Reyon clenched his fists, blood still seeping from the wounds in his chest where the spinning arrows had pierced him. His breathing was ragged, but his mind was racing.
"He must have covered the spinning arrows with vectors. That's why the vector shield didn't respond in time… That's why they pierced me."
He grimaced, trying to suppress the pain. If the image of his grandfather could use vectors so precisely that it bypassed his defenses, then brute force was his only option.
"There's no way a 3rd-circle image could be this perfect. Though I don't have the advantage in control, my edge lies elsewhere—I am a 5th-circle magician. I can use advanced magic."
His eyes sharpened as he recalled something his grandmother had once told him.
"Grandfather could only unleash the full power of that strange symbol when he reached the 5th circle. If this image is only at the 3rd circle, then it's only using 30% of the symbol's full power."
He exhaled sharply, shaking his head at his own foolishness.
"I was trying to defeat this image with vector mastery alone. But I can't match Grandfather's control. He created the very concept of Vector Magic. I should stop trying to compete with him at his own game and simply use brute force to pierce through it."
With newfound determination, Reyon stepped forward into the attack range of the image once more. He layered six σ symbols with £, channeling an immense amount of mana into his next spell. Ice began forming in front of him, rapidly condensing into deadly shards of frozen power.
"Icicle Surge."
The enhanced spell roared forward, the sheer cold freezing the air around it as the massive surge of ice barreled toward the image of Leywin.
Just as expected, the image raised its hand and cast the Infinity Symbol once again. A black orb manifested before it, absorbing the wave of ice just as it had absorbed the Wind Tornado before.
But something was different this time.
The Infinity Symbol was working, yes, but only at 30% efficiency. Half of the icicles were successfully consumed, but the other half was still intact. The temperature in the chamber plummeted as frost began to creep along the surface of the black orb.
"It can't absorb everything!"
Cracks spread across the surface of the orb as the sheer cold overwhelmed it. Within seconds, the black orb shattered, and the remaining ice storm surged forward, engulfing the image of Leywin.
A sharp ringing sound echoed through the chamber. Then, silence.
The frozen form of the image cracked, large chunks of ice falling from its body. Then, with a final shatter, the image collapsed completely.
Reyon exhaled, his entire body drenched in sweat despite the freezing air around him. His hands were trembling slightly from the sheer output of mana he had just used.
"Finally... I defeated it."
A low rumble filled the chamber as a large stone door slowly slid open at the far end of the room. Reyon straightened himself, taking a deep breath before flashing through the doorway, his Vector Eyes activating as he moved.
Instantly, a new wave of danger filled his senses.
Thin red lines shimmered across the chamber beyond—trap triggers. Spear Fall. Blades Descent. He could see them all.
Without hesitation, he altered his vectors and adjusted his movements.
A pressure plate ahead—he twisted his body midair, avoiding it entirely.
A thin wire strung between two pillars—he deactivated his acceleration mid-leap, falling just beneath it before using a short vector burst to propel himself forward again.
A row of hidden arrow slots in the walls—he cast Vector Barrier, angling it to deflect the incoming projectiles before they could reach him.
Step by step, he avoided every trap, using his precise control over vectors to move through the gauntlet unharmed.
Finally, he reached the end of the corridor.
There, standing before him, was another image of Leywin.
But this time, the image was different.
It was no longer a 15-year-old version of his grandfather. This one was the same age as Reyon himself.
A cold sweat ran down Reyon's back as he instinctively sensed the power radiating from the image.
"This one… it's at the 4th circle."
His fists clenched. This was going to be an even harder fight.
"Do I really have to fight him again?"
As he studied the image, something even more concerning came to mind.
His grandmother had told him that Leywin developed the σ symbol when he was at the 4th circle.
"That means… he can use σ to reduce the power of my spells."
Reyon's brows furrowed. The previous image had used the Infinity Symbol to counter his attacks, but this one was going to be even more troublesome. If the image could stack σ symbols without the aid of the Ring of Ferica, it would be capable of significantly weakening his attacks before they even landed.
Reyon exhaled, preparing himself.
"No choice… I'll just have to overpower it like I did the last one. But this time, I might have to use the Ring of Ferica to ensure victory."
With a deep breath, he took his stance, his mana flaring around him.
The next battle was about to begin.