Genius Warlock

Chapter 339

"Um..."

Oliver sighed silently as he gazed upon the trio before him.

Interestingly, all three countenances were recognizable, with two of them being exceptionally familiar.

‘The faces I saw at Mattel... the one in the middle is Mr. Carl, and the one on the right is Mr. Fin Russo, right?'

Oliver meticulously recollected.

In the pivotal moment when a confrontation was about to unfold within Mattel's covert underground laboratory, Merlin made a timely entrance. Standing before them was the same individual who had participated in the prior conversation on Carl's behalf, as well as the one who had withdrawn with him during their earlier altercation.

This sight was oddly reassuring, considering that Carl was among the individuals Oliver desired to confront, just as Carl did with him.

‘And then...'

"...Is that man Grand Master Theodore of the Life School?”

Drawing from the footage shown by Eve, Oliver discreetly whispered to Kevin, who stood beside him.

However, it wasn't Kevin who replied.

"Yes. I am Grand Master Theodore Brant of the School of Life Magic.”

Kevin displayed a hint of surprise. Understandably so, since Theodore was not known for readily responding to inquiries from a mere faculty member or a warlock. Only those who had demonstrated their expertise, typically at the master level, were granted the privilege of engaging in discourse with him.

This signified that Theodore recognized Oliver, which was both intriguing and foreboding.

‘Could it be... Is this related to what’s happening now?’

Kevin's mind instinctively began to piece together the puzzle, guided by intuition, even though it was just a hunch.

‘Even so, doing something like this... No, it’s entirely possible. Dave's talent isn’t common at all.’

Gradually, Kevin's certainty about the situation increased as he observed Oliver. If Theodore had orchestrated this event to enlist Oliver for enhancing his own power, it wasn't entirely implausible. Merlin had previously mentioned that the Life School had targeted Oliver.

While it might seem illogical for an entire school, let alone the Magic Tower, to stake their existence on a single individual, reality occasionally defied logic and rationale. However, in Oliver's case, it was a risk worth taking. Kevin had once stated that Oliver had the potential to establish a Magic Tower on his own in a short time.

‘An endless tank of mana, the ability to steal and adapt any technique, a talent even elemental spirits fear, and abilities that go beyond teaching to endowing talent... It would be even more ridiculous to give up.'

In an instant, Kevin was the sole individual capable of deciphering the true nature of the situation. The Life School's objective was not merely to secure exceptional wizards to bolster their ranks; their target was specifically Oliver.

This realization indicated a fundamental flaw in their operation from the outset. They had unwittingly delivered their intended target right into their hands.

Having grasped the situation, Kevin placed his hand on Oliver's shoulder. Given the circumstances and the formidable adversary in Theodore, he believed it prudent to retreat for now.

‘Damn it!'

Kevin began to speak.

"Pro-"

"Da-"

“-fessor."

Oliver preempted Kevin by half a beat.

"Those people over there... aren't they Derick and Felix?”

Oliver pointed towards one of the walls. The dimly lit room made it challenging to discern details in the shadowy corners, but upon closer inspection in the direction Oliver indicated, a chilling discovery emerged.

"Uh... uh..."

"Grrr..."

"Help...."

Adorning the walls of the chamber were not only intricate machinery, pipes, and wires, but also wizards who were bound and gagged like captives, their desperate pleas muffled. Their number exceeded a hundred, and the majority appeared emaciated, their forms contorted like mummies. It was a heart-wrenching tableau.

"Derick...? Felix...?"

Amidst the assembly of wizards whose hair had withered away, whose flesh and bones clung tenaciously to each other, and whose teeth had succumbed to decay, Kevin located the two students he had been in search of, securely bound.

Fortunately, their condition seemed marginally better than that of their unfortunate peers, likely owing to their positioning.

Although they had experienced the loss of muscle and flesh, and one side of their heads had turned completely white, it was apparent that with proper rest and care, they could recover.

Observing Kevin caught in the struggle between reason and emotion, Oliver elucidated Theodore's intentions.

Though the details were hazy, it was clear that Theodore aimed to incite a reaction from Kevin.

Kevin replied, "I know... he's not the kind of person to have such a sincere conversation with me in the first place, so..."

"...?"

"Take the kids and move away. It's an order."

Issuing this directive, Kevin channeled his mana, summoning a salamander before charging forward.

Events transpired so rapidly that Oliver had no time to protest; he chose to comply with Kevin's command, given the gravity of his emotions.

However, things did not proceed as planned.

"Huh?!"

Kevin came to an abrupt halt, taken aback. Just as he closed in on Theodore and his group with the summoned salamander, it vanished.

The potent aura characteristic of spirits was so pronounced that even Oliver could sense it.

A spirit retreating was a highly unusual occurrence.

Baffled by the sudden disappearance of the spirit, Kevin seemed to arrive at some realization, though Oliver couldn't fathom what it might be.

"Zenon...!"

In a state of panic, Kevin called out to Oliver, but his words were abruptly cut short as a sword wielding black flames infused with anger surged forth, aimed at Kevin.

[Greed Fire (탐화)]

Kevin was startled by the black flames, which fundamentally differed from conventional magic. However, being a seasoned wizard, he swiftly retaliated with his own fire magic.

It was a standard yet effective response. After all, fire magic was the most fitting counter to fire magic.

"Such flames are just fodder...!"

Carl, the creator of Greed Fire (탐화), declared confidently.

To a certain extent, he was correct.

Depending on the craftsmanship of Greed Fire (탐화), its properties could vary, but generally, ordinary fire magic served as nothing more than sustenance for it.

Or so it seemed.

"What...?"

Carl exclaimed in disbelief as he witnessed Greed Fire (탐화) struggling to absorb the flames.

There was a valid reason for this: the flames employed by Kevin were not his usual fire but rather Willes Flames. Unlike standard fire, which passively relied on the wizard's mana, these flames were designed to actively draw in mana from their surroundings.

While risky, they possessed tremendous potency as fire magic.

In certain aspects, their characteristics resembled those of Greed Fire (탐화), which might explain why they resisted consumption and held their ground.

Of course, the emotional aspect of Greed Fire (탐화) enhanced its firepower, so the battle was more about endurance than overpowering. Yet, for Kevin, that was sufficient.

His strategy involved countering Carl by crafting stone spears and rock projectiles through the Gaia School of Earth Magic.

However, Finn Russo, who had been silently observing, suddenly unleashed blood magic to tear apart both Carl's Greed Fire (탐화) and Willrs Flames.

———Whoosh!!!

With a sound that seemed to rend the very air, both the black and red flames dissipated.

The caliber of his blood magic rivaled that of Bathory, as evidenced by his swift creation of blood wings and the sharp blood gauntlets with which he lunged at Kevin.

Kevin responded by encasing his arm with stones from the ground, but Russo, wielding the power of blood magic, embedded his nails into Kevin's stony armor, forcibly propelling him out of the building.

In an instant, Oliver found himself alone.

Observing Kevin's expulsion, he turned to Theodore and inquired,

"Was I your target from the beginning?"

"Of course."