“Will you do it or should I?”

Serah glanced at Neron in response to his question. His eyes seemed somewhat distracted, but he didn’t lose sight of their objective.

“I think I’ll handle—”

“Such hubris.” The deep and commanding tone of Reed Sterling interrupted Serah.

He was floating in the air, at this point. His body burned with such concentrated energy that everything around him was simply eviscerated.

The ground kept melting and breaking apart, while space warped in response to the abundant Mana emanating from his body.𝓞𝑣𝑙xt.𝚌𝐎𝗆

Reed Sterling’s appearance had also changed. He now donned a staff that seemed to have been constructed with millions of Mana Cores, due on the sheer concentration of energy around it. Reed’s garb was now glowing bright blue.

His eyes glowed a brilliant blue as well, and veins of blue energy appeared all over his skin and face—like cracks on a charred surface.

‘His body probably can’t handle that much Mana indefinitely.’ Neron thought to himself while making this observation.

“I could take both of you on, and nothing would change.” Reed pointed his staff at them and narrowed his eyes.

In an instant, he could completely destroy them with such a high-density Mana that the entire area would explode—for miles, at least.

“I’ll give you one last chan—”

“Just shut up and attack already.” Serah’s tone sounded impatient, with hints of annoyance.

Her smile didn’t seem very friendly, and her furrowed brow already indicated that she as in a foul mood.

“Tch. You fools. Very well!”

Reed tried to think about what made the two so defiant towards him. He had just displayed how superior he was compared to them, yet…

… Why hadn’t they surrendered.

‘No matter. The results remain the same.’

Truthfully, he had always harbored a special kind of dislike for both Neron and Serah.

They were still so young, yet they had achieved such magnificent powers. Serah became a Grand Mage in her twenties, and Neron settled for being a teacher even though he was just as qualified.

It made no sense to him, who had worked his whole life to get to such a level.

Sure, they had history together, and Reed didn’t necessarily hate them. Rather, they represented the very injustice he despised in reality. They were the bane of his existence.

Thus, perhaps wiping them out would be for the best.

‘I’ll interfere with any Magic they plan on using by completely saturating the area with my Mana. No defensive Spell should be able to work too, and their bodies will be ravaged by Mana Shock. Original Magic would be overkill, so I’ll just destroy them with enough power to erase everything nearby.’

The durability of the Arcana would make it unscathed after his assault, thus granting him absolute victory.

Nothing could stand in the way of absolute power. Reed had learned that the hard way.

“Die.”

>BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!<

As expected, the entire landscape became engulfed in complete destruction.

Miles upon miles of devastation spread across the area as the sheer force of Reed’s single attack consumed everything around him.

‘I could never have dreamed of something like this in my prime.’ He smiled, watching the cloud of smoke ascend.

Unlike most members of the Cult—or people generally—Reed Sterling was well aware of the abilities of both Neron and Serah.

He knew their powers in detail, and he had realized the futility of trying to counter them.

Neron controlled time, while Serah’s destructive abilities were off the charts.

If he decided to take out Serah—who was easier to deal with—first, Neron could reverse the situation and come to her aid. That meant he had to go first.

Unfortunately, Serah became stronger the more her opponent did, and he didn’t want to have to deal with her in Invincible.

‘I’m way more powerful, but if this becomes a battle of attrition, I’m not sure if my body will be able to keep up with this power for as long as she can. Then again, I could just destroy her in one shot.’

Rather than risk anything, Reed decided to finish them off at the same time.

By overwhelming them with his Mana and completely saturating the environment with the energy he was emitting, any kind of Magic they tried to perform would be completely suppressed by his power.

Neron and his Time Magic. Serah and her destructive Magic.

Everything would be nerfed, giving him the perfect moment to obliterate them.

Sure, they had an Arcana with them, but it took time to learn to control one. Since he attacked them the moment they discovered it, the two were practically done for.

He had won…

… At least on paper.

‘Hm? What is… this?!’ His thoughts rang out as he instantly sensed two life signatures amid the destruction he had caused.

Reed Sterling’s mind was in an instant state of confusion, and a bead of sweat suddenly fell from his face.

‘What? Why? How? I don’t—!!!’

>BOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMM<

Before his mind could even process the situation in order to answer the list of questions that boggled him, a sharp eruption emerged from underneath him, and a crimson blur appeared.

The blur, in the shape of a woman, swiftly headed towards Reed, closing their distance in a flash.

The levitating man could do nothing but slowly widen his eyes as he tried to react. Everything was so shocking and unexpected that he fumbled in his next action.

>WHOOOOOOOOOOSSSHHHH<

Before he could get a grip, the crimson human was already right in front of him.

“Hey…” Her voice sounded grave and dangerous, causing the old man’s heart to race in surprising worry.

“Keuk!” Fortunately, he loved his life too much to hesitate this time.

Stretching forth his staff in order to attempt another blast, Reed charged up the overflowing Mana he had and sent it flying at her.

Sure, it was too close for comfort, but he swiftly erected a dense barrier to act as security.

‘Die! Now!’

“I don’t think so!” In a swift motion, the blur sent her fist charging at the beam that had enough power to destroy anything it touched for miles.

An obviously foolish move.

However—

>BOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMM!!!<

It was the beam that was instantly destroyed by the woman’s crimson fist.