Rumble.
Rumble, rumble.
A hand suddenly burst through the rocks, followed by a powerful gust of air. A figure, cloaked in the torn remnants of burned robes, shot upward and crashed onto the heated, rocky ground below.
Maverick watched in silence, his body alert, as the figure slammed heavily onto the ground just a few meters away, directly across from him.
It was no surprise to see the old wizard emerge unscathed from the fiery devastation. Though his robes were scorched, the flames had caused no real harm, proving that the man was no ordinary grunt Maverick could easily defeat.
Speaking of which, the other two had posed no challenge. They disintegrated instantly, their defensive spells powerless against the overwhelming force of the fiery inferno.
Morvain's gaze sharpened as he studied the figure before him. After a moment, he narrowed his eyes and, with a voice laced in both anger and suspicion, asked, "Who, or what, are you to dare challenge me?"
Maverick remained silent, his grip tightening around his wand. Now that he was closer, he could truly feel the power emanating from the man before him. It was unlike any enemy he had ever faced.
Though not an Arch-Magus, the older wizard had spent centuries at the Great-Magus rank. At the peak of that level, it was safe to say he could rival anyone, except the seven Speakers.
Morvain watched as the figure's crimson eyes narrowed, and then a distorted voice emerged. "I am... Bloodraven."
A tense stillness filled the air before the old man erupted into dark, mocking laughter. "Blood what?" he sneered, his voice dripping with contempt. "Is that supposed to be intimidating?"
His tone shifted, darkening as he eyed the figure opposite him with suspicion. "Tell me," he demanded, "are you some lost dog sent by Garling?"
Maverick didn't react to the mockery or the question, though he was mildly surprised at how close the man had come to the guess.
Instead, his voice cold and distorted, he stated, "You end here, Victor Morvain."
The older man squinted. While he had a good idea of how he ended up in this situation, there was still much he didn't understand. And this clown before him wasn't offering any answers.
"Why hide your face?" he asked, changing his approach. "Surely you're not one of those seven monsters. I'd be ash if that were the case..." As he spoke, he tore away the remnants of his burned robes in a swiftmotion, revealing a body of lean, hardened muscle that defied his age. Only his weathered face betrayed the years he had lived.
"So, you're at most a Marquis... new, perhaps," he taunted, his words laced with an attempt to provoke.
The shadowy figure did not react as expected. Instead, its crimson eyes gleamed coldly, returning the disdain in kind. "Why bother asking," it said, its voice heavy and distorted, "when you're about to die?"
The mockery only fueled the old wizard's rage. His grip tightened on his wand, and his narrowed eyes burned with fury. "You've only just achieved, dog!" he roared, his voice rising with every word. "What I have mastered and lived for centuries!"
Maverick sensed the shift in the old man—his presence sharpening, like a predator honing onto its prey.
"I will relish breaking you—"
"Avada Kedavra!"
No warning, just a sharp, decisive thrust. The old man unleashed the green bolt of death with deadly precision.
Maverick was alert, reacting instantly. With a twist of his body, he dodged to the side, then shot upward, soaring ten meters in the span of a heartbeat. His movements didn't stop there—he lunged his wand forward and fired a silent, powerful exploding hex in return.
The older man was a skilled master of Magical-Sense and Magical-Energy Manipulation. His reaction was just as quick, sidestepping with swift ease.
Boom!
The explosion sent rocky debris flying in all directions, covering a twenty-meter radius.
The shockwave caught the old man off guard briefly, throwing off his balance—just enough.
Without hesitation, Maverick lunged forward, unleashing a powerful disarming charm. But halfway to its target, Maverick saw the man twist his body in an almost unnatural way, steadying himself. In a single, fluid motion, the old wizard countered, sending a disarming charm of his own back at Maverick.
Boom!
The two spells collided like bolts of red lightning, exploding with a thunderous boom.
Crackle! Crackle!
One hovered in the air, while the other remained firmly grounded. Both wizards kept their wands extended, pouring all their power into their magic.
Wild and electric bolts leaked into the air as the spells battled for dominance. The collision of their magic not only held them in a deadlock but also unleashed a destructive aftermath that spread to the surroundings.
Neither wizard could overpower the other. Thinking quickly, Maverick flicked his free hand, making the ground beneath Morvain shift suddenly.
The unexpected shift in the ground disrupted the old man's focus, weakening his spell. Maverick's disarming charm overpowered it, breaking through with force as it surged forward.
But just as the spell was about to hit, Morvain once again demonstrated his experience, swiftly sidestepping with unnatural speed.
Booom!
The curse smashed into the rocky terrain, carving through it like a hot knife through butter. Shards of stone exploded outward, scattering debris in every direction and leaving a jagged scar on the landscape.
"Avada Kedavra!"
The call for death rang out again. Through the swirling dust and debris, the green ray shot forward.
But it wasn't fast enough to escape Maverick's magical senses. He twisted in mid-air, dodging to the side, and with a swift motion, fired a bludgeoning curse at the same point.
Boom!
The explosion rocked the ground, sending another shockwave through the air as debris scattered in all directions.
The older wizard darted in and out of sight with erratic movements, using the chaos of the rubble to his advantage.
Maverick remained focused, his eyes constantly shifting, tracking Morvain's every motion through the swirling dust.
Whoosh!
Spells shot out in all colors—stunning hexes, binding hexes, blasting hexes—beams targeting Maverick as he hovered above. But they were easy to avoid. He moved side to side, tilting his head slightly, letting the spells miss—some crashing into the mountainside, others shooting into the sky.
Thanks to the Extraordinary-Characteristic granted by his overpowered broomstick, maneuvering through the air felt as natural as moving on solid ground.
Boom!
Boom!
Whoosh!
Maverick didn't just dodge and played the target. He countered every attack with his own relentless barrage of spells. Some were cast individually, while others chained together in rapid succession
But the older man was more than just a skilled wizard—his movements were quick and unpredictable, like a rat darting through shadows, always staying one step ahead.
Each of his attacks narrowly missed, and the only thing that suffered was the ground beneath them. The earth shook with every near miss, cracking and breaking as the impacts left deep scars.
After a few more exchanges, Morvain paused, and Maverick did the same. Morvain lifted his head, his gaze locking onto the figure clad in black, its crimson eyes.
"Is that some kind of charm?" he asked, suspicion in his voice as he watched how effortlessly Maverick maneuvered through the air. "Or perhaps a prop?"
Maverick remained silent, eyes fixed on Morvain, and letting silence stretch. His refusal to answer only deepened Morvain's frustration, the older wizard's hands trembling with barely contained rage.
"Fine," he spat, voice low and dripping with fury. "I'll break you first, and then make you tell me everything."
With a scowl, Morvain fired a blasting curse, but Maverick was too fast. The fiery bolt missed him by inches and struck a nearby boulder, exploding with a loud crash. Fragments of rock flew in all directions, scattering across the area.
The ground beneath them trembled with the force of their magic.
They continued their assault, moving constantly, dodging, and firing all manner of destructive spells. Some missed, while others collided mid-air. At times, they reached a stalemate, their spells canceling each other out in an instant. The surroundings crumbled with every attack as their movements became faster, like two streaks of light darting through the chaos.
The destruction grew as they began using Transfiguration to shape the ground and rocks into weapons, and it didn't take long before a kilometer-wide radius was left unrecognizable, the landscape transformed into a battleground.
...
High above the mountain range, three figures hovered in silence, their expressions unreadable as they watched the chaos unfold below.
Over an hour had passed since the duel began, yet the intensity showed no sign of diminishing.
The destruction had only grown, and even from their vantage point high above, they could still feel the vibrations of the battle's aftermath.
Smoke and dust now blanketed the rocky, barren terrain, while streaks of red, blue, and green light flashed through in different directions.
Loud booms echoed often as two shield-like spheres would slammed into each other with incredible speeds, each collision sending shockwaves rippling through the area, shaking the mountains and scattering debris.
Edward watched solemnly, his eyes fixed on the battle below. His grip on his wand was firm, ready to intervene at a moment's notice.
Ali and Aisha, however, were filled with a mix of awe, worry, and fear, their first time witnessing magic capable of such devastation.
Boom!
Boom!
The aftermath of each collision felt like the calm before the next storm.
"How long can they keep this up..." Aisha's quiet voice cut through the tension, her question obviously directed at the senior man beside her.
There was no immediate response from Edward. Instead, he pulled out a few devices—small, gadget-like items that looked like cameras but a little different from any they had seen before.
"They work like magical cameras," he explained, "but a bit more advanced than the usual ones." He addressed the man and woman standing beside him, within the magical construct. "I'll be moving, you two take the shots."
The two magus exchanged confused glances, unsure of exactly what was going on. They could guess, vaguely, that this was something their boss had arranged with his teacher. But they dared not ask, and instead, silently accepted their tasks.
Edward noticed their obedience and smirked inwardly, giving a silent thumbs up to his student. Subordinates should act this way—knowing when to stay quiet and follow orders.
"It won't be long, probably another hour," he added casually, answering Aisha's earlier question. "The kid's gonna win."
Meanwhile, he couldn't help but think to himself, Why isn't this idiot using my spell...
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Author's Note:
Just a quick update — up to Chapter 85 is already available on P AT r30n!
PAT r30n [.] com / RyanFic