Ever since he could remember, he had lived alone in that ruined town.
Calling it a town was generous; it was nothing more than an abandoned ruin. The streets were overgrown with weeds, most of the roofs had collapsed, and the walls were covered in cracks and moss.
His daily routine consisted of hiding from the powerful magical beasts that roamed the town and its surrounding areas, scraping by day after day.
Occasionally, a few robed figures would come up from the lower layers. They referred to him as “No. 945.”
They would bring him food and water, perform regular checkups on his body, and teach him about mana.
But back then, No. 945 felt that none of this had any meaning. He was simply too weak—so weak that it wouldn't have been surprising if he were killed by a magical beast at any moment.
He didn't know why he was here, why he had to learn these things, or even what the purpose of his existence was.
Until one day, with the assistance of those robed figures, he obtained his current power.
Using this power, he slaughtered the magical beasts that had once terrified him. Even the robed figures treated him with a bit more friendliness because of it.
For the first time, he felt that living was meaningful.
But now, the power that had once made him feel omnipotent shrank in instinctual dread when confronted by the dark mana radiating from the pitch-black figure in the sky.
The dread seeped deep into his bones. It was like a mouse encountering a cat, or a rabbit meeting a wolf—a primal terror engraved into his very essence.
“Damn it... Those guys down there never told me about this!”
He cursed frantically in his mind, but then, a possibility suddenly occurred to him:
“Wait... Could it be that they themselves had no idea what the situation outside the dungeon was like from the very beginning?”
An even colder realization washed over him:
“If that's the case, then perhaps from the moment I left the dungeon, I was already treated as a disposable pawn...”
Although No. 945 knew those guys couldn't easily leave the dungeon themselves, they had paid a massive price to send him out. He had believed this represented their trust in him.
He originally thought that as long as he completed the mission they assigned, he could officially join them and become one of them.
But now it seemed his excursion was merely another experiment to those people.
If it succeeded, they would get everything they wanted; if it failed, the only loss would be an experimental subject designated No. 945.
“Hahahahaha—”
Once he understood everything, a manic laugh escaped him, filled with despair and fury.
“Fine... Splendid! Since you all treat me as a disposable pawn, then I don't care anymore!”
No. 945 unleashed the mana within his body without reservation, condensing it into a brand-new phantom behind him.
It was the silhouette of a woman—dressed in robes, holding a staff, her long hair fluttering in the wind, with a solemn and majestic countenance.
Greg quickly recognized her. It was Miriam Walker. He had seen her statue in the fountain while walking with Vivian before—a legendary female Great Archmage who had left her mark on history.
“This guy's ability is pretty absurd too, to be able to go this far.”
Although Greg figured he would struggle in the end, he hadn't expected it to be so violent.
“Hahaha! Go, hero who once saved this city! I command you to destroy everything here!”
No. 945 handed down his command.
Even though he could only project a single phantom of Miriam with his full strength, and could not unleash her original full power at all, she was still a genuine Great Archmage. Thus, destroying a city was still well within her capabilities.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
A violent storm Domain instantly expanded, howling winds sweeping both Greg and Isadora inside.
Isadora's expression shifted slightly. She quickly stabilized herself and turned to Greg.
“This kind of Domain is my absolute least favorite. Let's attack together to break it! I'm not very confident in breaking through it alone, but with your cooperation, it should be much easier.”
“...”
Greg remained silent.
It wasn't that he didn't want to answer, but rather that activating the Seed of Eternal Darkness to sweep away the phantom enemies across the entire Imperial Capital had almost completely drained his mana.
Right now, simply maintaining his imposing facade took everything he had; he had absolutely no spare mana to help.
Thus, he could only keep quiet and play the part of a mysterious expert.
“?”
Isadora waited for a moment. Receiving no response, she couldn't help but glance at Greg with some confusion.
But before she could say anything else, suddenly—
Boom!
A blinding bolt of lightning suddenly descended from the heavens, accurately striking the phantom of Miriam.
As the lightning exploded, the phantom's form shuddered violently, causing a brief stagnation in the flow of the storm Domain. This allowed Greg and Isadora to seize the opportunity and escape from within.
“Watch your back, cutie—a cowboy can never resist an exposed back.”
A voice laced with a lazy chuckle drifted down from the night sky.
Greg and Isadora turned their heads to look, only to see two figures flying in from another direction—Olivia and Luna.
Arcs of lightning still crackled and leaped in Olivia's hand. Evidently, that lightning strike just now had been her handiwork.
Luna prepared to make her move as well, but Olivia reached out to stop her.
“No need to rush. My hands have been itching for a fight. It's a rare opportunity to trade blows with a legendary historical figure; I can't let you have all the fun.”
Olivia took a step forward, steadying herself in the night sky. She slowly rested her right hand on her revolver-shaped magic conduit.
Then, an equally powerful Domain force diffused from her body. Lightning surged and tumbled around her, letting out crackling explosions.
Her Domain collided with Miriam's storm Domain in midair, producing a deafening roar.
Lightning and storm intertwined. Electric bolts darted through dark clouds, and fierce winds carrying thunderous light ravaged the skies above the city.
On the ground, people looked up at the duel in the sky, everyone holding their breath.
“I hope you can show me a good time.”
Olivia raised her revolver. Just before she pulled the trigger, two slender bolts of lightning descended from the heavens, accurately striking the cylinder of her revolver. Immediately after, two streaks of lightning shot out from the muzzle, tearing through the air like two silver vipers as they pounced straight toward the phantom of Great Archmage Miriam.
Rate on N.U.
