Legacy of the Dark Sage

Kyran never imagined Lucian would see him. To Kyran, his state of invisibility meant he was entirely hidden. If that weren't the case, Lucian should have aimed for him right away. Thus, the moment Lucian attacked, Kyran was caught off guard.

In the blink of an eye, Kyran's surroundings were covered in light and a pressure that could crush anything, and everything descended. He braced himself for the pain that would definitely follow, but after a few seconds, nothing happened.

'?'

Kyran gazed at his body, his eyes widening in disbelief. Earlier, when he turned invisible, he was unable to see any part of himself. Now, however, it was visible, though entirely white. Find your next adventure on empire

'What is happening—?'

As the question entered Kyran's mind, he immediately pushed it aside. Instead of pondering what had happened to his body, he decided it was better to find a way out of this situation.

Outside this light-covered area were Lucian and Estrid.

Lucian might have suppressed Estrid, but Kyran could not help but feel that she still had something up her sleeves— like a trump card that would allow her to turn the tables. It might not be able to dominate Lucian, but it would likely be enough to ensure her safety.

Kyran believed this because he noticed Estrid did not falter before Lucian's actual form. Kyran might be the same, but his situation was unique, so it could not be compared with Estrid's. He possessed not one but two Ancient Magic Cores, after all.

Kyran wanted to confirm what was happening beyond the light-covered area. Unfortunately, his current state prevented him from using his enhanced senses. It was also one of the reasons that he could not completely endure the backlash from Estrid's escape from his Void World and ended up suffering severe internal injuries. Luckily, he could still move, and to be fair, he barely felt any pain left.

This realization veered Kyran's train of thought back to his strange state. Of course, he pushed it aside since he could not be bothered to be distracted.

'How long have I stayed inside this area?' he wondered after realizing that the light around him had not shown any signs of dimming. Furthermore, Lucian did not send any follow-up attacks.

'!'

The worst possible scenario fleeted through Kyran's mind.

Could it be that the reason he was surrounded by light and his body had turned white was that he was already dead?n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

No.

Lucian wanted Kyran alive so he would not have used an attack that would kill him in one shot. However, given Lucian's declaration of retribution, it was still an attack that would likely leave Kyran in a half-dead state.

Kyran ground his teeth in frustration and immediately pushed aside that disturbing thought. He experienced near-death situations before, but this was nothing like it. Sure, Lucian's attack could have been so overwhelming that he was killed in one shot. That was why Kyran did not feel anything. However, he was not utterly devoid of feeling. Instead, it felt like he blended too well into the surroundings and had become the light itself.

"!"

The sudden thought made Kyran look at his body once more.

'Could this be...?'

A state of nothingness— or simply, a Void State.

Because of the Void's nature, it could be anything and be nothing. And somehow, Kyran was currently utilizing that nature.

But how? After all, his magic cores resonated, and Shaiha adapted to them (?)

Maybe.

However, that was probably only the start.

Kyran's mind was still a mess, and it would take some time to sort all of them. Thus, he did not dwell much on this. In any case, he felt that he was onto something. He wanted to ask Shaiha for her opinion, but alas, he could barely sense her in his current state.

While these thoughts swirled in Kyran's mind, the light-filled area finally showed signs of dimming. It was slow, but the timing was right for him to adjust and move. He had a rough idea of what to do next but could only succeed if Lucian did not notice him.

How did Lucian find him anyway? Or did he?

'...'

Maybe not. Lucian probably only had a rough idea of Kyran's position. If not, he would not have used an attack that covered such a huge-ass area effect.

Because of Estrid's escape, Kyran's invisible state must have fluctuated, allowing Lucian to sense his estimated position. But after Kyran regained his composure, Lucian lost that clue. Still, knowing Kyran was injured, Lucian was convinced that he would not be able to move. Even if he did, it would be impossible for him to progress that far. Thus, Lucian cast a wide-area attack after forcing Estrid into a defensive.

Kyran's theory was actually on point, and at that moment, Lucian was scanning the whole area with his Divine Sense for him.

'Hm?' Lucian frowned because he could not sense any trace of the Void Master. Even as he expanded his Divine Sense's range, there was nothing. 'Impossible!'

It was not.

This was because Kyran had taken advantage of the Void's nature of becoming anything. His pure white body had blended well with Lucian's Light magic energy. With such a potent wide-area attack, it would be impossible for Kyran not to amalgamate into the surroundings well. Moreover, Lucian would not notice anything different since it was Light magic energy.

Sometimes, being overly familiar with your own aura and energy could be a weakness.

Kyran did not relax, though. As the light-filled area dimmed and its area of effect reduced, he had already taken action. He did not know when his Void state would last. So he needed to move fast.

'I have to research this state as soon as we get to safety,' Kyran thought, a bit frustrated.

Why would he not be frustrated? When in Void State, his enhanced senses were non-existent.

Kyran was too used to moving fast, even at an average pace, yet he found his current average very slow.

Crackle! Fizzle! Sizzle!

Whoosh!

Whip! Whip!

Whipping sounds reverberated throughout the burning terrain, which was what was left of the Crepuscule Auction House.

Lucian's expression hardened as he saw several white furry tails approaching him from different directions. These tails were more extensive and thicker, making one think it belonged to an enormous beast. Nonetheless, overall, he was unfazed by the appearance of the tails and swatted them with his massive hand.

From another's perspective, they would only see a blinding light lazily swatting away the tails.

And that was actually correct.

After enduring Lucian's bombardment, Estrid emerged from her defensive position and released her semi-complete form.

BAM!

Estrid landed on the ground in a gigantic white fox form, with several tails swaying in the wind. A large red rune on her forehead glowed, and she bared her fangs at The Emperor.

"SO THIS IS HOW IT IS GOING TO BE?"

"..."

Lucian ignored Estrid's gnashing and raised his hand.

FOOOM!

It was as if a large invisible container had suddenly fallen and enclosed the whole space.

Estrid's ear rang painfully, giving her the illusion that she would turn deaf any moment. However, she did not stay idle. This feeling was similar to when a mage was about to summon their Dimension. And to counter that, one had to summon a similarly powerful Dimension!

Estrid's eyes flashed, and several-layered golden magic arrays appeared around her. Her Dimension was far weaker than The Emperor. So, to gain some advantage, she first had to amplify them.

"DIMENSION!"

FOOOM!

Like an invisible veil, the area of Estrid's Dimension expanded, starting from her and spreading outward.

Seeing this, Lucian could not help but chuckle. He then retracted his hand, and the deafening expansion of what appeared to be his Dimension disappeared. But that did not mean he had given up on attacking Estrid.

After the expansion of his 'Dimension' disappeared, five large towers, covered in a blinding light, emerged from the ground. Forming the points of a pentagram, the ground beneath Lucian glowed, and rune writings fleeted out and filled the gaps between these points.

"WHAT?" Estrid was taken aback at The Emperor's sudden decision to retract his Dimension.

"FOOLISH FOX."

"!"

Estrid hastily retracted her Dimension. However, it had already expanded beyond the point that it could be retracted.

"AAAAAARGH!!!!"

Estrid screamed in agony the moment her Dimension touched one side of The Emperor's towers.

'I-Impossible!' she thought, her eyes trembling in utter disbelief.

One way to counter a Dimension was to cast a similar level or higher Dimension to cancel them out. Depending on their level, the mages who cast it and were inferior to the other would receive a huge backlash. In cases of similar levels of dimensions, both would only receive a minor backlash.

Estrid planned to counter The Emperor's Dimension with an amplified level of her Dimension so she could get the latter result. However, The Emperor suddenly retracted his Dimension and used a move she had not seen.

A move that could protect any mage from another mage's Dimension.

"Y-YOU! YOU LIED ABOUT LOSING THE HIGHER BEING'S TREASURE!"

Lucian ignored Estrid's accusation and raised his hand once more.

"THIS IS THE END FOR YOU ESTRID."