Chapter 296 Demon’s Diagram
Artur knew that Sergei was eager for this battle to be over. Whatever the demon had said had greatly angered his grandfather. And if Artur hadn't remembered that this fight was meant to prove his own abilities, he would have crushed the demon in front of him into pulp.
To avoid disappointing Sergei, Artur unleashed his true power in this fight. He could no longer test his opponent's abilities as he had done before. For that reason, Artur used his third ultimate spell.
[Sonic Boom]!
*JDARR!!
Artur's body was instantly filled with a surge of blue electricity, causing his silver hair to stand on end. Unlike when he was still a Level 1 Constellation Mage, Sonic Boom had also transformed into a stronger spell. He could now create explosions not only in his thigh muscles but throughout his entire body, enabling him to move and attack with incredible speed.
"Engkang mbiyakaken orok kang durung pernah mlebu bau keringat dhaup perang kanggo menerusake apènang kanthi kula? Apakah manungsa betul-betul ora ana katindhan kanggo putra-putrane?" the demon spoke again, followed by a thunderous laughter that sent shivers down the spines of those who heard it.
Even without using a translation spell, Artur understood that the demon was mocking him. However, he smiled slightly, pleased that his opponent was starting to underestimate him. Though he had never been in battle before, Artur also knew that underestimating an opponent was a mistake that could lead to defeat.
So he propelled his body forward to prove just that. Like an electric current passing through, Artur seemed to vanish from his position, leaving the demon bewildered. Before it could react, Artur's sword was already right in front of its neck.
*Clang!
Fortunately, with reflexes beyond reason, the demon quickly extended its clawed index finger to parry Artur's lightning-infused sword strike. However, as a result, it lost its balance due to the surprise and had to lean backward.
Artur didn't waste this opportunity. Like a bee stinging its enemy, Artur's body moved swiftly around the demon, delivering over 10 rapid stabs in less than a quarter of a second. The demon could only curl up and try to defend against the onslaught targeting its vital organs.
As a consequence, Artur was able to plunge his lightning sword into the demon's flesh with ease. Blood began to soak the floor beneath the demon, and Artur's attacks seemed unstoppable.
"AAAARRGGGGHHH!!"
The demon went into a frenzy, leaping from its position. However, Artur continued to chase from behind with unmatched speed. As a result, the demon's body had to endure hole after hole from Artur's sword thrusts.
Then, suddenly...
[Slir]!
A diagram emerged from the palm of the demon's hand and swiftly collided with Artur's body as he was busy stabbing his enemy. Artur winced, feeling no damage or pain in his arm that had come into contact with the diagram. He ignored it and refocused on attacking the demon in front of him.
But something strange happened. He felt his hand's movements suddenly becoming heavy, and his thrusts slowing down. Artur winced, sensing the peculiarity occurring in his hand, but his surprise was seized upon by the demon, which delivered a slap. Artur attempted to parry with his sword, but it felt like lifting several tons as his hand moved at a sluggish pace.
"Shi—[Mana Shield]"
A thin film enveloped Artur, but like piercing through thin paper, the demon's slap shattered the mana shield Artur had created and struck his body. It was as if he had been hit by a train, and for a brief moment, Artur's consciousness faded before his body was flung through the air. Amid the remnants of his awareness, Artur saw the diagram forming on the palm of the demon's hand that had slapped him.
*BAM!
This time, Artur couldn't glide with both feet as before. His body tumbled and crashed hard onto the arena floor. Blood spurted from several cracked ribs. Artur didn't have a chance to catch his breath as his enemy swiftly pursued him.
Shifting his sword to his left hand, Artur swiftly swung upward, forcing the demon, which had been eager to stomp on him, to leap back to avoid the attack. Artur seized this opportunity to assess the situation.
His left hand's movements were still as fast as before, but his right hand, affected by the demon's diagram, felt sluggish and incredibly heavy. He understood that this was the application of the Curse spell faction he had heard about earlier. But what had happened to the diagram that had hit his body?
Artur checked the speed of his body movements and felt that nothing had changed. But when he wanted to breathe a sigh of relief, his eyes widened in disbelief. His body wasn't slowing down, but the movement of his lungs was slowing down!
To move quickly, Sonic Boom didn't directly enhance Artur's muscle performance with mana; instead, it helped Artur's body to undergo faster metabolism. That's why every time Artur finished using Sonic Boom, he would not only experience muscle spasms but also need to consume a lot of food to replenish the expended energy.
To undergo rapid metabolism, Artur's body automatically required a faster energy fueling rate. With the current Sonic Boom he possessed, it not only accelerated his muscle movements but also his heart and lungs. Artur would breathe several times faster than an ordinary person to create the energy combustion his body needed. His heart would also beat faster to create a faster blood flow than usual.
However, Artur was not an ordinary person; he was a Level 2 Constellation Mage, which meant his body was more resilient than an average person's. That's why he wasn't too bothered by the side effects caused by Sonic Boom. However, if his lung function suddenly slowed down, it would have a severe impact on Artur.
Not only could he suddenly experience heart failure, but his oxygen-deprived muscles could also cramp up. If this happened, even if he won the battle, paralysis would be a highly probable outcome that couldn't be avoided.
Imagining the potential side effects, Artur broke out in a cold sweat. But how could the demon directly curse his lungs? The Curse spell faction, although terrifying, wouldn't simply penetrate the outer body of a constellation mage of his level.
A mage's body contains mana flowing in their bloodstream. Mana serves as a source of energy and also acts as a form of protection against external attacks. That's why mages have bodies that are much stronger than regular humans.
Therefore, the mana present in Artur's skin, flesh, and bones should have intercepted the curse emitted by the demon before reaching his heart. Artur was puzzled for a moment, but when he saw a second diagram stacked behind the first one on the demon's palm, he understood what was really happening.
If Artur wasn't mistaken, the second diagram was the reason why the demon referred to the first diagram as "Slir," as it managed to penetrate the mana in Artur's skin, flesh, and bones, directly affecting his lungs. Artur's assumption was correct because the second diagram on the demon's palm was the [Dhemebus] diagram.
The Dhemebus diagram was a minor curse that temporarily obstructed the flow of mana within the target's body. Although the area where mana couldn't flow was small, limited to the size of the diagram itself, it was enough to allow the Slir diagram to penetrate Artur's body and directly affect his lungs.
The demon was not playing around when he said that Artur was not his match. He was too experienced and composed to fight against the still inexperienced Artur.
He allowed Artur to injure him while protecting only his vital areas. To those who were unaware, the demon appeared to be in a desperate situation, but in reality, he was analyzing the spells used by his opponent.
When he felt that his analysis was sufficient and he had identified the weaknesses in Artur's spells, the demon leaped and ran around in a panicky manner, as if he were frightened. This made Artur greedy and he attacked in the same way. Artur, who had grown comfortable with his fast attacks, assumed that the demon couldn't keep up with his speed.
As a result, he fell into the demon's first trap. The demon didn't directly target Artur's body or attempt to harm him; instead, he sent a flying Slir diagram that struck Artur's hand. Artur, not sensing anything unusual, continued his attack, unaware that his hand holding the sword had become slow and heavy.
Startled, Artur gave the demon an opportunity to strike back. At first, the demon only delivered an empty-handed slap without any diagram. Knowing the demon's immense strength from their initial exchange, Artur immediately employed a mana shield to protect himself.
The mana shield easily shattered under the pure power of the demon. Then, the demon stacked the Dhemebus diagram on top of the Slir diagram, which already had a clear path devoid of mana obstruction, leading directly to Artur's lungs.