The Return of The Mythical Archmage [EN]: Chapter 272

Veil Stoll.

The appearance of such an unimaginable figure left my mind blank.

‘Veil Stoll… how is he in the Trial Page?’

I couldn’t grasp the situation at all.

Veil Stoll.

Why is the originator of black magic here?

‘Is this also part of Master’s plan?’

No.

Probably not.

Logically, it’s impossible.

‘No matter how great a mage Master is, there’s no way he could perfectly replicate and materialize Veil Stoll.’

Veil Stoll.

The king of the four nations, the king of black mages. The one who killed Master.

Even Master couldn’t possibly materialize such a being.

Even with the Vaitener method [a powerful magic technique], there must be limits.

Therefore, this situation is not what Master intended.

That’s what it means.

“Your thoughts are correct. I exist here regardless of Ray’s intentions.”

Veil Stoll said with a small smile. Did he read my mind?

“I didn’t read your mind. Reading others’ thoughts is as easy as breathing… but it’s impossible for you and Ray’s successor. I just deduced it from your bewildered face.”

“……”

Veil Stoll’s eyes narrowed further.

It was the gaze of a predator observing its prey.

“Are you curious how I can be here?”

“……”

I wanted to answer, but I couldn’t.

Being in front of that man made my mouth unable to move.

It felt like something was constricting every single cell in my body.

“I anticipated that Ray would leave behind such a book for his future successor, you.”

He seemed to take my silence as agreement, as he began to speak leisurely, resting his chin on his hand.

“Anticipating that, when I cast my final curse on him, I infiltrated mana containing my will deep into Ray’s abyss [a metaphorical term for the core of his power]. So that when Ray poured out all his power, my will could seep in.”

Veil Stoll’s eyes shone even darker.

“To leave behind my existence like this. To eliminate Ray’s future nemesis, his successor.”

Veil Stoll slowly uncrossed his legs and lowered the hand that had been supporting his chin.

Then, he rose from the throne and very slowly approached me.

“It was quite a gamble with low odds, but I succeeded.”

Thud.

Thud.

Death was getting closer.

“The dying Ray didn’t recognize the mana I had prepared. As a result, he ended up putting his future successor into the jaws of death.”

He clapped softly as he walked.

“How comical. What a humorous situation.”

Thud. Thud.

The distance between him and me was now less than 5 meters.

If that man wanted to, my head would be separated from my body and flying through the air right now.

“It’s over.”

Veil Stoll looked down at me, smiling as if he was in the best mood.

“Everything ends with your death. Once you’re gone, there’s no one left to stop me. Now, this world is mine.”

Veil Stoll slowly reached out his hand.

Dark mana, reminiscent of an abyss, was condensed there.

It was the first time I had ever seen such a concentration of corrupted mana.

3 meters.

2 meters.

1 meter.

“I won. Ray. You have ultimately lost to me.”

The moment his hand reached right in front of my nose.

Clang-!!

A shattering sound filled the surroundings.

It was the sound of space breaking, which I had heard several times before.

“…Veil Stoll!”

Aslan appeared through the shattered space.

Behind him, I saw Elena-nim with sharp eyes, and the nine-tailed fox in its adult form.

And lastly, Mimier with a look of utter urgency.

Just like when I saw her at the Imperial Palace earlier, she was wearing a ceremonial robe with various ornaments hanging from it.

Her face also looked younger than the Mimier I knew.

Just looking at that, it was the Mimier from seven years ago, whom I had met at the Imperial Palace earlier.

But something was different.

Her attire and face were that of Mimier from seven years ago, but the atmosphere she exuded was different.

A very familiar atmosphere.

The unique atmosphere of Mimier that I had felt countless times in Mimier’s study.

“Successor!”

“Mimier?”

It was certain.

That Mimier wasn’t the Mimier from seven years ago, the one who didn’t know me.

It was the Mimier I knew.

“Successor! Are you hurt anywhere?”

Mimier approached me and examined my body.

“Thank goodness. I’m not too late.”

She let out a sigh of relief after confirming that there was nothing wrong with my body.

“You… how…?”

How was Mimier here?

“Could it be that you were acting earlier?”

Was she acting when we met at the Imperial Palace?

No, it didn’t feel like that at all.

The Mimier I met at the Imperial Palace truly didn’t know me.

“There’s no way.”

Mimier strongly denied it.

“The me at that time was the past me, before I met the real successor.”

“…What’s going on?”

Mimier turned her gaze away from me and glared at Veil Stoll, who was leisurely crossing his arms in the distance.

“After the successor entered the sixth Trial Page, I realized something was wrong and forcefully intruded.”

“Intruded? Is that even possible?”

“It would have been impossible normally. But…”

Mimier’s gaze sharpened further.

“That guy has somewhat disrupted the structure of this world. So, it wasn’t difficult to overlay the current me onto the past me.”

She had squeezed through the gap that Veil Stoll had created.

That’s what it meant.

“Because that guy made such a mess, Elena and Aslan were also sucked into this world.”

So that’s how it happened.

“Could it be that you were the one who broke my barrier?”

Veil Stoll looked at Mimier with a rather intrigued expression.

“No way. Elena and Aslan broke the barrier. I just told them how to break it.”

“…Hoh.”

Veil Stoll chuckled, stroking his chin as if he found it amusing.

“Even without magical talent, the blood of Ray is still the blood of Ray.”

“Well, yeah. I might be better than Father in research and analysis, if nothing else.”

“…Hmm.”

Veil Stoll frowned.

“Why? I thought you’d be angry, but you seem fine, so it’s annoying?”

Mimier smiled leisurely and flicked her hair.

“Such provocations don’t work on me now. I’m way past that age.”

“…Hmm.”

Veil Stoll let out a groan, looking rather bored.

“You’ve changed quite a bit since I last saw you.”

“Well, yeah. A lot has happened in the meantime.”

A different light flashed in Mimier’s eyes.

“What hasn’t changed is probably my resentment and anger towards you, right?”

Veil Stoll laughed as if he found Mimier’s not-so-joking joke amusing.

“You’ve even learned to make such jokes. You don’t seem like the half-wit princess you were before.”

Veil Stoll’s laughter suddenly stopped.

“But even if you’ve changed, the situation hasn’t.”

Corrupted mana poured out from around Veil Stoll’s body.

The amount of mana was at a level I had never seen before.

Even if we combined all the mana of everyone here, it wouldn’t match that amount.

It felt like looking at an endless ocean.

“Elena Lo Greenwood. Aslan Polohamruin. You alone cannot stop me.”

Veil Stoll turned his gaze to each of them in turn.

“Nine-tailed fox. Without Ray, you can’t do anything to me. The princess who has escaped her half-wit status. You are the same. And…”

Veil Stoll’s gaze returned to me.

“Ray’s successor, who has yet to bloom. You are the same. You cannot defeat me. Absolutely.”

Veil Stoll’s mana grew even larger. It was as if all the mana in the world was focused on Veil Stoll.

“Give up. Give up…”

Veil Stoll slowly moved his hand.

At that moment, the mana began to change.

It was seething with murderous intent, as if it would swallow us whole at any moment.

“Watch as your hopes turn to dust and scatter into the void… watch from the depths of despair.”

Veil Stoll’s mana began to fly towards me, targeting only me.

“Aslan! I’ll take care of the defense. You…!”

“I know!”

Kwaaaaaang!

Veil Stoll’s mana and Aslan’s space magic collided, and a shattering sound, as if space was breaking, echoed.

It was the sound that signaled the start of a fierce battle.

* * *

The battle broke out without warning.

The situation was overwhelmingly in their favor.

“You lowly beings. All of this is futile. You can’t do anything without Ray.”

Veil Stoll’s overwhelming dominance.

We were helpless in the face of his overwhelming power.

That man was on a different level.

Even if we ganged up on him by the dozen, it would be impossible for us to win against that man.

“All that is allowed for you is to prostrate yourselves and look up to me.”

Veil Stoll brought his hand down in the air.

“Insects should crawl on the ground like insects.”

That gesture became a huge pressure that crushed us.

It was as if the sky itself had come down and was pressing down on us.

“Kuh!”

Elena-nim knelt on one knee.

It seemed like she had truly reached her limit.

I looked at Elena-nim’s back and moved my mana.

“Ignis!”

The Ignis [a powerful fire spell] was perfectly cast.

It flew towards Veil Stoll.

‘If it’s a mythic magic…!’

No matter how powerful Veil Stoll is, he can’t ignore mythic magic.

“Such a weak primordial flame.”

Veil Stoll waved his hand as if he was chasing away a fly.

Then, the Ignis vanished in an instant.

He erased the Ignis lightly, as if he was blowing out a candle.

“I doubt if this is really the Ignis that Ray used.”

Veil Stoll glared at me as if I was pathetic.

Behind Veil Stoll, a space opened.

A makeshift portal created by Aslan.

Aslan, who had jumped out of there, raised a sword forged with space magic high and struck down at Veil Stoll.

“Not a bad surprise attack.”

However, Veil Stoll didn’t even bother to pay attention to such an attack.

He stood still without even turning around.

“It seems like you’re the only one who’s still okay among them.”

Aslan’s sword was blocked by the formless mana that Veil Stoll was emitting, unable to advance any further.

“But it’s useless. Even if you were in perfect condition, even if you had transcended your limits.”

Veil Stoll crossed his arms and tapped his foot very slightly.

“Your magic won’t reach me.”

“Cough!”

At that moment, Aslan’s body crashed to the ground.

The mana that filled Veil Stoll’s surroundings had crushed Aslan’s body.

“Just watch from there.”

Veil Stoll glanced at Aslan and then turned his head towards Elena-nim.

“Elena Lo Greenwood. The forest mage who has lost her power. You should rest now too.”

Kuuuuuung-!

“Kyaaak!”

The pressure that was pressing down on Elena-nim intensified.

In the end, Elena-nim couldn’t overcome Veil Stoll’s power and collapsed.

“You two are the same.”

Next were the nine-tailed fox and Mimier.

A huge torrent that couldn’t be resisted poured down, blowing the two of them to the left and right.

The nine-tailed fox and Mimier.

They each collided with the left and right walls and were stuck there.

“Watch as your hopes are trampled before your eyes. That is the punishment I give to those who have interfered with me.”

Veil Stoll slowly walked towards me.

And then he grabbed my neck.

“You… bastard…!”

Aslan-nim struggled to get up from his spot.

But it was useless.

Elena-nim, the nine-tailed fox, and Mimier were the same.

It seemed like the three of them couldn’t even open their mouths, they were just glaring at Veil Stoll with venomous eyes.

“I have no grudge against you. I’ll send you off peacefully.”

Veil Stoll’s mana flowed through my neck and into my heart.

At that moment, the mana inside my body was completely frozen.

The mana in my body had lost even the will to resist this man’s mana.

“It’s an instant death spell. There won’t be any pain.”

Just as Veil Stoll’s mana began to completely envelop my heart.

Suddenly, Veil Stoll’s mana stopped.

Was it to enjoy watching me writhe in fear?

“This is…”

No.

It didn’t feel like that.

Veil Stoll’s expression was unusual.

His eyes were wide open. His brows were furrowed.

Something was clearly wrong.

“…You. What did you do?”

Veil Stoll said something incomprehensible.

“Why is my mana, my will, refusing to kill you?”

Veil Stoll’s mana was refusing to kill me?

What does that mean?

“Indeed. Although still immature, it seems you are Ray’s successor. If that’s the case…”

Veil Stoll withdrew his mana and this time, formed it into the shape of a sword.

Then, he raised the sword high and swung it towards my heart.

However, his sword did not pierce my heart.

“…Is this the same?”

His sword stopped right in front of my chest.

And he glared at me with a serious expression.

At that moment.

“Veil.”

A third party’s voice was heard from the side.

“You cannot kill my disciple.”

A familiar voice.

A low-pitched voice that I had heard recently.

A powerful voice that remained clear even beyond my hazy memories.

“I have adjusted your will that resides in my abyss so that it would not allow it.”

Mana exploded from that place.

Mana comparable to the corrupted mana that filled this space.

The radiant mana, reminiscent of the sun, chased away the corrupted mana and began to divide this space.

It was as if light and darkness had divided the world in half.

Veil Stoll looked at the man with a displeased expression.

Then, he called out the man’s name.

I slowly turned my head towards that place.

“Ray…”

A man like the incarnation of the sun and gold.

Ray Bell Vaitener.

He was walking slowly with a relaxed gait.