Miss Witch’s Devotion Has Gone… Twisted-Chapter 63: Crimson Magic

"What do you mean by this?"
Loren suddenly pulled a long blade from beneath the table, slashing towards Eldrin. Eldrin retreated just in time, but a lock of his hair still drifted down.
At this point, Eldrin still didn't understand why Loren was attacking him.
"Nothing much."
Loren took a scabbard from under the table, fastened it at his waist, and sheathed the blade.
Eldrin watched Loren quietly the whole time. He simply thought Loren wanted to test the blade, then later fight their way out together with him, so he didn't disturb him.
That was until Eldrin saw Loren reach into his black robe, pull out two submachine guns, and aim the muzzles at Eldrin.
Eldrin's pupils contracted sharply as he lunged behind a cabinet. But Loren's submachine guns fired first. The anti-magic enchanted bullets instantly shredded Eldrin's mage robe, which could resist magic, then blasted the cabinet apart, pouring the remaining bullets into Eldrin's body.
Under the submachine guns' absurd rate of fire, the bullets were quickly emptied. It was at this moment, amidst a cloud of dust, that Loren saw Eldrin's staff begin to glow.
Under the effects of Myriad Resonance, Loren easily dodged the blood bamboo piercing up from the ground with a simple sidestep, reloading while conversing with Eldrin.
"Fourth-tier magic, [Blood Bamboo Pierces the Skull].
"Now it's just the two of us, and you're still using Abundant Magic. Why bother?"
After reloading, Loren also got a clear look at Eldrin, who had stood back up. He was in a sorry state;
that extraordinary mage robe of his had turned into beggar's rags.
Though those bullets hadn't inflicted fatal wounds, his body was still covered in bloodstains. His constitution couldn't compare to Valentina's.
Eldrin took a piece of blood jade from his chest and placed it into a groove at the top of his staff. Simultaneously, Loren noticed one spot on his body remained completely unharmed—the place where he was storing the Ember Radiance.
A smile appeared on Loren's face. His objective was achieved. Giving the Ember Radiance to Eldrin was precisely to make him fight with one hand tied behind his back.
As Eldrin raised his staff, Loren also pulled the trigger. The two attacked simultaneously.
Loren's intuition suddenly sent a warning. He faintly felt a tearing pain across his body as a thick, bloody scent began to permeate the air.
So, without the slightest hesitation, Loren immediately rolled to the side. However, the trajectory of the bullets changed little, still pouring towards Eldrin.
The wall behind Loren was directly cleaved in two. A crimson sword aura flashed past, too fast for the naked eye to catch.
"Crimson Blade."
Loren confidently uttered the name of the magic Eldrin had just used, making Eldrin feel a trace of intangible pressure.
Nevertheless, Eldrin's movements remained extremely steady. He rapidly muttered incantations under his breath, and several rotting corpses suddenly sprouted from the academy's floor. However, the corpses rose just a fraction too late. The bullets still shot towards Eldrin's upper body.
The phantom image of thorns around Eldrin's body was instantly shredded. The bullets struck Eldrin's body directly. He could only do his best to cover his vital points, even while protecting the Ember Radiance in his chest.
The remaining bullets were blocked by the rising corpses. The usually unstoppable anti-magic bullets weren't very effective against these corpses, merely stirring up a bloody mist.
"Thorn Barrier, Rotten Corpse Bulwark."
Loren once again named the magic Eldrin had used. He was even thoroughly familiar with Crimson Magic.
Eldrin didn't respond to Loren, just kept casting spells continuously. From the bloody mist emitted by the rotting corpses, a mass of flesh suddenly shot out, like a not-fully-developed infant.
"Crimson Tide Nova? You even know this one?"
This time, Loren didn't dodge. He knew this magic had a homing effect.
The Crimson Tide Nova was extremely fast. The wind it stirred up even dispersed the bloody mist, allowing Loren to see Eldrin's face, covered in blood yet still calm.
It was only when he saw the Crimson Tide Nova pass directly through Loren's head and strike the wall behind that a look of astonishment finally appeared on his face.
Upon hitting the wall, the Crimson Tide Nova triggered a violent explosion. Flesh splattered everywhere, a large hole was blown in the wall, and the entire building began to sway dangerously.
This was sixth-tier magic. Under normal circumstances, the Crimson Tide Nova would burrow into a person's body before exploding.
Loren discarded the empty submachine guns. Eldrin wouldn't give him a chance to reload now.
Taking advantage of Eldrin's momentary daze, Loren pulled out a large handful of scrolls from his robe and threw them out.
"Rain of Fire, Spirit Arrow, Storm Blade..."
Loren named each magic as the scrolls unfurled. As the scrolls burned, magic shot forth from them.
Magics of various attributes simultaneously blasted towards Eldrin. Left with no choice, he could only use Rotten Corpse Bulwark again to surround himself. The magics colliding with each other triggered a violent explosion. This time, the teaching building could no longer hold on and began to collapse.
"Rock Barrier."
Loren threw out a scroll. The scroll transformed into a rock that fell, shielding Loren. The collapsing building smashed onto the rock but didn't cause Loren much harm.
Immediately after, an explosion came from Eldrin's direction. The Rock Barrier was instantly destroyed, and the falling ceiling was blasted away by the explosion.
The entire teaching building was leveled to the ground. Loren and Eldrin stood amidst the ruins, continuing their standoff.
As Eldrin raised his staff, another crimson sword aura flashed past. Loren neither dodged nor evaded, focusing on pulling scrolls from within his black robe.
"Again..."
Seeing the Crimson Blade pass through Loren's body while Loren remained completely unharmed, Eldrin's expression grew increasingly grave. He knew nothing about Loren's abilities, while Loren knew him inside and out.
"Fireball, Greater Fireball, Magma Fireball, Fireball Barrage, Explosive Fireball..."
Loren threw out five more scrolls, all fireball spells. Fireballs of all kinds nearly blotted out the sky. This combo cost another two to three hundred mana points. Only Loren would dare play like this.
"What kind of monster are you..."
Not long into the battle, Eldrin felt unprecedented pressure. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call this the most difficult fight of his life.
Fire magic was relatively effective against Crimson Magic. The Rotten Corpse Bulwark couldn't block so many spells. Eldrin could only erect a semi-transparent crimson barrier in front of himself, which was instantly engulfed by the flames.
"Throat-Severing Slash!"
Loren's long blade pierced through the flames, also cleaving Eldrin's barrier, aiming straight for his neck.
"So it was you!"
As the flames dispersed, Eldrin blocked Loren's long blade with his staff. But this familiar scene still made Eldrin realize something. That robed figure before had attacked him exactly like this.
"Thinking of it only now is a bit too late."
Loren revealed a smile, increasing the force. This time, it was Loren overpowering Eldrin. Eldrin struggled to hold on. Having drunk the potion beforehand, Loren's strength had already surpassed his.