Dark Magus Returns - Chapter 1534: Inner Conflict (Part 1)
Chapter 1534: Inner Conflict (Part 1)
Both Alen and Harvey had gathered frightening amounts of mana into their attacks, each spell crackling with lethal intent. Neither of them were holding back. If their strikes connected, it was clear someone was going to die.
Raze felt the urgency immediately. Even for him, to stop two attacks of that magnitude, he needed more time to gather strength. The problem was simple, he didn’t have time.
The moment he sensed the others preparing their spells, he had already begun his own. Qi swelled within him, surging alongside the familiar chill of his Dark Magic. He split his focus, one hand pulling in his Qi to amplify raw force, while the other drew on the depthless void of his Dark Magic.
But the attacks were already about to collide. Raze would never reach them in time, at least, not without calling upon something else. Something he rarely used.
A ripple passed over the battlefield as he invoked his time magic. The world froze around him, the air thick with stillness, motes of mana hanging motionless like dust. Within that brief pause, Raze stepped forward, positioning himself between the converging strikes.
Time resumed.
The two devastating attacks hurtled toward him, and the entire hall gasped as Raze intercepted them. His blade slashed downward, Qi exploding across the edge, cutting into Harvey’s massive sphere of condensed dark energy. With raw power against power, the orb shattered into rippling fragments of black mist.
At the same time, his other hand released a steady torrent of Dark Pulse, clashing against Alen’s raging flames. The stream of darkness disintegrated the fire, unraveling it into harmless sparks that vanished into the air.
The force of the collision reverberated through the entire chamber, a shockwave pulsating outward and rattling every surface. Even Raze’s voice carried on that wave, steady and unshaken.
“I knew the Dark Magus was strong,” someone whispered in awe. “But to block both of those attacks…”
“It’s unthinkable,” another added. “Only he could stand against the Grand Magus themselves.”
The sight silenced both Alen and Harvey. Their eyes were locked on Raze, standing firm in the center, his cloak rippling from the leftover force. Neither of them pressed another attack. If anything, their fury seemed to drain, replaced by a begrudging clarity.
Even they hadn’t expected Raze to deflect them so cleanly.
Part of it was due to his recent breakthrough. He had ascended to the level of an Eight-Star Mage, his Dark Magic surging to new depths. Combined with his mastery of Qi, the amplification was staggering. Yet Raze himself was unsettled.
’I could feel Harvey’s spell,’ he thought. ’His affinity with Dark Magic… is it nearly as high as mine? How? After all the lives I’ve taken in Pagna, all the power I’ve stolen, how many lives has Harvey claimed to wield that kind of strength?’
His grip on his sword tightened.
“Both of you agreed to work together,” Raze said, his voice cold, carrying authority that demanded silence. “Today was meant to be a celebration, not a battlefield. The Dark Guild should have no complaints about the way the military handled things. Instead, they should acknowledge the help they’ve received.”
He shifted his gaze toward Alen, his tone unwavering.
“At the same time, the military cannot expect a guild built upon certain foundations to change overnight. Both of you need to set aside your grudges and work together, for the sake of a bigger goal.”
Alen stood composed, but Raze didn’t miss the flicker of unease in the eyes of the two men at his side.
“Think of it this way,” Raze continued. “These operations will happen with or without you. But if you remain part of them, then you have the chance to prevent the very atrocities you claim to despise. If you truly want to help people, then the only way is to stay involved.”
The argument was airtight, his words sharp enough to cut through their pride. They couldn’t deny his reasoning. Both sides recognized it, however much they disliked it. Raze was persuasive, his tone unyielding, his presence commanding.
With the immediate conflict settled, the group began to move. The Pagna warriors, Alen and his two officers, Kelly, Harvey, and Raze himself, together they entered the grand, rebuilt church.
Within the dim, towering hall, they gathered around the long table to discuss what came next.
“I think we should wait just a little while,” Alen said thoughtfully. “We need to see how the Grand Magus reacts. My guess is that the Cerebus Guild will be dispatched for further investigation. Whether they pry into guilds or academies, their first move will be to hunt for Dark Guild members.”
“Well,” Harvey said, almost dismissive, “our members will never spill anything. There’s no need to worry.”
“You might be right,” Mordain countered, his voice firm. “But the Cerebus Guild has ways of extracting information, ways that don’t rely on words. You need to be ready for that.”
Alen leaned forward, his eyes sharp. “Then perhaps we should use that to our advantage. What if we purposely lead them toward information, set a trap? We could claim that one of our military groups captured some Dark Guild members. The Cerebus Guild would be certain to investigate then.”
They wondered what did Alen exactly mean by this, because from the sound of things it also meant a greater collaboration between the two groups for it to work.
However, His words hung heavy in the chamber, the idea of baiting one of the Grand Magus’s most powerful forces sparking tension in the air.
And though no one said it aloud, they all knew, if the plan worked, the Grand Magus themselves might finally be drawn out into the open.
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