Legacy of the Dark Sage

Kyran's expression turned serious as he watched. In truth, Rhys's movement was fast, but in Kyran's eyes, he was too slow.

When Rhys's fist was only a few inches away from Kyran, the latter crouched down.

As soon as Kyran did, however, a sneer appeared on Rhys's face and he snorted, "Humph."

He anticipated all of Kyran's possible movement and already thought of a way to counter them. If Kyran jumped back, the flames in Rhys's arms would burst out and follow Kyran. But if Kyran duck, Rhys would aim for his head!

At an impossible angle, Rhys changed his motion from punching, into launching a knee kick and aimed at Kyran's descending head.

"Humph," Kyran sneered as he realized what Rhys planned to do.

With agile movements, Kyran slipped the wooden staff in between the crook of Rhys's calf and thigh, before slamming his left hand on Rhys's knee stopping its momentum.

"What—?" Rhys exclaimed in surprise.

Before Rhys could fully register what Kyran had done, a powerful force slammed on the side of his head as the latter deftly yet powerfully twisted the staff on his hand then struck the other end of the staff at the former's jawline.

Because the other end of the staff was currently slipped in between the crook of Rhys's calf and thigh, when Kyran twisted the staff, it also twisted the former's leg at a nasty angle that an audible snapping sound was heard.

It was obvious that at such an angle, the staff would have been broken in two. Surprisingly, the snapping sound did not come from the staff but from Rhys!

"ARGH!" Rhys bellowed in pain. Whether it was from how he was hit on the jaw or because of the snapping on his leg, or maybe both, only he knew.

However, his grueling scream made Sigma's and also Vera's expressions twist, especially when they saw Kyran bashing Rhys's jawline. As if recalling a certain incident where they also experienced a painful bash on their heads.

Even as Rhys had bellowed in pain, Kyran was not done. Using his right pointing and middle fingers he pressed down different points on Rhys's huge frame.

Whenever his fingers touched these points, small light-golden arrays formed, sinking inside Rhys's body.

After which, as Rhys's leg snapped, the other end of the staff hit the floor. Kyran took this chance to hoist his body to the left and force Rhys to fall to the ground by hooking his right leg around Rhys's hips. Kyran twisted his body and using this movement, he managed to switch places with Rhys.

Rhys was once again sprawled on the floor, face first, while Kyran was perched on his back.

By this time, Kyran already pulled the staff from beneath and whirled it above his head before holding them in both hands. Then he hooked the staff's shaft over at Rhys's chin and pulled it up forcing the latter to look up.

"Ack!" Rhys made choking sounds as the staff hit his throat.

"Stay down," Kyran said once again with a slight smile.

Everyone inside looked on with alarmed expressions.

Earlier, Rhys was bursting with vigor as his fire magic amplified not just his body size but also the intensity of the flames wrapped around his arms.

But then, Kyran subjugated Rhys without showing any concern of the flames that swirled around him.

"Impossible!" Vera exclaimed. She might not have experienced Rhys's flames but she knew someone who had powerful fire magic, Dior.

During sparring matches among the officers of the Royal Army, when Dior participated and summoned his flames, wearing them like a fiery cloak, no one was able to touch him without getting burned.

Haylee understood why Vera felt Kyran being unaffected by Rhys's flames was impossible. However, she sensed something different with Rhys's flames. It was as if, it appeared to burst out with fierce intensity, but in truth, its essence was empty.

Noir and Sigma also felt something different with Rhys's flames.

Before the two could continue with their own thoughts, Kyran suddenly freed his right hand holding the staff to grab Rhys's head.

"You want to test my array ability right? Here you go," Kyran said as different light-golden arrays burst out from Rhys's body.

Since no one had seen all of Kyran's movements a while ago, they did not know that the places where the light-gold arrays came out from were where Kyran had pressed down earlier.

As soon as these arrays appeared, Noir and Sigma's eyes widened. They instantly recognized that the arrays were formulas.

"When in hell did he plant those arrays?" Sigma exclaimed in shock.

Noir, on the other hand, recognized some of the formulas, and the realization hit him. His eyes widened further and mixed emotions filled his heart.

'These formulas are saint-tier levels!' Noir thought, heart racing in complete awe, excitement, and even fear.

In an instant, a five-meter golden ring appeared above Kyran and Rhys.

Kyran lifted his right hand at the golden ring. After which, the small light-golden arrays flew toward it and a coalescing process began.

The small light-golden arrays appeared on different points at the empty part of the golden ring, which was the center. Soon, runes formed connecting each of these small light-golden arrays into the golden ring, slowly forming into a five-meter golden array.

Crackling sounds erupted as the magic energy inside the training room was drawn into the array.

The semi-transparent barrier that contained Kyran and Rhys also crackled as visible cracks appeared. It looked as if the barrier's magic limiter capability was on the verge of collapse. Apparently, it was unable to limit the magic being formed on Kyran's array.

"AAAARGH!"

Rhys's grueling scream filled the air. His screams intensified as the golden ring become more like an array.

"Enough! You are going overboard!" Vera shouted and was about to make a move.

But it was at this moment that the semi-transparent barrier collapsed as the gold ring had finished coalescing the small light-golden arrays. As the barrier collapsed, a fierce collision of magic energies erupted from within, sending out a gale of magic energies on all sides.

"Your Highness!" Vera exclaimed and immediately summoned a barrier to protect her and Haylee from the onslaught of magic energies.

On the other side, Malek also waved his hand to form a magic barrier around him, Noir, and Sigma.

Amidst the noise made by the gale of magic energies and Rhys's pain, Kyran's voice boomed as he shouted, "Constrain!"

In an instant, the golden array above decreased in size as it descended to rest at Kyran's outstretched hand.

The gale of magic energies converged into the golden array at an alarming speed.

Rhys who felt as if his whole body was being compressed by an invisible force suddenly felt an impending crisis. He had participated in far too many battles at the border. Fought countless mages who had higher mage levels than he was. But this was the first time he had felt that his life was being threatened.

"N-No! S-Stop!" He screamed.

His previous bravado was instantly shattered by the threat to his life.

The truth was he had been trying to summon his magic since Kyran hit him with his staff. But for some unknown reasons, his body could not generate any magic energy. He could not even connect with the magic energy in the surroundings. For this reason, the flames around him were nothing more than a show of strength. But no real flame energy was contained inside.

Not only that. Apparently, his body was incapable of any movements!

All of the things Rhys was experiencing were all because of the small light-gold arrays that entered his body. The points Kyran aimed at were also important points in the human body where magic energy flowed. As soon as the light-gold arrays entered these points, they disrupted the flow of magic energy in Rhys's body, immediately turning his flames useless.

Kyran only snorted at Rhys's plea.

The golden array finally completed absorbing the gale of magic energy and it glowed with an almost blinding light. After which, Kyran lowered his hand to grab Rhys's head once more.

"Noooo!" Rhys screamed, his scalp went numb as he sensed Kyran's hand near his own.

But then...

"That is enough."

The voice that had spoken was soft, even calm. However, as soon as the voice had spoken, the noise that filled the whole room was silenced in an instant.

Even the movements inside were forced to stop.

The pupil of Kyran's eyes constricted.

The power emitted by that voice had nothing to do with sound magic.

No.

It was far more potent than Celine's.

However, Kyran had experienced it before.

It was when Cyneah began to sing.

A voice that could shake one's soul.

Kyran turned his head toward the direction where the voice came.

Once again, Haylee's image seemed to overlap with Cyneah's in Kyran's eyes. This caused his emotions to stir in turmoil.

Haylee returned Kyran's gaze as she smiled gently.

"There is no need to be so ruthless, Disciple Tyr," she started.

"You have already proven your abilities. And you are right, currently, the Royal Family probably could not afford you. However, I am willing to negotiate."