Gizin was left completely confused. That much was obvious from the way his eyes narrowed and his brows tugged downward. He had just used the second-largest amount of energy heād unleashed since the start of the battle. The first had been when he descended from above, intending, hoping, even, to possibly eliminate Raze and everyone around him in a single brutal strike. That attempt hadnāt worked out, though he had considered it likely that Raze would survive. Even so, he had expected something from the attack,
anything
from it. Even Gizin didnāt believe that Raze would die so easily, but he had at least thought the area behind him would be vaporized.
Yet nothing had happened.
No destruction.
No damage.
No aftermath.
Instead, the moment the attack had reached Raze, it vanished, simply disappearing as if swallowed by the air itself. Even for someone like Gizin, someone who prided himself on understanding magic and energy better than anyone else alive, it was beyond anything he could logically piece together.
āHe struggled with my attacks earlier,ā Gizin thought, mind racing as he replayed those moments. āHe took some strikes straight on. He was clearly pressured, clearly holding back the force of my energy. But now, now heās able to block a large-scale attack like that with ease? As if it were nothing at all? This doesnāt make any sense. If he could do something like that before... then why didnāt he use it?ā
Raze stepped forward, dark determination in his eyes.
"Youāre confused, right?" he said plainly.
He reached his hand over the length of his sword. Immediately, darkness crawled across the blade, swallowing the surrounding light until the entire weapon was engulfed in an oppressive void. The darkness didnāt stop there; it spread outward, swallowing the air and extinguishing what little brightness seeped down from above. In seconds, an entire ring of darkness had wrapped around both of them like a domain.
There was a technique, one he had been saving, one that would absorb at least some portion of the overwhelming energy surrounding Gizin. It was the final technique of the Dark Edge sword arts. As the spell intensified, dark magic manifested around Razeās head, forming more clearly than ever before.
The helm appeared, iron, dark, and ominous.
He was now wearing the Helm of Iron Will, a relic once belonging to one of the Deleters.
"Youāre using up a lot of power and Dark Magic," Gizin shouted, voice rising with rising frustration. "You should know thatās risky! If this doesnāt pay off, youāll die!"
He thrust his cane forward. A brilliant beam of golden energy shot out like a roaring lance.
Raze spun his body sharply.
The cape behind him expanded, swelling outward like a massive wing made of shadow. It absorbed the attack instantly, no struggle, no hesitation, making the blast dissolve into nothing on impact. Then, using the momentum from his spin, Raze launched himself forward.
With the final formation of the Dark Edge sword arts active, Raze was able to utilize every technique one after the other without pause. And with the helm reinforcing his endurance and mental fortitude, he could push through any pain, even if his mana or Qi ran dangerously low. On top of that, if necessary, the helm would allow him to endure the agony that came from consuming cursed Qi pills.
Now fully empowered, Raze unleashed technique after technique.
He struck with the Eclipse Strike from one angle.
He followed with the Void Pulse Strike.
He summoned the nightmare formation, letting the beast of darkness rise from the warped space around them.
He triggered the Abyssal Strike, runes appearing across Gizinās body before exploding viciously.
Every spell, every technique, every attack landed in rapid succession, blow after blow, tearing through the field like a storm of shadows.
Yet Gizinās body remained whole.
Razeās attacks rippled across him, creating momentary distortions of light, but the Grand Magus stood unbroken. It was like trying to fight against a celestial being made entirely of concentrated radiance.
"Damn it! Damn it!" Gizin yelled, unable to hide his growing agitation. "How did you manage to get such power?!"
Raze answered with another clash. When Gizin thrust his cane once more, Raze charged forward, spinning his body as the attack neared. The blazer-cloak extended again, absorbing the blast. Raze pushed through it, arriving directly in front of Gizin, where he shoved a Void Pulse Strike straight through his head.
Once again, nothing. Gizinās head reformed instantly, glowing like a regenerated sculpture of light.
āDamn it...ā Raze thought. āEven this formation isnāt enough. The Demonic Qi isnāt absorbing his energy at all. Itās truly stuck to him, his energy is bound in a way I canāt siphon.ā
There was only one path left.
āThe only thing I can do is unleash a massive amount of magic. If I complete the Ten Descending Steps and then perform the Dark Edge sword arts afterward, it
should
be able to do something, but he wonāt give me the time to perform them.ā
Almost on cue, several strands of glowing golden magic shot toward him, fast, sharp, relentless.
There were too many to block.
Raze vanished.
His body disappeared from the spot entirely, like a flicker that never existed in the first place.
Gizinās eyes widened. He spotted it in the last moment, but it was already too late. His attacks carved through nothing but air. When he whipped his head around, Raze stood far in the distance, exactly where the battle had begun.
"What is going on?!" Gizin shouted. "Is it that blazer of yours? What type of item is that?!"
Raze didnāt answer immediately. The truth was complicated.
The item he wore was a God-tier item, but it came with severe risks. One of those risks was memory loss. Every time he used its ability to absorb an attack, pieces of his memory were stripped away. That wasnāt what he had just used, though. What he had used was time magic, reversing the side effects of the cursed item, and Raze could feel it working as fragments of lost memories snapped back into place inside his mind.
āThe issue now,ā Raze thought, āis that I have to be careful about my time magic running out. I canāt use it too much. I was hoping in that last barrage of attacks I wouldāve figured something out, but I still donāt have a way to beat him.ā
There was another worry.
A dangerous one.
āIf I use the blazer for too long, even if I try to reverse the effects with time magic, thereās a chance that while Iām using the blazer, Iāll forget I even
have
the ability to use time magic in the first place.ā
Thankfully, by rewinding time back to this moment, Raze had restored his mana and Qi, one of the biggest cheats he had ever discovered, and the reason Heino had been so overwhelmingly strong.
He tightened his grip on his sword.
āNo matter how many times it takes...ā
āI will get rid of you.ā
*********
For updates for MWS and future works, please follow me on my social media below.
Instagram: Jksmanga
*Patreon: jksmanga
When news of MVS, MWS, or any other series comes out, you will be able to see it there first, and you can reach out to me. If Iām not too busy, I tend to reply.