I could actually do these faster now, since I just finished these chapters. Less proofreading required~

[Haste]

He ran through an empty space

[Slow]

The balls of darkness missed.

[Dispel]

He dodged the claw follow up.

“Wow, you are quite good at this. You use a lot of spells, but you hadn’t even taken a hit.” The dark mage said as he stopped all the attacks.

“Ha… Ha…” Dusk panted as he glared at the dark mage, “You could have murdered me quite some time ago. You’re just toying with me.”

“Am I? Oh. I am!” He suddenly laughed, “So, what do you think of these spells of mine?”

Dusk activated a [Restore Stamina] before answering, “It’s annoying, and it’s brutal. But you probably won’t be able to use that many in normal places.”

“You are right indeed.” He said as he gestured the cannon, “Else why would I stay here after hearing the battle with the

Lizardman? This is my domain, you can’t beat me here with such attacks, and you cant escape from here. So what’s your next move?”

Dusk growled at the dark mage. It was like the dark mage implied. He did not have a next move. No matter what he tried he would fail his mission, and die in the process. He even tried to use [Mana ignite], but the dark balls simply absorbed the spell into nothingness. The [Mana detonate] which will take even more time to cast would most likely fail too, in this scenario.

Dusk had traded words while dodging the attacks, and he had learnt a few things.

First, the dark mage had an ability that allows him to use latent mana.

Simply speaking, all mana in the air can be directly manipulated by him, while a normal person would have to convert that mana into his own mana before he could use it.

Second, he has the ability to convert other mana into his own. That includes mana from other people, and magical items, and that is the origin of his mana drains. With that alone he had nullified all his binds, slows, and magical spells if they would affect him.

That’s why Dusk kept casting slow on himself to dodge.

The only advantage he had was that the mage was in no rush of time. With the huge mana concentration, the cannon was repairing itself. He was alive only because the dark mage wanted some company and entertainment.

Unless if someone came, they would stand no chance.

And the next people to come would come only by the next day.

By then, he would already be dead.

“Oh. I see that change. Now you’re just aiming for survival. Too bad, all exits are covered, you can survive here but you can’t escape as long as I don’t let you.”

“Tsk…”

“Well, let’s continue talking, alright? I’m still bored, and there is much you are still hiding from me. Like those cards. Come on, ask me a question.”

The dark mage also as a strange way of thinking. To him, information is currency. He wouldn’t ask for info unless if he is prepared to give some.

Or perhaps it’s that he knows that his enemy has nothing to gain, because he isn’t going to be going out alive.

“Perhaps I should show you something before you get any ideas, you know?” He said and pulled a chain, and a goblin fell down from above.

And before it landed, a few balls flew towards it.

And the only thing left, was blood.

“Remember how I complimented you that you dodged well? That was what would have happened if you didn’t. I’ll be honest, I’m impressed.” He said happily, but Dusk turned towards him with an evil glare. “Woah, don’t blame me, you are, after all, so adamant on keeping information to yourself that you are making our information trade fail. Or, rather my information extortion.” His eye glinted, and the dark balls and claws left the exits, slowly closing the gaps between them.

“Come on, you’re about to die. It's a waste not to be able to share your findings, right?"

He knew, that at the very least, he had to stall for time. If people come, he would have a better chance on killing him. “Is it really that fun for you?”

“Of course it is. It’s the best entertainment since 10 years ago! Now my question, explain how you made those cards.”

“I have no clue how I made the cards, I bought them from a merchant. Perhaps you should ask me how I made the magic circles.” The dark balls flew dangerously close on the first sentence, but as he said the second part, the balls retreated.

“Damn. My bad. You got me there.” He sighed as he shrugged.

“What are your plans after destroying Saint Haven and the Magical Institute?” Dusk asked the next question that entered his mind.

“Hm. Truthfully I never thought about that. Focus on one task before doing the next, you know. I think I just want to build an underground lab in the danger zone to slowly research, you know? Now, how did you make those magic circles?”

Dusk sighed. At least, this would take about an hour or two. He sat down, and started wasting time.

The dark mage was holding a card gleefully as he drew his own magic circle on a scroll. The dark magic was still surrounding Dusk, and he could do nothing but wait. “I’m done! Now I just need to activate the card on myself, right?”

Dusk shrugged, “You could try it on yourself or on me, it doesn’t matter anyways.”

“[Haste]!”

A light blue glow surrounded the dark mage, and he ran around the room like a little kid.

“It’s ending. Careful.” Dusk said, but he was too late. As the spell ended, the dark mage was disorientated and he fell onto the ground.

“That’s a very good spell. I got it, so it was that easy? No worries, you will die here and now, but your name will forever be remembered! I’ll make sure you get the credits~” He said and laughed as the dark balls closed in, and destroyed Dusk, before the dark magic returned to him.

And then a blue mana bullet pierced through his side.

“What! HOW?” He didnt understand and shouted as he created a wall of absorption mana to his side.

“…die.”

A beam of mana, with a diameter of 0.5 metres destroyed his heart and part of his head instantly, and he fell down, dead.

“Dusk…” The girl from the entrance cried as she dropped her sniper rifle.

But the sorceress, force user and bow master simply stared in shock in the spectacle in front of them.

A card was glowing midair, before a clock appeared. The second hand turned back by 10 seconds.

And Dusk was there again.

He seemed to be slightly confused, before he heard the crying girl. He slowly walked over, wondering how he should start the conversation.

With no clue on how to start the conversation, he simply stood in front of her.

Her crying stopped, and she looked up. Then she hugged the person in front of him, and continued crying. She probably didn’t understand a thing, but it was good enough for her that he survived.

The red haired sorceress with her, also known as Mel, could only ask, “How?”

Dusk smiled weakly, and explained.

It card was called [Extreme absolute time reverse]

One of the ultra-rare and ultra-powerful rank 10 spells. This spell is as broken as the only other known rank 10 spell, Armageddon, which could destroy Saint Haven like the mana cannon in the room. The technique to cast this has long been lost, as the casters wouldn’t have a chance to survive their own spell, but it was speculated that one needs all the mana from an army to even cast it.

This spell though is broken in a different way. It forcefully returns a person’s state to how it was 10 seconds ago and will activate if the person who knows the spell dies. In this case, the card.

“If the dark balls were still there when I died though, I would be gone for good.” He said weakly. He was exhausted, but he had stuff to do.

“…” Mel could only look down sadly.

The girl still hugging him, also known as Shiina, was unconscious due to shock, and Dusk passed her to Alferdo, who was standing beside calmly.

“Now, we need to destroy it.” Dusk said as he looked at the cannon.

“Destroy? Don’t we need to leave it here for the Guild?” The silver haired dark elf spoke out.

Dusk looked at her with an annoyed expression. “This cannon can destroy Saint Haven in a shot. Giving such a weapon to anyone is stupid. Not to mention.” Dusk muttered, “A certain group of people will certainly abuse it.”

Dusk placed a card beside Alferdo, and gestured everyone to move over, “Prepare to activate the card when I’m done and after I get close enough to be affected. Just pour a little mana into the card to activate it.”

He then walked to the cannon, and placed a card in a cover on the ground. And he placed another card on top of it.

The cover is a mana repellant. It repels mana from itself, and is normally used to protect something from being contaminated by mana, if it would be contaminated by mana.

The top card is called [Ember], a rank 0 fire spell.

And the card inside the cover is called [Mana destruction]

Its use is exactly the same as Mana Ignite or Mana Detonation, but the difference is it will absorb mana even if it has enough to complete the magic circle.

And continue absorbing it until it explodes.

And it would activate itself if the mana concentration is too high

It is a unique spell, which Dusk rated rank9, but it could have the power of a rank 10 spell.

He quickly ran back to the teleportation circle, “Go, now!”

And they disappeared.

They reappeared instantly in Dusk’s room.

“Teleportation…” Mel muttered, amazed.

The dark elf frowned, “The magic circle is similar to the one at the entrance though…”

“Where are we?” Eiden asked.

“No time for that. Come, look.” Dusk went to the window and gazed towards the site of the pit.

They waited for a bit.

They waited for even longer.

Another few seconds passed.

Eiden finally broke the silence. “What are we supposed to loo-“

*please allow us to mute the sounds for a second*

“Ah.” The bow master nodded.

“You really did it.”

Dusk smiled as he looked at the devil who had come into the room during the explosion, “I really did it.” He then sighed, “Tell Him to protect these guys here. And well, you know what to tell Shiina. You three, follow her commands for now, I’ll be going soon.” And then he smiled, “And thanks for saving me.”

“Erm.. No… she did everything.” Mel muttered, pointing at Shiina.

But the card had already burnt.