The Dark Mage Of The Magus World-Chapter 46: The Ambush

Sonny reacted instantly, summoning a Mana Shield around himself. A pale, milky-white barrier shimmered into existence, granting him a fleeting sense of security.

But the damage had already begun.

The Corrosion Arrow had left a blackened scar across his waist, its toxic energy burrowing deeper into his flesh. Blood seeped from the wound, dark and tainted, carrying the stench of rot.

"Argh!" A sharp, searing pain shot through his body, forcing a scream from his lips.

The corrosive energy clung to his skin like a branding iron, burning relentlessly, devouring his flesh inch by inch.

With trembling hands, Sonny fumbled for a Whitefresh Healing Potion. Uncorking the vial, he poured the liquid onto the wound.

Hissssss!

A cloud of white smoke billowed from his waist as the potion reacted with the dark energy, sizzling against his flesh.

The agony twisted his features, but he had no time to recover.

Two more Corrosion Arrows came streaking toward him.

They slammed into his Mana Shield, the impact rippling across its surface. But the arrows did more than just strike—they ate away at the shield itself. The corrosive energy wasn’t just designed to harm flesh; it weakened magic barriers as well.

Sonny gritted his teeth and poured more mana into his shield to sustain it.

His eyes darted toward the direction of the attack, searching desperately for his assailant.

Nothing.

The forest loomed in eerie silence.

His mind raced. He was bleeding, his mana draining, and he couldn’t even see his enemy.

Finally, he made a decision. He needed to regroup with Maiken.

Just as Sonny turned—

Boom!

A Fireball exploded against his Mana Shield, the impact sending him sprawling several meters across the ground.

He hit the forest floor hard, rolling to a stop as his shield flickered and weakened.

"I have to get back!"

Panicking, Sonny fired an Ice Arrow blindly into the forest. The spell shot through the trees, frost creeping over the leaves it grazed.

Hutson watched impassively as the arrow whizzed past him, missing by meters.

"He has no idea where I am."

Keeping his distance, Hutson followed silently, shadowing Sonny like a predator closing in on its wounded prey.

Every few steps, he fired another Corrosion Arrow.

Sonny’s shield wavered under the relentless assault. It wouldn’t hold much longer.

Finally, as the last remnants of his Mana Shield crumbled, Sonny’s breathing grew ragged. His heart pounded furiously.

Desperate, he reached into his pouch and grabbed a magic-infused artifact.

"Wind Spirit’s Blessing!"

A gust of wind surged around him, and in an instant, his speed doubled.

Like a phantom in the wind, Sonny bolted forward, putting immense distance between himself and Hutson.

But Hutson didn’t pursue.

Through AI chip’s sensory field, he could already see Maiken closing in.

"Soon, they’ll meet."

And when they did—Hutson would be waiting.

Sonny burst from the underbrush, panting as he stumbled toward Maiken.

"I found him! He ambushed me!" Sonny called out, looking battered and furious.

Maiken, standing at the edge of the clearing, regarded him with a strange expression.

"Ambushed?" Maiken murmured, tilting his head slightly.

Sonny’s instincts flared. Something was off.

His grip tightened on his weapon as he instinctively took a step back.

"He’s in the forest! Over there!" Sonny pointed.

Maiken nodded, stepping forward. "Don’t worry. I’ll handle him. But first—"

Crack!

A massive Ice Spear materialized before him in a fraction of a second—and shot straight into Sonny’s chest.

Sonny’s eyes widened in shock.

"You—!"

He barely had time to raise a feeble Mana Shield—but with his mana nearly depleted, the barrier was fragile.

The Ice Spear shattered it instantly.

Then it pierced through his chest.

Blood erupted from his wound, splattering across the ice like crimson paint.

The force sent him hurtling backward, slamming him against a tree.

He coughed violently, his mouth filling with blood and shreds of his own organs.

With his last breath, he glared at Maiken with pure hatred.

Then his body slumped.

Lifeless.

Maiken wasted no time. He ducked behind a tree, scanning his surroundings.

Sonny’s wounds confirmed it—Corrosion Arrows.

Hutson was still watching.

That spell is a nightmare. I can’t afford to get hit by it.

Thwip!

A Corrosion Arrow shot from the right, slamming into Maiken’s Mana Shield. The impact sent ripples across its surface.

Reacting instantly, Maiken darted behind another tree—

Thwip!

A second Corrosion Arrow struck where he had just been.

His heart pounded.

"Damn it! How is he tracking me so precisely?!"

He peered into the dense forest, but the trees were too thick. He couldn’t see a thing.

He clenched his fists. He only had one offensive spell—Ice Spear. But it consumed too much mana to be wasted on blind shots.

"I need to wait. Just like with Sonny. One clean strike."

But the jungle worked against him.

He had no line of sight, while Hutson could fire at him with unnerving precision.

"I have to close the distance!"

Taking a deep breath, Maiken began to advance. The trees provided cover, allowing him to weave through the shadows.

But Hutson was ready.

As Maiken moved forward, Hutson stepped back, keeping just out of reach.

Never too far. Never too close.

A spider luring its prey deeper into the web.

"No... this isn’t working. If this keeps up, I’m finished."

Maiken gritted his teeth as he dashed through the dense undergrowth, weaving between the trees. He had pursued Hutson for some distance, yet the boy remained just beyond his reach—visible, but untouchable. No matter how hard Maiken pushed forward, Hutson never allowed him to close the gap.

The realization filled him with frustration—and a creeping sense of dread.

He pressed his back against a tree, catching his breath.

"That brat is too slippery. If I keep chasing, he’s going to run me into the ground. I need to retreat."

Hutson’s Corrosion Arrows were relentless—draining his mana, forcing him to sustain his Mana Shield, but never landing a decisive blow.

"If he’s keeping his distance, that means he doesn’t have a way to finish me off, either. Corrosion Arrows alone won’t kill me."

Weighing his options, Maiken made his decision. He wouldn’t die here. It wasn’t worth the risk.

With one last glance at the shadows ahead, he slowly began to retreat.

Hutson instantly noticed the shift.

"Running already?"

From the treetops and dense foliage, he observed Maiken’s careful movements. The sorcerer was no longer advancing—he was falling back, dodging behind trees, using the terrain as cover against further attacks.

But Hutson wasn’t going to let him escape so easily.

Keeping his pace steady, he shadowed Maiken’s retreat.

Like a specter haunting its prey, he followed without haste—never closing in, never falling behind. Just far enough to remain a threat.

And whenever Maiken slowed—another Corrosion Arrow.

Each strike forced Maiken to feed more mana into his shield, further exhausting his reserves. Sweat dripped from his forehead as his breathing grew heavier.

"Damn it... How much mana does he even have?!"

With each passing second, his shield weakened. The once-sturdy magical barrier now flickered like a dying ember, barely holding together.

Then—he saw it.

The entrance to Moonlight Forest.

So close.

He pushed forward, desperate to break free.

Watching Maiken stumble toward safety, Hutson calmly reached into his cloak.

He retrieved a small vial filled with shimmering silver liquid.

A Mental Stabilization Potion.

This wasn’t cheap. He had borrowed it on credit from Lari—ten mana stones worth.

Most first-tier apprentices wouldn’t even dream of affording such an elixir.

Without hesitation, Hutson uncorked the vial and drank it in one gulp.

A surge of energy flooded through his veins. His mana reserves instantly replenished.

"Time to end this."

His movements exploded into action.

A few rapid strides—a blur of motion—and in the blink of an eye, he closed the distance.

Maiken’s eyes widened in horror as Hutson finally stepped into view.

"Ice Shield!"

"Mana Shield!"

"Dark Energy Shield!"

Hutson layered himself in magic.

Three distinct barriers materialized around him—ice, mana, and pure dark energy—swirling in layers of protection.

The different colored shields wrapped around him like living armor, each one reinforcing the next.

Maiken’s stomach dropped.

"No... Impossible!"

A first-tier apprentice should never be able to cast this many spells at once.

But before he could process the implications, he saw something else—

Hutson was charging toward him.

And Maiken was out of time.

"Ice Spear!"

Maiken didn’t hesitate.

He had been saving just enough mana for one final attack.

A massive spear of ice formed in the air before him, crackling with raw magic.

With a violent thrust of his hand, he sent it hurtling forward—aimed directly at Hutson’s chest.

The deadliest spell he could muster.

The last attack he had left.

"If I kill him, I can still escape!"

The spear shot forward with blinding speed, streaking through the air like a comet.

Maiken’s breath hitched.

For a moment, hope surged in his chest.

But then—

CRACK.

The spear slammed into Hutson’s shields.

Ice met magic.

And shattered.

Maiken’s heart sank.

The layers of protection absorbed the entire impact, the force of the explosion rippling outward but leaving Hutson untouched.

Even before the fragments of ice hit the ground, Maiken had already turned to flee.

"I can’t win. I have to run!"

But deep down, he knew—

There was nowhere left to go.