The circular stream of mana above Zephyr's head spun faster and faster, churning out a dark mana aura that fought against the commands of the necromancer.

The undeads froze, their eyes glazed over.

The last command they received was to stop what they were doing. Zephyr had timed it perfectly when he used the undead signal jammer.

The necromancer scowled when he saw that his undead looked dazed.

"You are a genius indeed. I have never seen a beginner mage control as much mana as an intermediate mage. I suppose there is a first time for everything." The necromancer muttered grimly.

Zephyr had shocked him by doing the impossible again. He hoped the shock would end while slowly releasing a string of mana towards an undead nearby.

He furtively glanced at the undeads, hoping to activate one and send it towards Zephyr. After all, he didn't want to use other spells because it would be a waste of mana.

To activate the altar and channel the life essence to the core of the temple, he would need mana. Even the sacrifice would take up mana.

His master had said that he didn't have much time. So, he had to hurry.

Wasting mana while defeating Zephyr was not exactly an optimal option.

Thus, he sneakily used a string of mana to connect to the nearest undead twenty or so steps away.

Unlike Zephyr, the necromancer struggled to control the mana that was flowing outside of his body. Although he was a specialist in intermediate mage rank, his control over mana in its pure form was not great.

The string of mana he released was slithering on the floor uncontrollably as it moved further and further away.

Zephyr sensed the dark mana string moving along the slippery floor of the temple a few seconds in. Smiling slightly, he released a mana bolt at the point where the necromancer connected himself to the mana string.

"Pshhh."

Releasing a whistling sound, the mana bolt, without any augmentation, flew in a straight line, startling the necromancer, and struck the mana string.

The sudden attack with barely any activation time made the necromancer step back in shock, relinquishing his control over the mana string.

Immediately, the mana string broke down, wasting a pleasant couple of cores' worth of mana. Zephyr smiled, watching that.

"Not so fast, old necro…You won't be using your undead anytime soon." Zephyr said mockingly.

His tone made the necromancer glare furiously.

"Did you say I am an honest person? So, you should have known when I said the undeads won't work against me that I was telling the truth."

"..."

"Uh! Don't you have anything to say anymore?"

"..."

"Has the cat got your tongue?"

The necromancer was thinking, and Zephyr tried his best to distract him. Though he had prevented the necromancer from using the undeads, there were plenty of weak spells the necromancer could use.

These spells would be low in mana cost, and when combined with dark mana, they would be corrosive and hard to defend. He had to be prepared to dodge it.

'Fortunately, the jammer would also block continuously targeting spells. That's good.'

'I need to be quick on my feet to dodge the rest. If I get an opportunity, I should also strike back.'

Despite the necromancer standing still without doing anything, he knew that the man must have defensive artifacts or spells woven around himself for protection. There was no point in sending a straight attack before he could unravel his defence.

'Wasting time with the standstill was great. But I won't be able to keep the jammer active forever. I must do it before I am exhausted.'

The mental strain on him as he controlled the jammer was not that much. However, it would accumulate over time.

While Zephyr was immersed in thought, the necromancer activated a spell.

Zephyr sensed the mana pulse of spell activation and jumped to the side.

Immediately, a black ball of corrosive mana fell on the area where he stood, instantly eating through the algae over the temple surface.

The temple that rose from under the sea was cleaned by the whirlpool that gathered above it. But there was still some plant life and mollusks clinging to it.

The corrosive ball of darkness mana ate everything it touched, except the stone.

"That was close," Zephyr said, patting his chest.

"Hey, damned necromancer. Speak or call out the name of the spell before you throw it at me. That's what you are supposed to do." Zephyr complained. "Or, at least that was supposed to happen in anime." He added.

The necromancer didn't respond. Instead, he swiftly threw another ball of dark mana.

This time, it came towards Zephyr even faster. He knew a single contact with it would do the same damage or even more than what Gale's sword did to him. So, he desperately jumped away again.

By that time, the third dark mana ball was flying at him.

However, Zephyr was not scared.

He released a light-enhanced mana bolt into the dark mana ball.

They collided together in the air, scattering each other's energy in a flash.

The mana bolt Zephyr released was weaker, but it could still break down the corrosive dark mana ball before it could strike him. The element property of light won against the element of darkness.

He scoffed.

"Is that all?"

The necromancer didn't reply. But this time, he changed his target to the villagers standing behind Zephyr.

It was a trick to force Zephyr into a defensive stance.

Zephyr was preparing to send a mana bolt at the dark mana that should have come at him. But it didn't.

The target was the villagers.

So, he changed his target mid-way and released the mana bolt.

"Fuck."

The mana bolt grazed the dark mana ball, dispersing a portion of it. But the rest flew and struck a villager.

Immediately, it ate through the flesh of the person, making him fall to the ground.

The entire torso, where the dark mana ball struck, dissolved into a dark grey liquid, leaving only a giant hole in its place.

"That was a dirty trick." Zephyr frowned.

"Finally, you stopped smiling." The necromancer said grimly.

Zephyr's smile seemed to have gotten under his skin.

"Yeah. Good work. But I am pretty sure you won't do that again." Zephyr breathed heavily while speaking. "After all, you want them to activate the temple there."

"Let's see if I do." The necromancer raised his hand and pointed at the villagers again.

Zephyr raised his hand and pointed at the necromancer.

"If you attack them, I will attack you."

"Kid, a good mage can multi-cast." The necromancer grinned and raised his other hand, pointing at Zephyr.

Zephyr looked at his arm.

"Well, I don't have an arm." He muttered, lifting his foot to point at the necromancer.

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