Leveling up the World

Chapter 775: City Scorching Vortex

Simultaneously, both mages prepared for battle. The difference was that while Dallion was taking off the ring artifacts that prevented him from casting spells, Adzorg put on such that allowed him to. Even after the old mans deleveling at the hands of the order, there was no telling who had the upper hand. All that Dallion knew was that he preferred to have a squad of battle mages with him for the task.

Ruby, wound him! Dallion ordered as he grabbed his aura sword.

The shardfly broke its illusion emerging on Dallions shoulder, then sent a few well-aimed wind slashes in the direction of the old man. Several hit Adzorg in the legs, causing a layer of deep purple to flash over the area.

Didnt think youd become so vicious, dear boy. The man cast a spell, lifting him in the air. Commendable execution.

Ignoring the taunts, Dallion cast a series of spells to increase his reaction trait, rise up in the air, and surround himself with aether barriers.

Adzorg did the same. Using fingers, he wasnt able to match the quantity of spells one could do with an aura sword. Yet, he made up for that in quality, combining multiple spells in one. The spell circles he drew werent mere spell circles, but chains hooked one to the other, each containing symbols Dallion had never seen.

Ruby, pass through! Dallion said as he swung the aura sword leaving a trail of spell circles in the air.

Pausing its attacks, the shardfly flew through, following the flight path of a butterfly. Each time it passed through a spell circle, hundreds of shardfly copies poured out, all flying towards Adzorg.

Id hoped I taught you better, dear boy. The man sighed as he cast an eleven-circle spell. Never use the same tricks.

A flash of light passed through the air, erasing all the shardfly copies in the process.

Dallions harpsisword moved on its own, sending out a point attack at the mage. The strike missed by inches, flying by the man and bouncing off the pillar of purple light behind him.

Harp, what was that? Dallion gripped the hilt of the weapon tighter.

Youll always hesitate when facing him, the nymph replied unapologetically. You still want to convince him to surrender, even if he doesnt intend to.

Its my battle, Harp! Dallion gritted his teeth, casting a dozen aether projectile spells. I can handle it.

No, you cant.

You think Im not ready?

No, I think you dont want to. Youre more empath than mage. Thats what makes you you, thats the best part of you. The vibrations that composed her voice became softer, warmer. However, its also the thing that will get you killed. I wont allow that.

A sphere of magic symbols emerged around Adzorg. Its complexity made it impossible to tell what the purpose was. Yet, Dallion didnt have to decipher the spell to know. He had seen part of that spell before, back in the Learning Hall of the Academythat was the spell used to create a perfect illusion.

Spark! Dallion whispered, doing three line strikes in immediate succession.

The lines of glowing white split the air, slicing the sphere in three.

Dallion felt a lump in his throat. Had he stopped the spell? More importantly, had he accidentally killed Adzorg? Based on everything hed heard about the ex-archmage, there was no way such a simple attack could be successful. And still

No hesitation. The circle cleared, revealing the mage in a full suit of armor. This wasnt a magical construct, but real sky steel armor that didnt suit him in the least. Even so, it had the properties to stop most attacks, even spark ones. Using spark against mages, going straight for line attacks now that you can use them. Its a shame you didnt do more of that at the Academy.

Receiving his permission, the harpsisword seemed to move on its own, leading his arm along with it.

Just like Gleam, Dallion thought. Harp claimed that she was in combat gear, everything she had done confirmed that. Even after revealing that she had the spellcraft skill, she rarely used it until now.

A layer of water covered the weapon, doubling it in size. The strings were constantly vibrating, casting spells that Dallion couldnt recognize. There were no distinguishable elements, just large intricate patterns, made entirely of minuscule magic threads.

The moment Adzorg caught sight of it, his fingers moved twice as fast, weaving a more intricate spell than any he had done before. A thick layer of sea iron emerged in front of him, just as a spray of water crystals shot out from the harpsisword, effectively pulverizing it. Even the armor the mage was wearing was severely damaged, punctured in parts.

Harp! Dallion tightened his grip.

Hes alright, the nymph said. Apparently, her definition of all right was different than that of the rest of the world. Just slightly wounded.

The aether bats near Dallion faded away. That didnt mean the fight was over, though. Adzorg had already cast several healing spells, along with what looked like a restoration spell. As both rose up into the open air, Dallion could see the holes in the mans armor evaporate away, until it was restored to a flawless state.

Didnt think youd tip your hand, Adzorg said. He was looking at Dallion, but it was clear that he was addressing Harp. It seems that I underestimated you a bit.

Just give up! Dallion ordered. It doesnt have to end like this.

Theres too much at stake, dear boy. I would have preferred if you were with me on this, but

Large spears of ice flew in the space between Adzorg and Dallion, smashing into the purple tower. Dallions instances spread out. A quarter of them looked in the direction of the new attack, only to see the last person he expected.

Di? he said in utter shock.

I knew you two would end up fighting like this, the ice fury said with a smirk.

She definitely wasnt supposed to be here. It had only been a few weeks since Dallion had left her at the Academy, and yet here she was, wearing half a dozen artifacts, making up for her lack of magic trait.

Without regard to what was going on, the fury flew in the direction of the vortex, attempting to position herself between the two. From her point of view, both were dear people she found close. Unfortunately, this was the worst possible time for her to get involved.

Damn it! Dallion darted forward. Catching Adzorg was all but impossible now. All the old man had to do was cast one mass attack spell, then run away and it would be all over.

Suddenly, a second pillar shot up from the ground, twice as large as the first. In Dallions mind, time froze. He could see it moving on and swallowing them up. Both he and Adzorg had the means and knowledge to withstand the devastation and venture inside. The same couldnt be said about Diroh. Even with natural skills and Academy gear, it was all but certain shed be consumed.

Without hesitation, Dallion flew towards the fury. To his surprise and relief, Adzorg did the same. Both had come to the same realization andby the looks of ithad opted for the same solution.

Hold still! Dallion shouted, as he waved his aether sword, casting dozens of aether spheres around them.

Meanwhile, Adzorg also cast a spell, although his was somewhat different. Several giant barbed rings emerged, surrounding the spheres and him along with them. All that followed was purple.

VORTEX AWAKENING

You are in a level 9 VORTEX

Defeat the guardian to Absorb the VORTEX