226 Devil’s Magic Part 1 (1/2)
Without hesitation, Lex and Saleen dived into the ocean, hot on Fellett’s heels. By then, the flames on Lex’s body had been completely extinguished. Her face was sallow, and the golden glow that shrouded her entire body had dissipated long ago. Saleen, on the other hand, felt like he had been struck in the head a million times over . Maneuvering the ice crystals and making sure that they fatally struck Fellett had used up all of his mental power. This spell was too hard to control. In fact, it was so difficult to contain that he was only able to store one spell of this magnitude per day in the demon’s spellbook.
Lex was doing better than him though. At the very least, she could still control her ability to fly. Saleen’s new powers had already disappeared as soon as the spell ended. All that was left was a thin veil of fog that surrounded his entire body as he dove into the depths of the ocean.
The storm showed no signs of ceasing. The waves were so high that they could tower over city walls. Spine-chilling crashing sounds were heard as the waves rose and fell.
Daniel was nowhere to be seen, while Sika stood on one of the larger remains on the ship, alone and drenched in blood. She looked as if she had been scratched and clawed by over a few hundred magic beasts. Sika started chanting. Instantly, runes started flying out of the bone necklace and surrounded her, effectively sheltering her from the harsh winds. Sika watched as her wounds rapidly healed under the power of the runes.
In the sea, Saleen felt unstoppable, as though he was nimbler and more agile than even the fastest fish in the waters. Nailisi, on the other hand, continued sinking quickly as though she had an anchor attached to her leg. It was obvious to Saleen that Nailisi had lost consciousness. His body’s vapor seeped from his frame into the ocean to form a layer of creamy ocean foam. Kicking his legs back, Saleen launched himself further into the depths of the sea.
This ocean was very deep. If she continued sinking, even if she did not drown, she would be crushed by the immense underwater pressure.
Out of the blue, Saleen heard a humming sound. From the corner of his eye, he saw Fellett, who was completely unconscious by now, brandishing his sword and aiming it in his direction, his entire body now under the armor’s control. His eyes were squeezed tightly shut and one eerie-looking three-dimensional magical pattern was suspended on his forehead. It was opening and closing, almost as if it was breathing, as well as observing its surroundings.
Fellett’s, or rather, the armor’s, move caught Saleen completely off guard. He had exhausted too much of his mental power. If he had not been accustomed to training with his badge, he probably would not even have been able to lift any of his limbs at this point. This attack was completely unexpected. Saleen could sense Fellett’s life force fading further away by the minute. He certainly had not expected a half-dead person to be able to attack him like that.
Lex, on the other hand, was struggling to keep up with Saleen. She had suffered more serious injuries. Plus, utilizing her family’s secret battle techniques to deal with Fellett’s sword aura had taken a serious a toll on her. Lex’s entire body felt like lead, although she was not running too low on her mental power, meaning that she was still able to cast magical spells. Seeing Saleen’s life in danger, Lex used a Binding spell to sweep him away along with the water currents, effectively shielding him from Fellett’s attempt at ending his life.
The way Fellett was attacking was completely atypical of his combat style. The armor was in full control of his limbs. Although he was stronger now, Fellett’s move did not epitomize anything he had learned in swordcraft. It was obvious to Lex and Saleen that the armor was attacking only out of instinct. Lex was particularly unnerved by the sight. She knew that if the male mage ever came into contact with Fellett’s long sword, he would be split into half regardless of whether he used magic to defend himself.
Roar! A deafening sound filled the air, almost bursting the eardrums of everyone present. Saleen turned in the direction of the voice and saw a human face emerge from Fellett’s armor. He had no eyes and looked like a tortured soul with the facial expression he was sporting. The roar was no ordinary yell. Instantly, an earthquake-like vibration blasted towards the two mages from all directions. Lex and Saleen felt as if they had been struck by an icicle attack over a million times. The ice plate armor that Lex had donned completely shattered from the force of the blast. Almost instantly, blood starting spurting out of their bodies.
Demonic tool! This is a demonic tool?! Saleen thought frantically as he felt his mental power slip away even more. He turned his head just in time to see Lex’s eyes roll over. She was struggling to keep the water from entering her mouth and nose. Saleen was so weak that even if the demonic tool stopped attacking, he was not sure he would be able to get Nailisi and Lex out of here alive.
With Lex looking like she was about to drown and Nailisi sinking like there was no tomorrow, Saleen had to make a quick decision. Without hesitation, Saleen twisted his body and grabbed Lex’s waist with his legs, deathly afraid that his female comrade would be swept away by the choppy waves. Using a great deal of effort, he took out his demonic spellbook and began flipping the pages. A water dragon appeared in front of Saleen almost instantaneously, shocking him. He had not expected the current cutter to morph to such a large extent under the influence of the ocean currents.
With a wave of his hand, the water dragon pounced towards Fellett, wrapping its body tightly around his glittering armor. Alas, this was just a basic level-4 magic spell. Even if Saleen had managed to push it up a notch to make it a level-5 spell, because of the fact that the spell itself was not a strong combination of all six elements, it was no match for the sword aura. A golden light emerged from the armor and destroyed the water dragon immediately.
Not willing to give up just yet, Saleen frantically flipped through the pages until his hand rested on another one. He unleashed yet another Current Cutter spell. As he placed his demonic spellbook back into the Ring of Gifts, the eyeless face that was sported on Fellett’s armor turned and growled at Saleen again.
The ocean waters started to heat up rapidly as a huge invisible force suddenly struck Saleen, causing him to fly backwards. Although Saleen was reeling from the force of impact, he still tried to keep his legs as tightly clamped around Lex’s waist as possible.
Nailisi! As soon as Saleen sensed that Nailisi was regaining consciousness, he screamed into the soul bond, trying to communicate with the imp.
Crack… crackle…
The armor made its way towards Saleen, dragging Fellett along with it. The host was slumped like a stuffed toy, his neck hanging limply. The only thing moving on his body besides the armor was a lone rune which hovered above his forehead, shining brightly. Saleen immediately fished out his badge. One chance. That was all he needed. If he could get the badge on the armor, no matter how strong of a demonic tool it was, he could successfully disable it.