Healing System

Michael kept being barraged by spells, even though he had many shields up and plenty of swords to cover him. Due to their peculiar abilities, he was not able to counterattack much.

The previous group had not been able to dispel his spells, but these guys managed to do so quite easily. Each time a sword of light was about to land on their bodies, they used a thin layer of dark energy to deflect the attacks to the side. Some were even trying to redirect the attacks in a way that would hit him as well.

But thanks to his shields, he was at least able to manage that much. The only other option he had to attack them was

Piercing Light Read latest stories on empire

, but it seemed they could negate most of the damage. His old strategies proved ineffective, and the only other skills he had to deal with them were much too deadly to use this early on.

Michael evaded the mage's spell and the attacks of two close-range cultists while keeping an eye on the last one, who had been targeting his blind spots, seemingly trying to end the fight in one strike.

But that proved ineffective; each time an attack headed for Michael's vitals, the system would redirect or parry it completely. He could handle the attacks on his own, but since he needed to preserve most of his strength for the next fight, he opted to let the system assist him.

'Still... this is not getting any easier...' he thought, as their combined attacks nearly struck him. Over time, their coordination improved, as though they had never fought together before.

After a few more exchanges, an opportunity finally opened up. Michael used his

Mirage of Light

coupled with

Piercing Light

to launch an attack at the mage. He had been trying to do that since the start of the fight, but their numbers allowed them to easily detect and block his attempts.

Adding to the problem was the fact that the mana density inside the black room was starting to affect the surroundings, which was not a good sign.

Michael weaved through an attack and struck one of the nearby cultists with his fist, landing a square blow to their chest that caved it in momentarily. However, their healing abilities were similar to those of demons, and the cultist healed almost instantly.

Michael controlled the

Piercing Light

skill he had previously launched, positioning it near the mage. He planned to bring it down the moment the mage began casting a spell, leaving little opportunity for it to be blocked.

After all, casters—unless they were like him—had the weakness of casting time. During that period, they had to focus entirely on the spell, leaving them completely vulnerable to external attacks.

He was just glad the others hadn't noticed his plan, not even the mage.

Mirage of Light

wasn't entirely useless, it seemed; in tough situations like this, it could be a deciding factor.

Michael was certain that after killing the mage, taking down the rest of them would not be as difficult. It would probably take at most five minutes. But alas, he didn't have that much time, as the mana inside the black room continued to grow denser.

They were fighting very close to the room, so he could feel every single mana fluctuation. It was fortunate that the strange room was extremely spacious, or else he would have been cornered and injured long ago.

'It really is ominous... a massive black box in the middle of an open room, almost like some sort of arena...'

The cultist had isolated themselves inside that box, absorbing all the mana from the surroundings—in this case, the entire city above.

Michael evaded a few more attacks as another thought occurred to him. '...Doesn't that mean I'm helping a Bishop be born?'

If things had gone as they should have, the Bishop would have emerged during the academy tournament. But because of his influence, he might have inadvertently sped up the process significantly.

You are, but so what? You either deal with the root of the problem now or wait until that Bishop emerges and wipes out the entire city while you're busy elsewhere.

'Yeah... I suppose you are right.' Michael grumbled and parried an attack. At that same moment, the opportunity he had been waiting for finally appeared.

The mage began casting a spell that seemed to be water-based. It appeared the cultist intended to slow him down or bind him in place. Earth-based magic could have worked just as well.

However, as the spell formed, frost began to appear, encasing the water until it turned to ice. This was his moment to strike.

Michael acted as if he was being pushed back more than usual, prompting the close-range cultists to grow overconfident. That was until he suddenly brought his hand down, and the spell that had been forming vanished.

The cultists turned back in shock to find their mage lying headless on the ground. Seizing the moment, Michael decapitated another cultist while they were still stunned.

Despite their inhumanity, the cultists displayed an unusual level of care for each other. Michael could even see some of them shaking with anger. But why? Did they expect to take innocent lives and face no consequences?n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

He couldn't comprehend their thought process, but it didn't matter. He was committed to killing them all.

As the remaining two cultists snapped out of their stupor, they charged at Michael, shouting insults he ignored. Their attack patterns became predictable to the point where they occasionally struck each other.

Michael evaded their attacks and sighed deeply. He hadn't used much mana during this fight. Though it might have seemed difficult at a glance, he had been much stronger than them from the start, even with their numerical advantage.

'Guess that's enough...' He summoned a single sword of light and held it with both hands, as though wielding a real blade.

As an attack came toward him, he slashed through it instead of blocking it with his shields. The cultist's arm was split in two, followed by a clean decapitation.

Only one cultist remained. Unlike moments before, when the cultist attacked with confidence and mockery, they were now frozen in fear, waiting to be killed.

But just as Michael prepared to grant the cultist's wish, the mana radiating from the black box surged dramatically. The oppressive energy around it intensified, forcing him to stop.

The cultist's despair turned to envy as they bowed toward the black box. What happened next caught Michael completely off guard.

The cultist stabbed their hand into their own abdomen and pulled out a small bead with two black threads attached. With a single clench, the bead shattered, releasing a surge of mana into the atmosphere.

But the mana didn't dissipate. Instead, it was drawn into the black room, further amplifying the oppressive energy.

Slowly, the pressure began to subside, replaced by a single door manifesting on the black box. In the next moment, Michael saw the handle turn, revealing a figure that slowly made its way out of the room.

It was a woman with completely white hair and eyes, staring at him like he was some sort of insect.

'... I have a bad feeling about this.'