"I have my ways. So do you agree?" Instead of answering his question, I made it vague, to compose myself as a mysterious person.
You know how mysterious people are, they tend to attract curiosity and curiosity will help me recruit this student of Merlin.
"….Fine. But don't expect me to hold back on you just because you're a kid." Balthazar grumbled but still agreed nonetheless.
"Where are we going to fight? Don't tell we're fighting in this slum?" He continued with a question.
"Good question." Instead of answering him again, I simply smirked and with a wave of my hand, a small orange magic circle appeared on the tip of my fingers and I waved it in front of us, where a large crack in space appeared mid-air.
"What the…" Balthazar and Diorno both watched the spectacle in amusement and curiosity.
"Follow me." I initiated and walked forward, letting them watch as the space crack swallow me like the surface of the ocean.
Both Balthazar and Diorno glanced at each other before Diorno sighed.
"I'll go next." Albeit unfamiliar with such spell, Diorno trusts me, especially since I don't have any reason to harm him considering I could've done so many times in these previous days.
Balthazar entered next after Diorno.
"…Did the spell fail?" Balthazar furrowed his eyebrows after seeing that he's still in the same spot as before.
Diorno shares the same sentiment as him.
"It didn't. Welcome to the Mirror Dimension." I refuted, spreading my arms as I introduced them to the dimension and its functions.
"Mirroring and replicating the real world? So this is the same as the infamous Hungarian Mirror Trap." Balthazar muttered to himself, recalling a certain similar spell.
"Amazing." Diorno was also the same, surprised by the Mirror Dimension, not because of its amazing functions but because of the fact that I, a devil, can create my own dimension at will, something that most beings can't normally do.
"You ready?" I distanced myself from Balthazar, who did the same and asked.
"More than you." Balthazar replied with confidence in his tone.
"Did you master not tell you to never underestimate your enemy?" As soon as I finished my words, I disappeared from his sight, reappearing in front of him as both our eyes met.
Just as Balthazar's eyes widened in surprise and was about to counter-attack, a magic circle already appeared on my palm and a gush of strong wind current blew out, smashing against Balthazar's chest, launching through the air.
I only used a non-lethal spell this time, this is just a spar after all, not a battle to our deaths.
While mid-air, Balthazar's mana churned and he channeled them through his ring, whereas the air around him composed into a solid construct before cushioning his fall on the ground.
Of course, as a gentlemen and soon to be Balthazar's master, I gave him the space he needed to have a breather.
"Cough! Hah~ Hah~" Clutching his chest, Balthazar felt all the air from his lungs being depleted.
"I thought you were ready more than me?" I flashed him an arrogant smirk, in return against his comment to me earlier.
"You…" Unable to find any words to refute me, Balthazar stood back up and decided to let his strength talk this time instead of his mouth like earlier.
Waving both his hands, my senses went haywire when the earth under my feet started to pulse in mana, which means Balthazar's spell is related to the ground I'm stepping on.
I jumped in the air just in time as the ground I was previously stepping on disappeared, pulled by the earth, causing a small but deep hole, large enough to swallow me whole.
'That was close.' I muttered to myself.
This spell reminds me of my upgraded mana skin, where I can expand my mana or Demonic Energy to form a small domain around me where I can cast spell wherever inside the said domain.
'It's been a while since I last used it.' Focusing on my Demonic Energy, I felt it clung to my skin before manipulating it to expand and cover the area around us.
Balthazar's eyes turned cautious after sensing the mana around him turn thicker. Expecting some sort of large area of effect spell of some kind.
Which is kind of true.
With a will of my mind, four magic circles surrounded Balthazar and spew fiery hot flames that covers all of his escape routes.
The only way for him to escape is either through the sky or the ground.
In which he didn't do either.
Instead, he waved his arms around like a certain air bender and a huge ball of air formed around him with Balthazar being in the middle inside.
My flames immediately got dispersed upon contact.
'That's neat. Those rings are truly overpowered.' I couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy.
I really want to study those rings, their enchantment, materials and etc. Then implement them to Sling Rings, allowing me to create my own set of Slong Rings for the future members of my Sorcerer Society.
"Is that all you got?" It was Balthazar's turn to smirk.
"Says the guy who almost lost in a single spell earlier." I rebutted, wiping off the smirk from his face real quick.
We both then moved at the same time, casting spells in unison as a magic circle appeared on top of his head and the gravity of his body doubled, causing him to have a hard time moving.
Meanwhile for him, before the double gravity hits him, he already managed to cast a spell to me, causing the earth surrounding me to rise from the ground and form a huge Cerberus, the three-headed dog.
I looked at the living creature in front of me with amazement. Marveling at the wizard's capabilities to form life as easy as lifting a hand.
Of course, the Cerberus itself is nothing to be feared at, it's merely a replica of the real one, not to mention, it's made of dirt.
"Roarr!" The Cerberus roared before charging towards me while its caster, Balthazar, was countering the gravity spell I placed on him.
I dodged to the side just as the Cerberus's sharp jaws clumped on my previous position.
"I bet Hades would be disappointed in you." I shook my head in disappointment.
As if understanding the intention behind my words, the Cerberus growled in anger and once again charged towards me, its speed faster than before.
Instead of doing the same thing as before, transfigured the earth around me and turned it into a frisbee.
"Fetch!" I skied after seeing the Cerberus wagged its tail and chased the frisbee I threw past it.
Well, dog is a dog, after all, no matter their race.
While I was busy playing fetch Balthazar's Earth Cerberus, the said wizard just got out of the gravity spell, muttering curses under his breath.
"I can't believe I'm losing to traditional magic." He whispered under his breath, mistaking me for a human due to the magic circles that I use when casting spells.
Unlike traditional magic that humans invented during the time Mesopotamia still exist, the magic system that his master, Merlin, invented is different and more convenient.
Although the magic system of Merlin is stronger than traditional magic, that doesn't mean it is widely used by every magician.
As a matter of fact, barely anyone knows that Merlin uses a different kind of magic system.
Through the use of the magic rings which only Merlin and his trusted allies including his sister, Morgan Le Fay knows how to forge, Merlin was able to manipulate the mana inside their bodies without having to use calculations and algorithms.
They only need to have the knowledge about physics and science and that's enough.
'If I could get my hands on the method how to create those time, I'd be able to create my own army.' Just thinking about it makes me desire for Balthazar more.
This Nicholas Cage look-alike is a treasure trove of a new set of magical knowledge.
Having him beside me would be a great boon.
Not to mention, their kind have a method to prolong their life, maybe Merlin taught them a certain spell to prolong their lifespan or something like that.
Anyways, beating Balthazar is the first step of my plan.
I can't believe this one-month journey would give me two large boons.
First is the kid with a possible Sacred Gear, and now Balthazar who carries a brand new set of magic system with him.
Casting a large magic circle from the sky, a huge bolt of lightning struck down towards the Earth Cerberus.
Since Lightning is the Earth's weakness in most video games, I assume the same goes in real life.
Which turns out to be true as the Cerberus could only lift his head in surprise before the lightning landed on him, destroying every fiber of its body starting from its head down to the tail.
Once again, both me and Balthazar are facing each other, while I'm composed and calm, Balthazar was the opposite, although the wizard tries to look tough on the outside but I can sense he's exhausted, physically, mentally and spiritually.
Creating a Cerberus as large as a two-story house must've exhausted him.
"Do you yield?" I asked. Hopefully he would yield, because if he don't, I might be forced to take this seriously and end him with a single attack.
"Master always tells me the way to win a fight..." Oh good, Nicholas Cage starts monologuing like a main character in a movie
"That is to know when to surrender and resume the fight in another day. Know thy enemy and you shall grasp victory." Balthazar seemed to have entered some sort of enlightenment as he softly smiled and continued.
"I surrender. You win." My lips curved into a smile.
Finally.
***
We got back to the real world as Balthazar would from now on, join me and follow me to my journey.
"Oh by the way, I forgot. Can you wear this?" All of the sudden, Balthazar spoke, asking me as he brought out a dragon's head-shaped silver ring from his pocket.
'This is Merlin's ring.' I muttered to myself in shock. Why would Balthazar think I'm worthy of this? Is it because I defeated him?
Although surprised, I couldn't help but feel excited inside my chest.
'Maybe…I don't need to ask Balthazar to study his ring. If this Dragon Ring accepts me…'
Hiding my excitement, I nodded my head in agreement and picked up the Dragon Ring from his palm.
I can see Diorno's eyes widening after seeing the familiar ring that he was offered to wear back when they first met.
I appreciate the fact that he's not telling Balthazar that I'm a devil. If he did, I don't think Balthazar would offer me this, not to mention, I don't know what's his stance against Devils.
'The moment of truth.' I whispered under my mind as I slid the ring inside my index finger.
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[Next Chapter: Ch. 58 - The Chosen One!]
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