AN: Ahem! I have returned with an update. Let's just say that it's my bad for delaying it too much. We're going back to the usual 3-5 days, although that doesn't mean it's better anyway, lol.
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How unlucky... We will definitely get surrounded if this fight will drag on for too long. Lyon concluded after some thought.
Him and Sherry already recognized the person in front of them, since they probed for information from the local residents, and saw him during their stay in Welbor town.
One of Paramount Tide's S-Class Wizards, Noah.
Noah's display of strength alone was enough for them to determine that he would be a difficult foe to deal with.
If one would factor in the patrols roaming around, it was only a matter of time before any wizard can detect clashes of magical elements that stirred the Ethernano within the environment.
However, Lyon didn't waver at the possible scenario as he put his right fist on his open left palm, transitioning into his usual stance.
Battles were his bread and butter anyway, no point in worrying about different outcomes when it's only starting.
"Ice Make: Eagle!"
Multitudes of ice eagles formed swiftly and were launched towards the green-haired man in droves from all angles.
"Marionette Attack: Rock Doll!"
Sherry didn't fall behind, making sure to synchronize with his attacks. The rock humanoid charged alongside the ice eagles.
"That guild mark… Lamia scale?" Noah briefly glanced at the symbol that Lyon bore on his right chest, his tattoos brightening up even further.
He condensed a portion of wind into his fist, his magical power rising in tandem.
"Gale Spear."
WHOOSHHH!
A miniature wind cyclone was sent out with roaring momentum, intending to match the might of both spells.
BOOM!
Sherry hastily controlled her rock doll, crossing its arms in defense while it still moved. However, as soon as the attack landed on it, the wind effortlessly tore through its sturdiness like it was nothing.
KRR! CRRK CRRK!
Half of the ice eagles shattered upon contact, and the remaining ones managed to avoid it thanks to Lyon maneuvering them out of range.
Unfortunately, that didn't even make the wind slow down as it relentlessly targeted Lyon and Sherry.
They both leaped sideward in opposite directions, narrowly evading the lethal spell just in time. A row of trees behind them took the brunt of the blow, some were left with big holes, gashes, or simply destroyed.
Noah used this opportunity to propel himself with wind, dashing towards the direction of Lyon.
Lyon noticed this as he motioned his left arm, commanding his ice eagles to enact their original objective after escaping their fate of being minced into shards.
The ice eagles circled around, diving downwards like a bunch of speeding bullets, threatening to freeze anything in their way.
Then, he slammed both of his hands on the ground, pouring his magic power into them.
"Ice Make: Ice Geyser!"
Numerous ice spikes sprouted, dyeing the earth in frost. Noah saw the incoming spell and immediately jumped without hesitation.
The ice eagles arrived a step too late, producing cold blasts as they landed. The ice spikes on the other hand, only managed to graze his boots while creating a small tower afterwards.
"That's quite the bounce you've got there." Lyon remarked loudly, speechlessly looking at his opponent who was controlling his descent in the air.
"My Gale Magic generates really strong wind." Noah heard him and chuckled, adjusting his descent to slide across the surface of the ice tower, concentrating the wind on his legs.
Lyon immediately understood his next action, watching the dark wizard bend his knees.
BAM!
Noah leaped towards Lyon by using the ice tower as a foothold, giving it cracks as it trembled due to the sheer force alone.
"Ice Make: Shield!"
Lyon couldn't evade it in time, so he braced for impact. Just feeling the prickling of such wind pressure made him sweat for a moment.
His gaze was unwavering as he looked at Noah, who followed up with condensed rotating wind on his left palm.
"Gale Blast."
BOOOM!
Their clash resounded throughout the area, separating it into mesmerizing frost and rampaging wind.
Lyon gritted his teeth, enduring the mild cuts that were increasing by the second. Blood trickled down at different spots on his body, yet that didn't deter him at all.
The shield continued to break down as Noah relentlessly slowly forced him to kneel. However, it wasn't completely destroyed due to his continuous circulation of magic power to mend it endlessly.
This gave his companion an opening to exploit.
"Hm?" Noah sensed a shift on his left side, prompting him to glance at the source. Only a rocky fist filled his vision, which made him stop his spell midway to soften the impending strike.
BAMMM!
He blocked the punch with his arms crossed, transferring most of his wind as a protective measure. The momentum of the strike sent him flying, dispersing the lingering wind that remained.
CRACKK!
The rock humanoid wasn't left unscathed, since its left limb and part of its torso still got shredded from the sharpness of his wind.
I've underestimated the power of her puppets. Noah frowned after feeling the slight rattling of his bones.
He aimed for Lyon first because of the known versatility of molding wizards, where the limit of their magic lies in pure creativity and adaptability. In Sherry's case, her magic simply looked like the usual range type from an outsider's perspective.
So nobody would fault him for his decision to categorize her as a lesser threat.
Noah smoothly recovered as he flipped backwards, skidding on the ground while trying to stop himself. After a few more meters, he stabilized his footing, brushing off the pain.
"Thanks for the save, Sherry."
Lyon timed his retreat the moment he saw the attack closing in on Noah, panting softly as he looked at Sherry who controlled the newly created rock humanoid.
"Are you alright, Lyon?" Sherry regrouped with him, checking on his current condition.
"I'm fine." Lyon nodded, cautiously returning his attention to Noah. "His magic is dangerous, one wrong move and we'll be diced into pieces."
"Hmph! It's completely uncouth if you compared it to my love's Air Magic!" Sherry harrumphed in annoyance.
Lyon incredulously gazed at her, although it was a good thing to be motivated during a fight anyways.
"Hey, I can hear the two of you from here, you know." Noah interjected, not bothered by her snarky remark. "Since there's room for some light conversation, I'm a bit curious…" He drew out his sentence.
"What are wizards from Lamia Scale doing here, lurking around this section of the island?" The dark wizard narrowed his eyes.
The duo paused for a moment, realizing that their identity was exposed.
"Lyon… I think you should restrain your stripping habit when we do operations like these in the future." Sherry said in a deadpanned tone.
"... Yeah." Lyon sheepishly scratched his head. "I'll be careful next time." Then, he looked right back at Noah.
Magical power emitted from him as the vicinity around him decreased in temperature, returning to his molding stance.
Even Sherry beside him wasn't spared from the cold, but she felt fine for the most part, which was probably thanks to him regulating his ice to avoid implicating her.
"Isn't it obvious for you already? I'm not someone who likes to beat around the bush." Lyon said.
"Straight to the point, huh?" Noah slightly chuckled in amusement. "Well, I also prefer it that way."
Wind surrounded the dark wizard as it hovered like streams, ready to be unleashed at any given time.
But before they could even resume the fight, distant voices were heard, echoing throughout the forest.
Lyon and Sherry glanced at each other, understanding what it meant. Both of them expected the commotion to attract nearby patrols, so they weren't surprised to say the least.
Noah hummed. "I was wondering when they'd show up, what excruciatingly slow reactions." He looked towards the source and listened carefully, estimating the number to be in the dozens.
"It's more than expected, considering that this location was swept already." Noah continued, returning his gaze to the duo. "Most of them might not be that strong, but they're good enough to act as distractions against esteemed guests like yourselves."
Lyon scoffed. "We're very thankful for Paramount Tide's hospitality." Responding with the same energy. "Then, do you want me and her to simply stay put and wait for them?"
"That's the natural response, right?" Noah thinly smiled. "It would be embarrassing if we can't do basic human courtesy."
"The irony of your statement is too laughable." Sherry interjected, her expression gloomy. "Why not give your sincere condolences for all the lives you've taken?" Her tone resounding with genuine, raw anger.
Noah rubbed his chin in thought, as if such an action was complicated to him. "Hah… I'm afraid that's impossible, since most of them were unfortunate accidents." He sighed dramatically.
Although they expected him to come up with this kind of reply, the indifference he displayed was something that made them feel absolute disgust.
"No need for words anymore, bastard." Lyon's magical power surged as his ice began to condense into a magnificent shape. "It's an insult to associate yourselves with an official guild status."
He swiftly aimed it at the dark wizard after he finished his molding.
"Ice Make: Snow Dragon!"
An ice dragon formed as it lunged towards Noah, its gaping maw already open to encase the dark wizard within layers of frost.
This spell of his looked more refined in terms of size, speed, and power. Compared to how it was during his nonsensical escapade on Galuna Island, it was on a higher level altogether.
Ever since that reality check, he held a mindset that truly focused on living proudly with Ur's teachings, determined to make honor her legacy to the fullest.
If you combine it with his experience in the Oracion Seis hunt and the loss of his fellow disciple that was like a brother to him, such reasons would improve his molding magic beyond his expectations.
But living within the world of wizards tests your resolve and resilience to move forward. Obstacles that rain upon you nonstop, as if to mock your efforts in the face of what you know.
A frog in a well so to speak, something that he realized in his battle against Racer. The Kingdom of Fiore was huge in itself, and monsters who probably hated the spotlight were leisurely roaming about.
Lyon is now getting another taste of it.
A different kind of monster compared to Racer.
One that could ignore the beauty and lethal essence of his ice, and overwhelm it effortlessly.
Noah's tattoos illuminated even further, which fueled his wind with more of his magical power. Once the ice dragon was near him, he avoided it right at the very last moment.
"Gale Tear."
KRRRRRRR!
Noah did a clawing gesture on his right hand while sprinting beside the spell, dragging his fingers ruthlessly through the body of the ice dragon. Countless shards fell as his wind made gashes that crushed the construct like it was fragile paper.
Lyon noticed his impending charge, waving his hands to command his spell, making his ice dragon do a coiling action with its long body to stop Noah's movement.
"Cheeky and fast." Noah's eyes darted towards the dragon head that attempted to engulf him in a singular bite again, while the space around him was shrinking along with the increased coldness.
He made a grunting sound, channeling his wind more on his arms, and launched them quickly at both sides, repelling the dragon's coiling hug for a brief period.
However, much to his exasperation, Lyon poured in his magic power to repair the shattered spell over and over, holding him off like the previous clash.
Like clockwork, a rock humanoid appeared, already punching with no hesitation. Sherry obviously wouldn't miss this chance to get a clean hit in.
Noah slightly widened his eyes, showing a startled expression for the first time. He had no way of blocking it since he needed a stabilized footing to guard against the ice dragon.
BAM!
Cough!
CRASH!
The rock humanoid sent Noah flying into the depths of the dragon's body, which gave Lyon the opening to immediately manipulate the dragon to finish his coiling, trapping the dark wizard within.
"Let's go, Sherry!" He then motioned his right hand to create a huge and wide ice wall in front of them. "Luring that guy away from reinforcements is our best bet, since it's definitely impossible to escape from him."
"Hit and run tactics? How lovely, my magic is perfect for that!" Sherry nodded and agreed with his plan.
Once they were on the same wavelength, Lyon aimed at the ground.
"Ice Make: Floor!"
He made the frozen ground as long as he could, then him and Sherry jumped on it and started to skate across.
"Taking another detour isn't that bad, there's bound to be more paths anyway." Lyon gazed at Noah's direction from time to time, knowing that his temporary enclosure will be destroyed in the end.
He wasn't too far from the truth regarding the paths within this rural location, considering there were mixed intersections and lowered or elevated terrains that could confuse anyone if they aren't paying attention.
BOOOM!
An explosion occurred behind them, prompting the duo to look at the source. What they saw could make a normal wizard tremble with fear, but it wouldn't faze fearless Lamia Scale wizards like them.
Roaring wind covered a portion of the area they were previously at, also showcasing a massive ice wall crumbling powerlessly. In the middle of all that chaos is a now angry Noah who was chasing them with renewed vigor.
His Gale Magic supported the momentum of his speed, making him zoom through the air like a swift bullet.
"Ice Make: Trap!"
While sliding, Lyon raised ice protrusions within the path, intending to slow Noah down somewhat.
KRRK! KRRK! KRRK!
Noah simply bulldozed through the futile effort, managing to reach the duo in just a few seconds.
Lyon and Sherry felt an even more prickling sensation, their accumulating cuts rapidly appearing all over their limbs and clothes. This wind was completely different from the one they just experience a while ago.
Noah went for Lyon as he grabbed his face with his right hand, tightening his grip while the wind turned fiercer.
"Kghk!"
"Agh! Lyon!"
He easily lifted Lyon thanks to the support of his magic, following up with a frontal wind imbued chop using his free hand to aim towards the torso. Noah has many methods for capturing targets, and one of his favorites is to put them in a near-death state.
BAM!
KRRK!
His strike was blocked by a newly formed ice gauntlet that appeared on Lyon's left hand, its freezing chill affecting him somewhat. Noah only saw the maker wizard's sharp glare behind his hold, as if to sneer at him.
"It won't be that easy, pal."
WHOOSH!
BAM!
"Urgh!"
Lyon gave him no chance to react, landing a clean punch on his face with his right ice gauntlet. He exerted all of his physical might, forcing Noah to hurl him outside the ice path.
Noah was also sent flying towards the opposite direction, making it a trade of simultaneous blows.
BOOM! BOOM!
Lyon quickly cushioned himself with ice before hitting through a few trees, while Noah caved into the second tree he made contact with.
Cough! Cough!
Noah still felt disoriented from the hit as he rested on one knee, the lingering frost on his cheek affected the trailing blood that came out from his mouth. He didn't expect such resilience, so the counter caught him off-guard.
"Marionette Attack: Wood Doll!"
A woman's voice and rumbling resounded, not giving him the chance to recover. He glanced at the huge tree humanoid that appeared, extending its branches towards him like a web.
BOOM! BOOM!
Noah quickly retreated from his spot, evading the incoming attacks that threatened to pierce him.
Then, he completely ignored the puppet for a moment, sending out a blade of wind at Sherry who hastily formed a rock humanoid to guard against him.
Sherry narrowly avoided the slash, sidestepping it as she watched her spell get cleaved into two pieces. However, another one immediately followed once she was in Noah's sight.
It already traveled a few dozen meters, letting her feel the sharp gusts it produced. The distance between her and Noah wasn't much, so the second blade of wind closed in very fast.
She took a deep breath to calm down, knowing that panicking won't do her any good. Sherry attempted to cast a new rock humanoid as she leaped backwards, refusing to give up.
"Ice Make: Barricade!"
BOOM!
As if to reward her for her courage, a massive ice blockade stopped the slash, even though it almost got split in half all the same.
Sherry softly sighed in relief, glancing at the person who arrived behind her. "That was too close… great timing, Lyon."
"Now we're even." The maker wizard grinned as his ice shards dropped continuously from his back, which was probably the result of him trying to weaken the force of being thrown like a ragdoll.
Sherry rolled her eyes in amusement. "It looks like you're just fine if you have the energy to joke around like that." She summoned two rock humanoids afterwards, commanding them to watch over their small perimeter.
"Consider it as way of pumping ourselves up." Lyon laughed for a moment. "I finally have this guy figured out." He sensed Noah's wildly unrestrained magical pressure from the other side of the wall.
"I'm all ears. Just seeing my creations get destroyed like nothing stumped me out of ideas." Sherry sighed.
The lethal essence of the wind alone made her potential strategies useless, because all of them revolved around the durability of her dolls. Adding to the fact that she was weak in terms of close combat due to how her magic works, her options were even more limited.
Lyon nodded. "That's why---!
BOOOM!
The Lamia Scale duo instinctively retreated the instant they felt that familiar prickling sensation, their sights greeted with a cross-shaped slash of wind.
Lyon created another floor of ice to assist with their momentum, making them slide backwards to stay out of its range, while also adding four layers of walls in the process.
"Oh? The speed of your molding got even faster." Noah went through the debris of ice and rocks, locking his gaze on the young man.
CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!
His wind sliced the walls as he followed alongside his own attack. The pristine, white tattoos on his arms never lost their shine as it overflowed with Ethernano.
Noah prepared for another strike, targeting Lyon who evaded towards the side. He charged without any hesitation, intending to end this battle by taking care of him first.
Unexpectedly in the next moment, Noah only saw him smile, as if he had a realization about something.
"Ice: Make: Eagle!"
Dozens of ice eagles flew at various angles, their trajectories covering every direction. Noah noticed that they were farther than the previous cast, making them more animated.
"You're putting more focus into manipulating your spell?" He raised an eyebrow at Lyon. "Bad decision, light wizard." Noah ignored the eagles as he continued to sprint.
"I'd say the risks are worth it." Lyon motioned his hands downwards, signaling his lively spell to interrupt his offensive.
Noah nonchalantly looked around, controlling his wind to protect him in a circular manner. Once the ice eagles hit the barrier of protection, consecutive blasts of frosts threatened to freeze him to the bone, yet his expression never changed.
But he slowed down by a slight margin, and that was enough for Lyon.
"Ice Make: Snow Tiger!"
A tiger-shaped ice sculpture charged towards the dark wizard using huge strides, immediately arriving in front of him with an open maw.
"Tch!" Noah clicked his tongue in annoyance as he strengthened his wind to the point where it echoed across the open area.
BOOOM!
CRRRK! CRRRK!
He clashed with the tiger directly, shredding its structure while being pushed back. Unfortunately for him, the broken parts were perpetually mended like the ice dragon, making it a chore to deal with.
"The same strategy again? Do you take me for a fool?" Noah sneered, exerting his magical power into higher output, both of his hands on the upper jaw, and his foot stepping heavily on the lower jaw.
"It still works though, so maybe you're the idiot." Lyon retorted, controlling the tiger with unlimited perseverance.
The ice tiger dragged Noah towards protrusions, boulders, and even trees within the vicinity. He was mostly safe from the barrage of being dragged around due to his Gale Magic's force destroying them before making contact.
After a few more seconds of struggle, Noah grunted as he titled the ice tiger's mouth in a slight angle, using this opportunity to avoid the impending bit with a leap.
Once he freed himself, he shortly rolled on the ground to recover, then aimed at the ice tiger by condensing the wind again into his fist---!
"Ice Make: Lancer"
Noah widened his eyes as he quickly looked behind, seeing multiple ice lances soaring through the air as they threatened to impale him.
He discreetly directed his ice tiger to put me in his range? He just realized the purpose of the spell, and finally noticed the short distance between him and Lyon, delaying his reaction in the process.
Lyon was being cautious of Noah's sharp wind, which is why he opted for a ranged spell. This was also a safe approach to confirm the hypothesis he formed regarding how the dark wizard's magic works.
He intently observed Noah's actions, who narrowly dodged some lances. A few actually managed to graze him, and one surprisingly pierced his leg in the end.
The ice tiger was still in play, commanding it to strike the panting and injured Noah ruthlessly.
Noah's expression darkened, his calm yet lax demeanor gone. His winds gathered around his left trembling left fist.
It obviously wasn't fear…
It was anger.
BAMMMM!
CRASH!
CRRK! CRRK!
A singular punch full of rage demolished the sculpture into a display of varying sizes of shards, its path of destruction included a caved in ground that reached forty meters.
Shattered trees and rock formations that were in the way weren't spared as the remnants of his attack lingered for a while.
"Kghk!" Noah grunted.
Although he didn't show it outwardly, the cold feeling of pain that was embedded in his leg was glaring. He needed to remove it immediately, but his adversaries knew an opening when they see one.
"Marionette Attack: Leaf Doll!"
Noah looked at Sherry who sent leaves that moved like real flying animals, their tips acting as beaks that also felt like miniature weapons. Only screeching sounds followed along their wake, soaring at him with endless vigor.
Since the ice lance was still pierced into his left leg, he gathered his wind on both of them, letting him glide to weave against the spell. A brief aerial chase began while he clutched the freezing weapon.
"So I was right." Lyon intercepted him as he caught up by freezing the ground to slide, swinging an ice hammer towards his direction.
I see... He figured out how my magic operates. Noah looked down at his tattoos that were slowly dimming, as if they were decreasing in power altogether.
He swiftly evaded upwards, going over Lyon no problem as he managed to yank out the ice lance just in time. Fortunately, it wasn't embedded too deep and only reached the very end of his skin, not reaching the bone.
That doesn't mean the pain will go away, so Noah endured it silently while twisting his body to land smoothly, skidding for a while before stopping.
Blood trailed on his leg as he didn't dare to lose focus right now, looking back at the sight in front of him.
The aerial leaves continued their pursuit, which prompted Noah to channel his winds to his arms However, the moment he did that, Lyon already responded with another attack.
"Ice Make: Ape!"
An ice ape sculpture appeared, leaping towards the air, then descended with an overhead downwards smash to not give him the chance to recover.
Noah instinctively countered with an uppercut.
BOOOM!
CRASH!
The ape's upper half got obliterated as his tattoos' light dimmed again, resulting in a pile of ice debris falling everywhere around him. Clouds of dust combined with frosty mists followed afterwards, obscuring his vision.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
He quickly glanced at the group of aerial leaves that finally arrived, making him retreat backwards as he hurled a blade of wind.
It sliced them effortlessly, parting the dusts and mists in the process. Noah spotted Lyon who prepared his next spell, but he wasn't gonna allow such a thing to catch him by surprise again.
Noah seamlessly boosted himself with his wind, pushing his momentum towards the maker wizard in an instant.
"I've had enough coldness for today, so it's time to take you both to Master Vandis." He clutched Lyon's neck with his left hand and slammed him on the ground.
Then Noah condensed his wind into his right fists, ready to cripple him in the next moment.
CRACK!
!?
Noah paused as he widened his eyes in disbelief, seeing the Lyon beneath him transform into an ice sculpture.
"Ice Make: Diamond Cage." A voice sounded behind him.
"ARGGHHH!"
He couldn't react in time even though he sensed his presence, helplessly getting encased in a compact sphere of ice full of spikes. Noah felt his tattoos weaken even further, something that he didn't expect to experience in this fight.
My magical output is still decent enough to shred this spell… but he'll obviously mend it afterwards. Noah thought.
It looks like the outcome has been decided.
The two wizards stared at each other in silence, alongside the traces of battle that were scattered around the area.
"Those tattoos of yours act as a conduit for your Gale Magic, right?" Lyon inquired. "I noticed how rigid your control of it was, forcing you to only lean on telegraphed movements."
Noah grinned. "Heh! You're a sharp one, I'll give you that." Then exaggeratedly sighed. "Let's say it's a rare technique that's related to Enhancements, and I was barely compatible with it."
Lyon raised an eyebrow as he listened to the vague explanation.
"Lyon!" Sherry called out to him, sprinting to his location.
Lyon looked at her and smiled, showcasing their victory. He gazed back at Noah, doing his molding stance to create a pair of ice gauntlets.
"Well, I guess I'm grateful for the simple trivia." He spread out his arms for a moment. "Maybe you can also share it with the prison guards once this whole fiasco is done."
BAMM!
Lyon punched both sides of the dark wizard's head, effectively knocking him out.
"Let's go, Sherry! This sort of commotion will attract backup." He glanced at the surroundings. "But I guess we got lucky since we successfully lured him to a more rural location."
"You can't be too cautious, come on!"
"Alright, alright."