"Hah!"
Kaecilius stepped straight out of a Portal.
His boots landed on a vast stretch of desert.
This was the Sahara Desert.
Separated from Kamar-Taj by nearly half the planet's distance…
He should have shaken him off, right?
Kaecilius thought so.
But at his side, a golden Portal opened.
The next moment—
Karl walked out as well.
"Master Sorcerer, why are you following me like this?"
"Why don't we go back to Kamar-Taj and sit down for a chat?"
Karl spoke calmly.
Unhurried, unruffled—like this was a stroll.
"You still dare to chase after me."
Kaecilius stared at Karl with a dangerous look.
"Why wouldn't I dare?"
"Right now… you don't seem to be my match."
Karl replied.
It was obvious.
Kaecilius's current strength was, at best, only around Heaven-Punishment-tier—nowhere near his later level, when he could instantly kill Master Sorcerers and even trade a few moves with the Sorcerer Supreme.
After all…
That time was still years away.
Karl didn't think he was the only one who could improve while everyone else stood still.
If Kaecilius really defected a few years later, who knew how that fight would go.
Unfortunately…
Right now, Kaecilius really didn't look like Karl's opponent.
But Kaecilius clearly didn't see it that way.
"Karl. Arrogant. Overbearing. Always meddling."
Kaecilius said flatly.
"So you're aware of that. Honestly, I'm surprised."
Karl's mouth twitched.
This guy actually had the nerve to say that?
Did he have no self-awareness at all?
In all of Kamar-Taj, was there any sorcerer more arrogant than this man?
Did he seriously have no idea?
Kaecilius clearly heard the insincerity in Karl's words. His expression turned ugly.
"What a sharp-tongued brat."
"Earlier, with those annoying people around, I didn't make a move."
"But now, I'll let you see what a Master Sorcerer's true power looks like."
"You don't understand what the words 'Master Sorcerer' really mean."
"I've mastered over a hundred spells to proficiency, and I know thousands more."
"On what basis do you think you can beat me?"
Kaecilius advanced step by step.
With each step, light flashed over him.
With each step, his aura surged higher.
Karl couldn't help twitching at the corner of his mouth.
No wonder…
No wonder truly powerful sorcerers were all close-range monsters.
Stack that many enhancement spells and even an ant could beat an elephant.
In just a few steps, Kaecilius had layered dozens of buffs on himself.
Given how Kamar-Taj sorcery borrowed power from all kinds of strange entities and dimensions, the effects of those enhancements were self-evident.
The price afterward, though… would be miserable.
Kaecilius planted his foot.
Within a hundred meters, the sand exploded upward, like a sandstorm being forcibly ripped from the ground.
"Worthy of a Master Sorcerer."
"Looks like I need to get serious, too."
Feeling the pressure of Kaecilius's aura, Karl muttered to himself.
Weng—!
A low hum sounded.
A shield appeared before Karl.
Then—
One became two.
Two became three.
In no time at all, a full sixty-four shields rotated around Karl.
Kaecilius frowned.
"Sacred Sword of the Vishanti!"
He shouted.
A platinum-white longsword appeared in his hand.
Violent energy rippled across its blade. A tiny spark drifted down from the sky—
and the sand below instantly melted into a sheet of glassy crystal.
"Let me see what you're made of!"
Even as he spoke, Kaecilius swung the platinum longsword down at Karl.
Boom—!
A heavy impact rang out.
Bang! Bang!
Karl casually lifted a hand to direct his shields, parrying the strikes—
while leisurely stepping back three paces.
Each step left a massive ripple spreading across the sand underfoot.
"Worthy of a Master Sorcerer."
"Your strength jumped two or three times over. No wonder you people always chop spells apart in three hits."
Karl praised him.
Kaecilius truly was strong—just unlucky enough to run into Karl, a complete freak.
But Kaecilius's face didn't soften in the slightest. If anything, it looked worse.
His emotions churned.
This kid…
Blocked it that easily?
The Sacred Sword of the Vishanti was absolutely high-tier magic in Kamar-Taj!
Its power was no joke.
The Sorcerer Supreme had once used this technique to cut down ten great demons of hell in a single strike!
In terms of raw offense, it was among Kamar-Taj's top-ranked spells!
And on top of that—
Kaecilius was stacked with countless buffs!
Yet even with all that…
He still couldn't break through even one of Karl's basic Kamar-Taj Magical Shields?
Just what kind of freakish level had this kid pushed that shield spell to?!
Kaecilius drew a deep breath.
He stepped forward again.
This time he poured his full-body strength into the Sacred Sword of the Vishanti and cleaved down once more.
"Same old trick won't work."
"Master Sorcerer Kaecilius-san."
Karl bit down hard on the words "Master Sorcerer."
Then—
A bright-golden chain appeared in his hand, and he whipped it forward.
Snap—!
A small shield flashed into existence before Kaecilius.
But compared to Karl's circular constructs, Kaecilius's ring was red.
He used that ring to hard-block Karl's strike—and even Kaecilius staggered back several steps from the impact.
"The Rings of Raggadorr?"
"You really do know a lot of high-tier spells."
"But isn't that shield… a bit small?"
Karl tossed out the comment.
Then, without another word, he gripped the energy chain with both hands and lashed it at Kaecilius again.
Kaecilius raised the ring-shield to defend.
But—
It was too small!
To block bullets or blades, sure—perfectly fine.
But to block an energy chain?
A chain bends.
Unfortunately…
By the time Kaecilius realized that, it was already too late.
Karl twisted the chain mid-swing, and it snapped around to whip Kaecilius across the back.
Sss—!
White steam burst up.
That heat, hot enough to melt metal, contorted Kaecilius's face in pain.
If it were an ordinary person…
their organs would already be roasted through, dead on the spot.
But this was Kaecilius.
The layers of magic on him finally mattered.
Even so, a vicious, ugly wound was carved into his back.
Kaecilius's expression warped.
His features pinched together in agony.
Yet inside, his thoughts were surging even harder.
This kid…
is insane.
It's just an Eldritch Whip, and it hits with this kind of power.
If he used a truly high-tier spell… what then?
Staring at the sand that had melted into crystal, Kaecilius's mouth twitched.
His heart sank straight to the bottom.
(End of Chapter)
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