Disoriented World

Cosmic Verity was an advanced magical technique that allowed a mage to create a personalized world. This world was a reflection of their ideals and their power. It was a manifestation of their worldview and their ability. Anyone who entered the mage's world would be subject to the effects of their power.

The effects varied depending on the mage's ability. Some worlds were beautiful and serene, while others were dark and chaotic. Some worlds enhanced the mage's allies, while others weakened their enemies. Some worlds were simple, while others were complex and unpredictable.

To pull their targets into their world, the caster's target had to be within visual range. As long as the target was visible and within range, they could not escape being pulled into the mage's world. The mage would also enter their world, along with anyone else they chose to bring with them.

Cosmic Verity required immense magical prowess and a huge amount of mana. It was one of the most powerful and rare techniques in magecraft. Because it drained the mage's mana and stamina, it was usually used at the beginning of a fight, or as a last resort.

The size of the personalized world depended on the mage's capability. For Kai, his world was as big as the universe.

Reinhart heard Kai's voice in his ears and reacted quickly. He tried to create a wall of flame in front of Lian's barrier to block Kai's vision. But it was too late. Kai had already seen them. Kai had already marked them as his target.

A flash of light blinded Reinhart and the others. When they opened their eyes, they were greeted by a horrifying sight. They were in a world that had been ravaged by war. The sky was dark and stormy. Buildings were crumbling and burning. Dust and smoke filled the air. This was Kai's world. A broken world.

Reinhart and the others realized the danger they were in. They had to be ready for anything.

Reinhart wondered how Kai still had enough stamina to use Cosmic Verity. He had been fighting for a long time, and he looked exhausted. Was he pushing himself beyond his limits? Was he having a surge of adrenaline?

"He still had that much stamina left?" Reinhart thought

"No."

"He's pushing his body beyond its limits. Is he experiencing an outburst?"

Reinhart felt his strength fading, "I don't have much strength left," Reinhart muttered as he gasped for air while trying to maintain his stance.

He was breathing heavily and sweating profusely. He tried to keep his stance, but his legs were shaking.

He had heard that when people were about to die, their lives flashed before their eyes. They relived their memories in a fast-forward mode. It was their mind's way of searching for a way to survive. But for powerful warriors, when this process ended, their survival instincts kicked in. They experienced a massive burst of energy that could turn the tide of a battle.

With this, Kai activated Cosmic Verity.

"M... Monster..." A student whispered, his voice trembling with fear.

Kai's face twisted into a mask of rage and loathing.

"Monster..." He spat as if the word left a bitter taste in his mouth.

"Monster?" He echoed, his voice rising with disbelief.

"So now I'm the monster?" He roared, his eyes blazing with fury.

"You think I wanted this?!" He challenged, his hands clenched into fists.

"Don't you dare judge me like I'm some heartless creature!" He snapped, his teeth baring.

Lian and the others recoiled from his sudden outburst. They felt a chill run down their spines as Kai continued to rant.

"You so-called heroes abandoned me when I needed you the most!" He accused, his voice dripping with venom.

"What I wanted..." He paused, his expression softening for a moment.

"What I needed, was your support!" He cried out, his voice cracking with desperation.

"What I needed was your help!" He sobbed, his shoulders shaking.

Reinhart racked his brain, trying to remember if he had ever met Kai before. "Why does he look so familiar?" He wondered as he stared at Kai's face.

"And what did you so-called protectors do?" Kai asked, his tone mocking.

"You abandoned me?!" He yelled, his voice echoing in the air.

"Because you were afraid of my power!" He sneered, his lips curling.

"Because I made a mistake!" He confessed, his eyes lowering.

"I was just a child!" He whimpered, his voice sounding small and fragile. Tears began to stream down his cheeks.

"As if that wasn't enough, you took away the only family I had left." He said, his voice filled with sorrow.

"They looked up to you!" He reminded them, his voice changing to admiration.

"Leo and Zack adored you heroes! They wanted to be like you!" He said, his voice sounding wistful.

Reinhart felt a jolt in his heart. He recognized Kai's face. He had never met him, but he had heard of him from a friend. His best friend.

"But in return, you took their lives. You took them away from me!" Kai continued, his voice turning to anger.

"All you care about is money and reputation." He said, his voice full of disdain.

"You are no heroes," Kai's sobbing stopped, slowly.

"You are not guardians," He said, his voice cold and emotionless. The aura around him became more sinister.

"You are the true monsters," He said, his voice filled with hatred.

A wave of agony swept through their heads. The students collapsed to the ground, clutching their heads and shrieking in pain. They felt like their brains were being stabbed by needles.

"What the hell is this?" Lian gasped, as she fought against the excruciating pain in her head.

She glanced at Riley and Layla, who were writhing in pain, and noticed purple veins creeping toward their eyes.

"Is this the effect of his technique?" Layla wondered aloud, her voice strained.

"This isn't his decay ability. Don't tell me..."

Kai had a third magic ability called "Psychic Enthrallment." This ability let him probe the minds and emotions of anyone he touched, creating a mental link.

This link not only gave him access to the target's deepest secrets and fears, but also allowed him to manipulate their thoughts and actions, bending their will to his own.

The effect of Kai's technique combined Psychic Enthrallment with Necrosis. It destroyed the target's mind and left only room for Kai's commands.

It was like wiping out a hard drive and installing a new program.

Silver and Violet were huddled together, feeling a hand on their shoulders. They looked up and saw Ryder standing next to them. He was unaffected by the technique. "H... How?" Silver stammered, his eyes wide.

"What's wrong with everyone? Are you guys okay?" Ryder asked, his face showing concern.

A small purple barrier appeared, surrounding Ryder, Silver, and Violet. They felt the pain in their heads vanish.

"What's this?" Violet asked, looking at Ryder.

"This aura, I've felt it before," Ryder answered.

"It's Byakuya."

"I see. He must've put a protective spell on you."

Riley suddenly lunged at Reinhart. She threw a punch at his face with full force. Reinhart blocked it. He grabbed her arm and tossed her aside.

"He's controlling their minds," Reinhart muttered, as he looked at Riley and the others.

While the others succumbed to Kai's technique, Reinhart resisted the most. He felt Kai's technique trying to invade his mind, but he had a strong will and a powerful resolve.

Riley regained her senses and slowly approached Reinhart. She was joined by Layla, who also looked dazed.

"R... Reinhart," Layla managed to say, as her body moved against her will.

"I... I'm doing my best."

"You have to stop this."

"Please, Reinhart," Riley pleaded, her eyes begging for mercy.

They both attacked Reinhart again. Reinhart held back. He didn't want to hurt Layla and Riley. But he was too weak to subdue them easily.

He parried and evaded every strike they launched at him. Riley and Layla were also fighting back. But it was a losing battle. Their minds were slowly being erased.

Lian, who was skilled in telepathy, managed to slow down the effects of Kai's ability on herself. But she couldn't stop it completely.

She used the time she had bought for herself to create barriers infused with formulas she had just devised. These barriers had a telepathic effect that slowed down Kai's ability on anything inside them. She used these barriers to shield the students and ease their pain a little.

Reinhart continued his struggle to restrain Riley and Layla without harming them too much. He sensed a presence behind him. It was Lian. She had created a barrier shaped like a shield and charged at Reinhart.

Reinhart pushed Layla and Riley away with his palm, sending them flying a few feet. He turned and crossed his arms to block Lian's charge.

The barrier shattered when it hit Reinhart. To stop Kai's technique, Reinhart had to destroy Kai's world or overthrow it with a bigger or more powerful creation.

But Reinhart didn't have the power to destroy Kai's world, and he didn't know how to use Cosmic Verity. He had to find another way out.

As he wrestled with Lian, he tried to ask her if she knew a way out. "Lian," Reinhart called her name, as he grappled with her.

"Please tell me, how do I stop this?"

He heard Kai's laughter. It rang in his ears. He looked at Kai, who was smirking, and then back at Lian.

"Please, tell me how," He implored Lian.

"In... In order to stop it," Lian forced a reply out of her mouth.

"Reinhart..."

"Y... You have to kill us."