I analyzed the magical sequence created by Aver. I had never encountered such magical circles before; it was clearly ancient magic, something not even found in books. Perhaps it was his own spell, which made it all the more unpredictable.
"Let's see how you handle this attack," Aver said before launching a powerful beam of light at me.
I created a barrier, pouring almost all my strength into it. When the beam collided with the barrier, it split into two parts and destroyed a dozen planets behind me.
"The barrier cracked," I said quietly, dismissing the barrier. I was nearly drained of energy.
"You know, I'm surprised you managed to withstand that attack. Your barrier is indeed well-crafted," Aver said, instantly appearing next to me and striking me in the stomach with immense force. I was sent hurtling toward the ground.
I fell at tremendous speed, with Aver following close behind. My body wouldn't respond, likely due to internal organ damage, and the pain in my stomach was excruciating. I crashed into the ground and lost consciousness.
"A few minutes later"
Everything hurts. I hit the ground after Aver's attack… How did I even survive? There's a damp smell… Am I near water? All right, time to open my eyes.
I opened my eyes and found myself in a cave. It was quite large, with a small lake in the center.
I turned and saw Aver, who seemed to be deep in thought.
"Oh, you're awake. Now we can begin," Aver said, approaching me.
Begin what? I had no strength left… He came closer.
"Now you'll sleep for many years," Aver declared with a smirk. We'll have our fun in the future, Aver thought to himself.
A magical circle appeared beneath me, and a translucent purple pyramid began to form around me, enclosing me completely. Magical shackles were placed on my arms and legs, restricting my power. In an instant, my entire body was healed. At that moment, I lost consciousness.
"The Mages' and Humans' Camp"
Meanwhile, Tasume and my subordinate were at the camp where it had all begun.
"Tasume, how are you?" my subordinate asked.
"I'm fine now; I just underestimated the strength of the opponent."
"Where's Akusa?"
"I don't know. I was only able to determine that they were in space. That's where I sensed Aver's overwhelming aura," said one of Akusa's mage subordinates.
"In space?"
"Yes…"
"Well, here's my snack," Aver said, approaching them slowly and clapping his hands.
"Where's Akusa? What did you do to him?" Tasume asked sharply.
"What? I defeated him in an almost fair duel and then sealed him away."
"Sealed him? What do you mean?" Akusa's subordinate asked.
"Don't you understand? I completely stopped the flow of his time and almost entirely restricted his powers so he couldn't free himself."
"You're a true monster," Tasume said in a harsh tone.
"What? I've made the world safer from powerful mages like him. And you'll meet the same fate."
At that moment, something approached from behind.
"Goodbye."
Tasume managed to dodge the sword Aver controlled.
"Oh, you even dodged. I didn't expect that. For your ego, let me tell you—I sped up the sword. It moves faster than a bullet."
"How arrogant," Tasume replied.
Aver smirked and instantly teleported to Tasume, aiming to land a punch.
"I anticipated that," Tasume said with a smile.
Tasume dodged the punch and, drawing an enchanted sword from a bottomless storage, struck Aver in the back. Aver fell to the ground.
"How does it feel to be beaten by an ordinary mage?" Tasume asked.
"Beaten? Don't make me laugh," Aver said, standing up with a sinister expression. "Did you really think one strike would be enough to defeat me?"
Tasume's sword hadn't even pierced the barrier surrounding Aver. Tasume looked stunned.
"Tasume, look out!" shouted Akusa's mage subordinate, who had just arrived at the scene.
At that moment, Aver approached Tasume from behind, placing his hand on him and paralyzing him.
"Well then, little one, you're of no use to me," Aver said to the subordinate. Not to say I lost easily, but since Akusa didn't play his trump cards, I won't either… Tasume thought to himself.
"The Cave Where Akusa is Sealed"
The damp smell… Tasume thought, opening his eyes.
"Am I in a cave?"
"Yes, exactly."
"Akusaaa!" Tasume shouted but couldn't move, as Aver had placed restraining shackles on him.
"Oh, you noticed him."
"What did you do to him?"
"I told you—I sealed him."
"And you'll meet the same fate."
"I don't understand. We bring good to this world, especially for people. Why would you want to seal us?"
Aver remained silent.
"I see… You only care about your place in this world and don't want anyone to surpass you in power."
Aver remained silent again.
He then began constructing a magical pyramid to seal Tasume as well.
"Well, Akusa… we'll meet again in the future," Tasume thought, closing his eyes.
"The sealing is complete," Aver said as Tasume lost consciousness, falling to the center of the magical pyramid.
"Enjoy your rest," Aver said as he left the cave.