"Do you know about the Doomsday Clock of Judgement?"
Oliver approached Theodore and posed the question.
Rather than providing a response, Theodore altered the flow of electric current, launching another assault on Oliver.
A multitude of electric currents converged into a colossal surge of lightning, hurtling ferociously toward Oliver, who defended himself using blood magic.
[Blood Curtain]
[Voracity]
Oliver summoned blood as if from an inflated balloon and fashioned substantial wings on his back, crafting a massive curtain. He then harnessed the power of black magic, known as "Voracity," to manifest numerous voracious mouths.
These numerous mouths, composed of blood, voraciously absorbed the tremendous lightning with a chilling sound. Thanks to this, the blood curtain was able to completely assimilate the lightning.
[Blood Blade]
Oliver swung his arm, enveloped in blood-absorbed lightning, unleashing numerous bat-shaped blades that struck the nearby structures.
These blood-colored bats, no larger than a hand's palm, possessed such formidable power that they emitted dazzling sparks, swiftly demolishing the structures conjured by Theodore.
As a result, the interconnected globe of wires collapsed, and Theodore's electrical magic dissipated. Oliver safely descended to the ground.
Upon landing, Oliver swiftly reasserted control over the building's surroundings, ensuring his area remained secure while unsettling Theodore's position.
He then commanded the blood-colored bats, circling in the air, to assail Theodore from all directions.
The situation had taken a dramatic turn.
Theodore observed the blood-colored bats approaching him from every angle and channeled mana from his being, forming numerous magic circles. He began firing magic bullets from these circles in all directions.
Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!
Amidst the thunderous gunfire, dozens of blood-colored bats were neutralized. Theodore redirected all his magic circles to target Oliver.
"Minions."
Impressed by Theodore's manipulation of mana, Oliver swiftly countered.
In response to Oliver's summons, minions materialized and approached the magic circles with their agile and graceful movements, unleashing bullets of hatred.
These bullets shattered Theodore's magic circles like fragile glass. Oliver, relying on his black suit, forsook defense and extended his fingers to amplify the firepower.
[Hate Bullet]
His foresight proved accurate.
The minions hovered in mid-air, spewing bullets of hatred from all directions, while Oliver unleashed hate bullets like a machine gun from the front. Every one of Theodore's magic circles was eradicated before they could launch any effective attacks.
Oliver capitalized on this momentum and launched an offensive against Theodore.
"Hmph…!"
Even in the face of the destruction of all his magic circles, Theodore remained composed. He summoned a tremendous amount of mana and wielded it like a whip.
The potent magical mass moved with such swiftness that it was nearly imperceptible, disintegrating the minions like insects. Not content with that, it continued its path toward Oliver.
Oliver manipulated the building's structure using mana to form multiple shields, but this proved to be a misguided decision.
In that fleeting moment when Theodore lashed out with his mana whip at Oliver, he modified its incantation to trigger an explosion.
"Oh, this—"
———Boom!!!!
Before Oliver could complete his sentence, the magical whip detonated, obliterating the entire upper section of the building.
A simple yet overwhelming force.
As Oliver had chosen to defend rather than evade, he found himself ensnared in the blast and plummeted to the lower reaches of the building.
The explosion's impact was so powerful that despite constructing multiple layers of walls, cracks began to appear here and there on the black suit, and the shock penetrated inward.
Suddenly, memories of a past encounter with Merlin came to mind, along with the words Merlin had uttered.
-Avoiding rather than trying to stop. A smart choice, mate.
It appeared that this time, Oliver had made an ill-advised choice.
‘Why suddenly the Elder… Is he as strong as the Elder?'
The truth was, it was difficult to say.
During that time, Oliver was at a level where Merlin was an entity too elevated for any assessment.
If Merlin hadn't restrained himself, Oliver's life would have been in jeopardy within moments.
"But how did I satisfy him?"
Oliver pondered, his thoughts swirling amidst the aftermath of the explosion, unable to find clarity.
Thankfully, as the tumult in his mind subsided, recollections gradually resurfaced.
‘Pilgaret.'
As soon as he regained his composure, Oliver restored his black suit and clung to the building's outer wall using [Targeting].
Fortunately, the period of unconsciousness had been brief. Oliver managed to halt his descent at a mid-level of the structure.
"Zenon…?"
A familiar voice. Through the shattered building facade, Oliver made eye contact with Philip, clad in combat gear and wielding swords in both hands.
Surrounding him lay numerous lifeless bodies, presumably of Life School wizards.
"…Hello, General."
"Not too well, but hello. What happened? There was a colossal explosion upstairs."
Just as Oliver was about to explain, a presence emanating concentrated mana descended rapidly from above the building.
Oliver yelled, "Dodge!"
Initially puzzled, Philip sensed the impending danger at the last moment and conjured a massive magical barrier.
However, this, much like Oliver's prior choice, proved to be a suboptimal decision. Dodging would have been wiser than attempting to block.
Bang—!
Theodore, descending through the building using Gaia School's Earth Magic, crushed Philip.
The magical barrier, compressed with immense force, shattered horrifically with a single blow, and Philip plummeted downward as the floor collapsed.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The sounds echoed, truly astonishing. It was merely a kick charged with condensed mana.
The abundance of mana energy and equally impressive physical prowess generated overwhelming force.
Even enduring a single strike appeared perilous.
[Revive]
Oliver extracted Life-force to resurrect the corpses Philip had dispatched. And he didn't stop there.
[Corpse Mouth]
Oliver fused the bodies of the Life School wizards slain by Philip, creating a colossal mouth that swallowed Theodore.
Gurgle… Crunch!!
This monstrous mouth, composed of layered gums, human teeth, rib bones, and spinal bones, devoured Theodore.
As Oliver clenched his fist, the grotesque mouth chewed its contents. Yet, Oliver felt no resistance at his fingertips.
Evidence that Theodore was effortlessly defending.
Nonetheless, Oliver wasn't disheartened. He manipulated the building under his control with [Bless] spell, raising the floor to the top.
Each brick comprising the structure moved as if it possessed its own volition, elevating both Oliver and Theodore, and Oliver continued to increase the output of [Bless], levitating the ground beneath Theodore.
In this state, Oliver activated black magic.
[Corpse Bomb]
Dozens of wizard corpses and a substantial quantity of Life-force acted as the explosive, and the bodies detonated in mid-air.
Bang———!!!
Thanks to the unprecedented amount of resources invested, the explosion unleashed a power exceeding any of the black magic and magic Oliver had previously wielded.
The aftermath of the explosion caused the surrounding mist to waver, and the battered buildings trembled as if they might collapse.
Oliver used [Bless] to forcibly stabilize and reinforce the structures, preventing them from crumbling, and he gazed skyward at the site of the explosion.
Considering the magnitude of the blast, it seemed improbable for anyone, whether a One Master or a Grand Master, to remain unscathed… Yet, that was merely wishful thinking on Oliver's part.
"Oh…"
Oliver exclaimed as he witnessed Theodore hovering in the air, apparently unaffected by the massive explosion.
Theodore emitted an overwhelming, seemingly boundless mana.
"You keep using cheap tricks."
"It was a well-thought-out attack on my part."
Oliver retorted.
He hadn't anticipated a kill, but he had at least expected a limb to be damaged… Thoughts of Merlin kept surfacing.
With good reason; Theodore was the first adversary since Merlin who proved exceedingly challenging to handle.
He had faced many formidable foes like Kell's Freedom Fighters, War Wizard Kevin, disciples of Human-meat Chef, the Anti-development Committee, Bathory, Shamus, and others. While he believed he could contend with them if pressed, Theodore was on an entirely different level.
Not a single one of his attacks had landed effectively.
However, there existed a subtle distinction between Theodore and Merlin.
While Merlin effortlessly deflected Oliver's attacks with his unmatched control and skill, Theodore appeared to be overpowering him with his inexhaustible physical strength and mana.
It was akin to the difference between striking the air and striking a mountain…
‘Is the latter even better?'
Oliver contemplated how to counter such a formidable physique and abundant mana.
It seemed feasible if they were to engage with equivalent firepower.
"…Are you really not going to use your full strength?"
Theodore, hovering in the air, suddenly inquired. He seemed eager to ascertain something about Oliver.
"I don't know what you mean by full strength, but it doesn't seem like it for now."
Upon hearing this response, Theodore outwardly grinned but internally surged with anger, releasing a torrent of mana and emotions.
"Then, let me assist you. You care about the humans below, don't you?"
Malicious intent emanated from him.
Oliver instinctively glanced downward and beheld the rescued wizards and Terence, who was aiding them.
Theodore intended to sweep them all away, including Oliver.
The immense mana and fury-laden emotions emitted by Theodore mixed with the surrounding dense fog, creating an artificial cloud through which black flames began to snake.
The ominous ambiance incited chaos below, and Oliver, too, remained watchful, assessing the situation.
If there were distinctions between this situation and the [Thunder Strike] he had employed when assaulting the druid stronghold, it was in terms of scale.
The colossal mana contained within Theodore's being made it all possible.
Oliver pondered his options.
‘Should I evade? Can I? What about those below?'
Feeling remorseful yet cornered, Oliver was once again reminded of Kevin's countenance. Experiencing pity and empathy for those he despised… for reasons unknown, Oliver decided to push himself further, thinking, "There's nowhere to run, anyway."
The moment Oliver made his decision, Theodore, high in the sky, taunted, "Made up your mind? Show me your answer!"
Theodore then pointed his finger downward, unleashing a torrential deluge of ferocious lightning bolts into the space below.
"Understood."
Oliver responded calmly, then employed both hands to amalgamate emotions, mana, and life force to fashion an artificial soul.
A technique he hadn't utilized since his encounter with Bathory.
Whether his skills had improved or not, he succeeded in creating an artificial soul the size of a pebble, initially no larger than a bean. This accomplishment emboldened Oliver, and he infused the artificial soul into his black suit while simultaneously activating black magic and magic.
[Targeting]
[Lightning Rod]
At the center of his own being, Oliver established a lightning rod to focus the point of impact for electrical magic, simultaneously targeting a dozen or so ferocious lightning bolts to ensure that all attacks would be directed at him.
Both Theodore in the sky and the wizards below were astounded by what they witnessed. Yet, moments later, an even more astonishing spectacle unfolded.
From the black suit enhanced by the pebble-sized artificial soul, countless lipless mouths sprouted and began absorbing the lightning bolts. Oliver had overlaid the [Voracity] black magic onto his black suit.
Ordinarily, absorbing such intense lightning, a blend of emotions and mana, would have been impossible. However, the enhanced artificial soul empowered Voracity to accomplish this with ease.
"HAHAHA! Is this your true speciality?!"
Ecstatic, as if Oliver's success were his own, Theodore caused hundreds, even thousands of arms to sprout from a single shoulder, converging them into an arm as colossal as a building, directing it straight at Oliver.
The scale of this attack rendered the earlier lightning bolts child's play.
The sound of the air rupturing, akin to a deafening explosion, reverberated as an immense fist, seemingly endless in size, descended from the heavens.
"Think you can block this?!" Theodore inquired, as if testing Oliver.
Frankly, it appeared challenging. The colossal arm was not merely large; it was imbued with the power and emotions of hundreds, even thousands of individuals, forming a complex magical defense that defied conventional confrontation.
It felt as though a colossal fortress were descending from the heavens, an assault that appeared impervious to any form of defense or counteraction.
Therefore, Oliver opted not to oppose it directly.
"Spit it out."
In response to Oliver's command, the myriad mouths on his black suit gaped wide and expelled all the ferocious lightning bolts.
Thanks to Voracity, Oliver exerted control over the fierce lightning and manipulated it as he pleased.
"You think you can stop it with this?!"
"No."
Oliver replied calmly and initiated the process of separating emotions and mana from the ferocious lightning bolts.
"……!!"
Logically speaking, this was not a feasible skill, but owing to Oliver's abilities that transcended the realm of mere talent, he successfully achieved complete separation between the merged mana and emotions.
Oliver enshrouded himself with emotions like a garment and spread the mana around him like an intricate spider's web, interweaving it with the mist.
It formed a fog barrier, bolstered by spatial magic.
In one seamless motion, Oliver combined Theodore's immense mana with his own mastery of magic, manipulating the surrounding mist to establish control, and clenched his fist.
The mana, previously dispersed like a spider's web, condensed around Oliver's hand, while the fog that had sealed off all sides was drawn inward to construct a massive portal.
Precisely, a fog portal.
"Impossible!" Theodore exclaimed, witnessing his fist being drawn into the mist. Regardless of his protest, he materialized in the sky above a vast lake at the heart of Lake Village.
Caught off guard, his composure faltered, and his gargantuan fist lost control.
At that moment, a voice sounded from behind him.
"So it's possible."
The speaker was none other than Oliver.
He had pursued Theodore through the encroaching fog and seized the opportunity when Theodore was off balance.
Even as Theodore plummeted from the heavens, he attempted to counter with magic.
However, his actions were hindered by his disproportionately enlarged fist, enabling Oliver to effortlessly hurl several sheets of enchanted paper.
Amidst a series of resounding noises, the mana-infused papers, as sharp as blades, embedded themselves into Theodore's defenseless form.
Though Theodore's physical resilience prevented deep penetration, it sufficed for Oliver's purpose.
"This is Merlin's—"
Before Theodore could complete his sentence, Oliver activated spatial magic, linked to the enchantments on the paper.
A sharp yet faint sound, akin to the buzzing of an insect, emanated, and a violet magic portal materialized on the paper, bisecting Theodore's body—shoulders, arms, legs, waist, and so on.
But that wasn't all—over ten handcrafted figurines fashioned by Oliver burst forth from between the portals.
They were Corpse dolls, brimming with explosives, explosive magic, and black magic infused with diseases.
[Corpse Bomb].
