Chapter 664: Symbiot Echo

Chapter 664: Symbiot Echo

Air currents strengthened around Dallion, keeping him from smashing into the ground. It wasnt as elegant or intuitive as flying with Lux, but it did the job.

Palags fingers danced in the air, drawing symbol after symbol. There was a time when Dallion would have found the speed impressive. After having faced three powerful mages, though, it was like watching amateur hourthe fury was undoubtedly far better than Dallion, but it was obvious he was struggling against their enemy. This was also the first time that Dallion had witnessed spells being broken. The method was quite different from what Dallion had been doing. So far, both his own awakening trials and Nil had taught him that the best way to end a spell was to interrupt the mage midway. The reality chameleon took a more direct approach, breaking the lines of the spell circle with its own spells, causing the whole thing to fizzle away.

Gripping his harpsisword, Dallion did another spark infused line attack. The flash cut through the air currents, continuing to the mountain range. Same as before, it clashed against the walls of stone, slicing off huge chunks of rock in the process. The moment the rocks separated from the mountain, then quickly changed form shrinking to the size of small reptile scales.

It really is a chameleon? Dallion wondered.

Its anything that would ensure its survival in the present environment, Nil said. No one has seen one. Heck, no one has even been able to see through its illusions.

Dallion was pretty sure the Moons had. If Gleam was still here, maybe she could as well. The thought came with its share of sadness. The familiar had been a friend and companion for a while. Even if she were on the aggressive side, her banter and advice were always appreciated, not to mention her combat skills. The only consolation Dallion had was the knowledge that she was in the realm of the banished somewhere.

I need more time to complete my spell, Palag said as he grabbed Dallion with a new set of air currents.

Do you have anything that cuts through illusions?Upstodatee from n(0)/ve/lbIn/.(co/m

No. Not at this level.

Drat! That was a good spell to have. Illusions, as Dallion had seen, had their own way of creating their own limitations. If there was such a thing as specializing in illusion magic, he was definitely going to do it. Illusions created things that didnt exist, changed reality, even made invincible items vincible. It was even possible that it was an illusion that had caused the death and disappearance of the Eighth Moon. After all, Dallion had just witnessed illusion magic stopping the effects of a spark attack.

Dallion kept attacking, sending off point and line attacks one after the other. Even if it were no different than throwing pebbles at a monster, that was enough to cause pain, or at least a distraction.

Scales kept peeling off the mountain, until all of a sudden it shifted again, transforming into the cone of a tornado.

Thats a poor match-up, Dallion thought. Fighting with air against a fury wasnt the most logical of choices. Good thing that the chameleon had only been in the world for a short period of time. Is there a way to capture it? Dallion asked.

Theres usually a way to capture everything, the old echo replied. Though Im not sure youre equipped to do so. While itll be a huge waste, the best solution would be for you to chase it out of the world, and for that youll have to rely on the apprentice.

Didnt you say he was incompetent? Dallion did a vertical line attack at the tornado.

The attack slammed the cone of wind, slicing through a few dozen layers of air currents, then was captured by the raw power of the wind. Point attacks fared no differently, merely bushing the whole cone backwards.

Done! the fury shouted.

Thanks to Dallion engaging the creature, he had managed to complete the spellor rather, the chain of spells. Dozens of circles, each with twenty symbols each, floated around him, attached to one another. With one flick of the wrist, Palag had them assemble, creating a glowing sphere of symbols, which he then launched at the wind cone.

Instinctively, Dallion split into twenty instances, half of which covered his face and upper torso with the armadil shield.

The sphere or magic slammed into the cone. It didnt distort it, nor was it pulled in by the wind. Instead, it stood there, both part of it, yet separate.

The tornado vanished, replaced by a flock of griffins. Screeching, they attempted to charge at Dallion and the fury, but the moment they did, an invisible force pulled them back.

Palags sphere grew, surrounding the flock like a cage. In an ideal scenario, this would have been enough. Unfortunately, this was far from an ideal scenario. The spell, even if it appeared somewhat complex, didnt seem to have the strength to stop the creature for long. The griffins kept charging at it, creating cracks in the connections between symbols. No individual crash was enough to break the connection outright, but that wasnt going to keep the spell from collapsing for long.

You havent captured me yet. Maybe youll fail.

Maybe I will, Dallion said, using his music skills to add doubt in his words. But once I do, others will come after me. The mage is a kid, and I just started learning magic. Real mages will come afterwards, powerful mages. They wont have to negotiatetheyll be able to pluck you out of your reality and place you in a chunk of aether crystal. There, youll be a prisoner and even reality shifting wont help you.

The chameleon changed again, this time taking the form of a lightning cloud, launching bolts of lightning.

Where did you come from? Dallion asked, sensing the creatures hesitation.

Elsewhere.

Was that what magic was? One big elsewhere? There was no way to know, not until Dallion reached the necessary level of his magic trait. Until then, it was all guesswork and a lot of bluffing.

What will it be?

You dont have the strength to capture me. Ill run away before the ones after you arrive.

We found you, so will they.

The chameleon shifted into a tree, its roots hanging in the air, eager to bury into the ground. Even while frozen, the chameleon was using an exception of magic to wriggle out of its situation. Quite a clever approach. Given enough time, it might even find a way. That was why Dallion didnt intend to let that happen. Taking a deep breath, he focused on the largest branch of the tree and did a point attack.

Normally, such an attack would hardly cause a scar. However, with time stopped, things were different. The reality chameleon didnt have time to put up any defenses or cast a spell. All that the creature could do was shift form again, and so it did.

For a fraction of a second, Dallion managed to get a glimpse of the beings real form. It was largefour times the size of an elephant, completely smooth, covered in scale-like tiles. Between the tiles, threads of magic glowed in various intensities, almost like lights on a circuit board.

The point attack struck, bringing an end to the time freeze. The chameleons front left leg flew, torn off. The rest of the creature collapsed into the shape of a crystal cube. Dallion followed up with a multi-strike of point attacks, but those just bounced off as the cube fell down to the ground.

Threads of magic emerged from all sides of the object, all flying towards the fury. This time, Palag didnt bother to evade, catching them mid-flight. His fingers moved ten times faster than moments ago, composing spell after spell. With each new circle, a net of magic formed around the chameleon. The creature struggled, attempting to break out, but that proved impossible. The nets kept stacking up until they were the only thing that could be seen. Then, the struggle ended.

Isnt that cute? Nil asked, his words soaked with sarcasm. I hope you get something good out of this, considering its an almost guaranteed promotion.

What do you mean?

The furys mage. He was the one who cast the final series of spells through his apprentice.

How?

Youve experienced what its like to have limiting echoes, right? There are worse types, but also better. Consider them symbionts of a sort. I guarantee the apprentice has an echo of the master, which is why the young idiot was so eager to chase down something he knew so little about. As long as the going gets tough, the echo would just watch. The moment theres a practical chance, though, it would step it and assume willing control of its owners realm, and by extension the owner himself.

Dallion felt a chill down his spine.

I thought that wasnt allowed, he said.

Its not, but magic allows for exceptions, especially if one is willing.