Heat seared through the atmosphere as the dark flames converged together.

As Kissel prepared the Grand Fireball, he rose high into the air and looked down on the young boy that stood beneath him.

‘This kid…’ His thoughts trailed as he narrowed his eyes.

Neron’s confident demeanor somewhat unnerved Kissel, causing the old man to feel a little hesitation coiling within his heart.

He couldn’t help but wonder if the boy had some sort of way to escape his current predicament.

‘No. I should stop thinking useless thoughts.’

Time was running out, and while their leader had made it clear that he would ensure the retired Grand Mage wouldn’t be available for a certain period of time, it was still better to complete the task quickly.

There was no room for playing around.

‘He’s survived all my attacks this far. He’ll survive this one too…’

Kissel launched the Grand Fireball towards Neron, a wide grin appearing on his face.

Then—

“H-huh…?”

Kissel felt something pulling him close.

It felt like an irresistible force that he could not perceive or understand.

Before he even realized it, his body was yanked from the air and dragged near the ground.

… Towards Neron!

‘W-what did he just—?!’

The Fireball was already fast approaching Neron, yet the boy wasn’t moving from his position.

Instead, he stood his ground and stared straight at Kissel, who was quickly nearing him.

‘Is he trying to make me collide with the Fireball? In that case—!’ Kissel activated Dark Ripple and transformed into his Misty state.

That was his big mistake.

~VWUUSH!~ 𝘪𝘦.𝘤𝑜

Kissel suddenly found himself unable to control his intangible body at all.

Instead, he felt an insurmountable pressure weigh in on him—like a restraint that he could not shake off.

‘T-this is… Mana?!’

Lots of Mana—so dense that it felt unreal—surrounded Kissel and held his body together.

He was sent straight for the very Fireball he tried to avoid so desperately.

‘Hmph! That won’t work! I’ll just pass through it!’ Kissel grinned internally as he watched the brat.

He still wasn’t sure how such a kid could control Mana to such an extent—bending so many rules in conventional Magic—but his efforts were all in vain.

He still wouldn’t be able to get him with this much.

“It’s over.” Neron’s soft voice reached his ears, causing his eyes to turn bloodshot.

He took a good look at Neron’s eyes and found something locked inside.

—Cold confidence.

It seemed as though the boy was already guaranteed of his victory.

‘B-but why?! The fireball won’t hit me! I’m invincible . I am—!’

Suddenly, Kissel began to feel something strange occur.

‘What’s happening… to me..?!’

The Mana that had surrounded him was now seeping into his Misty form, becoming one with it.

If that was all, then perhaps it could have been ignored.

But the Mana was fighting him.

‘He’s using raw Mana to attack?! And I can’t do anything to stop it!’

Kissel felt sweat all over his body despite his inability to produce any in his current form.

‘I-if this keeps up… I’ll die!’

As the fiery heat approached him in all its intensity, burning through everything in its destructive descent, the old man realized the ugly truth.

He had been played all along!

‘If I undo my Magic, the flames will hit me, but if I remain in this state, his Mana will consume me, and it’ll be the end of me.’

Both options seemed lethal, but it was clear to Kissel which portion was more preferable.

“Damn youuuu!!!” He deactivated his Original Magic and created a massive barrier to protect himself from the ball of flames that collapsed on him.

“Guh!”

It was difficult, especially considering how much power he put into it, but Kissel endured.

He comforted himself with the thought of torturing the boy who had subjected him to this humiliation once the time was right.

‘I’ll make you beg for dea—!’

~SQUELCH!~

Before Kissel could conclude his thought, he felt a blade pierce through his chest from behind him.

‘E-eh…?!’

The blade was made from Mana—the boy’s Mana.

Kissel mechanically turned his face to look down at the boy who had both his hands stretched upward.

He couldn’t believe it.

‘H-he’s remotely controlling his Mana?!’

Before Kissel could have another thought, he felt something vibrating in his hand.

It was his staff—or rather, the crimson stone that sat on top of it.

It was trembling violently, almost as if it was about to burst.

‘N-no! The Blood Stone! What is he doing to the Blood Stone!’

Kissel must have known what was happening deep down, but he didn’t want to accept it.

He couldn’t!

How was he supposed to believe that a mere child could overload his ultimate Blood Stone with his Mana alone?

That was impossible!

“IT’S IMPOSSI—!”

~BOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM!!!~

*********

An eruption painted the sky in a mix of red and black, both explosions clashing with each other as they made fireworks up ahead.

Kissel’s body was completely obliterated by the intense flames, and his death arrived before he could think or say anything else.

The explosion of the Blood Stone, along with the chaos of the fireball, sent a shockwave speeding across the entire estate.

The result was a devastation that sent even Neron crashing on the ground.

“Haa… haaa…”

Breathing heavily, nearly wheezing, Neron recoiled from the pain he was feeling.

Since he couldn’t use healing Magic, and he also needed a lot of Mana to interfere with Kissel’s Magic and overall remotely control his Mana, he felt completely drained. 𝑖𝘳𝑎.𝒸ℴ𝘮

The wounds he sustained were currently closed thanks to his Mana, but Neron could only wonder how much longer that would last.

‘At the very least… I won.’

He gave a slight chuckle and his blurry eyes darted to the mansion.

‘I need to go back… to the Sanctuary!’

Before he could rise and take a single step, however, multiple presences suddenly surrounded him.

‘H-huh…? What is this?!’

They numbered about twenty, and the intense pressure they exuded made his entire body grow weak and numb.

It was at this moment that Neron realized his own predicament.

‘I can’t move!’

.𝒎