Chapter 1085: Profound Transformation

Lightning suddenly surged through the corridors, and in a blinding flash of blue, a thunderous crackle echoed in all directions.

The first to notice this abrupt change was naturally Lisa, who was situated right beside the armory gates. The moment she heard the sound of the doors creaking, her heart was filled with joy and relief.

Just when she had thought that she’d be unable to guard the gates any longer, fortune finally smiled upon her and her friends.

The doors creaked, and she saw a figure wreathed in lightning shoot out from within. In the blink of an eye, the figure had already moved all the way to the other side of the corridor.

And then…

Thunder!

A chain of lightning crackled over the undead horde. The magic was cast with unnerving precision, ensuring that the power of lightning only streaked through the rotten figures of the undead creatures, and not any of the young Magi.

For several moments, the undead creatures were frozen, completely paralyzed as lightning wreaked havoc across their bodies. But that was still not enough to kill them.

Edward turned his head back to glance at the horde of zombies behind him, his blue eyes crackling with faint lightning. The next moment, his body was covered in lightning once again as he disappeared.

And then…

The heads of the undead creatures started to burst open like watermelons as the thunderous booms of lightning echoed through the corridors. It was as if the storm clouds themselves had descended in this part of the castle.

By the time Edward’s figure was visible again, all the zombies and the skeletal soldiers lay on the ground motionless, lightning still streaking across their bodies.

Lisa watched everything unfold with a stunned look on her face.

How did he…

She wasn’t shocked at the fact that Edward had been able to take down over a hundred of these undead creatures in a single go. What truly shocked her was the fact that he was able to wield lightning without having to even cast hand seals!

It was as if lightning itself bowed to his will.

Moreover, Edward’s mana seemed to have undergone a profound transformation. The arcane energy that was usually neutral in nature had now become lightning itself.

It was no longer mere mana…

It was lightning mana!

The blue-eyed youth arrived before Biden’s unconscious body. He knelt down and then gently picked him up. If Edward had been even a second late…

He sighed, then turned to look at Aiden and Arthur. “Can you two move?”

Adam’s two students snapped out of their daze. “Y-yes, we’re alright!”

“Good.” Edward nodded, then started walking back towards the armory. “Follow me.”

Aiden and Arthur exchanged shocked glances. Although they knew that Edward had been advancing towards the next rank while inside the armory, to be able to see him in the flesh still caused them to be shocked.

Edward was the same age as their Mentor, and now…

He, too, was a Mana Vortex Magus!

The blue-eyed youth carried the unconscious Biden over his shoulders, then walked up to Lisa, who was gently holding onto Eleiney in her arms. The latter, too, had passed out because of mana depletion.

Edward looked at Lisa and smiled. “Thank you.”

Lisa ignored his words of gratitude, then asked in bewilderment, “You… how can you wield lightning without any spell components? Just what happened?!”

Edward lowered his head, glancing at his one hand. He clenched his fist, lightning crackling gently around his fingers.

“…I don’t know,” he murmured. “I feel like I can understand a lot more things about the nature of mana. It’s hard to put into words.”

Lisa immediately understood. This profound change had to be related to Edward’s unique constitution.

She immediately sent him a mental transmission through Mind Whisper:

‘Did your mana reserves increase yet again?’

“Significantly so!” Edward blurted out.

He then immediately cast a furtive glance at Aiden and Arthur, then awkwardly scratched his head. Letting out a forced laugh, he suggested, “How about you guys enter the armory and recuperate your mana? I’ll go take a stroll through the castle.”

Aiden and Arthur readily agreed. The former gently grabbed Biden from Edward’s shoulder, while the latter picked up Eleiney from Lisa’s arms. Then, they entered the armory where they would receive a brief moment of respite from all the carnage taking place around them.

Edward and Lisa were left outside, standing amongst a sea of undead corpses. Neither said anything for a few moments. At last, it was Edward, who flashed the same, toothy grin like he always did, and said:

“You should recuperate your mana, too.”

Lisa remained silent for a long time, her head lowered. Edward had already become a Mana Vortex Magus, yet she… she was still a Mana Liquefaction Magus. And in the future, because of Edward’s unique constitution, the distance between them would only grow.

“Are you going to go to Ravenfell?” She asked softly.

Edward was taken aback. He planned to sneak out of the castle because he didn’t want Lisa to worry about him. But it turned out he was being too foolishly optimistic.

He scratched his head awkwardly and chuckled, “Haha, I can’t fool you, can I? You always were the smartest among the three of us.”

“But I must go.” Then, his expression gradually turned solemn. “My grandfather’s still out there.”

He paused for a moment, then added, “Adam’s there too. I can… I can finally fight side by side with him!”

I want to fight side by side with you, too, Lisa thought with a bitter smile on her face.

But I know I’d only hold you down…

She didn’t let her true emotions show on her face. Instead, she flashed a brilliant smile, her eyes sparkling with encouragement. “Then what are you waiting for?”

Edward was taken aback.

“You… you’re not gonna stop me?”

Lisa shook her head, her smile as brilliant as ever.

“The clouds are free to wander wherever the winds take them, and lightning is free to strike wherever its heart desires.”

She stepped forward, rising onto her toes, and pressed a warm kiss to Edward’s lips. As she caressed his cheeks with tender affection, she whispered:

“So go where your heart desires… my beloved Storm King.”

As usual, third chap in a few hours…