Supreme Magus

Chapter 4184: Bottomless Vessel (Part 1)

’Now that I think about it, I know what Dawn’s equipment does and how her tower works, but I have no idea what she can do.’ Lith thought. ’She always uses Light Mastery.

’Aside from regenerating her host, I’ve never seen her do anything special.’

"You can make undead resist sunlight." Protector said.

"Wrong." Dawn tutted. "Try again."

"You can generate prisms." The Skoll pointed at her makeshift equipment.

"Correct." She nodded. "What else?"

"You..." Protector’s voice trailed off as he realized that aside from what every cursed object could do, Dawn didn’t seem to possess any unique talent. "You have... a pocket dimension?"

"Correct again." She replied. "But you’ve missed the big one. The enchantment that makes me me. Come on, I’ve never stopped using it for a second."

Protector turned towards his friends and saw they were just as confused as he was.

"I give up." Protector raised his hands in surrender.

"I can absorb nigh-endless amounts of light element." Dawn replied. "My entire crystal body is a bottomless vessel for the energy of the sun, and can store it for an indefinite amount of time.

"My ability that allows undead to withstand sunlight is just an application of this. My prisms follow the same principle and absorb the light element during the day, so that my Chosen don’t fall into slumber, nor do they get hurt.

"Why do you think Mother taught me Light Mastery instead of giving me a bunch of fancy enchantments? Because it allows me to channel the light element that I absorb just by existing in all shapes and forms.

"Since I exert my power with Light Mastery, even after I got separated from my mother for centuries, my prowess didn’t suffer. Even while I was imprisoned inside the Fringe, I got stronger as my mastery over magic improved.

"My ability is fueled, not limited by my enchantments. As soon as I realize I’m lacking in any aspect, I can create a new spell that makes up for my shortcomings.

"If my spells become outdated, I just need to learn modern magic and create new ones. My invincibility lies in my simplicity."

Solus turned to look at Malyshka, who just nodded to her.

"I did the same for Night and Dusk." Baba Yaga said. "She is a receptacle for the darkness element, while he is a receptacle for life force. It not only gives him access to bloodline abilities, but to endless mana as well.

"He only needs to add the life force he stores to the power of elements he draws from Mogar to turn world energy into mana."

"That’s why he called himself the perfect mage." Kelia’s eyes went wide in surprise. "Calls. I mean, he calls himself."

"He’s alive, child." Baba Yaga caressed Kelia’s head while pointing at the red glow coming from under her shirt. "His light still burns bright."

"How does this help me against Jorl’s goons?" Protector asked. "Also, isn’t it dangerous to expose your abilities like this?"

"Dangerous how?" Dawn scoffed. "How can you stop me from drawing the light element, generating my prisms, or using my pocket dimension? Are you going to turn off the sun?"

"I can’t." Ryman tilted his head, realizing how dumb his question was.

"My point exactly." She nodded. "Which brings us to your first question. This helps you because the key to defeating a cursed object is understanding how it works and preparing specific countermeasures.

"The first and most important factor to remember is that even though a living legacy can use its enchantments with the same ease as a bloodline ability, what it possesses is just magic.

"Bloodline abilities require life force and world energy, and can’t be used without their specific mana organ. Abilities can grow and mutate through generations, as happened with Lith’s Flames.

"Enchantments, instead, are fixed spells that anyone can use under the right conditions. They follow all the rules of magic and can be disrupted by arrays. Also, age is a fatal weak point for a cursed object.

"The older it is, the more obsolete its enchantments become. What once required Forbidden Magic becomes a parlor trick that even kids can do. Show me the two living legacies you faced, and I’ll give you an example."

Dawn extended her hand, and Protector shared the battle for the Black Throne with her via a mind link.

"Sorry, I never met them." She said after pondering for a while. "They must have lived on other continents until Narchat offered his blood in exchange for rallying under his banner.

"Even worse, whoever made those living legacies showed foresight almost on par with my mother. They kept things simple, leaving little room for improvement. Your enemies are basically a storage ring and a spell-holding book.

"Even if they were made today, I don’t think they would be much stronger than they already are. The good news is that finding the right counter to them is easy."

"Like what?" Lith asked.

"Lightning bolts and heat rays for the ring and close combat and sealing arrays for the book." Dawn replied. "As I said, the ring is just a storage item, and we know moving objects can’t be stored.

"Hence, her ability to freeze her enemies must rely on countering their momentum with enough strength to bring them to a halt. Lightning bolts and heat rays can’t hurt her, but light moves the fastest.

"Neutralizing such attacks will probably drain the cursed ring’s energy reserves quickly, if not even weaken the effectiveness of her enchantment to the point it would slow you down instead of stopping you.

"As for the book, it’s clearly a long-range specialist. You can’t keep your distance, or he’ll just recover his mana with Invigoration. So, stick close to him, focus your attacks on his host, and keep an elemental sealing array at the ready at all times."

"Sounds about right." Lith nodded. "Even the best artifact holds only a limited amount of mana, and only the host can use Invigoration. Stop the host, and the moment the cursed book runs out of mana, it becomes a fancy paperweight."

"Exactly." Dawn said. "If he relies too much on Spirit Spells, he won’t last long, and if you get close, he won’t be able to use arrays freely since they will affect him as well."

"The ring isn’t such an easy opponent, though." Solus mused. "She can use anything she stores as if she wields it, artifacts included. She trapped Lith with a chain and turned a bunch of alchemical wands into a small magical army."

"She’s actually easier to deal with." Dawn replied. "Friya and everyone with a pocket dimension are her natural counter. You just have to disrupt the dimensional field and with it the ring’s connection with her tools.

"Think about it. All you have to do is place a dimensional sealing array and then snatch her stuff with your pocket dimension. The moment your magical formation stops her trinkets, they can be stored away. Loot and victory with one stone."

"That, unless the ring and the book are hiding part of their abilities." Protector pointed out.

"Sure, but that’s true for anyone." She shrugged. "Also, what’s important is how you approach the fight. Analyze the enchantment and find the counter."