Wes Elwin walked along the main street of the city, his eyes calmly scanning his surroundings as he took in the distinctive scenery of Hargeon.
Eventually, after passing the last row of buildings, he reached the edge of the dense forest that bordered the city.
The masked man followed silently, keeping a short distance behind. But just as his foot touched the forest floor—
A blazing flame shot out from ahead, aimed straight at his face.
The man reacted instantly, twisting his body to the side to narrowly evade the sudden attack.
"Dodged that with pure reflexes? You're fast," came Wes's voice from directly in front of him.
"Then let's slow you down first."
Before the man could respond, Wes uttered two words—
"Weaken."
A formless force enveloped the man, and he immediately felt his body grow unbearably heavy. Every movement became sluggish, as though he were wading through thick mud.
"Curse-type magic? How many kinds of spells does this guy even know?" the man muttered in disbelief, though his guard rose even higher.
Wes didn't give him time to think. Raising his wand, he unleashed a bolt of lightning that crackled through the air toward the man.
But just before it struck, the lightning vanished—dissipating into nothing halfway through the air.
(So that's his magic… A spell that erases other spells?) Wes thought sharply. If he can nullify magic, then I can't let him get close. He might even be able to erase my magic power entirely.
Realizing that, Wes immediately widened the distance between them, changing tactics.
He tried different kinds of magic—elemental, curse-based, even binding spells—but every attack that neared the man dissolved mysteriously, as if reality itself rejected them.
Wes's curiosity flared.
"To think I'd meet such an interesting wizard so soon after arriving in this world."
(Capture him. Force him to reveal the secret behind that magic.)
His gaze sharpened—cold, precise, predatory.
Wes raised his wand again, this time muttering a different incantation.
A dark hum filled the forest as countless locusts materialized, forming a black wave that surged toward the masked man.
But this time, the man didn't use his erasing magic. Instead, he leapt agilely through the trees, dodging the swarm with fluid motion.
(He didn't nullify it… Did he run out of magic power?)
Yet his movements remained light and effortless, showing no signs of exhaustion.
(No… it's not that he can't. Maybe his magic doesn't work on living creatures.)
Wes's mind raced, piecing together the clues.
(No—it's not erasure. It's some kind of interference… a unique kind of manipulation.)
To confirm his theory, Wes decided to press the attack further.
The forest around them was filled with birds—hundreds of them perched on branches or gliding between the trees. Wes's eyes flickered with intent.
"Multi-Shot Barrage!"
As the incantation fell, the flock of birds twisted midair, transforming into countless sharp, arrow-like projectiles that shot toward the man in a deadly storm.
"It seems you've noticed the flaw," the man said quietly. He had nowhere left to run. "I wasn't planning on using this magic."
A chilling aura burst forth from his body, and the air around them froze instantly.
"Ice-Make: Rose."
At his command, a magnificent rose bloomed midair—beautiful, crystalline, yet deadly.
The biting cold radiating from it spread through the forest. The birds and locusts that had been attacking were frozen solid in mid-flight, sealed within the petals of the ice rose, their lives halted in an instant.
(Ice-Make magic… and the ability to erase spells. So it's her.)
Wes Elwin finally understood.
The "man" before him was no man at all—but Ultear Milkovich, daughter of the renowned ice sculptor-mage, Ur.
Ultear was known publicly as a member of the Magic Council and Jellal's assistant. But her true identity was far darker—the leader of the Seven Kin of Purgatory, the elite force directly under Hades, the master of the dark guild Grimoire Heart.
And the power that had nullified Wes's spells earlier was no ordinary magic. It was one of the Lost Magics—the Arc of Time.
This ancient magic could rewind or fast-forward the state of objects through time. However, it had one key limitation—it didn't affect living beings, except for plants.
Ultear hadn't truly erased Wes's spells—she had merely reverted the surrounding space to a moment before the spell existed. That was why her ability had no effect on the living creatures Wes summoned.
"Magic that manipulates time… fascinating," Wes murmured, locking eyes with her.
Now that he understood her weakness, he didn't hesitate. He flipped open his enchanted suitcase.
With a resonant click, an overwhelming swarm of sacred scarabs burst forth, flooding the forest like a living tide, surging straight toward Ultear.
For the first time, her expression shifted—her scalp tingled at the sight of the chittering, glimmering mass.
"Ice-Make: Lotus!"
Petals of translucent ice unfolded around her, forming a massive lotus barrier that enclosed her in its core. The scarabs struck relentlessly, gnawing and scraping, but the barrier held strong—its resilience beyond imagination.
Even after the continuous assault, the ice lotus remained unbroken.
"Explosive Flame." Wes incanted.
A fiery orb blazed from his wand, striking the lotus dead-on. A shockwave ripped through the clearing, and a section of the lotus shattered—only for it to regenerate instantly, sealing itself shut and freezing several scarabs in the process.
"So normal flames aren't enough, huh?" Wes's lips curled as he twirled his wand.
Dark fire gathered around him, thick and fierce, taking the shape of a majestic black eagle. It let out a shriek that split the air before diving down with annihilating force.
Ultear's pupils contracted—she could feel the devastating magic power behind the spell.
But before the black flames could reach her, she willed time itself to bend.
The world around her seemed to rewind.
The blazing eagle unraveled and vanished—its existence undone. It was as if Wes's attack had never happened.
Wes's eyes gleamed with genuine intrigue. The more he saw, the deeper his fascination with time magic grew.
"Let's see how far your power can go," Wes said calmly.
His wand swept upward, and the sky blackened as hundreds of flaming arrows—each forged from the same cursed fire—appeared overhead.
Every arrow hummed with deadly energy.
Ultear's expression finally tensed, beads of sweat forming along her brow.
(Too many…!)
Activating the Arc of Time consumed enormous amounts of magic—and the stronger the attack, the greater the cost.
Though Ultear possessed tremendous magic reserves, enough to control time itself, she knew she couldn't maintain this forever.
But Wes… Wes wasn't like the others she'd faced.
He had recently absorbed the energy of a Philosopher's Stone, doubling his mana capacity. Even now, vast amounts of unrefined energy still pulsed within him, gradually merging with his body every time he fought.
Each battle made him stronger.
And in this world—where conflict never truly ceased—Wes Elwin's power was destined to keep climbing without limit.
(To face time itself… and win. That might just be fun.)
°°°
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