Alec whipped around and looked at the source of the voice. It was from a balcony above the stage that he had missed since the door was right beneath it.

But the spell should still have targeted everyone in the room. The fact that the tall, admittedly handsome man was still awake spoke to his capabilities. The shing of the sword he drew and the light thud he made when landing on the floor of the stage reinforced that statement.

He was a Warrior. Since he was awake after being hit by his spell, he was probably a third-star one.

“Most impressive, I must admit now that I look at you. I thought you were a hunchback, the way you were sneaking around and from the foul smell wafting off of you. But you’re a lad not much older than the merchandise. How incredulous. Did you find a ruin perhaps? If you share its location with me, I might be inclined to ease your punishment for trying to steal from the Madam.”

“Nikolai.” A low voice said from the shadows in the depths of the balcony. Sultry. Seductive. Poisonous.

“Yes, Madam?”

“Do I employ you for your lovely voice?”

“No, Madam.”

Nikolai and the Madam didn’t need to speak further. His job was to deal with the intruder, not talk to him.

But Alec was thankful for the little time he got.

“Are you sure you want that?”

“Madam?”

“I am also curious.”

“Why wouldn’t I be sure?” Nikolai asked on his and the Madam’s behalf.

“The moment I finish this spell, all the important people in this room will get a stone through their hearts.”

Nikolai glanced around. He could tell Alec wasn’t lying. The mana hung heavy in the air around him.

“You can’t hold that forever, kid. As soon as you shoot or lose it, I’ll just tap the side of your head. As for what happens to those you hit…Well, I won’t say anything about that. I’m in charge of merchanidse safety. The clients are in charge of their own safety during events like these.”

“Alright.”

Alec let it rip. Pebbles shot toward every last person with a measure of mana in their bodies. Every superhuman was targeted, including Nikolai and the Madam. Unfortunately, the multiple Pebbleshots flew in a straight line, and the one that flew toward the madam just ended up piercing wood.

Several others also found wooden beams instead of their targets.

But half a dozen superhumans were struck by Pebbles that pierced their hearts like cupid’s arrows but a lot more lethal.

Nikolai knocked aside the Pebble coming his way with the flat of his blade. He was about to say something when his eyes caught sight of the second Pebble coming his way.

He quickly deduced that Alec’s casting speed was very impressive.

He wasn’t wrong, but not quite for the reason he thought.

Alec could cast multiple spells at once thanks to his [Divided Consciousness]. Even before he finished one spell, he could begin the next.

Nikolai barely shifted his head out of the way of the second Pebble when a third came flying. At the same time, Alec also dropped a couple of Barriers around himself. They probably wouldn’t do much to Nikolai’s sword, but it was better than nothing.

Then, he froze time. He wouldn’t be able to freeze it for long, but it was better than nothing. He just needed to look at Nikolai a little while planning his next move.

However, Nikolai’s movements weren’t as clear as the monsters he had practiced on. Still, Alec’s experience with frozen time and the text he was currently re-reading about swordsmanship and habits of swordsmen gave him some hints.

The sword in Nikolai’s right hand and the left foot that was slightly angled and half a step ahead of his right told Alec that Nikolai was right-handed.

Nikolai put a little more weight on the ball of his left foot, and both of his legs were slightly bent at the knees. His sword arm looked ready to swing.

‘He’s probably raising his sword, dashing forward, and then trying to split me in half or something with a downward slash.’

Alec could feel the pressure start to build, and he knew the fight wouldn’t be over in the next exchange, which meant he would need to stop time again, so he resumed time and anticipated Nikolai’s raised sword.

He was almost right in his prediction, but only because he didn’t like being wrong. He had gotten the order wrong.

With mana fueling his legs, turning them into super-powered springs, Nikolai only needed the bare minimum preparation to propel himself forward at a speed Alec had trouble tracking with his naked eye.

If he had blinked, he would have missed it when Nikolai closed the gap and swung his sword toward the ceiling with Alec caught square in the blade’s path.

Alec leaned backward out of instinct as much as reflex. A moment later, he caught his reflection in the flat of the blade whistling past his face.

Without hesitation, he stopped time for a second to gather his bearings and reevaluating his opponent.

This wasn’t the time to play it safe with tricks he knew. He had to use a couple of things that weren’t battle-ready yet.

As soon as time resumed, he used Accelerate on himself and a modified version of Earth Wall to send an Earth Spike out of the ground at Nikolai. The instantanoues burst of speed from Accelerate as he took a step back sent him flying off of the stage and into the crowd below it.

He hoped that would dull the edge of Nikolai’s blade since he wouldn’t be able to swing it recklessly without catching a client with it.

But considering how he had severed the tip of the Earth Spike with enough force to send it flying into the crowd, piercing a refined guest in the front row straight through the chest, it was unlikely Nikolai would show the kind of consideration Alec hoped for.

“You’re a cruel man, Nikolai.”

“And you…You’re an incredible mage, Boy.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep