Cerno's Fall

The muscular guy never once said that he was a handsome, arrogant character who could easily win over women's hearts. If he had known, he would have definitely made a far more spectacular entrance. After all, no one was allowed to be cooler than him.

Now, the two of them stared at each other, observing one another, fully aware that they both felt the same thing.

Hatred.

Not wanting to waste more time, Cerno snapped his fingers, activating every magic spell in the library. Immediately, the bookshelves began floating in the air. Within seconds, the books flew out, darting forward like arrows, enveloped in a transparent bluish glow, matching the theme of Cerno's attire.

White and blue.

His ocean-blue eyes gleamed brightly.

At the same time, the books moved as one, obeying his command like relentless weapons, crashing into the floor of the library, causing destruction as if boulders had fallen upon it.

And the bookshelves weren't just staying in place either.

Cerno also used them to block the movements of his opponent—who, surprisingly, was incredibly agile, fast, and slippery, as if he were facing one of the heroes.

Of course, if his opponent were as strong as them, the kingdom would have noticed and never allowed such a person to remain hidden. This meant he wasn't as powerful as the heroes, which only fueled Cerno's excitement to beat him down for daring to infiltrate the library and disturb his rest.

That was exactly what he wanted.

To boost Cerno's confidence—only to shatter it completely.

He had no intention of using his full strength to crush Cerno the way he had done with the heroes. People like Cerno would only understand once they received a hard slap to the face.

And he couldn't wait to see the look on Cerno's face when it happened.

Of all the things he could have used—be it objects or magic—Cerno had chosen books and bookshelves. Either he was too confident in his power, or he was simply too lazy to leave the library.

Either way, he wasn't going to let him have fun for too long.

As soon as a bookshelf was hurled toward him, he swiftly leaped through its gaps, landing just ahead, startling Cerno, who then threw several more bookshelves. Yet, he dodged them all as if they were moving in slow motion—despite their speed rivaling the arrows of elven archers, which should have been more than enough to deal with someone like him.

Did he really have to use actual offensive magic?

Just to deal with a mere intruder?

Cerno smirked arrogantly.

There was no way he was going to do that. Especially not for someone beneath him. He was certain that before long, his opponent would tire out, and when that happened, he would capture him, throw him into the dungeon, and visit him every day just to mock him.

"No one disturbs my sleep."

Sliding beneath the flying books, his opponent retorted, "Did you seriously just say that?" He then leaped onto a bookshelf, grabbing the very books that had been shot like arrows and hurling them back at Cerno, whose eyes widened in shock.

He hadn't expected him to be able to do that—something only heroes should be capable of. Even though he wasn't using offensive magic, Cerno's spells were of a high level.

An ordinary person would have lost their arms trying to pull off the same feat. That realization made a flicker of concern creep into his mind, his arrogant grin slowly fading.

The books he had thrown, though they missed their target, carried immense force—possibly even greater than Aldean's throws. Aldean, the strongest human hero.

The evidence was clear from the massive cracks on the walls, reinforced with magic.

"Tell me, who are you?" he demanded.

"Oh? Now you're interested in who I am?" his opponent called out, standing casually atop a bookshelf. "Why? Is your confidence starting to waver?"

Cerno clicked his tongue in irritation, chanting a spell. Several diamond-shaped portals formed behind him, glowing bright blue. From within, large arrows of light emerged—a mark of high-tier magic and his favorite attack.

Why?

Because this attack was enough to take down high-level monsters.

Even if they dodged, the arrows would change direction and continue pursuing their target until they pierced their heart. A perfect attack against a slippery foe like him.

Bookshelves gathered behind Cerno, forming a wall to block his opponent's escape and limit his movements. The airborne books joined the glowing arrows, a combination that even heroes would have to defend against to avoid injury.

An attack guaranteed to kill an ordinary intruder.

Just as the tip of the leading arrow was mere inches from his opponent's chest, Cerno's smirk returned.

Then—he disappeared.

A moment later, he reappeared directly behind Cerno, whose heart seemed to stop for a second.

A massive explosion erupted just ahead, accompanied by fierce winds and a deafening blast that was sure to draw attention.

Books scattered in every direction, slamming into walls and windows, with torn pages drifting down like snowfall. Meanwhile, the bookshelves were hurled backward, crashing into the walls and piling up, making it nearly impossible to open the doors from the outside without magic.

Cold sweat trickled down Cerno's forehead as he listened to his own heavy breathing, his pounding heartbeat echoing in his ears.

A clear sign of someone in a panic attack.

"Well? Do you still want to continue?" his opponent asked casually.

Cerno realized—right at this moment—the person standing behind him was as strong as, if not stronger than, the heroes. He couldn't sense any mana from him, nor did he see him using magic.

He finally understood.

From the very beginning, his opponent had only been toying with him.

"What… do you want?" he asked quietly, unable to move as fear took hold of his body.

"Not me—but your friends. Aldean and the others. I only came to pick you up. But seeing your attitude despite my kindness, I think you need a lesson or two."

"W-wait—"

Before he could finish his sentence, Cerno was yanked backward and taken out of the library, crashing through the walls and causing chaos in the peaceful capital night. The city's knights rushed out, intent on helping—but what could they do?

All they could do was watch as the library's guardian was carried away at an incredible speed.

Even one of the kingdom's high-ranking wizards, a revered master, found himself questioning—who was that person?

Because even with forbidden magic, no records existed of someone moving faster than the speed of sound.

And yet, this man hadn't just broken the sound barrier—he was approaching the speed of light.

"G-Grand Mage, should we pursue them?" one of the knights asked hesitantly.

The mage could only sigh.

"Let's just hope… Cerno will be alright."