Rylan jumped straight upward, his eyes fixed on the enemy. The man raised his staff.

The things limiting him have disappeared.

It was obvious that the Empire's plan had been to assassinate him quietly. However, from the moment the Tower withstood so much damage and mana leaked out of it, the imperial Mages had been placed on a timer. Soon, Mages from every noble house in the capital, including the royal family, would come and fight the imperial soldiers. At this point, the soldiers' priorities had already likely shifted from 'assassination' to 'killing as quickly as possible.' But that wasn't all.

The orders he gave…

The imperial Mages had been ordered to kill Rylan no matter what. It no longer mattered if they were discovered or what the consequences of their actions would be. They only needed to kill him. Naturally, that included the blue-haired man. It was possible that the Mage would even use large-scale spells, even if it meant crushing half of the capital in the process.

Rylan let out a breath. He was fighting a Sixth Circle who wouldn't hold back in the least. Still, there was no worthier opponent for him to test out his newfound power.

He landed on the ceiling, standing upside down for a brief moment. The blue-haired Mage looked at him. All around him, small spheres of light and mana coalesced. Rylan furrowed his brow. There were exactly forty-two of them. A chill went down his spine as he noticed the sheer amount of mana that each sphere held. Unhesitatingly, Rylan pushed off the ceiling with Snowstorm, readying his sword.

Before he could reach the man, however, the spheres moved. Each shot forward in a different direction, drawing a long trail of light. Everything that touched them disintegrated into nothingness. Rylan widened his eyes.

The spheres were faster than he'd anticipated, even though he was capable of dodging them with Snowstorm. In nothing but a few moments, the trails of light had dominated the entire floor, creating an environment that severely restricted every possible movement path. The only area that had been spared was the one around the female Mage, who was smiling. The Fifth Circle Mages were gathering around her. Rylan weaved between the lines of light, getting closer and closer to Damian's barrier, which was still surrounded by them. A bad feeling wormed its way into his chest.

He perceived the blue-haired man's mana move. Without missing a beat, Rylan swung his sword.

Stormcaller Sword Style, Third Movement: Rainfall.

His mana circulated within him at unprecedented speed. His Aura manifested into the world around him, the white energy turning into something that resembled rain. It followed his blade and flooded his surroundings. His speed amplified, Rylan forcefully sliced through all trails of light around his loved ones, one after the other, empowered by the Sword Art. Everything that he was strengthened his swordsmanship, making him able to destroy every light trail with a single hit. Barely a moment after he cleared the barrier's surroundings, it happened.

The light abruptly expanded and swallowed everything around it. The labyrinth created by the lines of light disappeared as they consumed the space between one another. Standing in front of Damian's barrier, Rylan widened his eyes and breathed in. After a few seconds, it was over. The light disappeared, allowing him to glimpse the destruction it had caused.

The entire floor of the Mage Tower was ruined. There were no more bookshelves, floating books, or any kind of furniture. The desks and stairways had disappeared. All that remained were the nine Fifth Circle Mages and the two Sixth Circle Mages, alongside the scorched floor and ceiling. The walls that made up the floor had become even more damaged, creaking dangerously. Rylan narrowed his eyes at the enemies, all of whom had pointed their staves at him.

A spell I wouldn't have been able to survive without Aura.

Even now, both his mana and Aura circulated within him, strengthening him. In hindsight, he should have asked Damian about the spells Sixth Circle Mages could use, but it was too late.

Rylan looked at the Fifth Circle Mages, then back at the blue-haired man in a flash. His senses expanded, allowing him to grasp his surroundings' condition in nothing but a moment.

This floor is going to collapse.

Once it did, the Tower would lose its middle part and start crumbling under its own weight.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"Damian!" Rylan shouted.

"I know! But I can't do both things at once!" the old man shouted back.

Rylan understood what he meant instantly. Damian wasn't able to fight the female Mage and keep the Tower's structure stable at the same time, all while keeping up his barrier to shield Rylan's loved ones.

I need to handle both of them at once.

Both the blue-haired man and the female Mage were smiling at him, clearly aware of this. The Fifth Circle Mages were starting to run around to surround him. Rylan clicked his tongue.

This is why fighting enemies with experience is annoying as fuck.

They had crippled Damian's participation in the battle with a single spell. Still, that didn't mean all was lost. He just needed to overcome the enemies. It would be difficult to face two Sixth Circle Mages and a group of Fifth Circle Mages, but he could do it. Now that he had awakened Aura, it was possible.

He wouldn't fall here. He could kill these enemies before time ran out. He was sure of it. It was his duty.

Let's do this.

He shot forward with Snowstorm. Meanwhile, Damian's mana flooded the floor, ceiling, and walls, desperately struggling to keep the Tower from collapsing. Rylan could feel his senses sharpening, pushing themselves to their limits. First, he needed to get rid of the Fifth Circle Mages. There was no need to fight with even more variables involved. He held his sword's hilt with both hands.

Stormcaller Sword Style, Third Movement: Rainfall.

Aura turned into drops of rain as his speed increased, the nearest Mage his target. The man blinked and hurriedly raised his wand, but he was too slow. Rylan swung his sword, decapitating the man in a single move. Without wasting even a single second admiring his kill, he dashed toward the next Mage, a woman, keeping his awareness on the two Sixth Circle Mages. The red-robed woman pointed her staff at him.

The atmosphere ignited. His surroundings turned into a crimson inferno in less than a second, the flames rushing toward him like starving beasts. Rylan could tell that the entire floor had been set ablaze, though Damian's barrier still stood. The fire was hotter than anything he had experienced in this life. Even without touching him, it could melt his skin and burn his flesh. The floor was scorched black, and the moisture in the air seemed to boil. Drops of sweat slid down Rylan's brow as the crimson fire kept ravenously rushing toward him.

His mana moved.

Wind Blades.

The small amount of air that remained around him twisted and shifted, turning into sharp crescents. They melded with the rain created by Rainfall, turning into something new. A novel combination of his Sword Arts, which were finally whole, and the magic he'd honed for the last year. Of course, Rylan didn't expect the ability to overcome a fire spell cast by a Sixth Circle Mage. He just needed enough room to move freely.

The winds picked up, becoming sharper. The rain followed their flow, creating rivulets in mid-air and shielding Rylan from the flames. The water glowed with white light, his Aura empowering every one of his movements and resonating with his mana to affect his spells. It was the only reason why he'd been able to momentarily withstand the flames.

Now, the finishing touch.

Rylan stepped on one of the rivulets with the tip of his foot. The water froze, the frost spreading from the point of contact.

Falling Snow Steps: Snowstorm.

His speed increased exponentially. The air and water underneath his feet froze to propel him further and faster, then immediately melted back into their previous state. As he dashed forward, Rylan swung his rain-coated sword, creating a gap among the crimson flames. He dove through it and reached the second Mage. A second later, the woman was split in half along her midsection. Blood and organs spilled out of the separated halves before turning to cinders, devoured by the fire. Rylan looked at the third Mage.

That was when his world was devoured by darkness. He could still feel the heat, his sweat trickling down his body, smell the scent of burnt flesh, and hear the Mages moving around, but he couldn't see anything.

Another Illusion spell.

Rylan furrowed his brow and strained his Aura and mana. His Aura Heart beat rhythmically as his mana circulated, following his Mana Core's orders. He willed for the illusion to disappear as he instinctively jumped straight upward, then back down diagonally. The darkness cracked like glass, then shattered. Light flooded the gaps, but Rylan didn't lose his balance for even a second. The flames came back into view, alongside his target. The man was much closer than before, staring at him with an expression of absolute dread. Rylan met his gaze with calm eyes.

In the next second, his sword went right through the middle of the man's skull, which disappeared from the impact. Rylan stepped on the frozen air to backflip and avoid a giant spear of mana, then swung his sword to disperse the fire even further.

Three down.

He looked back through the flames at the blue-haired man, who was staring at him with a furrowed brow and eyes filled with killing intent.

"All soldiers," the man suddenly said. "Attack Damian Gassiec's barrier and kill everyone inside. Antonia and I will handle Rylan Flameheart."

Rylan gritted his teeth.

Fucking hell.

The Fifth Circle Mages moved a moment later, running around and pointing their weapons at Damian's barrier. The flames parted around them, granting them free movement through the inferno. Rylan tried to keep up, but the fire around him grew both hotter and fiercer, keeping him from moving at all.

The tactic was an effective one. Not only did it make him anxious and more prone to making mistakes because of it, but it also placed him on a timer. Since Damian was focused on keeping the tower from breaking down, he wouldn't be able to fight back against the seven Fifth Circle Mages. It was only a matter of time before his defenses were overwhelmed, and everyone within the barrier was placed in mortal danger. Rylan clenched his jaw, staring daggers at the two red-robed Mages. The blue-haired man raised his staff, meeting Rylan's gaze.

Titanic amounts of mana moved within the ruined floor.

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