Nero took another step forward, and then froze.
Something was there.
Just beyond the entrance, glistening silver threads stretched across the threshold, delicate as a spider's web, yet humming with latent power. They shimmered faintly, nearly invisible in the dim light, their presence betraying the trap lying in wait.
But these were no ordinary strands.
A single misstep, the faintest vibration, and the entire network would react.
Nero narrowed his eyes, his Raven Eyes igniting with their otherworldly glow.
The threads were not just alarms.
They were intricately linked to something larger, something hidden, a construct of layered enchantments waiting to unleash devastation.
A trap within a trap.
The threads pulsed in perfect synchrony, bound together by unseen forces, forming an intricate magical lattice. Each line fed into the next, interwoven like the gears of a timepiece.
His fingers tightened around Liss.
The logical choice was Diffindo, a clean severance at the weakest points.
But something felt wrong.
Nero knelt, his breath steady. He extended his wand, observing the way magic pulsed through the threads, flowing like a living current.
The strands weren't merely physical conduits, they were alive, sensing, adapting.
If even one was severed improperly, the enchantment wouldn't just retaliate, it would reform itself into something far worse.
He wasn't facing a simple barrier.
He was facing an arcane construct designed to learn from failure.
This isn't about disarming the trap.
It's about unweaving it.
His grip adjusted. He changed his approach.
With a delicate flick of his wand, he reached into the essence of the threads, not to cut, but to redirect.
The enchantment resisted.
It pulsed, sensing the shift in its structure, seeking to reassert control.
But Nero was faster. He worked thread by thread, weaving his own will into the network, unraveling it from the inside out.
The magic trembled.
The air grew thick with tension.
A single mistake, a moment of hesitation and it would all collapse.
But Nero did not falter.
His mind held steady, his wand movements precise, his magic threading through the gaps like a masterful composer rewriting a deadly symphony.
Seconds stretched into minutes.
Then, a final pulse. A flicker of silver.
And silence came.
The web dissolved into shimmering dust, the lingering magic fading into nothingness.
The entrance was open.
A voice resonated through the chamber, cool and absolute:
"Arcane Analysis Trial has been passed."
Nero exhaled slowly, lowering his wand.
Without warning, a roar of flames erupted before Nero, an explosion of heat searing the air. Fire surged outward, writhing like a living beast, tendrils of molten gold and deep crimson licking hungrily at the chamber's walls.
But this was no ordinary fire.
Nero felt it immediately, the unnatural pull beneath the inferno's surface.
This blaze did not feed on wood, oil, or oxygen. It devoured magic itself.
The moment he moved, the fire reacted, as if sensing his presence.
A wave of heat slammed into him, pressing against his skin like an invisible force, thick, suffocating, all-consuming.
The air wavered, twisting into a mirage, the chamber distorting as though reality itself was melting.
A lesser wizard might have panicked, might have instinctively tried to conjure water to fight the flames.
Nero knew better.
This was no test of brute force. A direct assault would only fuel the blaze further, the magic within it turning any counterspell into kindling. It was not an obstacle to be destroyed.
It was a force to be understood.
His grip on his wand tightened. His mind sharpened.
The fire moved again, surging forward with predatory intent. But this time, instead of stepping back, Nero stepped forward.
He did not try to smother the flames.
He embraced them.
A pulse of magic radiated from his core, extending outward, seeking harmony.
He reached out to the fire with his understanding. He could feel it, the rhythm of the fire, the way it churned and crackled, wild yet structured. There was a pattern beneath the chaos.
Nero's eyes gleamed.
Like a master conductor guiding an orchestra, he took hold of the flames through subtle guidance.
A shift. A redirection.
The fire snarled, resisting, but he did not force it into submission. Instead, he guided its flow, channeling its movement, bending the heat without extinguishing its essence.
Control was not about domination. It was about alignment.
Slowly, the flames twisted, swirling into a controlled vortex. The heat that had once suffocated the room was now focused, contained, the raging inferno now dancing at his command.
Sparks curled along his fingertips, golden embers flickering harmlessly against his skin.
With a final motion, he siphoned the energy, unraveling the fire from within. The embers dimmed, their hunger fading, until what had once been a roaring blaze shrank into a single, trembling flicker.
A whisper of wind passed through the chamber.
The fire was gone.
The chamber fell into an almost unnatural silence, the lingering heat dissolving into cool air. Nero stood in the center of the room, unscathed, his breath steady.
A voice, deep and resonant, echoed through the stillness:
"Elemental Trial has been passed."
Nero lowered his wand, a small smirk tugging at his lips.
This wasn't just about taming fire. It was about understanding power itself.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2 chapters today! (1/2)
75 chapters ahead on Patreon (Suiijin): Chapter 118: Surprise