Chapter 331
Chapter 331
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 331
Chapter Title: Karl (1)
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Oliver, cloaked in sticky, blood-red flames, charged straight ahead and collided with the Prime Master of the Blood Magic subschool.
It was truly a stroke of luck.
The Prime Master's blood magic was at an awkwardly high level, making it perfect for Oliver to seize control. And thanks to his repeated battles with Derek, he'd picked up the knack for flame magic, allowing him to wrap his body in bloodfire like this.
In short, past experiences had enabled his swift response now. What a blessing.
"No way...!"
The Prime Master, who hadn't anticipated such a counter at all, panicked and formed wings of blood to dart back nimbly.
He then summoned blood balloons using a few drops of blood as a medium, bursting them to secure a large quantity of blood.
Blood Blade
Bat-shaped blades infused with mana and will
The moment he had secured the blood, the Prime Master infused it with mana and his will, creating a swarm of bat-shaped blades and hurling them forward.
It was the same blood magic Bathory had used in the past.
If Oliver's memory served right, it was a remarkably powerful technique.
Not only were there countless blades, but their power could pierce even a Black Suit reinforced with artificial souls.
Even accounting for the Prime Master's level being below Bathory's, it was still a serious threat. Especially in a confined space like this.
Fortunately, there was one key difference between now and then.
Oliver could use blood magic too.
Fwoosh! Fwoosh! Fwoosh!
Oliver concentrated the bloodfire cloaking his body into the tonfa in one hand and slammed it into the floor.
The blood-red flames erupted with the impact, forming a curtain of fire that blanketed the narrow corridor like a drape, incinerating the incoming Blood Blades in an instant—like oil-soaked cloth.
This was a result of magical properties.
Just as ice or flame magic counters fire magic effectively.
The Prime Master—and even Yareli and the other watching mages behind him—widened their eyes in shock at Oliver's adept response.
A mere professor's personal aide had overwhelmed the wielder of such an exotic art as blood magic.
An utter unforeseen development.
The once-arrogant Prime Master felt a quiet seed of fear sprout in his chest—the dread that he might lose.
And like any emotion, that fear took root in his mind, feeding on anxiety and worry to swell rapidly, dominating his reason and senses.
Flipping his confident demeanor like the back of his hand, the Prime Master gathered the blood hovering in the air into a small pool at his feet.
He planned to flee.
But Oliver, who had anticipated it, moved one step faster.
Blood Ice Flower
Freezes target from feet to neck
Chanting the incantation, Oliver channeled mana through his foot. It reacted with the blood, blooming into blood-red ice flowers that encased the Prime Master from his feet up to his neck in one go.
The blood pool meant for escape had become a trap binding him.
Too stunned to speak, the Prime Master just stared at Oliver.
And small wonder—Oliver had demonstrated far superior understanding and mastery of blood magic.
Yareli and the other onlookers could only gape in the background.
Oliver himself remained utterly composed.
"...I believe he's subdued."
Having taken down the Prime Master single-handedly, Oliver turned to Yareli and said politely.
"W-What the hell are you...?!"
The Prime Master, bound from foot to neck in blood-red ice flowers, shouted in panic.
It was a perfectly natural reaction.
Blood magic was a heretical, yet profoundly powerful art that blended emotions and mana through blood as a medium.
Though the Prime Master's version was inferior to Bathory's, it was still plenty threatening.
Proof of that: it had overwhelmed Yareli's ice magic with brute force.
Yet this random professor's aide had subdued him with it.
An impossibility.
In that instant, a thought flashed through the Prime Master's mind.
That Grand Master Theodore of the Life School might be hiding something from him.
He'd clearly ordered them to capture Kevin, his researchers, and aides alive. So why target this aide instead of Kevin?
The suspicion hardened into certainty. The Prime Master felt that sticky, ominous dread unique to when things went awry.
"You... What are you, really?"
The Prime Master was dead serious. Oliver, unable to empathize, replied in a calm, measured tone.
"I'm Xenon Bright, personal aide to the professor. As for blood magic..."
Oliver trailed off, glancing at Yareli. They were all waiting for his answer.
"Hm... I happened to pick it up while facing off against Bathory back at Mountain Face."
A crude lie, even by his own standards. Still, Oliver convinced himself it was necessary.
Had he not countered the Prime Master's blood magic in time, things could've gone south in many ways.
'Professor Kevin will handle the rest somehow.'
Oliver thought, relying on Kevin like insurance—after all, Kevin had granted him discretion.
"No way. Don't lie... You 'happened' to learn blood magic? Do you know how much effort I put into mastering it? What are you, really?!"
"And what exactly are you doing, Prime Master?"
As the excited Prime Master yelled, Yareli stepped forward and interjected.
Surprisingly, she seemed to have plenty of questions for Oliver herself, yet defended him regardless.
"Yareli. Doesn't this bother you? Some shady guy infiltrates as a professor's aide?"
"You're hardly one to talk—the man who betrayed the Magic Tower and trapped our invited guests."
Yareli stated the obvious.
At that, the mages' wary eyes shifted back to the Prime Master.
Whatever the case, the Life School had put them in peril, and Oliver had saved them.
Yareli took charge, pressing the blood magic Prime Master again.
"More importantly, explain what you said earlier. Why orchestrate all this? And what do you mean by 'the heavens and earth opening' and preparing for it? What the hell is going on to justify this madness?!"
Yareli suppressed her emotions with reason as she demanded answers.
She was trying to assess the situation coolly, yet trembling with betrayal.
After all, they'd treated familiar fellow mages like lab rats or objects.
Oliver left the matter to Yareli and stepped back to observe.
He had questions about the Life School too, but this wasn't his place.
'He's not answering, though.'
Oliver thought, noting how the Prime Master refused to respond despite being firmly caught.
His confusion, anxiety, and fear had sealed his lips tight.
It was severe enough to silence him.
As the standoff dragged on, Oliver wondered if a different approach might work.
"Yareli. If it's alright, may I ask a question too?"
Her interrogation yielding little, Yareli pondered briefly before nodding.
Her mindset was a delicate mix of suspicion and trust toward Oliver.
Thanking her for yielding despite her unease, Oliver approached the Prime Master.
"Hello. Prime Master of blood magic... If it's not too much trouble, might I ask your name?"
"...Why do you need my name?"
"I was taught it's polite to exchange names before a conversation."
Oliver answered sincerely, but the Prime Master was appalled. Politeness in this situation? The guy was nuts.
"...Reveal your identity first, and maybe I'll tell you."
"I'm Xenon Bright, personal aide to the Magic Tower professor. If you'd rather not share your name, that's fine... Could you answer my question instead?"
The Prime Master fell silent again—a refusal. But it didn't matter.
Oliver could glean enough from emotional reactions alone.
First, get the broad strokes this way; for details, use the persuasion method Arthur mentioned—pulling teeth.
"What you said earlier about the 'heavens and earth opening'... Is it tied to some kind of apocalypse?"
The Prime Master flinched at the offhand question—visibly, and deep down.
It was too unexpected.
"Apocalypse? What are you talking about?"
Yareli, sensing something off, asked. Oliver brushed it off vaguely.
"Just something I overheard in passing, so I don't know details. But judging by your reaction, Prime Master, it seems to hit close to home."
Oliver struck the core again, making the Prime Master twitch. Seeing it, Oliver proposed,
"Yareli... Why not secure the Prime Master and escape first, then dig deeper? We've achieved our goal, no need to force it here."
It made sense, and Yareli nodded. Escape was priority one.
"Xenon, could you handle escorting the Prime Master?"
Oliver downed one of his few remaining mana potions and replied,
"Of course. Leave him to me."
"That's a problem for me."
A third voice cut into their exchange.
Oliver and Yareli turned toward the source. Behind the blood magic Prime Master, space warped, forming a portal.
From the rift stepped Karl, grandson of the Life School's Grand Master.
"Karl?! Thank goodness. Help me—!"
The Prime Master lit up with relief at his ally but cut off as Karl extended a hand without a word, blasting mana. He seized control of Oliver's ice magic, clenched his fist, and crushed the Prime Master's body.
Ironically, the Prime Master of the Blood Magic subschool spewed blood and died.
'No regenerative ability from blood magic, it seems.'
Oliver thought, watching the body stay dead.
But something more pressing demanded attention: Karl's prowess.
He'd expected the Grand Master's grandson to be no slouch, but this exceeded expectations.
Warping space into a portal without aids, then snatching control of Oliver's ice mid-cast.
Impressive. Taking control was no mean feat.
Not to be arrogant, but last time they'd met at Martel, Karl hadn't been this strong.
'No, can't be overconfident. I might've misjudged, or he could've improved through training.'
Oliver reflected deeply on his belittling attitude.
Still, a corner of his mind felt unsettled.
Yareli interjected.
"...You're not here to rescue your ally?"
"I've never had a moron who can't do his job, leaks info by wearing his heart on his sleeve, as a comrade."
Karl replied, teetering between confidence and arrogance.
The stereotypical mage attitude from Randa.
But Yareli clearly disagreed, her face twisting in displeasure and disgust at his cavalier attitude and disposable view of allies.
Oliver just thought it fit the Life School.
Yareli spoke again.
"You came all the way here just to silence him?"
A sharp question. As the Grand Master's grandson and lab overseer, Karl held a high position.
Showing up personally for mere cleanup was odd.
"That's part of it. But I have something to confirm too."
Spot on. Karl shifted his gaze to Oliver—a piercing stare, as if seeing through him.
"You... You're Kevin's aide, Xenon Bright, right?"
"Yes."
"But really, you're a black mage? Dave, the fixer from Sector T."
Without warning, Karl dropped the bomb.
Everyone fell silent, staring at Oliver.