Extra Of The Magus Academy

"Haha… haaa…?"

Gerald Lockwood grinned as if he was the devil, his cracked lips curling upwards so his face resembled the manifestation of malevolence. His eyes began to bulge with something akin to excitement as he slowly rose from his seat.

"Kill me… huh?" Once he fully rose from his chair, both of his hands flatly touched the smooth surface of his desk and his wide eyes remained fixed on Ash.

"Why don’t you try?"

In his mind, while he was still plenty confused about Ash’s intentions and a lot of what the brat had just said, he couldn’t deny the kind of opportunity he had been presented with.

’If he attempts to kill me, that gives me the perfect excuse to kill him, thus eliminating him from the board altogether!’

He had thought Ashfelt Zephyr was a very intelligent man, but this had to be one of the most stupid choices anyone could make. A mere Apprentice Student, no matter how skilled they were, could not stand a chance against a fully-fledged Mage.

And not just any kind of Mage.

’I am a Rank 6 Mage, brat!’ Gerald grinned widely. ’Just make one single attack, and that will give me the perfect window to strike you down!’

VWUUUSH!

All of a sudden, the energy around Ash changed.

The storm of wind was suddenly engulfed in bright crimson flames, creating a whirlwind of fire that covered him like a tornado. The flames licked the ground and began to swell in power—almost as if they were being fed bountifully till they grew robust to the point of eruption.

Ash remained calm in the torrent of fire, but Gerald had the opposite expression on his face.

’What? Wasn’t his Familiar a Lesser Wind Spiri—?’

VWUUUM!

Before Gerald could complete his thoughts, the blast of fiery explosions rushed at him, destroying all the pristine decor in his office within a moment.

"YOU—!"

In a single breath, the man activated his Spirit Arts and went even further to utilize [Externalization], manifesting a physical form for his Familiar.

FSHUUUU!

The storm of flames baptized his body in its ever-growing wave, but it was soon extinguished by a single gust of powerful wind caused by Gerald swinging his now-transformed hand.

RUMBLE

RUMBLE

RUMBLE

The entire office began to shake as the fires immediately vanished, revealing a man in pure silver-like armor that glistened like the genuine mineral.

He almost seemed like a medieval knight, shrouded from head to toe in ironwork, save for the visor on his firm helmet that revealed glowing silver eyes underneath the darkness.

"Haa…" Visible breaths escaped from the tiny holes in Gerald’s helmet as he stood upright. "You surprised me for a moment there."

However, there was no use.

He was completely unscathed within his perfect protective armor, and most importantly, his Familiar stood right behind him as an even larger sentry of sheer destruction.

The creature, appearing to be at least three meters tall, was akin to a hulking statue made of silver-colored clay, having even bulkier armor than the one Gerald had on. Both of its hands rested on an incredibly massive blade as it stood upright—like a perfect guardian—and cast a heavy shadow all over the room.

"I don’t know how you managed to cast a Fire Spell of such magnitude while having a Wind Spirit as your Familiar, but it doesn’t matter to me. You attacked me with intent to kill, so I’ll have to repay your actions in kind."

Since the two sides belonged to the Four Noble Households, there was no need for considerations or politics.

One side had clearly erred, and rules were rules.

’The security footage in my office will attest to the fact that he attacked me first, and while there will be a few people who would wonder why I didn’t spare him since he was merely a child, everyone will unanimously be in my favor.’

It would have been different if this person was Seth Zephyr, the rising star of the Zephyr Household, but the boy before him was none other than Ashfelt.

Sure, he was intelligent and had incredible potential… but so what? His family didn’t consider him to be nearly as valuable as his brother.

If he perished as a result of his own foolishness, who would seriously blame Gerald?

"This is the end…"

Folding both of his hands as he enjoyed the perfect safety that his armor provided, he gave a command to his Familiar.

"[Bladed Assault]."

WHUUM!

Instantly, the gigantic silver-colored blade of the colossus behind him was thrust towards Ash.

"Hup!" Ash leaped backwards in order to create more distance between himself and the incoming attack.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough.

The sword suddenly grew longer, almost like it was made of rubber, and easily overcame the limited distance that was supposed to restrict it.

In a flash, it reached Ashfelt.

CLANG!

An invisible barrier pushed the blade away, and a sudden cracking sound—like that of shattering glass—echoed in the air.

"A protection Spell, huh? Impressive that it was able to deflect my attack… but it seemed it broke from a single strike." Gerald grinned malevolently. "How will you be able to handle this next?"

The blade charged at him again, this time being a lot more fluid and less predictable.

Like a snake, it coiled around the space, closely following Ash despite his attempts to evade the attack. After a few seconds of playing tag, the blade had gained on him to the point where he could no longer afford to retreat. @@novelbin@@

Then—

BWUUUUSH!

After being pushed into a corner, Ash’s next step was to envelop his entire area in flames as a way to serve as a smokescreen and also to possibly damage the sword that was after his life.

Unfortunately for him, the latter was impossible.

"My Spirit’s Attribute is Silver-Clay." Gerald took a step forward, not minding the growing heat before him. "It is extremely resistant to flames, so none of your tricks will put a dent in its defenses… or offensive maneuvers."

Due to its Clay features, his Familiar offered a range of flexible attacks, granting him a diverse kit of abilities. The Silver element made it incredibly sturdy for an additional layer of defense, allowing him to enjoy both an offensive and defensive advantage in battle.

It was why he was not the least bit concerned about Ash’s pathetic resistance.

Whether it was wind or fire—or even both—his Spirit Arts could completely tank them without any problems.

"But can yours do the same?"

"[Silver Arrows]."

In an instant, several projectiles shot out of the body of the hulking Familiar, almost as quills shot off the back of a porcupine.

PEW!

The air hissed as the dozens of arrows—each moving as fast as bullets—charged at the wall of flames. Since the arrows shared the nature of his Familiar, they wouldn’t be affected by the fire and at least a few would hit the target.

’Plus, that defense trick he used before won’t help him this time…’

Why?

Because it took time to create an effective barrier. The more powerful a barrier or shield was, the more time it would take to erect.

’The kind of barrier that could deflect the attack of a Rank 6 Mage like myself must have taken him all day. He probably walked in here with it, thinking of it as some sort of failsafe, only for it to break with my first attack.’ Gerald chuckled to himself.

Either way, it didn’t matter to him.

’Right now… it’s the end for you, brat!’