937: Genius and Madness (Part 1)

Genius and Madness (Part 1)

The Shadow of the Colossus spell granted Balkor perfect attack and defense at the same time. The energy the titan was made of could be used to perform physical attacks or be instantly converted into any other spell, even tier five.2

Balkor could freely move inside the shadow body while remaining hidden, so even dealing him a scratch was a gamble that cost a lot of mana to try. On top of that, Balkor could repair any damage the construct sustained just by adding more mana.

"Hey! Not only that's an improved version of your old Death Ruler spell, but you've also stolen my thunder. Don't think you can fool me with theatrics. That's a hard-light construct covered in darkness. How did you learn how to do that?" With a wave of Manohar's hand, several runes of light came out of his robe.

Balkor was shocked noticing that they were the components of a powerful spell. Manohar's tier five spell, Avatar of Light, took the form of a giant that matched the size of Balkor's Colossus, but instead of resembling a mythical figure, it was a replica of the Mad Professor's appearance.

"Light and Darkness are two sides of the same coin. You simply chose the wrong side of the spectrum." Balkor struck at the light giant before it could fully form, shattering it into countless pieces.

Unfortunately for him, every single piece was under Manohar's control. He had the construct disassemble before the mass of darkness could deal any real damage and reassembled it around his own body, mimicking Balkor strategy.

The gold embroidery on the Mad Professor's robe turned out to be more light runes that conjured more spells while the arms of his Avatar turned into maces that struck at the Colossus' shoulders, forcing it on its knees.

"You did all this while we were talking?" Balkor couldn't believe his own eyes. Somehow, Manohar was able to store the mana and the runes necessary for his spells in a light form, so that he only needed his hands to cast them.

"Didn't you do the same?" Manohar sneered while meteors made of light and fire struck the ground all around them. Light magic was slow, but the meteors exploded on contact and each one had the power to blow up a castle.

"You wish." Balkor clapped his hands, unleashing his tier five Dimensional Shroud spell. It distorted the space around the Colossus, so to redirect the explosions hitting the spell against their caster.

Manohar's own mana couldn't hurt him nor his constructs, but the shockwaves cracked his Avatar and almost sent it belly-up.

"Are you done with your magical measuring contest, boys?" Overlord Salaark appeared between them, forcing a cease-fire.

She had taken the appearance of a woman in her mid-twenties, with silky black long hair, emerald eyes, and a bronze tinge of skin so clear it seemed to shine under the morning sun.

She wore the white linen shirt and pants typical of her tribal leaders, the Feathers, but no turban, allowing her hair to graze the ground.

"Do you realize that Balkor is no longer a simple refugee? Attacking one of my Feathers is an act of war against the Blood Desert."

"He started it." Manohar's reply was as childish as his attitude.

"You came to my house uninvited, threatening my people!" Balkor replied.

"Balkor has a point. What do you want, Manohar?" Normally Salaark would have kicked him back to the Kingdom, but the magic displayed by the Mad Professor had impressed her.

"I've been tasked with eradicating at least five local branches of the Undead Courts located in as many important cities of the Kingdom. Until I do that, all my assets and research funds will remain frozen." Manohar crossed his arms, pouting at the thought while nervously tapping his left foot.

"And…" Salaark could tell there was more to it.

"And I'm kind of stuck with number three. A minor inconvenience, really, I could find a solution on my own, but it would take time and effort. Why should I reinvent the wheel when I can just ask for its blueprints?" Manohar pointed at Balkor.

"What kind of inconvenience are we talking about and what do you need?" Salaark asked.

"I met the Horseman of Night. A charming woman and a great conversationalist. Too bad she's as mad as a hatter and that defeating her along with her personal guards proved to be problematic." Manohar said.

"A Horseman who travels with their Chosen ones is indeed a tough cookie." Salaark nodded. Her daughter Sinmara was an Awakened and an Elder Phoenix, yet she had barely defeated Dawn in a similar condition.

"Why did you come all the way here instead of just switching targets? You need to destroy any five Courts, after all."

"That would mean that I've failed and I never fail!" Even when acting prideful, Manohar managed to still sound childish. "I heard that she pestered you quite for a long while, Balkor, and I thought you wanted to even the score."

At the mention of Night, Balkor's Colossus responded to its master's fury by assuming an even more demonic appearance. It grew wings and now wielded a blazing black whip.

"Why me? Why not ask your goddamn Spellbreakers and overwhelm her with the full might of your army?" The god of death was actually intrigued.

He hated Night's guts for having pestered him for years and threatening his new family in her attempts to force him to bond with her. Balkor had tried to destroy her multiple times over the years, but he had always failed.

Night disappeared after Salaark had approached Balkor, yet he didn't take revenge lightly. The opportunity to take on an old enemy with his newfound powers, maybe while sowing more chaos and death in the Griffon Kingdom, was hard to turn down.

Yet he had no reason to trust Manohar.

"Because you'll never take credit for Night's defeat and he doesn't want people to know he needed help." Salaark replied.

"I didn't ask for help, only for a second opinion! Besides, if a Great Mage and a junior of mine at that, survived going toe to toe with Dawn, how could an Archmage back down at the first setback?" Manohar snarled at Salaark's allegation.

"Is this really just a matter of stupid pride?" Balkor was flabbergasted.

"Said the man who's going to help me to pursue a stupid revenge." The god of healing shrugged.

"Do I have your word that this is not a trap and that you will not try to capture me once this is over?" Balkor said.

"Do I look like a man who ever lied?" Manohar had a point. He was famous because his talent was second only to his rudeness.

"Can you protect my tribe during my absence, Overlord Salaark?" Usually, Balkor didn't use honorifics even when he talked with Guardians, but now he was asking for a favor.

"Sure. I'll move my palace here until your return." With a wave of Salaark's hand several tents the size of a circus Warped around the Forgotten Plume village.

'This is a perfect opportunity to cripple the strength of those pesky undead that are plaguing our land.' She said to Balkor via a mind link. 'I want you to learn from that idiot how he can cast silent spells without true magic. Recruit him if you can.'

Balkor kissed his wife and children goodbye before leaving. He also took a few things with him, just to be safe.

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