begin!" Excitement gleamed in Bairon's eyes.
An illusionary realm where spells could be used without limit promised a thrilling duel.
Moreover, Lady Isabella was a mysterious and profound magus.
Battling her would surely be a learning experience.
"Please guide me."
With a casual downward flick of her right hand and a grasp at the void, a 70cm long knight's sword materialized in Charlotte's grip.
"A sword?" Bairon paused, taking a closer look.
The hilt of the sword was engraved with layer upon layer of intricate yet organized Magic Patterns.
It wasn't just an ordinary knight's sword; it was a spell equipment teeming with Magic Patterns.
An immediate sense of inferiority washed over Bairon.
It's true that the weapon of a Battle Magus isn't necessarily a magus ring.
Magus rings are popular primarily because of their compact size and affordability.
With an upward motion of her right hand, Charlotte sent a blade of wind slashing from the sword's tip.
Even though Charlotte's power seemed to be restricted to that of an Intermediate 2nd ring magus, the wind blade she unleashed was several times sharper and faster than any Rueel had conjured.
"Ice Blast!"
With a swift raise of his hand, a wall of ice formed before Bairon, serving as his shield.
However, the moment the wind blade made contact with the ice, the wall crumbled instantly.
Unperturbed, Bairon invoked the Lightness spell, making his body sidestep the trajectory.
The wind blade narrowly missed, flying right between his brows.
But before Bairon could even celebrate his evasion, in the next moment, the wind blade remarkably made a twist in mid-air and veered right back towards him.
"What in the...?" Shock colored Bairon's face.
A wind blade that could turn corners?
Not only had he never seen such a thing, he had never even heard of it.
Charlotte offered no explanation.
The returning blade was sudden, and because Bairon was still in the post-effect of the Lightness spell, he couldn't use it again.
To do so would cause an energy backlash, rendering him motionless – an easy target.
In his desperation, Bairon resorted to a spell he had hoped to forget.
"Flesh!" he bellowed, crossing his arms in front of him.
His skin visibly hardened, transforming into an impromptu shield.
The wind blade collided with his fortified arms, producing a piercing shriek that resonated through the air.
Then, just as quickly as it appeared, the wind blade dissipated.
Bairon staggered back, deep gashes – each about ten centimeters long and up to five centimeters at their deepest – marred both arms.
But in the blink of an eye, the wounds vanished.
"You lost the first round, Bairon," Charlotte declared, sheathing her spell-blade.
Although the injuries weren't fatal, in a real battle, they would've diminished at least 50% of his combat capacity, essentially rendering him unfit for combat.
"Yes, I lost," Bairon acknowledged with a nod.
But his eyes shone with elation.
He sensed that his long-stagnant realm was showing signs of breaking free.
Understanding what had just transpired, Charlotte explained, "There are roughly three ways for a magus to advance in rank: profound Meditation methods, intense combat that strengthens the Magic Circuit, and absorbing the mana within a mana core, converting it into Mindergy."
"The mana core has such a function?" Bairon exclaimed in surprise.
He knew that the mana core was a raw material for crafting spell equipment, and the mana within could briefly replace Mindergy.
However, he was unaware of its transformative potential.
"It's not an easy path to tread," Charlotte cautioned.
Confusion flickered in Bairon's eyes. "Why so?"
"Consider your 'Flesh' spell," Charlotte began.
"Although it involves the transformation of mana into Mindergy, what originates from a Spellbeast ultimately belongs to the Spellbeast. The will of a spell, the Equilibrium, treats all beings impartially."
Mention of the "Flesh" spell evoked a beastly hunger in Bairon's mind.
His gaze shifted to Charlotte's neck, his eyes turning a shade of red.
In a final act of desperate clarity, he bit his own tongue.
The pain, accompanied by the droplets of blood that splashed onto the floor, jolted him back to sanity.
"So, it seems I have only the path of 'intense combat' to pursue?" Bairon, wiping the blood from his lips, asked with a grin.
Charlotte responded, "The Dark Tower can satisfy all your desires."
"Don't tempt me, madam. I did promise to rescue all of you, didn't I?" Bairon quipped with a smile, fondly touching his magus ring on his right hand.
Charlotte raised her spell-blade.
Round two commenced.
Yet, the first to strike was Bairon.
"Flame Fist!"
With a sudden leap, Bairon's right fist, adorned with the magus ring, clenched tight.
Instantly, a fireball enveloped his entire arm.
In a swift motion, Bairon drove his fist towards the ground.
The fireball detached and sped towards Charlotte.
With a flick of her blade, Charlotte summoned a fireball, significantly larger than Bairon's, and sent it hurtling forward.
The two fireballs collided; Charlotte's superior fireball devoured Bairon's smaller one.
The massive fireball then targeted Bairon, who was still airborne.
Cursing under his breath, Bairon cancelled his Lightness spell, plummeting to the ground.
The gargantuan fireball narrowly missed him, but soon, it reversed direction, hurtling towards Bairon once more.
Learning from his previous misjudgment, Bairon didn't risk a backward glance.
Sensing the heat, he quickly invoked Lightness, shifting his body a meter aside to dodge the incoming attack.
"Today, I'm determined to figure out why your spells can turn corners!" Bairon gritted his teeth.
Charlotte simply offered a serene smile.
...
Outside the Dark Tower.
A phantom silhouette hovered high in the sky, overlooking the Dark Tower.
From his vantage point, the intense confrontation between Bairon and Charlotte was clearly visible.
A level-3 mana core floated before the main gate of the Dark Tower.
As time ebbed away, the mana core gradually dissipated.
...
Two days later, within the Illusionary Realm.
"Flame Blast!" Bairon pointed towards the sandy ground beneath Charlotte.
With a muffled explosion, the sand erupted.