Chapter 65: Act 1 – The Burning City
Was it because he declared this would be his last chance?
Luke stood with his arms raised, slowly positioning his clenched fists close to his face as he seemed to immerse himself in deep thought.
In response, Luke also took a breath and focused on the shape of Third’s entire body.
The subtle movements of muscles and breath visible through the fabric, the position of Third’s gaze, and even the flow of mana through his body.
And once he analyzed all of that, his habits would reveal themselves.
He could anticipate what movements he preferred and what actions he would take, even before he himself was aware of it.
Thus, Third’s every move was as clear as day to Luke.
After all, they had already clashed fists thirty-four times.
Therefore, Third’s stance and actions, which showed no change from the beginning, failed to evoke any response in Luke.
Even if he understood it, altering one’s habits was not an easy task.
Habits are difficult to change.
Unless one is a computer, humans cannot change faster than they learn.
Especially when that memory is etched into the ‘body’ rather than the ‘head.’
“…….”
However, something had definitely changed since the beginning.
It was the gaze.
Third’s eyes had grown sharper.
Luke inclined his head slightly and smiled, hiding the corners of his mouth in his hair.
It’s good to contemplate strategies for victory.
It seemed that this time, there was surely some scheme at play—how would it differ from before?
“Phew…….”
Perhaps because it was the last chance, Third seemed to be getting tense, exhaling deeply and turning his neck to loosen up before speaking.
“Master, I’m coming.”
Whether it was part of the operation or simply out of respect for a last chance, Third had declared his intent to attack.
In that case, Luke had no choice but to respond.
“Come on.”
-Wham!
Third slammed the ground.
——
Perhaps it was because he said it was definitely the last, but Third was pouring out his strength without holding back.
Each punch was delivered with faster and stronger force.
-Bam! Bam! Bam!
However, none of the seemingly ruthless assaults landed on Luke.
The patterns of Third’s attacks hadn’t changed significantly.
He continued to deflect punches with knife-edge strikes and blocks with his arms, while dodging unblocked attacks by twisting and bending his head.
Could it be that he was afraid of getting counterattacked like before?
Third was only launching shallow attacks, ensuring he wouldn’t be swept away.
Well, it was true that he had no choice but to defend and counterattack against those difficult-to-reverse movements.
Could it be that he was trying to tire Luke out?
Maybe he thought that dragging the fight into a battle of endurance would work in his favor.
Indeed, he had declared that he would only use basic levels of body enhancement.
Thus, Luke was clad only in basic enhancements using the mana flowing through his body, rather than proper spells like Strength or Haste.
This was merely a byproduct of mana manipulation through Circle—a basic enough form of magic that it could hardly even be called magic, making it equivalent to his ‘normal physical state.’
However, Third was enhancing his body with a proper spell and was also the owner of the Dragon Heart.
Moreover, Third was physically superior to Luke and had longer arms and legs, lending him an advantage in distance, making it impossible for Luke to defend against and counterattack Third’s swift assaults.
However, in fact, Luke had no reason to lose in an endurance battle.
His defensive posture was designed to optimize movement, minimizing energy consumption while inducing greater fatigue in his attacking opponent. Given that they had fought for thirty-four exchanges, Third had already worn himself out, and it was clear that even in terms of basic stamina, Luke would hold the advantage.
As expected, signs of fatigue were increasingly visible on Third.
At this rate, Third would inevitably reveal a flaw, and that moment would be an opportunity for Luke.
“Well, it seems this will end blandly once again.”
-Ear twitch.
A slight trembling at the tips of his ears.
Now was the moment to execute the plan.
-Boom!
In an instant, Third lowered his body sharply and stepped toward the blind spot of Luke.
Perhaps it was a surprise maneuver, as Luke’s reaction was slightly delayed compared to usual.
Utilizing that brief opening, Third aimed a powerful strike to finish the battle.
But—
“Did you think I wouldn’t be able to react from behind?”
“Ugh!”
Luke tilted his head slightly, easily evading the attack, and smoothly rotated his body to ensnare Third’s arm.
Having fallen for that trick several times before, Third was well aware of what would happen next.
If he could not control the power used to extend his punch, his body would be sent flying in the next instant.
However, Third did not relent; he pressed on with even more force.
In this moment, Third’s gaze was solely focused on Luke’s ear.
-Ear twitch.
Just as intended.
At least for now.
——-
Thus, Luke’s technique continued.
He pulled Third’s arm down over his shoulder and kicked Third’s body up with his rear leg.
Finally, Third was lifted helplessly into the air, carried up by the combined strength of both of them.
-Slam!
And ultimately, Luke threw Third far away.
Was this it again? Would it end like this?
“Hmm?”
But Luke couldn’t locate Third in the direction he had thrown him.
Feeling puzzled, he glanced slightly upward and found the reason.
‘First Circle Magic, Mana Wire?’
Third had tied a thread emitting a dark blue light to the protrusions of the alleyway with his hands and feet, changing direction while airborne.
No wonder he felt as if he wouldn’t lose his momentum even though it was clear that a technique was coming.
Could he have been aiming for this?
Indeed, it was a clever application.
Perhaps since most spells could be detected through Magic Sight, he quickly and easily utilized a First Circle spell, especially given the abundance of places to attach wire in this alley.
However, for an ordinary mage, performing such a feat would hardly be easy.
This trick was likely possible only due to Third’s exceptionally superior physical ability and sense of balance.
One might say it was a rather brilliant idea.
…But it was also painfully predictable.
The fact that the location was an alley was something Luke had also been considering, and thus, he may have already calculated that Third might use Mana Wire.
Even if he lacked the speed to respond due to not being enhanced physically, was this not underestimating too much?
Even with acrobatics in mid-air, it was hardly more than a distraction akin to playing with a cat toy.
And that wasn’t something Third overlooked either.
While this allowed him to continue his offensive, his speed was lacking.
Eventually, it was clear that the same thing would happen again.
Even as he twisted his body in mid-air, Third’s movements were not lost on Luke.
-Crunch!
To surprise Luke, he needed to be much faster.
Haste alone would not suffice.
He needed speed akin to lightning.
Lightning.
That very word made Third’s heart race.
-Thump, thump.
It felt as if the Dragon Heart was resonating with his thoughts.
You can become lightning, it seemed to whisper.
His master repeatedly stressed not to use magic based on instinct but rather to base it on thorough calculation and reason.
The instincts and senses to use magic should be grounded in abundant knowledge.
It is not about what the heart desires, but about learning, contemplating, and making each spell one’s own.
Thus, the true path of magic is to study and learn everything about the world.
Third too, despite not having long to ponder it, genuinely understood and sympathized with those words.
Thanks to that advice, he had reached the Third Circle in such a short time.
But what was this sensation?
It felt as if someone was whispering that lightning had always been his.
An incomprehensible voice.
A voice whose allegiance neither friend nor foe could firmly identify—an undeniable sense of the unknown.
Was it truly right to disregard his master’s teachings and entrust his body to that voice?
However, his deliberation was short-lived.
Third grasped that strange conviction, following that whisper to shout.
“Enchant!”
-Boom!!
A deafening explosion and flash of light violently spread through the mouth of the alley.
——
Luke was first filled with surprise at Third’s exclamation.
Did Third just say ‘Enchant’?
Enchanting required a smooth dominion over all elements (Fourth Circle).
It was high-level applied magic that could not be utilized with Third’s incomplete Third Circle.
-Boom!
However, Third succeeded.
In an utterly nonsensical way.
‘No way, he enchanted lightning onto his body?’
Enchanting a spell onto a human body was typically impossible.
Living creatures possess a will to survive, and magic manifests as a mage’s will, so fundamentally, magic’s targeting does not apply to living beings.
There is a collision between a mage’s will to manifest their desire to use magic and a living being’s will to reject it.
This collision prevents mages from embedding coordinate points for Mana Wire into living bodies, resulting in the inability to make a Fireball explode within themselves.
However, there are uncommon cases.
When the compatibility between a being and a specific element is extraordinarily high, and its will to manifest surpasses its will to survive.
In such a case, there is no conflict of coordinates, and rather, they fuse together.
Could this be that case?
‘Third, you’re truly risking your own life to this extent…’
-Thunderclap!
As he thrust his body downward toward Luke, Third truly resembled a bolt of lightning.
“Master, forgive me!”
“……!”
Yes, Luke was undoubtedly taken aback.
