Chapter 100: Call of the Void (3)

Later that night Rainer awoke early from [Sleep Learning]. Casting the tracking spell from his own Blood to find himself, had been easy enough. He practiced the spell as his progress on even just adding Arcane-Water to [Water’s Gentle Touch] stalled him quite a bit.

[Blood Mana Tracking], as an only tier 2 spell, despite its possible uses, presented little difficulty for Rainer. His experience with Familiar Bonds and Mana Channels made finding the connection, even if it was technically only to himself, quite easy.

He sat at the table in the room as Luna filled in his absence in the bed by moving closer to Kara.

His thoughts moved on back to the Blood Tracking spell, which fell into his Mana spellbook. He was a bit annoyed by that, as from what he understood a Mana Affinity wasn’t in the same category as Magic Affinity, meaning his [Excellent Arcane Affinity] did nothing for pure Mana based spell.

The tracking spell involved opening up a one-way connection to one’s intended target, as most tracking spells designed to target a specific person did. He’d find a way to offset the Mana cost in this non-combat spell eventually, but it wasn’t a priority.

Rainer held the same knife Kara used during their enchanting session, that has since been cleaned, to give his finger a small prick. Yet, given the extra effort he had to put in to get past his Constitution, it was hardly just a small prick in exertion.

The drop of blood fell onto his other waiting hand underneath it. He wasn’t expecting anything near success after having just learned the spell. Tracking down those related to you only had the advice of using your intent if you wished to specify someone.

Deciding it was a good place to start dealing with intent based magic, Rainer thought of his Grandfather for a moment before switching to his younger sister, reminded in part by the quiet Lilia. He nearly laughed aloud as his sister was anything but quiet, and he isn’t sure where the reminder came from, but remembering the issues with tracking himself he ventured his grandfather may give the same problems.

His Mana dropped by close to 30 points as the spell was cast, a testament to his lack of Talent when it came to Mana, and he felt no sort of connection form.

He sighed before shaking his head deciding to go back to bed, but just as he stood up, he felt a sliver of a connection. Grasping onto it, immediately he understood how vast the distance was, and yet he felt the target was familiar. Soon, he felt the connection seemingly fading. As if to bolster it, he tried to reinforcing with not only [Mana Manipulation], but his [Void Detection] and to see through it with [Void Seer],

He only hoped just to get a glimpse after so many months that seemed far longer than that.

Unknowingly his desire spoke for him, as he in the slightest way, weakened the Void to let the connection through. Above all else, he had long since grown accustomed to enhancing his spells with Manipulation skills. [Void Manipulation] among it.

Rainer had not even a moment to react as an all too familiar clawed hand grasped him, tearing through the opening far faster than any time before. He had not even a moment to react before he vanished from the room. Its occupants only just awakening to witness the scene.

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Rainer’s eyes opened wide to the new world around him. Soon both [Arcane Awakening] and [Arcane Invigoration] reached their maximum levels as the Runic lines across his body and the energy in his blood prepared him for battle.

And then he felt a pressure encompass his body as he thought to Tiamat and immediately activated his Shield Mode.

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A clawed hand gripped tightly around his body as it squeezed him. Rainer had only a moment to glance down at the great height they were currently at before his mind went to work. He thought over any means of escaping this Devil’s grasp before his rapidly cracking shield failed him, and Tiamat. The Familiar bond already allowed him to feel the struggling dragon.

Rainer did not even notice that this same [Devil King] had managed to regenerate one of his arms, but not the one consumed by Jor.

Without pause he recalled the only skill in his store left, and given the averageness of the others, he put forth a bet on the so-called skill which could bring forth his desires from the Void. This was hardly a place where a failed test would matter given the already worst case scenario.

[Void Call: Cost 10 skill points. The Void is omnipresent in its existence, always available to a Voidwalker in their purpose. Letting them reach out toward their desires.]

But in the end, this option was just one of dozens to his fast thinking mind.

His thoughts instantly went to other solutions as he prepared to shift his [Arcane Awakening] to one of his other newly acquired skill. Feeling the closeness to where he drew Arcane Energy from ever near, the moment his shield mode cracked he exploded outwards with Arcane Energy. The Devil hand expanded in pain away from the Arcane Energy that was soon followed by a hand-wielded [Arcane Blade] stabbing into him.

The clawed hand lost purchase for but an instant and the Devil’s prize soared from his hand.

[Arcane Awakening: Arcanum Step]

A burst of Arcane Energy escaped Rainer’s legs as Runic formula shined up and down them. Carefully making sure to guard Tiamat spot in his overcoat. He flew dozens of feet away from the [Devil King] with additional Arcane Energy. He would have never inscribed this Enchantment on Kara without having first created his own version.

The one-armed [Devil King] had stared in surprise before his mind turned to shock as he watched the massively gathering power in his target’s hand. An originally ordinary [Arcane Bolt] quickly supercharged with Arcane Energy. But another surprise awaited him as Rainer’s face grimaced in pain after using his newly acquired skill, [Void Call]. Thanks for reading on ManaNovel!

His entirely black eyes widened in shock as he felt the strange pulling force on his body as if part of his chest was being dragged from this world. All too familiar with this ability of the truly powerful Lords of the Void, he resisted with all his might. He calmed himself soon after, the lack of strength behind the ability reminding him just how lucky he was latching on and tracking the Soul of this fledging Void Lord seemingly hiding.

He had only a moment to prepare a defense with his Soul Language before a torrent of powerful Arcane Energy slammed against him, sending the Devil far away from Rainer as he then Void-walked a distance away.

Rainer flew in the other direction, as he looked over the new place he found himself in. Quickly, he sought to use [Arcane-Spatial Domain] only to find that the gravity around wasn’t responding to his spell. Even more so as he reached out towards Luna with his Familiar Bond, he felt a distance beyond anything imaginable along with the usual time dilation he’s come to expect from places such as these.

Only the lack of Spatial weakness, as well as his [Arcane-Spatial Domain]’s refusal to affect the Gravity, gave him pause as he understood he was in a far different place than before. A worry that was only partially dissuaded by the Arcane Energy in the air, amongst slight but noticeable other source of power he now felt uncomfortably entering his body in place of the World’s Energy.

Rainer could only stare at the rapidly approaching ground, as he quickly converted more Mana to Arcane Power, and wonder just where the hell he was. He cast [Arcane-Wind’s Ascent] a moment later.

“Do not think you’ll escape me, fledging Lord of the Void,” An angry roar came across the wide expanse, “Your power will be mine, and then I will be free to feast on the souls of those once beside you. I have not forgotten them anymore than I’ve forgotten you!”

Rainer looked across as the [Devil King] slowed his descent, a purple miasma flowing around his body. He did not react in anger as the Devil tried to coax that from him. No, such a false attempt wouldn’t work in this moment. In the end, it only steeled his resolve.

Rainer knew the mistake he made, reaching out for that connection. Even if he didn’t know he had used [Void Manipulation] alongside his Void skills to improve them as he did with any Magic skill and spell, he understood he screwed up. He also felt not the looseness of the space he came to expect from such worlds, but instead a strangeness leaving him wondering how he’d get back this time. Glaring at the dark gray skinned Devil across from him, he wondered if the four-horned massive beast intentionally brought him to such a place without the looseness of space as the others.

But now that didn’t matter. What only mattered was seeing the persistent foe who dragged him here as no more than a corpse. Or to flee at the best opportunity. Rainer had little interest in risking Tiamat’s life who was unable to guard herself with Flame like Luna could during battle.

The Human and Devil stared at one another across the large distance. A flurry of Arcane Energy rumbled around the Archon as a thrum of power denoted every [Arcane Lance] being armed and an outpour of Miasma drawn from himself and the very air surrounded the [Devil King]. From the sky a violet sun shined overhead, doing nothing to alter the darkness of the sky, and only slightly illuminated the dark gray rocky landscape.