Chapter 130 Hidden Cards

So, when all of a sudden, when the winds came in the way and manner that it did, Xzavier knew that this was no ordinary wind. It felt like a huge dragon was beating its wings like it was about to take off. Also, he felt like the wind targeted only the areas around him. Like it was deliberately sweeping away the blanket of smoke he was using as his covering. This was no coincidence. This was definitely magic. And it seemed like the leader of this hatchet team was behind this.

As the smoke cleared, the mage of the hour began to settle in on his new environment, as well as the recent developments. It was new to him, because only about two minutes ago, he had been surrounded by able bodied, capable mages. And now, within a very short period of time, he was standing all alone- by himself.

The leader had a lot of conflicting thoughts about this. He was a little bit amazed, but that didn't mean he didn't acknowledge Xzavier's accomplishment. No doubt, he was very impressed. It made sense that a person of Xzavier's reputation might be able to take out three or four of his subordinates. There was also the fact that had used a blinding technique to mask his presence and reduce visibility. But all these factors weren't enough to justify the fact that somehow, an ordinary person had been able to take out so many level three mages at the same time.

This was the basis of the leader's ambivalence. As a level five mage, he could see very clearly that Xzavier hadn't even the slightest trace of mana in him. As he looked at the bodies of the level three mages surrounding him, he couldn't help but wonder how Xzavier had done it. It was difficult to engage an enemy that one couldn't understand. And right now, his mind was aflame with the question of how Xzavier had managed to pull this off. Either he was a hidden master, or one lucky son of a gun.

Finally, after taking his fill of the sprawled bodies of his subordinates, he shifted his gaze to his enemy who was standing across from him. There was no more smoke, there was nobody standing between them, there wasn't even any shift in the air, the leader could see Xzavier clearly now and engage him one on one.

Once again, the leader found himself being amazed. Across the field from him, the man who was wearing the sinister looking mask and clad in weird black garments before him looked like a demon. And in his hand was a weird looking weapon that he kept pointed at him. The mage immediately deduced that this was the source of his power.

Xzavier already knew that he was dealing with a different breed here. He had learned a lot from his previous altercation with the other leader. So, he knew he couldn't afford to lose focus, even for a minute. So, Pistol in hand, focused and poised for battle, he issued a warning to the mage;

"You're the only one left, so heed my words…"

It sounded like an advice, but in essence, it was a word of caution.

"Unless you want to become like one of your buddies over there, I suggest you surrender as soon as possible."

In case the mage decided to veer to the left, Xzavier added;

"Don't even for a second think that this is all I am capable of, I still have an abundance of cards to play, but it wouldn't benefit me in any way if you should die."

For the final act, he growled in a deep voice; "It would be better for you not to test me. I assure you, I am not in the mood…"

Xzavier wasn't exaggerating. Neither was he bluffing, but of course the level five mage didn't know that.

To the mage, Xzavier's warning came like an outrageous slur. It was like he had deliberately, and so casually insulted him, like he was a simple walk over that wasn't worth his time. His ego couldn't take it. He felt insulted. How dare this ordinary chum belittle him in this manner? So, with a caustic tone, he retorted back;

"You scum!! How dare you speak to me in that manner? How dare you?!"

Shaking hysterically, he bellowed;

"You think you're the only one with other hidden cards?" he scoffed. "Well think again!"

Still trembling with rage, he made up his mind to teach this impudent person a lesson.

"Seeing that you have absolutely no shred of magic, I was actually going to hold back before. But now that I have seen your abilities, I don't need to be worried about killing you!"

In this era, people with no magic were regarded as second class individuals. It was especially worse if they were peasants. This was why the level five mage took a jab at Xzavier's inability to do magic because he thought it would make Xzavier mad.

The time for talk was over. Not willing to give Xzavier any room to reply, he began to chant. The words flowed out of his tongue like poetry. It had the structural organization of a powerful incantation and the ominous tone of a potent spell. Xzavier had seen and heard enough to know that this was only a foreshadow of what was to come, so, he prepared accordingly. He wasn't wrong.

A huge fireball leapt out from the mage's direction and surged towards Xzavier with the bloodlust and searing heat of a ballistic missile.

The entire time Xzavier had his eyes on the enemy before him. He didn't take his eyes off him even for a moment. But despite all that, he still wasn't able to tell with exactitude where the fireball had come from. It was almost as if it came out of nowhere. The fireball raged towards Xzavier with a sonic quickness. It blazed like a comet streaking across the heavens and steadily made its way towards Xzavier.

Because Xzavier was prepared, he was able to respond appropriately. He leaned backwards, and dodged it horizontally. As Xzavier dodged it, his proximity to the fireball gifted him a unique firsthand experience. He felt only a fraction of the hear radiating from the fireball, and instantly knew that he would be no better than grilled meat if it had made contact with him. There was no doubt that if he had allowed himself to slip up, the consequences would have definitely been disastrous.

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Xzavier had gotten so used to the enhancement of the 'custom black fitting suit,' that he failed to realize that it was the primary reason he had been able to dodge the mage's attack. This was the first time Xzavier was engaging this gear in an actual battle. He had trained and trained so much that he had practically gotten used to it. His hard work paid off a hundred fold. In this situation, it was the same 'custom black fitting suit' that saved his life.

It increased his speed by a significant degree, and gave him tens of times more mobility which in turn made him a lot more flexible than he usually was. These combined factors enabled Xzavier to move with the speed that was necessary for the evading of the fireball. Without the enhancements of the 'custom black fitting suit,' there was a very slim chance that Xzavier would have escaped the blast. Even if he did, he wouldn't have been unscathed.

So, after successfully dodging the fireball, Xzavier began to ride this sweet wave of increased speed and mobility. He surged towards, the level five mage at a blinding speed. As Xzavier ran, he didn't feel like he was running. He felt like time itself had slowed down, along with gravity and all other laws that governed the physical plane. Although it seemed like it, Xzavier knew the truth. He was moving too fast.

Moving at an impressive speed, he surged towards the level five mage and appeared in front of the mage. Wanting to catch the mage unawares, he swung his hand hard in a bit to smash him in the face. But unfortunately, the mage had other tricks up his sleeve.

Living up to his reputation as a level five mage, he burst into flames just as Xzavier's punch came in. His entire form metamorphosed into a roaring flame, inadvertently causing Xzavier's fist to miss its target. The whole thing happened so quickly and so suddenly. But that wasn't was end of it. Not only had the mage successfully morphed into a devouring flame of fire, he had somehow been able to transport himself in that state, and appeared behind Xzavier like a phantom flame.

Even after the smoke bombs had cleared, Xzavier still kept his infra-red imager on. Asides from the added advantage it gave him the added advantage of giving him the appearance of an underworld creature, it also gave him a clearer picture of what was happening all around him. It was night, and the gift of true sight was necessary. However, due to the intensity of the raging flame, Xzavier's infra-red imager became almost useless.

The infra-red imager was a device that was extremely sensitive to heat. It was built and designed for night time activities like hunting because of its ability to detect heat even in the blackest night. So, because of the ridiculously high temperature of the mage's flames and its brightness, it was almost pointless to keep wearing it. So, he took it off, as well as his gas mask, and sent it back into the system's store.