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nAt the side, two converging people fight. Farren gleefully accepted Lukas's blows and returned them to him, vice versa. He then threw another punch which was then caught by Lukas, who in turn, didn't want to let go of it.

nHe gritted his teeth and tried to snatch his hand back which was futile. He can't even budge an inch of it. Lukas's lips twisted upward into a grin and delivered a blow on Farren's stomach. The full brunt of it was received by him and almost made him hurl. It hurt like hell. Like his insides got pounded by a hammer that weighed a ton. Even so, it heightened Farren's vigor even more.

nBefore Farren could retaliate, Lukas was already grappling his outstretched hand. Black flames slithered upwards Farren's like tendrils of vines, burning his sleeves, licking his exposed skin, scorching him. It tried to swallow his arms whole and if it was any normal person, they would have already got burned to ashes.. The man laughed out loud again, as if he was insane, and tried to do what he did.

nFarren made his version of flames, bloody red in color, and grappled with his black inferno. Lukas's eyes widened for a fraction upon seeing him copying his flames and skills before a grin rose to his lips.

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"That's it, entertain me more,

" he remarked, feeling more and more thrilled.

nIt was the first time that he had seen someone mimicking his flames, though not as exact as his, it was still interesting nevertheless.

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"How about you give me your mana instead?

" Was Farren's response.

nSaying that, he then proceeded to absorb the mana that was flowing on Lukas's hands, making it his own by storing it on the crystal. He couldn't do the same to those dark flames which were stubbornly persistent. The fire was inching away, hissing at him as if they were alive.

n'Is that his anima? An anima with consciousness? Ahh, Master! I found a special individual!'

nHe suddenly wanted to hurry and subjugate this person so he could present him to his master. But from the state of things, this fight with him is his defeat. He couldn't win against him since the beginning, even more so upon knowing that important piece of information. It was only at this moment that he had met someone as strong as him that even his anima is in the topmost hierarchy, the rarest of all.

nLukas was again, surprised by Farren's trick. He could feel his power leaving his body and getting sucked by the person in front of him. If it was others, they would have panicked by now, but not Lukas. He marveled at the newfound discovery and did not even bother to resist.

nIt was Farren's turn to clutch on him tightly, greedily drawing in his mana.

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"Interesting… Very interesting…

" Lukas muttered, eyes glinting in fascination.

nJust then, the blank ink that was peeking on the side of his neck glowed hotly and his eyes reflected the heat coming from his tattoo. His mana count suddenly shot up to the roof and steadily increased as seconds passed, overwhelming his opponent. His flames also grew bigger and larger, to the point that it looked like it's going to swallow both of them whole.

nIt wasn't only that, Lukas had this look of glee as he firmly grasped Farren's fist that was clinging onto him, not wanting to let him get away. Farren sensed the impending threat, even the two from the side who were also in the middle of a clash.

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"Then try to take it all away from me, if you can,

" Lukas declared and unleashed a fraction of his power.

nThe storm of mana made a shockwave in the air and shook the ground for the second time. Ezekiel, who had already wounded his opponent, stabbed his sword on the ground to prevent himself from being blown away. The poor subordinates who had their stamina dramatically dropped off, couldn't shield themselves from the onslaught of Lukas's power.

nJanus isolated the battleground immediately. If it went on without him doing that, the royal hall would definitely collapse from the pressure and undoubtedly kill everyone inside. He was sighing as he did and gazed at the spectacle in front of him.

nNo one knew what was running in his mind as he watched, but he did click his tongue in annoyance. He glanced at the hall and heard the commotion inside. The nobility was definitely going out of their minds from fear and panic.

nHis golden irises then flickered towards the north, sensing something, or was it, someone? It wasn't just that, he could also sense dark magic from the hall. It hung overhead like a net, ensnaring everyone inside. He hummed to himself, deliberating on his supposed actions onward. Having to come up with a decision, he summoned a magic circle. It appeared on the ground just below him, thrumming with power.

nClosing his eyes, he muttered a sort of prayer, addressed to the object of his faith. His eyes then flashed open and his body split. No, he didn't split. Another person with identical features separated off him. It was Janus's parallel existence.

nNow, there were two of them. They both emit the same aura and carry the same air. His other self then wordlessly made his way towards the royal hall and would then take care of things there. Janus then stabilized Ezekiel's surroundings so he wouldn't get caught in the turbulence.

nEzekiel sighed dramatically and glanced at Janus.

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"Thank you, Lord Janus,

" he remarked and then straightened his body.

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"The hall must be in an uproar from the consecutive earthquakes just now. You should go and calm them down, your highness,

" Janus suggested so.

nEzekiel just then remembered that there was a ball and mentally cursed to himself. He threw his opponent a quick look to confirm that he had no longer any strength remaining to fight. The said man is kneeling on the ground, bleeding profusely from his missing limb and the deep gash on his torso.

nHis final attack not only injured him but also destroyed the jewel, which was the source of his power.

n'Should I kill him? But we need valuable information…'

nHis eyes then landed on the brawl not far from him. Lukas looked like a demon that crawled out of hell now.

nHe hesitated for a moment, not wanting to leave so soon, wanting to watch more but his sense of duty was screaming after him. If the chaos from the hall won't get addressed, who knows how much damage it would give to the people.

nEzekiel composed himself and dusted his suit off. He then noticed that it doesn't look that crisp anymore and he would surely appear as if he just came out of a fight, which is true in a way.

n'Should I go back and change clothes? But that would take too long… Damn it. Why didn't I think of preparing one beforehand?'

nHe sighed and brushed it off instead. He'll just have to come up with more excuses if they ever asked. Thus, Ezekiel started to walk away, not even sparing any attention to his opponent anymore. He is that confident that he won't be able to escape. Also, there's still Janus anyway.

nAs he was about to pass the magician, Janus snapped his fingers and made his clothes look brand new again.

nHe was obviously spooked, not anticipating it.

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"I-- uhh… Wow... Ahem, thank you,

" he grumbled.

nJanus snickered. It was a basic spell, no sweat at all but he acted like it was the **.

n'How naive…'

nEzekiel had left and Janus turned his attention back to the fight again, which was already nearing its end.

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