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n“You’re quite good, half-elf.”

nCode 19’s voice resonated near Ali’s ear, laced with amusement as if a venomous snake were flicking its tongue.

n“Among level 3 magi, you’re the first to capture my movements. I’m beginning to wonder what your brain is made of, capable of supporting such levels of reaction and deduction.”

n“When you’re dead, I’ll open it up and see for myself.”

nCode 19’s voice was gentle, but the cruelty in his words sent shivers down the spine.

nAli, exerting force on her hand, pushed Code 19’s shortsword aside and advanced, her eyes fixed on the obscure face beneath the dark cloak, her gaze filled with anger and brilliant gold.

nA stroke of gold suddenly appeared amidst the azure mana ripples, causing the entire mana pattern to vibrate at high speed.

nOverclocking.

nThis was a mana technique Ali rarely used, characterized by an outburst of spirit that controlled mana to oscillate intensely, creating a thin but incredibly sharp blade.

nBy utilizing the oscillation of mana, even a wooden sword could rival those made of fine steel in sharpness, because it’s not the sword itself that cuts, but the mana enveloping the blade’s surface.

nHowever, this technique significantly drains mana.

nAli’s mana capacity was not outstanding, merely above average.

nUsing such a technique like overclocking would quickly deplete her mana, leaving her essentially defenseless.

nHum—

nThis was the sound of the mana blade activating.

nA dazzling golden light swept up from the hilt, slicing through the air in an instant, causing an odd distortion at the point where their visions intersected.

nThis was the air being split by the oscillating mana, dispersing outward then refilling inward under the invisible hand of natural laws, forming a miniature cycle of disruption.

nAlmost simultaneously with the golden light flashing across Ali’s sword, Code 19 withdrew, his form distorting and fluctuating like a phantom.

nIt seemed as though Code 19 was moving between the gaps in time, effortlessly evading Ali’s counterattack with a mere flicker, reappearing some twenty meters away.

nWith his shortsword angled towards the ground, a light azure mana mist rose around Code 19.

nMana itself is attribute-less, but through a magus’s transformation, it can take on various characteristics, forming the foundation of a magus’s abilities.

nTaking Ali as an example, her mana is compatible with both energy-based and sculpting properties, allowing for rapid shaping and efficient conversion into pure energy for outward radiation.

nHence, Ali’s combat style typically involves mid-to-close range hit-and-run tactics, rather than engaging in close-quarters combat or actively maintaining distance.

nThe former would waste the potential of energy-based properties, while the latter would render sculpting properties useless and provide ranged opponents with opportunities for counterattacks.

nIn essence, a magus’s mana characteristics determine their combat style.

nFrom the previous battle, Code 19 is undoubtedly a pure enhancing magus, with mana traits focused on the augmentation of the body and objects.

nThis explains why the seemingly rust-covered shortsword in his hand could withstand so many collisions between them.

nFor a purely enhancing magus, distance is indeed life.

nOnce the distance is created, they essentially lose the ability to counter, left only with passive defense.

nAt this thought, Ali raised her sword while her left hand already aimed at Code 19’s position, mana coalescing into a fist-sized orb of blue and gold light.

nThis was a technique she had devised by combining her sculpting trait with her energy-based trait.

nBy using her sculpting ability to compensate for the energy’s tendency to disperse and not easily condense, and then leveraging the astonishing conversion ratio between mana and singular energy, she could unleash an attack that was uniform in attribute but powerful in force.

nSuch an attack not only required little preparation time but also was powerful while consuming minimal mana.

nWhile it might not easily achieve victory against magi with composite abilities, it generally held an advantage against magi like Code 19, whose abilities were more singular.

nHowever, until just now, Code 19 had, by virtue of his superior speed, prevented Ali from having any opportunity to use this move.

nBut now, Code 19’s deliberate withdrawal finally presented Ali with a chance.

nA chance to turn the tide!

n“Thorn Strike.”

nA plain name, as all Ali’s techniques were—simple and easy to remember, yet always leaving a profound impression.

nFirst, a slender beam of light appeared between her palm and Code 19. .𝒎

nThe beam itself bore no offensive power but served as a guide for the subsequent attack.

nIf the initial beam did not lock onto the target, the follow-up attack could hardly be considered targeted, amounting to nothing more than flailing around.

nThe beam’s extension seemed to require no time at all; with a single flicker from Ali’s palm, the beam was fully formed.

nAnd by this point, Code 19 had only just begun to make his evasive maneuver.

nA torrential surge of energy erupted!

nIt was a ribbon of multicolored light, predominantly orange-red, with streaks of vivid, brilliant deep blue.

nThis was because, this time, Ali had not used a singular type of energy but had harnessed the slight reaction between two types of energy, attempting to further enhance the attack power of Thorn Strike.

nThe results looked promising.

nThe ribbon of light struck its target without any hindrance, Code 19 barely managing any form of defense.

nWas it resolved?

nAli, panting, didn’t lower her left hand but began to gather mana once again.

nThe ribbon of light ultimately exploded due to energy imbalance, the resulting dust cloud obstructing Ali’s vision, preventing her from determining Code 19’s current state.

nSuddenly, something broke through the flying dust.

nA vague shadow in the air, like a blade cutting a slit through the dust, then vanished from Ali’s perception in an instant.

nThis was an attack!

nWithout any hesitation, Ali lunged forward.

nAlmost the next moment, something whizzed past her back, the cold breeze from the blade tensing every nerve in Ali’s body!

nAli rolled to her feet, looking back at where she had just been standing.

nCode 19.

nCode 19 with a severely injured left arm, his shoulder pierced through!

nThat move had come unexpectedly; Code 19 had not anticipated that Ali possessed a mid-range attack method.

nCaught off guard and by the time he reacted, Ali had already launched her attack.

nIn the final moment, Code 19 only managed to dodge the attack aimed directly at his face, but the rest of his body was not so lucky, and the ribbon of light ultimately struck him.

nHis shoulder, unable to evade in time, was pierced through.

nThis was far beyond a mere flesh wound; without prompt treatment, Code 19 might very well lose the use of that arm.

nPain, intense pain, like being torn apart! Code 19 licked his lips, his gaze becoming as ferocious as a wounded beast, baring his teeth in a grimace.

nHow long had it been since he last sustained an injury?

nA month? Two months? Half a year?

nIt had certainly been a considerable length of time.

nWith his extraordinary speed, even when facing opponents he could not defeat, he always managed to escape a step ahead.

nBut today, here, just now, a level 3 magus made him bleed.

nTruly, how interesting.

nCode 19 raised his hand to touch the wound, a red light flickered, and his body trembled slightly.

nAli caught the scent of burning flesh.

nCode 19 used mana to generate high heat, cauterizing the blood vessels near the wound.

nThis method was crude but effective, though the pain it inflicted was not something just anyone could endure.

nAli took a slight step back, suddenly feeling that her use of Thorn Strike had been a mistake.

nShe should have followed up with another strike!

n“Half-elf, I admit, you are a worthy warrior,” Code 19 straightened up, raising his hand to remove the hood from his head, revealing the young face hidden underneath.

nHe appeared to be in his early twenties, with an exaggerated scar stretching almost across his entire face, from below one eye to the other.

n“I will use all my techniques, employ all my tactics, to defeat you thoroughly, to kill you!”

nThe protective mana on Code 19’s shortsword dissipated, but the mana reaction from his body began to escalate, setting off alarms in Ali’s instincts like a screaming kettle.

nIridescent cyan and purple mana patterns meandered across Code 19’s face, while in the depths of his eyes, a pale blue flame burned quietly.

nHis muscles writhed, and Code 19’s stature stretched upwards, growing half a foot taller in a single breath, breaking past two meters.

nHis limbs’ muscles became more pronounced, the joints and major bone structures deformed, and the nails on his fingertips thickened and mutated, almost turning into the claws of a monster.

nWith a light clink, Code 19’s dagger dropped to the ground.

nHis hands flexed, claws continuing to evolve.

nThough not as glaringly bright as a blade, Ali had no doubt that those seemingly dull claws would unleash astonishing destructive power under Code 19’s now tremendous strength.

nAli recognized Code 19’s current state.

nMana boiling over, mutating!

nUpdated from .𝘤𝘰

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