Who is a Caster?

This is the question that is most relevant at this moment.

As a Leviathan, I am aware of the Six Pathways and the unique abilities attributed to each of them. Each Pathway is distinct from the other, providing Conceptions that embody certain traits more than others.

The Seeker Pathway offers very little to no lethality in its Conception.

Instead, it is tilted in favor of planning.

The Exemplar Pathway is primarily geared towards combat.

As for the Leaper Pathway, it is more primed for tactical evasion and adaptability.

The Conjurer Pathway offers a plethora of options and especially thrives in the wide variety that can be explored upon the application of its Conceptions.

Then, what about the Caster Pathway?

Those in this Pathway play a rather decisive role, and it is simply due to the rather unique element of this Pathway.

—The ability to directly affect others using time.

Other Pathways can affect objects and the world, perhaps, but Casters can narrow it down to the individual itself—Leviathan or otherwise.

What does this mean?

"Gahhh!" One of the six loses their limb as Lucien suddenly finds an opening and slices it off with a single stroke of his disk-like hand.

It is Amnesis.

A tiny gap appeared in the team’s formation, and Lucien exploited it to attack the Seeker.

He wasn’t able to get as far as his head, but by ripping out his limb, he bought himself some time. After all, the old man would be more occupied with the pain from his injuries, so his focus on the battle would be severely impeded.

It’s possible he won’t be able to accurately read Lucien’s moves and render prompt assistance to the team anymore.

Unless—

"Richard!" Alistair immediately yells, still keeping his eye on Alistair.

"On it..."

In the fraction of a moment, all the blood vanished.

The terrifying stench of gore, the permanent scar of a lost limb, and the painful cry that rang out as a result... they all disappear.

Almost as though they were never real, to begin with.

And in a sense, that is true.

Because the limb that was ripped out of Amnesis’ body is now back in place as though that has always been the case.

It doesn’t even appear as though there was ever a mutilation.

The most fascinating part about all of this is that it makes total sense, and I understand why.

It’s all thanks to the Caster!

A Caster, by definition, can cast temporal effects on another target.

They can rewind, pause, slow down, among other things, a portion or the whole of another individual’s body.

This is the case even if the person is a Leviathan!

Thus, not only can they heal their allies by reversing any damage dealt to them, but they can severely injure the opponent by considerably slowing them down or fixing them in place.

Such a power is deeply problematic and terribly dangerous.

After all, it provides a direct counter to the opponent, using time as the ultimate weapon.

But—

’They can’t apply temporal effects on themselves, which makes them vulnerable.’ I sigh to myself, watching the fight unfold with palpitations in my chest.

Although Richard remains on the front lines, he is just as endangered as Amnesis.

Some might say he is even more so.

The Seeker is important for reading the opponent’s movements, but without the Caster’s assistance, they can’t pin him down or help their allies.

Thus, the importance of these two cannot be overstated.

If even one of them were missing, the entire formation could collapse at any moment.

Yet all of them are present.

They complement one another perfectly, creating a perfect system of combat that systematically chips at their opponent’s strength and closes the gap.

’Incredible... Simply astounding!’

I was once part of a team of Mercenaries, and we formed a team known as the Wandering Nine.

We also combined our efforts and took down our adversaries through teamwork and effective strategies. By synergizing our abilities and using our distinct specialties in the most efficient ways possible, we could achieve incredible results.

However—

’Compared to these guys, it’s almost like we were complete idiots.’

The level of coordination is insane.

It shouldn’t be possible by normal—human—standards.

I have never seen a more sophisticated fight in my entire life, and I have lived two lifetimes.

’All they need to do now is draw Lucien closer to Jamie’s field. If they can lure him to that position, then Jamie will summon the stake in that precise direction and will cause it to appear in the middle of his chest or even his head. That will lead to victory. Even if he were to detect this, if we have Richard pause him during that precise moment, he won’t have enough time to react. Ah, but what if he travels to the past during that period? No, Amnesis would have detected such an alteration. He can’t escape or attack the others because Elma and Alistair are tagging him. His defenses are also up against Rias...’ I keep analyzing the fight without pause, my broadened eyes fixed on the battlefield.

I have never had to process so much information in a fight before.

There are so many moving pieces flowing simultaneously, all of which are geared towards a single goal of victory.

Or—

’Ah... Why didn’t I think of this before?’

My already widened eyes stretch even further as I come to a realization.

What if they don’t desire to beat Lucien in this confrontation but to simply sap away his Interference Power and weaken him considerably?

This is six against one, and although five of the Leviathans involved are at Rank 2, their combined efforts keep forcing Lucien to use his Conceptions. This means he’ll exhaust his Interference Power before they do.

If they take advantage of this and keep bombarding him, he’ll eventually be vulnerable.

That is perhaps when they will strike him down and deal the lethal blow.

’I see...’ My grin broadens at this moment. ’I understand it now!’

So that’s what is happening!

Incredible!

I am tempted to join the fight and assist them.

I can use Frontflow again, and although I am only one person, I could certainly be of some use in the current skirmish.

Unfortunately, I fear my involvement will only throw a wrench in their perfected formation.

They simply aren’t used to me.

Suddenly getting involved is likely to ruin everything.

’So I can only watch...?’

"Tch. You’re all annoying to deal with..." Lucien’s voice suddenly wakes me up from my reverie, and I nearly gasp in shock.

Right as the group is about to intercept him, he transforms into a shadow and slips out of their grasp. Then, he sweeps into the air, floating high above the crowd in the absurdity of his new shadow-like form.

’He can fly too? Even without a Floating Horse Construct... He can fly.’

I gulp silently.

Right now, I have seen Lucien display all four of his Mystical Characteristics.

His invisible field of protection is one, and he also has a repulsion ability that allows him to push selected targets away. There’s also the shadow transformation, as well as his flight ability, which he has revealed just now.

’So his physical strength and speed were not part of it. They must have been augmented through constant training and the consumption of Potions.’

The way I see it, Lucien is at least five times stronger and faster than what I consider the upper limit of human strength. The way he casually flung me aside, and the way he moved even in this fight... It’s surreal!

Naturally, someone like Rias—using both Frontflow and her Mystical Characteristics—would be much faster than him.

Still—

’To think he could become so superhuman while also having four distinct abilities that are permanently embedded in his existence... all of these in addition to his Conception as an Adept Leaper.’ I feel my perspiration growing stronger the further I think about this man and the situation I have found myself in.

I think I’m only now understanding just how strong this Lucien Zevalis really is.

"I’ll be taking my leave first."

After saying this, even before anyone can react, he vanishes from his position.

This is likely the effect of Tracing!

’So he’s gone yet again, huh?’ I sigh in disappointment. ’I thought they would exhaust his Interference Power so he wouldn’t run away that easily, but I guess he must have figured that plan out.’

It can’t be helped, I suppose.

Once the group recognizes Lucien is truly gone and confirms from Amnesis that he isn’t going to return in the future, they finally relax their bodies and exhale loudly.

I can feel their relief spreading.

The extremely thick tension rapidly dissolves.

Everyone stares at one another in relief and exhaustion, many of them having twinkles in their eyes for having survived a rather serious fight with an Adept.

I think I can understand their feeling.

How many Rank 2 Leviathans can boast of going toe-to-toe with a Rank 3?

Although they didn’t manage to capture or defeat him, such an achievement is still worth celebrating—at least, to me.

"Glad to see you’re safe, Javier." After congratulating his team on a job well done, Alistair finally looks in my direction and starts to approach me.

I simply nod affirmatively.

"Sorry for using you as bait. It was necessary—"

"I understand." I stop Alistair from speaking on the matter any further. It’s better for me to focus on the matter at hand than to indulge in words that he clearly does not mean.

His apologies are no more than formalities.

As a Leviathan, I should understand the feeling of using others for my gains, and likewise the feeling of being used. Such is the nature of the world, and my being a Leviathan does not change the general truth of life.

The fact that the weak are trampled on by the strong.

That is the nature of the world.

"What about Lucien? Is there any way to track him down? Maybe he hasn’t gone far."

Alistair shakes his head almost immediately. "Highly doubtful. Since he is an Adept with more Interference Power than I, he could have traveled to all kinds of places in quick succession, so we won’t know which one he actually occupies in the present unless we use Divination or we have Gabriel run the clues and check those locations one after the other."

"I see..."

For a moment, I remain silent. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Then, a question pops into my mind, and I part my lips to speak. Before I can get a word out, though, a voice interrupts me.

"If you’re wondering how we found your exact location, it’s the device we gave you. We can track you across a single Kingdom. It also helps that we came here before and set up some arrangements, which facilitated our rapid appearance once we confirmed that Lucien had left the Randalorion Kingdom."

The one who speaks is Elma, and her arrogant tone has yet to let up for a moment.

However, I pay it no mind.

Besides... After seeing her fight from earlier, I have to admit that she has every right to be boastful towards me.

She is an extremely skilled fighter.

Despite being outmatched by Alistair and Lucien—both of whom are Adepts—she still held her own and did not falter behind them too much.

This sounds simple in words, but it must have been extremely difficult in execution.

Although I still dislike her rotten attitude, I believe I have developed some newfound respect for this girl.

No, not just her.

I have come to respect the Ouroboros Sect members a little more.

"Thanks, but that wasn’t my question..." I take my gaze away from Elma, nearly missing the hilarious way her face flushes in response to my disregard.

Instead, I turn to Alistair to speak.

"Did you find any clues regarding Lucien’s arrangements in the Randalorion Kingdom? I think—"

"Yes, we did..." Alistair sighs deeply, his visage turning rather grim. "We did some investigating, and we managed to uncover what it entails."

Based on his tone alone, I can tell—

’This is going to cause a lot of casualties, is it not?’

[A/N: We are slowly reaching the climax of Volume 2. I certainly hope you have been enjoying the journey so far. Well, strap in and enjoy the rest of the ride!]