On the calm, wave-less sea, a voice echoed from a desolate, uninhabited island.
"Sand... sand... sand..."
The sound of shoes rubbing against the sand broke the island's silence. Even under the cover of night, surrounded by the deep ocean, the stillness here felt unnaturally heavy, almost frightening.
"Interesting, Cao Cao. Is this today's tuition? Planning to kill your own teacher?"
The voice was filled with amusement. It came from a white-clad noble whose entire appearance embodied elegance.
The man slightly turned his head, his gaze sweeping across the surroundings. At some unknown moment, a white mist had begun to spread through the area. Simply standing there, one could feel the dampness in the air.
As Cid's voice spread across the island, silence returned once again. Nothing moved within the darkness.
"Heh."
Seeing that no one responded, Cid let out a soft scoff and gently swirled the red wine in the goblet that had somehow appeared in his hand.
He raised the glass toward the darkness ahead, bringing it level with his eyes as if making a toast, then calmly took a sip.
"Gulp."
The sound of swallowing echoed softly.
The previously silent and dark scene suddenly changed.
A figure wearing Hanfu appeared in midair, holding a long spear.
"Parināyakaratana, Assaratana."
After the man in Hanfu spoke those words, the tip of his spear opened slightly. A blade formed from golden Magical Power emerged along the spearhead, while overflowing Magical Power spilled outward like blazing golden flames.
In the next instant, the figure appeared directly in front of Cid.
At the same moment, another man appeared behind him. He wore a black robe, had white hair, and four extra arms extended from his back. Each of his six hands gripped a magic sword.
The spear thrust forward toward Cid.
Behind him, the white-haired man swung all six magic swords upward from below, sealing every possible path of escape.
Facing the pincer attack from both sides, Cid remained perfectly calm. He still held the wine glass in his hand, leisurely taking another sip as he watched the legendary spear said to be capable of killing Gods, True Longinus, draw closer and closer to his heart.
Just as the spear was about to reach his chest, Cid finally moved.
Magical Power surged, and his figure instantly appeared in the air to the left of the two attackers.
"Oh? You even brought Siegfried along. Looks like you've been preparing for quite a while. Fine, I'll give you a chance."
Cid's teasing voice echoed across the beach.
Neither Cao Cao nor Siegfried showed the slightest reaction.
"Whoosh."
"Boom boom boom!"
Neither of them was surprised that Cid had dodged. They simply adjusted their positions and redirected their weapons to avoid striking each other.
Six magic swords cut through the air, producing a series of explosive sonic booms.
Meanwhile, Cao Cao's holy spear was descending from above. Even after changing its trajectory, it still crashed heavily into the ground.
From the point of impact, the earth instantly exploded outward, forming a massive crater several meters deep.
Standing at the center of the crater, both men immediately lost their footing and began to fall.
Yet neither of them showed the slightest hint of panic.
"Hatthiratana, Georg!"
Their falling bodies suddenly halted in midair. At the same time, both of them assumed attack stances, preparing to strike the moment the Georg Cao Cao called out to teleported them.
The instant they sensed the distortion of space, the two released their fully prepared attacks without hesitation.
But they quickly realized something was wrong.
They had not been teleported near Cid.
Instead, they had been teleported directly in front of each other.
Their full power attacks collided head on.
The explosion of Magical Power was so intense that the entire island trembled slightly. The blast engulfed both of them and sent them crashing to the ground.
Fortunately, the sand along the beach softened the impact, preventing them from completely losing their ability to fight.
However, the blood spraying from the corners of their mouths made it clear that their internal organs had suffered serious damage.
"S... sorry, Cao Cao..."
A weak, trembling voice echoed from empty space.
A young man wearing a mage's robe suddenly appeared out of thin air on the battlefield.
The Magical Power within his body was rapidly draining away, as if something were continuously absorbing it. The weakness caused by this loss of Magical Power was so severe that he could not even stand.
If the loss of Magical Power continued until it was completely drained, then once his Magical Power was gone, the next thing to be taken would be his life.
"Georg!"
Georg's condition immediately caught Cao Cao and Siegfried's attention, making them cry out in alarm.
"Dimension Lost is quite impressive. But didn't anyone tell you? The essence of this Sacred Gear is a large mobile barrier formation. And magic formations can be forcibly taken over."
Hovering in the air, Cid showed no concern for the situation on the ground. He even had the leisure to explain why Georg's Magical Power was nearly drained dry, yet the surrounding mist was not decreasing. Instead, it was growing denser.
"Theoretically speaking, the moment he became overly arrogant because of this Longinus, allowing me to instantly locate him and seize control of the Sacred Gear, you had already lost this battle."
Hearing that, Cao Cao, who had been about to get up and continue fighting, felt as though cold water had been poured over him and quickly calmed down.
Cid was right. Georg was their teammate, so they understood better than anyone how troublesome the Longinus "Dimension Lost" truly was.
It was already difficult enough when Georg wielded it. In the hands of Cid, whose mastery of magic was far greater, it would be even worse.
Their entire battle plan, built around Georg's spatial abilities, had completely collapsed. Not only had they failed to restrain Cid's spatial power, but the surrounding environment had also fallen under his control. Cao Cao had no doubt that even if they attacked again now, Cid could simply redirect the damage through spatial manipulation and make them strike themselves.
So was surrender the only option?
"Of course. I did say I would give you a chance. Let's use you two to test a little trick I have not used in a long time."
Just as Cao Cao hesitated over whether to give up, the Pure White Noble's words changed his mind.
Descending from the air, black liquid suddenly emerged from the Pure White Noble's hand, condensing into a massive black greatsword that pointed toward the two men on the ground.
Cao Cao and Siegfried exchanged a glance for a single second. Both saw the same fighting spirit in the other's eyes.
Their decision was made.
The next moment, both of them moved at the same time, disappearing from where they stood. The force of their steps cracked the ground beneath them.
"Clang!"
The black greatsword collided with the spear, producing a harsh metallic screech. The violent surge of Magical Power at the point of impact distorted the surrounding air.
"Bang!"
At the same time, facing Siegfried's six magic swords, a magic formation suddenly appeared in midair, blocking his attack and separating him from the fight.
"Clang, clang, clang…"
In just a few seconds, the black greatsword and the spear exchanged more than a dozen blows. Meanwhile, five small magic formations appeared in the air, continuously firing Magic Bullets of different elements.
Cao Cao swung his spear, deflecting every incoming Magic Bullet. In the end, he forced himself into a defensive stance to block the black greatsword slashing toward him, only to be sent flying by the blade's overwhelming force.
Seeing Cao Cao knocked away, the Pure White Noble immediately pressed the attack, swinging the black greatsword again, aiming to defeat him while he was still suspended in the air without any footing.
"Clang!"
Cao Cao twisted his body midair, positioning his spear along the path of the black greatsword. Although he was still knocked down by the sword's power, it greatly reduced the damage.
Despite clearly being at a disadvantage, a trace of excitement appeared on Cao Cao's face. He blocked the following strike once more, staring at the Pure White Noble through the narrow gap between their weapons.
"Master, it seems you are not very skilled in close combat!"
"Heh."
In response to Cao Cao's excitement, only a light chuckle from Cid echoed through the air.
The Pure White Noble closed in again, striking with greater force as the magic formations floating in the air began firing Magic Bullets even faster.
Watching the incoming attack, Cao Cao grinned broadly and laughed out loud.
"Gahapatiratana!"
The massive black greatsword and the Magic Bullets pierced straight through Cao Cao's body, yet not a single drop of blood spilled.
"Assaratana!"
Cao Cao's figure appeared on the right side of the battlefield, while the body left in place slowly dissolved into specks of light and faded away.
"Holy Dragon of Judgement!"
The Pure White Noble was about to press the attack, but the moment Cao Cao activated Assaratana, a sharp cry rang out.
A gigantic silver-white dragon materialized in midair and dove straight toward the Pure White Noble.
With no other choice, the Pure White Noble abandoned his pursuit. Five Magic Circles and the massive black greatsword moved to block the silver-white dragon, and the two sides fell into a deadlock.
"A wave of malice born from a superhuman!"
As another man's voice echoed across the battlefield, cracks suddenly appeared across the silver-white dragon's body. From within those fractures, a blinding white light burst forth.
Seeing this, the Pure White Noble's expression changed, but he had no time to react.
The explosion began.
The silver-white dragon detonated in a violent surge of Magical Power. The blast and shockwave struck the Pure White Noble directly, as he stood closest to the center of the explosion.
The force of the detonation made the entire island tremble. The aftershock alone carved out a crater nearly ten meters deep, while massive clouds of dust and debris were thrown into the air.
"Whoosh!"
With spear in hand and power gathered, Cao Cao rushed straight into the dust cloud. He lunged at the Pure White Noble, who appeared to have been wounded by the blast.
But just as the spear was about to pierce the man's heart, he suddenly stopped.
"Master, dispel your illusion."
The moment Cao Cao spoke, cracks resembling shattered glass suddenly appeared across his vision, spreading rapidly outward.
Crack!
With a sharp breaking sound, Cao Cao's entire field of vision shattered, replaced by a completely different scene.
In this new view, Cid—still disguised as the elegant nobleman—sat leisurely on a tree branch, calmly holding a glass of red wine as if he had been sipping it the entire time.
Siegfried, who had supposedly been trapped by the Magic Circle, had vanished. Meanwhile, the Pure White Noble who had been injured by the explosion transformed into Siegfried. The five Magic Circles floating in the sky had also changed, becoming five magic swords raised by five separate arms.
At the edge of the battlefield, a towering man nearly two meters tall and a blonde woman clad in armor lay weakly on the ground. Just like Georg, they had likely had their senses deceived by the illusion, pushing their bodies past their natural limits and draining their Magical Power all at once until they collapsed.
"When… when were we controlled?"
Regaining his composure, Cao Cao asked Cid.
He wasn't surprised that someone could possess such overwhelming mastery of illusions. What truly baffled him was when they had fallen under it, and how none of them had noticed anything at all.
"From the moment you stepped into the mist."
Cid answered casually.