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*****
"You want to escape? Did you ask for my permission?"
Seeing the situation, George immediately clapped his bear paws together and chanted toward Morgana's soul, which was trying to flee as a wisp of black smoke:
"Thunder Emperor, heed my call—obey the command, now!"
With a deafening crash, a bolt of thunder as thick as a water barrel struck Morgana's soul in an instant.
"Aaaah!"
A blood-curdling scream rang out as Morgana's soul was obliterated on the spot.
"The Thunder Art of Demon Banishment really is incredibly effective against souls."
George silently praised the spell as he watched Morgana's soul vanish.
The thunder magic he had just used was the very same thunder technique from the Li Family's Daoist arts—also known as the Thunder Art of Demon Banishment.
After a period of research and organization, he had discovered that although the thunder-based magic he had learned was all of the lightning element, their functions varied significantly.
Just as fire has different types—normal fire, dragon fire, demonic fire, and ghostly fire—so too does lightning.
For instance, the ancient thunder magic he learned in the world of Harry Potter, "Heavenly Thunder Descent," was a standard form of lightning. It wasn't much different from the kind of lightning that strikes during storms.
This kind of lightning had immense destructive power against normal people and creatures, and its area of effect was massive. It could cover an entire modern city—and if his thunder magic advanced far enough, it might even envelop an entire planet someday.
However, this kind of lightning wasn't as effective against specific targets.
For example, enemies with strong individual defenses, modern facilities equipped with lightning protection, or massive structures like mountain ranges would all significantly reduce its effectiveness.
On the other hand, his superpower-derived techniques—like the Railgun, Thunder Giant, and the plasma electromagnetic cannon fused with magic—were far more effective against single targets, with even greater destructive force.
Even mountains could be easily pierced or sliced apart, and even lightning rods would be instantly vaporized.
However, neither of these two types was particularly effective against soul-based enemies.
That's not to say they were completely useless—compared to normal spells, they still performed better. But compared to the thunder magic he learned from the Li Family, which resembled the orthodox Five Thunder Technique, the difference was clear.
The Li Family's thunder magic had a limited range, usually only striking a single bolt at a time, and it did minimal damage to structures or terrain.
But it possessed a unique anti-demonic effect. Against entities like ghosts, spirits, corpses, and enemies with dark attributes, it was especially potent.
Morgana, being the most powerful sorceress in this world, remained formidable even in her soul form.
If it hadn't been for the thunder spell specifically targeting her type—and being a demon-banishing variant at that—there was no way she could have been so easily and instantly annihilated.
Back then, even Veronica had to use her own body as a vessel just to give Balthazar a chance to seal Morgana away.
It just goes to show— the closer one gets to the essence of a particular element, the more one realizes how far there is to go. The path ahead is long. Thunder magic alone has so many branches; mastering the true essence of magic, the true nature of power, is an even greater challenge.
"What just happened? And who are you?"
At that moment, a voice filled with shock interrupted George's thoughts.
Turning around, he saw Veronica—who had now returned to normal—cautiously watching him.
For Veronica, who had been sealed for so many years, waking up to see a giant panda locked in battle with Morgana—and then watching that panda actually kill Morgana—was simply too much to process.
"Don't worry. My name is George. I'm a friend of Balthazar's."
George stepped forward, grabbed Veronica, and instantly Apparated to David's secret base.
"You probably have a lot of questions right now, but don't worry—Balthazar will be back soon. You can ask him everything then.
As for me, just tell him I've found a way to return to human form. I'm heading out to travel the world. If fate allows, we'll meet again someday!"
Without giving Veronica another glance, George vanished from the spot.
To him, he had already mastered almost all the magic this world had to offer. What came next was finding a quiet place to focus on studying the obscure and arcane knowledge written in the Book of the Dead.
His true body was a mutant reincarnated into the Marvel Universe. The versions of himself in other worlds were simply soul-split avatars, each possessing a part of his essence.
These avatars had one primary purpose: to collect all resources and powers in their respective worlds that could make the main body stronger. Once that mission was complete, it was time to redirect his focus to studying magic.
It was just like playing multiple games at once—once you've 100% completed one of them and unlocked every achievement, there's no need to keep grinding in that game. You can just leave it running in the background.
As for the idea of walking around this world in a panda's body to sightsee or relax? Totally unnecessary.
The world of magic apprentices wasn't all that different from a modern world. If he wanted to unwind and enjoy some scenery, his main body in the Marvel Universe could do just the same. The view would be nearly identical.
Besides, now wasn't the time to relax.
The panda avatar's future role was to delve into necromancy. Once that knowledge was mastered, the avatar would also serve as an auxiliary brain, helping to research more urgent magical systems in other worlds.
And if there was another use for it, it would be this—should he ever find a way to break the barriers between worlds…
Then this panda avatar could cross into other realms—or even enter the main world to assist directly. It would be like having a second self with the exact same power level.
This was nothing like a thought projection. A thought projection, while able to take on a physical form, was still mainly made of energy, and would drain half the strength of the original.
But if the day came when he could summon his avatars across worlds, and even merge them all into a single being—his power would surge exponentially.
Meanwhile, on the other side of things, Balthazar stepped out of the bar as usual. He got into his magically modified car, enchanted with mimicry spells, and drove back to David's secret base.
For a thousand years, he had longed for his beloved wife, Veronica. Not a single day passed without him missing her.
Lately, seeing David finally confess and get together with the girl he'd always liked—Becky—filled Balthazar with both comfort and sorrow.
It reminded him even more of how much he missed his own wife, so much so that he had to drink at the bar just to numb the ache in his heart.
Fortunately, after all these centuries, he had finally found Merlin's reincarnation. With just a little over a decade more of training, Balthazar believed David would absolutely be capable of helping him rescue Veronica and defeat Morgana.
In the meantime, he no longer had to worry about Morgana's followers causing trouble. Every one of her mages had been sealed away by him and George, locked together in a nested magical container.
Carrying the half-finished bottle of alcohol, he pushed open the door to the secret base—only to freeze in disbelief.
"Veronica?!"
"Balthazar!"
The moment Veronica saw Balthazar, she ran straight into his arms, overwhelmed with emotion.
After a thousand years of longing, these two star-crossed lovers had finally been reunited. Nothing else mattered now.
Upon learning that it was George who broke the seal and eliminated Morgana, Balthazar was overcome with gratitude—while simultaneously pulling Veronica into their room.
As for what happened after that... well, let's just leave those details for another time.
(End of Chapter)