Arcane Innovator

In that fleeting moment, before the enormous earth spike hit that bastard Dominic square in the face, everything became still, as if the whole world held its breath in severe anticipation.

"BOOOM!"

Then, the entire cavern shook violently as an earth-shattering explosion rocked everyone to their core.

I could see Dominic's look of bewilderment as his magic shield shone brightly, groaning under the enormous pressure while desperately trying to annul the tremendous power of my spell.

Yet, there was nothing the shield could do about it, and in the blink of an eye, Dominic was unceremoniously rammed into the side of the cave.

Still, to my complete surprise, the magic shield somehow managed to hold itself together, continuing to resist my every attempt to shatter it.

Not that it mattered, as I had no thoughts of backing down here. I knew that this was the type of situation that could only end in either victory or death, and I had no intentions of losing.

Instead, I doubled down on my efforts, directing the spike to continue drilling into Dominic with everything I had.

Countless sparks flew as the two opposing forces met. The enormous pressure and heat this generated caused the spike's tip to melt, quickly turning into lava, yet even then, I didn't stop pushing.

The resulting effect of such a force made the entire mountain tremble, and countless cracks began forming at the cavern's ceiling.

By now, the mighty gang leader had long lost his condescending smirk, and what replaced it was an expression of pure terror as he watched the molten lava begin slowly encapsulating him.

I could sense that my supply of essence was rapidly decreasing, yet I didn't pay it any attention, as I could clearly see that the shield's surface began to flicker.

I donned a wicked grin as I could feel that I was on the cusp of victory. All I had to do was endure a bit longer, and that is exactly what I did.

The whole battle, from the instant Dominic lunged at me, and I consequently released my spell, lasted only a few seconds, yet it felt like an eternity.

But right when I felt I was only a mere moment from running out of essence, the magic shield's flickering intensified. Then, seemingly unable to take the abuse any longer, it finally shattered with a clear, loud snap.

Without the shield's protection, Dominic's body suddenly found itself subjected to unimaginable pressure. Therefore, it was instantly splattered before burning up and evaporating a moment later.

Feeling no further resistance, I hurriedly released my hold over the spell before it had a chance to carve a massive hole into the cavern's ceiling. Totally exhausted, I then collapsed to the ground, panting heavily.

Since I managed to end the spell in time, I still had some essence to go around, but the strain of releasing such a large quantity of magical energy so fast made me extremely dizzy, and it took a while before I managed to compose myself.

However, this momentary disability was enough for Vincent and Sir Konrad, who at this moment fully realized they had picked a fight with someone they absolutely shouldn't have to collect their bearings and began frantically running away.

They both headed toward the back, where, to my dismay, another passage I had previously failed to notice appeared, leading into the dark depths of the mountain.

Cursing, I tried to stand up to pursue them, but I quickly realized that I would not be able to catch them in my current state.

Despite this, I still somehow managed to focus enough to send a couple of stone bullets after them before they had a chance to escape from my sight.

With a quiet whoosh, the bullets caught with them in an instant.

Sir Konrad died almost instantly after the piece of rock blew a large hole through his chest, but that sleek bastard Vincent, who also appeared to have that damned magic shield, effortlessly shrugged off the projectile and promptly disappeared into the tunnel's mouth.

'Whatever, there'll be plenty of time to catch him later...' I thought as I proceeded to close my eyes, trying my best to endure the massive headache I got after pushing my body past its limits.

"A-Are you alright?" Theo's worried voice sounded from behind me, to which I simply nodded. "I just need a minute..."

After a few moments of rest, the pain began subsiding, and I came back to my senses. I slowly stood back up and took a measured look at my surroundings to figure out what to do next.

There were no signs of any remaining enemies, but that didn't mean we could linger here for long. Since I let Vincent escape, there was no telling what he might do next, and I had no strength left for another such fight.

But there was still something I needed to do first, so I tiredly shuffled toward the spot where the struggle with Dominic took place.

Even though I could clearly sense his life escaping his body, I still had to see what was left of him with my own two eyes.

I stared at the small mound of ash and charred pieces of flesh, which was all that remained of the once mighty gang leader, hoping it would give me some sort of closure and satisfaction.

I dreamt of this moment for months, ever since I escaped from my burning mansion. But right now, all I could feel was a sense of emptiness and profound loss, and I soon realized that I would have to carry those feelings with me for the rest of my life.

Still, even though it didn't make me feel any better, I knew that killing Dominic was the right thing to do... There was no way I would ever be able to rest whilst the man directly responsible for my sister's murder was running free.

There were also the others... The nobles who ordered my death, the court wizard, Vincent, and the Count of Ereneth himself.

But at this moment, I realized it was all pointless. If I let myself be consumed by anger and a blind desire for revenge, I would be no better than all those bastards, and no matter how many I would kill, there would be others who would happily take their place, subjecting me to an endless loop of violence.

I was better than that. I could do better than that. That was why I decided, for my own sake, to end my revenge with Dominic right now.

Of course, even if I stopped coming after them, my adversaries certainly wouldn't. I was still a wanted man and too big of a threat for the powers to be.

That's why there existed only one way for me to get out of this cycle of death that I knew of - magic.

I had to return to my roots and focus solely on the path of magic. I had to focus on learning as much as I could while tirelessly working on getting stronger.

Only when I amassed enough power that nobody would dare to entertain the thought of crossing me will I truly be free.

With that, I clutched the small lock of Helga's hair I had kept as a keepsake to always remember her and whispered, "I hope you live happily in some better place, sister..."

I knew that death was not the end and that reincarnation was real - I was a living example of it. So I sincerely wished Helga could find her own happiness somewhere else and that we might meet once again one day.

Until then, I'll continue to live each day to its fullest, beholden to nobody but myself, while struggling with everything I have to break free of the constraints of this ruthless society.

Full of newfound resolve, I took one last look at Dominic's remains and began turning away, ready to resume my search for the siblings.

But right then, a faint glint quickly drew my attention, breaking my current train of thought. I approached the spot with a slight curiosity, only to discover that a short distance away, Dominic's fancy dagger lay uselessly on the ground.

By some miracle, it managed to survive the violent clash completely unscathed. I briefly admired the immaculate craftsmanship of whoever had made this before smirking mischievously.

'I'll be taking that if you don't mind...' I thought while quickly snatching the exquisite prize into my bag. I then returned to my previous spot, addressing Theo.

"Alright! It looks like there are no more enemies left. We should continue searching for Hans and Greta, but keep your eyes open for any potential loot... I'd say it's high time to reimburse ourselves for all the trouble the criminals caused us." I said, smiling mischievously.