Dark Magus Returns

Chapter 1594: Trading Blows

Raze made a calculated decision: he would not engage the Masked members immediately. Although he was supremely confident in his ability to best any single one of them, and likely several at once, he knew they would prove tricky, time-consuming distractions. That time needed to be spent on the real threat, the fodder Gizin had deployed.

For the Masked ones, he would leave them to his team. Each core member of his group was powerful and strong now, their abilities honed by brutal conflict. They had proven their worth time and time again, and unlike the past, Raze could trust them implicitly with this critical task.

Since he still saw no sign of Gizin, Raze wasn’t stuck doing nothing. Instead, he was focusing his legendary power on protecting the citizens of the Underside.

He rushed toward an entry point where he could see a flood of mages had recently landed. Leaping high with a surge of Qi, Raze then descended swiftly, utilizing his Wind Magic to control his speed. He saw a large group of ten mages who had entered and were checking the nearby homes, having already killed a few unsuspecting people who hadn’t cleared the area in time.

But Raze knew those homes were otherwise empty, strategically abandoned. Because of that, as the group of ten mages finally noticed him, Raze didn’t hesitate. He simply lifted his hands.

Immediately, he used his Earth Magic to manipulate the buildings directly in front of him, smashing the structures together. The stone and debris crushed the mages, moving them and creating a tight, inescapable alleyway of rubble.

It was an easy task for an Eight-Star Mage of his caliber, and the invading mages weren’t able to react to the sheer speed of his geomancy. Right after the crushing impact, Raze stomped his foot down onto the ground, shifting his weight forward.

He executed one of the first defensive moves he had learned back in Pagna, a move mixed with one of the descending steps to draw an immediate surge of Qi power. Finally, he gathered the raw Dark Magic into his fist and thrust it forward with a violent exertion of will.

A massive beam of Dark energy shot out, fast and precise like a laser. It pierced every single mage that had been squashed into the alleyway, extinguishing them and their life force on the spot.

Raze didn’t even pause to check for survivors. Time wasted on them meant more innocent lives would die in the Underside. He immediately jumped and flipped backward, landing lightly on top of one of the structurally sound housing structures.

From there, he could see fighting taking place in a much more open area, a section filled with various mounds of scrap and rubbish piles. Those from the Underside would usually scour these hills of waste to find useful or interesting salvage.

The area was wide and open, which Raze knew made it the perfect place for him to attack.

The sword was instantly summoned in his hand, a blade of pure energy, and he swung it away in a sweeping arc, hitting several of the mages converging on the area.

He knew some of the mages would be able to block the attack, or that their enchanted blazers would be able to deflect part of the damage, but it didn’t matter. He landed on the ground, and lightning instantly filled his feet. Before the enemy could even track his location, Raze was moving from target to target, slicing at the vital parts of each mage, killing them and taking them out one by one in a dazzling flurry of speed and steel.

Even if we are completely outnumbered, or potentially overpowered, I will make up the difference with sheer force and efficiency, Raze thought, his focus absolute. I have done so many times before.

A small part of him, however, missed the coordinated strength of the Crimson Crane, they were exceptionally skilled at fighting against a massive number of opponents, especially with the unique enchanted weapons he had crafted for them.

I’ll keep chopping them down, Raze promised himself, his eyes scanning the battlefield, until Gizin himself finally comes out!

Elsewhere on the battlefield, the most intense confrontation was unfolding at the largest trash heap in the Underside, a colossal mountain of unsorted, solidified waste.

Right on top of this precarious summit, two individuals were locked in a deadly exchange.

“System, can’t you figure out any way for me to get closer!” Liam shouted in frustration, his voice strained.

He was facing off against one of the Masked Men. Behind the enemy, several glowing dots that almost looked like stars were forming. They weren’t just forming on the masked man’s back, but seemed to be embedded into his very being, shooting out precise, continuous energy blast lasers toward Liam in every direction.

Liam was running, dodging and weaving, narrowly avoiding the constant stream of energy blasts. But due to how small and numerous the attacks were, even if he used his all-cutting sword, he couldn’t block every single hit.

When the lasers struck his hardened body, it felt like he was being punched with focused Qi, and a singed, burning feeling was felt across his entire body. The pain was immediate and constant.

Quickly assessing the impossible situation, Liam swiftly changed to his other sword and struck the ground with the second formation, summoning a giant, undulating wave of Dark Qi that surged toward the masked man.

That was when the masked man demonstrated his terrifying power. He calmly placed both of his hands together, thrust them forward toward the Dark Qi wave, and then pulled them apart. It was as if he were splitting two mighty rivers. The entire wave of Dark Qi dissipated harmlessly around him. The masked man remained completely fine, his featureless mask staring directly at Liam.

A dangerous thrill shot through Liam, replacing the pain.

“You know what,” Liam said, a grin stretching across his sweat-streaked face despite his predicament. “Ever since I received these two swords, fights have been a bit too easy for me. So, I guess I welcome the challenge.”

***

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