Dark Magus Returns

Chapter 1678: Regret of the Noble (Part 1)

Having struck the solid, unyielding body, Liam knew exactly what he was up against. His system confirmed his thoughts instantly with a flickering notification, but the reality of it was far more jarring than the data. It was undeniably strange; of all the mages they had fought against in the past, none possessed a metallic body like this. It didn’t feel like a temporary spell or a localized enhancement. It wasn’t just a layer of armor; it felt as if the man’s very atoms had been rearranged into something cold and industrial.

"Just what is going on?" Liam muttered, his voice tight with frustration.

He took a cautious step back to recalibrate, but the moment his heel touched the floor, the ground betrayed him. Without warning, a pillar of earth erupted from the stone flooring directly beneath his foot. The sudden shift threw him off balance, his arms flailing as gravity momentarily took hold. Sensing the opening, the mage didn’t hesitate. A giant fist, wreathed in roaring orange flames, surged forward to strike him dead center.

Mid-air, Liam forced his body to twist. He channeled his Qi, feeling the familiar heat of energy coursing through his meridians. He performed a technique filled with raw power, rotating his frame to break right through the center of the flames. It was a Dark Faction technique he hadn’t used in a while, a spiraling movement that allowed him to drill through resistance like a whirlwind.

The moment he finished the maneuver and landed, however, the mage was already there. The speed was unnatural for someone so heavy. A large, metallic hand swung in a wide arc, colliding with Liam’s face once again. The impact sounded like a hammer hitting an anvil.

Liam felt his body flying, the world a blur of grey stone and magical light, until he crashed violently into a wall that had risen from the floor specifically to catch him. Before he could even slide to the ground, a flurry of flame fists began raining down on him.

He scrambled upward, swinging his sword in a desperate arc to block most of the strikes. Sparks flew as his blade met the magical fire, but every successful parry only fueled his internal rage.

These mages... Liam thought, grit in his teeth. In terms of raw power, they are hardly stronger than the ones we have fought before. But they are utilizing their skills so much better. The way they cycle through the different elements is seamless. It’s almost like they’re on an entirely different level of mastery.

Liam was struggling for two specific reasons. First, the mage was tactical. Most of the attacks intended to stop his movement were placed behind him or in his blind spots, making it so his system had a difficult time predicting the incoming trajectory.

The second reason was internal. Liam was trying his best not to over-rely on the system or his all-cutting sword. It was a constant temptation. He knew his sword could have sliced through that iron body in a single stroke if he tapped into its full potential. But he remembered his encounters with Harvey and the member of the Cerberus Guild. In those moments, the all-cutting sword had seemed useless.

If the sword fails, what am I? he asked himself. Am I practically useless without the gear? That thought terrified him, which was why he was determined to win this fight without leaning on his crutches.

"I’m just a massive cheat at the moment with everything that has been given to me!" Liam shouted, his voice echoing off the chamber walls as he hacked through the flurry of flames. His muscles burned, and his lungs felt like they were filled with ash.

"Simyon worked harder than anyone else to get to where he was! And as for Safa, she was so skilled she became the youngest ever to reach the Divine realm! Where does that leave me? I’m just stuck here!"

The mage triggered another trap, lifting the earth right under Liam’s foot. This time, Liam didn’t wait for a system prompt. The second he felt the vibration against his skin, he slammed his foot down with a burst of Qi, shattering the rising stone before it could tip him. Using the momentum of the stomp, he charged forward.

He closed the distance in a heartbeat. As he swung his sword toward the mage’s torso, a shimmering barrier appeared. Liam didn’t pull back. He flooded his blade with Qi, the energy vibrating so intensely that the air hummed. The blade bit into the barrier, cracking it like glass, and sliced through.

With his free hand, Liam lunged out and grabbed the mage’s shoulder, his fingers digging into the cold, metallic surface. He pulled the enemy forward, closing the gap so they were chest-to-chest, and thrust his sword deep into the mage’s stomach.

For a heartbeat, the tip of the blade groaned as it clashed against the hardened skin of metal. It refused to penetrate. Liam didn’t panic; he twisted the sword with a guttural roar, creating a small, jagged indent in the metallic hide. He let go of the hilt for a split second, then slammed his open palm against the pommel with the force of a battering ram.

The sword broke through.

Blood splattered out from the hardened body, a stark contrast against the dull grey of the metal. With every ounce of strength left in his arms, Liam heaved the sword upward. The blade groaned as it ripped through the metallic chest, through the neck, until it finally exited through the top of the mage’s head.

The body slumped, the metallic sheen fading as the life left it. Liam stood over the corpse, huffing and panting, his sweat dripping onto the floor.

I know I used some of the strength from the Nano bots in my body, Liam thought, looking at his trembling hands. But that has become a part of me now. This isn’t cheating... this is improving myself for the future so I can actually help the others.

Liam looked over to the side to see how B was doing, hoping he might be able to offer assistance. Instead, he saw B standing calmly over a body that lay at the bottom of a fresh crater. Blood was splattered across the floor in a wide, violent radius.

"Qi can cause internal strikes more effectively with a blunt object," B said, his voice as steady as if he were discussing the weather. "So I just powered through all of his attacks and hit him with my fist. His internals don’t seem to be made out of metal, only the outside."

Liam felt a sting of shame, but it was quickly replaced by a renewed sense of purpose. He had a goal now: to at least become as strong as B.

Across the room, the air was heavy with unspoken tension. Raze stood opposite the final opponent, his posture relaxed but his eyes lethal.

"Your two allies have been dealt with, and you are facing me," Raze said, his voice cold and echoing. "Don’t you think it’s best you just gave up, Natty?"

The two hadn’t begun their dance of death yet. They were observing one another, two predators waiting for the slightest flicker of hesitation. Raze didn’t seem in a hurry; he was dissecting the man with his gaze.

"You will live," Raze added, a small, dark promise in his tone. "In return for as much information on the Noble Guild as possible. Don’t make me ask twice."

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