Russell didn't relax after the kill—in fact, he grew even more tense!
He was still 10,000 meters in the air!
Even with air resistance, he would hit the ground in about three minutes.
If the looted abilities didn't offer a way out, even a body enhanced by Extremis and the Super Soldier Serum would end up as a mangled heap of flesh.
Now, it was all up to fate.
[Looting conditions met!]
[Magic (Green)]
A fixed amount of magical energy (36 units).
Note: Automatically converted into pure energy.
[Magical Knowledge (Green-Purple)]
Partial magical knowledge from Baron Mordo—uncontaminated and intact.
[Secret Spell – Vishanti Holy Sword (Purple)]
Summons a flaming holy sword imbued with positive energy. Power depends on energy supplied.
Weakness Mitigated: Can be used without the Trinity Vishanti's permission, relying solely on original energy.
[Spell – Seraphim Shield (Green-Purple)]
Constructs a comprehensive, three-dimensional defensive shield. Strength scales with energy input.
[Spell – Rage (Green)]
Stimulates blood factors to temporarily triple strength and agility.
Weakness Offset: Due to the Heart of the Furnace, no fatigue occurs if used for less than 30 minutes.
[Spell – Energy Whip (White-Green)]
Creates a durable, magic-based whip.
[Spell – Mirror Dimension (Purple-Gold)]
Opens a pocket mirror dimension. Strength depends on the caster.
Note: Using this in the Void may lead to being lost in dimensions like the Negative Zone or the Chaos Realm. Use with extreme caution.
[Close Combat (White)]
Basic hand-to-hand combat skills. Effective, but not elite-level.
[Witchcraft – Sacrifice (Purple)]
Sacrifice flesh and blood to unknown higher-dimensional beings in exchange for knowledge, power, or secrets.
High risk of soul corruption and being marked.
[Human Anatomy (White)]
Understanding of human physiological structure.
[Secret Spell – Soul Extraction]
Completely extracts a soul from a living body without killing the host.
Cursed by Mephisto's power—soul will belong to the devil upon death. Cannot be modified to use pure energy.
[Spell – Weapon Creation (Green)]
Constructs cold weapons from magical energy.
[Spell – Teleportation (Purple)]
Opens a portal using a Sling Ring.
Note: This spell is upgradable.
While falling rapidly, Russell's eyes lit up at the mention of Teleportation.
All Kamar-Taj sorcerers knew that spell—it was the ultimate escape technique!
But his excitement froze the very next second.
"Relies on the Sling Ring..."
Baron Mordo hadn't mastered the spell enough to cast it without the ring.
"Wanda... damn it!"
Russell cursed at himself, praying the system had more entries to offer.
Thankfully, the system voice continued.
[Secret Spell – Faltine's Flame!]
A green fire from an interdimensional magical race.
Can be cast as spheres, waves, or jets. It also dispels ailments like disease and poison and can break certain restraining spells.
Note: Since this spell draws power from another dimension, and the Void is cut off from all dimensional contact, it cannot be used here—yet. Once a Faltine creature is killed, this ability will become permanently usable.
Russell's heart sank again.
A powerful spell—but useless right now.
If only it worked, he could've used it to fly like the Human Torch!
Then—
[Magic Energy Burst (White)]
Unrefined, direct burst of magical energy.
[All looting complete. Would you like to load entries now?]
Russell's eyes widened with joy. Without hesitation, he shouted:
"Load!"
If this last entry hadn't appeared, he would've gambled everything on whether Seraphim Shield could survive the impact.
But Magic Energy Burst—that was pure salvation!
Unlike the overclocked energy rays from the Heart of the Furnace, this attack had strong recoil.
Perfect for reducing falling speed!
The entries loaded instantly. Russell thrust his hands downward.
With a whoosh, invisible blasts shot from his palms. His body suddenly jerked midair, slowing his fall before picking up speed again.
It worked!!!
Russell grinned and repeated the maneuver over and over.
Fall, blast, slow, repeat!
The 10,000-meter drop gradually shrank.
Over ten minutes later—
After the final, most forceful burst of energy, Russell slammed into a dried-up riverbed.
"Cough—cough!"
He felt like he had been crushed. His bones ached, his chest throbbed, and breathing was agonizing.
If he were a normal human, he would've died instantly—even with the recoil softening the fall.
But thanks to his enhanced body and Extremis-fueled healing, the pain quickly began to subside.
Minutes passed.
Finally, Russell pushed himself up from the ground.
He punched the air with a wild laugh!
If he hadn't taken the risk…
If Mordo's hands hadn't been destroyed early…
If he hadn't looted that last crucial spell…
He'd be the one dead right now!
But fate didn't deal in "ifs."
No matter how dangerous the journey, he had won.
And high risks come with high rewards.
Baron Mordo's spells had filled in many of his shortcomings, especially his limited combat options!
The looted knowledge and energy—huge gains!
And that wasn't even the end of it!
Russell turned and spotted the silent cave not far away.
Mordo had clearly believed his trap would kill the enemy, so he left the portal active right next to his base.
"What an unexpected bonus..."
Russell smirked.
Without wasting another second, he headed toward the base.
And in his mind, he was already planning a special surprise for the two variants who still hadn't returned.
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