The Return of The Mythical Archmage [EN]: Chapter 318

Only the Black Magic King, Sein, Sophia, and I remained in the area.

‘If it’s just the three of us, we can somehow escape.’

That put my mind at ease.

With a smaller, elite group, escaping wouldn’t be too difficult.

We just needed to wait for Sein to create an opening again, then make our escape.

‘The Black Magic King will try to stop us with all his might, but…’

He’d already let nearly forty mages slip away.

The Black Magic King wouldn’t be able to afford to be leisurely anymore.

He’d surely do everything in his power to not let the three of us escape.

‘If Sein creates an opening, and Sophia and I do our best to make a path, we should be able to get out of here.’

It didn’t matter if the Black Magic King went all out.

Sein’s power was definitely reaching the Black Magic King.

We had a good chance to escape.

‘Thankfully, Sophia seems to have recovered her mental state a bit too.’

Sophia had snapped out of her weakened mental state.

Her eyes had widened the moment Sein cut down the Black Magic King’s magic.

In a situation filled with nothing but despair, Sein’s sword had become a beacon of hope.

‘We can definitely escape.’

I was certain of it.

However.

‘I’d love to savor this battle a bit more, but…’

My expectations were shattered for an entirely unexpected reason.

‘If this continues, I don’t think I’ll be able to hold back. I should stop here.’

The Black Magic King suddenly began to recall all of his mana.

‘Go back.’

As if he had no intention of fighting.

He withdrew all his killing intent and aura, and crossed his arms, unarmed.

‘Are you planning to lower our guard and then stab us in the back?’

Sein’s expression became even sharper.

The Black Magic King’s strange behavior of suddenly dropping all his weapons had heightened her vigilance.

‘Do you think I would do something so petty?’

Sein was silent.

She couldn’t say no, but she also couldn’t say yes, so she simply closed her mouth.

‘I swear on my honor, I will not attack you.’

The Black Magic King’s expression was very serious. His words, expression, and actions all conveyed a genuine intention.

‘I have no intention of killing you.’

The Black Magic King genuinely seemed to have no intention of killing us.

‘So, quietly go back. Any further fighting will only be a loss for both you and me.’

It was unexpected, yet also very surprising.

He was going to let not only me but also Sein and Sophia go.

What on earth was the Black Magic King thinking?

‘Just what…’

Sophia bit her lip and spoke as if swallowing her anger.

‘Just what do you want?’

As if furious at the incomprehensible situation.

As if enraged at her own inability to resist the Black Magic King.

Sophia glared at the Black Magic King with trembling eyes and asked about his purpose.

‘My goal hasn’t changed since 50 years ago, Sophia Anetschepri. I think I told you once before. Don’t you remember?’

‘Are you talking about when you said you would become the true king of this world?’

‘You remember well.’

The Black Magic King smiled faintly.

A smile that contained a sense of affirmation.

‘Yes. I will become the true king of this world. I will break free from all the chains and restrictions placed upon me, and stand at the pinnacle as only myself.’

‘I can’t understand.’

Sophia replied with an expression that showed she couldn’t understand at all.

‘I hate to admit it, but your power has already entered the realm of the gods. You’re practically at the top already. So, what are you still lacking…’

The biggest reason we had concluded that the Black Magic King was not yet at his full power was that he was still ‘waiting’.

If the Black Magic King was at his full power, he would have started moving a long time ago.

It wouldn’t be strange if he had started moving to conquer the world with the power of the 10th Circle [a level of magic power].

But the Black Magic King didn’t seem to be making any moves.

That’s why we concluded that the Black Magic King was not yet at his full power.

We thought that the fact that the Black Magic King wasn’t moving was proof of his imperfection.

‘No. I’m still lacking. I’m still far from the pinnacle.’

The Black Magic King’s eyes shone fiercely.

‘If we only look at magical skill, it might be said that I’ve reached the pinnacle. But that’s all. Only my magical skill has reached the pinnacle. I can only compete with that man in magic. Everything else is lacking.’

That man.

Veil Stole.

‘That man…?’

Sophia’s eyes narrowed even further.

‘It seems Shin Hayul didn’t tell you.’

The Black Magic King turned his gaze to me.

Sophia turned her gaze to me with an expression that asked what he meant.

‘In the near future, the bane of the world, the origin of black magic, Veil Stole, will be resurrected.’

‘The origin of black magic…’

Sophia frowned, with an expression that showed she was hearing about such an existence for the first time.

‘Those who use black magic cannot resist him. That includes me. If he is resurrected, I will be subservient to him.’

‘…Subservient.’

Sophia’s expression changed as if she finally understood a little.

‘So, in short, your goal is to…’

‘Yes.’

The Black Magic King said confidently.

‘To kill him. The origin of black magic. Veil Stole. To kill my ancestor and break free from all restraints. Then, I will become the true king. That is my ultimate goal.’

A black ambition flickered in the Black Magic King’s eyes.

It was a gaze filled with truth, without even a hint of falsehood.

The Black Magic King’s gaze was shining brilliantly with his own resolve.

‘That’s why you must not die here.’

A brilliant black light.

It was both filthy and pure.

‘Because you have to kill Veil Stole for me.’

He was quite confident even while declaring that he would use us.

‘The fight between you and me is a story for after you defeat Veil Stole.’

A moment of silence descended.

I had heard this before, so I wasn’t shocked, but.

Sein and Sophia looked quite shocked.

They seemed to be overwhelmed by the resurrection of Veil Stole.

‘…I understand your goal and principles of action. But one question remains.’

Breaking the silence, Sein asked.

‘Why are you so openly revealing information that could be your weakness?’

The primary question I had when I accidentally spoke with the Black Magic King during the battle with Levi.

Why did the Black Magic King openly reveal information that could be his weakness?

A question that had once troubled me was now coming out of Sein’s mouth.

‘Surely, you’re not thinking of making a pointless proposal to join hands until Veil Stole is dealt with.’

In fact, the Black Magic King had proposed an alliance to me.

To temporarily join hands until Veil Stole was defeated.

He had said that to me when he was manifested through Levi’s body.

‘Of course not.’

The Black Magic King smiled and denied it.

‘There’s no way you would form an alliance with an evil villain like me… someone with no trust. What I want is not an alliance.’

The Black Magic King turned his gaze to me.

His eyes seemed to be saying, ‘You must have been curious too.’

‘This is a kind of warning.’

‘…A warning?’

‘Yes. A warning.’

The Black Magic King frowned.

‘Veil Stole is a monster comparable to me… no, perhaps even surpassing me in my current state.’

Sophia’s eyes widened, and Sein’s eyes sharpened.

‘So, I’m telling you in advance to prepare with all your might. You’re the only ones who can deal with that monster.’

Therefore, a warning.

He had revealed everything truthfully to inform us of the danger of Veil Stole.

That was what he meant.

‘Hmm. I see.’

Sein nodded as if she understood.

‘If that’s the case, your incomprehensible actions are understandable. A selfish, extremely calculated act. It’s a very villainous mindset, so there’s not much to doubt.’

‘You’re quick to understand. Then…’

‘But that just means there’s nothing to doubt. There’s no lie in your words.’

However, her expression was quite fierce for someone who had understood.

‘You’re hiding something fundamental. You’re revealing the truth, but you’re excluding the most important thing. You’re hiding a lie within the truth.’

The Black Magic King’s eyes narrowed.

An expression that showed he was a little more interested in Sein.

‘What am I hiding?’

‘I don’t know.’

There was no way I would know that.

Sein’s eyes were saying that.

‘All I know is that you’re hiding something. I don’t know what you’re hiding. My relationship with you is too shallow to understand your dark intentions.’

‘That’s a fair point.’

The Black Magic King laughed as if he was amused.

‘Then, I’ll change the question. Where did you feel something was strange in my words?’

‘The fact that you said you would just let me go.’

‘What’s strange about that?’

The Black Magic King replied expressionlessly.

‘My goal is to defeat Veil Stole. Is it strange that I want to preserve high-level combat power like you to achieve that goal?’

‘It’s strange.’

Sein stated firmly.

‘Your ultimate goal is not to defeat Veil Stole. Your goal is to stand at the pinnacle of this world after dealing with Veil Stole. To remove the limiter called Veil Stole and become the king of this world.’

The Black Magic King’s smile grew slightly thicker.

It was as if he knew what Sein was about to say.

‘To achieve that goal, two conditions must be met. One is, as you said, that we deal with Veil Stole.’

This was what Veil Stole had explained himself.

Since he couldn’t rebel against Veil Stole, the Black Magic King wouldn’t be able to achieve his goal unless we dealt with Veil Stole.

‘And the second is to prevent our power from becoming too strong.’

After Veil Stole is defeated.

The Black Magic King would have to fight us to achieve his goal.

He would have to kill us to stand at the pinnacle of this world and achieve his goal of becoming the true king.

Thinking about that time, he would want to prevent our power from becoming too strong.

‘Haven’t you considered that I’m just prioritizing the near future over the distant future? I’m just focusing more on killing Veil Stole. I have no intention of controlling your power to increase Veil Stole’s chances of survival…’

‘We can tell that you’re trying to control our power just by looking at what happened a little while ago.’

Sein lowered her gaze and stared at the corpses of the two Tower Lords.

‘If what you said is true, if you were focused on dealing with Veil Stole, you shouldn’t have killed the Tower Lords.’

The Black Magic King was silent.

He just smiled, as if to say, ‘Go on, say more.’

‘The Tower Lords would have been a great help in the battle against Veil Stole in the near future. If you were really focused on defeating Veil Stole, you shouldn’t have killed the Tower Lords.’

It was a valid point.

According to the Black Magic King’s claim, the Tower Lords shouldn’t have died.

‘But you killed the Tower Lords.’

The death of the Tower Lords was evidence that refuted Veil Stole’s claim.

‘You clearly intended to weaken our power. Your claims and actions are completely contradictory.’

The Black Magic King’s smile grew thicker and thicker.

‘No. Even if you didn’t kill the Tower Lords right away, you can tell just by looking at the actions of the Black Tower. If you were really focused on defeating Veil Stole and ignoring the future, you shouldn’t have taken actions that would weaken our power.’

A series of valid points with no room for rebuttal.

Everyone in this place seemed to be overwhelmed by Sein’s aura.

‘Your goal is not just to defeat Veil Stole. Your goal is to control our power to some extent and prepare for the fight against us in the distant future.’

Was this how a detective who had uncovered a criminal’s trick would feel?

Sein continued to speak with a dignified expression and attitude.

‘According to that goal, you shouldn’t let me live. You shouldn’t just let go of an unknown threat in an unknown area. An unknown threat armed with a weapon called swordsmanship.’

From Veil Stole’s perspective, the swordsman Sein Vinoche was a variable in and of itself.

An unknown swordsman who could inflict fatal wounds on him with an incomprehensible swordsmanship called Heart Sword [a unique swordsmanship technique].

If Sein’s hypothesis was correct, then from the Black Magic King’s perspective, Sein Vinoche was someone he would want to eliminate right now.

‘But you said you would just let me go.’

But the Black Magic King was not trying to kill Sein.

‘You tried to kill the Tower Lords no matter what. But you’re saying you’ll just let me go.’

Sein’s eyes shone sharply.

‘Even while lying and hiding your true purpose, you’re trying to quietly let me go. What could be the reason for that?’

He killed the Tower Lords, but he was telling me, who had a more dangerous power than the Tower Lords, to just go back.

Sein questioned this fact.

She questioned it and concluded that the Black Magic King was hiding something.

‘There’s only one answer.’

The Black Magic King was silent.

He was silent and twisted the corners of his mouth.

‘You don’t want to fight me right now. No, it’s more like you can’t afford to fight me.’

Sein gripped her sword again.

As softly as if she was holding the wind.

As gently as if she was holding a child’s wrist.

‘In short.’

The sword held in Sein’s hand slowly began to blur.

Like a mind that exists but doesn’t exist.

Sein’s sword was becoming her mind itself.

‘It’s highly likely that you’re not in a state where you can fight properly right now.’

And the next moment.

Swoooosh-!

The Black Magic King’s right arm flew into the sky.

‘This is my conclusion.’

Amidst the scattering fountain of blood, Sein’s eyes shone a deep blue.