SPELLCRAFT: Reincarnation Of A Magic Scholar

[Moments Earlier]

"You…?"

In a graveyard that extended for miles, lacking even a modicum of an end in sight, two people stood opposite each other.

The dreary sky that painted the image of an eternal night, and the several tombstones that had intelligible epitaphs engraved upon them… all of them constructed an ambiance of dread.

However, despite such darkness and eeriness that the landscape offered, the true architect of fear was one of the two who faced each other.

The man stood imposingly tall, his hands in his trench coat as he stared down at his prey.

His eyes were a glassy reflection of emptiness, and his callous smile showed no mercy. Nothing but a lack of empathy oozed from his cold gaze.

And that was more than enough to frighten the young man who faced him.

"Why are you here… Legris Damien?" He muttered, still stuck between disbelief and caution.

This graveyard served as his trial, and he had been facing several opponents—all of which were undead.

The undead had various types, so he had to utilize varying methods to defeat them, but even after facing so many foes, he wasn't expecting this.

'He just came out of nowhere. Is he also one of my challenges?' The young man asked as his auburn hair danced with the cold night wind.

'But… this feels different. It feels… dangerous. Too dangerous!'

He felt like he would die if he took even a single step forward. That was what the cold glare and imposing aura of Legris was telling him.

'T-then… could he be the real deal?!'

But even that felt more improbable. How could it be possible for Legris to invade the Constellation Realm?

As this young man wrestled with his thoughts, beads of sweat fell from his face as flickers of flames danced around his body.

In this deep, dark graveyard, he was the only major source of illumination.

"Well, that's a good question. Why am I here…?" Legris suddenly spoke, causing all the bones in his body to shudder.

As Legris took a step forward, he subconsciously stepped back.

Was it caution? Was it fear? Perhaps it was both.

"I came here to eliminate and absorb you. You're the weakest of your teammates, so I figured you'd be an easy target." Legris smiled broadly, causing all the hair on his body to rise.

"That's right, Jerry. I'm the real deal."

At this point, Jerry knew he could not afford to dwell in doubt any longer.

He was standing right in front of the man they had traveled so far to defeat—the one responsible for the destruction of worlds.

'He wants to kill me! I… I have to stop him!'

Right now, Jerry had two options.

One was to retreat and wait for help, and the second was to stand his ground and fight.

The first option seemed like the safest, but he had no idea if there would be anyone coming to his rescue. As for the second, he wasn't sure if he could even land a hit on Legris.

'Still…' Jerry gritted his teeth and clenched his fist.

Both options seemed like dead ends, but Jerry preferred the second one by a wide margin.

'I might not be able to win, but if I can play my part and damage him a little, then it should be well worth it.'

Resolving within himself to fight, and to do so without holding back, Jerry knew he had to give it his all from the very start.

And that meant… using his newly developed Original Magic!

Gathering all his Aether together, and then releasing everything to his immediate surrounding, Jerry widened his glowing eyes and roared from deep within his soul.

"[Original Magic: Purgatory]!"

~VWUUUUUUUMMMMM!!!~

Instantly, the entire graveyard, at least what surrounded him for at least a few miles, was engulfed in flames.

The fire burned fervently, dying the cold night with brimming illumination. The searing heat banished the cool atmosphere, and standing at the center of it all was Jerry.

However, this was only the beginning.

"I'm not done yet!" He roared.

~RUMBLE!~

As soon as the hellish domain was erected, the earth began to tremble.

~RUMBLE!~

"What are you up to now?" Legris smirked, using his hands to fan himself a little.

Beads of sweat could be seen on his pale face, but that was all there was to it. None of the flames had managed to consume him.

At least, not yet.

"You'll see…" Jerry whispered.

~RUMBLE!~

And then, from the depths of the earth rose the ones who were meant to be resting.

The skeletons that belonged to the dead… they all rose to the surface, their bony bodies now covered in intense flames.

From mere skeletons, to ghouls, to zombies, to death knights… they all arose from their graves and climbed to the surface.

Despite the raging inferno that consumed their entire bodies, they weren't burning up.

In fact, they seemed even more intimidating.

"Not yet…!"

~BOOOOOOMMM!!!~

As if the landscape hadn't changed enough, volcanic eruptions rose from the four corners of his territory, sending molten magma to consume the world he commanded.

A sea of flames and lava eroded any semblance of the previous landscape.

Only those coated by his flames were safe.

At this point, even Legris had taken to the air, avoiding the brewing danger that awaited him below.

"It is done. And now, for the final touch…" Jerry grinned, his body suddenly getting engulfed in purple flames.

This was a step up from his [Grand Flame Admiral], considering it was his entire body that was now covered in purple flames, and not just his blade.

His purplish crimson orb floated right above him and everything else, like an all-seeing eye that would oversee the entire fight.

He tightly gripped his flaming blade, resolve sparkling in his eyes as he uttered the words that reflected his current form.

"[Grand Flame Emperor]"

*

*

*