"What's the matter? I thought you wanted it?" Lukas uttered, rather mockingly.

Farren then coughed up blood from the pressure, "Ugghhkk!!"

"Come on, I am being generous here. You don't want it?" He added, doubling the flow even more.

Farren gritted his teeth. He felt like he was being burned alive even though he had already cast a counterspell for Lukas's flames. The heat seeped right into his barrier as if it didn't exist, as if it was nothing. The mana that was coming off from Lukas was also rushing in a rapid flow and threatened his crystal to explode.

It was too much for him and the crystal, and they are already reaching their limit, but his opponent was still gladly pouring everything out like a madman.

'How much mana does he have?!' Farren couldn't help but think.

Lukas did not even stop for a moment to take a breather, nor did the wave of power that came out of him faltered. Any sane person, be it a strong mage, would definitely think twice upon unleashing their mana reserve. After all, it has a limit and that said limit varies on a person.

One could have an affinity to magic but their mana count could be close to nonexistent. Or a person can cast spells but the spells they are able to create are also restricted. According to his master, mana differs from person to person. Some are lucky enough to have an entire dam for themselves, and the less fortunate only have a bucket, or sometimes, a droplet.

The creator of the Tower of Magic, Solomon, has an uncalculating amount of mana. No one knew how powerful he really is but if considering how he easily sealed off everyone's magic powers, then he must have been on an entirely different scale.

Now, Farren is facing a once-in-a-lifetime adversary. A magician would seriously not waste their power like that yet here's Lukas, casually giving away his mana as if it was nothing. It's not even stopping! It just went on and on, which is making Farren fall into confusion.

'What is going on? Why is he not weakening?'

Lukas met his bewildered eyes and smirked at him in mockery. This doesn't make sense to him at all.

*clink*

The sound of glass cracking was heard by Farren and he already had a hunch on what it was. His eyes fell to his chest and saw his blood-red crystal which has a visible chink on it. It's already going to break because it couldn't withstand Lukas's powers.

It was bad. Like really bad. If the crystal breaks, there would be a big shitstorm. If they got caught up in it, there is no telling that they would be able to survive. Farren then made up his mind.

He couldn't budge Lukas's tight grip on him so escaping that quickly would be next to impossible. Thus, Farren used one of his remaining tricks.

His free arm extended sideward, imbued it with mana, before moving it upward into a form of a hand slice. His mana-imbued hand passed cleanly through his right arm, a couple of inches above his elbow, which his opponent was holding. It was a fairly swift movement, very unpredictable, that is why Lukas did not expect it at all.

He chopped his own arm so he could get away from him and when he was finally free, bolted right out of Lukas's grasps. Lukas stood there, still holding onto Farren's severed hand. The flow of mana also stopped abruptly, halting the raging wind.

He then stared at it for a second before glancing back at Farren who already had retreated far away from him.

"Wow... You really did that, huh. I wasn't expecting that."

Lukas had seen him move and immediately guessed his intent. He did not try to evade it because he is confident that Farren would not penetrate even his skin. Therefore, when he saw that instead of his, it was his very own.

He couldn't stop him from getting away because he was caught by surprise.

Is it brave of him? Surely, he is. Limbs don't grow out of the blue like how grass would. So choosing to amputate oneself is such a metal thing to do.

"You are ridiculous," was Farren's response to him.

Lukas's left brow perked up, "Me? You are the ridiculous one here."

He then glanced at the hand again and flung it on the ground uninterestedly. Meanwhile, Farren was clutching the part where his missing part is supposed to be and stopping it from further bleeding. Crimson blood trickled down the ground, tainting it with red. Still, he looked like it didn't hurt and was still sporting such a blissful expression.

Lukas found him peculiar.

"What a pity," Lukas mumbled, looking at the thing on the ground with a blank face-- "Well, then..." then turned his head back to him.

He had felt the fourth person moved from the place it was hiding but got concealed again. The said fourth rat was nearby and as it did, Lukas had felt nasty magic being used in the royal hall's direction.

If he didn't finish the fight as soon as possible, his mission tonight would only get complicated. He has to eliminate them and probably make them spit some useful information as well. He has to end it now.

With that in mind, Lukas's purple eyes glowed hotly and his dark flames returned in full force. It snaked around his legs then up to his torso and wrapped around his extended right arm. A dark sword then appeared, made from flames. When the tip of the blade accidentally hit the ground, the soil turned black, scorching it.

Farren flinched from the sudden burst of power again and stared at Lukas.

"How are you able to exert more mana? How are you not out of power yet?"

"Hmm? Who knows?" Was his flippant reply.

Lukas also does not know where his power's coming from. He just feels that he has it and he could use it however he wants. That's why even if he wants to answer him honestly, he really has nothing to explain. Not that he will, of course. It's a pain in the ass.

"Either you give up and die, or continue fighting and die. Which is which?"

It was an obnoxious question that gave no room for a choice that favored him.

Farren clicked his tongue again. He shouldn't die there because he has to report back to his master. But he couldn't win if he did fight it out with Lukas so he is having a dilemma right now.

The future is bleak.

The wounded subordinate who was watching the two deliberated something in his mind before deciding to act on it. Sir Farren should escape and for that to happen, he has to do something. He clasped the ruined jewel on his hands, drawing the last drop of power it has.

Because it was broken, the mana is unstable and if it's like that, a big explosion would happen. That was his goal, to make a big explosion so Sir Farren could leave and destroy the pieces of evidence that are with them. For that, he also did the same to his other comrade's jewel, and now, two raring energies are going off.

Farren and Lukas whirled around to look at him. His eyes met that of his leader, sending a message before wordlessly prompting the explosion off.

*BOOM*