CH685 Spirit Magic I 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

***

Brock Peyton lunged forward, charging straight at Alex.

Alex spurred Dread into motion, and the beast darted aside swiftly. However, a mystic art descended upon Peyton, drastically enhancing his speed.

Seeing this, a cold glint flashed simultaneously in the eyes of both rider and steed. Dread immediately activated a new ability he had gained after assimilating the rewards from the Stele Trials.

[Man-Horse Union]!

[Abyssal Conqueror’s Step: First Step – Ghost Steps]!

Man and steed became one, their movements synchronised to an almost unnatural degree. Within that fleeting moment of unity, Alex was able to execute his movement technique even while mounted upon Dread’s back.

Boom!

They evaded Peyton’s sword strike with seamless coordination. The attack carved a long, narrow trench into the ground, sending up a thick cloud of dust.

[Second Step – Phantom’s Veil]!

Drawing upon their shared affinity for Darkness, rider and steed cloaked themselves in shadow, blending into the dust cloud as they slipped free from the encirclement forming behind them as the other Lost Heathen Combat Master closed in from the rear.

[Dragon Kumite: Burst]!

Bang!

Emerging from concealment, Dread appeared behind the flanking Combat Master and delivered a powerful back kick. At the same time, Alex channelled mana through Dread’s hooves, amplifying the force of the strike.

The Combat Master was sent flying through the dust cloud, crashing violently across the ground before finally coming to a halt over a hundred metres away.

[Third Step – Wraith’s Crossing]!

Their figures flickered once more, reappearing directly before the old sorcerer. Without hesitation, Dread launched another devastating kick, intent on eliminating the caster and, with him, Peyton’s enhancement.

But Peyton reacted instantly.

He appeared before the sorcerer in the nick of time, taking the blow head-on to shield him.

[Third Step – Wraith’s Crossing]!

Without pressing the attack further, Alex and Dread disengaged immediately, widening the distance between themselves and their opponents. Peyton attempted to pursue, clearly intent on forcing Alex off his mount—but two legs could not match the speed of four.

In the end, he abandoned the chase, unwilling to stray too far from the sorcerer in case of another sudden ambush.

Meanwhile, as the distance opened, Alex began to feel the strain of their manoeuvres weighing on Dread.

After all, this was their first time employing Man-Horse Union in combat. Plus, techniques such as Abyssal Conqueror’s Step—and even Dragon Kumite—had never been designed for a horse’s physiology or mana pathways.

Not to mention the mental toll of engaging in a high-intensity battle against not one, but three superior Class 4 opponents.

Alex reached out and patted Dread’s neck.

"It’s alright, buddy. I’ll handle things from here. Go to the missuses," he said as he dismounted.

Dread nudged Alex’s shoulder with his muzzle in response, then turned and bolted away without hesitation.

[Lightning Bolt]!

Bang!

The other Lost Heathen Combat Master rise up and made a move to pursue, but a sudden bolt of lightning from Alex forced him to abandon the attempt entirely.

Brock Peyton, the other Combat Master, and the old sorcerer all fixed their gazes upon Alex, their killing intent undisguised.

Alex cracked his neck casually, as though facing them alone was of no consequence.

"One against three... that should be just about fair odds for you," he said with a faint smile. "I have a few more methods I’d like to test. Do try your best to keep me entertained."

[Body Strengthening Magic]! [Dragon Kumite]! [Aura Coating]!!

[Featherflight]! [Silver Body]! [Bear Strength]! [All Attribute Buff]!

[Velkar: Battle Instincts]! [All-Weapon Intent]!

[Abyssal Conqueror’s Step]!

In an instant, Alex’s energy output spiked dramatically as he activated every enhancement technique at his disposal.

The three Lost Heathen Class 4s exchanged glances, each clearly recognising the shock reflected in the others’ eyes. Alex’s energy signature had already surpassed the limits of a typical Class 3, entering firmly into the domain of a seasoned Class 4 combatant.

This was not something a man without backing could achieve.

For a fleeting moment, hesitation crept into their thoughts.

But Alex did not give them the opportunity to act on it.

"Hey, old relic," Alex called out suddenly. "You said you missed your disciple, didn’t you? Allow me to help you reminisce."

A complex spell formation manifested before him, rapidly drawing in the surrounding fire and light mana. Within moments, a serpentine shape began to emerge from its centre.

Soon, its full form was revealed—a Five-Clawed Scorching Divine Dragon.

It closely resembled the construct Alex had previously formed by intercepting the Flame Dragon mystic art used by the old sorcerer’s disciple at the shipment depot days earlier.

But this time... something was different.

A splinter of AetherKindle appeared in Alex’s hand. Without hesitation, he cast it into the body of the conjured dragon.

At once, the previously hollow eyes of the construct flickered—gaining a faint, unsettling hint of awareness.

[Spirit Magic: Five-Clawed Divine Dragon]!

The name of the spell echoed within Alex’s mind.

Spirit Magic—the kind that summoned sentient entities from another realm or plane—did not exist in either Pangea or Verdantis.

However, witnessing sorcerers manifest their spells into animate forms—particularly the one at the shipment depot—had sparked a question in Alex’s mind.

Could he create his own version of Spirit Magic?

By using AetherKindle as a terminal, Alex was able to divide his focus, controlling the conjured dragon as though it were a true spirit under his command.

’Looks like one is my current limit without further practice,’ Alex noted inwardly.

Fortunately, he was already accustomed to splitting his attention—managing AetherKindle with half his focus while dedicating the rest to something else—so the strain, though present, remained manageable.

The Five-Clawed Divine Dragon surged forward without warning, targeting the old sorcerer directly.

The levitating construct possessed both speed and agility, allowing it to twist and weave through the battlefield, slipping past the defences of Brock Peyton and the other Combat Master to strike at its intended target.

The old man, however, was no fool.

Three layers of compressed [Iron Dome] surrounded him, each barrier reinforcing the next.

Alex recognised the spell well. Even a single layer had barely managed to block the [Scorching Divine Dragon] spell he had previously unleashed upon the sorcerer’s disciple.

Breaking through all three layers at once would not be easy.

But that was never his intention.

The Five-Clawed Divine Dragon coiled around the old sorcerer, dragging him away—shield and all—from Peyton and the remaining Combat Master.

Peyton and his ally immediately gave chase—

—but were forced to halt as a sudden surge of heat engulfed the area around them.

A massive Grade 7 [Greater Fireball] descended directly into their path.

Boom!

The explosion tore through the battlefield, its shockwave rippling across hundreds of metres.

***