Low-Fantasy Occultist Isekai

The Guardian caused a massive shockwave by smashing his glaive down, forcing Arthur back and giving himself enough time to roar a guttural command. Power filled the air from everywhere and nowhere, making Nick flinch as the paradox of its origin overwhelmed his senses.

The discarded and lifeless bodies of several fae knights began to stir. Slowly, as if drawn by an unseen force, the dead fae knights pulled themselves up. Their movements were disjointed and unnatural, yet there was no sickly stench of necromancy in the air—only an inexplicable, otherworldly power.

Nick watched in horrified fascination.

He had seen them die, and now they were returning to life, seemingly without a price. It should have been impossible. Even just thinking about how much mana one would have to use to resurrect a single person without a sacrifice would be beyond even Marthas or Arthur. It made no sense.

Before he could gather his scattered thoughts, a lance of ice hurtled toward him. His instincts screamed danger, and he barely had time to push himself away as the icy projectile slammed into the ground where he had been standing. The explosion obliterated the earth beneath him, sending a shockwave of ice and dust into the air. Because of his desire to experiment, Nick had moved far enough from the main group, which was the only thing that spared the lives of those closest to the blast.

Before the dust could settle, he found himself bombarded by relentless attacks and had to keep moving. Finding his assailant in the chaos would have been impossible for anyone else, but thanks to [Wind God's Third Eye], he managed quickly. A dark, robed figure emerged from the maelstrom of battle, launching spell after spell at him. Nick retaliated, summoning a series of [Jet Streams], trying to get some breathing room. Yet, the robed figure countered by meeting his spells with ice mirrors, nullifying them.

Frustration bubbled until he successfully faked a double [Jet Stream] attack that broke through the floating mirrors. Then, using [Minor Elemental Manipulation], he conjured a spire of earth, sending the robed figure sprawling and causing their hood to pull up.

It was a stunningly beautiful long-haired fae with ethereal features and mesmerizing, otherworldly violet eyes. After meeting them, he lost his rhythm for a split second, but [Blasphemy] surged through him, shielding his mind from her gaze's seductive, corrupting allure.

Without hesitation, Nick renewed his assault and unleashed a barrage of [Wind Blasts]. He darted among scattered stones and debris, gathering them as makeshift missiles, and hurled them at his beautiful adversary. The fae countered gracefully, crafting more mirrors to deflect his spells, allowing her to advance. As she moved, the ambient temperature plummeted further, and she conjured twisting serpents of ice that lunged toward Nick.

Realizing that sheer force would not overcome her defenses, Nick was forced to rely on his [Minor Elemental Manipulation] even more. Concentrating with every fiber of his being, he summoned a searing flame. Fanning it with his wind magic, he forged powerful jets of fire that streaked toward the advancing ice snakes, melting them into harmless steam.

By then, however, the fae had closed the distance. With an elegant motion, she conjured a sword of ice and charged straight for him.

Nick knew he could not risk a direct physical duel—his strength lay in magic. If she felt confident enough to abandon the magic, it meant she thought she could defeat him.

In a decision born of pure instinct, he swung his wand in a wide circle around himself. Channeling almost every ounce of available mana, he cast a massive [Windburst]. Its creation was amplified by the constant explosions and shifting energies surrounding him that caused constant air movement, and a powerful downburst manifested from above, smashing into the charging fae.

With adrenaline still coursing through his veins, he refused to let the spell's energy fade into nothingness despite its success. Instead, he grasped control of the wind he had just unleashed, bending it to his will. With a yell, he twisted it into a raging tornado that spun relentlessly, lashing out at anything caught in its path.

The spell tore through the battlefield. Soldiers were lifted off their feet, only to be gently lowered back down as Nick did his best to control to avoid friendly fire. Enemy knights were sent flying in every direction, breaking their ranks and clearing a path for the human counteroffensive. The once-cohesive lines of the fae army disintegrated into a whirlwind of flailing limbs.

Nick fought hard to maintain control over the tornado, locking in onto the largest concentration of fae. But just as he thought the winds were under his full control, a sudden, overwhelming pressure slammed into his spell.

His control wavered under the assault as the spell's structure buckled. Recognizing that he was outmatched, Nick gritted his teeth and made a decision. Rather than continuing to fight for control, he released his grip on the tornado. With a final command, he destabilized the swirling winds just enough to render them inert. The vortex howled one last time and then slowly receded, fading as if it had never been, leaving behind a devastated landscape.

CONGRATULATIONS

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You have participated in the defeat of:

Morthos, Fae Knight (lv 27)

Ultime, Fae Knight (lv.30)

Yolan, Fae Weaver (lv23)

Yalon, Fae Brute (lv32)

+ 11.123 Exp

Level up!

Your Spell [Windburst] has ranked up! (Beginner -> Proficient)

+ 10.000 Exp

The notification glowed momentarily before fading. The experience gained was just enough to push him past the threshold, allowing him to level up again to thirty-two.

Nick scarcely had a moment to register his hard-earned level-up before his senses flared in alarm. His head snapped around, and there she was—the female fae mage was up again. Blood trickled down one side of her face, staining her otherwise immaculate face, and her robes were torn in multiple places. She was consumed by an unearthly rage that twisted her features into a mask of pure hatred.

She drew in an enormous breath, her chest swelling as if it could not possibly contain the torrent of mana she mustered. Then came the shriek born of fury and desperation that reverberated across the battlefield. The air temperature around her plummeted, and sparkling snowflakes flickered around her outstretched arms. Nick's eyes widened as hundreds—no, thousands—of ice arrows formed in a swirling halo above her head.

The projectiles descended upon him as wave after wave of crackling shards whistled through the air, each sharp enough to impale a man clean through. The assault was so vast that Nick immediately realized he had no chance of outrunning or dodging it. He would have to stand firm and face it head-on.

Gritting his teeth, he planted his feet and raised his wand. "[Force Barrier]!" he bellowed, thrusting his wand out. A shimmering sphere of energy blossomed around him, encasing him. The first volley of ice arrows slammed into the barrier with a sound like glass shattering, and a spiderweb of cracks appeared across its surface. Nick clenched his jaw, willing more of his mana into the spell to keep it from imploding.

I'm running low. Even the level up only gave me a little more time.

His body trembled under the strain, and he knew the barrier wouldn't last. Each arrow that struck it rattled his bones, draining his energy. The most irritating part was that he hadn't died yet only because his opponent was intentionally sending waves of arrows rather than overwhelming him instantly with a massive hail. She was toying with him.

He had to move—but the arrows were coming from all angles, leaving no immediate safe path, and anywhere he went, he would bring death to the men around him.

Then he spotted salvation: a patch of ground littered with the mangled bodies of the fae he'd tried [Vitality Drain] on.

They were twitching, slowly being pulled back together by whatever obscure power kept resurrecting them.

"Perfect," he smiled grimly, pushing the last of his mana into the barrier to sustain it just long enough to maneuver closer. Slowly and carefully, Nick inched sideways.

"This is going to hurt you more than me," he murmured, half to himself and half to the unsuspecting fae. His left hand, free of the wand, waved vaguely in their direction. "[Vitality Drain]."

A wrenching pull in his gut accompanied the flood of power from the knights. The tingling warmth spread through his veins, suffusing him with renewed vigor. His lungs drew in breath more easily, and the headache that had been creeping at the edges of his consciousness receded. The fae knights, barely conscious, groaned in shock.

You don't need all that energy. Share a bit, you pricks. Kumbaya and all of that.

And yet… they didn't die. Despite the drain, the knights clung to a half-existence. Through their link, Nick sensed faint, inexplicable energy pouring back into them from somewhere else. Nick almost laughed at the absurdity. "Fine by me," he thought. "I'll just keep draining them."

Realizing that she was faltering, the fae intensified her assault with an inhuman roar, unleashing an even denser storm of arrows onto Nick's battered shield. The overhead barrage reverberated like continuous thunder, each impact sending cracks spiderwebbing across the [Force Barrier]. But now, with the reservoir of power drawn from the knights, Nick possessed the energy he needed to push back.

He poured mana back into the dome, reinforcing it and re-knitting its fracturing lattice. Each time an arrow struck with enough force to make the barrier wail, Nick funneled another burst of stolen vitality to repair and stabilize it. His arms burned with the effort of channeling so much power, but he kept doing it, uncaring of pain and discomfort.

I just need to last longer than you, bitch.

Seconds ticked by with agonizing slowness as the ice storm continued. By the time the final arrow slammed into the barrier, cracking it so deeply that Nick feared it might shatter completely, the hail had ceased. Silence fell. Nick seized the moment to glance over his shoulder. The fae knights he was draining remained in their bizarre state: both dying and persisting, locked in a cycle that defied normal mortal rules. Despite draining them enough that any ordinary being would have turned to dust, they still lived, if one could even call it living.

It can't be an intelligent being doing this. They would know to cut off the power.

He turned back, chastising himself for taking his attention off the robed fae. She stood some distance away, her chest heaving from the effort of summoning that massive barrage. Even from here, he could see the small puffs of vapor escaping her lips and the cracks spreading across her body. She had pushed beyond her limits, yet, it was clear that she was far from finished. Another glimmer of ice shimmered around her fingertips—likely a new spell taking shape.

Nick chuckled darkly, feeding off the stolen energy once more. Instead of shoring up his barrier this time, he poured his mana into offense.

A [Jet Stream] thundered toward the fae mage, forcing her to twist aside. Another followed, slamming into the earth mere inches from her feet, sending shards of rocky shrapnel ricocheting off her protective wards. Nick's lips curled into a vicious grin.

Satisfied that he could actually channel the stolen power into an attack, he cast another barrage of [Jet Streams], angling the spells to exploit the fae's flanks.

Despite her formidable ice mirrors making a resurgence, the assault gradually began to do damage. No matter how many she summoned, Nick had enough power to smash them into shards and keep going.

Nick didn't dare to glance behind him, but through [Wind God's Third Eye], he knew the fae knights were moaning in pain, and yet they refused to die as unnatural power continued to flow back into them.

"Don't look a gift horse in the mouth," he reminded himself. Though Nick found no joy in tormenting these creatures, it was a pragmatic necessity.

His next wave of [Jet Streams] flew even faster, howling over the battlefield to punish the ice mage. She conjured more shields, crying frozen tears as she exceeded any limit, but Nick felt no compassion.

A deafening crack resounded to his right, and he instinctively threw up a force barrier to block a chunk of debris that had been tossed skyward by an errant explosion. Soldiers screamed in the distance, though whether from triumph or terror was hard to discern. Yet, Nick spared them no more than a thought. His world had narrowed to the immediate threat.

And so he grabbed hold of the currents all around him and formed a singular, giant [Jet Stream].

"Let's see if you can resurrect if I turn you to paste."