Magic Overlord: The Last Arcane Sorcerer

Merek's Arrival

Time passed swiftly for Aethan, and in that interval, he was able to seal the cracks in his Core—with the help of his mother—and resume cultivation.

He was still a Gaseous State First-Circle Sorcerer, and he needed to reach the peak of that Circle before he reached the Eclipse Sect.

Being in the Gaseous State of any Circle meant that you were just beginning the said Circle; being in the Liquid State meant you were halfway into that Circle, and being in the Solid State meant you were at the peak of that Circle, or nearing it.

Aethan was a Gaseous State First-Circle Sorcerer, so he was amongst the weakest of the weakest Sorcerers in the world.

Cultivation made one strong, but no one believed you had truly started Cultivating until you—at least—reached the Gaseous State of Second-Circle Sorcery. This was because anyone beneath the Second-Circle could be killed as easily as any mortal by anyone in the Second-Circle and above worth their salt.

There were rare geniuses, though, who could fight above their Circle, but so rare were they that they might as well not exist.

Aethan hadn't seen a Second-Circle Sorcerer in action before, so he couldn't affirm that claim.

‘But… what if the First-Circle Sorcerer was Dual Elemental, and their two Elements perfectly countered the Second-Circle Sorcerer's Element or Techniques… wouldn't they be able to defeat them?’

Aethan remembered asking his father and brothers this question, and their answer was certainly interesting.

'The gap between a First-Circle Sorcerer and Second-Circle Sorcerer is wider than you think it is,’ his father had explained.

'A Gaseous State Second-Circle Sorcerer, is five times stronger than a Solid State First-Circle Sorcerer. Also, even if the attack power of the Solid State First-Circle Sorcerer is five times stronger, they wouldn't still be able to defeat the Second-Circle Sorcerer, because of one thing,

…their Totembeast!'

The answer was something that lingered in his mind for a very long time, and his interest in Totembeasts was piqued.

‘What is a Totembeast?’ He had asked that question too, to which his brother, Orien, replied.

‘A Totembeast is a creature a Sorcerer binds to themselves, to boost their magical and physical capabilities,’

'Totembeasts vary by Circle just like Humans, but they also have a grading system, separating the ones with abilities surpassing their Circle, and the ordinary ones. See it like their talent level.'

The list wasn't long, it was easy to remember and quite intriguing.

“Common, Uncommon, Rare… and three more grades,” Aethan mumbled, scrubbing the dirt off his body with a rough sponge.

“Father has a Rare Grade Totembeast, which he said was an Earthbound Dragon,” Aethan said, chuckling lightly. "That explains why his physique is overly packed with dense muscles.”

Aethan sighed, remaining quiet for a while, his thoughts swimming through his mind as steam rose from his body, curling overhead in a mystic dance.

“Only Second-Circle Sorcerers and above can bind a Totembeast to themselves,” he said all of a sudden, the smile on his face widening.

"My strength increases with every Blood Essence Extraction, giving me more power than any First-Circle Sorcerer, so I have an advantage over most.”

Aethan dropped the lather filled sponge, activating the enchantment on the wall to let water pelt down on his skin.

“Besides, I'm a Battlemage," he added, gales of wind and streaks of lightning forming around his body, snapping through the steam and splitting water droplets. "A unique one at that.”

It wasn't uncommon for a Sorcerer to be purely a warrior, without having Elemental abilities backing them, and it also wasn't uncommon for a Sorcerer to fight using Elemental abilities and enchanted equipments.

Those who used both Elemental Magic, Techniques and enchanted equipments—either close-combat or long-ranged—were known as Battlemages. And those who exclusively used weapons and Martial Arts Techniques, or Magic alone, were known as Warriors and Mages respectively.

Aethan was a Battlemage, so was his father, eldest sister and brothers. Only his older sister, Selene, and their mother were purely Mages.

This didn't mean that Mages or Warriors were weak though. In fact it only made them more adept at controlling their Element(s) or mastering their Martial Arts and their various Techniques. They had more time to focus on it, unlike Battlemages who practiced both Magic and Martial Arts.

Merek had taken the path of a Knight Warrior earlier on when he was tested to not have an affinity for any Element, but only for Aether.

Down the line though, he developed an intimate affinity for Metal, so much so that when battling in an area having large amounts of Metal Aether—or Metal itself—he could fight two States above himself.

However, this wasn't the case for all Battlemages. Merek was just unique when it came to Metal Magic.

Thinking of Merek, he was supposed to arrive the day before, but was unable to due to a Dungeon Gate opening up directly on the route he took.

Quickly clearing it though, he was able to get back home and meet his family after a long while.

Merek arrived on a Nightmare Horse—the chosen steed for all cavalry riders in the Order of the Black Lance. He didn't use his Totembeast as usual, but no one really minded this, his Totembeast was quite disturbing to look at after all.

Merek was very excited to see his brother after a long time. His demeanor switched from the gallant and stoic Knight he was, to a caring big brother. This behavior didn't match his chiseled jawline, sharp facial features, imposing black armor and bulky build, but he didn't mind.

He wasn't as large and stocky as his father, but he was built powerfully. His muscles were defined, and his black armor clung to his body seamlessly, accentuating his shoulder length black hair.

He towered over Aethan, and his firm hands clasped around Aethan's shoulder to shake him lightly… or maybe calling it lightly was an understatement from Aethan point of view…

His neck almost snapped!

Aethan's eyes squinted in pain, but he bore through it without letting out a sound.

His brother, used to the rough and tough bastion he was located, handled his brother like any other Knight of the Black Lance Order. Aethan and their father had to remind him multiple times before he finally controlled his strength, lest he accidentally snapped Aethan in half.

After all the pleasantries were concluded, they got down to business.

Darion had stayed home for a very long time because of Aethan. But now that he was leaving for the Eclipse Sect, he would also have to return to his Guild…

The Bloodborne Syndicate!