Returner's Revenge

Sanguine's Eye

Half an hour earlier

               “We will keep this match a secret from everyone since I just want to know what level you are in.” Mephisto says to Kris after arriving in the place where they have planned to hold the match. “That’s fine by me but aren’t you going to upset a large amount of people?” Mephisto flash a boring smile.

               “I don’t care what they say to me. I pay them no mind, this match if not for them after all.” Kris is quite surprised at how Mephisto plans to face the students. A remark that only people that focuses on their own goals would say. “But why does every teacher have to be here as well? Are they going to evaluate me?” Kris says with a worried tone. Mephisto chuckles and scoffs at him. “They are not here to evaluate you. That’s just nonsense no matter how you look at that perspective.”

               Answer: Due to how Mephisto is famous for, all the teachers come here to stop him if he ever steps out of line.

               [So that’s why, but do they have not trust in him? They are his fellow teachers and yet they don’t trust him? No- wait, Mephisto is not the usual teacher that you can find everywhere. He is the type to want to work alone just as it have been in my past life. If they can’t trust him then the foundation of this place can easily crumble to dust. System, what do you think the chances of them winning against him?] Kris talks inside his head with the system.

               Notice: Recreating multiple possible situations and scenarios. Scanning complete. Answer: all the teachers excluding the headmaster can only win against Mephisto 1 out of 10 times. Mephisto’s awakened ability will most likely be the reason for his victory.

               Kris shivers by the response of the system, that he froze in his place after thinking of the possibilities for him to win. [Well, its not like I am expecting to win against him. He is even more skilled and experienced than me so winning is not possible. But I am curious, system. Do I have a chance to win against him?]

               Answer: Chances of winning against subject Mephisto is slim, with a percentage of 10%. With the use of f*******n spells winning will be possible but the current mana pool is too small to accommodate the use of f*******n spells store in the records.

               Kris sigh in relief after knowing that he might be able to fair off against Mephisto if only his mana pool is large enough to cast multiple f*******n spells. [Then let’s just focus on the things at hand. Please assist me system.]

               Answer: That goes without saying.

               “You look quite depressed and happy at the same time. Did you think of a way to fight me? Don’t worry, I will try my best not to hurt you but you will still get hurt nonetheless.” He says with the same bored face. “Are both parties ready?” one of the teachers that volunteered to be the referee of the match asks the two of them.

               Kris nods his head as Mephisto awaits for his first move. “You can attack me however you like. I will see what you are capable first before I make a move myself. That gesture-” Kris did not waste any time holds his hands towards Mephisto and chant his spell. “Mist of Illusions.” Kris blew his hands slowly and then blow his hands where blue colored mist comes out and enclose the entire area.

               [Hmmm, so he is also knowledgeable with the spells of the Thousand mists? I’m starting to like this guy already.] Mephisto says to himself when Kris slowly disappears from his sights. “That’s a great thing to do. Conceal yourself and prepare the next spell. Talk about reassurance.” His eyes turned red for an instant and immediately saw that Kris is only standing there doing nothing.

               “I already know that you are training yourself so there is no need to do a sneak attack.” Mephisto strikes the area beside him like he is going to grab something and a mirror like wall breaks, there he caught Kris’ neck. “Even if you put up a lot of illusion barrier, I can see through it all.” He then throws him to the floor after a brief struggle to free himself from Mephisto’s hands.

               Mephisto’s eyes then widens when he saw that Kris did not have change on his expression and smiles. “A doppelganger huh?” a piercing light then pierced the mirror like walls which Mephisto easily caught. “A beam? What else do you have in your arsenal?” Mephisto ask when his eyes shifted once again and to his surprise, numerous beams are fired towards him. “Dispel.”

               The numerous beams immediately turned to dust and the illusion mist and barrier disappeared, and reveals Kris with magic circles surrounding his arms and legs. “Looks like I’ll get to see a mini Libo Huarang, what an honor.” Mephisto smiles slightly and turn to face Kris. “I don’t think that I will be able to show a bit of what he is capable of but I don’t dare compare myself to someone so distinguished as him. I still have my dignity and pride after all.” Kris says before he disappears and attacks Mephisto.

               Mephisto could not follow Kris’ eyes using only his normal eyes sight and so he resort to using his awakened eyes to block and evade Kris’ attacks.

               BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!

               [Keuk! This spells active is putting a huge strain in my body! System, are you sure that I an able to handle this? Deriving spells from f*******n spells is a good thing but it does not mean that I will be able to handle them.] Kris says to himself while struggling to land a hit on Mephisto.

               Answer: Your capabilities are still far too low to be able to fully use Giant’s Wrath and Wind’s Speed without drawbacks. Suggestion: Dispel and use physical strength to remove the strain but your attacks are most likely to be detectable. Following the system’s suggestion, Kris decided to cancel the spells reinforcing his arms and legs, but he is waiting for the right moment to do so. [Let me just get close to him and catch him off guard, after hitting him once I can dispel the spells but until then, I should endure-!]

               To his surprise, his left knee drops to the floor. “What the-!” he is then alerted by the chilling spell that Mephisto chanted directly at him. “Beam.”

               BOOOOM!   

               Kris rolls to the ground after evading a direct hit from Mephisto’s spell. “That was fast of you to evade that. Looks like your senses are keen but how are you going to-! I’m starting to really like you kid.” Kris felt a bone chilling sight when he saw Mephisto smile entirely for the first time. “A menacing figure.” Kris mutters as the system slowly heals his body. “A healing spell despite the academy teaching mostly offensive and defensive spells. Are you affiliated with the White tower?” Mephisto asks after seeing his wounds heal.     “I did some research on things that I don’t quite understand so I know a thing or two.” Mephisto continues to grin and turn to the other teachers and then the headmaster. “Looks like this kid will be able to endure a little more powerful spells.” Some of the teachers were stunned by his words and some wants to stop him before he injures Kris beyond recovery but the headmaster allowed him. “Just don’t injure him too much. You will give the doctor in the infirmary a big problem if you do.”

               With the headmaster’s approval, Mephisto shows a few weapons from his arsenal. “Blood spikes.” In that instant, spikes made of blood pierced out of Kris’ skin that drop the young man to his knees while groaning in pain. “Isn’t he being too harsh?” Inrad says to the headmaster but the latter continues to observe Kris. [Blood spikes, a spell that is only available to Mephisto due to his awakened ability, Sanguine’s eye. But f or him to continue healing the injuries that Mephisto is dealing, that is quite commendable.] he thinks to himself. “Let’s see what will happen next.”

               “Your tenacity is commendable, some of the people that I have fought in the past would easily concede defeat or run away after knowing that I will be able to control the blood inside heir bodies. ‘A frightening ability to have’ or so they say.” Kris sees Mephisto as a figure that should have been feared in his past life and just the thought of how Mephisto was in the past made his skin crawl but Kris have already faced a lot of troubling and life-threatening situations in his past life and that he even conquered his fear of death by setting himself to explode and bring some of the enemies with him by the time he died.

               [Let’s see how he will fair against when eh sees the real me.] Mephisto then release his true self that even made the other teachers shrink just by the sigh t of him. “What kind of aura is this? So strong yet so terrifying.” The teachers surrounding the place where they held the match takes a few steps backward in fear of Mephisto’s aura alone.

               “Hold your ground. That is the only suggestion I can give when you are facing against a strong mage with a strong and intimidating aura. Look- that young man even knows what to do without being told. That is the right mindset when facing someone as overwhelmingly strong as Mephisto. It doesn’t do much but that shows how strong your will is. And your will, will be the fuel to your empowerment and then break your limits.” The headmaster said as he grab Inrad’s shoulder who then is forced to stay.   

               “That’s quite a commendable courage you have there.” Mephisto says when magic circles surround his hands. “Well, I have seen death in such a way that I do not expect and a threat like this is nothing compared to that.” Kris then hold both of his arms and then pulls his hands away, and in his hands are, glowing blades with no handle nor blades visible to a human’s eye. “Energy blades.”

               “That’s the thing. Now show me what you  can do, aspiring battle mage.” A six blood blades formed around Mephisto and then points their blades to Kris. “Do your best to dodge them okay? They are made of blood but they are quite sharp.” Mephisto warned Kris about the blades that immediately fly towards him

               CHAKAK! CHAKAK! CHAKAK! CHAKAK! CHAKAK!

               Kris’ energy blades are the best counter for Mephisto’s blood blades but due to his lacking mana and knowledge of the energy blades, Mephisto’s blood blades is at the top. Kris stomps his foot on the floor. “Earth spike.” The ground arise and formed a blade like spike towards Mephisto but before it can reach the target, Mephisto use his own spell to stop the movement of the spike. He thought that it was it but to his surprise, a figure, Kris emerge on the surface of the spike with the energy blades in hand to attack Mephisto.

               “You quite have the interesting fighting style.” Mephisto says when their eyes meet.

               BOOM! TAK! TAK! TAK! TAK! TAK! TAK! TAK! TAK! TAK!

               “Looks like my attack failed.” Kris says to himself with a bleeding cut just above his eye brows.