Aegis Extermination Mode
With the activation message of the Aegis System, Seong Hyun-jin recalled facing the Shamash Prophecy back in Ciela Teraport's workshop and muttered.
"Magic circles are always such a pain when they activate...."
Thinking that, Seong Hyun-jin gripped his sword tightly. Black spirit power, dark as pitch, began coiling around the blade.
"That spirit power."
True to his expertise as a spirit scholar, Abraham immediately recognized the power of the spirit contracted to Seong Hyun-jin.
"It's the Spirit of Chaos."
Abraham couldn't possibly be unaware that the Spirit of Chaos held absolute dominance against other spirit powers. This meant he already knew Seong Hyun-jin's sword could neutralize the Aegis System.
"Can't let you act freely."
Extermination Mode Engaged
Rumble rumble rumble! The power of the earth surged even more fiercely, shaking the tower violently. Even though the Aegis System's activation had already deployed a barrier separating the tower's interior from the exterior, Seong Hyun-jin clicked his tongue at the sight of Abraham causing vibrations strong enough to rattle the structure.
...No backup plan at all.
If the tower kept shaking like this, people outside would notice something was wrong and come to investigate. Considering that the master of Celestial Academy was the Divine Star, another Palstar Hero like Abraham, it was clear just how recklessly Abraham was acting without any regard for consequences.
Those were the hardest types to deal with. People who staked their lives—or everything they had—fought with far greater power than usual.
Abraham thrust his open hand forward, and another chantless spell activated.
"Silver Thread"
Whip! The power of the earth transformed in an instant into thin silver threads that wrapped around Seong Hyun-jin's arms.
"!"
It looked like mere thin threads, but they prevented Seong Hyun-jin from swinging his sword. The threads bound his arms as if fixing them in midair.
"Something like this...!"
Seong Hyun-jin immediately summoned the power of chaos, and pitch-black energy enveloped his arms, snapping the threads. Since the threads were ultimately made from spirit power, they were powerless against chaos—as expected.
But the key point was that Abraham surely knew this too.
> Extermination Mode Operational
What Abraham aimed for was a brief moment of delay. Time for the fully activated Aegis System's extermination protocol to function properly.
"Earth Strike"
A magic circle spread beneath Seong Hyun-jin's feet, and solid rock erupted in the shape of sharp spikes.
"...!"
Boom! Fortunately, Seong Hyun-jin reacted in time, offsetting the attack with the chaotic power around his sword. Had he not swung his blade swiftly, his body would surely have been pierced.
"...Tricky as expected."
The reason spirit mages' workshops were rated as fortresses. The spells emanating from meticulously designed magic circles—far more intricate than standard ones—boasted overwhelmingly greater power. A workshop with high-level arrays was practically impregnable. And when the mage fought with the arrays' support, nothing was harder to breach.
Moreover, Abraham was an exceptional spirit mage who mastered everything about spirits.
"Hundred Treads"
This time, a magic circle unfolded above Seong Hyun-jin's head. The earth's energy took the form of a giant's foot and plummeted down.
Thud! Thud!! Boom! Bang!! The giant's foot hammered down relentlessly to crush him. Seong Hyun-jin dodged nimbly, but he clicked his tongue at the unending barrage.
It seemed the attacks wouldn't stop without destroying the magic circle.
"Such a hassle...."
"I'll handle it."
Elena now held not her initial triple swords, but a different blade—much thicker and longer than her sub-weapon. Its segments split apart, writhing like a whip.
Snake Belly Sword.
Elena wielded the tricky weapon with expert finesse, drawing forth spirit power. It was as dark as Seong Hyun-jin's, but tinged slightly more blue than pure chaotic blackness.
"Elena Style, First Form."
As Elena swung her arm wide, the snake belly sword's segments extended long.
"Burst"
Crack crack crack! In an instant, it shredded the giant's foot and demolished the magic circle generating it.
Seong Hyun-jin was slightly surprised to see her incorporate her own name into the technique activation.
A sword she made herself?
As someone unrivaled in swordsmanship insight, Seong Hyun-jin immediately understood that the technique Elena had just used was exceptionally suited for the snake belly sword.
That made it all the more astonishing. It meant she had created such an excellent sword herself.
"...Impressive. A sword you forged yourself?"
Abraham, thinking the same as Seong Hyun-jin, admired Elena for dismantling his spell so effortlessly. He was also surprised that Seong Hyun-jin remained unscathed despite the combined efforts of the Aegis System and himself.
Youngsters barely in their twenties fighting this proficiently.
"...One slip, and I'll be the one in trouble."
Muttering that, Abraham chanted.
"Create, Greatbow."
Through a spell that temporarily manifested objects, a massive bow appeared in Abraham's hands.
"...You handle bows too?"
"...One of the Wise Star's epithets is something like that."
Serena, who had been protected by Seong Hyun-jin, regained her composure and explained.
"The Omnipotent Hero."
"......He can do everything?"
"Yes."
Seong Hyun-jin let out a hollow chuckle at Serena's words. As she described, Abraham—who comprehended all existing knowledge of spirits—not only excelled in spirit magic but also spirit divine arts, spirit fist arts, spirit spear arts, spirit archery, spirit swordsmanship, and more. Nothing was beyond him.
If his abilities were charted as a hexagon, none might reach the absolute peak, but...
"Every time he changes his fighting style, we'll have to adapt and counter differently."
...it would be a perfectly filled hexagon across all facets.
# Listening to Serena, Seong Hyun-jin fell silent for a moment. Serena wondered inwardly if he was actually tense for once, finding it unexpected.
But when he finally spoke, she revised her thought with his one remark.
"...Sounds fun."
Far from tension, his face lit up with a smile of enjoyment.
"Fighting an excellent mage means facing an archer, swordsman, priest, martial artist... all kinds of experts at once, right?"
Serena stared at Seong Hyun-jin blankly for a bit before smiling faintly.
"...Something like that?"
His unique mindset was still fascinating, but Serena no longer felt flustered by it. She chuckled softly and added fuel to the fire, playing along.
"Then it might make for a great experience."
"Yeah, something like that."
Elena, watching the two spout nonsense, said in slight bewilderment.
"Juniors, stay sharp! Here it comes!"
At that very moment, Abraham drew the string of his magic-forged bow. No arrow was nocked.
But everyone present knew it wasn't pointless. An arrow formed from spirit power had already appeared on the string.
The moment the spirit power arrow locked onto the string, Seong Hyun-jin and the others sensed it.
This was no ordinary arrow they could easily block.
Feeling that, Seong Hyun-jin immediately sheathed his sword.
"Soul Severing Sword, Third Form."
He channeled the full power of chaos into the blade.
"Evil Slash"
"Stella Striker"
As Seong Hyun-jin's sword drew forth, the arrow released from the bowstring transformed into starlight and flew.
BOOM!
The impact was so powerful it shook the entire Tower of Salvation. Not only Seong Hyun-jin, who had swung his sword, but Serena and Elena tumbled across the floor, barely staying upright.
Fortunately, no one was hurt. It seemed Seong Hyun-jin's strike had precisely countered Abraham's arrow.
The moment he thought that, Abraham spoke.
"It's not over yet."
"!"
Flash! With those words, the starlight—thought dormant—sparkled anew.
Stella Striker appeared as a single arrow, but it was actually two overlapping arrows fired as one in starlight form. Seong Hyun-jin had fully neutralized the first, but the second retained some power.
He couldn't counter it. The previous shock had sent them rolling, leaving no stable stance.
Even a clumsy swing wouldn't block it, and in this state, he couldn't properly wield his sword.
As the brilliant starlight blinded him, Seong Hyun-jin narrowed his eyes slightly. Just as the renewed sparkle closed in on him, a voice whispered in his mind.
[Master, shall I help?]
At that voice, Seong Hyun-jin moved instinctively, without conscious thought. Just as the cold, seductive voice echoing in his head had suggested, he tapped into the power that surfaced in his mind like a serendipitous revelation.