Chapter 680 All-Out Effort
The trump card of all enhancement magi, the nightmare of all non-melee-type magi!
Ali's expression changed; no enhancement magus can be fully immune to the physical damage brought by "mutating."
Mana is not a panacea; it can deeply remodel a magus's body, but it can't turn someone into a monster.
And "mutating" breaks through this limit.
It awakens the dormant beastly bloodline within, catalyzed into manifestation by mana.
This is what "mutating" is.
After mutating, Code 19, aside from his soul, could hardly be considered human; his body had become entirely that of a monstrous being.
"This is my utmost respect. If you have any skills left, use them. Otherwise, you will surely regret it."
Code 19's voice had completely transformed, as if coming from a muffled space.
Though his articulation was clear, the tone was bizarrely odd.
His eyes, burning with a faint blue flame within the crimson, fixed on Ali's face.
Though not surrounded by mana, the aura he exuded was incomparable to before.
The cyan-purple mana patterns, like tattoos, roamed across his body.
The cloak hid his vital parts but couldn't conceal the coiled muscles and the roaming power.
Code 19 slightly leaned forward, arching his back like a wild beast, quietly gathering force.
His enhancement wasn't limited to physical capabilities; his reaction ability also significantly improved under "mutating."
Now, Code 19 possessed the sharp intuition of a wild beast, coupled with the cunning of a human.
A true monster, in every sense of the word.
With no other options remaining, Ali sighed, acknowledging her own frailty.
Even with "Brave," which costs twenty years of her lifespan per use, how many times could she afford to rely on it?
Against the continuous crises she faced, and the potentially greater ones in the foreseeable future, it was merely a drop in the ocean.
"I feel like I've been duped by that unscrupulous god," Ali muttered, mana coursing through her body like a surging tide. Updated from n0velb(i)n.c(o)/m
A faint golden light ignited deep within her eyes as she took a step forward, drawing a deep breath.
Bring it on, the final confrontation.
Victory or defeat, life or death, it all hinged on this moment!
Mana erupted as Ali pushed her mind to its limits, simultaneously calculating dozens of spells.
The mana mist burst outward, with the spell matrix forming directly within it.
The mana oscillated, emitting a sharp ringing sound, and Ali's hair stood on end within the mana field.
A faint smell of blood came from her nostrils, and dull pains throbbed through her brain—signals that she was nearing her cognitive limits.
But she chose not to stop.
Just as Code 19 had opted for "mutating" to face her, she too pushed herself to the limit, seeking to break through the current predicament.
Relying solely on "Brave" would never allow her to truly become strong.
The Second Strike!
Almost the instant the Electric Shield vanished, three throwing knives reached the spot where Ali stood.
They passed through, yet drew no blood.
The Ali remaining in place was merely an illusion.
Following the Electric Shield, what was triggered next was "Shape-shifting"!
Ali had now entered an invisibility state, leaving behind only an afterimage.
Even the best defense can be breached, but asymmetry of information remains the supreme defense!
If the opponent is uncertain of your location, they naturally can't hit you!
The greatest flaw of enhancement magi lies in the singularity of their combat methods.
While possessing strength and speed difficult for magi of the same level to match, this comes at the cost of the nearly infinite potential of mana.
Enhancement magi can exhibit considerable combat prowess at lower levels, but as magi progress and begin to emphasize the utilization of mana itself, the drawbacks of enhancement magi gradually become apparent.
Of course, for those with exceptional talent, this talk becomes irrelevant.
For geniuses, normal rules often do not apply.
Eight spell traps remain.
Although Ali is now in an invisibility state, Code 19's movements are utterly unpredictable.
His high-speed movement makes him even more terrifying and agile than a ghost.
Just a moment's mistake, and he could appear behind you, hand thrust into your chest cavity.
Ali did not wish to experience such a sensation.
The fourth spell activated on its own!
Linked with Shape-shifting from the start, this spell was set to activate within a second after Shape-shifting was triggered.
Mist Wall, a spell familiar to any magus.
Before truly learning sculpting spells, the Mist Wall spell serves as a primary practice tool for most sculpting magi.
By controlling the mana mist generated by the Mist Wall, magi indirectly enhance their control over mana, facilitating faster mastery of sculpting spells.
In other circumstances, Mist Wall might be considered a practice tool since it lacks attack power or defense, offering only the effect of creating a substantial area of mana mist.
It also does not support the expansion of mana sensing.
A mere layer of mist seems hardly useful, barely even obstructing visibility.
However, in the current situation, the emergence of Mist Wall seems highly appropriate.
How does Code 19 determine his surroundings?
In a state of high-speed movement, relying solely on vision to capture external dynamics is definitely insufficient.
Even with enhanced hearing and touch, the benefits are limited
—this is the constraint of human physiology.
No matter how sharp one's eyes are, the visible field ultimately spans only about 130 degrees in front of them.