295 Battle
A complex, silver-colored spell structure materialized on the ground as Silvus raised his hands. The structure began to multiply, replicating its pattern all around them.
To their sides and above, spell circles filled their view wherever they looked. Silvus clasped his hands together.
A wave of mana pulsed from him, each spell circle responding in kind with a similar wave of energy.
"..... Dispel," Silvus muttered at last.
The Black Dome, unaffected thus far by the clashes between the monster and Farnus, began to absorb into the silver spell circles.
Many of the radiant spell circles began to turn grey, but their efforts against the Entrapment Spell were successful.
Silvus's bright eyes dimmed, drained from using so much mana for this spell.
He hadn't fully recovered his mana from the previous battle, but he had enough to cast a spell powerful enough to shatter even a Peak SSS Rank Monster's entrapment spell, a feat only he could accomplish in a world without another SSS Rank Mage.
He had crafted this ultimate Mana Dispelling spell himself after researching the unique abilities of his own mana.
The pulses of mana could be felt by everyone present, their mana cores vibrating in response to Silvus's spell.
But this was not an offensive spell. Silvus designed this particular spell for the specific purpose of dispelling spells or entrapment spells.
Knowing that the Entrapment Spell didn't absorb mana, Silvus deduced that by severing the connection throughout the Black Dome, he could successfully shatter it.
Crack
Cracks began to appear in the pitch-black domain, signaling its imminent destruction. The Peak SSS Rank Monster sensed the shift.
Suddenly, the fiery eyes of the puppet SSS Rank Monsters below flared intensely, their body structures growing rigid.
BOOM BOOM
Both monsters targeted Osbert and Dexter, their attacks more aggressive than before, black whips emerging from their bodies.
"This feels much better," Dexter said as he pushed back the monster with a swing of his hammer.
Thanks to Silvus's still active spell, the effects of the Black Dome were diminishing, and they could feel some of their strength returning.
Crackle
The sound of crackling lightning and sparks appearing in the air reached all the Hunters present.
As their strength surged, so did Farnus's.
His power increased, intensifying his Golden Lightning Aura and causing sparks to fly around him. His eyes turned a clear blue.
The Peak SSS Rank Monster stared at Farnus as its black energy started becoming even more threatening.
Recognizing its adversary had grown stronger, the monster drew more power from the strange black stone.
The black stone was the Mana Core of the SSS Rank Monster that Xarax, Declan, and the SSS Rank Hunter from the Watson Family were battling.
It was this monster's ability to absorb or consume nearly dead SSS Rank Monsters, which were slightly stronger than itself, that had transformed it into the completely different monster it was now.
Roaring, the monster's black energy seethed out from its body, floating around it, making its intentions clear.
The Entrapment Spell had not been lifted yet, causing the monster to become enraged as it sensed a threat to its life.
Farnus charged, his spear countering the black energy, but their clash was a stalemate.
Neither of the two Peak SSS Rank beings yielded as they fought in the same space, teleporting from one location to another.
Farnus charged his spear, determined to target the black stone within the monster. He was certain that the Black Stone was the monster's weakness.
The monster's efforts to protect it were proof enough for Farnus to draw this conclusion.
Despite this, Farnus was wary of getting too close to the monster.
He knew that his Golden Lightning Aura could deflect the black element, but if he got too close, his aura might not be able to withstand and neutralize the black energy.
Even if Farnus had abandoned his 15 years of efforts, he wouldn't summon all of it back at any cost.
Despite the threat, he had no other option but to use his Ancient Rune and half of the Stormscale Armor.
Hence, his Crown of Light only had three spikes instead of the six he could usually produce.
His spear traced the same path over and over, but Farnus would randomly change its trajectory, making it impossible to predict his attack.
The only way to counter Farnus's spear art was to react quickly whenever he made his move.
If Nathan was hailed as the Sword God, then Farnus was recognized as the Spear God.
His spear art was sought after by elite families for their heirs, but Farnus turned down their offers.
He announced he would only teach his technique to his successor at the World Academy, and this person would be chosen from among its students.
"No point in struggling," Farnus muttered as he switched the spear to his left.
He slammed the spear down in midair, a wave of lightning spreading around them and sparks swirling in the air.
Some sparks made contact with the monster, burning its body upon contact.
Although the damage was minor, it was one of Farnus's skills that allowed him to slow down his enemy's senses and nerves.
It was a unique application of the lightning element. However, the lightning element alone wasn't enough to harm an SSS Rank Entity. That's where his Ancient Rune came into play.
Comparing Farnus's lightning to normal lightning was a slight to Farnus's legacy and his strength.
Those who had faced Farnus or fought against him at some point knew how different it felt to battle him.
Initially, everyone thought it was Farnus's bloodline ability, but when Farnus proposed the creation of the World Academy, he revealed his secret.
One of the things that people could never have imagined existed.
The Ancient Rune, the source of his Golden Lightning.
Silvus, who was floating in the air, lifted his hands as the cracks on the Black Dome continued to widen.
He glanced down, his amber eyes settling on the two SSS Rank Monsters below.
He raised his eyebrows as he noticed a mana connection forming between the two monsters.
When he looked above, he saw that it was connected to the monster Farnus was currently fighting.
Eye of the Archmage was a unique ability that only Silvus possessed among all the mages and hunters.
This unique ability, which he could only use for a very short time after pushing his Silver Mana to the extreme, allowed him to see mana, or more specifically, threads of mana.
Every single thing, living or nonliving, had a trace of mana inside it. But the pure mana that turned into elements was different from the mana that was present all around the world.
The Eye of the Archmage allowed Silvus to see that world with his naked eyes, a world only high-ranking Hunters could sense.
All SSS Rank Hunters could sense this world, but seeing it with their eyes was a completely different experience.
And right now, he could see a connection, albeit faint, between the monsters.
"What is it trying to achieve?" Silvus muttered, frowning.
"Kill them," Silvus instructed the other hunters, summoning countless fireballs around them.
"Easier said than done," Xarax replied as he tried to slash the monster with his sword, but it dodged his attack.
"Don't lose focus now," Dexter said as he reminded them, and cast another rune around him.
"We can end all of this soon," Dexter added.
The Silver Spell Circles all around the Black Dome had turned murky grey, and the Entrapment Spell was about to lift off.
All of them would soon be freed from the effects of the spell that had made them weaker.
Farnus glanced below as he could see that Silvus was almost done breaking the black dome, and he knew he needed to corner this monster as soon as possible.
If somehow this monster were to recreate the entrapment spell, it wouldn't bode well at all, considering nearly everyone was running low on mana.
The battle was entering its final moments, and it would soon decide who would survive in the end.
Unbeknownst to Farnus, he was fighting a monster that would soon run out of power derived from the Black Stone.
They were rushing the battle that could have been their win if they hadn't assumed the Monster to be an actual Peak SSS Rank Monster.
And if only...
Farnus Calmort had been fighting at his full strength.
