—Following feedback, I've restored inner monologues to quotation marks. Also, thank you all — yesterday we reached tenth place on the weekly recommendations list, which truly surprised me. Please keep voting, and I'll try to update more tomorrow.
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The dark figure's speed far surpassed Baron Laurent's, exceeding even the limits of normal human perception. If the men and women at the debauched ball had calmed down and looked in this direction, they would have seen only a long, blurred streak of dark light — an afterimage left behind by extreme velocity.
Such speed was beyond the reach of any ordinary person. Only a powerhouse who had awakened the power of a bloodline could achieve it.
The one who had lunged at Lucian from the shadows was a genuine Knight!
From the moment the dark figure burst forth to the instant he closed in behind Lucian, the jet-black dagger mere inches from piercing Lucian's back — less than two seconds had elapsed.
The Sage, White Honey Sugar, and Smale — all caught completely off guard — had not even sensed a powerful enemy approaching and attacking from behind.
Only Lucian, when the dagger carrying a vicious, sinister aura was already dangerously close to his spine, felt a sudden, visceral shudder of dread surge from deep within him. Instinctively, he threw himself forward.
But the speed at which Lucian lunged was nowhere near the speed of the dark figure's assault. The gap in their abilities was vast — like the distance between an abyss and "heaven."
Even though Lucian could use his knowledge to create new Arcane Magic, could intimidate Knights, mages, and Magic Apprentices alike, knowledge that had not yet been translated into actual combat power could not help him instant-cast a spell to block the dagger. Only upon becoming a full mage — only after constructing a spell model within his soul using spiritual power — could he hope to instant-cast in a critical moment like this.
Lucian's only hope was that the momentum of his forward lunge would weaken the dagger's blow. As long as he wasn't killed outright, he could still fight back with the Ice Avenger!
The dark figure watched coldly as the dagger was about to make contact with Lucian's back. Suddenly, a harsh caw rang out, and a transparent layer of light — like a coat of chainmail — materialized around Lucian's body.
First-circle spell, Mage Armor!
Though the Sage and the others had failed to react in time, the black crow "Ashley," perched atop a tree outside the villa, had noticed the ambush the moment the dark figure burst from concealment. As a formal mage's Familiar, Ashley possessed not only its own darkvision but could also draw upon its master's magical power!
The dagger, flickering with black radiance, pierced the transparent Mage Armor. Points of light bloomed outward as the armor shattered piece by piece, glittering fragments scattering through the darkness.
The dark figure had not anticipated the sudden appearance of Mage Armor. Though he managed to puncture it through his own strength and the dagger's special properties, the spell bought Lucian a precious instant. He watched helplessly as Lucian twisted halfway around, left hand aimed squarely at him — and three streaks of crystalline cold light flashed forth.
Parmella's Ice Blade, a second-circle spell!
In this critical moment, Lucian did not panic. He did not freeze in terror. With absolute calm, he activated the Ice Avenger ring, understanding that in a time like this, only attack could serve as the best defense!
At the same time, his willpower, bolstered by the Ice Avenger's enhancement, held firm — just as a proper Knight's would. He was not crushed by the dark figure's sinister, soul-penetrating aura. A normal Magic Apprentice would long since have been overwhelmed beneath a Shadow Knight's oppressive presence, lost in an endless abyss of darkness, rooted to the spot, helpless to resist.
Three streaks of frost — wisps of white vapor trailing from them, like flying knives of thin ice — appeared and, in the space of a heartbeat, crossed the arm's-length gap between the two combatants, streaking toward the dark Knight's throat, chest, and lower body.
A layer of flame wreathed the dark Knight's body — dark as shadow, brimming with savage, destructive force. But at such close range, facing a second-circle spell aimed directly at his vitals, he dared not rely solely on his bloodline power, the "Shadow," for defense. Though he longed to kill this mage who had ruined his plan, doing so would accomplish little beyond satisfying his own fury. In a life-or-death moment, his own survival came first.
His dagger swept upward in a blur, his arm trailing an afterimage, and he shattered the two ice blades aimed at his chest and throat. They exploded into countless tiny ice fragments that danced through the air like fireflies in the dark. His right foot lashed out, wreathed in leaping, shadow-like flame, and connected precisely with the last ice blade, shattering it and dissolving it into the darkness.
Having deflected all three blades of Parmella's Ice Blade, the dark Knight's dagger continued its pursuit toward Lucian, who had already hit the ground. Simultaneously, his left hand shot forward, a layer of black Shadow flaring to life, bracing to block the two silvery-black projectiles launched from the crow Ashley's beak.
First-circle spell, Magic Missile!
But at that very instant, the snowflake-like shards of ice from the three blades dissolved into a mass of frigid mist — which then contracted violently, freezing everything in its radius into ice. The shadowy flames on the dark Knight's body were no exception; they were encased in a crystalline layer of frost, still burning silently beneath.
Parmella's Ice Blade could inflict the agony of flowing blood — or the embrace of freezing cold!
The dark Knight was briefly locked in place, frozen to the spot. Both Magic Missiles struck his body directly, shattering the ice and sending him flying. The shadow flames on his body flickered wildly but refused to go out.
The black crow Ashley let out a sharp caw: "He's a Second-level Knight!"
Only now did the Sage, White Honey Sugar, and Smale finally react, their eyes falling upon the dark figure sent hurtling through the air.
They did not know the full extent of his abilities, but the sight of the Professor tumbling across the ground while shadowy flames burned on the attacker's body told them everything they needed to know — this was a powerhouse who had awakened his bloodline power. Without a moment's hesitation, both the Sage and White Honey Sugar activated their own magical items.
An invisible ray of light emanated from the Sage's chest, spreading forward like ripples on water, covering a width of ten meters. Within that range, every man and woman — without exception — yawned involuntarily, their eyelids drooping beyond all control, and collapsed onto the lawn or among the flower beds, falling into peaceful slumber.
First-circle spell, Sleep Spell.