Even without the magic mirror that grew sharp blades all around it hitting him yet, Rezen already knew that this was not something that he could tackle head-on
These magic artifacts gave him a sense of danger and its power already exceeded the power at the 6th cycle of the Junior Rank. Rezen is still just at the 5th cycle, even if he might have the ability to dominate enemies at the 5th cycle and even defeat those at the 6th cycle but if it was something that exceeds that, he would be hard-pressed to defend
Not to mention, the speed of the magic mirror was also incredibly fast and even Deviant Mages were not able to easily dodge them. Besides, who can say that these magic mirrors cannot change their flying path? What if Rezen was barely able to dodge yet it still continued to chase him?
Rezen doesn't have the ability to resist the magic artifacts head-on but he is also not confident in dodging them. Since that is the case then he can only do one thing and that is to target the user so that he can't properly control his weapons
He acted as if he was blocking the magic artifacts' assault but to no surprise, he was no opponent against such artifacts. The rotating blades cut his body in half but instead of blood and internal organs splashing around, Rezen suddenly turned into multiple crows that flew away
[Crow Illusion Substitution!]
Rezen used one of the magic spells in his arsenal not because his enemy was strong but because his enemy was rich and had incredible magic artifacts
This magic spell of his was already familiar to his classmates and they weren't surprised. In fact, at this point, their first reaction when seeing Rezen being hit by his opponent's magic was that he used the [Crow Illusion Substitution] spell
Without any suspense, Rezen reappeared a distance away from his original position
"That will not work!" Quard said loudly as he let go of his control over those magic artifacts and he raised his head. Rezen actually appeared above him and at this moment, yellow energies covered the entirety of Rezen's hand
The power of the sun gathered at his palm and he released a stream of sunlight against his opponent
In return, Quard activated the engraved spell on his mage robe which was also a magic artifact. After doing so, he let Rezen's attack land on his body
However, instead of harming Quard, his magic robe actually absorbed Rezen's attack causing the robe to turn yellow in color
Upon seeing that, Rezen narrowed his eyes and pivoted himself in the air to change his landing direction. As soon as he did that, a beam of sunlight flew by his previous location. He was just inches away from where the beam was fired. It was a really close call
It seems like after knowing that there would be more times that Quard would have to fight Rezen, he asked his family to spend more mana stones on him to secure these precious magic artifacts
His opponent was able to guard against his tactics and magic because he had enough information. While Rezen's cultivation level rose by a single cycle, his fighting style and the magic that he knows doesn't change much. It was only his raw power that increased but overall, he was still the same. This gave Quard the chance to gather equipment that could deal with him
As for Rezen, he was severely lacking in information. He doesn't know what magic artifacts Quard has and he was not able to prepare beforehand
As a cautious person, Rezen already anticipated situations where his life would be threatened, and letting these threats know all of his means could be a fatal mistake that could cost him his life
Even if Rezen's standing in the class lowers, he just needs to be willing to spend money or merit points for magic artifacts. This was one thing he neglected because of his previous poverty but since working in the alchemy workshop provided substantial payment, he could afford at least one decent magic artifact
Just as Rezen was about to do his best to resist the bracelet even though he knew it was futile, a surprising thing happened
In between him and Quard, a scarlet light suddenly appeared and this scarlet light grew into three meters long and wide 'gate'
From this 'gate', a creature that is clearly not a human came out. To its misfortune, as soon as it came out of the gate, Quard's bracelet hit it
The expanded bracelet bound the creature that was clearly not a human but a magic beast!
It was a fox-type magic beast with silverish fur and the bracelet just started binding it when the fox lightly shook its body and the bracelet immediately shattered into smaller pieces
"Nooooo!!!" Quard howled in despair. That bracelet is a precious magic artifact that can bind even people on the 8th cycle. That was the reason why Rezen felt powerless against such a magic artifact
However, a magic beast that suddenly appeared not only freed itself from the bracelet but was also able to shatter it with just a light shake of its body
This is a feat that even magic beasts at the 9th cycle are not able to achieve and since that is the case, this only means one thing. This fox-type magic beast is at the Senior Rank!
Before Rezen and Quard could even react, hands made from mana grabbed them. They found themselves being dragged away from the magic beast and Mage Feather's urgent voice echoed inside the gymnasium
"All of you get out of here!" The mage said loudly as she readied herself to face the magic beast with a grim expression on her face
She doesn't know why and how a magic beast suddenly appeared inside the Tryst Academy. This is not a place that should only have magic beasts that are not under control if the City of Hope itself is attacked