Chapter 402: Ruvian/Zian/Calyra vs The Black Knight (3)

Ruvian uncorked the vial of potion Silvena had given him, then he swiftly downed its contents.

Almost instantly, its effects took hold.

The grievous wound across his chest began healing at a remarkable rate, closing completely within seconds.

At the same time, his depleted mana and stamina were fully restored, leaving his body in pristine condition, as though he hadn’t been fighting at all.

’Damn, this stuff is incredible...’

A moment later, Calyra descended from above, landing on the ground just behind them.

"Do you have any plans?" she asked.

"Yes."

"You really do?" Zian asked.

’Did he just doubt me?’

"Yes."

Ruvian tightened his grip on his katana, his gaze settling on the Black Knight that just came out from the dust.

"The plan is... attack with everything we’ve got."

With Calyra finally joining the fray, the odds were beginning to shift in their favor. However, before they resumed their assault, Ruvian decided to give her an additional advantage.

Without a moment’s hesitation, he activated [Powerscaling] on Calyra Arcanis.

He then upgraded her [Casting Speed], [Magic Power], and [Mental Strength] from [B+] to [A-], spending a total of 32,400 PP in the process.

===============

{}---『RUNEHEART』---{}

◇ Name: Calyra Arcanis

◇ Age: 18

◇ Spellcore: Tier 4

◇ Rank: First-Class Magus

◇ Magic Affinity: [Ice], [Water], [Spatial]

[Mana Resonance: (1,296/10,000)]

==[General Attributes]==

Strength: D+

Agility: D+

Endurance: C

Vitality: C

Perception: C+

==[Mage Attributes]==

Mana Control: A-

Casting Speed: B+ → A-

Magic Power: B+ → A-

Mental Strength: B+ → A-

Mana Sensitivity: A+

Mana Essence: [7,250/29,000]

==[Innate Blessings]==

- [Blessing of Naiara’s Reserve]

- [Cursed: Chalice of the Labyrinth]

==[Affinity Mastery]==

- [Ice, Pure Mana, Spatial (Advanced)]

- [Water, Sound (Intermediate)]

- [Fire, Earth, Wind, Light, Lightning (Basic)]

===============

Calyra’s eyes widened slightly as she sensed a sudden shift within herself. Her mana felt considerably more potent than before, though she couldn’t quite understand why.

Meanwhile, having finished upgrading her attributes, Ruvian wasted no time activating [Assimilation].

Almost immediately, a familiar system window appeared before his eyes.

[Please select the character you wish to assimilate with.]

A list of names began appearing one after another, but Ruvian already knew whom he wanted to choose.

’Calyra Arcanis.’

The moment he selected her, Ruvian felt his Spellcore undergo a sudden change.

Mana flowed through his body with greater ease, and controlling it became almost effortless. Even the slightest movement of mana felt natural, as though he had spent years mastering it.

But her magical abilities weren’t the only things he had inherited.

An overwhelming sense of existential emptiness suddenly engulfed him, causing his expression to darken.

It felt as though someone incredibly precious to him had disappeared from his life, someone he desperately wanted to see again.

Yet, for some reason, he couldn’t remember who that person was.

Of course, Ruvian knew exactly whose feelings these were.

’Calyra...’

And he knew whom she had forgotten, what had happened to that person, and the promise she had made to bring them back. After all, the curse had never affected Ruvian’s memories.

But knowing the truth did little to ease what he was experiencing.

A sudden wave of guilt tightened his chest, followed by a terrible sense of regret.

He could feel how desperately Calyra wanted to make things right, yet she had no idea what she had done wrong. All that remained was an emptiness that never truly went away.

Ruvian gritted his teeth, pressing a hand against his chest as the emotions continued to overwhelm him.

For a brief moment, he even lost focus on the battle unfolding before him.

He had always known about Calyra’s circumstances, but experiencing her feelings first hand was far more harrowing than he had ever imagined.

’Right, this is what you’ve been going through all this time...’

His expression softened.

Taking a deep breath, Ruvian slowly lowered his hand and tightened his grip on his katana.

’Once we are done with this stampede... I’ll free you from this.’

*****

[10,000 Plot Points have been deducted!]

[Assimilation completed!]

[Time remaining: (04:59)]

==========

{}---『RUNEHEART』---{}

◇ Name: Ruvian Castelor

◇ Age: 17

◇ Spellcore: Tier 3 (Tier 4)

◇ Rank: First-Class Magus

◇ Magic Affinity: None ([Ice], [Water], [Spatial])

◇ Relevance Tier: Stage IV – Pivotal Canon

◇ Plot Points: 187,800 (PPs)

◇ Current Arc: Arc 4 – Defend The Frostgrave Fortress

[Mana Resonance: (268/1,000)]

==[General Attributes]==

Strength: C+

Agility: C+

Endurance: C+

Vitality: C+

Perception: C+

==[Mage Attributes]==

Mana Control: B- (A-)

Casting Speed: C+ (A-)

Magic Power: B- (A-)

Mental Strength: S

Mana Sensitivity: C+ (A+)

Mana Essence: [15,000/15,000] ([29,000/29,000])

==========

==[Innate Blessings]==

- [Blessing of Indomitable Will]

- [Blessing of Naiara’s Reserve]

==[Affinity Mastery]==

- [Pure Mana, Wind, Darkness, Ice, Spatial (Advanced)]

- [Water, Sound (Intermediate)]

- [Dark Mana, Fire, Earth, Light, Lightning (Basic)]

===============

His control over mana was nothing short of impeccable. The moment he activated [Body Enhancement], he felt an unprecedented surge of power coursing through every fibre of his being.

Since he wasn’t affected by Calyra’s curse, his mana reserves seemed virtually inexhaustible, replenishing themselves at an astonishing rate.

What amazed him even more was the fact that Calyra had attained such an incredible feat despite being severely weakened by her curse.

He had always been aware of her circumstances, but experiencing the full extent of her power firsthand still left him utterly speechless.

At the same time...

’What?’

’Hm?’

Both Zian and Calyra immediately noticed the sudden change in the mana surrounding Ruvian.

Their expressions shifted as they turned toward him, clearly taken aback by the sheer amount of mana radiating from his body.

However, before either of them could question what he had just done, Ruvian had already made his move.

No, calling it a move wouldn’t be entirely accurate, because his figure had suddenly vanished from where he stood.

Calyra’s eyes widened slightly as she recognized the familiar spell.

’[Blink]?’ she thought, her gaze immediately shifting toward the Black Knight. (+500PP)

A moment later, Ruvian reappeared directly beside the creature, his black katana already swinging toward its neck.

The Black Knight reacted almost instantly, raising its massive sword to intercept the attack, but Ruvian swiftly adjusted his stance and unleashed another slash.

Within seconds, the two were locked in a fierce exchange of blows, their movements reaching an entirely different level of speed and intensity.

With Calyra’s power flowing through his body, Ruvian could now follow the Black Knight’s movements far more clearly than before.

However, the creature’s overwhelming strength remained a serious problem, forcing him to rely on [Blink] and his enhanced mana control to evade its deadly counterattacks.

Seeing this, Zian immediately tightened his grip on [Caliburnus], golden Light Mana gathering around its blade.

"Looks like his plan really was just to attack," he remarked with a faint smirk, amused by Ruvian’s rather straightforward strategy.

Beside him, Calyra raised her hand as hundreds of sharp ice spears began forming in the air.

"If he intends to go all out, then I see no reason for us not to do the same."

Without wasting another moment, both rushed forward to join Ruvian in confronting the Black Knight.

──────── ? ────────

[Chapter 402: Ruvian/Zian/Calyra vs The Black Knight (2)]

Plot Points = 230,700