He took another look with the "Talent Appraisal" with a hopeful heart, but it only confirmed his thoughts.
The man's energy, soaring over the white mask, was dark.
The black energy emanating from his body was so constant that it was hard to believe it came from a person, covering the ceiling.
He possessed pure purpose and conviction, as well as the abilities to match them.
This man would kill Reed.
'Can I beat this person?'
It was a different dimension from Peon, who had been hunted like a rabbit.
It was a skill created through pure physical training and experience, not amateurish martial arts.
He was the type to calmly observe his opponent and combine the answers from that observation with his experience to throw the best move.
That means the more time he buys, the more Reed's weakness will be exposed, leading to defeat.
It would be nice to end it quickly, but Reed didn't have the means in this disadvantageous situation that wasn't even close.
'I have to do it.'
Being scared and standing still won't help.
Reed, prepared for his weakness to be exposed, raised his gauntlet.
That's when it happened.
'What is this?'
Reed felt the flow of mana.
A very precise and massive amount was gathering in one place.
The detected location was a room across the library.
It was precisely next to the masked man.
Bang!
An explosion from the wall.
A giant blue spear emerged through the dark dust.
It pierced through the library wall and directly hit the side of the masked man.
His body was dragged by the spear and embedded in the opposite wall like a stuffed animal.
Reed looked up at the spear.
A huge spear, and above it, a woman with even bluer hair stood.
"Are you okay, oppa?"
It was Dolores.
She came running to Reed with a panicked face.
"How did you get here...?"
Dolores didn't answer Reed's question.
As soon as she saw Reed's face, Dolores's pupils contracted, and she couldn't speak like a mute.
Dolores wiped the blood from Reed's dusty face with her finger.
A brief panic.
Soon it turned to anger.
"This..."
A very cold anger.
"Did that bastard do this to your face?"
Chatter.
Her hair turning white and frost spreading from her center.
She showed the true form of the 「Incarnation of Cold」, a master of ice magic.
Dolores raised her staff without even listening to Reed's answer.
A magic circle appeared above the ice spear, and numerous ice spikes were created.
""Execution"."
Whoosh!
Hundreds of ice spikes flew towards the tip of the spear where the dust hadn't even cleared yet.
It was a merciless bombardment that wouldn't even leave a trace of demons.
As the bombardment ended, Dolores melted the ice spear embedded in the wall.
She turned her head and stared at the other side with her blue eyes, centered on the spear.
The man was still alive.
A few ice spikes had pierced through his armor, but he remained calm.
"Are you the Tower Master of Wallin, or the former Tower Master? I thought a genius magician like you would use the right magic at the right place, but that wasn't the case."
If it had been usual, Dolores would have responded calmly.
But seeing Reed's condition, her eyes flipped.
The floor the masked man was standing on began to freeze, and the ice climbed up his leather boots.
"Indeed, befitting the Incarnation of Cold. Just by standing still, you can freeze my body?"
""Frost Tornado"."
Dolores chanted magic in response.
A swirling cold wind from the magic circle in her left hand engulfed the masked man.
Chatter!
The slowly freezing furniture was instantly frozen and shattered when hit by the windstorm.
The masked man stepped sideways, avoiding the range of the tornado.
He immediately counterattacked.
Kicking the ground, he quickly aimed for Dolores.
His sword was targeting Dolores's neck.
A precise, straight flash of light bent towards her neck.
Snap!
But in an instant, an icicle rising from the ground blocked the strike.
It accurately hit the sword's blade, twisting its trajectory upwards.
The blade didn't even graze Dolores's hair, and the man's posture crumbled.
His experienced, trained body reflexively recovered the broken posture, kicked the icicle, and increased the distance.
"Hmm..."
The masked man exhaled as he watched his sword being deflected.
And he stared at them, releasing his attacking stance.
He was a quick swordsman who could disappear in an instant, but he sensed that he couldn't break through Dolores's barrier.
"Dolores Baldschmidt, you truly are a talented magician. It wouldn't be strange to think you created this using the power of the demon seed embedded in your body."
Dolores's eyebrows twitched.
What she hated the most was stories related to demons.
Because of that, she had almost lost her life, and her loved ones had suffered, leaving a trauma-level memory.
However, the man had no ill will.
He was merely speaking the information he had seen and heard as it was.
The man, fiddling with his mask, made a decision.
"I must retreat."
The man eventually backed off, unable to ensure victory.
He moved his head slightly.
Reed knew he was looking at him.
"Reed Adeleheights, follow your fate. If you know why that disaster has come to you, submit to that fate. This is my first and last piece of advice."
Advice, not a warning.
With those words, the man's body disappeared.
Dolores tried to move to track him but stopped.
Reed was the top priority.
Her reason returned, and her hair regained its original color.
"Are you okay?"
"Don't worry, it's just a scratch."
"Don't show off and show me your face."
Dolores brought her hand to Reed's face.
He didn't notice it when adrenaline was rushing, but as the tension subsided, aching pain surfaced.
Dolores let out a hollow laugh after checking Reed's condition.
"Phoebe would be really shocked if she saw this."
"Are you okay?"
"Don't I look shocked too?"
Her hand holding his face trembled.
"Don't worry about me, I'm fine."
"If you say so... I won't worry..."
Dolores discreetly wiped her eyes, stopping the tears that threatened to flow.
She changed the subject and asked about the man's last words.
"What did that crazy guy say to you? What does he mean by a disaster coming?"
Dolores didn't understand, but Reed knew the meaning.
The disaster that approached Reed.
The main cause of creating the seven disasters.
"That swordsman is after Rosaria."
"Rosaria?"
"No doubt. What he mentioned was Rosaria."
"Did he attack you to get to her?"
"I don't know."
Reed's mind was in turmoil.
From the identity of the masked man to the last words he threw as advice, everything was a bundle of questions.
It was like walking through a thick fog, not even knowing if he should trust those words.
