Nathan


    Year 2851 | Month 3 | Day 23


    “I couldn’t give less of a damn about the Republic,” Artorius declares while staring up at the ceiling, making me briefly wonder if he’s just venting at this point and doesn’t care who he’s talking to. “The Republic has been nothing but a tool for me to use. One to destroy the Hunter family.” A frown crests his face. “But then that damned Dead King had to show his bony face and cause this damned war.”


    Wasn’t that your doing?


    “Thanks to the war, my plans for revenge have been put on hold and I’ve been stuck fighting this entire time,” Artorius grunts out with his frown quickly turning into a scowl. “And now I’m stuck here missing an arm and sealed away in my own base.”


    I glance at the missing arm in question, which makes me wonder why he has both of his swords here despite only having one arm. Unless he plans on using magic to…


    My thoughts are interrupted when an arm made out of anti-magic mana forms where his original arm should be. Then he reaches out and grabs both blades, making me immediately draw my own blades.


    But he doesn’t use the blades right now. All he does is pull them to him and stab them into the ground to stare at them.


    “I can’t let everything I’ve done go to waste, even if the Republic itself burns to the ground,” Artorius continues with a growing fervent look on his face that sends chills down my spine. “Even if it means I die later, I won’t lie down and die now.”


    The man suddenly starts activating several spells that begin to coat his blades in anti-magic mana. But I don’t just sit here anymore as I rush forwards and slash at him with both of my blades while making a massive explosion of death flames all around the central chamber.


    Only for a burst of anti-magic mana to shoot out of him with a magic circle appearing at his feet, sending me flying straight towards the wall as my death flames are extinguished like a birthday cake candle. Then the man finally stands up with his blades in his hands – magic hand and actual hand – and turns his fervent and angry gaze towards me.


    “I don’t care if you’re immortal, if you cannot die, or even if I can’t capture you,” Artorius declares, his face pretty much insane at this point. “I don’t care if I die in the future so I couldn’t give less of a shit about immortality. But will you be okay…” he pauses as he raises one of his swords and a large spell circle appears behind him, “…in another plane?”


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    My eyes widen in shock as an enormous amount of mana is used to open what looks like a plane to the mana plane of anti-magic. A plane filled to the brim with black and red mana.


    Holy fucking shit, this guy is planning on tossing me into another plane…


    Well there goes our plan.


    I immediately inform the others about what’s going on, after which they all begin to break in, destroying the ceiling of this chamber and rushing in from above. One Class A magician after another, along with two Class S magicians.


    And judging by how long it took them to get here – which was instantly – they probably started rushing here before I even asked. Likely having sensed the rift to the mana plane opening.


    “You think this changes anything?!” Artorius shouts, his voice echoing all around the ceilingless chamber. “How about you all join him?!”


    A powerful air vacuum begins to draw everyone and everything nearby into the large rift.


    But before it can grow powerful enough to actually draw in more than a couple unfortunate Class A magicians, ice begins to form all around it. Freezing everything in its vicinity. And when the Chairman tries to rush at it to shatter the ice with brute force along with his mana, I rush towards him with my own blades raised.


    He turns around at the last minute and brings both of his mana infused blades to clash with mine. And to his surprise, our clash actually turns out to be about equal. At which point he seems to return a lot of his attention to me instead of the Class S magicians currently focusing on keeping that rift frozen.


    From what I can tell, the only thing that will actually close the rift is to either kill Artorius or to make him drop the spell keeping it open. Since he didn’t have the mana to tear a hole between the mana plane and the mortal plane, nor is he able to do that right now with his injuries and the anti-magic spell placed on his body.


    So we repeatedly clash with our blades one strike after another. During which time I quickly realize that he’s a better swordsman than I am. Which I guess makes sense seeing as he’s older and a Class S magician who specializes in swordsmanship.


    On the other hand I barely use real swordsmanship anymore. I’ve just been overwhelming most of my opponents with brute strength from my status as a vampire.


    My old swordsmanship instructor would be disappointed.


    Fortunately for me, the other Class A magicians here who haven’t been drawn into the rift are all attacking as well using spells. But the spells that hit Artorius personally just dissipate the moment they make contact with him. So the only attacks that actually do anything are the ones that hit his blades.


    And even those just serve to knock his blades off of their original target.


    Which is enough for me to make some headway in the battle. Or at least enough to keep me from being overwhelmed too badly.


    At most I’ve caused a few minor cuts on him with my blades. Which is more than the other magicians can manage with that spell on him.


    Then things take a surprising turn when he begins to speed up.