The Genius Mage Was Reincarnated Into A Swordsman Family-Chapter 229: Crimson Pursuit

In the corridor, Nicholas and Myrith remained locked in combat, neither gaining decisive advantage. The damaged runic pathway had limited Nicholas's capabilities, while Myrith seemed to be conserving energy for what would come next.

"The Convergence comes regardless of your interference, Chronos-Walker," Myrith stated with absolute conviction. "Icarus returns to cleanse this corrupted world. Whether through this vessel or another, the cycle completes."

Nicholas's crimson blade flared one last time as he made his decision. "Then I'll find him before your ritual succeeds."

He launched himself at Myrith in what appeared to be a frontal assault. She raised her ritual dagger in perfect defensive position—only to strike empty air as Nicholas executed a feint, diving past her toward the corridor where the extraction team had disappeared.

Myrith pivoted to follow, but Nicholas had already activated his final available technique: "Fourth Gate: Crimson Dispersion." His form seemed to fragment into multiple crimson afterimages, each moving in different directions to confuse pursuit. By the time Myrith determined which was real, Nicholas had gained crucial distance.

He sprinted down the corridor, the Ancestral Circuit burning painfully beneath his skin as he pushed it beyond safe limits. The extraction team had minutes of head start, but Nicholas knew the estate's layout better than they did. If he could intercept them before they reached whatever transportation method awaited beyond the estate grounds...

The corridor ahead filled with amber light as more cultists moved to intercept him. Nicholas didn't slow. Despite the damaged pathway limiting his capabilities, he remained a lethal combatant hardened through eight previous lifetimes of conflict.

The first cultist raised a ritual dagger wreathed in amber energy. Nicholas didn't bother parrying—he simply wasn't there when the strike landed, having shifted his body with microscopic precision developed during his seventh life. His return strike separated the cultist's head from his shoulders in a single fluid motion that seemed almost casual despite its lethality.

Two more cultists attacked simultaneously, converging from opposite sides. Nicholas dropped into a technique from his third life—a low sweeping maneuver that passed beneath their attacks while his crimson blade opened both opponents from hip to ribs in a single circular motion. They collapsed without a sound, amber energy dispersing as life fled their bodies.

The final cultist—clearly more experienced than his companions—executed a complex transformation technique. His ritual dagger elongated into a whip-like appendage similar to Myrith's, creating a deadly perimeter that should have been impossible to penetrate.

Nicholas simply stepped through it, his movements guided by combat intuition perfected across multiple lifetimes. The crimson blade in his hand seemed almost to move independently, finding the precise harmonic frequency that disrupted the amber energy. The whip-like construct shattered, and before the cultist could recover, Nicholas's blade pierced his heart with surgical precision.

Four cultists dispatched in less than six seconds—and Nicholas hadn't even slowed his forward momentum. He continued down the corridor, following the energy signature of the extraction team like a predator tracking wounded prey.

The Ancestral Circuit burned increasingly painfully beneath his skin. The damaged pathway was forcing energy through alternative channels, accelerating the system's deterioration. Nicholas ignored the pain with the practiced discipline of someone who had endured far worse across multiple lifetimes. He had minutes at most before the circuit failed completely—but minutes might be enough.

Turning a corner, he caught sight of them—six cultists surrounding Klaus's floating form, moving with practiced coordination toward the eastern wing. Nicholas increased his pace, crimson energy flaring around his blade as he prepared to engage.

The rearmost cultist sensed his approach, turning with ritual dagger already transforming. Nicholas didn't give him time to complete the technique. His crimson blade separated arm from body in a single stroke, then opened the cultist's throat before he could alert his companions.

One down. Five remaining.

The next two noticed immediately, breaking formation to intercept while the others continued with Klaus. Nicholas engaged them both simultaneously, his fighting style shifting to a technique developed during his sixth life—a dual-focus approach that allowed him to maintain separate combat rhythms against multiple opponents.

His blade moved with impossible precision, finding gaps in amber defenses that shouldn't have existed. The first cultist fell with a crimson wound across his chest, the second managed to parry twice before Nicholas's blade bypassed his guard and pierced his heart.

Three down. Three remaining.

The final three cultists had nearly reached the eastern exit. They increased their pace, chanting intensifying as they poured more energy into the amber field suspending Klaus between them. Nicholas pushed his deteriorating Ancestral Circuit to its limits, crimson light blazing from his runic patterns as he narrowed the gap.

He was twenty paces behind them when they reached a section of wall that appeared solid—until one cultist placed his palm against it, amber energy flowing into seemingly ordinary stone. The wall rippled like water, revealing a hidden passage beyond.

Nicholas launched his final attack, crimson blade leaving a trail of energy as he closed the remaining distance with explosive speed. One cultist turned to intercept, ritual dagger meeting Nicholas's blade in a cascade of amber and crimson energies.

For a moment, Nicholas thought he might break through—then a wall of amber energy erupted between them as the two remaining cultists poured their combined power into a barrier technique. Nicholas's blade struck the amber wall with all his remaining strength, creating a spider-web of cracks across its surface.

Not enough. The barrier held just long enough for the cultists to maneuver Klaus's suspended form through the hidden passage, the wall rematerializing behind them with finality that suggested ancient magic beyond standard techniques.

Nicholas struck the wall again, his crimson blade bouncing harmlessly off stone that had returned to normal. The hidden passage had sealed completely, its triggering mechanism likely reset to a different location to prevent pursuit. He placed his palm against the stone, crimson energy probing for weaknesses or alternative access points.

Nothing. The passage had been expertly concealed, its magic dating back to an era when such techniques were perfected beyond modern understanding.

His Ancestral Circuit flickered painfully, the damaged pathway forcing his remaining energy through increasingly unstable channels. Nicholas knew he couldn't maintain the enhancement much longer without risking permanent damage—but there was one final attempt he could make.

Placing both hands against the wall, he channeled all his remaining crimson energy into a detection technique developed during his fourth life—a sensory expansion that followed the resonance patterns of those who had just passed through. The wall remained solid, but his perception extended beyond it, tracking the amber energy signatures as they moved through ancient tunnels beneath the estate.

They were heading east, toward a junction that likely connected to the catacombs predating the imperial capital itself. If he hurried, he might still intercept them by finding an alternative entry point to those ancient passages.

Nicholas turned away from the sealed wall, planning his next move. He needed to deactivate the Ancestral Circuit before it caused permanent damage, then find another way into the catacombs. But before he could take two steps, a presence registered at the edge of his enhanced perception—approaching from behind with calm, measured footsteps.

"Chronos-Walker," came a resonant voice. "Your persistence is admirable, if futile."

Nicholas turned, crimson blade raised despite his deteriorating condition. High Priest Valen stood at the corridor's far end, flanked by eight cultists whose ritual scars marked them as senior adepts. The High Priest's elaborate ritual scarification glowed with amber light that seemed to pulse in time with a heartbeat not his own.

"High Priest Valen," Nicholas acknowledged, calculating his diminishing options. "I wondered when you'd make your appearance."

Valen studied him with clinical interest, head tilted slightly. "The Ancestral Circuit. A remarkable adaptation of Third Age blood runes. Most impressive—especially for one so young in his current incarnation."

"Where are they taking him?" Nicholas demanded, knowing the question would likely go unanswered but needing to assess Valen's willingness to engage.

"To a sanctuary consecrated before the founding of the Rikxia Empire," Valen replied, surprising Nicholas with his candor. "A place where the boundaries between worlds grow thin during specific celestial alignments." He studied Nicholas with scientific interest. "You've used the Ancestral Circuit beyond safe parameters. Even if I told you our exact location, you would collapse before reaching it."

Nicholas knew the High Priest was right. The damaged runic pathway had compromised the entire system, crimson energy now burning through his life force at an accelerated rate. He had minutes at most before complete failure.

"This isn't over," Nicholas stated, his runic blade flaring with the last reserves of his energy.

"On that," Valen agreed, "we are in complete accord. This is merely the beginning of the cycle's completion." He gestured, and the cultists around him formed a protective circle. "Return to your masters, Chronos-Walker. Tell them Icarus rises as prophesied."

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Nicholas knew he couldn't win this confrontation in his current state. The Ancestral Circuit flickered wildly beneath his skin, crimson light pulsing erratically as the damaged pathways struggled to maintain energy flow. Yet he refused to retreat without learning more.

"Seven days," he stated, observing Valen's reaction carefully. "Your Ascension Ritual requires seven days of preparation. The vessel must undergo purification before Icarus can manifest."

A flicker of surprise crossed the High Priest's face before he could mask it. "Your knowledge of our sacred practices is... concerning. Though it changes nothing. Seven days is more than sufficient when three thousand years of preparation precede them."

"Seven days for me to find your sanctuary," Nicholas countered. "Seven days to stop what you've started."