Futuresight was the ability to see the future in real-time and be able to react accordingly. Of course, it didn't come at no cost. First of all, it was an extremely rare ability, and to even master it takes decades of harsh training. It was wise to say that it was impossible to attain it if one didn't have talent in it in the first place. The cost of using it was hefty on the eyes, and if overused, it could lead to permanent blindness.
Sylvester scoffed at the proud laughs of the Duke. "But we both know that your ability has one grave shortcoming that can lead to your demise."
The Duke stayed smirking. "What can a pathetically weak, newly risen Archwizard do to me? Stab me with your light? I only have to drag this fight until my great-uncle deals with that woman."
Sylvester sighed and glanced at Felix. "Go and tell all the Inquisitors to leave the area. Go as far back as possible, or they will be caught in my attack."
"W-What are you going to do, Max?" Felix asked. There was a hint of worry in his voice.
Sylvester looked back at the Duke and smirked. "Something I've never shown before. He can easily avoid my Wrath of Heaven. So, that leaves me no option but to attack with something from which escaping isn't possible within a minute."
Felix's eyes widened in excitement, and he asked with a whisper. "The large-scale move you were talking about?"
Sylvester merely nodded and started calming his breath to focus on the move he was about to make. The most destructive, large-scale attack. Of course, Wrath of Heaven was terrific in a precise strike due to its mad heat, but this new attack was nothing to shrug off either.
Felix nodded. "Beat his ass, Max… And don't die—for Mother Xavia."
Dying was nowhere near in Sylvester's mind. To live, he was ready to give his all, like he had done the whole time until now.
"Go and check up on Isabella as well. I hope she's doing the tests on the dying men of the Duke's army as I ordered." Sylvester ordered and sat down on his knees with palms on the ground.
Felix saluted before running away. "May the Holy Light bless you, my brother."
Sylvester didn't reply, as his focus was on his next move. He had tried the attack in training with lady Aurora many times, but it was always limited to a small scale. Today, he decided to go all out.
His two palms on the ground started to shine as they pushed a beam of light into the earth. Meanwhile, the halo behind his head shined brightly while the hymns were echoing loudly.
♫Disgrace the lord once; it's a mistake.
Do it twice; you shall burn at stake.
There is always a price for one's naivety.
When your mind, for darkness, has proclivity.
Be prepared—Then befalls the holy calamity!♫
The Duke was confused about what Sylvester was doing, but he was scared of going too close to Sylvester as he felt the bard was too unpredictable. Moreover, he didn't want to get caught in something he couldn't foresee.
Sylvester poured all the magic he had in himself while infusing the Earth's elemental magic and Light magic together. It wasn't even the usual light magic, but the same thing as what created the Wrath of Heaven.
Grrr…!
All of a sudden, the ground started to vibrate, and the trees nearby started to shed leaves and make noise. Then, the stones grinding on each other became loud, and small cracks appeared on the soil.
"W-What are you doing?!" The Duke roared in confusion.
But only Sylvester's hymns echoed.
♫You had your time in the light to emerge.
Yet you continued the crimes and became a scourge.
Your bucket of sins is full; Now I shall be the judge.
O' great lord, let this fool burn in Holyfire Purge!♫
Boom!
Suddenly, a giant, one-meter-wide crack started from between Sylvester's palm and elongated towards the Duke. It seemed deep as only menacing darkness was visible inside it.
The ground was splitting apart with loud menacing roars, and it was extremely fast.
"Fuck!" The Duke showed the first signs of distress as he jumped to the side, avoiding the gap.
Boom!
But, to his shock, as he stepped to the side, the ground there also started to split apart. It was so fast that he only had a second to jump away. But then a crack appeared there too.
He soon realised he could not see so far in the future to avoid all the cracks since they appeared even where he wasn't looking at them. His Futuresight didn't give him a bird's eye view.
There was only one option left for him. Run away as far away as possible, where Sylvester's attack won't reach.
Bam!
But the shattering of the ground intensified. It wasn't just the cracks anymore but the entire field was being lifted apart as if it was just a piece of paper. It was splitting, cracking, turning upside down. It was pure chaos as clouds of dust also covered the ground.
♫In hell, burn! O' filthy noble sinner!
To oppose light, there shall be no winner!♫
Sylvester's chants were only gaining more power and creeping fear in the heart of the Duke.
"Fuck!" The Duke cursed and started running away as fast as possible, jumping from one chunk of land to another.
But only the earth had shown its wrath, and the light was yet to appear to smear the world in its melting warmth.
Woosh!
"Argh!" The Duke cried in pain and fell back all of a sudden. Then, right in front of him, from the deep crack in the ground, a wall of bright white light appeared, going as high as he could see. It was so hot that just being close to it burned his skin slightly.
"No, no, no!" The Duke cursed and looked around.
As if geothermal geysers of water, beams of light started to come out of all the cracks in the vicinity. It was pure madness and chaos since the destruction spanned hundreds of metres in diameter. And the gaps numbered in the thousands. Yet, from a distance, it all appeared like one giant ball of light.
The Duke found himself trapped between various beams of light, covering the entire cracks around him. But, the earth kept shattering, changing the beams as well.
But there was nowhere to run, and Duke Daemon knew there was only one way to escape this—kill the origin of the mess.
So he changed his direction and quickly made his way towards Sylvester, who appeared vulnerable as he had to kneel and focus on the attack.
Sometimes he got burnt and sometimes fell, but Duke Daemon was not someone to accept defeat. He jumped slowly towards Sylvester. Anger was apparent on his face, and his eyes seemed red from all the Futuresight he was forced to use.
Woosh!
Soon, he came as close as fifty metres close to Sylvester. "Haha! You thought this would stop me? But worry not. I will not kill you, Lord's Bard!"
Woosh!
Duke Daemon kept jumping, left and right, but eventually, he made progress forward. Soon, fifty metres became twenty, and he clenched his sword firmly while keeping his free hand ready to shoot a magical attack.
However, Sylvester's hymns continued to resonate.
♫Here comes the heathen that sullies this gentle land.
On his own, he steps closer to death like a sacrificial lamb!♫
The Duke made his final jump from an exploding chunk of land. Having already sensed with his Futuresight where the beam of light wouldn't arise, he went for the last move.
"Die!" The Duke roared with full might, keeping his hands clutched to the hilt of his sword as he aimed at Sylvester's welcoming shoulder.
"Huh!"
Just then, a big smirk appeared on Sylvester's face, sending chills down the Duke's spine. But being mid-air, there was nothing he could do. He just hoped that his sword would soon touch Sylvester's flesh and bones.
Woosh!
But dreams rarely come to reality.
Everything happened so fast that the Duke couldn't even feel anything. But he saw it all, as his protruding arms with the sword got erased by the sudden beam of light that rose from where it shouldn't have.
No pain, no feelings, not even ashes remained.
Thud!
The Duke fell back on a piece of land that appeared underneath him from nowhere. The madness of destruction also stopped instantly, and all the beams of light disappeared, leaving behind nothing but spots of molten rocks—lava, it was called.
Cough!
"You buffoon!" Sylvester's voice echoed with a few bloody coughs. Of course, not everything was fine with his body.
The dust clouds were slowly settling, and the tens of thousands of cracks on the ground remained filled with violent red molten rocks. But slowly, peace was returning as the cries of birds reached their ears again.
Sylvester took a deep breath and walked while dragging one leg as if it was broken. His eyes, nose, mouth and ears were bleeding simultaneously.
He soon towered over to the Duke, who had fallen to the ground on his back. There were no arms anymore, though. Nor was there any blood since the light beam had also burned and sealed it.
Sylvester repeated the Duke's words. "Don't worry; I won't kill you, your grace."
"Aaaaargh! My arms!" The reality seeped in finally. "Y-You… What have you done!"
Sylvester also breathed heavily, having spent almost all of Solarium in him. So he knelt beside the armless body of the Duke and stared at him coldly. "I did what you deserved."
Scared, the Duke kicked his legs to get away. "W-What now?"
Sylvester took out a small knife from beneath his chest plate and held the Duke's head firmly on the ground. "You may not even know his name, but he is someone close to me. And you took from him something very important. They say, an eye for an eye makes the world blind. But, I say, if that's the price, it's justified—as long as it turns the world kind.
"So, Duke, let out all your cries—Because I'm taking your eyes."
"N-No, no, no… Aaaargh!"
400 GT = 1 Bonus chapter.
1 Super Gift = 1 Bonus chapter.
APE TOGETHER STRONG!
