Darius' senses returned as the Magical AI woman warned him about Geoffrey's Vox Elemental Magic that could put his mind in disarray.
He then tapped Maria's shoulder, awakening her from a trance state with the handle of his anti-mage sword.
"Ugh, what is happening? Why am I so dizzy?"
Darius sighed, glad that he was able to nullify Geoffrey's magic just in time.
The blonde young man's face turned grim, displeased that his plan had failed by just a touch of a simple sword.
'How is this possible? My Vox Magic had never failed before!' Geoffrey thought, by then, he was aware that Darius' sword was not an ordinary one.
"That sword…"
Before Geoffrey had the idea, Darius dashed frontward, brandishing the sword with fury.
However, Geoffrey swiftly dodged Darius' attack with just a simple footwork.
"Hmph! How dare you, a Fourth Tier Acolyte Mage, raise your sword against me! Ungrateful peasant!"
Darius was undaunted, he paid no heed to Geoffrey's slanders and began to attack him relentlessly.
Though his plan was all for naught, Geoffrey would not stop until he accomplished his mission.
As Darius started charging toward him, Geoffrey noticed the faint glow in Darius' chest, followed by a sudden burst of raw power that made Darius' movement a lot faster.
'What is this power?'
Although Geoffrey was disadvantaged in terms of raw strength, his magic prowess was far ahead of Darius. At this point, Geoffrey cast a body-strengthening spell to keep up with his adversary.
Geoffrey deflected the incoming side slash with just a flick of a wrist, Darius' hands were stunned by the blade's recoil. Although Darius knew he was utterly overwhelmed by Geoffrey's magic power, he was relentless in his attack.
'What an irredeemable peasant!'
"Halt!" Geoffrey exclaimed.
Darius couldn't move his body as if there was an invisible power pressed upon him.
Geoffrey smiled sardonically seeing Darius who was akin to a sitting duck. He then choked Darius' neck, lifting him high until Darius' feet hung a few inches above the ground.
Darius flailed fruitlessly, both his body and psyche were at Geoffrey's mercy. Even the Magical AI lady, Alexa, couldn't do much since Darius' mind was already under the control of Geoffrey's Vox Elemental magic.
The knight-in-chief was initially only focused on his mission, however, when his eyes landed on the spherical crystal embedded in Darius' chest, it piqued his interest the most.
Geoffrey ripped Darius' clothes in one swift pull, his eyes glinting, reflecting the otherworldly light that was emitted by the crystal.
"Interesting. Pray tell, where did you get this?" Geoffrey smiled from ear to ear, completely ignoring Maria who was silently calculating her attack.
"Huh! You arrogant asshole!" Darius smirked.
Before Geoffrey knew it, Maria dashed forward, within a split second, she was already on Geoffrey's side, brandishing the dagger that had been laced with poison.
Maria thrusts her dagger right into Geoffrey's back, the blindside that is least affected by the Body Strengthening Spell.
Though she only scratched Geoffrey's skin, it was enough for the poison to make Geoffrey lose control of his spell, creating an opening for Darius.
Not wanting this window of opportunity, Darius kicked Geoffrey's groin, an old dirty trick, but it's the most effective way to take down even the wildest beast there is.
Urgh!
Geoffrey's eyes bulged out, feeling the excruciating pain between his thighs.
"You dirty little—"
"Eldr!"
A blast of fireball hit Geoffrey's body, fortunately, the cloak which was made from magic resistance material absorbed most of the momentum.
*Infernio!"
Geoffrey returned the attack with a wall of infernal flame, engulfing the whole cave.
Darius swung his sword once again, splitting the wall of flame in twain as well as nullifying the spell in an instant.
'Impossible!'
Geoffrey was taken aback when the white-haired plebeian was able to cut his strongest spell in a single blow.
Darius grasped his chance, he dashed forward, cutting deeply into Geoffrey's skin, but still not enough to kill him just yet.
It took Darius about five minutes or so to be able to penetrate Geoffrey's body-strengthening spell.
Mages were a coward by nature, Darius just realized this during the fight with Geoffrey.
They were but haughty beings who couldn't do anything once their bodies couldn't keep up with their mana or vice versa.
That's why Darius only used his spell at the last minute. Though he had unlimited mana in his disposals, he understood that his spell was far too inferior compared to Geoffrey, and Darius chose to rely on his martial and physical prowess.
Alas, the knight-in-chief was beaten into a pulp by a mere Fourth Tier Acolyte Mage and a girl whose magic power was being suppressed.
For Geoffrey, as a high-ranking nobleman, this humiliation was worse than death!
"This is impossible! I was beaten by a mere Acolyte Rank Mage?!" Geoffrey was in disbelief, crawling toward the cave's exit.
"Where do you think you're going?" Maria says, her eyes glowered at him.
Pia! Pia! Pia!
Maria unleashed her pent-up anger by slapping the battered nobleman for a couple of minutes until she was satisfied.
"Just kill me already, and you shall face the wrath of the Baron! Hehe! He is a Rank 3 Mage, your village will blow up into the sky with just one single spell. None of your men will be spared, and he shall feast upon the women! Hahaha!"
"Shut up!"
Maria mounted the nobleman's body, the poisoned dagger held high above her head, ready to plow out Geoffrey's heart from his chest.
However, she was stopped midway by Darius. He grabbed her hand firmly. Although Geoffrey sounds so desperate, Darius knew it was meant to provoke him. However, Maria was quite the opposite.
"Don't stop me, Darius! This bastard needs to die!"
"Calm yourself, Maria. Killing him now would only alert the Baron. We need to keep him alive. Besides, he still has a lot to say."
"Don't listen to him, hehe! Come, kill me, suffice your thirst!"
'This man is a goddamned maniac!' Darius thought.
Darius paid no heed to his words, he tied Geoffrey's limbs with pieces of his clothes. To keep his mouth shut, he shoved a rock into Geoffrey's mouth.
Darius glanced at his anti-mage sword, he had a hunch that Geoffrey knew something more than he did. When he asked the Magical AI lady, She couldn't help much either since her database was limited to the current era and only possessed the knowledge of her homeworld.
****