As Wim and Lucius charged toward Heutsz, flashes of light from their swords pierced the dense fog like two bolts of lightning striking a storm.
But at the same time, the ground in front of them shook.
Wim had detected something unusual in the ground vibrations through his Mana Detection.
Crack!
From beneath the ground, sharp bones emerged, shooting out like spears from underground toward them.
It was the Bone Spike spell cast by the Necromancer Heutsz as a countermeasure.
To cast such magic requires intense concentration for Arcane masters to cast.
Wim: "Lucius, dodge!" he shouted.
Lucius began to dodge the bone attacks, and Wim did the same.
But Heutsz didn't give them a chance to catch their breath. He began to continuously cast his 'Spike Bone' spell, and dozens of sharp bones emerged from the ground and headed towards Wim and Lucius.
Lucius quickly dodged, slashing several of the bones that appeared in front of him with his crystal sword, leaving a spray of bone fragments mixed with blue light.
Slash!
Blip!
Wim dodged with a short Teleport spell, his body appearing one by one in a safe place before being attacked again by the sharp bones.
They got closer, and closer, until they were finally close to Heutsz.
Both of them began swinging their swords to kill the Necromancer Heutsz.
Wim and Lucius: 'Determination!' they thought.
Clang!
A loud, echoing sound was heard, and it wasn't the sound of a slash through a living creature's skin.
It sounded like the sound of something hard being cut.
Wim and Lucius: "!!!"
They both saw that their attacks had been blocked by Necromancer Heutsz using 'Bone Barrier' to protect him from their attacks.
Necromancer Heutsz: "Hehehe... You're too early to celebrate," he smiled softly.
Crack!
The ground shook again, and the two realized they had to retreat immediately.
They began jumping backward, avoiding the Bone Spike that appeared in front of them.
Blip!
Wim used Teleport twice to get out of reach of Heutsz's Bone Spike. Although he didn't have to use the magic, his physical condition forced him to.
Unlike Lucius, who had trained his body before entering the Academy,
They both managed to distance themselves from Heutsz's reach, but they hadn't been able to land a single attack on him.
Wim and Lucius began to catch their breath after dodging, while contemplating a way to defeat Heutsz.
Lucius: "... Hah... Hah... We can't keep going like this. Wim, do you have any ideas?" he said, keeping his focus on his enemy.
Wim, hearing Lucius' words, nodded his head while still catching his breath.
Wim: "... Hah... Hah... Well, luckily I have something that can weaken him, even if only temporarily."
Klacik
He took something from his bag: three bottles of green potion that Wim had brought in preparation for this.
Wim: "... Hehe, I didn't think I'd be using this toy right now," he whispered with a small smile.
Wim threw the three bottles at Heutsz.
Necromancer Heutsz: "Heh, you think you can beat me with those little bottles?" He said arrogantly.
Activating his Bone Barrier, the three bottles shattered against the bone wall.
Crack! Psssss!
Necromancer Heutsz: "Huh?!"
A melting sound seemed to be getting closer, more precisely, from the Bone Barrier he had created.
Necromancer Heutsz: "What is that?!" He shouted as he began to examine his bone barrier, completely shocked.
The liquids from the potion bottle evaporated and adhered to the bone barrier, slowly melting the bones.
Wim, watching this, smiled lopsidedly.
Wim: "A little gift from alchemy class. It's called 'Type-C Melter,' good for old bones."
This potion Wim created during his Alchemy class with Professor Syit, and it was also one that Professor Syit had taught him.
When Wim was on a mission to worsen Professor Syit's Abyss contamination, he actually listened intently to his teachings.
Although he knew Professor Syit would be the boss in the future, there were still advantages for Wim in learning the enemy's techniques.
[Author's Note: Nice Movement, Wimđź‘Ť]
Wim: "Lucius, now's your chance."
Lucius: "Okay."
Hearing this, Lucius didn't waste the opportunity, brandishing his sword forward and creating a magic circle.
He gathered mana at the tip of his sword while maintaining his spell.
Lucius: "Crystal Bolt."
Then he launched a *Crystal Bolt* attack far more powerful than before. Blue light exploded towards the Necromancer, shattering his bone barrier into tiny fragments.
Kraak!
Heutsz's defenses were completely shattered. Wim, without waiting for this opportunity, immediately launched a brief *Teleport*, appearing right in front of the Necromancer and swinging his sword at high speed.
But before the blade could touch his skin, the Necromancer… smiled, as if to say 'according to plan!'
Click! Bang!
Suddenly, Wim was bleeding.
The sound of gunfire rang out in the cemetery, and a cloud of gunpowder billowed from Heutsz's now deformed staff.
Wim: "Ugh!"
Wim staggered back. A burning sensation stung his right side, blood gushing out.
Lucius: "Wim!"
Blip!
Wim quickly retreated using Teleport to avoid Heutsz's attack, and reached Lucius.
Lucius: "Are you okay?" he asked as he approached him.
Wim: "Just... a little hole. Don't worry, it's nothing vital." Wim patted his stomach with an expression half in pain, half joking, even though it really hurt.
Necromancer Heutsz: "Hehehe... I never thought I'd end up using this," he said with a hoarse laugh.
The magic wand he had modified into a Cane Gun.
He never imagined he would one day use it.
Since the invention of gunpowder and guns, the world began to change. Nowadays, the use of firearms is increasingly widespread, even more so than that of Arcane or sorcerers.
Arcane masters must train for years to control their magic. This contrasts with firearms, which are very easy to operate, even easier than learning magic, which is extremely difficult for anyone. Even a weak peasant can kill an Arcane master with a single shot to the head.
Because of this, the position of Arcane and sorcerers is increasingly declining thanks to the existence of firearms and other technologies that could wipe them out.
However, this is not entirely true. In this era, firearms are only intended for the military and certain nobles, with production levels strictly monitored by the Magic Tower and other institutions to prevent the chaos caused by such weapons.
Heutsz's Cane Gun is the only type of firearm widely accepted as a defensive weapon for nobles.
Heutsz initially refused to use such a cowardly weapon on his wand.
He would rather die than attach such a dishonorable weapon to his wand, but he couldn't.
He couldn't because of this. It was a direct order from his leader, and he had no choice but to obey.
And now he began to realize how useful a weapon like this would be, when Necromancers were faced with death nearby.
Heutsz began to reconsider such a weapon, but he had to face the two Unio students.
He tapped his staff on the ground.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The ground around them shook again. From beneath the ground, sharp bones rose, separating Wim and Lucius in opposite directions. Lucius turned quickly, but before he could follow, a large shadow moved behind him.
Lucius: "What?!"
A heavy blow struck his crystal sword, causing a powerful tremor that pushed Lucius backward. From the darkness emerged a tall figure, clad in black armor engraved with red runes. His eyes glowed a deep green, and in his hand held a large sword riddled with magical cracks.
Lucius: "Lord Undead..." he muttered as he continued to block the attack.
Since when had Necromancer Heutsz summoned him, that was what Lucius was wondering. But it wasn't time to think, as he was facing the Undead Lord.
Swing! Clank! Crack!
The Undead Lord's greatsword slashed towards Lucius with startling speed. Lucius blocked with both hands, his crystal trembling under the enemy's immense power.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield, a bloodied Wim began to stand back up. He gritted his teeth and stared at the Necromancer, who was now calmly reloading.
Wim: "Now, this is completely beyond my expectations," he muttered as he raised his sword and faced the Necromancer Heutsz