Advent of the Archmage

It had been an hour; Link floated in the air using a levitation spell. He had been slowly descending and was now at an altitude of 6000 feet. He had also recollected himself in this period.

Although the Mana disturbance effect had not completely worn off, his spellcasting speed was now back to its original state. The only side effect left was the inevitable flaws that would appear in his spells due to the status he was afflicted with. It would be fine to use such spells on ordinary people. However, it would be disastrous to have such a flaw when dealing with Nana.

If he did not have the Prophet's White Stone in his hand, he would not have even had the slightest chance of escape, much less turn the tables around.

Nana was designed to calculate every detail of a battle down to the specifics. She was so perfectly created that even a combat master like Link felt pressurized and shackled.

Four hundred years of battle experience is really a force to be reckoned with. Link did not feel defeated, though. He believed that given enough battle experience, he too would have the same impeccable knowledge of combat as Nana.

The sounds of flapping wings could be heard. Link looked behind him and saw Nana on another Griffin. She was hovering at a distance 600 feet away, staring at him in waiting. Link was highly focused, though he stayed still the entire time. He displayed a relaxed and calm demeanor as he floated down slowly.

Nana also kept her distance and lowered her altitude slowly, matching Link's movement.

The previous two battles that happened mid-air ended in her failure. This meant that the odds of her defeating Link in the air were not high. She would thus wait for Link to land before making her move. The land was her home ground. She could kill her target in just a single strike.

"Target is locked in. Target is currently landing…1900…1800…1700…" the crisp voice constantly rang from Nana as her clear eyes were fixated on Link. It seemed pure and innocent enough, though it would probably feel like the reaper's incarnate if one was the target.

After half an hour, Link's altitude and been reduced by another 3000 feet. The islands beneath him had become clear. He could see the flora and faunas on the island clearly. Furthermore, he was pleasantly surprised to find that his landing spot would be right on the black-colored island.

How coincidental. Link smiled. He had around 1900 Mana Points and could probably maintain the Titan's Hand for 20 seconds. This should be enough to deal with Nana.

At that moment, the subtle howling sounds of wind appeared again. Link then felt a familiar magic fluctuation. As he turned his head, he saw Celine and Vance returning from their mission. Vance held a staff with a black skull perched at its tip. It was none other than the Dark Arbiter. This was good news. If they could make it through the day, this would be the key to their success. However, the plan now had to change.

"Link, how are you?" Celine whispered as she stared at Link's pale face with a worried expression.

"Just some minor injuries," Link answered.

Nana had also noticed their arrival and immediately adjusted her position to ensure her safety. On the other side, Link made use of this chance to cast the Clear Thoughts effect on the Flame Controller's Robe. The Clear Thoughts effect would recover 2000 Mana Points. In this battle where a split second could determine life and death, more Mana Points was always useful.

After activating the special effect, a pale heat wave enveloped the robe. It was as though Link's body temperature suddenly rose to an insane level, making it slightly intimidating.

Nana had never seen such a phenomenon before. She expected Link to release a strong spell. She immediately retreated 300 feet behind her.

She is, after all, just a magic puppet. Although her battle experience is useful, there is a limit to her knowledge. Link felt that his chances were getting better.

Taking advantage of this, Celine successfully reached Link's side.

Vance then cast a levitation spell on everyone so that Link could focus his attention on Nana. They then floated down slowly.

"Link, what is the plan now?" Vance stared at Nana, who was currently riding a Griffin. The Flame of the Soul in her eyes jumped around actively. This puppet was too intelligent; they were even losing their air-borne advantage.

Link had decided, "Once we land, I will release a Level-9 spell."

Although he was relieved that Vance and Celine were back to support him, it had been proven that their combined power was still not enough to deal with Nana. Now that he was injured, it was impossible to delay the battle until the Dark Arbiter's effect reset the next day.

A Level-9 spell was the only course of action.

Celine interrupted, "Perhaps we can kill her Griffin."

Link smiled bitterly, "I've tried. She is very protective of it. No matter what I did, I was not successful. Furthermore, I am now under a Mana disturbance status. The strength of my low-level spells is reduced by at least 50%."

Upon hearing those words, Celine gave up on her idea.

Vance was speechless as well. He had heard rumors about Link when he was at his full power. It was said that the scene was akin to a storm of low-level spells mercilessly raining on his opponents. To think that Nana was able to defend against this ferocious magic storm! He probably would not be of much help even if he were to be present in that battle.

Vance was still bitter that they had to waste a level-9 spell on a puppet. He said reluctantly, "We can just let Celine bring us on the run."

Before Link could speak, Celine shook her head and answered, "My speed will be much slower than the Griffin if I had to carry two people with me. This applies to my endurance as well."

Vance then laid out his hands helplessly, "I guess we have no choice."

The three of them kept silent as they slowly descended.

Ever since Nana got a Griffin as her aid, they lost their airborne advantage. They even lost their advantage to cast the first attack as there was a limit to their spellcasting range. Nana was extremely cautious and would retreat the moment she felt something was amiss. She would not give them the opportunity to release any spells.

Hence, both parties were merely waiting to land before engaging in a fierce battle.

Time passed quickly, and before long, they were only 300 feet above the ground. Under them was a bizarre looking black-colored island.

Suddenly, Link felt that something was amiss. His hand seemed to feel heavy. More accurately, it was his fingers that were feeling the weight. It was as though something was pulling on it. Link was confused. He quickly realized that this pulling sensation came from the Baron's seal on his hand.

Link's instinct was to immediately observe his Baron's seal. However, the moment he moved, he felt a subtle tingling feeling coming from the ring. He also felt the same sensation coming from the defensive ring he wore. This would not have been possible without Link's sensitivity. It felt as though a mini electric current was running through them.

But why would there be a current in mid-air?

As they continued on their descent, Link felt the pull on his Baron's seal becoming more prominent. This ring was not made from a good material, merely from cheap iron.

Wait a minute…Iron?

This downward force was almost similar to the attraction forces from a magnet. Is this really a magnetic force?

Link then looked at the black colored island. He observed that the island was in fact a huge, black, rocky reef that was around 900 feet in diameter. There was some scattered gravel on the surface of the island which looked extremely strange. Link saw that one of them seemed to be hanging precariously from a cliff without any form of external help. This was a violation of the rules of physics.

Link was suddenly inspired. "Could this be an Ever-Magnetic Island?"

They were merely 150 feet above ground level and the attraction forces pulling on the Baron's seal were getting stronger by the minute. Link had to put the ring away into the dimensional pendant as it was becoming too much to bear. He then tried to raise the Starcatcher wand in his hand.

The Starcatcher's main body was made almost entirely of premium Gold and Thorium, both of which were metallic substances. The moment he moved the wand, he felt that the surface temperature of the wand would experience a slight increase.

When metallic substances cut through magnetic lines, electric pressure resulting in voltage will be produced. If a loop is created, then a current would be produced. As the wand is irregular in shape, there could be a vortex that forms in its inner structure, causing the temperature to rise. I merely made a slight movement with the wand and such obvious temperature difference could be felt. Just how strong is the magnetic field on this island to have such a powerful current conversion rate?

This was the theory of using magnetic forces to generate electricity on earth. Although the exact specifics might be slightly different in Firuman, the general theory was the same. In fact, this was the theoretical basis for most lightning elemental spells.

Link was then struck by an idea. He stared at Nana 600 feet away and realized that she was made entirely of metallic materials. This island would be where she would meet her demise!

Link was excited and immediately said, "Did both of you feel it? This island is special.

Celine felt nothing but a slight headache. This was a normal physical abnormality under the presence of a strong magnetic field.

Vance, on the other hand, was slightly more sensitive and gasped, "How interesting! This island is a mine for extremely strong magnetic materials!"

"Perhaps we have a chance against Nana here." Link turned to Celine and asked, "Do you have any spare swords?"

"Of course." Celine took out a one-handed sword made of gold.

"That would be fine. We will commence our battle against Nana right here," Link's eyes glowed as he declared.

This island was extremely special, and Nana would certainly have no experience in dealing with magnetic fields. The lack of any battle experience on Nana's side would be their greatest advantage. Furthermore, even if she had the relevant battle experience, it would be futile. The fact that her whole body was composed of metallic materials would mean that her movements would be limited on the island!