Velkat Benmark had once made a name for himself as a mage from the Truth School, but that wasn’t the title that made him truly famous.

「The Mage of Steel」

Velkat was a master of metal magic—so much so that the title of “master” in this elemental field was more than deserved.

Had he chosen to become a single-element mage, the title bestowed upon him would undoubtedly have been Iron.

But Velkat's talents didn’t end there.

He didn’t confine himself solely to metal magic.

He rigorously trained himself in other elements he could wield.

Starting with metal, he eventually ascended to the heights of lightning magic, and from the fusion of the two, he created a completely new form of magic.

That was 「Magnetism Magic」.

Metal and electricity.

By using the two elements to generate magnetism and then manifesting it through mana, he could control it freely.

That was why Ludger’s staff, engraved with a crow, had been forcibly stuck to Velkat’s sword and wouldn’t come off.

Though the staff looked ordinary on the outside, it concealed a sharp blade within.

Naturally, it was vulnerable to the powerful magnetic field of Velkat’s Magnéta Sword.

Clicking his tongue, Ludger yanked out the silver thread with his left hand.

Like taut spiderwebs, the silver thread caught the incoming steel sword in midair, stopping it—but it was a meaningless resistance.

“You use some interesting tools,” Velkat commented.

With just a subtle rise of his mana, the silver thread unraveled as if drawn by an unseen force.

Even as an artifact, [Flowing Silver] was ultimately a construct of metal elements.

It, too, was subject to Velkat’s influence.

Ludger reverted Flowing Silver to its bracelet form and simultaneously infused mana into his staff, forcefully expanding it outward.

Using the shockwave as recoil, Ludger barely managed to gain some distance from Velkat.

He had triggered a mana clash to escape the bindings of the magnetic magic.

Swish—swish—swish!

The missed steel sword twisted in midair and flew toward Ludger again.

Ludger shot them down one by one using magic.

But then, his body gave a jolt midair.

Ludger immediately realized why.

The black revolver strapped to his [N O V E L I G H T] waist—and the hidden blade tucked into his sleeve—were being pulled by magnetism.

He stared coldly at Velkat.

Velkat returned a sneering smile.

“A mage, yet carrying so much metal. How quaint.”

The arsenal Ludger carried had led him to countless victories on many battlefields.

But against Velkat, they were becoming liabilities.

To face someone who could generate a magnetic field that pulled in all metal...

He had never encountered such a catastrophically incompatible opponent.

Ludger enveloped his entire body in mana to block the pull.

‘This won’t be easy.’

Even standing still, the opponent forced him to continuously burn mana.

A prolonged fight was absolutely out of the question.

Clatter—clatter—clatter.

Around Velkat, countless pieces of metal began to form in the air.

They were tiny, rectangular prisms—cubes of pure metal.

“What the hell is that...?”

“Is that even possible with metal magic?”

The mages atop the cliff watched in horror.

Fundamentally, the reason elemental magic exists is because of the inherent properties of the elements.

Fire burns and spreads.

Ice freezes and restricts.

Wind is free-flowing, sharp, and slicing.

The metal element is known for being extremely dense and heavy.

A chunk of metal the same size as a rock weighs nearly three times more.

Ludger stared at Velkat, who was casting magic.

‘Among the ten elemental properties currently recognized in magic theory, metal has the greatest physical force.’

But that didn’t mean metal was omnipotent.

Steel, being so hard, is difficult to shape freely.

Even the swords being used now were less about sharpness and more about mass—blunt-force weapons that crushed rather than sliced.

‘That’s why metal magic usually has to be paired with the Constructive System—alchemy (Ars Magna).’

But Velkat had bypassed even that alchemical step and directly formed precise metallic constructs.

The number of cubes continued to multiply until they were impossible to count.

“Eleméntum Ex Machina.”

The cubes began to flow through the air like a school of fish, pulled by some invisible force.

Crackle—

A violet current surged between the cubes, tracing lines in the air and forming a circle.

Behind Velkat, the ring spun continuously, like a perpetual engine.

“Infinítus Circĕn.”

The Circle of Infinity.

The ring split cleanly in two, opening up like wings on either side of Velkat.

Ludger felt a strange sense of familiarity from the image.

It resembled the pattern formed when you scatter iron filings around a magnet.

The magnetic field brought to life—the configuration of metal constructs looked as though Velkat had sprouted wings of steel.

Worse still, each of those cubes making up the wings was surging with powerful currents of electricity.

Even for a 6th-Circle mage, handling that amount of mana should have been impossible.

That suspicion turned into certainty the moment Ludger looked at Velkat’s face.

“...So you weren’t exactly in top condition either.”

Velkat’s expression was neutral, but dark circles had formed beneath his eyes, and his skin was pale.

He had taken a doping agent to wield this power.

“Not something you’d find on the market. Where’d you get something that dangerous?”

“Did you forget? There’s someone who makes very dangerous things.”

“...Victor.”

So that’s where it came from—Victor.

That lunatic would’ve gladly handed over such a substance the moment Velkat said he needed it.

At the same time, Ludger realized how serious Velkat was about this fight.

A drug of that caliber would have horrific aftereffects, and yet he used it without hesitation.

‘Well, I’m hardly one to talk.’

If anything, Ludger used even more toxic substances when necessary.

But that was only possible because of his abnormal resistance to poison.

Velkat had no such condition. He would feel the full brunt of every side effect.

“To use a drug that could kill you... You weren’t planning to survive this, were you?”

“Don’t you have something like that too? A mission worth dying for?”

Velkat’s voice carried the weight of an unshakable conviction.

Ludger gave no answer, and Velkat hadn’t asked expecting one.

“I’ll make it quick.”

With that, Velkat extended a hand toward Ludger.

Several cubes from the magnetic field behind him shot out like bullets.

Ludger cast a defensive spell, layering protection around his body as he moved to dodge.

Velkat relentlessly targeted him.

At that moment, a black shadow sprang up at Velkat from below.

It was Valentina, soaring upward on the back of Derrick's wind magic.

She charged upward and slashed at Velkat from below.

Velkat sneered dismissively.

Clatter—

Hundreds of cubes swirling around him gathered into a single point.

Like bricks stacking together, they formed a massive steel wall.

CRACK—CRASH!

The blade, brimming with powerful aura, sliced through the wall—but didn’t reach Velkat.

Valentina clicked her tongue in frustration as gravity yanked her back down.

Derrick's wind caught her just before she hit the ground.

“Now that I think about it, the knights are the real pests.”

Velkat extended his hand toward the knights.

They felt their swords being pulled away by some unseen force.

“All of you—resist with your aura!”

If Valentina hadn’t shouted just in time, several of them would’ve lost their weapons.

As aura began to coat the knights’ swords, Velkat narrowed his eyes.

So even he couldn’t break through the mysterious force of aura wielded by knights.

Still, it didn’t matter.

Velkat cast down a rain of metallic cubes toward the cliff.

Original metal spell: [Steel Rain]

CRACKLE!

Cubes fell like shooting stars, spraying currents in all directions like coils unraveling in the sky.

The mages clenched their jaws and threw up defensive magic as the sight unfolded.

Some launched spells to shoot the cubes down mid-air.

The knights had no choice but to cleave through the falling cubes with their aura-imbued blades.

They were managing to hold the line—for now. But there were far too many of them.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, a burst of searing flame surged through the air, aiming straight for Velkat.

Velkat immediately raised a shield of cubes.

The wall of metallic cubes blocked the fire.

But the intense heat scorched the surface, stripping them of their magnetic charge, and the cubes dropped toward the base of the cliff.

Velkat stared calmly at Ludger.

“Using flame to heat the metal and strip its magnetic properties, huh? But let’s see how long that’ll actually work.”

New metal cubes continued to form around him without pause.

There wasn’t enough firepower to break through them and strike Velkat directly.

“It’s endless.”

Even if the existing cubes were melted down, more would just be created.

With Victor’s drug coursing through him, Velkat was essentially a walking steel mill.

Just then, Derrick flew in beside Ludger.

Valentina, still hovering in midair thanks to Derrick's wind magic, joined them.

“Looks like the three of us will have to take him on.”

“Damn it. If only the old Tower mages hadn’t bailed, we wouldn’t be in this mess.”

A mage nearing the peak of the 5th-Circle and a top-tier knight—together, they were formidable allies.

But against this opponent, they still felt insufficient.

And there was no hope of backup.

The others were still down below, holding the crumbling cliff together.

“Professor Ludger. What’s your take? Just stalling for time isn’t going to end this fight.”

“No. We have to bring Velkat down first. No matter what.”

“Can we even win? How are we supposed to beat him in that state?”

“When have we ever fought because we had a chance? We fight because we’ll die if we don’t.”

Valentina added, “And it’s not a fair fight. Velkat doesn’t need to defeat us—he can just collapse the cliff and win.”

“Which is why we need to make sure he can’t ignore us,” Ludger replied.

Valentina nodded at his command.

“Derrick and I will handle rear support and try to create openings. I recommend focusing on fire-based magic.”

“Haa... no other choice, is there?”

Having reached a quick consensus, they moved into formation.

Velkat was beginning to surge with even more mana.

He held the high ground, and could’ve taken things slow if he wanted.

But because of the drug, prolonging the battle would be dangerous even for him.

“Come forth, Golden Bird.”

Clack-clack-clack!

The cubes gathered beneath Velkat’s feet and assembled into a single form.

It was a massive bird made entirely of metal.

“So he finally brought that out.”

“You know that spell?”

“I’ve only heard rumors. Velkat riding his steel bird, shooting down mages mid-air—he’s an aerial combat ace.”

And he wasn’t done.

“Come forth, Thunder Dragon.”

Crackle—!

A massive dragon emerged at Velkat’s side, its body coursing with purple lightning. Just looking at it made your hair stand on end.

The Thunder Dragon and the Golden Bird.

Velkat Benmark’s magical beast and alchemical summon had descended onto the battlefield.

Refusing to fall behind, Derrick summoned his own magical beast.

“I’m counting on you, Eluda.”

A huge white-feathered owl appeared.

Derrick lifted Valentina onto Eluda’s back, then used wind magic to float himself into the air.

Screech—!

The Golden Bird let out a cry, signaling the start of battle.

Shrouded in a bluish electric current, it shot toward Ludger’s group.

Its body left a trail of electric afterimages—but Ludger intercepted it.

He conjured a magic circle in midair to block its path and simultaneously cast fire magic to try to melt it down.

But the Golden Bird suddenly banked mid-air with an impossible turn.

And waiting right in its new path—was Valentina.

The Golden Bird was a speed-type specialist that darted through enemy lines—an utter menace in a fight. It had to be taken down first.

Valentina’s blade gleamed with aura as it targeted the creature’s metallic body.

But just then, the Thunder Dragon lunged at her with jaws wide open.

“Tch.”

Valentina clicked her tongue and had to alter her blade’s trajectory.

Her violet aura clashed with the dragon’s intense electric current in midair.

Velkat didn’t leave her alone during the clash.

Creak—grrrrk.

The metal cubes surrounding him elongated and transformed into arrows.

Each arrowhead was twisted like a drill—designed for pure penetration.

The steel arrows targeted Valentina as she wrestled with the Thunder Dragon.

Derrick's magical beast, Eluda, sensed the danger and flapped its wings hard, pulling back.

The arrows twisted in the air and redirected toward Valentina—but collapsed before her sword.

Velkat didn’t seem disappointed. He simply launched the next attack.

This time, steel spears formed around him.

“Let’s see if you can dodge these.”

He murmured—but then realized something was wrong.

Ludger Cherish was nowhere to be seen.

Did he flee?

No. That wasn’t the kind of man Ludger was.

But it wasn’t like there was any cover to hide behind in midair either.

Then why couldn’t he see him?

Velkat found the answer soon enough.

Something was approaching—piercing through the iron dust he had scattered in the air.

He couldn’t see it. He couldn’t feel its presence.

But it was there.

As expected, a spell launched from the air where Ludger must’ve been.

A giant serpent of flame coiled through the sky and lunged toward Velkat.

Velkat responded by firing the prepared steel spears at Valentina while summoning the Golden Bird.

Screeech—!

Wrapped in ferocious lightning, the Golden Bird collided with the fire serpent midair, both tangled in a violent explosion.

Ludger revealed himself in the air, clicking his tongue in frustration.

Ater Nocturnus—a spell that concealed both presence and appearance.

He’d used it to attempt a surprise attack—but was discovered faster than expected.

Velkat’s reaction had been swift—but more importantly, the fine iron dust floating in the area had betrayed Ludger’s location.

“You’re using some interesting tricks. In that case, I’ll show you something fun as well.”

Velkat spoke calmly, then gathered his cubes into a single unit.

The cubes fitted together like puzzle pieces, assembling into the shape of a massive cannon.

Crack—!

A steel spike settled into the barrel as powerful electromagnetic energy surged along the rail.

Ludger recognized the weapon instantly.

A railgun.

And the moment he did, a blinding flash fired directly at him.