Genius Warlock

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"I was wondering whether or not to spare you, curious about who you truly are. The Supreme Being and all… now it's crystal clear. I suppose I must bring you down as well."

With unwavering determination, Shamus lunged forward, uttering unintelligible words. His entire being erupted in a vibrant green energy, a manifestation of his connection to nature.

Though his overwhelming power caused some instability, Shamus appeared as a formidable entity of pure energy. In response, Oliver retaliated, harnessing the power of black magic.

He extracted a mass of emotions that wrapped around him like a robe into particulate form and pushed it through his hand.

Taking the form of a colossal hand-shaped entity, the mass of emotions hurtled toward Shamus, who countered with a fist infused with the power of nature.

Boom—!!!

The collision of Shamus's fist and the mass of emotions unleashed a shockwave that tore through the air. Its tremendous force caused nearby trees to bend and leaves to shower down upon the battleground.

Impressed by the display, Oliver sincerely admired his adversary, slowly lowering his hand.

Boom—!!!

The colossal hand composed of emotional energy crashed down upon Shamus, forcefully slamming him into the ground, shaking the very earth. Shamus fell to one knee under the overwhelming impact.

The once-horizontal gaze between Oliver and Shamus now reversed.

"You…!"

Fighting to overcome his intense rage, Shamus attempted to rise to his feet.

Undeterred, Oliver raised his hand once more and brought it down.

Boom—!!!

Unable to endure the second shock, Shamus fell to both knees.

Desperately clinging to his sanity, he pressed both hands against the ground.

He invoked the power of nature within him.

[The Breath of Nature]

Accompanied by an incantation, Shamus's surging natural energy spread throughout the ground, causing an extraordinary burst of grass and trees to instantaneously sprout. The verdant growth was so dense that no gaps remained.

The same held true between Shamus and Oliver.

The newly grown flora, suffused with compressed natural power, temporarily obstructed the vision of the warlock.

Shamus bellowed, "Destroy the enemy!"

At the druid's command, the grass and trees, infused with the power of nature, began to encircle Oliver, applying immense pressure as if possessing sentience.

Oliver responded with his own technique.

[Shadow Tentacle]

His shadow transformed into tentacles, blades, and stakes, cutting down the rapidly expanding trees in every direction. While the trees and grass possessed exceptional resilience, imbued as they were with the power of nature, they posed little challenge to Oliver, using an unusual amount of emotions.

Ssssssss!

Amidst the countless torn and severed grass and trees, Shamus's figure became visible.

[Targeting.]

Oliver affixed targeting markers upon Shamus, creating a dartboard-like pattern upon his body, before applying the same targeting to the severed trees surrounding them.

The emotions associated with the targeting converged, causing numerous logs to hurtle towards Shamus from all angles.

Boom-boom—!!

Like colossal magnets colliding, Shamus collided with the logs descending upon him.

Seizing the momentum, Oliver harnessed the mana swirling around his body and unleashed a colossal flame, intent on incinerating Shamus along with the logs.

However, an unexpected turn of events unfolded.

The logs, propelled by the power of nature, adhered to Shamus's body like mud, rapidly solidifying into an armor-like structure.

In this fortified state, Shamus swung his arms, effortlessly dismantling the flame forged from mana, and charged at Oliver once more.

[Mud Ball]

Oliver infused his quarterstaff with the obsession emotion and mana, swiftly conjuring a massive mud ball the size of a house. With a swift motion, he launched it towards Shamus.

Shamus met the incoming mud ball head-on, enlarging the tree armor on his fists to shatter it. However, Oliver remained composed and unleashed his next black magic spell.

[Imprison]

The fragmented mud reacted to Oliver's will, wrapping around Shamus from all directions, binding him like a living creature. Despite Shamus's efforts to break free, the formless mud proved difficult to shake off. Meanwhile, Oliver constructed a colossal hammer by layering black armor onto the end of his quarterstaff and swung it forcefully at Shamus.

BANG———!!!

The impact caused fragments of wooden armor to scatter, sending Shamus flying a considerable distance. Although not fatal, he could anticipate a substantial shock.

[Earth Spear]

Infusing mana into the ground, Oliver created multiple spears made of dirt and pebbles. He used emotional particles to suspend them in the air, overlaying them with Black Javelins before hurling them toward Shamus.

Bang!!!

As the stone spears combined with the Black Javelins cut through the air, an abundance of trees sprouted from the ground, blocking their path. Oliver attempted to cut down the trees with shadow tentacles, but a spear pierced through the foliage with impeccable speed.

Oliver employed emotional particles to seize the wooden spear mid-air, but in that moment, a seed embedded within it sprouted, rapidly growing into a massive thorny vine.

Shrrrrrak!

Thick as fists, the thorny vines bound Oliver with the strength of iron chains. Countless dagger-like thorns on the vine lacerated everything in their vicinity.

Fortunately, Oliver managed to avoid direct harm due to his Black Suit and Robe of Emotions, but it was too soon for relief. The thorny vines, obedient to their caster's will, tightened their grip, exerting more pressure on Oliver.

Moreover, multiple wooden spears were now hurtling toward Oliver, while the explosive growth of thorny vines threatened to crush him.

Wham, bam…!

Like an ant ensnared in a pit, Oliver found himself buried beneath the colossal thorny vines. The surrounding trees added to the pressure, creating an overwhelming mass that threatened to suffocate him.

"Will this work?… [Greed Fire]"

Under the immense power of nature, Oliver clasped his hands together, intertwining emotions and mana to ignite black flames. This time, the primary target of Greed Fire was none other than the force of nature itself.

In a first attempt, fortune favored Oliver. A small black flame flickered from his clasped hands and swiftly spread to the thorny vines, voraciously devouring the surrounding vegetation.

Whoooooooosh!!

The towering black flame, akin to oil set ablaze, consumed everything in its path, leaving only ashes in its wake. Greed Fire proved remarkably effective against a druid.

"Black flame? So, that lightning earlier was also your doing?!"

Shamus shouted, conjuring a barrage of earth.

Summoning all his power, he triggered a massive landslide, intending to bury both Oliver and Greed Fire completely.

Given the nature of the earth and the significant difference in scale, Oliver found himself at a disadvantage. Contemplating using emotional particles to repel the landslide, he reconsidered upon noticing Shamus observing from atop the landslide.

He needed a technique that was more comprehensive, rather than fragmented.

With that thought in mind, Oliver combined mana and the emotion of rage within one hand, invoking a technique that merged magic and black magic.

[Tempest]

A black whirlwind materialized around Oliver, seamlessly merging with Greed Fire to form a colossal whirlwind of black flames. It towered like an inferno, visible even from far beyond the horizon.

The Greed Fire, devouring and incinerating all in its path, not only intensified its blazing fury but also possessed the physical power to obliterate everything around it, forcefully breaking through the approaching landslide.

The earth split apart like the Red Sea, accompanied by violent tremors that shook the surroundings. It was a terrifying spectacle, reminiscent of a battle between warring natural disasters.

With the tables turned, Oliver concentrated his energy on his eyes, searching for Shamus amidst the chaos. He couldn't afford to relent now.

"……?!"

Abruptly, Oliver jerked his head to the side. Somehow, while he was combining Tempest and Greed Fire, Shamus had descended from the earth wave without hesitation and closed in on Oliver.

Having realized that his sorcery was at a disadvantage, Shamus swiftly adapted his tactics. It was not just his vast repertoire of skills that impressed, but his ability to dynamically adjust his approach according to the advantageous situation. It was clear why he was hailed as a living legend in Landa.

Shamus, with elongated and hardened arms resembling deer legs, lunged at Oliver, seemingly intent on finishing him off before he could invoke Greed Fire.

In response to Shamus' attack, Oliver encased one hand in Black Armor, forming a protective gauntlet, and threw a punch towards Shamus.

BANG———!!!

The collision of Oliver's fist and Shamus' fist unleashed a shockwave that tore through the air once again. Oliver's Black Armor shattered and recoiled.

"Aaaaaaaaah……!”

Shamus, believing he had gained the upper hand, roared as he charged at Oliver once more.

[Targeting.]

Oliver employed Targeting on both Shamus and his own hand, utilizing the emotion of rejection as raw material to repel Shamus. He maximized the output, generating a powerful repulsive force between them that momentarily halted Shamus' advance.

Under normal circumstances, Shamus should have been flung far away, crashing into a tree or wall. Yet, he withstood the force with his powerful body, the compressed power of nature, and an unwavering will.

Not only did he resist, but he also gradually closed the distance, surpassing mere resilience. His arms and legs slowly transformed, resembling those of a deer, while the small antlers on his head grew steadily, resembling the antlers of an adult deer.

Surprisingly, Shamus underwent a growth spurt at that very moment.

Unbeknownst to anyone, the previously unstable overflow of nature's power found stability, as if transferred into a vast vessel, naturally blending into a harmonious whole. It seemed as though it had always belonged to Shamus.

"Strike down."

Oliver moved his hand in a top-down motion.

Smashing through Shamus' landslide head-on, consuming the surrounding trees and growing in size, the swirling Greed Fire coiled like a serpent, descending upon Shamus as if driving its head into the ground.

It was a calamity unleashed from above.

Greed Fire swallowed Shamus with a deafening roar.

Kuwaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh———!!!!

At the very moment when Greed Fire was on the verge of completely consuming Shamus, the ground violently shook. It was not the mere trembling caused by previous powerful magic; this time, it resonated on a deeper level, reaching to the very core of existence.

In response, two colossal arms made of tree trunks, roots, soil, and grass emerged from beneath the ground, shielding Shamus. A massive giant revealed its towering form, causing not only the earth but also the sky to tremble with an indescribable thunderous roar.

Shamus, who had grown throughout the battle, had now manifested a gigantic guardian that even Oliver couldn't help but admire. It was a giant composed of earth, rocks, and trees.

As the colossal figure took shape, the Druids within the wooden walls gazed in awe, while those outside, part of the anti-Shamus coalition, felt a mix of astonishment and fear. The overwhelming size and power of the giant shattered their morale.

With Shamus perched upon its shoulder, the giant stood firmly on two legs, grasped the Greed Fire aimed at its master with both hands, and swiftly crushed it, extinguishing its life.

Oliver, witnessing this scene reminiscent of a myth, silently extended his hand and uttered a solemn command.

"Extract."

(To be Continued)

OR

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