Andrasch narrowed his eyes at Ludger, who stood before him far too unharmed for comfort.
“Hmmm.”
His head tilted to the side with a sharp creak.
Given his tall, gaunt frame, that movement only made the sight all the more grotesque.
“This won’t dooo.”
He had launched a surprise attack, yet Ludger was not merely alive—he was perfectly fine.
He had clearly seen the blow strike directly. For Ludger to be unscathed could only mean there was some unknown factor at work.
‘I knew he was a Sixth-Circle mage, but he’s far tougher than expected.’
Andrasch abandoned the thought of ending things quickly.
With an opponent like this, the battle would not proceed on his terms.
“An interesting fighting style,” Ludger murmured.
He did not take Andrasch lightly either.
The initial ambush, the magic circle prepared on the ground by channeling mana, the false gesture of greeting followed by another strike from a circle hidden in midair—
The triple-layered assault had aimed directly at the opponent’s psychological blind spot.
Ludger found Andrasch’s method ruthlessly thorough.
Thoroughly cowardly, thoroughly cold.
A combat style built on deception.
But to employ such a method so seamlessly meant he had ample experience.
At this level—Sixth-Circle and above—there could be no carelessness.
‘I didn’t expect them to call out a Sixth-Circle mage from the Tower itself.’
But that only meant Nikolai was serious enough to justify it.
‘Verom /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ said Nikolai was building something here. The chimeras and experimental subjects he created with Victor were merely foundations for that.’
If both science and magic were being applied, whatever Nikolai sought to make required both disciplines.
Ludger didn’t yet know what it was—but the longer this dragged on, the more disadvantageous it would become.
“I need to end this quickly.”
“End it quicklyyy? Sorry, but that won’t dooo.”
Andrasch instantly realized what Ludger intended and gave a signal.
Around them, the War Mages of the Bourgeois faction—who had been encircling Ludger since earlier—moved in unison, driving steel spikes into the ground one by one.
Embedded in each spike was a magic stone. Once all were planted, the stones began to glow, releasing waves of energy.
Wooooom—!
The mana waves spread through the air, resonating with each other until they amplified into immense pressure.
The resonant vibration surged from every direction, pressing heavily upon Ludger’s body.
“This is...”
The magical pressure struck him like an unseen weight, and for the first time, Ludger felt a spark of surprise.
Each object by itself was negligible—but together they created a synergistic force that crushed down on him.
‘Breathing... feels heavy.’
It was as if a giant boulder had been placed on his back, his entire body squeezed beneath the pressure of the deep sea.
“Fascinating, isn’t ittt? The stronger your mana, the harder it is to breatheee.”
Andrasch stood unbothered within the same field, perfectly composed.
Though the waves clearly targeted Ludger alone, his opponent’s calmness felt unnatural.
Ludger observed the faint mana current running over Andrasch’s skin.
“You matched the frequency of the waves.”
“And you figured that out just by lookinggg? Truly terrifying insighttt.”
The reason Andrasch remained unaffected was that he had attuned his own mana to the same frequency as the resonating field.
Simple in concept, but extremely difficult in practice—like riding the crest of a massive tidal wave without being swallowed.
A single mistake would mean annihilation.
‘And yet he’s that composed.’
Confidence born from mastery.
“But even if you realize it, it won’t help youuu. I don’t have to kill you—just delay you long enough.”
Andrasch knew what Ludger wanted.
He meant to reach Nikolai.
Blocking him was more than enough.
“Hm.”
Ludger stretched his hand toward one of the steel spikes embedded in the ground.
He planned to extract it with his own magic and break the resonance, but it wasn’t easy.
Woooong!
The waves from all sides shattered his mana effortlessly.
It felt like trying to build a delicate sandcastle in a torrential storm—each attempt washed away instantly.
The War Mages weren’t idle either.
They guarded the spikes with absolute discipline, showing no greed or distraction.
‘Well trained. Even with the advantage, they don’t grow complacent—they devote everything to protecting those spikes.’
Even if Ludger could cast spells in this resonance field, breaking through the War Mages’ defense would be nearly impossible.
But the biggest problem was Andrasch himself.
“You didn’t think I’d just watch you remove those spikes, did youuu?”
He smiled and pointed his hand toward Ludger.
Each of his long, slender fingers wore a ring—five in total.
They gleamed, magic formulas sparking in the air.
Flames erupted, coalescing into the shape of a massive red lizard that lunged at Ludger, its tongue flicking like fire.
The creature opened its jaws wide and swallowed him whole.
Snap!
But the next instant, the flaming lizard split apart like chopped firewood, and Ludger emerged unscathed, swordstick in hand.
“You use rings instead of a staff. The efficiency must be abysmal—yet you still carry them.”
“I just find it more convenienttt.”
“To conceal your casting. Hiding your weapon, hands clasped behind your back, pretending harmlessness—until it’s too late.”
A staff was merely a conduit to make spellcasting easier—not essential.
Ludger’s swordstick served the same role, and even Aidan used a sword-staff hybrid.
Without one, magic could still be cast—it just required more effort and precision.
So Ludger understood why Andrasch wore rings instead of wielding a staff.
Pure deception.
He preferred to manipulate his opponent’s perception—to appear harmless until he struck.
“Even if rings are inefficient, wearing that many must compensate for it. They probably outperform most staves.”
“Impressiveee. I’ll almost regret killing you hereee.”
Andrasch genuinely admired Ludger’s discernment.
Such magical talent, composure, and analytical skill—he was the kind of mage the New Tower needed.
It was a pity he had to die.
“But business is businessss. Feelings don’t belong in ittt.”
He extended his hand again.
Even if Ludger had blocked earlier spells, Andrasch doubted he could withstand them indefinitely.
And he wasn’t the only one preparing an attack.
The surrounding War Mages began casting simultaneously, their killing intent locking onto Ludger.
Ludger narrowed his eyes, feeling the turbulent flow of mana around him.
‘Not good.’
Andrasch and his subordinates had created this entire scenario precisely to hunt a high-rank mage.
Their familiarity with it proved they had rehearsed extensively.
‘They must have built this plan to deal with another Sixth-Circle mage someday—probably Loteron.’
The Bourgeois faction had long been preparing to purge the Proletariat faction.
“I wanted to conserve strength before moving on... but that won’t do.”
This was no trap set by amateurs—and with another Sixth-Circle mage present, Ludger had no choice but to shift tactics.
“Hmm. Not looking good for me either, huhhh?”
Andrasch shared the thought, smiling faintly.
“Your eyes... they’re not dead at allll.”
Most people, cornered and outmatched, would despair, rage, or beg.
Even if they tried to hide it, their tone, gaze, and movements always gave them away.
But Ludger didn’t.
He grew calmer, his gaze deepening, still as black water.
Andrasch knew that look well.
‘A man who doesn’t know how to give up.’
The kind who searched for a way to survive no matter what—Andrasch’s least favorite kind of opponent.
“This wayyy, I can’t afford to hold back either.”
Andrasch always pursued efficiency.
Even against the weak, he used only the minimal force required.
This time was no different.
Even with a perfect trap and overwhelming advantage, he stayed cautious.
If Ludger still hadn’t surrendered, that meant he had a trump card.
So before that card could appear—or before it could turn the tide—Andrasch would end it.
“I really didn’t want to use this oneee.”
He muttered softly and reached for the black metal mask covering his mouth.
When he removed it, his revealed face was unexpectedly plain—save for the black tattoos drawn horizontally across the sides of his pale lips.
It was clear those marks were not for decoration.
Then Andrasch spoke.
「Stop.」
His voice rippled through the air, swallowing Ludger whole.
Ludger felt his body freeze.
Andrasch’s words had taken form—manifested as reality.
“What—?”
Before he could move, another word followed.
「Be Crushed.」
Invisible pressure multiplied tenfold, slamming down on him.
Ludger’s body trembled violently.
Had he not reinforced himself with mana, he would have been flattened like a frog beneath a rock.
He glared at Andrasch.
“You’re still standinggg?”
Andrasch was impressed.
Even after unveiling his trump card, Ludger endured.
“Word Magic.”
“Yesss. My specialty—an unusual branch of magiccc.”
Word Magic—
The concept that words themselves could carry power, materialized through mana.
Commonly known as Power Word, it had a long, ancient lineage.
It was said the gods themselves spoke creation into being; such records were the origin of this art.
But the true foundation came from imitating the long-lost Draconic Speech—the tongue of dragons, who could weave magic merely by uttering words.
Now, though dragons existed only in legend, the power of language was far from fiction.
“Still, that’s not something easily learned.”
“Hence why it’s classified as an Unorthodox Branchhh.”
“Took me quite the effort to masterrr,” Andrasch said, his lips curving upward.
The tattoos made his smile grotesque.
‘So that mask wasn’t just for show.’
It was likely a seal—a restraint to suppress the power of his words.
And the fact that his speech became clear when casting meant his usual drawling tone was a self-imposed limiter, preventing accidental activation.
A sign of constant struggle against his own magic.
“Ahh, I see that lookkk. You think I can’t control it properly, don’t youuu?”
Andrasch chuckled, as if reading Ludger’s thoughts.
“......”
“You’re righttt. This magic isn’t easy to handle. I’m always suppressing it, or it’d run wilddd.”
Every word spoken drained mana and risked triggering unintentional effects.
To prevent that, Andrasch slurred his speech and wore the sealing mask.
Even the tattoos around his mouth acted as a binding sigil.
And even that wasn’t enough—he had to constantly watch every word he spoke.
“So what if you’ve figured it outtt?”
“So what?”
In the next instant, Ludger vanished from sight and reappeared right in front of him.
Before Andrasch could even widen his eyes, Ludger’s hand clamped tightly over his mouth.
“It changes nothing.”
Ludger leaned in until their faces were inches apart, blue light burning behind the raven mask.
“Nothing at all.”