Magus Supremacy-Chapter 847: Gear 2? (1)

Chapter 847

"Damn you, Noir! Watch where you are being flung!" Grey barked angrily as he pushed the heavy familiar away from his body.

"Yeah, blame me. As if it’s my fault I got roped in and thrown away like a piece of discarded rag, you moron!" Noir barked back in Grey’s mind.

"Tch," Grey scoffed, standing up with a deepening frown on his face.

His eyes were now fixed on Thalos, who was currently having a go at Orion.

The two were beginning to dance all around the arena like a pair of lethal ballet performers, yet the gargoyle remained unable to truly overpower the veteran warrior.

Their movements were far too rapid for normal people to peer deeper into, but Grey was no mere spectator; he was the Supreme Magus!

He could perceive their maneuvers clearly, yet he still found himself questioning how he was going to defeat Orion.

How could a man be this resilient? What had he been eating... uh... doing to reach this level of strength?

No matter what the mage threw at the warrior, it was always being intercepted or blocked.

What more could Grey possibly do?

Usually, it only took a few elements, perhaps with a subtle sprinkle of Ki, to vanquish his enemies—but for Orion, the rules were different.

He had already hurled forth almost everything in his arsenal.

Almost!

’That’s right. I still have that particular technique, and I also possess enough mana to manifest it, but I need a definitive opening. It will be my trump card if I manage to find the weakness I seek.’

Noir, on the other hand, was also frowning.

Though it wasn’t particularly notable through his furry features, he was still scowling inwardly while looking ahead.

’How has Grey not sensed this yet? Or is it because I have lived much longer than I can remember? Lived so long that I can sense an anomaly even with my eyes closed.’

The familiar paused as he watched Orion smash a fist into Thalos’ face, causing the gargoyle to slide backward for a brief second before exploding from where he stood to continue the clash.

’... That was the same way I sensed Grey and bound with him all those years ago. Orion is something else; I can feel it. This strength is beyond human.

Besides, he should have grown fatigued by now, yet he is still going strong. Even Grey is getting tired.’

Noir exhaled inwardly with a small, subtle shake of his head.

’No use wondering what he is hiding. We just have to focus on taking the man down.’

"Hey, this is no longer fun," Orion uttered with a small, mocking smile as he began leaping from side to side, effortlessly dodging each of Thalos’ swings.

Tilting his head around for just the slightest of a second, he smirked. "When are you joining back in, Grey?"

The warrior-mage just sighed.

The lightning crown on his head began glowing brighter, and so did his hands.

"Fine then. I guess it’s time to crank myself up to gear two."

BANG—!

The mage dashed forward with swift agility, aiming to cross the distance in a heartbeat.

****

In the North booth, the leaders seated there watched the clash as if it were an amusing theatrical show.

Their faces remained neutral as they kept watch until Leader Ken spoke up for the first time in quite a while.

"The kid is powerful. Crazily so. Who is he, actually?"

Elder Ron tilted his head to face the man with a raised brow.

"Shouldn’t you have guessed by now? It’s obvious that he is a mage."

Contrary to what the old man expected, Ken didn’t even look surprised.

"Oh."

Beatrix looked between the two for a few seconds before groaning softly.

"I feel like we should leave with the kids and the prize pool of the tournament while we still have the chance."

Ken didn’t reply for several seconds as a small, enigmatic smile crept onto his face.

"Scared?"

Beatrix looked at the man as if he had just uttered a forbidden word.

"Scared? Never!"

Ken nodded, his eyes remaining tightly fixed on the unfolding clash below.

"Then let’s sit tight and enjoy the fight. If anything happens, I’m capable of protecting us."

Beatrix scowled inwardly, her skepticism mounting.

’I highly doubt that. If even Orion is struggling against this kid, I doubt we could do much to intervene.’

***

Those watching from the periphery were in absolute awe at the diverse array of abilities Grey displayed, as if he were orchestrating a grand light show.

Instructor Sera, who had been present during the previous tournament and witnessed his magic firsthand, still looked star-struck.

’He never displayed those flame, earth, or even those portal abilities back then. It seems he has grown exponentially stronger than before. But even so, it still doesn’t seem like it’s quite enough to bridge the gap.’

Finral stood far behind the primary observers, positioned alongside Ray and Liam.

They had found a vantage point that allowed for maximum visibility while remaining shielded from the continuous, bone-rattling shockwaves and blasts.

’Grey, I believe in you. I know you will find a way to defeat Orion and allow us to leave this place safely.

Though I resented you when father first brought you into the family, I’m forced to abandon those hard feelings now. If father, mum, Millie, and Vanessa can accept you; if you can risk your life for me countless times, then there’s no use holding onto that old bitterness.’

Finral sighed, glancing at Liam, who was anxiously biting his fingers as he tracked the blurred exchange of blows.

Turning away from the nervous boy, Finral crossed his fingers eagerly.

’I can’t wait to see the family again. Millie, Vanessa, mum, dad... just hang on. Grey will get us back soon.’

Noelle, on the other hand, lay motionlessly on the ground, the only movement being the constant, pained tilt of her head as she tried to catch a glimpse of the fight like the others.

’... So this—this is the person we had been beefing with for no reason all these months? The same Grey we dismissed as a weakling, the one Mada, Rivock, and I wanted to kill so badly. He is the one going toe-to-toe with Orion Stormvale?’

Her surprise was palpable, a sentiment shared by nearly everyone within the coliseum.

In a hundred years, nobody expected a lone warrior to stand on equal footing with Orion.

Perhaps a few legendary leaders could do so and survive, but they certainly never imagined a mere kid would be capable of such a feat.

A kid who had already partitioned his strength into gears and was currently cranking up to Gear Two with the desperate hope of ending things here.

... Hopefully, he wouldn’t need to reach Gear Three, otherwise....