Magus Supremacy

"Now I see why Gunther asked me to keep a lookout for the kid." The man on the rooftop muttered after watching Grey fling the beast several metres away.

A feat only Rivock had ever managed to casually perform until now.

"Shit." Grey cursed aloud as his knees suddenly buckled beneath him. His chest rose and fell rapidly, his eyes dilating as his breathing turned ragged.

'My Ki… my… my mana! They're gone.' He clutched at his chest, trembling in exhaustion, while Mada looked down at him with a single raised eyebrow.

It was understandable. Before this boss battle had even started, Grey had been locked in constant combat against endless waves of minions. He had been burning through his stamina, Ki, and mana without rest, forcing out skill after skill. Now, with the fight dragging on, his body had finally reached its breaking point.

"Damn." Noelle muttered under her breath as her gaze landed on her whip lying a few dozen metres away. Her legs trembled, and her weakened state made it impossible to retrieve it.

"What are you all doing? Kill the damn beast already!" Liam shouted in panic, his single eye wide as he pointed toward the Lycan that was already staggering back to its feet.

That careless comment made not only Mada's eyebrow twitch but Grey's as well. Both of them turned their exhausted, bloodshot glares toward the boy, their expressions screaming pure irritation.

"Oh, you just had to run your mouth." Ray sighed and casually stepped aside, as if to let the anger of the others settle fully on Liam.

But before any of the annoyed warriors could retort, the Lycan rose again, its monstrous chest still bleeding heavily, crimson dripping onto the ruined battlefield.

"Do you still have strength in you?" Mada asked, sparing a quick glance down at Grey.

"If I did, would I be on my knees? How dumb are you?!" Grey snapped back, facepalming himself in pure frustration.

Mada's nails dug into his palm until blood threatened to draw, his fury barely contained.

"I promise you this," he snarled, his voice low and venomous, "if we manage to get out of this alive, I will make your life a living nightmare in the academy. So watch your back."

The moment the descendant finished spitting his threat, the Lycan vanished in a blur.

In the blink of an eye, it appeared directly before the duo, its massive claws slicing through the air toward their heads.

'That was fast… too fast. I can't even move.' Mada and Grey thought in unison, their bodies freezing up under the pressure of the beast's killing intent.

"Honestly, even being at the rank of a Saint, your hits are still too weak to do anything to me. Tch!" A new voice scoffed, dripping with disdain, as the beast's claws hovered mere inches away from tearing through their faces.

"Explode." The same voice echoed again, calm yet commanding, followed by the sound of a casual snap of fingers.

RUMBLE!

TREMBLE!

BOOOOM!

The ground quaked violently as if the entire battlefield were about to collapse. Mada and Grey's eyes shot downward in alarm.

"Oh shit!" Mada yelled. Somehow, strength he thought was gone suddenly surged back into his muscles.

With a burst of speed, he grabbed Grey by the collar and flung him aside before leaping high into the air. He soared upward just in time as a massive explosion detonated beneath them.

The blast consumed everything, spanning several metres in all directions. The earth split and caved in under the sheer force, the shockwave rattling bones while a massive cloud of dust billowed outward.

From within that suffocating haze, a silhouette began to take shape. Footsteps echoed slowly, calmly, as if the explosion had been nothing more than an afterthought.

And then Rivock emerged.

The young descendant walked forward with a wild grin tugging at his lips, casually wiping the fresh blood from his ears and mouth. His eyes gleamed with a sinister light as he stopped just a few metres away from Grey and Mada, his presence heavier than before.

"Ri… Rivock? But how?" Mada asked, stunned. His eyes widened as he recalled how the direct descendant had been spasming helplessly on the ground only moments ago.

"Simple." Rivock smirked and tilted his head toward his friend, his sharp eyes glinting with confidence. "I used Ki to destroy whatever filth was in my body, then forced my Ki to patch up the damage. Though…" he exhaled, rolling his shoulder, "I don't have much Ki left after that little stunt I just pulled."

AWHOOOOO!

The Lycan's furious howl tore through the dust-choked battlefield. Its massive silhouette burst out of the fading smoke, rocketing toward Rivock with blistering speed.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have some payback to deliver." Rivock muttered, his grin widening.

Instantly, a longsword formed in his hands, forged entirely from condensed Ki. The golden blade shimmered with violent energy. At the perfect moment, Rivock swung it forward, clashing against the beast's claws. Sparks exploded as the force sent him skidding several inches backward, boots digging furrows in the ground.

The beast's jaws opened wide, its fangs glowing as it prepared to unleash destruction. Already knowing what was coming, Rivock leaped high into the air. Without wasting even a breath, he whipped his leg forward, releasing a huge slash of yellow Ki that tore through the air like a crescent moon.

The Lycan snapped its maws shut and darted sideways, narrowly avoiding the attack by the skin of its teeth. The slash crashed into the battlefield, carving a deep gouge into the earth and kicking up massive debris that clouded everyone's view.

"Nah! I ain't done with you yet!" Rivock howled from above, lifting his Ki sword high. He swung it down with devastating force, sending another enormous slash roaring toward the beast.

The Lycan snarled, swinging its claws to meet the attack head-on. The impact shook the ground. The raw power forced its furry feet to dig trenches into the dirt, its fangs bared as it strained against the slash.

The glowing wave of Ki cracked and splintered under the beast's resistance. Finally, it shattered into fragments. But Rivock was already there, right in front of the Lycan, waiting for the opening he had baited.

Without hesitation, he swung his foot forward in a brutal kick. Yet the beast proved faster—it lifted its massive leg and hammered it straight into Rivock's, the collision making a sickening crack.

"Arghh!" Rivock howled in pain as the shock rattled through his body. He staggered, his stance broken for a brief second. It was enough for the Lycan to raise its claws for a killing strike.

"Nope!" Mada roared as he bolted forward, his Ki erupting wildly. He thrust his sword upward just in time, intercepting the beast's descending claws.

CLAAANG!

The force flung him back instantly. Mada crashed into Rivock, and the two skidded violently across the ground for several metres before grinding to a halt. Mada collapsed to his knees, coughing up specks of blood, his chest heaving from the strain.

'I need to help more.' Grey thought, determination flashing in his weary eyes.

His pendant suddenly glowed, and a small pouch appeared in his hands. Without delay, he rummaged through it, pulling out three pills—one purple, one blue, and a green one. The first two he had painstakingly crafted himself, while the green pill was a rare find. Without hesitation, he shoved all three into his mouth and swallowed them down.

Then, crouching low, he unbuckled a strap around his feet. A loud thud echoed as something heavy dropped onto the ground, drawing the attention of everyone nearby. He repeated the process for his hands. Another heavy thud followed.

At last, the truth became clear—four hundred kilograms worth of weighted seals had just been shed from his body.

Grey twirled his hands slowly, feeling the rush of restored strength. The pills surged through his veins, filling him with newfound vigor as his Ki and mana rapidly restored to full potential.

"What's up, guys? A friendly competition, anyone?" Grey asked with a cocky grin stretching across his face.

Rivock chuckled at the sight and immediately dropped into a stance, the glimmer of battle-lust in his eyes. Mada only scoffed but his grip on his sword tightened, his body trembling with fresh determination.

"It's time to bring this furry dog down!" Grey shouted. His body blurred forward in a burst of speed—no, not just a blur. He moved like a lightning bolt streaking across the battlefield. Rivock wasn't far behind, charging with equal ferocity.

The hunt for the Lycan had truly begun.