Chương 23: Linnea I
It's been months since Leon started practicing Black Void, and he has achieved some mastery over it. Now, he can control the size of the ball, but only while it's in his hand. The moment it leaves his hand, Leon can't fully control it. However, with another two months of practice, he solved the issue by discovering what he was doing wrong. It turned out he never added a stop command to the basic size increase spell. He had been repeatedly adding size increase and decrease spells instead of setting a maximum size limit.
Upon realizing this simple mistake, Leon cursed himself for wasting over three months on it. Now, standing in the training field, he throws the Black Void at a target. As the black ball touches it, it begins to expand, stopping only when it reaches a 100-meter radius sphere. When the black dome vanishes, only a crater remains.
"Good, though I wonder how it would work against mages," Leon thought as he admired his spell. "Anyway, in these three months, I've realized I need an assistant," he said, returning to the tower.
The first floor is as it was, Arkham's place, with its huge library. The second floor is a general library housing countless spells, potion recipes, various alchemy blueprints, and many artifact blueprints. According to Luna, this floor rewards all challengers based on how high they climb. The third floor, called Endless Garden, is a garden for all kinds of magic herbs and a breeding ground for many magical beasts. On this floor, Leon finds three eggs that have yet to hatch. According to Luna, they will only hatch if he drops his blood on them. Leon has refrained from doing so because he doesn't want to care for little furballs. He's thinking of giving them to his parents and Rena, but he needs a great excuse.
As for the fourth floor, it is an arena of sorts, equipped with a life-preserving array. Even if one were to die while sparring, they can be resurrected here, even if nothing remains of them; it regenerates a whole body from a single drop of blood. Not only that but it also generates various opponent for Leon, but all of them can only be who has ever stepped foot in Tower, and currently it's only Lith, Tista and Trion, It's a useless function for Leon who has Dreamspace that can make or rather create temporary beings from his memories.
And Now Leon is going to challenge the fifth floor.
"Are you sure about this?" Luna asked as they stood in front of the portal leading to the fifth floor.
"Yes, I am," Leon replied, stepping inside.
Luna returned to the first floor and waved her hand, revealing an image of Leon standing before a woman with golden yellow hair, blonde eyes, and a red dress. Despite her stunning appearance, her pensive face made her look cold and unapproachable.
"It's been over 1000 years since the last challenger came. This may be either my last fight or yours," she said as a staff appeared in her hand.
The magical staff is an exquisite work of art and arcane craftsmanship, standing at about six feet tall. The staff's body is crafted from a rare, black gold-like substance, giving it a sleek, lustrous finish with a deep, almost obsidian hue. This material has a slight, iridescent sheen, making the staff shimmer subtly in various shades of dark blues and purples under different lighting conditions.
The staff's shaft is smooth, with intricate, swirling patterns etched along its length. These patterns resemble ancient runes and symbols, glowing faintly with a soft, ethereal light. This glow pulses gently, indicating the latent magical energies contained within the staff. The runes are not merely decorative; they serve as conduits for channeling and focusing magical energies, allowing the wielder to cast spells with greater precision and power.
At the top of the staff, a beautifully faceted golden crystal is mounted. The crystal is large and multifaceted, glowing with a warm, radiant light. It is securely held in place by delicate, yet strong, claw-like prongs made from the same black gold-like material as the rest of the staff. The crystal itself seems to pulse with a soft, golden glow, like captured sunlight, and occasionally emits gentle waves of magical energy.
Around the base of the crystal, a series of smaller, inset gemstones form a crown-like arrangement. These gems are of various colors, each representing a different school of magic or elemental force. They are seamlessly integrated into the staff's design, adding to its mystical appearance.
The bottom of the staff tapers into a sharp, pointed tip, which is also made of the black gold-like substance. This design allows the staff to be used as a walking aid or, in dire situations, as a means of defense.
Overall, the staff exudes an aura of power and mystery. Its combination of dark, metallic sheen and radiant golden crystal creates a striking contrast, making it an unmistakable symbol of magical authority and arcane mastery.
"Now, that's some badass-looking magical weapon," Leon mumbled as Luna's voice reached his ears. "That's not just badass but kickass too. It increases one's mana sensitivity tenfold just by holding it, making even a peanut-sized brain mage into an unparalleled genius. It can increase sensitivity up to a hundredfold if focused solely on mana sensitivity, though only as long as the mage doesn't start bleeding from the nose and ears. Another thing to be wary of is that it doubles the power of any spells and almost triples their range. It also has built-in protection; unless you knock it off her, you can hardly damage her. Plus, it has self-healing properties, identifying and healing any damage done to its host. It is the magnum opus of its creator, Saintess of Light Emilia von Reagia, a powerful healer and skilled forge master. This artifact contains her expertise."
Leon nodded and then took out a Katana, it's is White blades with several Gold wins in it.
As Leon rushed toward Emilia, his katana ready, Emilia gracefully stepped back, her golden staff glowing as she cast a protective barrier of light. The barrier shimmered with ethereal energy, reflecting Leon's black arrow that he sent toward her. The arrow pierced through the barrier, creating an opening, but Emilia quickly responded by firing a series of rapid light arrows to counter it. The two sets of arrows collided, causing a burst of bright light and dark energy that momentarily blinded both fighters.
Taking advantage of the brief distraction, Emilia's form began to shimmer, and her body flickered as she initiated Elementalization, her body transforming into pure light. Leon anticipated this and adjusted his trajectory, but Emilia was faster. Her light form dispersed and reassembled behind Leon, her staff already channeling a powerful beam of light.
Leon barely had time to react. He spun around, using his katana to absorb the incoming light beam. The katana, infused with magic, resonated with the energy, but the force of the attack pushed Leon back. He skidded to a stop, barely maintaining his balance. Emilia smirked, raising her staff high as the golden crystal at its top flared brightly.
"I see you're not easily beaten," she remarked, her voice echoing with an ethereal tone. "But let's see how you handle this."
With a flourish, Emilia summoned a series of radiant glyphs that hovered in the air around her. The glyphs glowed with a blinding light, each representing a different aspect of light magic. She began chanting in an ancient language, and the glyphs responded, converging into a massive sphere of light above her head. The air around them crackled with energy as the sphere grew larger, pulsating with power.
Leon watched, eyes narrowing as he quickly strategized. He couldn't let her unleash whatever spell she was preparing. Summoning his magic, he enveloped his katana in a dense, swirling aura of black energy, the manifestation of his Black Void basic spell called Obliterate. With a swift motion, he launched himself toward her using Flashstep, the ground beneath him cracking from the force.
Emilia, noticing his approach, unleashed the sphere of light. It burst into countless rays, each homing in on Leon. He deftly dodged the first few, but they were relentless, curving around him like guided missiles. Leon gritted his teeth, raising his katana to intercept the rays. The blade sliced through the light, dispersing the rays into harmless particles, but the effort slowed him down.
Just as Emilia thought she had him cornered, Leon activated a new technique. He plunged his katana into the ground, sending a shockwave of black energy that disrupted the rays' trajectory. The shockwave expanded, nullifying the remaining attacks and creating a temporary zone of darkness around him.
From the darkness, Leon emerged, his body surrounded by a dense aura of black energy. He raised his hand, and a massive sphere of Black Void materialized above him. The sphere crackled with chaotic energy, absorbing the surrounding light. Leon compressed the sphere, its size shrinking but its power intensifying. With a determined shout, he hurled the condensed Black Void at Emilia.
Emilia's eyes widened as the sphere approached. She quickly cast another light barrier, but this time, the Black Void impacted with a force far greater than before. The barrier cracked, and for a moment, it seemed like it would hold, but then the Black Void burst through, shattering the barrier into fragments of light.
Emilia barely had time to react as the Black Void engulfed her. She gritted her teeth, focusing her energy to maintain her Elementalization. Her form flickered, the light struggling to hold together under the pressure of the Black Void's pull. It was a test of endurance; she could feel the strain of maintaining her form while the dark energy tried to disintegrate her.
Leon, sensing her struggle, pressed his advantage. He gathered his remaining energy and rushed forward, his katana glowing with a dark aura. He slashed at Emilia, aiming to break through her elemental form. Emilia managed to block the strike with her staff, the force of the collision sending shockwaves through the air. The two stood locked in place, each pushing against the other, their powers clashing in a fierce battle of light and dark.
Emilia, realizing she was at a disadvantage, made a desperate move. She unleashed a burst of pure light energy from her body, momentarily blinding Leon and forcing him back. Seizing the opportunity, she retreated, reconstituting her form a distance away. Breathing heavily, she looked at Leon with a mix of respect and frustration.
"You've pushed me further than anyone else has in centuries," Emilia acknowledged, her voice tinged with admiration. "But this ends now."
She raised her staff, and the air around her shimmered. A massive glyph appeared beneath her feet, glowing with an intense golden light. Leon recognized it as a high-level spell, one capable of unleashing a devastating attack. He had to act fast.
Channeling every ounce of his power, Leon summoned a sphere of Black Void around him, larger and more potent than ever before. The black energy swirled violently, absorbing everything around it. As Emilia began her incantation, Leon pushed the sphere outward, expanding its reach. The black energy met the golden light of Emilia's spell, the two forces colliding in a spectacular display of power.
For a moment, it seemed as if neither would prevail. The golden light and black energy intermingled, creating a chaotic storm of magic. Then, with a final surge of effort, Leon infused the Black Void with his will a.k.a Spirit Magic, pushing it forward with all his strength. The black energy overwhelmed the golden light, enveloping Emilia's spell and neutralizing it.
As the Black Void closed in on her, Emilia's eyes widened in shock. She tried to elementalize once more, but it was too late. The sphere engulfed her, and with a final, brilliant flash of light, her form dissipated, leaving behind only her staff and a faint echo of her presence.
Leon stood panting, the remnants of the Black Void slowly dissipating around him. He looked at the spot where Emilia had stood, then down at the staff and the two spellbooks that lay on the ground. Luna appeared beside him, her expression one of relief and pride.
"You did it," she said, smiling.
"Why don't you check your loot?" Luna suggested.
Leon nodded, picked up the staff, and handed it to her so she could devour it. "It will take a month to fully digest it," she said.
Leon nodded, then picked up the two spellbooks, titled Elementalization and Javelin of Regia.
"Hmm, you know about Elementalization as she demonstrated. As for Javelin of Regia, you can think of it as a long-distance healing spell. It condenses a javelin that, once touching the target, identifies the problem and heals it," Luna explained, causing Leon's mouth to drop open.
"You're joking, right?" he asked in disbelief.
Although he had Mumu's knowledge, it didn't cover the healing aspect of light magic, as in Overgeared's world, it was a different magic called holy magic, usable only by priests. Thus, his knowledge of light magic's healing capabilities was limited. As for dark magic, Arkham's library had provided ample information.
"Yes, that's why she was called the Saintess of Light. Only Ophelia could match her mastery in light magic; even other light mages couldn't," Luna nodded.
"Hmm, what else is my reward?" he asked.
"The same, a new floor along with some of the guardian's personal spells," Luna said, showing him the unlocked fifth floor, which was a workshop. From alchemy to forging, it had all the tools he needed.
"As for the fifth floor perk, it's called Auto Forge," Luna explained. "Just like its name, it can forge equipment for you, given you have the materials and blueprints."
"Hmm, what are the limits?" he asked.
"Well, it can't forge powerful equipment like Saintess Hope," Luna replied.
"Saintess Hope?" Leon questioned.
"Emilia's staff, that's its name," Luna clarified, and Leon nodded.
"Hmm, we don't have anything to forge right now, nor do we need it," Leon said.
Luna nodded, then suggested, "How about you learn Javelin of Regia? It's a very useful spell. From the bits of memories Ophelia left for me, I can say it can be a game-changer." Leon nodded and began studying it next, curious about its long-distance healing capabilities and how it works.
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