Victoria jumped from one rooftop to another as she searched for the Nartheis that had attacked her during her confrontation with several weaker creatures. The slender Nartheis's surprise attack had sent her straight into the center of the city. Because of that, she was determined to return the favor, although she had still been feeling something strange ever since she was hit.
'I don't know exactly what this feeling is... It was also the first time someone had managed to hurt me. To be honest, I don't think that Nartheis is the only one of its kind.'
Upon reaching the top of a house, Victoria managed to observe a large part of the city of Vesparello. The destruction was impressive. Even though it was the third-largest city on the continent, it had been practically devastated. It was hard to believe that this level of destruction could be caused by Circle Four users.
"Found them."
After locating the Nartheis she was looking for, Victoria jumped onto the roof of the next house. Her eyes carefully scanned the battlefield, analyzing the creatures. However, her expression changed when she realized there were other Nartheis that seemed just as strong as the one that had attacked her.
"Wait... Is that Deymon? Why is he standing alongside the Nartheis?"
Upon noticing that Deymon was absorbing the magic from Velka's body, Victoria used one of her spells to become invisible and observe the situation without being noticed. She knew that fighting those creatures would be extremely dangerous and that she might even lose her life. Because of that, she preferred to wait for an opportunity before taking any action.
'Besides, that Nartheis also attacked me by surprise. I'm just returning the favor.'
As she continued watching the battle, Victoria felt her hand tremble slightly when she witnessed the power Deymon had demonstrated against the four students.
'This guy has reached a new level... I want to defeat that slender Nartheis, but with Deymon nearby, that will be impossible. I'd better leave.'
Before leaving, however, she turned her eyes toward the four. Despite their injuries and the obvious difference in power, determination could still be seen in their eyes. They seemed to believe they could defeat Deymon, even though their chances were minimal and fear was written all over their faces.
'Do these people want to die?'
To Victoria, insisting on such a disadvantageous battle was a terrible decision. However, she soon realized that even if they tried to escape, they would probably be pursued.
'They were unlucky.'
Under those circumstances, there wasn't much she could do besides keep watching and wait for an opportunity.
Still undecided about whether she should get involved in that fight, even knowing the risks, Victoria saw Enrico arrive and order his companions to leave.
'Is this guy crazy? Is he planning to fight all these monsters alone?'
Clenching her fists, she remembered how highly Hao praised Enrico. Because of that, she had imagined he was, at the very least, an intelligent person, especially considering how much praise he had received.
'He's just an idiot...'
Suddenly, however, Victoria noticed something different about Enrico. His empty eyes didn't convey just anger or recklessness. There was something much stranger about that expression. He genuinely believed he would win that battle.
'That confidence... I'll watch a little longer to see how far he can go.'
Enrico stared at the four monsters in front of him without showing any concern or hesitation. He didn't seem to have come up with a plan or even consider the possible difficulties of that fight. He simply conveyed an absolute confidence that he would emerge victorious.
That attitude made Deymon grit his teeth in irritation.
"Why are you looking at me as if you could defeat a Circle Four user while being only a Circle Three? Do you really consider yourself so much better than me?"
Enrico didn't even avert his gaze. He watched Deymon with absolute indifference, as if his power and the threat he represented simply made no difference.
"Yes. I'm better than you, and I can prove it."
'At least while the pact is active... But honestly, I don't care.'
Deymon raised his arm and, with a single movement, launched a black slash toward Enrico. The attack advanced, destroying everything in its path. With an arrogant smile, Deymon watched the devastation, convinced that he had finished off his opponent.
"You're no longer on my level, you piece of trash! And..."
Before he could finish, Enrico appeared behind the Nartheis with blades scattered across its body and grabbed its face with one hand.
His speed was so absurd that the other two Nartheis could barely follow his movements.
"You're right. I'm no longer on your level."
The sound of something being violently hurled against the ground echoed through the area. Deymon barely had time to react before he was struck by the powerful shock wave produced by the impact, sending him flying backward.
"What was that?! What kind of speed is this?"
"Lord Deymon, is that boy really a Circle Three among humans?"
"Yes. He should be."
After answering the slender Nartheis, Deymon turned his attention back to Enrico. The boy was still holding the blade-covered Nartheis's face as easily as he would hold a simple piece of cloth, ignoring the creature's desperate attempts to free itself.
The slender Nartheis narrowed its eyes, showing some apprehension.
'How strange... I can't sense that this human is using magic to increase his own speed.'
The Nartheis with the gigantic mouth appeared behind Enrico and lunged forward to devour his body, attempting to tear him in half. At the same time, the blade-covered Nartheis began delivering several slashes to the boy's legs.
Name: Silver Blade
Rank: Faizes — Level Two High
Magic: Blades
Unique Ability — Poisoned Slash: Upon hitting an opponent, it injects poison directly into their veins. If the target is weaker than the user, there is a 3% chance that they will die after ten minutes if they do not receive proper treatment in time.
Name: Mana Glutton
Rank: Faizes — Level Two High
Magic: Absorption
Unique Ability — Devourer: Can use its magic to strengthen its own body and is capable of absorbing up to 200 units of mana while at the Faizes level.
While Mana Glutton was biting Enrico, it felt something grab its teeth and begin forcing its mouth open. To its surprise, the boy was doing this with just one hand.
"Mana Devour."
The Nartheis activated its ability in an attempt to absorb Enrico's mana. However, for some reason, it couldn't extract absolutely anything.
The Nartheis tried to resist, forcing its jaws to close again, but the boy didn't yield. With a sudden movement, he pressed down on the creature's teeth, breaking every tooth in its upper jaw.
"Zero Impact."
After releasing both creatures, Enrico barely seemed to move his body. The next instant, both Nartheis exploded after receiving a series of physical blows so fast and powerful that their bodies were completely torn apart.
Their remains scattered across the area, and Enrico immediately prepared to advance toward Deymon, maintaining the same empty, indifferent eyes.
The slender Nartheis took a step backward.
"Human, place the mana stone on one of the remains of those two defeated creatures and become stronger. You're going to need it."
"What is this...? That bastard still surpasses me? Hurry up and make him waste time while I take care of this, you Nartheis!"
The slender Nartheis broke the sound barrier, producing a powerful shock wave as it appeared in front of Enrico. Its fist surged forward with great force, but the boy managed to block it with one hand without showing any difficulty. The impact caused the ground around the two to crack.
Name: Nivren
Rank: Faizes — Level Two Maximum
Magic: Sound
Unique Ability — Sound King: Inflicts constant damage whenever sound magic is used, regardless of whether the opponent is near or far. Its maximum range is 50 meters.
"You're not an ordinary human, just as my master said."
Enrico remained motionless for a moment, ignoring Nivren. His eyes were fixed on Deymon, who had begun absorbing the remaining magic in the air after the destruction of the two Nartheis.
Feeling the power flowing through his own body, Deymon let out a laugh. Then he turned toward Enrico, extended one hand in his direction, and fired a concentrated amount of corrupted magic.
"Die."
The attack advanced at high speed toward Enrico. The Nartheis standing beside him, sensing the danger, jumped away to avoid being hit.
To everyone's astonishment, Enrico didn't even try to dodge. He simply raised one hand and intercepted the attack with his open palm. The corrupted magic collided with his hand, but instead of passing through it or pushing him backward, its advance was completely halted, as if all that power posed no threat whatsoever.
"You absorbed so much mana and betrayed your own people just to reach this level? Pathetic."
The attack dissolved into the air without causing Enrico any damage. At the sight of this, both Deymon and the Nartheis widened their eyes, unable to hide their disbelief.