40 Escaping
Despite his injuries and the chaotic voices threatening his sanity, Erick, as a Rank 1 Magus, focused all his energy on assessing the situation.
'Among the three attacks, the front and back are most lethal, potentially piercing my Rank Spell. But there's something peculiar about those spikes,' he thought, observing the black glow on the ice spikes and deducing their Magic Penetration property.
Realizing that a standard defensive spell would be ineffective against the spikes, Erick opted for an alternative approach.
"Flame repulsion!"
Flames erupted from him, repelling the attackers. He directed most of the force backward, thwarting Ezequiel's lung-targeting attack, but the repulsion towards Zatiel was insufficient. Zatiel continued his assault, landing a searing blow to Erick's stomach.
Erick countered with "Fire Bolt," destroying the incoming spikes but was soon overwhelmed by the agony of Zatiel's fiery punch.
"Die, you piece of sh*t!" Erick roared, unleashing a blaze that engulfed Zatiel and hurled him to the ground.
"Master!" Ezequiel and Sophia cried out in alarm, but their fears were quickly assuaged when Zatiel's voice commanded them through their cores to continue the plan.
Reinvigorated, Ezequiel and Sophia resumed their attacks. Ezequiel's lightning spears, coupled with his evasive maneuvers, made it difficult for Erick to land a hit. Sophia, no longer using the energy-draining Magic Penetration rune, focused on launching spikes.
Erick managed to conjure two magma shields, but his impaired concentration due to the intense headache allowed some attacks to weaken his cloak of flames.
'What are these black flames?' Erick wondered, more troubled by the lingering voices and the black fire creeping across his body than the physical attacks. He knew he could extinguish the flames with his full power, but the ongoing onslaught left him unable to focus.
Sophia reached Zatiel's side, dousing the flames with her ice tentacles. The chains and armor were destroyed, and Zatiel's left arm was missing, but considering the direct hit from a Magus, his survival was miraculous.
Zatiel stood, consuming a pink pill from his sack. Almost instantly, his bleeding ceased, and his condition visibly improved.
'Her medicines are really helpful,' Zatiel acknowledged internally, ready to rejoin the battle.
Both the black and pink pills, ingested earlier, were Sophia's creations. The black pill had been crucial in mitigating Erick's near 60-degree attack, thanks to its flame-resistant properties.
Having managed his injuries, Zatiel focused on Erick, who had consumed a potion to heal his wounds. However, the Magus's consciousness was still severely impaired, and Ezequiel and Sophia's relentless assault continued.
"A.I. chip, scan him!"
Normally, scanning a Magus was impossible due to their Rank spell and magnetic force field. However, Erick's weakened state made it feasible.
[Bip... Scanning target Name: Erick Race: Human (Rank 1 Elementium Magus) Strength: 12.3 Physique: 20.3 Agility: 11.2 Spirit Force: 46.1]
'His physique surpasses mine, despite my enhanced Neo-Demon body,' Zatiel thought, acknowledging the natural advantage of a Rank 1 Magus.
Zatiel watched Sophia and Ezequiel's attacks, waiting for the opportune moment to act. It didn't take long for Erick to reveal an opening, his energy surging with fury.
"Now!" At Zatiel's command, the Mind Shock rune on his forehead activated, targeting Erick's consciousness. Despite Zatiel's lower rank, his stronger will, compounded by Erick's already damaged consciousness, made the attack effective.
Erick, caught off guard, lost control of his energy and body, his attempt to cast "Meteor Shower" backfiring and causing further injury.
At that critical moment, Ezequiel, empowered by the runes on his legs, appeared beside Erick with incredible speed. Erick barely regained control when Ezequiel's sword, charged with lightning, pierced his chest, destroying his left lung.
As Erick retaliated with a blast of flames, Sophia's ice shields emerged, providing Ezequiel with just enough time to evade and retreat.
Erick, instead of pursuing Ezequiel, released hundreds of small fireballs into the sky. Although not particularly damaging, they created a diversion, allowing him to focus his remaining energy on fleeing by flight, as flame teleportation was currently unfeasible.
'I must escape, or I'll die,' Erick realized. Despite the intense battle, he knew he was losing, having failed to significantly harm any of his opponents since his initial attack on Zatiel.
Now, with a lung destroyed, depleted energy, and excruciating pain, escape was his only option. Concerns of honor and courage were irrelevant for a Magus in such dire straits.
As Erick fled, neither Ezequiel nor Sophia pursued. They looked at Zatiel with awe, marveling at how every event had unfolded precisely as he predicted. Watching Zatiel raise his hand and snap his fingers, they knew the fate of the mighty Rank 1 Magus was sealed.
