Reincarnation Of A Swordsman: The Omni Mage

Kyle's sharp instincts kicked in as he saw the thief bolt away, the wind spell propelling him forward with surprising speed. Without hesitation, Kyle activated [Lightning Dash], his body surging forward in a flash of blue lightning. Enjoy more content from empire

And then onwards, the distance between them began to shrink rapidly.

The thief glanced over his shoulder, his eyes wide with panic. 'Damn it! He's fast!' His heart raced in panic as he poured more mana into his spell, propelling himself further.

But as he moved, he felt something strange. The boy's mana signature was faint, weak, even and the boy was even slower than he expected.

He presumed Kyle was fast due to the expectation he had on his speed but when a realization came on him, he suddenly felt a wave of relief.

'Wait a second… he's just a Beginner Mage?' the thief thought and his fear melted into confidence. The pieces began to fall into place in his mind.

He had been observing the group for hours, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. He had been doing all these because the weapon the boy carried was an advanced-grade magic equipment! A prize beyond imagination.

Initially, he had hesitated to make a move, fearing the power of its wielder. So he had decided to wait till it's owner slept and could only wish that he succeeded in grabbing it and fleeing.

But now, the situation seemed too good to be true.

'That sword… how can someone this weak possess such a treasure? It doesn't make sense.' Then the thought surfaced on his mind.

'Ah, I see now. He's just a rich young master! They probably handed it to him for protection. That explains everything.'

The thief's lips curled into a wicked smirk as his earlier fear turned into greed. The thought of what other treasures the boy might be carrying ignited a hunger within him.

And with that thought, he slowed to a stop, his wind spell dissipating as he turned to face Kyle.

"This is a god-sent opportunity," the thief murmured to himself as his smirk widened. "No point running now. I might as well rob him of that sword… and anything else he's hiding."

***

Kyle, who had been carefully gauging the thief's speed and strength, was taken aback when the man suddenly stopped and turned.

'What the…? He was running for his life a second ago.' Kyle frowned, his pace steady as he observed the thief's movements.

The [Aurora Fang] was still firmly in his grip and that was all that mattered, but he was still prepared to chase the thief to the ends of the forest and the sudden halt surprised him.

'Was he testing me too?' Kyle wondered, slowing his speed slightly. He had deliberately held back during the chase, wanting to assess the thief's capabilities.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

The man was fast, too fast for most, but Kyle's agility wasn't average either and he wasn't even at full power yet. He had no doubt he could catch him if he wanted to, if the thief kept running at that pace, that is.

Still, something about the thief's confident smirk as he turned to face him unsettled Kyle. The man wasn't running anymore. Instead, he stood there, his body relaxed but his gaze predatory.

The thief chuckled and said:

"You really think that you can catch me with that weak mana of yours? I have to admit, you're faster than I expected for a Beginner Mage. But that's all you are. A kid playing with toys far beyond his worth."

Kyle's grip tightened on [Aurora Fang] and his mind processed what was going on.

"You think so?" he replied coolly, electricity crackling faintly around his feet.

The thief laughed again, emboldened by his perceived advantage.

"Oh, I know so. That sword of yours will fetch a fortune. But now that I've seen you up close…" His eyes gleamed with greed as he scanned Kyle from head to toe. "I think I'll take all your other stuff and kill you. I can even have fun with the girl over there when I'm done."

Kyle sighed and his expression turned cold at the thief's words.

"You just had to make such a blunder... I guess they'll be no problem killing you now."

"Kill me?" the thief asked back with a dark chuckle. "Oh, please. Don't try to act like some big shot. I'll gut you like the naive brat you are."

"Alright," Kyle said, electricity sparking more violently around him as he raised [Aurora Fang], its edge glowing in the dim light. "Let's see if you remain confident after your death."

The thief faltered for a split second, sensing a shift in the air around Kyle. 'What the…? His mana signature... it's… growing?'

But before he could process it further, Kyle dashed forward, a streak of lightning tearing through the night.

The thief was surprised for a moment on Kyle's sudden outburst of speed, but raised his hand quickly, causing violent swirling wind to gather around him as he cast a wind spell: [Tempest Barrage].

Sharp wind blades shot toward Kyle, their speed and ferocity deadly.

Kyle sidestepped the first volley effortlessly with [Air Steps] before swinging his katana in a practiced motion to activate [Gale Rend].

A flurry of compressed air slashes countered the wind blades neutralizing them mid-air. This made the thief's smirk to morph into a grimace as Kyle kept advancing, unbothered by the assault.

"You're faster than I expected for a Beginner Mage, but let's see how long you last," the thief sneered and his mana surged. The wind around him condensed into a protective barrier, swirling rapidly like a miniature cyclone.

Kyle allowed the barrier to completely enclose the thief, before saying within himself. 'Let's see how tough this stuff is.'

>WHOOSH!<

With crackling speed, he surged toward the barrier, executing activating the [Frostfire Edge] enchantment on the katana and executing [Blazing Impact] at the last moment.

Then, with a final downward slash Kyle brought the katana down at the barrier.

>BOOOOM!!<

The katana easily shattered the dome into various fragments, resulting in a massive shockwave and leaving the thief stunned.

The thief's face was pale as he stared at the shattered remains of his barrier. His confidence had crumbled as swiftly as the wind dome that had once shielded him.

"H-How… how is that possible?!" he stammered in a trembling voice.

"That's… that's impossible! My barrier is reinforced with the mana of a Tier-4 Intermediate Mage! There's no way… no way a Beginner Mage could break through it with one strike!"

Kyle stood calmly amidst the swirling aftermath, the faint glow of [Aurora Fang]'s edge dissipating as he lowered the katana. A faint smile curved his lips gaze never left the thief.

"Maybe you should've done your homework before picking your target," Kyle replied.

The thief's jaw clenched in frustration. His mind reeled, trying to piece together how this supposed beginner could possibly wield such overwhelming power.

Every assumption he had made felt like a cruel joke, and his earlier smugness now seemed utterly foolish.

"You're bluffing!" the thief spat in desperation. "You think one flashy move can scare me? Think again!"

The thief's eyes was filled with panic, but he forced himself to regain composure. With a sharp motion, he raised both hands, gathering a swirling mass of wind. The air crackled as mana surged, condensing into jagged projectiles that hovered menacingly above him.

"[Gale Storm Barrage]!" he roared, sending the deadly wind projectiles hurtling toward Kyle with devastating force.

Kyle didn't flinch at the attack. Instead he simply summoned a spell of his:

"[Chaotic Whirlpool]," he called softly.

A swirling vortex of unstable energy formed around him immediately, prompting the wind projectiles to veer off course and sucked into the vortex's chaotic spin.

The thief watched in stunned disbelief as his attacks were consumed, disappearing into the spiraling energy.

"What the hell is that?!" he exclaimed in dread.

Kyle stepped forward, the vortex still swirling ominously around him. Then, with a sudden pulse of energy, the vortex released its hold, sending the stolen projectiles hurtling back toward their origin.

>BOOOM!<

The thief had no time to react. His own attacks struck him with brutal precision, throwing him to the ground with a heavy thud. He groaned in pain and struggled to push himself up.

On sensing he was down, Kyle walked up to him and said with a calm smile.

"Game over."

Kyle stared down at the thief, who was now on his knees, trembling and battered. The man's hood had been torn in the clash, revealing a gaunt, pale face marred with scars with his dark eyes filled with tears of desperation.

His earlier arrogance and greed had melted into pure fear as he clasped his hands together in a desperate plea.

"Please!" the thief begged with a cracking voice. "Please don't kill me! I've done bad things. I know! But I swear I can change! I can make it right! Just give me a chance!"

Kyle's grip on the [Aurora Fang] tightened. The blade shimmered faintly, reflecting the moonlight.

He remembered the thief's threats, the malice in his voice when he spoke about harming him and his companions. The thought of sparing such a person felt wrong. It felt like he would be betraying his own sense of justice.

"You threatened my life. You threatened my companion. You were ready to take everything from me… and worse. You deserve death."

Kyle said with a voice devoid of emotion, but despite it all; he internally contemplated on whether to kill the man or not.

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