~Feon PoV~

I was still looking through every room in the mansion.

“What kind of shitty mansion is this?”

 

The number of rooms inside was ridiculous. The size of the building was pretty big from outside, but that was just the beginning. If one were to look inside, they would be bewildered on how deceivingly small it actually was from the outside.

 

There was another problem with the mansion. There were a lot of wards placed haphazardly all over the establishment as if someone had implanted them at the last second. Due to how shoddy the work done was, it was easier to bypass them without me needing to deactivate those wards, but it still wasted a lot of my time sneaking around those pesky things.

 

The more I explored the mansion, the more unsettled I felt. Everything was covered in a shade of marine blue. I didn’t know what was going through the person’s head who decided to make this mansion in such a way, but she deserved to get herself an appointment to the psychiatrist. If I had to guess, it was probably that pope candidate considering how much of a nutcase she is.

 

At least don’t aim for your brother, even I won’t go that far… maybe. Well, that’s beside the point, I had been letting my thoughts distract me. Focusing back at the mansion, I started to scan everywhere for Riela’s whereabouts.

 

As I went past the stairs towards the 2nd floor, I heard a loud crash. The very mansion shook, causing the furniture and picture frames to rattle with dust flying everywhere. The noise was soon followed by rapid footsteps, each getting louder than the next. 

 

It was no doubt that it was Riela’s sis. I don’t know how she knew my location. I was pretty sure I hadn’t triggered any traps but now was not the time to bother about it. She was closing at me, fast. I needed to prepare myself immediately. There’s no way I can avoid encountering her now.

 

Committing to stealth was pretty useless now, I deactivated the skills and chugged down a whole mana potion. I could hear her stomping right below me. The noise gave away a general idea of her location. Knowing this, I extended my staff and pointed it towards her. 

“Psionic Ray” I cast, a beam of expanded from my staff, hitting at the intended area with pinpoint accuracy.

 

It goes through below the floor, heading right at the oncoming target. A wide hole was left on the wooden flooring as the smoke dissipated from it. Unfortunately, that witch had managed to block the attack in time. Her eyes were glaring right at me through the crack, malice whirling within those bright azure eyes.

 

She squinted before responding with her own spell. Her hands make a gesture as she parts her lips, casting that frigid spell of hers. I knew for a fact that she specialised in area of effect spells like me, it wouldn’t take a genius to figure out from the blaring sounds of ice cracking right outside the mansion. 

 

Inside here, her selection of spells should be limited, but that was the same for me. It sadly nullified the only advantage I had. Though if I were to try and compete with her in the same category of destructive magic, I wouldn’t hold a candle to her.

 

Her spear headed right at me. I leaned sideways to avoid it barely. The projectiles grazed my hair, causing some of my strands to separate just from the sheer force of it. A challenging smile appears on my face. I wasn’t letting her go scot-free after ruining my hair.

 

I whirl my hands and cast my next spell.

“Toxic Fumes!”. Poisonous gas started to leak out of my hand, directed towards the hole in the flooring. It was a dangerous spell that was capable of harming the caster if not handled correctly. Using them, I tried to control the witch’s movements and bring the fight to the upper floor.

 

Riela’s sister had no choice but to head upstairs, knowing that, I used that extra time to start preparing my next spell.  I started casting one of my more complex spells. Each syllable I spoke was complex and tricky to perform. By the time she had reached the next floor, my spell was already ready to activate.

 

“Laserworks.” A bright red glow radiates from my arms. Seeing the menacing glow, her pupils dilate. She immediately swung her hand upwards, creating a barricade of ice in the corridor. I unleash my spell right towards her. 

 

Multiple laser beams head at her general direction. It was one of my more controlled destructive spells but aiming it was a lot harder. But it worked out for me as the hallway had limited the amount of movement space she had. 

 

A lot of the beams got deflected upon impact, but most of them quickly melted through the ice wall. The witch was forced to back away and create multiple more ice walls to stop my laser beams. Sweat started to cascade down her forehead. The instant casting was taking a toll on her mental prowess.

 

Instant casting wasn’t an easy feat and a lot of the times; it was not that worth it. One had to have a very high understanding of the spell, and it put a heavy load on the caster’s mind. She only dared to use it because of how bad her position was currently.

 

The light dimmed around my hands. Riela’s sis was still standing there, but she was barely hanging on. Her whole body was now covered in sweat, panting ceaselessly. The situation wasn’t looking good for her. She looked as if she was going to collapse at any second.

 

Not allowing her to recover, I keep casting my spells. She stayed defensive, blocking my attacks with her ice blocks. I was close to grasping victory. I just needed to keep the momentum up and pressure her. 

 

As I was already starting to celebrate, she takes out a small vial from her dress. I wasn’t sure as to what it might’ve been, but I knew I couldn’t allow her to swallow it. I started firing a barrage of attacks, using instant casting myself.

 

Just as my attacks were about to hit her, her pendant starts shining brightly. Don’t tell me… a magical artifact!? I was taken aback by it. A spherical green shield appears, blocking all of my attacks. I tried my best to break it down, but by the time I get through it, she had already finished drinking her vial.

 

She heaved a refreshing moan and threw away the vial, crashing right beside her. Her pallor skin started to regain colour. She didn’t look as tired as before. Things had begun to take a turn for the worse.

 

“What did you just drink?” I asked, at this point, I knew my chances of victory were extremely unlikely.

“A limit breaker, it should last for about 15 minutes or so.” She answered casually, not wary of my attacks anymore. Both of us knew it was my loss. I stayed silent for a few moments.

 

“Ahaha… HAHAHAHAH!” I broke off into a sudden fit of laughter.

“What happened? Did you go mad knowing you won’t ever get to meet Alex again?”

‘So Alex was his name…’ I thought to myself.

“What good will knowing my lover’s name do now? Your fate is the same as your friend Adrian. You will never get to meet him ever again.”

 

She was looking down on me, but I couldn’t care less. I tried to stifle my laughter, but I just couldn’t stop.

The witch’s taunting smile was gone, now replaced with an uncaring expression.

“Your laughter is starting to prickle my ears. Well, time to apprehend you fools.”

 

“I am laughing at you,” I said, suppressing my laughter for a moment.

“Hmm, what do you mean?” Her eyes carried the same unsympathetic gaze. She questioned while closing in at me. 

“I am laughing thinking about what kind of face you will be making.”

 

It was about time to pull my trump card.