The Return of The Mythical Archmage [EN]: Chapter 246

Kuan, the captain of Solas, the mercenary group that had been guarding this secret laboratory for about a year, was calmly pressuring Shin Hayul.

‘He’s strong, as expected.’

Shin Hayul bit his lip as he parried the man’s daggers one by one.

He had expected the man to be skilled based on the amount of mana he was emitting, but he hadn’t anticipated it would be to this extent.

‘The sense that comes from overwhelming combat experience. A combat style that makes the most of it. And finally, perfect emotional control.’

Even though he had every reason to be furious about his comrade’s death, the man was very calm.

If he were heated, it might be a bit more manageable.

But this is just too calm. There’s practically no opening.

‘And if there seems to be an opening, his comrades cover him like lightning…’

Even if a slight opening appears, it’s impossible to exploit. Just how long have they been working together? Their comrades’ cover is faster than imaginable.

‘He’s even perfectly utilizing the terrain to slowly surround me.’

It was a battle like a snake slowly tightening its grip around the neck.

If Shin Hayul were hot-blooded, he might have shouted, ‘You cowardly bastards! Fight fair and square!’

Clang-!

“Ugh!”

He dodged two daggers thrown by the man with an acrobatic maneuver.

It was a rather forced dodge that didn’t consider the aftermath.

His posture was disrupted from dodging the previous barrage, so this was the only way to avoid the follow-up attack.

Of course, this meant he would have no way to avoid the next attack, making the dodge meaningless, but….

“Not bad.”

The two daggers he had been holding were the last of them.

Kuan currently had no means of launching another attack.

Shin Hayul did a somersault to regain his posture.

In about a second, he perfectly regained his balance and finished preparing for a counterattack.

It was a flawless movement, beautiful enough to elicit admiration.

“I thought you’d just charge in…”

Shin Hayul spoke while catching his breath.

He didn’t forget to warn the approaching mercenaries with his eyes.

If they came any closer, he would kill them first.

His eyes were filled with such murderous intent.

“Hmph. Do you think I’d engage in close combat against a swordsman like you?”

Kuan’s eyes became even sharper.

“Too bad. If you were just a bit more emotional, I might have had a chance.”

“…So, that opening just now was a trap.”

Kuan’s vigilance increased even further.

It seems he needs to reassess his evaluation of the man.

This man is far more dangerous than he had anticipated.

“…No choice then. I’ll give up on capturing him alive.”

If he tried to capture him alive, he and the entire mercenary group could be killed.

Eight daggers began to rotate around Kuan.

All of them were moving according to Kuan’s will.

“From now on, I’ll do everything in my power to kill you.”

With Kuan’s resolve, the atmosphere of the mercenary group changed.

It was a stark contrast to the calm feeling from before, now replaced with a fierce determination.

The murderous intent to kill him pierced through Shin Hayul’s entire body.

“Try and block this.”

Kuan once again held eight daggers.

Mana flowed from Kuan’s hand to the eight daggers.

The mana concentrated on the daggers was incomparably greater than before.

Kuan’s mana, gathered on each dagger, soon took on the form of elemental magic.

Zzzzzzzzz!

Some were imbued with lightning.

Whoosh!

Some were imbued with fire.

Whoooosh!

Some were imbued with wind.

The eight daggers were fluctuating, each with a different element.

‘I thought he was just using telekinesis to throw daggers for a 7th circle mage…’

So he was hiding this kind of power.

Shin Hayul bit his lip slightly.

“Simultaneous activation of eight elements. It’s the first time I’ve heard of a mage capable of such acrobatics.”

“Simultaneous activation of eight elements, you say? That’s quite a grand expression. In reality, it’s not such a grand magic.”

The man threw the four daggers he was holding in his left hand at Shin Hayul.

“Certainly, I have the talent to handle eight elements simultaneously. But perhaps as a trade-off, I have no talent for high-powered magic. All I can do is infuse elemental mana into objects.”

Daggers of different shapes, each imbued with different elemental mana, pierced through the air.

The fastest of them was the green throwing knife imbued with wind mana.

Clang!

He used the side of his sword to deflect the throwing knife, which flew faster than anyone else, boasting excellent cutting power and speed.

‘Next!’

There was no time to catch his breath.

Next, a yellow soldier’s knife imbued with lightning aimed for his forehead.

‘If I recklessly block lightning, my body will be paralyzed. I have to dodge it.’

He bent his upper body like a bow, dodging the lightning dagger.

And finally, daggers imbued with fire and darkness flew from different directions.

Was it because they predicted Shin Hayul’s next move?

Even though he had bent his upper body, the two daggers flew straight towards his head.

The fire dagger approaching from the left and the darkness dagger approaching from the right.

He looked at the two daggers once each and accelerated his thoughts.

‘The fire element has a wide range of impact due to the heat. Even if I dodge it, it won’t be a complete dodge.’

The fire dagger must be blocked.

‘The darkness element gains weight when imbued into an object.’

The weight of that dagger right now must be at least 400kg.

Since that weight is concentrated at one point, if he blocks it incorrectly, his sword will be destroyed.

The darkness dagger must be dodged.

‘Then, the best option I can take in this situation is…’

He looked at the slowly approaching daggers and kicked off the ground with his right foot.

Shin Hayul’s body quickly rotated to the right.

As a result, his vision naturally turned towards the ground, and his right and left sides were reversed.

‘With this, the fire dagger is on the right!’

Using the speed and force of his body’s rotation, he swung his sword.

Clang!

The fire dagger and sword collided, creating a loud noise.

At the same time, the darkness dagger grazed Shin Hayul’s cheek.

The dagger, which had missed by a hair’s breadth, did not leave any marks on Shin Hayul’s skin and pierced through the air.

“…”

He perfectly dodged and defended against all attacks, and at the same time, he regained his posture.

He was on guard in all directions, ready to respond no matter when the next attack came.

It was a defense that could be called perfect.

“Tricky.”

Daggers that move differently because they are imbued with different elements.

He had only thrown four out of eight, but it was already very tricky.

How tricky would it be if he used all eight?

He was already getting a headache.

“Tricky, you say? I don’t think that’s something someone who perfectly blocked it on the first try should be saying.”

On the other hand, Kuan was also getting a headache.

‘To be this good with only a sword and physical ability. If he starts using sword aura in earnest… it’ll be hard to win.’

If a mage has magic, a swordsman has sword aura. [Sword aura is a technique where a swordsman channels their inner energy into their blade, enhancing its power and reach.]

For a swordsman to engage in battle without using sword aura is like a mage engaging in battle without using magic.

In other words, the man is fighting with less than half of his full power.

If the man were to unleash his sword aura and start fighting with all his might, he would likely face a miserable death.

‘Should we all attack together?’

The man immediately shook his head.

‘No, I’m the only one in our mercenary group who can attack from a distance. Letting them approach that man is suicide.’

Kuan’s expression grew increasingly serious.

“Why? Aren’t you going to fight?”

Shin Hayul’s relaxed gestures and tone.

Seeing that, Kuan’s eyes widened.

A look of great surprise.

Something had come to mind.

‘But… why is that man holding back against us?’

That man is the one who killed Carly.

Why would such a man now be holding back and fighting half-heartedly?

It doesn’t make sense.

‘That can’t be his full power.’

He could tell just by looking at the purity of the mana flowing from his mana core, his swordsmanship, and the sense with which he moved his body.

That man hasn’t revealed his full power yet.

‘Then, if he’s holding back against us, why?’

Kuan’s brow furrowed.

He couldn’t understand the current situation.

“That expression. I don’t think you’ll just ignore my words like you did before.”

Looking at Kuan, Shin Hayul slowly opened his mouth.

“What I couldn’t say before, I’ll say again. Your comrade, Carly, was it? I didn’t kill that person.”

Kuan’s eyes narrowed.

“So, you were holding back to clear up a misunderstanding?”

“Yes.”

Kuan’s expression became even more serious at Shin Hayul’s affirmation.

“It’s true that I infiltrated in the early morning, but I never met a man named Carly.”

“…Carly is a woman.”

“Is that so? I thought it was a man’s name. My apologies.”

“That’s a reaction of someone who really didn’t know.”

“Because I really didn’t know.”

Kuan looked at Shin Hayul with suspicion.

“So, you’re saying you know nothing about Carly? Is that what you’re saying?”

“No. It’s not that I know nothing.”

Shin Hayul turned his gaze to the female researcher who was fidgeting in the distance.

“When I secretly infiltrated, I happened to encounter that woman and the researcher she called her senior in the passage. They didn’t seem to notice me, who was hiding, and were talking about various things.”

The female researcher’s eyes widened at my words.

“Don’t listen to him! He’s lying…!”

“Shut up.”

Kuan threw a dagger imbued with light from the four daggers he was holding at the researcher.

The dagger flew, scattering intense light and obstructing her vision.

The dagger soon pierced the wall right next to the researcher’s face.

“Hic…!”

If she uttered another word, he would kill her then.

It was a warning with such clear intent.

“Keep talking.”

“First, they were talking about the experiment.”

The female researcher’s face turned pale.

It was the expression of someone who realized that my words were not a bluff.

“They were talking about how all the test subjects had died. They lamented how everyone seemed to lack the will to live.”

“…That’s exactly the kind of thing that woman would say.”

Having worked here for a year, he had a good grasp of the researchers’ personalities.

The man’s words were indeed something that researcher would say.

“And then they said this. Come to think of it, we used the guards as test subjects this time. I wonder if we’ll be used as test subjects too?”

Kuan, as well as all the mercenaries, were wide-eyed.

They couldn’t believe what they had just heard.

“Th-that’s a lie. How could we use you, the mercenaries we’ve been working with for over a year, as test subjects! That’s just a trick by that guy to sow discord between us!”

Kuan’s eyes trembled.

That was true.

No matter how crazy they were about research, they wouldn’t go so far as to use their own colleagues as test subjects….

“Ah, and one more thing. This is just a side note, but…”

Kuan turned his trembling gaze to Shin Hayul.

“That woman’s bad habit is that she organizes her thoughts while dissecting people.”

Just now, the mercenary captain had said, ‘That’s exactly the kind of thing that woman would say.’

That meant that they knew each other’s personalities to some extent.

If so, they would likely know about that woman’s bad habit.

And if the mercenary captain knew about that female researcher’s bad habit….

“If you know even such trivial information, it seems like it’s true.”

Shin Hayul’s TMI [Too Much Information] became evidence.

“Th-that’s a lie. It’s all the intruder’s nonsense… We would never do such a thing…”

“Where’s Carly’s body?”

“…Huh?”

The woman, who had been ranting, was momentarily stunned.

“Carly’s body, I mean. The body of Carly that that guy brutally killed. Where is it?”

“Th-that’s…”

“Don’t say it’s not there. That man is a swordsman. It’s impossible for him to erase a body without a trace.”

“That’s, well…”

The female researcher’s eyes darted back and forth.

She was racking her brain on how to overcome this difficulty.

“Y-yes, that man tore her whole body to pieces so horribly… You might be horrified if you saw it…”

The woman’s words were cut short.

“Cough, gurgle.”

“I understand.”

Kuan’s dagger, which he had been holding, had pierced the woman’s neck, though it was unclear when he had thrown it.

Blood gurgled from her gaping throat and mouth.

“Our mercenary group will do anything for money. We’re obedient dogs who follow our employer’s orders.”

Kuan flew forward and moved in front of the woman.

“But there’s one time when we bare our teeth at our employer.”

He grabbed the dagger embedded in the woman’s neck and slowly twisted it.

“Guaaaaaaack!”

A bizarre scream, as if her vocal cords had been pierced, escaped her.

“That time is now.”

He twisted the dagger completely.

He wanted to inflict pain.

It was an action that conveyed that very thought.

“You shouldn’t have messed with my family.”

And after pulling out the dagger, he used the sword he was holding in his other hand.

“Die.”

Slash-!

He beheaded the woman.

The woman’s head slowly rotated in the air.

Thud!

The woman’s head hit the floor and rolled around.

“Go, intruder. We have no reason to stop you now.”

Kuan spoke without even looking at Shin Hayul.

“Take whatever you want. But…”

Kuan glared at the researchers trembling beside him with empty eyes.

“I can’t give you these guys. They’re all my food.”

“…My goal isn’t people, so you don’t have to worry.”

“Okay. That’s a relief.”

Kuan let out a long breath with a grim expression.

Shin Hayul glanced at Kuan one last time and slowly began to walk away.

“One thing. I’ll give you some good information as a reward.”

At that moment, Kuan casually said something.

“If you’re looking for research records, go two blocks ahead, turn right, and it’s in the right room you’ll see immediately. Go check it out.”

“Thanks for the good information. I’ll take it with me at the end.”

Shin Hayul briefly expressed his gratitude and started to move again.

Or, he was about to.

“Hmm. My prediction was completely wrong.”

“…!”

He would have if he hadn’t heard a voice that shouldn’t have been heard from behind.

“To think it was a rat that came in through the secret passage on the commercial side.”

Thud, thud.

The man’s footsteps could be heard.

Footsteps coming from the darkness.

With regular footsteps, the man revealed himself.

“I’ve been wanting to see you, rat.”

The Doctor.

His expression was grotesquely twisted.