Legacy of the Dark Sage

Tritus was fine, but that was not the case with the sea serpents coiled around his body. They roared and pain as the lightning discharge spread over their bodies at an alarming speed. Since they were still connected to the crystal staff, and Osric was still holding the latter, the lightning also came toward him.

Reason told Osric not to let go of his staff because Tritus was likely aiming for that to happen. But instinctively, his body knew that he would not be able to endure the Lightning attack because it was Water magic's weakness. He could not even use his ability to turn into water and escape because he had a feeling that once he do the lightning would strike again.

Osric's worries were on point.

The Lightning strikes had been prepared by Tritus and there were several similar scrolls that were waiting to be activated all over the place.

When he threw the trident, the Lightning scrolls he wrapped around its shaft also got thrown off. The reason no one saw them was that he cast a camouflage spell on them. He also imprinted his magic energy on their body so the moment they were thrown off the trident, he could manipulate them into position.

The Lightning attack that struck Tritus was only the first among several scrolls he hid above. And depending on how Osric would react, he could move the remaining scrolls and adjust his moves accordingly.

In the end, Osric's intuition won as he let go of the crystal staff before the lightning attack touch him. Then he waved his diamond staff, urging the diamond dolphin to attack Tritus.

Meanwhile, it was at that moment that Tritus and the bluish-green sea serpent moved.

Tritus activated several scrolls in succession. The first to activate was a Storm scroll, which covered a twenty-meter radius with Osric at the center. The second ones to activate were five Lightning scrolls. They struck five points around the border of the Storm's area of effect, blocking off Osric's possible escape route. Then the third scroll to activate was a Lock-on scroll. This scroll was slightly different from the first one because it was not an offensive scroll but support. Its aim was to ensure that the first scrolls that activated would not lose their target even if a new escape route appears.

Osric's scalp went numb the moment he saw the five Lightning attack strike down. With the Storm attack in effect, as long as the Lightning touched a part of it, its discharge would spread around the Storm's area of effect.

Meanwhile, the bluish-green sea serpent emerged from the cage-like water pillars and collided with the golden trident. With a blinding light, the former returned to the golden trident. After that, it turned and went after the diamond dolphin which appeared to be stuck in place after Osric failed to give it a complete command.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The golden trident immediately attacked the diamond dolphin. But with the latter's diamond body, the former failed to even leave a scratch on it.

Going back at Osric's side, his initial shock from Tritus's attack was soon replaced by a sneer. He waved the diamond staff in its hand once again and his body turned to a diamond in an instant.

Tritus was stunned after seeing Osric's move. Frankly, he had expected the latter to have the ability to use some of the diamond dolphin's abilities. However, he did not expect that he could also turn into a diamond because water and diamond were two completely different forms.

'No, you are confusing something here,' Tritus suddenly stopped his train of thought.

In the first place, the diamond staff was a Water-base magic weapon. Water magic energy flows within the weapon, which was the reason Osric could use it. The weapon's diamond appearance, as well as its sentient diamond form, was likely a manifestation, or an effect only— or maybe a unique ability. Either way, it was not caused by Diamond magic. Thus, Osric turning into a diamond was due to the magic weapon's effect— or ability, and not because he also understood the Diamond magic's nature to an extremely high level.

Nevertheless, Tritus's expression immediately turned solemn. He now realized Osric's weakness. Or to be precise, what he lacked.

Osric had been in slumber for several hundred years and only focused on nurturing his innate magic. Though he did not lack battle experience— as he was born during the Chaos Era and likely fought numerous wars, that was all he ever had time to do. He might have learned battle tactics and such, but his knowledge about different types of magic was lacking.

It was not because Osric did not bother to learn them but because the environment at which one was in during the Chaos Era prevented them from doing so. After all, with too many wars happening at that time, there was little time to do personal research.

Aside from this, Tritus guessed from Osric's reaction upon seeing the lightning that the latter had little to no experience fighting a Lightning or Thunder mage— actually, Tritus had no experience as well, but since he knew it was his innate magic's nemesis, he did a lot of research on these two magic. Because of this, Tritus knew that Lightning and Thunder magic could melt diamonds better than Fire magic!

Just as Tritus was thinking this, Osric's expression turned nasty as the lightning discharge neared him.

There were still a few centimeters before it touched Osric, but his diamond skin already showed signs of melting. Alarmed by this, he instinctively took out a teleportation token and moved at least ten meters away.

Whoosh!

The Lock-on effect passively activated and the Storm and Lightning attacks also adjusted their positioning about ten meters.

"Ngh!" Osric let out a painful wince as the lightning discharge touched his forearms. He immediately took out three teleportation tokens and a scroll. At the same time, he broke one teleportation token while releasing the staff's diamond mimicry effect. Before the diamond effect was completely removed, and he phased in after teleporting another ten meters, he finally took out a scroll and activated it.

Boom!

Just when the lightning touched Osric, the scroll emitted a blinding light that covered his body in an instant.

'This...!'

Tritus's eyes widened the moment the blinding light covering Osric vanished. A sphere with a translucent metallic sheen protected the latter from the onslaught of lightning.

From within the sphere, Osric looked at Tritus with a smile and said, "I admit not knowing that Lightning can easily pierce through the defences of Diamond. But did you really think I don't have other means to protect myself from it?"

Obviously, Tritus had thought of it. But his setup was to prevent him from using it. Besides, he did not know about the diamond staff's ability so that had been a plus to his setup. Ideally, the Lightning attacks would have easily kept up with Osric's speed, and the Storm and the Lock-on effect prevented the latter from escaping using teleportation tokens or transmission scrolls. The Storm also had an effect that inflict slow movement albeit minimally.

Tritus had calculated Osric's speed and his setup but apparently, it was still not enough.

Did this mean that Osric had not been using his fastest speed when Tritus was chasing after him?

If there was anything Tritus miscalculated, it was likely Osric's real speed.

'Is this the gap between an Arch Magus and a Legendary?' Tritus could not help but wonder.

"This ambush would have dealt a great deal of damage on me if not for our gap," Osric taunted as if reading Tritus's mind. "You have used quite some rare scrolls, but their strength will only reflect your level. If you had been a Legendary then these Lightnings, would have been stronger and faster. It goes without saying, but the Storm's range and effect will also be stronger."

Tritus did not refute it because there was nothing he could say.

Osric was right.

The scrolls Tritus had used were indeed rare. Since there was no known Lightning or Thunder mage in the Ylfaen Empire, he had to find a way to get the scrolls from the western nations. Though it was still uncommon, compared to the empire, there were three known nations in the west that had Lightning or Thunder mages.

In any case, the power of these scrolls would normally only possess the strength of the mage that created it. But Tritus, using the magic technology that the Templar Code possessed, managed to find a way to increase the strength of such scrolls if activated by a mage with a different type of magic energy and level.

Ultimately, the level at which Tritus had used was still far from enough.

RAWRGH!

CLICK! CLICK CLICK!

A powerful roar followed by a pitiful clicking wail immediately drew Osric and Tritus's attention toward the sea serpent and the diamond dolphin.

Crack! Crack!

But as Osric turned his head to look at the direction they were in, he spat a mouthful of blood and the crystal and diamond staff he was holding cracked. His eyes widened at once as he realized what had happened.

"NOOO!" He growled at the scene that greeted him.

The bluish-green sea serpent had grown in size as it easily chomped half of the diamond dolphin's body. Apart from that, its tail was coiled around the core of the water pillars and had crushed the diamond orbs there, which in turn seeped into the bluish-green sea serpent's scales.

The moment Tritus saw this, his eyes glinted in excitement. It seemed the trident's soul had successfully taken two powerful sentients! Just as he was thinking this, he felt something within him warm up. His light lit up as he realized what was happening and he could not help but look at the sea serpent both in amazement and shock.

Apparently, the bluish-green sea serpent did not take the diamond dolphin and diamond spheres— which were supposed to have formed from the former's vitality that originally powered up from consuming the bluish-white sea serpent's magic energy and vitality— all by itself. It shared some of the excess energy with Tritus using their bond. And this 'excess' energy was what the latter needed in order to break through his shackles and rise to the next level!