[The arrows flew, pursuing like eagles!]
The silvery liquid flowed from the opened test tube, splitting into small clumps of uniform size. Under the constraints of magic and chanting, it stretched into pale golden twigs, with feathers and sharp points condensing within.
After a brief moment of airtime, the pale golden arrows locked onto their targets and fired in a concentrated barrage. The pierced humanoid figures revealed either a gelatinous body or an empty void. Yet, as the gelatinous substance flowed, the pierced holes were filled again, as if they had been completely unaffected.
But it still worked, and I know that.
Although faint, and although no pain or hesitation was shown on those faces that resembled each other, it still slowed their movements slightly and planted the crucial "seeds".
As mentioned before, [liquid metal] is a good conductor of magic.
The being before us is clearly constructed with the aid of magic, which is why it can move so freely.
Lightning and fire erupted in his palm, spreading outwards in thousands of branches like a dense canopy of trees. The humanoid figure before him seemed to intend to dodge or cast a spell with his staff, but his movements faltered as soon as they began, leaving him standing frozen in place, enduring this intense baptism.
As the intense lightning and fire of the tree dimmed and died down, all the gelatinous substance and its surroundings turned into charred waste, which then evaporated into thin air. Only a few areas further away, less affected, continued to churn like boiling venom, bubbling up huge, scorching bubbles.
That wasn't the Professor Adrian I knew, or rather, it was the Professor Adrian I'd met in the last few days.
They have familiar appearances and clothing, kind and friendly smiles, and unique stardust-like magic when casting spells. However, their faces are slightly different, or they have made differences in some decorations, which makes them look somewhat different.
The sense of crisis in my heart has not yet been relieved.
Upon reconfirming the entrance and exit, the somber color still covered it, showing no sign of wavering despite the previous impact. In fact, it continued to spread, as if it were alive, devouring the surrounding barriers.
It seems the only way to leave this place safely is to defeat the other party.
Stepping over the wreckage, I approached the man with a gloomy face: "If I'm not mistaken, you're the guy who's been causing trouble these past few days, right? What did you do to Professor Adrian?"
"...So what if it is?"
He suddenly let out a strange laugh: "Although I noticed it, I originally intended to pretend I didn't see it... I didn't expect it to end up like this."
"As for Adrian, whom you mentioned? Who would care about the name of a fool who would give up himself in pursuit of power?"
I frowned, slightly raised my hand to recall the remaining arrows, and pointed the arrowheads, which were now engulfed in flames, at my opponent. While guarding against his actions, I also gathered my strength: "So, you're the one who's been stealing things all over the place?"
He nodded happily: "Yes. Not just me, but my companions too. Many, many companions."
A certain guess suddenly flashed through my mind, and I blurted it out subconsciously.
"...You're a member of the [Wisdom of the Stars] cult? What is your purpose?"
The gloomy man suddenly fell silent, a pale sphere spinning in his eye sockets with deep dark circles, without responding for a long time.
Using my peripheral vision to confirm the location of the shadowy figure, I prepared to activate the spell again, ready to deliver a fatal blow.
I have absolutely no idea what the other party is planning.
He watched the battle with a gloomy and mocking expression, as if it were none of his business, yet the magical energy around him continued to surge, revealing a strong sense of threat that instilled fear in those around him.
"...I'm tired of it."
"Whether you're a boring person or a boring thing... whatever your reason for being here, I don't care."
He suddenly opened his mouth and exhaled a stream of grayish-black air. The air did not dissipate immediately after leaving his breath; instead, it coiled and wrapped around him like a giant, vibrant snake.
The crimson eyes flashed briefly in the grayness, and the spray became increasingly dense, splashing onto the ground and creating pits that reeked of a fishy stench.
A dazzling white arc of light flashed and disappeared from behind the snake the moment its body appeared.
I tried to ignite a flame to burn it off, but a dark gray color flashed across my wrist, breaking the illusion.
"They're not easy to approach..."
An, who had secretly slipped back, pulled me aside to avoid the flying stabs, and murmured softly behind me.
Her hair had slight scorch marks at the ends, and there were burn marks on her clothes and skin, indicating that she had inadvertently come into contact with a small amount of toxic gas when she approached.
However, even a brief encounter was enough for her to analyze the reason: "His body was surrounded by a transparent barrier formed by that gray-black airflow. I tried to cut through it with my knife, but I couldn't penetrate it directly. It was as if the entire space had become a unified whole without any gaps or layers. I don't know if it would be possible to do it after completely breaking it apart."
I nodded and tried to gather other spells again, but I was repeatedly interrupted by various targeted accidents. I couldn't care less about being affected, so I could only try to throw out the activated elemental stones to interfere.
Compared to before, this did have some effect, but not much.
Alice and the cat, however, were surprisingly lively. One, relying on its current enormous size as if it were merely a phantom, used its fluffy rabbit fists to attack the snake's body from both sides. The other, seemingly because it was a life form within the painting, wasn't particularly afraid of the poison gas. It rushed forward, tore off a piece of gas, darted back for Alice to heal its wounds, and then charged forward again, leaving everyone dumbfounded.
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