Chapter 453 – Magic

Legendary—this was an utterly unreasonable level, for the most defining characteristic of legendary power was… its ability to alter the laws of physics.

In the universe, both matter and energy must operate according to the “laws”—for instance, the speed of light in a vacuum is 3*10^8 meters per second, and it must travel at this exact speed, neither faster nor slower.

However, legendary spells could precisely change these fundamental physical constants!

At this very moment, the “Legendary Conjuration – Directional Interference” cast by the Magic Raven Vector upon Kane was a perfect example. This powerful spell forcibly altered the fundamental constants in the region where Kane was located.

During the duration of the “Directional Interference” spell, matter, energy, and space enveloped by the multicolored halo would undergo spontaneous directional changes. The physical law stating that “matter and energy must move in the direction of applied force” was brutally overwritten to “matter and energy must deviate from the direction of Sorsend”!

Thus, unless countered by law-altering power of equivalent level, no matter how fast Kane’s lance accelerated, how much force it carried, or how close he was to Sorsend—he couldn’t so much as graze a single hair on Sorsend’s body!

At this critical juncture, thanks to the Magic Raven Vector’s timely casting of the legendary spell “Directional Interference,” Kane’s confident strike not only missed entirely but also left him exposed in a perilous position.

Just as Kane’s lance plunged deep into the earth’s crust, Sorsend—who had anticipated this outcome—revealed a sinister grin on his face.

On the battlefield, no plan was set in stone; only “victory” or “survival” constituted the ultimate objectives of combat. If eliminating the enemy most efficiently required improvisation, Sorsend had no qualms about adapting “spontaneously.”

Therefore, upon seeing Kane charging toward him while Punk displayed an expression of “letting him die” indifference, Sorsend instantly recognized that the cooperation between Punk and Kane was far from solid. In that moment, he conceived a killing intent toward this knight suddenly rushing at him. Having thoroughly investigated the enmity between Punk and Ovakain, Sorsend even envisioned a more promising scenario:

If… he could eliminate this troublesome knight here, then leverage the certainty of Ovakain attacking Punk first to eliminate the more tricky mage… wouldn’t dealing with the half-dead black dragon afterward be manageable alone? Then why risk summoning a Demon Sub-Lord’s Projection!

All these calculations crystallized within the split-second of Kane’s charge. Driven by this “most efficient hunting” consideration, Sorsend decisively chose to use himself as bait to eliminate Kane. Though somewhat risky, Sorsend believed his choice was justified.Therefore, just as Kane realized he had been struck by an extremely peculiar spell (he didn’t recognize it as a Legendary-level spell), before he could even begin to analyze or contemplate its effects, Sorsend’s face—illuminated by magical radiance—looked down upon him with a cold sneer:

“Child… do you enjoy dreaming?”

Master Mind Spell – Dream Traveler!

A phantom-like bird unfurled its wings from Sorsend’s withered palm, swirling shadows accompanied by faint, drifting mist and ethereal chirps. This manifestation of the Dream Traveler spell swiftly flew toward Kane’s body.

Dream Traveler was a Master-level mind spell specifically designed to infiltrate the psyche and soul. Its relatively slow projectile speed required the caster to be in close proximity to the target, a flaw that made it an unpopular choice among spells.

But… unpopular didn’t mean it was weak.

In fact, Dream Traveler ranked among the most potent Master-level mind spells. Its mental nature allowed it to bypass many physical defenses, while victims would find their consciousness randomly shifting between reality and intensely vivid illusions for an extended duration. Most would eventually lose combat capability after failing to distinguish illusion from reality.

Leaving no room for reaction, the experienced Sorsend had cast the spell almost simultaneously with Kane’s missed thrust—precisely when the knight was within optimal range for Dream Traveler to take full effect.

Meanwhile, Punk observed Kane’s predicament from a distance with undisturbed composure.

In Punk’s hands, equally powerful spells had already been prepared! However… both were offensive spells aimed directly at Sorsend!

“Master Conjuration – Velocity Kinetic Cone”!

Metamagic – Mana Compression

Metamagic – Dualcast

Master Evocation – Order Surround!

Indeed, when Kane charged toward Sorsend, Punk hadn’t entertained the slightest thought of warning him—even though he clearly knew the magic raven Vector possessed the capability to unleash a Legendary spell as a trump card. He simply watched calmly as Kane thrust his inevitably futile attack toward Sorsend.

No explanations were needed. Just like Sorsend, Punk subscribed to the notion that “no plan survives contact with the enemy”!

The moment Kane lunged forward, Punk had already intended to use him as bait to expose Sorsend’s openings.

If possible, Punk dearly hoped to eliminate Sorsend before Ovakain could intervene. Though the likelihood was slim… Kane’s current “sacrifice” had reignited a spark of possibility within him.

In terms of pure combat strength, Punk acknowledged his current inferiority to Sorsend. In a one-on-one duel, unless Sorsend made critical errors, defeat would inevitably be Punk’s fate.But now he possessed an overwhelmingly massive advantage over Sorsend—one so great it could turn the tide of battle: the advantage of intelligence.

Punk was making full use of this intelligence advantage with the two spells he was currently casting.

He knew very well that the reason Sorsend could confidently and brazenly attempt to kill Kane was not because he was unprepared for Punk, but because Sorsend had ample confidence in intercepting Punk’s sudden assault.

His confidence was by no means unfounded. According to the intelligence Punk had obtained, even while Sorsend was casting “Dream Traveler” to target Kane, the Master-Level Advent Magic spell “Touch of Chaos,” solidified in his menacing staff, was more than enough to instantly intercept one of Punk’s attacks. Even if it couldn’t fully neutralize the assault, this spell would buy Sorsend enough time to calmly evade.

Thus, Sorsend showed not the slightest fear of Punk’s spellcasting. He continued to maintain his casting of “Dream Traveler” against Kane, while secretly, this cunning mage remained ever-ready to activate “Touch of Chaos” for interception.

Generally speaking, with such a powerful interception method at his disposal, Sorsend would face little danger unless his enemy employed a specifically countering spell. And it was from this that Sorsend drew his confidence:

“The super-magic technique of ‘Dual Casting’ is so difficult to master—what are the chances that an enemy I, Sorsend, encounter just happens to know ‘Dual Casting’?”

“Even if my enemy knows super-magic casting, would they really forgo enhancing their primary offensive spell’s power in favor of attaching a counter-spell that has an eighty percent chance of being useless?”

“And even if they suddenly lost their minds and attached a counter-spell to their primary offensive spell… with millions of spells in existence, could the counter-spell you, Punk, attach possibly be ‘Circle of Order’—the one spell that perfectly counters ‘Touch of Chaos’?”

Hmm, from a probabilistic standpoint, Sorsend’s reasoning was quite scientific, and his response wasn’t flawed.

But… unfortunately, reality would soon prove to Sorsend—this is a world of magic!

(End of Chapter)