Chapter 218: Crimson Orbit

The Valmorian knights attacked.

They came at Ulrich from every side of the deck.

Black armor moved through the rain. Their boots struck wet wood. Anti-magic swords came free of their guards, their dark edges aimed toward Ulrich’s throat, chest, back, and legs.

Ulrich did not retreat.

Crimson Formula Rings turned around him.

Some circled his feet. Others moved around his waist, shoulders, and arms. Larger rings passed behind his back and over his head, their runes changing position with every rotation. The crimson light reflected across the rain-soaked deck and turned the black armor surrounding him into dark silhouettes.

The first knight reached him.

His sword came from Ulrich’s right.

Ulrich shifted his body.

The movement was small.

A ring near his shoulder moved with him. It slid across his right side just before the black blade arrived. The knight’s anti-magic sword struck the crimson formation.

The soldier expected the spell to shatter upon contact.

But it did not...

The blade cut through part of the ring. Runes scattered away from the point of impact, breaking apart in a brief shower of red light.

Yet the ring remained.

The damaged runes moved.

They vanished from the space in front of the black sword and appeared within another ring near Ulrich’s back. Crimson lines shifted between the circles. The broken path was replaced before the knight could draw his weapon back.

The Valmorian soldier froze.

Only for an instant, but that was enough for Ulrich.

He stepped inside the knight’s reach.

The black anti-magic sword could destroy magic, but its wielder still needed room to use it. Ulrich moved beneath the soldier’s raised arm, caught the front of the knight’s armor with his left hand, and drove the stolen black blade upward.

The sword entered beneath the helmet.

The Valmorian knight made a choking sound.

Ulrich pulled the blade free, blood spurting out.

The soldier collapsed.

The second knight arrived before the first body reached the deck.

He swung toward Ulrich’s head.

A crimson ring turned near Ulrich’s boots.

The deck seemed to disappear beneath him.

Ulrich moved sideways with sudden speed, his body sliding beyond the sword’s path before the knight could adjust. The black blade struck nothing but rain.

Ulrich appeared at the soldier’s left side.

His sword cut across the gap beneath the knight’s arm.

The Valmorian soldier tried to turn.

Ulrich’s crimson rings shifted again.

One moved near the knight’s sword arm.

A sharp burst of force struck the elbow from below.

The black-armored soldier’s arm lifted.

His guard opened.

Ulrich’s blade entered beneath the breastplate.

The knight staggered.

Ulrich twisted the sword once and pulled it free.

"Gurghh..."

The soldier fell to his knees.

Then forward.

Blood ran across the deck, mixing with rainwater.

Two knights were down in an instant.

The remaining soldiers did not stop.

They moved around Ulrich in a tighter formation, no longer attacking one at a time. They had seen the first two die. They had seen the crimson rings react to their weapons.

Still, they were Valmorian knights.

They had been trained to fight mages.

They had been trained to fight monsters.

They had been trained never to hesitate because of an enemy’s strange magic.

Four rushed Ulrich together.

One came from behind.

One aimed for his head.

One thrust toward his chest.

One cut low at his legs.

Ulrich did not try to block them all.

The crimson rings moved.

A formation behind him shifted lower. It passed across his back just as the first knight’s sword came down. The black blade cut into the red light. It tore through several rune paths and sent sparks flying across the deck.

But the impact did not reach Ulrich’s spine.

The ring bent around him, catching enough of the strike to turn it aside. At the same time, another ring near his waist sent a pulse of force through the deck.

Ulrich moved forward.

The sword aimed at his head passed behind him.

He stepped inside the second knight’s reach.

The crimson rings around his feet turned faster.

His body reacted before the thrust toward his chest could fully extend. Ulrich twisted to the side. The black blade scraped across his shirt but missed the wound beneath his ribs.

The low attack came for his legs.

A smaller ring flashed beneath Ulrich’s boots.

He jumped.

The sword passed under him.

Ulrich turned in the air.

Rain scattered from his hair as he spun above the deck. His sword came down toward the knight who had attacked his legs. The man raised his black blade to defend.

Crimson force struck his wrist.

His guard shifted.

Ulrich’s sword cut through the opening at the side of the helmet.

The blade entered the knight’s neck.

Ulrich landed behind him.

The third Valmorian soldier fell.

Until a heavy strike came toward Ulrich’s back.

He turned just enough to meet it.

The anti-magic sword collided with a crimson ring near his chest.

The formation flickered.

Valdris watched from beside Airam.

His eyes narrowed.

The black blade had struck the ring directly.

It should have broken.

Any ordinary Formula Ring would have collapsed under that contact. The anti-magic weapon was designed to sever the rune paths that held a spell together. It did not need to overpower the magic. It only needed to break the connections between the runes.

But Ulrich’s formation did not collapse.

The sword cut through the red ring.

The rune lines scattered.

Then they moved.

Valdris saw it clearly.

The damaged runes did not fade. They slipped into neighboring circles. New connections formed between the rings. A path vanished in one place and reappeared in another. Crimson mana rushed through the moving formations, repairing the weakened section before the Valmorian knight could strike again.

The anti-magic sword had cut the spell.

Yet it had cut only a part of it.

Ulrich’s magic was not one Formula Ring.

It was many.

Valdris stared at the Rings orbiting Ulrich’s body.

They moved at different speeds. Some were large enough to pass over Ulrich’s shoulders. Some were small, spinning near his wrists and ankles. Their runes did not remain fixed. They migrated between formations, changing position whenever an attack came close.

A ring near Ulrich’s arm shifted toward his side.

Another moved behind him.

A third descended toward his legs.

The entire structure changed with every movement he made.

Valdris had seen assemblages before.

High-level mages sometimes used several Formula Rings together. One spell enhanced the body. Another strengthened a weapon. A third created a barrier. Skilled battle mages could maintain two or three formations at once if they possessed enough mana and concentration.

But this was different.

Ulrich’s rings did not act separately.

They supported one another.

They shared mana.

They repaired damaged paths.

They changed their functions without being dismissed and recast.

Ulrich stood at the center of the structure, and every ring moved around him as though his body were the core of a living magical system.

Valdris’s expression darkened.

"What is this?" He muttered in disbelief.

Airam, meanwhile, was in complete awe.

This was something she had never seen.

A genius in magic.

Ulrich definitely was, but was the word genius even enough to describe Ulrich’s genius at this point...

She wondered if the Gods had given Ulrich a shattered core on purpose, because what he was doing with what was clearly a real core was something she had never seen before.

On the deck, another Valmorian knight attacked.

Ulrich raised his sword.

The knight’s black blade came down with both hands behind it.

A crimson formation slid around Ulrich’s arm.

The force of the attack struck the ring first.

The anti-magic sword tore through several runes.

Ulrich’s arm still shook from the impact.

His eyes blurred slightly for a moment.

Even though he looked calm and collected, he was clearly pushing his body beyond his limits, his face ghostly pale and moving purely on instinct and willpower.

Thankfully, the ring had taken enough of the strike that his sword remained in place.

He turned his wrist.

The black blade slid along his own.

A second ring shifted near his boots.

Ulrich moved.

He stepped to the outside of the knight’s guard, faster than the soldier expected. The rain, the deck, the black armor, and the surrounding soldiers should have limited his movement.

They did not.

Ulrich crossed the narrow space between them.

His sword entered beneath the knight’s arm.

The blade pierced through cloth, leather, and flesh where the armor plates failed to meet.

"Aghhh!!"

The soldier gasped.

Ulrich pulled the sword free.

The knight dropped.

Four had fallen.

The remaining Valmorian soldiers hesitated.

Only briefly.

They were still surrounded by their comrades. They still held anti-magic weapons. Their armor still resisted elemental magic. The serum still burned through their bodies, strengthening their muscles and sharpening their reactions.

Yet they had watched four elite knights die.

They had watched Ulrich defend against attacks from every direction. They had watched anti-magic blades strike crimson spells and fail to destroy the structure surrounding him.

They were witnessing literally anti-magic blades failing to shatter magic.

Ulrich found a way to counter it, though clearly it took a huge toll on him to maintain that formation.

That was why he had to move and end it fast.

He moved again.

He did not wait for them to recover.

He advanced.

One knight tried to meet him.

Ulrich’s rings shifted around his body.

A brief flash of light struck the narrow slit in the knight’s helmet. The soldier turned his face away. A gust of wind pushed against his leading foot, changing the angle of his step.

Ulrich crossed the distance.

His sword cut beneath the helmet.

The Valmorian knight fell before he could raise his weapon.

Another came from the side.

Ulrich caught the attack with a crimson ring at his left arm. The anti-magic blade cut into the formation. Runes scattered across the rain.

The ring did not vanish.

A second ring moved into its place.

Ulrich stepped forward.

His sword drove through the opening between the soldier’s breastplate and shoulder guard.

The knight’s body jerked.

Ulrich pulled his blade free and turned toward the next enemy.

Two had died within seconds.

The deck had become slick with rain and blood.

Valdris’s face hardened.

The situation had changed too quickly.

His soldiers were still strong. They were still trained. They still outnumbered Ulrich. But Ulrich had stopped fighting like a wounded man surrounded by enemies.

He was moving through them.

His physical condition should have slowed him. His injuries should have made every step painful. The lightning spell should have left him barely able to hold a sword.

Yet the crimson rings responded to him before weakness could take hold.

They reinforced the movements that mattered.

They protected his body where an attack would land.

They sharpened his awareness of every blade moving around him.

They redirected force.

They accelerated his steps.

They repaired damage before it could spread through the entire network.

Ulrich did not appear to be casting spells anymore.

He appeared to be fighting within a moving system that fought beside him.

Valdris understood the danger.

If his knights continued attacking Ulrich at close range, they would die one after another.

"Fall back!" Valdris ordered.

The remaining Valmorian soldiers jumped away from Ulrich.

They spread across the deck, putting distance between themselves and the crimson rings surrounding him. Their formation widened. Swords remained raised, but they no longer rushed into Ulrich’s reach.

Airam stood near the railing.

Her eyes never left Ulrich until the beginning.

She had watched him fight before.

She had watched him practice every morning at the Estate.

She had watched him face Valdris near the stream.

But this was different.

The rings circling him were unlike anything she had seen.

They moved around his battered body with a strange, relentless rhythm. Rain passed through them. Crimson light reflected in the water pooling on the deck. Every time one of the rings flickered, another moved closer and strengthened it.

Ulrich stood among the fallen knights with the black anti-magic sword in his hand.

His chest rose and fell heavily.

Rain ran down his crimson hair, across the cuts on his face, and over the blood soaking through his shirt. The crimson rings around him still turned, but several had weakened. Some flickered at the edges. Others had disappeared entirely after taking the force of repeated attacks.

He looked exhausted.

He looked wounded.

Valdris saw it.

Ulrich’s body had reached its limit.

No spell network, no matter how complex, could erase blood loss, lightning burns, torn muscle, and exhaustion. The Crimson Orbit had protected Ulrich. It had given him speed, defense, awareness, and strength beyond what his battered body should have allowed.

But it could not continue forever.

"Use magic," Valdris said.

His smile returned.

The Valmorian knights did not need to rush Ulrich with swords again. They had seen what happened when they stepped into his range. Their anti-magic weapons had not been enough to shatter the strange crimson system around him before Ulrich cut them down.

But magic could force him into collapse.

Ulrich might have discovered a way to resist anti-magic blades. He might have turned his Formula Rings into a moving defense that Valdris could not easily read.

He could not counter everything.

He could not keep maintaining that complex assemblage while defending against several spells at once.

Valdris raised one hand.

The remaining Valmorian soldiers obeyed.

Formula Rings appeared around the deck.

One formed near the mast.

Another opened above the wet planks to Ulrich’s left.

A third appeared behind him, its pale light reflecting in the rainwater pooled across the ship. More rings followed. They were not as vast as the Advanced lightning spell Valdris had cast at the camp, but they were dangerous enough.

Fire.

Wind.

Force.

Binding.

The soldiers began weaving them together.

They intended to strike from every direction.

Ulrich stood in the center.

His eyes moved across the deck.

He saw the circles forming.

He saw the Valmorian knights spreading around him.

He saw Valdris standing near Airam, his hand raised as another Formula Ring began to take shape before him.

For a brief moment, the deck became quiet.

Rain continued to fall.

Fire hissed behind Ulrich on the broken ram.

The sea struck softly against the hull below.

Then Ulrich disappeared.

Valdris’s eyes widened.

A sound split the air.

It was not thunder.

It was not the crack of a Formula Ring releasing.

It sounded like wind being torn apart.

Like space itself had been forced open for the smallest instant.

The crimson rings around Ulrich blurred.

Several vanished.

Valdris turned sharply.

A sword swung.

The sound reached him a heartbeat after the strike.

Ulrich stood behind one of the Valmorian knights.

The soldier remained upright.

For a moment, he did not seem to understand what had happened.

Then his head fell from his shoulders.

Blood burst from his neck.

The body collapsed onto the rain-slick deck.

Ulrich stood behind it, the black anti-magic blade lowered at his side.

The Formula Rings still circled him.

But fewer remained.

The crimson glow around his body had weakened.

Valdris saw it immediately.

The movement had cost him.

Ulrich’s shoulders rose with each breath. His posture had become less steady. His left hand shook faintly at his side. The crimson rings around him no longer moved with the same stability as before.

As expected.

He could not maintain the impossible structure forever.

He should be weakening.

He should be close to collapse.

Then why did Valdris feel that dreadful sensation crawling beneath his skin?

Something had changed.

Valdris looked at Ulrich carefully.

The crimson mana remained.

The moving Formula Rings remained.

But now another color had appeared around his body.

It was silver.

Thin at first.

A pale, spiraling light moved around Ulrich in slow patterns, winding from his feet toward his shoulders. It did not rotate like a Formula Ring. It did not carry visible runes. It did not form any recognizable structure Valdris could identify.

The silver aura looked quieter than the crimson Orbit spell.

Yet it made every instinct Valdris possessed scream at him to move away.

"What..."

The word left his mouth before he could stop it.

Valdris had fought mages.

He had fought witches.

He had studied magical weapons, spell formations, combat techniques, and the hidden methods of foreign kingdoms. He knew what a Formula Ring looked like. He knew how mana moved through a spell. He knew the pressure created by fire, wind, earth, lightning, force, and every other common affinity.

This was none of those things.

It was not a spell.

It could not be a spell.

Whatever had changed within Ulrich was far more dangerous than the Orbit Spell.