Multiverse: Dimension Hopping Mage

Chapter 75: This Isn't Scientific, But It's Magical

"What is this?"

Charles froze as he suddenly found himself enveloped in a circle. He raised his hands cautiously, magical light flickering between his fingers. As a mage, Charles knew better than to make rash judgments about unfamiliar things. Although he could sense that the girl's power was weaker than his, the fact that she was an angel was enough to make him treat her differently.

However, Ikaros didn't attack. Instead, after casting the field, she quickly hid behind Alex. Alex dashed forward, his sword transforming into a flash of silver light before exploding into countless light swords that appeared out of thin air, surging towards the bald mage.

Holy Storm!

"Hmph!"

Seeing the torrent of sword energy rushing toward him, Charles snorted. Although he looked down on warriors, that didn't mean he could emerge unscathed from Alex's holy-power-laden attack. Still, as a mage, he had his own countermeasures. He took a step back and spread his hands. A radiant, multicolored barrier unfolded beside him, attempting to block Alex's all-out assault.

From Charles' perspective, his counter was flawless. The Rainbow Wall could withstand any attack below legendary level, and all he needed to do was prepare his next spell under its protection to finish off the annoying warrior and the priest.

A cold smile flickered in his eyes as his hands trembled, drawing magic from the air, condensing it into a powerful force that leaped and surged, ready to explode…

"Huh?"

But at that moment, Charles felt something was off.

Where's my Rainbow Wall?

The enormous barrier, which had just been there, had vanished without a trace.

What on earth…

Before Charles could make sense of it, the roaring Holy Storm swept over him like a tidal wave, pulling him in. His lightning shield lasted barely three seconds under the storm's onslaught before being torn apart. With a shriek, Charles was engulfed by the blinding holy light.

"Finally…"

Alex wiped away the cold sweat as he glanced at the unconscious bald mage lying on the ground. He had to admit, this mage was a tough opponent. If not for Ikaros' intrusion and her ability to seize control of the defense spell, he would have had a much harder time dealing with him.

After defeating the bald mage, the remaining cultists were no match for Alex. Though they could summon projections of low-level demons from the Abyss, they themselves had little combat power—those with real fighting abilities had already been quietly eliminated by Alex during the rescue.

The rest were nothing but sitting ducks. Initially, they had used their numbers to suppress the paladins, but once Alex joined the battle, the tide immediately turned. Against his unpredictable illusions, nothing could stand in their way. Most of the cultists were wiped out, with the survivors swiftly subdued by the paladins.

The mission was, without a doubt, a great success. Not only had they rescued the paladins, but they had also captured the bald mage—though Alex had no idea who he was, he was clearly someone important.

However, one thing continued to puzzle Alex: Why had his abilities failed?

Was this mage really that formidable?

To be honest, this was Alex's first time fighting a mage from the main world, and based on his experience, this guy was no slouch. What troubled Alex the most was how the bald mage was like a porcupine, impossible to approach.

Several times Alex had tried to use his speed to ambush him when he wasn't paying attention, only to be thwarted by that lightning shield. Even worse, the mage's spells were either large-scale attacks or had auto-targeting, so there was no need for him to even aim!

Apart from using his invulnerability, Alex had no good way to defend himself, and he had to rely on Fina, the divine priestess, for protection.

Damn it, no matter the world, a mage is a mage.

As for assassinating him? Alex hadn't forgotten how his initial attempt—using a time stop—was immediately countered.

What's going on?

"Mr. Alex? What should we do now?"

Alex's thoughts were interrupted as Fina approached him, curiously asking. He shook his head, refocusing as he looked ahead. The entire camp was now under the paladins' control, littered with the bodies of cultists. The demon projections they had summoned vanished after their masters were killed, returning to the Abyss.

The paladins had taken some casualties too. After all, they weren't as powerful as Conan, the temple paladin, and had only recently reached elite level. About five of them had fallen in battle, though fortunately, most of them survived.

"Did you get any information from the cultists?"

"No."

Fina shook her head at Alex's inquiry.

"They committed suicide right after being captured. We couldn't stop them in time…"

"Such resolve…"

Alex was momentarily stunned. He had planned to capture one of them alive to gather information, but he hadn't expected the cultists to be even more ruthless than he imagined. Seeing their failure, they had immediately chosen suicide.

This didn't make sense—weren't cultists supposed to be cowardly, scheming, and evil?

But at least they still had one prisoner.

The bald mage was still lying on the ground, unconscious. He looked pale, his breathing rapid, as though he were about to be rushed to the ICU. However, Alex clearly didn't care about whether he lived or died. He simply stared at the bald mage, wondering how to wake him up. Since Alex wasn't up for doing anything too complicated, he figured he might as well slap him awake.

"Wait, Mr. Alex!"

Just as Alex was about to act, Fina hurriedly stopped him.

"Waking up a mage like this could be dangerous! I think we should prepare…"

"Prepare? It seems you're right."

Hearing Fina's words, Alex nodded. He now understood that mages in this world were even more dangerous than those in games. Who knew if this guy would trigger some shield when he woke up and escape? Many mages in games had spells like teleportation. Alex wasn't sure if this bald mage could use them, but better safe than sorry. If the guy did run, all of Alex's effort would be wasted. He could control time, not space—or even time didn't seem to work well against this guy.

But still…

"Do you have any good ideas?"

"Sorry... I don't have any. I'm just a priest…"

Fina was powerless in this situation. She was only an apprentice priest, and the mage was far stronger. Priests, by nature, focused on healing and protection, not skills for imprisonment.

At that moment, Ikaros raised her hand.

"Master, I think I can try."

"Oh?"

Alex turned to his little angel.

"You have a way?"

"I think it should work, but…"

"If you're confident, give it a shot."

Though Ikaros seemed a little uneasy in front of Alex, after considering it, Alex decided to let her try. After all, she had already displayed some remarkable abilities. She had been crucial in defeating the mage earlier, so Alex had a lot of trust in her.

"Yes!"

With Alex's approval, Ikaros approached the unconscious bald mage and placed her right hand on his forehead.

"Initiating intrusion!"

With a soft whisper from Ikaros, her hand began to glow, enveloping the bald mage in a radiant light. The glow lasted for several seconds before fading away. Ikaros then removed her hand from his forehead and turned to Alex, nodding.

"Master, the task is complete."

"Good. Now, wake him up."

Hearing Ikaros' response, Alex nodded and walked up to the bald mage. He raised his hand and slapped the mage several times.

"Ugh…"

Whether it was because Alex hit him too hard or the mage was too weak, after a few slaps, the bald mage groggily woke up. He shook his head and opened his eyes. Upon seeing Alex, his expression suddenly changed, and he quickly raised his right hand.

"Dispel!!"

With a shout, the bald mage extended his right hand, pointing at Alex. However... nothing happened.

"...…"

Seeing that Alex was perfectly fine, the bald mage's face turned even paler. He stared at his hands in disbelief and started waving them frantically. He muttered all sorts of mysterious incantations, but no matter what he said, nothing happened. He looked like he was on the verge of losing his mind.

"How did you do that?"

Watching the frantic mage, Alex curiously turned to Ikaros and asked. Ikaros smiled faintly and explained.

"It's simple, Master. I just invaded his brain and applied a lock on the part of his memory that deals with casting spells."

"...So?"

"So, he's forgotten how to use magic."

"...…"

Alex thought to himself, even though everything she said sounded scientific, why did it feel so magical? Invasion of the brain? Locking memory? Are we sure we're talking about the real world and not the Matrix?

But whatever…

Looking at the dumbfounded bald mage, Alex smiled slightly.

"Hello, sir. It seems we have a lot to discuss."

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