Ben Facey's awkwardness intensified because of Nick's words. Ben thought:
(What? I just wanted a job. I didn't think that I would end up working for a crazy person. Sigh...whatever, I can always get a job with a different company later if this Nick turns out to be too much. I might as well see a few paychecks first before I make any real judgments or permanent decisions.)
Ben rubbed the back of his head with his right hand and spoke in response to Nick's words:
"You're the boss, so I won't argue. Just tell me what to do."
Shawn Martin, Tony Gillies, and Jordan Kelvin, Nick's other rank 2 subordinates, looked on while waiting silently for Nick's orders, indicating their superficial agreement with Ben's words. Nick realized what these people might have expected and was not unaware of the mentality of most people as it related to their work:
(They want to be paid as much as they can be for doing the least amount of work possible. They call it working smart, but I call it dumbassery. In my philosophy, an employee is only as good as the level of their competence. How do they become competent? There are only a few good answers that I can come up with, but they can all be summarized like this - make them do tasks so consistently and at such a high level for long enough that their minds and bodies are scarred as a result of the process of learning and experiencing life as it really is, pain-filled. That's how I learnt anything useful.)
Nick instructed:
"For now, stay out of my way while I lay the magic formations. Also, if any of you dare to intentionally sabotage me, I will immediately kill you, no question about it. This is not like what you did in your academy. Everything we do and don't do out here matters. Believe me, if you four don't take your jobs seriously enough, even I won't be able to help you when things get as bad as they can get."
Nick's indifferent expression and tone made the four men in front of him straighten their spines. They realized that their boss was not going to coddle them or try to make them like him. Although they felt a little despise for Nick's personality, they also felt secure in the fact that he wasn't a joker.
Nick placed his hand on the impressionable, dark brown soil below his feet and cast Big Copy, following which, the base for the Calamity Cultivation Formation appeared in red pigment, covering almost the entirety of the cleared space. The four rank 2 Magicians looked at the magic formation that suddenly appeared below them and were curious more than anything else. During their attendance at their academies, they had seen a few magic formations but never the process of any of them being laid.
Nick followed up by summoning a small hill of rank 3 earth path materials from his newer space band that he intended to have assimilated into the magic formation's base. The Calamity Cultivation Formation was a rank 3 earth path and rule path magic formation, but because of Nick's lack of rule path materials, the rule path laws were designed to be almost entirely subordinate to the earth path laws, which allowed for the magic formation to be fueled mostly by the magic energy generated by these earth path magic materials. In that way, the magic formation would not put much pressure on the two rank 2 Magicians that Nick was going to put in place to man it.
Nick manipulated the power of Saturn to float each piece of magic material to a prearranged area over the magic formation's surface. Nick then willed for the Calamity Cultivation Formation to assimilate the earth path magic materials amidst a dull brown light. The earth path magic materials were then absorbed by the magic formation over a period of no more than three minutes.
After successfully laying the magic formation, Nick observed it while it was still mostly deactivated and found no problems with it; although he still had to activate it fully to check for anomalies, he planned to lay the Absorb Life Battle Formation before doing that. Nick pointed his right index finger about one foot above his head. After that, he cast Big Copy once again, and the base of the Absorb Life Battle Formation appeared in midair, sized to have about the same dimensions as the Calamity Cultivation Formation.
This time, Nick summoned two small hills of rank 3 space path and soul path magic materials from his newer space band. He cast Tyrant Domain to cover the same area that the magic formations covered, so that he could also enhance Saturn's area of influence to include that space. Nick then raised the soul path and space path magic materials to prearranged points on the Absorb Life Battle Formation's base, after which, all the materials were assimilated amidst a dull white light during a period of no more than five minutes.
After Nick finished setting up the Absorb Life Battle Formation, he canceled Tyrant Domain. His four rank 2 subordinates felt Tyrant Domain's influence dissipate, and they breathed out a sigh of relief. Tyrant Domain suppressed magic that was inferior to Nick's own magic power, and that effect had caused the four men to feel like they had been mired in mud while the spell was active. Nick canceling Tyrant Domain and freeing them of its influence was like removing fish from a steel net.
Nick looked over the Absorb Life Battle Formation and visually examined a few sections of it before casting Tyrant Sense, following which, he thoroughly examined both magic formations. After spending twenty minutes to make sure that everything was in order, Nick activated the Absorb Life Battle Formation first by saying its trigger phrase in Valteese:
"Begin."
The Absorb Life Battle Formation glowed with an eerie ghost white hue before it transformed into a ghost white haze that encircled the perimeter of the cleared area and spread out for kilometers all around, leaving the clearing to be without any of the haze. Nick then called Shawn and Tony over to him, and when they arrived next to his right side, he instructed them while stretching his right arm out towards them:
"Both of you, grab my right forearm using one hand."
Shawn and Tony looked at each other awkwardly before doing exactly what Nick said. Shawn grabbed Nick's forearm using his right hand, and Tony grabbed Nick's forearm using his left hand. Moments later, the two rank 2 Magicians felt as if they had gained control of a large amount of magic power. Nick told them to let go of his arm, after which, they complied, and Nick spoke again:
"I've handed over partial control of the Absorb Life Battle Formation to you. Currently, it is enveloping a large area of the woodland and airspace that surrounds this clearing. Its rank 3 soul magic is at your disposal so long as nothing happens to the formation's base, which is now hidden over this clearing. The Absorb Life Battle Formation works by absorbing portions of the soul of anything that comes in contact with the soul haze. Its effects are potent and reliable, but do not include much sensory power. That being said, it has the power to conceal what is going on within this clearing. Your job is to ensure that the magic formation stays active and to ensure that this clearing is hidden. In the event that a troublesome person attempts to come to this place, inform me and stall long enough for me to arrive; protect this area as best as you can using the magic formation. Trust me, within Forgotten Peril, a rank 3 magic formation like this makes you the ruler over the area that the magic formation influences, so don't worry. You won't have many people coming to find trouble."
Shawn and Tony nodded their heads slowly to indicate their understanding, and they both attempted to focus to get a better feel for the Absorb Life Battle Formation's power. Nick mused at this time:
(The Absorb Life Battle Formation should stay active for as long as the rank 3 soul path materials that I used to lay it last. If exceptionally powerful enemies do not come along to pressure the magic formation, it should remain active for at least five years within Forgotten Peril. That's about two months in Grand Earth's time.)
While Shawn and Tony tried to become familiar with the Absorb Life Battle Formation's power, Nick summoned ten packaged calamity lilies from his newer space band and quickly used Saturn's power to plant them into the ground equally spaced apart within the boundaries of the Calamity Cultivation Formation. He then activated the magic formation by saying its trigger phrase in Valteese:
"Begin."
The Calamity Cultivation Formation emitted a faint, brown light and a low, soothing hum, but nothing else seemingly happened. Nick called Ben and Jordan over to him, and when they both arrived at his right side, he stretched out his right arm towards them and instructed them to grab his right forearm. Both Ben and Jordan awkwardly grabbed Nick's right forearm using their right hands, following which, they slowly felt a great amount of magic power come under their influence. Nick soon ordered them to let go of his arm, and after they did that, Nick explained to them:
"I've handed over partial control of the magic formation below our feet to you, which is called the Calamity Cultivation Formation, and it has the responsibility of cultivating flowers like the ten that you saw me plant into the ground. The plant cultivation will take a while, and your job is to ensure that the magic formation continues to work normally. You don't really have to do anything other than contact me when something seemingly abnormal happens. You are not to attempt to manipulate the Calamity Cultivation Formation because if even one of the magic plants that are produced is damaged by your undue interference, I will consider that sabotage and I will request from you the approximately £1,000,000,000 that they each are worth as remuneration."
All four rank 2 Magicians' eyes opened wide when they heard the value of the plants that would be cultivated in this clearing. They all looked at the already planted ten calamity lilies with shock. Ben asked aloud without thinking:
"Can flowers actually cost that much?"
Nick replied indifferently:
"This is the world of magic. Anything is possible."
Hearing an answer like that, the four rank 2 Magicians swallowed all the questions that they wanted to ask. Nick continued:
"One day on Grand Earth is thirty days within Forgotten Peril, so you four will be stationed here for one month at a time for now. That is about two and a half years within this realm. I know that seems like a long time, but the salaries and benefits that Joyce probably offered you justify the effort that I am asking you to put in. Not only that, because the magic formations perform their functions mostly on their own, you four don't have much to actively do, and so you will have a lot of time to cultivate while in Forgotten Peril. Let me warn you, though. If any of you leave your posts, you will be fired."
Nick was certain that these four rank 2 Magicians were offered salary packages valued at three times the usual because that was what Nick asked Joyce to do. Nick did not mind paying these Magicians that much because high salaries would help them to be better Magicians and justify the efforts that they would have to expend and the sacrifices that they would have to make to help his company. If these four could not improve themselves after having received this opportunity, then Nick had no reason to feel guilty if he had to fire them eventually.
Ben, Jordan, Shawn, and Tony visibly frowned when they heard the amount of time that they would have to spend within Forgotten Peril, but they could hardly complain because they knew that their starting salaries were unusual, considering their rank, experience, and skill level. Also, Nick was not putting them in any real danger, and if the Absorb Life Battle Formation worked as Nick explained, they were probably very safe being here. None of the four were stupid, and so they realized that although their jobs would require much commitment from them, it would also allow them to get better. the fact that they have already been exposed to rank 3 magic formations proves the latter point.
Ben thought:
(To whom much is given, much is required.)
Jordan thought:
(Becoming a skilled Magician is at the back-end of sacrifice and commitment.)
Tony thought:
(If I could learn to lay magic formations like Nick, I would not need to worry about finances for the rest of my life.)
Shawn spoke aloud:
"We won't let you down, boss."
Nick maintained his indifferent expression and replied:
"I'd appreciate it if you dropped the titles and used my name. Calling me 'sir' is fine, though."
Following those words, Nick summoned four small, portable safe-houses from his older space band and said:
"These will be your living arrangements for the next two years. They are already stocked with food and supplies, and if you need more food or other supplies, contact Joyce or Dewy, and you will get what you need. Keep in contact with each other by having meetings throughout the day. Otherwise, you are free to do what you want within the boundaries of my magic formations so long as you do not interfere with the company's operations. You are not allowed to disclose any information about this company or its operations to anyone. The consequences for doing that will be grave. You should have all received my phone numbers when you were issued inter-realm smartphones, so contact me if your lives are threatened or an enemy shows up that the Absorb Life Battle Formation cannot deter or handle."
The four rank 2 Magicians were relieved that they would not be sleeping outside or have to scavenge for resources, but after a little thinking, they remembered that a company providing for its employees sent to distant places is natural. Nick soon asked:
"Do you four have any questions?"
The four rank 2 Magicians had already regrouped and stood in front of Nick. They looked at each other uncertainly before Ben steeled his nerve and asked:
"What magical path do you specialize in?"
Nick's expression became weird after he was asked that. Officially, he had declared to the Magicians Association that he was a Space Magician, but that was only part of the truth. He wondered:
(Should I tell these people the same thing. Hmmm...considering that I laid magic formations involving different paths, they probably won't believe it, but then again, I don't care what they believe.)
Nick's expression became indifferent again, and he answered:
"I am a Space Magician. Don't ask me any more personal questions."
Ben became silent after receiving that answer, and the other three did not bother asking Nick any other questions. After seeing that the four rank 2 Magicians remained silent, Nick summoned a piece of crystal-blue projection stone from his older space band and threw it at his feet. Following that, a blue magic formation that nearly had a one-meter radius appeared encircling Nick. He addressed his employees one last time:
"Do your jobs well and you will be rewarded. Fail to do your jobs, and your end won't be pleasant. That will be the case anywhere you go while being a Magician. Remember that."
Nick spoke the space path magic formation's trigger phrase and then disappeared amidst a flash of bright, silver light, which dissipated about half a minute later. After Nick's disappearance, Shawn spoke to the other three:
"Nick seems like a hard man. We'd better not piss him off, so let's do our best."
Jordan replied:
"You might be right about him being hard, but I am more of a smart worker than a hard worker. I'll find my own way to balance between work and leisure."
Tony stared at Jordan blankly in response to his words and said:
"You must be either really brave or really stupid."
Jordan frowned in response to Tony's word, but before he could give a reply, Ben spoke:
"We should just do our jobs like Nick said. We each even have our own living space. It's best to stay in touch with each other while we work and cultivate our magic. I don't know about any of you, but I am not planning to fuck with Nick Capitol. That guy doesn't feel...human."
The other three looked at Ben strangely after he spoke, but did not ask him what he meant by that because they could all guess why their colleague had those feelings. Shawn was the first to leave the group and enter a safe-house. The other three rank 2 Magicians followed his lead seconds later.
****************************************************************
Nick appeared standing over his space path magic formation within his workspace after the silver light faded. He mumbled to himself:
"So long as my plan works, I see a way of obtaining a consistent stream of income for the company going forward, but cultivating calamity lilies using my Calamity Cultivation Formation still feels like a long shot."
Nick went to his fifth-floor office to take a shower, and after he was finished, he got dressed in a black and white, striped polo shirt along with a pair of dark blue jeans pants and a pair of black leather work boots. Nick then went to the second floor. Nick spent a few hours laying two Calamity Processing Formations on the floor before calling Carl and having the latter meet with him on the second floor.
Nick explained to Carl how the Calamity Processing Formation worked and how he should probably have his teams support its operations. Nick eventually said:
"...I'll have a few more rank 2 Magicians hired to man these magic formations, and you and your teams will still be responsible for making sure that the calamity lilies are of a certain quality and packaged correctly before they are stored. The latter will also be your responsibility. Although we haven't been using trucks to transport materials thus far, we will be doing so in the future, so prepare your teams for that as well."
Carl replied:
"Helping you build this company will be interesting, Nick. I'll do my best, but you need to make sure that the Magicians that you hire are kept in line."
Nick spoke to Carl with a great amount of respect and duly considered his words because of the man's abundant experience in conducting his role. He replied to Carl:
"I will make sure that all Magicians aligned with this company know who and what to fear. Don't worry."
Nick never had the luxury of being naive, and so was fully prepared to deal with people within his own ranks who attempted to sabotage the achievement of his objectives.
(Considering that so many licensed Magicians are arrogant, I will have no choice but to set the record straight a few times after they are hired.)
Nick let Carl go at the end of the business day and spent his time meditating until the next day, when he discussed with Joyce about hiring a few more rank 2 Magicians, telling her to get Magicians with an interest in magic formations if she could.
By the end of the business day, Nick used one of the space path magic formations on the third basement floor to get to Humble Desert. When Nick appeared within The Space Travel Company's Humble Desert branch, he was greeted by the same female rank 2 Magician as before. Nick greeted her and rushed out of the office, and proceeded to cast Saturn so he could use its power to fly through Mardust while keeping low to the ground, eventually leaving the settlement.
Nick used Saturn's power to fly only a few feet above the sand until he moved away from Mardust by a few hundred meters, at which point, he raised himself fifty meters above ground. He then rapidly flew towards a certain destination, which took him four days of nonstop flight to reach. His destination was a region that was filled with black sand instead of the usual brown variety that was spread throughout most of Humble Desert.
Nick lowered himself to the ground after moving past the borders of this region by a few hundred meters. As soon as he did, a rank 2 magic beast that looked like a huge worm propelled itself through the ground and rose nearly fifteen meters above ground. The worm magic beast had dark brown skin, bulbous, grey eyes, and three visibly sharp rows of teeth; the worm's body was at least fifteen meters long and four feet wide.
The worm magic beast quickly dived down at Nick, seeming to want to swallow him; its three rows of teeth even rotated as it dived. Nick instantly summoned the unsheathed Hard Marvel into his right grip, following which, Nick swung Hard Marvel towards the worm magic beast while casting Tyrant Aurora. A wide, black arc of blade light then emerged from Hard Marvel and approached the worm magic beast at a speed similar to cannon fire.
When the black blade light came into contact with the worm magic beast, the entire upper half of its body was instantly saturated with the blade light and was therefore minced apart within moments. Black-brown blood and flesh splattered in all directions, but Nick made use of Saturn's powers to prevent any of the blood and flesh from splattering onto himself. The worm magic beast's lower half then fell listlessly onto the ground over five meters away from Nick, bleeding profusely.
Following that incident, Nick summoned a special black belt from his older space band that was clearly made to holster weapons. Nick let Hard Marvel float beside him using Saturn's power, while he let it go to secure the special belt properly around his waist. After the belt was secured, Nick summoned the sheathed Stoic Grave from his older space band and holstered it on the right side of his waist. After that, he also summoned Hard Marvel's sheath from his older space band, sheathed Hard Marvel, and holstered it on the left side of his waist. He mused:
(That magic beast was a rank 2 earth path violent worm. Naturally, it was nothing difficult to deal with, but I can expect that many of them lurk below this Dark Grain region. The nature of the violent worm is that it does not consider the strength of its prey before it attacks, so I will likely be attacked by one again while I remain close to the ground. That's fine, I came here for some combat training, anyway.)
Nick had been spending so much time building his company that he felt that he had neglected his own combat training, so he planned to fight magic beasts while collecting their carcasses while he did so. Nick raised himself one foot off the ground and rapidly flew forward, exploring the Dark Grain region. Although most rank 2 magic beasts that he came across avoided him by running away or diving into the sand below, Nick often met groups of crazy magic beasts that did not care about his apparent rank.
He unhesitantly approached those magic beasts quickly and cut them in half using one swing of Hard Marvel. Nick would then store their carcass if he believed that they still had value, which he did for maybe one out of every twelve rank 2 magic beasts that he killed. Nick was a little dumbfounded by the bravery of the magic beasts of this region:
(This region has many 'brave' magic beasts. It often seems to be the case that when a region has a harsh environment, the magic beasts are more than willing to fight with stronger opponents for a meal or just to protect their territory.)
Nick soon had to stop flying because he encountered a heated battle that was happening over two dozen meters in front of him. A male Magician, who seemed to be in his twenties, was fighting with a scorpion that was the size of a mature bull. The Magician wore a dull red magician's robe, and the scorpion magic beast had a bright red carapace, a tail equipped with a stinger that was two meters long, had eight black, hair-covered legs, and eyes that shone with a green hue. Nick quickly cast Tyrant Sense so that he could understand the situation better, and it wasn't long before he found out that both the Magician and the scorpion magic beast were rank 3.
The Magician currently wore a solemn expression, had a pale-white complexion, short but flowing black hair, sharp eyebrows, and green eyes. Nick immediately stopped moving to watch how the battle would unfold after he observed that it was likely about to conclude.
The red-robed Magician, who was standing six meters away from the scorpion magic best in a battle-ready stance and experiencing labored breathing, suddenly became enveloped in sparks of yellow electricity, after which, a high-frequency buzzing sound was emanated from him.
One second after that, the Magician suddenly disappeared from his spot and instantly reappeared standing in front of the one-meter-tall scorpion that had over a dozen black scorch marks spread across its carapace and that was also bleeding from all the joints visible on its body. The moment that the Magician appeared in front of it, the scorpion magic beast moved its tail and stinger like a flexible arm to propel them forward at a low and awkward angle so that it could attempt to stab the Magician in his midsection using its stinger.
The Magician's body, however, radiated with currents of yellow electricity that targeted all of the scorpion magic beast almost simultaneously, and so its tail and stinger were forced to stop moving in midair, only inches away from the Magician's belly. The scorpion magic beast was then effectively bathed in yellow electricity, following which, black smoke began emanating from its body, and three seconds later, several 'popping' sounds could be heard.
The popping sounds were caused by its joints suddenly exploding, which resulted in the scorpion magic beast losing all eight of its legs, its tail from its base, its two pincers, and finally its head from the nape of its neck. The scorpion magic beast's entire body fell to the ground and bled profusely from its open wounds while the smell of burnt flesh pervaded the atmosphere.
Yellow electricity could still be seen coursing through its body, and eventually, its flowing blood was vaporized or dried until no more blood flowed as its wounds were cauterized. When the Magician finally felt like he had done enough, one minute later, he canceled his spell, and his body became free of the yellow electricity, but the carcass of the scorpion magic beasts still emanated sparks of the yellow electricity from then on. The Magician then tapped the electrocuted carcass with his forearm, which caused it to disappear.
The Magician then breathed out a sigh of relief before turning around towards Nick, who had not bothered to hide himself. The black-haired Magician spoke to Nick while maintaining his solemn expression:
"What do you want? If you don't plan on dying today, I would suggest that you keep moving forward!"
Nick was certain that this Lightning Magician was rank 3 initial stage. That battle was the first time that Nick actually saw another rank 3 Magician kill a rank 3 magic beast, and he was fairly impressed with the effectiveness of the man's spell. Since Nick had no business with the man, he decided to move on silently. Nick began flying around the man in a wide arc to continue moving forward.
The Lightning Magician was a little surprised that Nick left without saying anything because he was not used to another rank 3 Magician being reticent, at least not out here in this hostile environment. The Lightning Magician squinted his eyes and shouted in Valteese:
"Wait! Who are you and what are your origins?"
Nick ignored the man's question and continued flying forward until a flash of yellow electricity appeared a few meters in front of him. The Lightning Magician appeared at Nick's front once again, which forced Nick to stop his forward movement. Nick's expression remained indifferent, and he asked:
"Are you an idiot? Why would you stop me from leaving even after you told me to do so?"
The Lightning Magician's expression remained solemn as he shamelessly said:
"Forget what I said before. Now, I want to know who you are. The last thing I need is you suddenly blindsiding me down the road after seeing me use my magic against that traveling scorpion. You have information on me, and so likewise, I might as well get some useful information on you. What is your name and your origins? Are you a Space Magician?"
Nick suddenly felt annoyed:
(Why are most Magicians that I meet arrogant and paranoid like this? I bet that this dipshit is a rich kid who had an easy life before becoming a Magician.)
Nick rapidly drew Stoic Grave using his left hand and activated Sheer Soul's ability, Sheer Hold. Nick then asked:
"Are we going to have a problem here?"
The Lightning Magician's right eyelid twitched in annoyance in response to Nick drawing his sword, which, to him, was basically an act of disrespect and defiance. His expression revealed that he was irritated, but internally, he was even more wary because of the inhuman speed that Nick used to draw his sword from its sheath, asking himself:
(Did he draw that sword using a spell? I did not feel any magic power from him at that time, although now I am feeling soul magic power emanating from that magic tool on his right hand.)
The Lightning Magician thought about the situation for close to a minute before making a decision:
(This man seems tough. His appearance is also a little strange, and something about his magic power does not seem conventional. Encountering weird Magicians is usually a good thing for me in terms of what I can learn from them. I'm going to see what this white-top is capable of.)
The Lightning Magician spoke to Nick like a rival:
"You know what? You seem strong. Let's fight to see which of us is stronger."
Nick snorted, rolled his eyes, and replied:
"I don't have the time to play games with you. Get lost!"
The Lightning Magician ignored Nick's rude words and introduced himself:
"My name is Ulrich March, a field explorer for The Crown Company. If you don't plan on answering any of my questions voluntarily, I have no issue with forcing them out of you."
Nick hated this side of Magicians:
(Absolute power corrupts absolutely. It is not normal for someone to impose themselves like this on another person they don't know, but that is in the context of normal human society, where the people are about the same in terms of physical strength. However, when humans have reason to suspect that they have a greater power than others, they begin to act wildly just because, always trying to prove that they are the strongest or smartest in the room. Many Magicians that I have met up to this point have exhibited such behavior, and there are probably many more like them that I will have to deal with.)
Did Nick not want to prove that he was the strongest person in the room?
(Of course not. Why the hell would I even bother? Most of the money that I have made was made without anyone knowing who I was, and I suspect that if people really knew who I was, I would only end up attracting persons who would want to use me.)
Isn't that a good thing? Why not use them while they think that they are using you?
(I despise such ways of thinking; it's loser thinking. My life is not for others to influence as they please, and so I do not need to play their little loser games. No, I refuse to play their games. I am going to push myself towards my goals while keeping my own principles in mind. I don't care if that makes things harder or if achieving my goals will take longer as a result. This is my life, my story; I decide when it ends and what has value while it progresses. No one gets to make me feel small just to boost their ego, and no one gets to drag me down because they think that they are superior.)
Nick did not hesitate to cast his spells once Ulrich made his intention known:
(Tyrant Domain.)
(Tyrant Armor.)
The space surrounding Nick and Ulrich that had a radius of about fifty meters in all directions suddenly developed a slight, grey hue. Ulrich squinted his eyes and thought:
(Space magic? So he is a Space Magician.)
Nick's entire left arm and even Stoic Grave were then almost instantly and completely covered in black soul magic power that sparked with red and black lights until, within moments, the red sparks dissipated, leaving only black sparks. Ulrich raised his right eyebrow in response to Tyrant Armor's power and internally commented:
(Soul magic? Is he a Magician who focuses on two types of magic? I have never earnestly fought one of those people before. I definitely made the right choice in provoking this man.)
Ulrich cast his own spell to tighten his defense:
(Sudden Voltage)
Ulrich's body then emanated many sparks of yellow electricity that visibly coursed over his clothing and skin. Ulrich followed up by stretching out his right hand and pointing it at Nick so that he could aim as he was about to cast another spell, but Nick suddenly appeared less than one meter away from his immediate front, and before Ulrich could react fully, a black blur slid diagonally from his right shoulder to his lower left abdomen.
Ulrich's eyes opened wide in shock because he immediately sensed that Nick's fast attack had cut through Sudden Voltage's lightning path defense and that he had been injured. Pain spread out to the rest of his body from his torso within moments, and blood spurted out from his torso, past his cut robe, just as quickly. Ulrich may have been in pain, but he was a well-trained Magician and did not balk in response to the pain that he felt.
Instead, he swung his right arm in a wide arc, casting another one of his spells:
(Hammer Volt)
Ulrich's right arm moved extremely fast towards Nick's face as it sparked with so much yellow electricity that it looked like a flare, overcoming the effect of Sheer Hold, but to Nick, it was only a slightly difficult maneuver to counter.
A grapefruit-sized sphere of grey magic power suddenly appeared in the path of Ulrich's speeding right arm, a few inches away from Nick's head, and when the grey sphere came in contact with Ulrich's lightning path power, waves of formless magic power violently radiated from their point of contact. During that time in which Nick's and Ulrich's magic powers competed for supremacy, Nick swung Stoic Grave once again, this time at Ulrich's right upper arm.
Stoic Grave bit into the yellow electricity covering Ulrich's right upper arm and somehow cleaved through it to cut through much of Ulrich's upper arm muscle, but without being able to reach the bone. Ulrich gritted his teeth in pain, and at that time, most of the yellow lighting that was covering his right arm and the grey sphere dissipated as the intensity of their magic power canceled each other out.
Ulrich immediately used the secondary effects of Sudden Voltage to carry his body away from Nick like a bolt of electricity that carried many volts, rapidly traveling through the air. In this way, Ulrich moved backward twenty meters away from Nick within one second. Ulrich stood in place on the black, sandy ground and assessed the injuries to his right upper arm as well as his torso. Both areas bled, but the wounds were not deep enough to be life-threatening, presumably because his lightning magic power defended him from much of the harm that Nick intended to manifest.
Ulrich, however, frowned intensely because he was now bleeding from his eyes, ears, and mouth while also feeling sluggish. He reasoned:
(My soul has been harmed by that man's magic power. He is not a simple opponent, and he is not waving that sword around for show. The sword that he used to cut me is definitely of the soul path and is above basic grade. I have not failed to realize that the man also has another sword sheathed at the left side of his waist. Hmph! I found myself a fairly strong opponent out of nowhere...but he won't be standing mighty for long.)
Ulrich quickly cast his healing spell, almost instantly closing his bleeding torso and arm wounds after strong, yellow electric currents passed through them. Nick did not ease up in his attack pace as he appeared inches away from Ulrich's immediate front at this time and swung Stoic Grave directly at Ulrich's neck, intending to decapitate him.
Nick's sword movements were incredibly fast, but Ulrich had been prepared this time for such a sudden move, and his eyes sparked with yellow electricity due to his scouting method being active, so Nick's sword swing appeared clear and observable to him. That being said, Ulrich's body was plagued with a reduced speed that filled him with uncertainty, and so he was forced to intensify the electric currents flowing through his body to have a chance at keeping up with the sword attack.
Ulrich's entire left and right arms sparked with yellow electric currents, appearing like flares before he used his right hand to parry and hold Stoic Grave by the blade, following which, he quickly pressed his left palm against Nick's chest, casting:
(Shredding Volts)
Nick covered his entire body in Tyrant Armor's sparking black soul magic power the moment that Ulrich touched his body. As soon as he did that, intense and brightly glowing yellow electric currents coursed over his chest, attempting to penetrate his soul armor, but after two seconds, Ulrich's attack did not leave any obvious wounds, even though some of Ulrich's magic power had managed to penetrate the soul armor and stun Nick's chest muscles.
Nick frowned in response to the pain, but still followed up by quickly grabbing Ulrich by the throat using his right hand. Thousands of volts of electricity attempted to spread throughout Nick's arm and upper body in response to his direct contact with Ulrich, but due to Tyrant Armor's power, he could mostly afford to ignore the intense electricity while he performed his next maneuver.
Starting at Nick's right hand, a sphere of red magic power appeared and grew to envelop his right hand and Ulrich's head, following which, the space magic power imbued within the red sphere attempted to force the affected space to collapse into itself; many currents of black miasma magic energy exhaust emanated from Nick's body at this time. Sensing the danger, Ulrich's eyes each radiated with a linear ray of intense, yellow electric currents, which penetrated through the red sphere, destroying it. Nick had already sensed the two lightning rays just as they were formed using the power of Tyrant Sense, so it was easy for him to quickly shift his upper body to the left, which resulted in him successfully avoiding a direct blast from them.
Unfortunately for Ulrich, however, Nick had used the powers of Saturn to distract the former from his real objective, which Nick acted to accomplish immediately after the red sphere was destroyed:
(Tyrant Aurora.)
Grey blade light immediately emerged from Stoic Grave's blade while Ulrich was still holding it using his right hand. The grey blade light completely overwhelmed and enveloped the lightning path magic power emanating from Ulrich's right arm, following which, in less than one second, Nick acted with almost twice the arm strength as before to free Stoic Grave from Ulrich's right grip, immediately after which, Nick performed his next maneuver:
(Cross Stream Sword Technique.)
Ulrich attempted to shift his gaze so that he could blast Nick with the electric currents that were still shooting out from his eyes, but Nick's right hand had his throat in a seemingly immovable vice grip, so he could not do so readily. With grey blade light still enveloping his right arm, Ulrich became desperate to find a way to break free from Nick's demonic hold, but in the midst of his desperation, and soon after Nick had forced Stoic Grave's blade out of his right grip, Ulrich witnessed Nick's left arm move like a crisscross shifting pillar of grey light as sudden stings of pain spread throughout his right arm.
Within less than one second after that, Ulrich lost the sensation in his right arm. Alarmed, Ulrich withdrew his left hand away from Nick's chest and attempted to gouge Nick's eyes out with his electrified fingers. knowing that his goal was already achieved, Nick had no problem releasing his right grip from Ulrich's throat so that he could dodge the latter's petty attack aimed at his eyes by quickly stepping backward by a few feet.
As soon as Nick attempted to move away, the grey blade light emanating from Stoic Grave abated, following which, Ulrich moved backward, another twenty meters away from Nick again, in the form of a bolt of yellow electric currents. Nick stood in place while observing Ulrich's condition. Ulrich held his profusely bleeding right shoulder stump with hatred visible in his glare as the glare was now directed towards Nick.
Nick was not surprised by Ulrich's severe wound since he had purposely created it himself using a combination of Tyrant Aurora and the Cross Stream sword technique. Nick then indifferently declared to Ulrich:
"Being a Magician isn't fun, games, or defined by meaningless spars. Who gave you the guts to test me so boldly? Do you really want to die at my, Nick Capitol's, hands?"
Instead of replying to Nick, Ulrich gritted his teeth while his eyes became bloodshot. He was too filled with anger to think rationally at this time. Instead, his thoughts were centered on:
(This man is clearly rank 3 initial stage, like me, but he is abnormally strong. If I were going all out from the beginning, there is no way that I would have been hurt this badly, but it's too late for regrets now. I can still beat him if I use everything that I've got, though...)
Ulrich's right shoulder stump coursed with yellow electricity, following which, the wound was cauterized. Ulrich pointed at Nick using his left index finger and was about to cast a spell when a voice sounded from over thirty meters above the two Magicians:
"Ulrich, don't embarrass The Crown Company any further. You look like a damn dog right now. You there! You said that your name is Nick Capitol, right? I remember that name; you took part in the inter-academy competition years ago and surrendered without a fight during one of the latter matches."
Ulrich directed his attention above himself to glare at the familiar-sounding person who insulted him. Nick did not take his eyes away from Ulrich but used the powers of Tyrant Sense to observe the newcomer, whose appearance he had already been presented with through Spatial Awareness.
Ulrich defiantly screamed at the newcomer:
"Crocker, stay out of this. I am going to kill this guy. You can go tell the company whatever you want. I am not stopping until this man is defeated and lying at my feet."
The man, who was apparently named Crocker, descended from the sky while sporting a smug expression on his face. He was wearing a white and red magician's robe and a pair of black combat boots; he had a pale white complexion that featured a few freckles, short, well-styled red hair, bushy eyebrows, and pale brown eyes. Crocker also held what appeared to be a dark brown, two-foot wand within his right grip.
The magic power emanating from the newcomer's wand made Nick a little uncomfortable, but the discomfort only lasted about five seconds before Nick calmed his nerves.
Nick internally sighed:
(I almost forgot since leaving Richter Order Academy that dealing with Magicians can give you more ulcers than fighting with magic beasts because their interpersonal relationships attract one pain in the ass after another, like house flies going after the same filth.)