The Return of The Mythical Archmage [EN]: Chapter 321

The Rebirth of the Mythical Archmage-322

A long silence followed.

Sophia was completely focused on treating Shin Hayul, leaving her no room to speak.

Sein was preoccupied with keeping the Black Magic King in check, also leaving no room for conversation.

‘How long are you going to keep glaring like that?’

The Black Magic King asked, crossing his legs and looking at Sein.

‘I told you, I have no intention of fighting you until Shin Hayul’s life is out of danger or he’s properly healed. Being on guard like that is pointless.’

The darkness swirled around the Black Magic King.

A mythical relic with the same energy as Shin Hayul’s Ignis [a type of fire magic].

It changed its form according to the Black Magic King’s will.

‘Let me ask you something.’

Sein asked, closely observing the mass of darkness.

‘What kind of existence is Shin Hayul to you?’

The Black Magic King rested his chin on his hand, looking down at Sein.

‘I’ve told you many times. Shin Hayul is my hope.’

The Black Magic King clenched the mass of darkness in his hand.

‘Ray Bell Bytenner. Only the true successor of the Bytenner style, which is the opposite of black magic, can kill Veil Stole, that man.’

Fwoosh-!

The darkness crumbled from his clenched fist.

The Black Magic King’s anger had shattered the darkness.

‘So, make sure you save him. No matter what.’

The Black Magic King glared at Sophia.

If she failed to save him, she would have to be prepared. His eyes were filled with murderous intent.

‘You don’t need to worry. Even if you didn’t threaten me, I would save him, even if it costs me everything.’

Sweat poured down Sophia’s entire body like rain.

Calming the mana within Shin Hayul’s body was an extremely arduous task, and if she lost focus for even a moment, she felt like she would fall asleep.

‘May I ask you something as well?’

‘If you have the energy to talk, you should focus on the treatment…’

‘If I don’t talk, I feel like I’ll lose my mind.’

The Black Magic King clicked his tongue.

Indeed, Sophia Anescheff’s condition was not good, not even by a long shot.

If she wasn’t careful, her concentration would waver, and she would lose consciousness.

It was better to keep her tethered to reality by talking, even if it was just a little.

‘Fine. I’ll allow you to ask.’

Sophia glanced at the Black Magic King with trembling eyes.

‘What is the real reason you’re not killing me?’

Her eyes were filled with fatigue.

Her gaze was so fragile that it seemed like she would fall asleep at any moment.

‘You think that Hayul, the formal successor of Bytenner, is the only one who can stand against Veil Stole. You don’t think anyone else can defeat Veil Stole.’

‘……’

The Black Magic King fell silent.

‘That means that even though you have the power to dominate the world, the reason you’re not moving to conquer it is not to create a force against Veil Stole, but because you’re worried about Hayul’s growth.’

What would have happened if the Black Magic King had moved in earnest?

First of all, the world would have lost its current structure and become a post-apocalyptic world.

Laws and rules would have lost their power, and it would have become a lawless zone where power was everything.

Educational institutions would have collapsed, and powerless children would have died.

It would have been a terrible world where the seeds of talent could not even sprout.

Shin Hayul’s talent would have also bloomed much later.

At least several stages slower than it is now.

The Black Magic King was worried about that.

That’s why he didn’t bother trying to conquer the world.

He only built the Black Magic Tower and kept things in check at a moderate level.

‘Can I take that silence as a yes?’

The Black Magic King fell silent again.

His expression was still unreadable, but it was clear that the meaning behind it was ‘yes’.

‘I knew it.’

Sophia’s lips curled into a smile.

It was the expression of someone who had finally solved a mystery.

It was the expression of someone who had finally relieved a decade-long indigestion.

‘So, you didn’t keep me alive as a counter to Veil Stole.’

But that smile was short-lived.

Sophia’s expression soon turned sharp as a knife again.

‘I’ll ask again.’

‘……’

‘What exactly is the reason you’re keeping me alive?’

During the Atlantic Wormhole incident.

During the US air raid.

Even during this attack.

The Black Magic King could have killed Sophia if he had wanted to.

‘Why are you just putting a curse on me and watching me?’

But the Black Magic King did not kill Sophia.

As if he shouldn’t kill her.

As if he couldn’t kill her.

‘What do you want from me?’

‘……Hmm.’

The Black Magic King unfolded his crossed legs.

‘So, you’ve thought that far.’

He lowered the hand that was supporting his chin and stood up.

‘I guess I gave you too many hints.’

Step by step.

He approached Sophia.

‘You’re right. There’s a reason why I’m not killing you.’

He knelt down and made eye contact with Sophia, who was holding her hand on Shin Hayul’s chest.

He slowly raised his right hand and caressed Sophia’s cheek.

‘You are my hope in a different way than Shin Hayul.’

‘……What do you mean?’

With his other hand, he caressed the center of Sophia’s chest.

The center of the curse.

‘As you know, I have reached the 10th Circle. I have transcended the 9th Circle, which is called the limit of humans. I have reached the realm of the gods.’

A touch full of affection.

He gently stroked Sophia’s cheek, as if he were caressing his own body.

‘But that’s just reaching it. I haven’t fully stepped into that realm.’

The Black Magic King’s eyes were stained with hatred.

‘Even though I have accumulated enough power to reach the 10th Circle. Even though I have reached the point where I can approach the realm of the gods. I couldn’t go any further.’

Hatred towards someone.

It was a raw resentment towards the man who had stolen his dream.

‘What do you think is the reason?’

‘I don’t know.’

Sophia shook her head.

It was a realm that was hard for Sophia to imagine, as she had not even seen the end of the 9th Circle, let alone the 10th Circle.

‘It’s because I’m a black magic user.’

‘Because you’re a black magic user…?’

‘That’s right.’

The Black Magic King’s expression became even more ferocious.

‘To be precise, it’s because it’s a power that sold the future.’

‘What do you mean by a power that sold the future?’

‘It means exactly what it says.’

The Black Magic King’s anger began to show more clearly.

It was also becoming clear where that anger was directed.

‘Veil Stole. The origin of black magic made the choice to gain power by selling the future. He bet everything on the present, saying he would definitely deal with that hateful enemy, Ray Bell Bytenner.’

Veil Stole.

The Black Magic King’s anger was directed at him.

‘That’s why I couldn’t reach the 10th Circle. Because I have no future, I couldn’t move on to a new realm.’

The Black Magic King took his hand off Sophia and looked at his palm.

‘My talent was worthy of entering the realm of the gods, but the magic I chose was not a vessel to contain my talent.’

Clench-!

He clenched his fist and exploded with anger.

‘Veil Stole. That foolish man stole my future.’

The Black Magic King’s expression suddenly turned cold.

‘I think it was from that time. That I started to hate Veil Stole and had the thought of killing him.’

It was only natural for the Black Magic King to resent the foolish ancestor who had blocked his path.

‘And…’

The Black Magic King glared at Sophia with cold eyes.

‘I decided to abandon black magic.’

‘Abandon black magic…?’

‘That’s right.’

The Black Magic King stood up from his seat again and took three steps back.

‘They say that the extremes are connected. It’s true. The magic created by Ray Bell Bytenner and the black magic created by Veil Stole. The paths of the two magics are somewhat aligned.’

Black magic has no future.

Even if you have the talent to reach the 10th Circle, and even if you have the talent to go beyond that.

As long as you are shackled by black magic, it is impossible to go any further.

The only way to go further is to abandon black magic.

‘Even if I abandon black magic, the results of my training so far will not disappear. I can reach the 10th Circle through white magic.’

Abandon black magic and learn white magic.

And after that, step into the realm of the gods again.

This was the Black Magic King’s new goal.

‘But.’

The Black Magic King sat back on his throne.

A black throne, all painted in pitch black.

‘Black magic is not something you can just abandon if you want to.’

It was as if the throne was a shackle.

‘The curse of black magic that has coiled around my body has already taken root deep within my body. It can never be erased until my life is over.’

No. It was no exaggeration to say that it was actually a shackle.

Like the modifier ‘black’ in the Black Magic King’s name. The Black Magic King could not abandon black.

‘So.’

He couldn’t abandon black magic.

If this wasn’t a shackle, what was it?

‘I decided to give up my life.’

The Black Magic King pointed at Sophia.

‘I will give up my life. I will give up my body. I will give up black magic.’

To be precise, he was pointing at the curse that was in Sophia’s body.

‘You will become me.’

Sophia’s eyes widened.

‘That’s… what…’

The Black Magic King rested his chin on his hand again.

‘The curse I planted on you is not just a curse that takes your life. It’s a curse that only destroys your soul from your body.’

‘Soul…’

‘I plan to take over your empty body after you lose your soul.’

This was the reason why the Black Magic King did not kill Sophia.

Sophia must not die.

Because she was the body that would become his in the near future.

He couldn’t hurt her.

‘By doing so, I will be free from the shackles of black magic that are in my body. And through your body, I will be able to reach the 10th Circle with white magic. I will gain that possibility.’

The Black Magic King’s eyes blazed.

‘And after that. If Shin Hayul kills Veil Stole and removes the shackles of Veil Stole that are engraved in my soul…’

Black eyes blazing with ambition and desire.

‘Only then will I be able to exist as myself. Not as the Black Magic King, but only as myself. As an individual, I will be able to stand at the top of this world.’

This was the Black Magic King’s goal.

‘So… you…’

‘Yes. That’s why I’m keeping you alive.’

Sophia bit her trembling lip.

She felt dizzy at the shocking statement that he would take her body.

‘Are all your questions answered now?’

The Black Magic King smiled, looking at Sophia.

‘……’

Sophia fell silent.

She thought to herself.

‘I can’t give my body to the Black Magic King.’

She couldn’t give her body to the Black Magic King.

According to the Black Magic King, the moment she lost her body, the Black Magic King would ascend to an even higher level.

She had to stop that no matter what.

‘After saving Hayul. I’ll kill myself.’

Fortunately, it wasn’t that difficult to stop him.

She just had to kill herself.

She just had to erase this body without a trace.

‘Will it really go as you wish?’

At that moment, the Black Magic King moved.

The darkness around him expanded, and suddenly the world was dyed in pitch-black darkness.

‘This… is…’

At that moment, Sophia’s mind went blank.

The curse that had been eating away at her body was activated at once, and her mind began to blur.

‘Why do you think I told you everything? If you knew this, you would definitely choose to kill yourself, given your personality. Why do you think I told you everything?’

Beyond her blurring vision, she could see the Black Magic King smiling.

‘Originally, I was going to transfer your soul after the curse had matured a little more. After making my mana more familiar with your body.’

The Black Magic King looked down at Shin Hayul’s face.

His complexion was much better than before.

Thanks to Sophia’s tireless efforts, Shin Hayul had overcome the brink of death.

Even if the treatment ended here, Shin Hayul would not die.

‘Thanks to that variable and Shin Hayul’s reckless actions, I have suffered quite a bit of aftereffects in my body.’

Sophia’s body staggered and then collapsed.

‘I’m taking your body now.’

The Black Magic King smiled brightly, looking at Sophia.

He couldn’t help but smile as he imagined the new world that would unfold.

‘Then farewell. Sophia Anescheff. My nemesis.’

Just as the Black Magic King was about to forcibly activate the curse on Sophia’s body.

Slash-!

Suddenly, the Black Magic King’s mana was cut off.

‘It’s starting to look familiar now.’

Sein’s sword had cut through the Black Magic King’s mana.

‘……I’m sure I couldn’t cut it.’

‘That’s right.’

Sein swung his sword again without sheathing it.

Then, the darkness that had been surrounding the Black Magic King was cut off.

‘Until just now.’

Even though he had swung his sword twice, Sein’s sword did not go to its sheath.

‘But it’s different now.’

As if the cooldown through sheathing was no longer relevant.

As if he had overcome that weakness a long time ago.

Sein unleashed a third strike.

‘You shouldn’t have given me time. You shouldn’t have given me time to observe that darkness. You shouldn’t have given me time to contemplate myself.’

He stood in front of the fallen Sophia and the panting Shin Hayul.

He cut off the approaching darkness.

‘……Indeed.’

The Black Magic King frowned.

‘I wondered why you were staring so intently. You were observing my power.’

Looking at the Black Magic King, Sein raised his sword.

‘I’m familiar with your darkness. Your darkness no longer works on me.’

In that instant.

During that short time that Sophia was healing Shin Hayul.

‘Truly a monstrous talent.’

Sein Binosch had risen to a higher level.