The Black Bulls were gone. The large, shimmering tear in space—Finral's portal to the Hideout—was rapidly collapsing. Lencar, cloaked and moving with absolute silence, sprinted toward the collapsing anomaly. He had already engaged his [Aura Cloak] to its absolute minimum, rendering his Stage 5 power undetectable.
Finral Roulacase, the anxious Spatial Mage, stood alone, distracted by the complex final sequence of closing the tear.
Lencar closed the distance in a silent, explosive surge, relying entirely on his Mana-Forged strength and the physics training of Kenji Tanaka. He was a silent, speeding shadow.
He slammed his shoulder into Finral's side, knocking the mage off balance and pushing him against the wall of the spatial tear.
"WHOA! What the—!" Finral cried out, stumbling.
Lencar acted with brutal, desperate speed. He opened his own blank grimoire and slammed it, cover-to-cover, onto Finral's frayed, open Spatial Magic book.
The torrent of information was instantaneous. Lencar's consciousness was momentarily submerged in the abstract, complex data of Spatial Magic—algorithms for dimensional linkage and the mathematical parameters for portal stability. It was the catastrophic shock of receiving a Stage 4 mage's entire database, overwhelming Lencar's mind. He grunted, a strangled sound of sheer effort and processing overload.
Lencar instantly withdrew his grimoire and shoved Finral away, completing the copying process.
Finral, meanwhile, was reeling from the physical impact and the sudden, silent withdrawal of Lencar's grimoire. He was confused, but his grimoire remained intact, his magic untouched.
"You... you hit me, didn't you? What was that for, man?!" Finral shrieked, rubbing his shoulder. "Are you a noble? Did Yami-san send you to harass me?"
Lencar didn't answer. He was momentarily paralyzed by the pain, but the collapsing spatial tear was his priority.
Finral turned to the portal, realizing his spell was about to fail due to the interruption. "Oh no, no, no! Captain Yami is going to kill me!" He frantically began casting the closure sequence.
Lencar pushed himself off the ground and ran. He did not use the copied Spatial Magic. He used the only speed he had left—his Mana-Forged body, propelled by a burst of Wind Magic from his feet. He ran straight out of the Capital's gate, disappearing into the commoner traffic and heading for the isolated high-rise construction site he had scouted earlier.
Finral, too busy fighting his collapsing portal, didn't notice the blur of speed. His attention remained fixed on his work. With a final, agonizing effort, Finral managed to collapse the portal, but not before a burst of residual Dark Magic mana spilled out, briefly staining the air black.
Lencar sprinted for half an hour until he reached the skeleton of the abandoned construction site. He climbed three flights of rusted scaffolding, collapsing onto a concrete slab.
Lencar didn't move for ten minutes, focusing entirely on stabilizing the Spatial Magic data in his mind. The copied information was now secured.
He opened his grimoire. The new page—shimmering with silver glyphs—was titled: [SPATIAL MAGIC]. Under it were the fixed spells of the Black Bulls' transportation: [Spatial Magic: Link] and [Spatial Magic: Instantaneous Movement].
Analysis: Acquisition successful. Mana capacity +20%. New utility acquired. Finral remains unaware of the theft, only conscious of the collision. Risk Level: Minimal.
Lencar focused on the [Spatial Magic: Link]. He needed a destination. He closed his eyes, using his newly acquired knowledge to track the residual mana signature left by Finral's recent portal cast. He found the lingering, heavy, chaotic scent of the Black Bulls' magic—Dark Magic, Volatile Fire, Cracking Lightning—the concentrated magical chaos miles away.
He had a target.
He now had to test the copied spell. Lencar knew that without Finral's Stage 4 control, the cast would be clumsy, volatile, and dangerous.
Strategy: Initiate a short-range test link. Use Concealment Magic to suppress the resulting mana flare.
He found a discarded tool on the construction site—a heavy, rusty wrench. He opened his grimoire to the [Link] spell.
He channeled his massive, suppressed Yuno Mana into the complicated spatial computation. Lencar focused on a spot fifty yards away on the dirt floor of the site.
"[Spatial Magic: Link]!"
The mana flared violently. A small, unstable portal—jagged and flickering—tore open in front of him. It was rough, unsteady, and radiated enough raw mana to alert any nearby Vice-Captain.
Lencar acted immediately. He didn't wait for the spell to complete. He slammed his mind onto the [Aura Cloak] command.
VWOOM.
The mana signature of the cast vanished, leaving only a brief, quickly dissipating physical sign of the spell.
Lencar threw the rusty wrench through the portal. It vanished with a high-pitched ZAP and reappeared fifty yards away, slamming into the dirt with a loud thud.
The portal snapped shut.
Lencar looked at his trembling hands. The power was immense, but the control over the Link was zero. Every cast was a massive risk of exposure.