SPELLCRAFT: Reincarnation Of A Magic Scholar

~WHUUUUUSSSHHHHH!!!~

The beam from above descended on Legris as he struggled to fight back the overpowering pull that he suffered from Jerry and his minions.

Once again, he was able to defend himself from the blast.

However, this momentous distraction on Legris' part gave Jerry all the advantage.

~WHUUUUUUMMMMMM!!!~

Legris was pulled into the flaming depths of purgatory, feeling his blood boil and his flesh and bones melt the instant he was dipped inside.

"ARRRGHHHHHHHH!!!"

The lava seeped into his eyeballs, invading his throat as it burned down his windpipes and lungs when he struggled to breathe.

This indescribable agony swallowed Legris whole as he descended deep into the abyss.

Fortunately for him, the pain did not last very long.

After all, he died within a few seconds.

********

"Haaa… Haaa…"

Jerry was now breathing heavily as his simmering flames began to die out, and the lava that fueled the area hardened.

The magma cooled down within moments, and Jerry's flame-coated body dissipated.

"Looks like I ran out of Aether. Just in time too…"

Any second later, and it could have meant bad news for him.

'I actually did it! I won against him!'

It felt like a dream, an actual miracle, rather than something that just happened a minute ago.

Jerry smiled at himself and his accomplishments as he lay flat on the obsidian surface of the hardened ground.

The bones and other forms of undead that he controlled with his Original Magic had all been buried under the magma, so he did not concern himself with cleaning up or anything like that.

'I lasted a lot longer than the last time. That's good! I can grow even stronger!'

Jerry knew within himself that he had reached the limits of his power.

He most likely wouldn't be able to evolve any more than his current state. However, if he could master his current abilities and cause them to last longer, he was sure he could be more useful to the rest of the team.

'I'll be able to protect Ciara too…' His smile broadened even more as he closed his eyes.

Sure, he wasn't like the others who could destroy planets or shake galaxies. At most, his power could destroy an entire nation, but what of it?

As long as he tempered his power to its fullest, then anything or anyone that ventured into his domain was going to lose.

And in the end, wasn't that that mattered most?

"Haha… this is crazy." He muttered to himself.

"I shouldn't be lazing around. I better inform everyone of Legris' arrival."

Jerry still didn't understand how the Constellations could have missed the invasion, but he knew he couldn't just lay on the ground and expect answers to come.

That was why, even though he was beyond exhausted, Legris willed himself to move.

"I wonder how Legris was able to appear here though. That's just—"

"Absurd? Yeah… that's what I think too."

Right as Jerry was about to rise from his position, he heard Legris' voice in the most bitter tone possible.

"H-huh?"

Before he could even react to what he was hearing, or even process how the Legris he defeated was responding to his words, Jerry found Legris standing right beside him.

"It's absurd that you actually won against me. I know compatibility and chance had a lot to do with it, but those are all excuses…"

'H-how…? How is he still here?!' Jerry's thoughts screamed as he helplessly watched Legris.

The sheer bloodlust that filled the area, evident by the deep glare on Legris' face was enough to paralyze Jerry.

It was… OVERWHELMING.

"It doesn't change the fact that I lost to SOMEONE LIKE YOU."

Once again, Jerry felt his body powerless before the crushing presence he was experiencing.

Legris slowly lifted his leg and placed it on Jerry. The weight behind his feet slowly descended, crushing him as he remained on the ground.

"A-agh… ARGGHHHHHH!!!" Jerry's screams filled the desolate area, but there was no one present to hear his cries.

He screamed and howled in agony as Legris crushed his rib cage, shattering his bones.

"No pain I inflict on you will be enough. In fact, this is all pointless…"

Suddenly, the pain stopped, and Legris sighed, almost in reflection of his actions.

"What am I doing? This is just petty."

He stared at Jerry with eyes now colder than the chill running down Jerry's spine.

"I should just end this…" Legris smiled, his hand now coursing with the dark power he had.

"… Right here…"

He drew closer to Jerry, his palm wide open as he reached for his face.

"… Right now."

The powerlessness Jerry felt at that moment told him there was nothing he could do. Despair held him in a tight grip, and his body remained still.

Death was approaching, and he could only stare it in the face as it neared.

'Is this… the end?' Jerry asked himself as he thought of all his allies.

Soon, though, those images were replaced by the one girl he wished he could see most.

'Ciara… I'm sorry…'

Tears fell from his eyes as the last embers of his energy left him.

'… I'm sorry I couldn't keep my promise.'

It burned him from within, but Jerry gave his final farewell as he cried.

His blurred vision remained on Legris, though, and despite his thoughts being clouded by memories of him and his lover, he refused to look away from his imminent demise.

His eyes were wide open, his heart was wide open, and he was prepared for what would come next.

… Or so he thought.

~WHOOOOOOOSSSSHHH!!!~

Like a flash of lightning, with the sound of Thunder, a blur suddenly pushed Legris away, knocking him off Jerry.

The instant the impact hit, Legris' entire body became mangled, ripped apart by an invisible force.

All of this occurred within a moment, as the next thing that appeared before Jerry right as he blinked was the very girl he thought of.

The one that filled his mind right as he was about to die.

"C-Ciara…?" Jerry whispered as he noticed the fierce-looking girl that stood beside him.

Her brown hair fluttered as her eyes shone purple. Energy danced around her as she looked in his direction.

"You have some explaining to do, Jerry…" She whispered.

At that moment, Jerry felt a strong sense of danger—even exceeding the overwhelming bloodlust Legris had given off.

He didn't know whether to be relieved for salvation, or frightful for annihilation.

Right now, the latter seemed more appealing.

"Who gave you the permission to die without me?"

As her voice echoed, so did the energy within her flicker and rise.

"I-I'm sorry…?" He managed to mutter.

Whether that would be enough or not was up to her.

He was still recoiling in shock as to how she was able to come into his dimension and one-shot Legris when he needed her the most.

"Much better. You're never leaving me, just as I'm never leaving you." Ciara's voice sent shivers down his spine, but strangely enough… It also made him happy.

Happy enough to forget the pain that currently coursed through his body.

A smile formed on her face as her eyes sparkled when they locked gazes.

At that point, everything else seemed to fade into obscurity.

"Next time… I won't forgive you, okay?"

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