CHAPTER 39: FIRST SWING

One down for me.

Hadrian thought.

Truston took a deep breath and let it out. The attack didn’t seem to have cost him much of an effort. And Hadrian could see, peering into his essence sea, that there had only been little turbulence.

"We should be above ground now." Saying this, Truston turned to the left wall.

With his hands he bent the concrete wall to his will, slowly creating a path.

The wall was thick, it took some time to create a path to the outside.

"I really should be less ignorant."

Some few metres away from them, with his long slick back flowing hair, Haldon stood with his arms behind his back.

Hadrian wasn’t really surprised to see him there. One because his other vessels had kept an eye on what was happening above the basement and two, as a rank two of the space path, Haldon’s spatial awareness must have gotten a great boost.

Hadrian imagined Haldon could map out the entire metal workshop building with great detail.

Haldon brought his hands from behind his back, spreading them out as if welcoming a hug.

Blood dripped from the sleeves of his elegant looking robe and his now completely blood painted arms.

"It was more embarrassing than disappointing, really. When I found out I had brought Bagdona a useless corpse."

His spread arms came down to his sides.

"So I must thank you for that lesson. I can’t be ignorant anymore. I couldn’t be. What if all of them were just as compromised as him."

By "him" he meant the groper mage who Hadrian had turned to his vessel currently standing to the right of Truston.

To Hadrian, Haldon’s words were very clear. He’d slaughtered everyone else in the metal workshop.

Well, almost everyone. Three rank one mages managed to run away. The regular humans, however, were not as lucky.

Eh. This can be a great advantage. If I let my enemies completely understand my powers, they might kill each other for me while my real vessels bask elsewhere.

"You want to kill me while freeing him." Haldon said, exaggerating his expression like he was hurt by someone he cares for. "That’s not quite fair."

"No matter. It’ll end just as last time."

Saying this, Haldon flash stepped to his left and cone shaped rock projectiles, that were seemingly aimed for his neck and head, shot through the air where he’d been standing.

Why not summon or control the ground right beneath Haldon’s feet?

Though Hadrian could not see it, he had made some guesses during his practice training.

He had come to the conclusion that an invisible aura surrounded mages and people, such that within the boundaries of that aura, foreign magic could not be cast.

It wasn’t large, just about a two feet length from the individual’s body.

For a rank two of the space path, it was easy for Haldon to sense projectiles coming outside this range.

This invisible aura barrier was also the same reason why Haldon, or any other space path mage, couldn’t simply flicker an object into their hand while it was close to someone’s neck or any other body part so that the object appeared already stabbing the person.

There was a long pause after that first attack. The air got dense with tension.

The heat also rose, and fast, it was becoming hard for Hadrian’s rank one vessel, bearded man and the groper mage vessels who was simply channeling essence to breathe.

Slowly, they backed away from Truston.

Previously, with his experience, Hadrian would think to next summon the hot stinging mist.

I can only imagine what it’s capable of at rank two.

However, the advantage it held to a space path mage, with their spatial awareness, was little, Hadrian imagined.

Creating some distance, and through the perspective of his other vessels, Hadrian saw Haldon flick his wrists.

On his left arm’s little and ring finger, rings appeared while on his right arm a long sword appeared.

Peering into them, Hadrian could see that they were mystical artifacts.

The rings were rank one mystical artifacts, they both had one core. The sword had two cores.

A rank two mystical artifact.

"You can’t possibly imagine this going any differently. Especially now."

Haldon said with that arrogant smile of his.

When it comes to preparations, a space path mage can truly have a great advantage.

Looking at the two Mages, Hadrian found himself concerned. Not for Truston’s life.

If the fight doesn’t last long and their essence potency isn’t used up, then it’ll be impossible for me to make my move.

"A new decoration, I see." Truston said. Though he seemed to be at the disadvantage, he didn’t look worried.

From beneath him, rock flowed up his legs and body like water to form a rock exoskeleton like armor.

"Don’t you find it all stupid? You can understand I had no choice in the pandemonium realm, yet, you want to act like I had a personal vendetta against that poor fellow."

Haldon’s smile faltered. His grip on the rank two sword tightened and in quick steps was already swinging down on Truston.

Truston blocked with his rock covered arm. The rock exoskeleton cracked and small pieces shattered off but it still held together for the most part.

Hadrian was surprised.

That’s a rank two sword. Whatever pathway it’s from, I imagine it would have been able to break the rock.

Barely Keeping up with the fight and attacks. Hadrian managed to catch glimpses of peering into the rock exoskeleton.

Essence flew through it. Rank two essence.

So, this is what those mage books from the schools meant. Whatever element an elemental path mage manipulates becomes equivalent to that rank.

It’s why Truston’s flames burnt those rank one mages and rock projectiles managed to kill that mage.

At his rank of elemental path, Hadrian’s abilities were all innate and he could not manipulate the outside world.

The heat and the mist came from him, or her if it’s Alia, is it? Anyway, they came from him directly.

At the same time, he peered into the essence sea activity, trying to see their essence sea potency depletion.

Hadrian frowned.

Perhaps the two Mages were still not going all out, the depletion rate was slower than what Hadrian hoped it would be.

At this rate.....

If those three mages who’d escaped Haldon get word to Bagdona or any other higher ranked member of the magloire mob, they might come here, utterly make this fight one-sided and cost me greatly.

I can’t just be an observer.