"I can't hold on anymore..." Julius thought, his teeth gritted so fiercely that his gums began to bleed, the metallic taste a stark testament to his escalating agony.
His emotions roiled within as his left knee reluctantly connected with the unforgiving ground. Unwilling to bow before the man, he exerted every ounce of effort, but Vikram's magical pressure proved insurmountable. Despite his valiant struggle, he found himself yielding.
However, just as Julius began feeling a mixture of shame and humiliation, a familiar voice, tinged with anger, erupted from behind him. "Who dares force me to wake up?!"
Following the voice's declaration, a ghostly silhouette floated before Julius, its eyes ablaze with wrath. With a graceful yet powerful arm swing, the ghost sliced through Vikram's oppressive magical pressure as effortlessly as a hot knife cutting through butter. Sparks of energy scattered, dissipating into the air as the tension in the space eased.
Julius watched in awe as the ghost's intervention turned the tide of the confrontation. However, he quickly started to have a bad premonition about the subsequent events.
After all, he had never seen anyone take advantage of or bully his big brother's friends without paying a dear price. However, this time, they were confronting a powerful mage, and his brother's temper might land them in a world of trouble.
As Julius' mind raced to find a solution to disarm the exploding situation, Vikram's eyes lit up in astonishment after witnessing his mana dissipate. The magical pressure he exerted on Julius had already reached the late stage of the second tier standard. Yet, the boy had somehow managed to free himself and even went as far as to destroy it.
Vikram started to consider that the boy was either hiding something or was an incredible genius when it came to mana control. However, before he could think further, the air around him gave him a weird feeling.
He quickly mobilised his mana and spoke a single word. "Mana barrier."
Next, loud booming sounds echoed around Vikram's body, raising a cloud of dust and sending wooden shards flying everywhere in the dining room.
'Shit, I'm too late.' Julius screamed inwardly while dodging a piece of the chair Vikram was seated on. His big brother's counter-attack had been extremely swift, leaving only a second between the moment he cut through Vikram's pressure to the one where the air inexplicably exploded.
Subsequently, he quickly ran to his brother and whispered, "That man is Arun's father, a powerful mage. We should avoid fighting him."
He was unwilling to see the situation degenerate more. However, Adam didn't share his opinion.
"Don't tell me what to do!" He snarled, leaving Julius dumbstruck. Had he known, he would have compromised and kneeled to resolve everything peacefully, but now he was caught off guard by Adam's reaction.
In the meantime, the dust hiding Vikram's body from everyone's vision was suddenly blown away, revealing an unscathed man protected by a shimmering blue barrier.
"Not bad, kid. I'm not sure about what you exactly did, but this spell has great potential." Vikram said with a smile, acknowledging how unique the attack was.
"Humph!" Adam snorted in response, annoyed to see the man unfazed after using his strongest mana technique so close to him.
"However, do you realise how troublesome your situation has just become?" Vikram asked Julius with a playful smile. After all, the boy had just attacked not only a duke but also an honorary professor of the College of Alchemy and Transmutation in his own house.
In this world with its strict hierarchies, these offences were largely enough to warrant the death penalty to the perpetrator.
Julius' face paled. His premonition came true in the worst possible manner.
However, Adam, who lived in a world where the concept of nobility had been forgotten for centuries, was unfazed.
"I don't care about who you or your grandpa are!" He roared in Vikram's direction, making Julius' pale face become as white as a sheet in consequence.
'Come on, big bro... You're going to get us killed!' Julius thought in panic, just before feeling the air being displaced. Small explosions and the sound of whistling wind followed.
As soon as he ended his sentence, Adam had already acted and fired five mana bullets with enhanced speed at Vikram's shimmering barrier. He was determined to hit the man at least once.
Despite his irritation, he knew he couldn't fight the man for too long. After all, as Julius said, Vikram was a powerful mage, and he didn't want to awaken his suspicion. Thus, this attack would be his last.
The bullets crashed on Vikram's barrier in a cacophony of clinging noises, making Vikram frown in response.
What was wrong with this boy? Despite his pale face, he attacked him ruthlessly right after his warning. Moreover, how did he know such peculiar spells and, more importantly, how to combine them at such a young age?
Most of the time, if a young noble of similar age was proficient in using a single spell, he would already be deemed as having high potential, not to mention two. Furthermore, spell combination was only possible with mana control at the tier three standard at minimum.
Vikram's confusion deepened as he reached that conclusion. Either the boy was a super genius with tier three mana control while being a tier one novice, or he used artefacts that could store and release spells.
As Vikram theorised with a serious expression plastered on his face, Adam sighed before turning to Julius. "Tch... might as well stay awake now. College should start soon."
As Julius heard how casual his brother was about the mess he created, he couldn't help but look at him reproachfully.
In the meantime, Arun, Asha and Louise gazed at Julius in shock, lost for words at his sudden display of magic mastery. Despite their journey, they had no idea he was so proficient in magic.
After recovering, Arun shouted angrily at his father., "If you keep bullying my friend, let's see who will inherit your titles and responsibilities because I won't!"
This time, Vikram visibly paled, his expression betraying his incredulity. Since when had children started renouncing their rights?