Your Not So Ordinary Villain

The expression on the master's face did not change. He maintained his direction and instead prepared his own attack to break the spell. On his right hand a dagger materialized. He then let his mana flow into the weapon and when the red claw captured him, the dagger's tip hit the claw's base and it slowly dissipated. The magic circle used to summon it also broke into pieces.

Using the dagger as a medium, black lightning appeared from its tip and charged forth towards the magus. With his scythe, he easily parried the black lightning and let it hit another direction. Cygnus did not stop; he continued to produce black lighting using the dagger until the weapon in his hand also broke.

The magus was pushed back little by little by the black lightning while he was using his scythe to redirect the attacks. His eyes narrowed when he felt that the attacks that were coming at him were becoming stronger. His grip on the scythe he was holding tightened as he waved it again to change the direction of the lightning. This time he put more force and mana into it.

The lightning was not redirected, it was nulled by the scythe's attack. Cygnus floated as he watched the man holding the scythe. He narrowed his eyes as an emotion foreign to him started to overwhelm him. Those memories he kept hidden in a file came to him like a crashing wave.

"You are alive. You were there. That day when I lost everything, you were there. I will never mistake that mana signature. You are one of the people who took away everything from me." Cygnus mumbled as the air around him started to buzz.

Every bit of memory during that time came to him to slap him in the face. How could he had been willing to keep those memories away when it was the reason why he was still alive. He did not understand why those memories were kept hidden.

"I must have forgotten it along the way." He continued to mumble without minding his surroundings.

The magus saw that his former disciple seemed to be distracted so he took that chance to summon two more claws to capture him but before the claw could reach him, it dissipated. Surprised at what had happened the magus flew back to put distance between the two of them. His instincts were telling him not to approach the man for now.

Instead of hastily attacking, the magus maintained the distance between them. Even the air around him was vibrating. He was confused as to what the other was saying but those words indicated that they must have met each other in the past.

The rubble from the broken walls slowly floated into the air as the vibration intensified. It took a full minute before everything finally settled down. Before the magus could blink, Cygnus's face was already a few inches away from his.

He was startled and tried to take a step back but he couldn't move. The smile on the man's face and the unusual redness of his eyes made his body numb. There was a chill that crawled up his spine as he continued to stare at those eyes. The golden slits felt like they were staring at his soul.

"It's been a thousand years and yet you are still here, alive and well, how fortunate," Cygnus whispered. "I can now kill you with my own hands."

He raised his hand and gave the magus a flick on his forehead which sent him flying and hitting the hard wall of the arena where they ended after their scuffle. Luckily, the magus was able to enclose himself in a mana shield. He stood up and faced the man.

"A thousand years ago, you've got a great memory. You must be one of those insects we purged during that time." He laughed and patted the dust on his clothes.

It was a vivid memory for him because it was the time of his peak. A time when he enjoyed prestige and power. It was a memory he refused to forget even after he lived several lifetimes. There were times that he would reminisce and the desire to return to those days would only get stronger.

He was the Magus Maximus, the highest authority in the Magic Tower and yet it can't be compared to when he was purging evil. He could still smell their blood and hear their agonized scream as he burned them alive. Those moments, he wanted to feel it again.

Cygnus watched as the magus was suddenly lost in his own memories and to hear those thoughts coming from him only ignited the desire to make him suffer. To let him feel the pain he felt as the flames ate at his flesh. It would be a good way to vent all of the pent-up anger he had.

"You killed me that time but now the situation isn't the same. I can kill you with only one strike but I want to see you suffer even more." He stepped forward and at his second step he vanished only to appear in front of the magus.

A red dome materialized just as Cygnus's hands reached out towards the man. He was repelled but his hand remained in place. He used his mana to reinforce his hand as it slowly penetrated the red shield. A layer of red appeared behind the first dome and the smiling magus waved his scythe.

The red line that came from the scythe bypassed the shield and hit its mark. Cygnus's body bore the force without moving even an inch and his hand was still on the shield. Without thinking twice, his hand was enveloped by a whirlwind as dark as the night sky and broke through the shield.

He was launched forward with his hand still aiming at the magus's body. The master's hand landed on the ground as the magus was able to evade the attack. The ground couldn't bear the force of the hand as it cracked under the pressure.

Cygnus once again disappeared from where he was and appeared behind the magus. He extended his feet and gave the man a kick that was full of force as he reinforced his body with strengthening magic. A cracking sound could be heard after his feet connected with the magus's back and sent him stumbling away.

The magus couldn't help but cough out blood after that attack because he knew that his spine was injured. He used healing magic just after the impact but it was still painful. He pushed himself up in an attempt to stand and face the man again but what awaited him was millions of needle sized ice particles floating in the air.

They like rain towards him without stopping so that he needed to raise his shield once again. The ice needles fell to the ground as they hit the ground and slowly created a wall of ice that was encircling the magus. The moment he realized what was happening, the wall was already half his height.

He concentrated mana on both of his hands and used it to explode a part of the ice wall but it only created a dent and didn't damage the wall. He clicked his tongue in annoyance as he continued to send these concentrated mana to explode the walls but it was proven futile.

He raised the scythe in his hand and sliced through the ice wall. It chipped away a little bit of the ice but it did not completely destroy the wall. He did it again and again but there was not a change. He took a deep breath and dematerialized the scythe as he closed his eyes and gathered mana in his palms.

The mana was red and there was static coming out from it. After he felt that it was enough, he extended both of his hands and so did the mana. It created a strong wave and completely destroyed the wall that was constricting him. He opened his eyes only to see the grinning face of the man and hear the sound of his clapping.

"I was supposed to burn you inside that cage alive but you still managed to get out." Cygnus revealed his plan without hesitation which made the magus uncomfortable.

He was slowly realizing that his enemy was not weak. All the things he showed just to get his attention were deliberate and that he was hiding more power than what he had let the world know. As the magus, he failed to notice this anomaly which means that he was skilled.

"Do you think I would let you do that? I can save myself even if I die today."