Robert continuously attacked with boulders, but it didn’t even scratch Torkel.

“Prepare to die!” Torkel kicked the ground saying this. A small vine of started growing from his feet and it quickly grew, towards Robert.

“Not good!” Robert knew what this was, “ice spike” the ice vine will creep to the enemy and impale them with an ice spike.

Robert raised his leg and kicked with all his might, a small ledge of earthen wall rose in front of him, the ice vine which was creeping through the ground towards Robert hit on this wall and a meter tall ice spike destroyed the wall.

Although earth magic was the best for defense, the power level difference between the two users now was very high. One was an apprentice, level nine user, when the foe was a level 3 expert! Torkel was two whole realm above Robert.

That attack almost reached Robert, if it had moved a few more feet forward, he would surely be a corpse by now!

before he could think, Robert saw another ice spike attack coming towards him. He immediately did the same thing as before. This time a few more feet towards Robert, another stone wall rose. And the moment it formed it was destroyed by another ice spike.

Two more feet and the spike would have impaled Robert.

“This cannot continue!” Robert was sure that if the fight continued for long, he would be crushed by his opponent. Robert pondered his options and took a decision. To use the most powerful attack that he could do.

The attack that will burn his blood. The magic that was described on the last page of every golden grimoire, Ember blood attack.

The basis of this attack was still a mystery to scholars, it brought forward a power by burning one’s magical power. And once it was used, magic power and wouldn't be able to use magic for a long time. Thus the use of this magic was only done by someone as their final attempt to save their lives.

High-level spirit animals and magic users of cultivation more than apprentice level were able to do this spell. This was a trump card, but it held a humongous price to pay to use it. Nobody dared to use this one final act of attack or defense unless absolutely necessary. Although this attack had increasing power as one's cultivation increased, they will have the hardest time cultivating back to their power level. If the expert that died on the battle in the Goldfair city had not caught the rockets with his hands and blasted himself in the process, he would have certainly used this magic before he died and thus taking out as many enemies with him as possible.

But this didn't matter to Robert. He had been experimenting with blood and had collected blood samples from those who have used the taboo magic. After much observation, he drew a conclusion. The ember blood attack, just like its name suggested, was something that burned the magical cells in one’s blood! This had two implications for Robert. Firstly, He can use the taboo magic two times as there were two kinds of blood cells in his body. Secondly, He could just transfuse some spirit animal blood to replenish the blood cells in his body, Making it possible for him to get back his magic using ability instantly!

Two attacks! He had to carefully execute this two attacks and defeat the enemy.

He had considered a few of his choices, he could make a huge stone spike and try to impale his enemy or summon a giant boulder to crush him, but the foe could easily dodge it. It was too much risk. If he summons a thousand rock spears and sends it all out towards the enemy, it would surely succeed and might even injure the enemy. But injuring his foe was not Robert's Intention, he wanted to kill his enemy.

Robert gathered all the magical energy reserves in his body to his fists and punched out, just like the one-two sequence from the boxing sport. Sending stones flying towards the enemy with each punch. This attack had power behind it and Torkel had to guard himself against the stones by summoning an ice shield. This was what Robert wanted, to block the view of his enemy for a second.

Robert didn't stop sending rocks towards his enemy, he willed and his whole blood boiled. The magical cells in the blood exploded into wisps of energy, all of which gathered at his feet. Robert twisted his feet, and the earth beneath Torkel immediately caved in, He was not expecting this and fell into the quicksand-like earth. He tried summoning an ice block to stand in, but it also got trapped in the quicksand-like earth that was beneath him.

Robert twisted his feet the other way and the earth that was like quicksand immediately got hard. Harder than any of the rock in the surrounding, effectively sealing in Torkel.

Torkel had no idea what had happened. How was an apprentice level user able to use a magic of this scale? The answer to that question was obvious, the ember blood magic! He was surrounded by darkness, Torkel understood Robert's intention, Robert was clearly buying more time to run away and escape! Although he couldn't move, he was not restricted from using magic. He summoned a layer of ice around him and then melted it, giving him some room to move. He raised his hands and shooted out a large ice spike, trying to break out of this earth prison. He mustn't let Robert escape! But the ice spike was unable to dig much and was only able to penetrate a few feets.

Torkel pondered his options at this moment. The only way to break out of this place immediately was to use the ember blood magic to do so. But he didn't want to do it. How could he throw away his cultivation just like that to kill a puny apprentice level magic user? He could kill this Robert anytime he needed, and now that he had already used the taboo magic, he was so much easier to kill! Torkel summoned another ice spike, this time it dug a few more inches. He continuously did the same thing over and over and after a few times, he saw a earth starting to cave in from above.

Torkel was overjoyed at this sight, that meant that he had dug to the surface! One more ice spike and he would be out of here. After getting out, he could choose to either go chase and kill Robert or run away if the situation was not in his favor and Robert had summoned people to his aide.

One more spike, raising both his hands above his head, Torkel summoned the largest ice spike that he can. And the moment the ice spike was launched, he jumped up high, following it. after the ice spike goes through the surface, he wanted to get the hell out of this damned earthen prison, also if possible surprise Robert and kill him if he was still out there. The ice spike dug through the earthen layer and something that Torkel never expected happened.

The ice spike, not melting, immediately vaporized into a puff of steam that covered the small cave that Torkel was in. Before he could think, drops of lava fell into the ground in front of him and solidified. Torkel was mortified. Lava? how does the hell this place get covered in lava? The next moment, a chunk of lava dripped down, aiming for his head. Raising his hands, Torkel summoned an ice shield, with the last bit of magic that he had. Was this his end? Torkel could think of no other way to escape.

Torkel had no other choice now, he willed and his blood boiled ember blood magic! his body got covered in layers upon layers of frost, effectively sealing himself in. He summoned a giant ice piece, in the place the lava was in and thus neutralized the threat. He had never expected something like this. Panting, he cursed Robert. Breaking open the ice that covered the lava and jumped to the surface.

Right now he didn't have any other choice than to run away. Although he had been careful in every step of this mission, he had failed against an apprentice level magic user.

Robert waited outside the earthen prison, in his hands, the loaded gun that had five shots. He had used up both his ultimate attacks and had prepared a real nasty surprise for his enemy. Robert prayed for this idea of his to work. He had bet all his hopes on the fact that his enemy will have to use his entire magic power and the ultimate ability to break out of there. Thus giving him an enemy that had no cultivation and the power of a normal human being.

The moment the earth broke and Torkel jumped out of the hole in the ground was the moment Robert opened fire,

Bam

The first bullet hit his chest and cleanly passed through, and lodged itself in the wall behind.Torkel was not a cultivator anymore, for at least a long time, and his body had no resistance towards attacks anymore. Torkels world turned into darkness.

Robert emptied his clip and all the bullets found its target. Leaving behind a corpse.

He had killed an expert with his own personal power.

Yuuma listened as the scholars decrypted parts of the parchment that was on the table. Although most of what he said didn’t make sense, these guys were able to accurately understand the first part of the document and thus Yuuma trusted that what they were telling was the truth.

They told Yuuma how the parchment was about animals, spirit animals so small that the naked eyes were unable to see them. And how it can be used to deliver spirit animal blood and find the best humans to acquire blood from for something.

What none of them knew was that what they described was genetic engineering microorganisms, making them carriers of spirit animal blood, thus making Yuuma’s experiments on humans possible in large scale. An experiment, disguised as a plague.