He who Bends Time-Chapter 64 - Twin casting

Thud!

The fearsome-faced man fell backward—right into the very pit of filth he himself had relieved moments ago. In his absence, the stranger responsible for his fall—Henry—quietly made his way toward the carriage stationed on the road.

The carriage was drawn by two chubby, gray pigs who, surprisingly, showed no concern for the newcomer now circling the vehicle.

After a quick initial scan, Henry began examining the carriage more thoroughly. He noticed something peculiar about its construction: it was built in two distinct sections. The front, where the coachman sat, was made of ordinary wood—clearly something that could shatter upon impact. However, the rear was crafted from a much tougher material, reinforced with magic, and resistant to collision or breakage. It was clearly not just a simple carriage.

"Hmm..."

Digging through the coachman’s seat area, Henry soon found something gleaming—a crystal.

"This... is a mana vessel crystal. It’s used to power something," he muttered, removing it carefully. The crystal, capable of storing mana, seemed to be the source of the carriage’s enchantments.

With nothing else of interest outside, Henry made his way to the back and opened the tent covering those inside. To his surprise, the magical force field that had repelled him earlier was now gone.

"So... it vanished. And the only thing I did was remove the mana vessel. That must’ve been what it was powering," he reasoned.

As he pulled back the tent flap, those inside flinched in fear. But among them, only a young girl’s eyes widened when she saw him.

"Don’t be scared. I’m not a bad guy," Henry said gently, kneeling and offering her another candy. This time, the treat landed softly into her palm—no longer stopped by a magical barrier.

"Where are you all going? What’s going on here?" he asked, his voice calm.

Then he noticed it again—clearly and painfully. The terrible condition of those huddled within the carriage. The little girl hadn’t even uncurled her legs or arms. She was cramped, pressed tightly against the others—just one small piece in a heap of the helpless.

Without a second thought, Henry swiftly pulled the tent open and gently reached out to help the little girl out of the carriage.

But as he tried to assist her, the child recoiled, her body tensing with hesitation, her eyes filled with fear as they fixed on his hand.

"The man you’re scared of is already sleeping," Henry said softly, trying to ease her heart. Despite his calm words, the girl’s expression didn’t change. Instead, she looked back into the carriage with even more fear.

Noticing her unusual reaction, Henry peered inside—more cautiously this time.

Suddenly, another child sprang up and lunged straight at him.

"Ugh!"

At the last second, Henry managed to throw himself a few feet back, narrowly avoiding the child’s grasp.

"Tch. Missed," growled the attacker.

But the voice didn’t belong to a child. It was far deeper—an adult man’s voice, twisted and cruel.

After that brief and unexpected encounter, Henry no longer questioned the identity of the one who had attacked. It was clear: this wasn’t a child. It was something else entirely.

From a safe distance, Henry extended his hand. A black mist burst forth around his fingers.

{Negative Sensation}

A curse spell surged from his palm, the dark vapor rushing toward the figure in the carriage.

However, the "child’s" arm suddenly mutated—growing grotesquely large, more than twice the width of its body. With that monstrous hand, it struck the earth, launching itself upward and clean over the incoming darkness.

"Kha-hahaha!" it laughed, perched now on a tree branch above. The voice was mocking, unmistakably adult.

"A curse magician, huh? Just like Kunch. Too bad I’m faster than your spells."

And with that, it gripped the tree branch with both unnaturally large hands and hurled itself forward—charging straight at Henry.

Henry didn’t move.

Instead, the same dark mist swirled around both of his hands. He calmly extended one arm, the shadows dancing like smoke,

{Wicked Vision}

Another spell from the curse category erupted from Henry’s hand and shot toward the childlike figure. But the creature, already anticipating a follow-up attack, twisted its body unnaturally mid-air, evading the black mist with inhuman agility.

"Damn, I missed!" Henry exclaimed, stepping back. But the kid was already a step ahead, landing exactly where Henry had just been.

Boom!

The impact of the landing cracked the dry ground, sending a cloud of dust and brittle leaves scattering into the air.

"I really need to work on my aim," the creature muttered, visibly disappointed.

"Well," it continued, standing tall and grinning, "I don’t think you’ll get another chance—this fight’s just about over."

The creature stepped forward, its elongated hand reaching out to grab Henry, who now stood about three feet away.

Henry’s eyes narrowed. "You’re a body modifier," he said, studying the grotesque shifts in the creature’s form.

"Isn’t that hilarious?" the creature chuckled mockingly. "Body modification is considered a mid-tier magical class. Meanwhile, curse magic like yours is ranked as extremely dangerous. And yet here you are—about to be taken down by someone using a ’weaker’ magic."

"You really believe that?" Henry replied calmly.

"Huh?"

Suddenly, the creature staggered. A strange sensation crept through its limbs—then, all at once, overwhelming exhaustion overtook its body, draining its momentum completely.

"Wh-What is this?!" it gasped, trembling. "This... this is a spell. But... when did you cast it?! I was watching you the entire time!"

Henry tilted his head slightly, unfazed. "I didn’t cast it while you were watching. I cast it before you landed in my spot."

The creature’s eyes widened in dawning realization.

"You see," Henry continued, "I knew you’d jump to where I had just been. So instead of casting the spell on you directly, I marked the ground beneath me. Curses like this can linger on a fixed point—and you landed right on it."

"But... but you already cast another spell at me at that time. How... how are you able to cast two spells at once?" the creature asked, disbelief slowly overtaking its expression.

Henry simply smiled, a faint glint in his eye.

This chapter is updated by freew(e)bnovel.(c)om