Chương 115: The Mind Will Always Be Stronger Than the Sword

Morvath sat at the table with the other mages. At the head of the table, with absolute naturalness, sat Nikos Nervos. Elegant and composed, he kept his back perfectly straight as he sipped his green tea. His demeanor was so calm that it seemed almost out of place in that room. Across from him, meanwhile, the mages exchanged uncertain glances. None of them seemed willing to speak. The silence lasted for a few moments, until Morvath interlaced his fingers in front of him.

"So", he finally said.

"How do you intend to track down the other sword?" Nikos did not answer immediately. He picked up a butter cookie from the plate beside his cup, calmly dipped it into the green tea, and brought it to his mouth. He chewed slowly, showing no sense of urgency. Then he wiped his lips with an elegant blue handkerchief. Only then did he raise his gaze toward Morvath.

"The swords", he said. Morvath furrowed his brow.

"Not the sword".

"What do you mean?" Nikos placed the handkerchief on the table.

"You said that a tall mage with long black hair is already in possession of four legendary swords. Correct?"

"Exactly. That is why only one remains. The one we can steal from her". Nikos shook his head slightly.

"I cannot be one hundred percent certain, but it is highly likely that they have already obtained the fifth as well". One of the mages raised his head slightly.

"And how can you be so certain?" Nikos picked up his cup again and took a sip.

"Considering how little time they needed to obtain the first four, it would be naive to be surprised if they had already gotten their hands on the fifth". Morvath clenched his jaw.

"If that is truly the case, I will have to consult the Seer Aelira", he said.

"She was very clear. Confronting that mage directly would be suicide".

"By all means, consult her", Nikos replied with utmost calm.

"In the meantime, I will prepare a plan to steal the swords without a single one of us getting hurt". A murmur spread through the room.

"What arrogance…" one of the mages remarked.

"He is far too confident", another added. Their voices were low, but Nikos heard every word perfectly. He did not seem bothered. He took another sip of tea, then slowly placed the cup back onto its saucer.

"Have I ever disappointed you so far?" No one answered. The mages merely shook their heads. Nikos observed them for a few seconds.

"Then trust me". His voice remained calm, almost devoid of emotion.

"We will have those five swords. I am certain of it". His gaze lowered to the white cup. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. A sword was depicted on it. Nikos stared at it for a few moments, as if the image had given him a thought.

"The mind will always be stronger than the sword", he remarked. Then he raised his eyes again.

"Always remember that". Far away, in Loxia… The golden light continued to pin Xarath's body against the ground. The pressure was immense. And yet, once again, Xarath managed to accomplish something that should have been impossible. With tremendous effort, he opened a portal directly beneath himself. His body sank into the rift, and an instant later, he reappeared in front of Faelira. He did not even give her time to react. Black flames suddenly erupted from the palms of his hands. Faelira's eyes widened.

"The Fire of the Ash Art…" For the first time, a trace of surprise appeared in her voice.

"Damn you. Despite the limiters, you can still use it?" Xarath did not answer. Without the slightest hesitation, he began hurling the flames at her. One after another. Faelira immediately conjured magical barriers, intercepting every attack. Some she managed to summon well in advance. Others appeared only an instant before impact. The black flames exploded against the barriers, making them tremble violently. Being struck directly by that fire meant being burned without any possibility of regeneration.

Very few monsters were capable of surviving such an attack. Xarath was one of them. Faelira knew this well. That was why she continued defending herself without allowing herself the slightest mistake. One barrier after another gave way. Then the final one shattered as well. Faelira reacted immediately. A series of golden rings appeared from her hands, which she hurled at Xarath with astonishing speed. Xarath dodged the first. Then the second. The third passed only a few centimeters from his face.

To avoid the next ones, he began teleporting continuously, disappearing and reappearing at different points across the battlefield. Suddenly, he made an enormous leap. His body rose nearly thirty meters into the air. As he plummeted back toward the ground, he raised one hand. A small sphere of black energy appeared in his palm. Within moments, it began to grow. More and more. Faster and faster. The sphere reached colossal proportions, until it resembled a gigantic meteorite composed of pure dark energy.

Xarath hurled it. But not at Faelira. He launched it behind her, directly toward the heart of Loxia. Faelira's eyes widened. The city stretched out behind her. Thousands of people were still there.

"Bastard…" She immediately understood what he intended to do.

"He wants to kill everyone". The gigantic sphere continued advancing. Faelira planted both feet firmly on the ground and extended her hands in front of herself. Her magic exploded outward. The palms of her hands came into contact with the enormous mass of black energy. She was trying to absorb it. The ground beneath her feet began to crack apart. Faelira gritted her teeth.

"You're really trying to absorb it?" Xarath asked. There was almost amusement in his voice.

"Just to protect them?" Faelira did not answer. She continued absorbing the energy. Xarath watched as her body was slowly overwhelmed by the sphere's power.

"Don't you understand that you'll lose if you keep doing this?" Once again, there was no response. Faelira continued to resist. The pain intensified. Her arms trembled. Her body seemed on the verge of giving out. And yet, she did not retreat a single step. Xarath smiled. Then he disappeared. In an instant, he reappeared behind her. Faelira did not even have time to turn around. Xarath's fist violently pierced through her back. Flesh was torn apart.

The blow passed straight through the mage's body, emerging from her chest. Faelira spat blood. Her face turned pale. She slowly lowered her gaze. She saw Xarath's fist passing through her body.

"I'm sorry, sister", he said quietly. Faelira trembled. For a moment, she seemed on the verge of collapsing. But she did not. She clenched her teeth even harder and continued absorbing the energy. Even with her body pierced through. Even with blood running from her lips. Even with her strength almost completely depleted. She would not allow that sphere to reach Loxia. One final effort. Then the enormous mass of energy began to shrink. Faster and faster. Until it completely dissipated.

The gigantic black sphere had disappeared. Faelira had absorbed it entirely. Xarath remained motionless. For the first time, a genuine expression of surprise appeared on his face.

"What…?" Faelira suddenly snapped her head backward. The back of her head slammed violently into Xarath's nose. The blow forced him to stagger backward. Faelira immediately took advantage of the opening. She teleported away, reappearing several meters farther away. She remained motionless. Gasping for breath. The wound in her chest slowly began to regenerate, but the process was much slower than normal. Her breathing was short and irregular. Her body was already at its limit.

Xarath touched his bleeding nose and wiped the blood away with the back of his hand. He looked at her.

"You surprised me…truly". His smile slowly returned.

"But now you're running low on energy". He took a step forward.

"Saving Loxia cost you the victory". He stopped.

"Was it worth it?" Faelira lowered her gaze for a moment. She tried to steady her breathing. She inhaled. Then slowly exhaled. Her body could no longer sustain a prolonged battle. She did not have enough energy to keep fighting. But it was not over yet. Faelira slowly raised her eyes toward her brother.

"I have enough energy for one attack…" Her mind was clear.

"I cannot afford to make a mistake". One attack. One chance.

"One attack to kill him once and for all". Her gaze turned icy.

"A final technique…to erase him from this world completely".