The Return of The Mythical Archmage [EN]: Chapter 326

In the midst of excruciating pain.

Beyond my fading vision, I could see Sein’s back.

A swaying back.

The back of a dying person, one who could collapse at any moment.

‘Sein… nim…’ [Nim is a Korean honorific, similar to ‘Mr.’ or ‘Ms.’ but used more intimately]

No, this won’t do.

In her current state, Sein-nim cannot defeat the Black Magic King.

Fighting now would be nothing more than a pointless death.

‘Don’t worry.’

At that moment, I felt a warm sensation on my body.

‘Sein… nim?’

When did she approach? Sein-nim was embracing me.

‘I will not lose.’

While holding me, she stroked my head.

‘The current me will not lose to anyone.’

It was a voice and touch that put people at ease.

‘So, rest well.’

My already hazy mind began to fade even further.

‘When you open your eyes next, everything will be over.’

What did Sein-nim do to my body?

It felt like I had taken a sleeping pill.

‘Sein… nim…’

The consciousness I was barely holding onto collapsed in an instant.

‘Sleep well.’

With that voice as the end.

My vision went dark.

* * *

From a young age, Sein Vinoche displayed overwhelming talent.

With the development and establishment of AI, the position of mages rose rapidly.

In an era where the position of swordsmen was precarious.

If Sein Vinoche had not existed, the current swordsmen might not even be called ‘swordsmen’.

If she hadn’t reached a level where she could stand shoulder to shoulder with mages, the existence of swordsmen might have disappeared altogether by now.

No. It’s not a hypothetical; they would have actually disappeared.

They would have been despised by everyone and vanished into the annals of history.

That is why all the current swordsmen sincerely respect Sein Vinoche.

If it weren’t for Sein Vinoche as a focal point, if it weren’t for her talent, swordsmen would be living a life far more miserable than they are now.

‘Enlightenment is truly insignificant after one has attained it.’

Such burdens bound Sein Vinoche’s talent.

The enormous burdens of a sense of duty and responsibility were like restraints that prevented her from focusing solely on the sword.

‘Stepping back one step, I see a path to move forward, and letting go of everything, I see what I have so desperately desired.’

Because she had to think about the future of swordsmen.

Because she was responsible for the future of all swordsmen.

Since she came to her senses, Sein Vinoche had never once wielded a sword with a pure heart.

‘Thank you.’

Until two months ago.

Until she met Shin Hayul.

‘I offer all the gratitude in this world to you for appearing before me.’

Sein Vinoche smiled.

With a dying face.

As if she was truly enjoying herself.

She wore an innocent smile.

‘And just a little bit…’

Her innocence held a hint of wistfulness.

‘I also feel resentful.’

Looking down at Shin Hayul, who had collapsed and lost consciousness.

Slowly.

She lowered her posture very slowly.

‘If only…’

With a painful expression, she gently stroked Shin Hayul’s cheek while groaning.

‘If only you had appeared before me a little earlier, how wonderful would that have been.’

She had seen a brilliant light.

She had spent days far more enjoyable than her entire life.

‘If that were the case…’

The two months she lived as Sein were more valuable than the 52 years she lived as the head of the Vinoche family.

‘If that were the case, I could have enjoyed these wonderful days a little longer.’

That’s why, just a little.

She felt a little resentful towards Shin Hayul.

Like a cruel hope.

It would have been better if she hadn’t known.

If she hadn’t known this brilliance, she wouldn’t have regretted it so much.

‘No, if possible, why didn’t you just get born 20 years earlier?’

Sein pinched Shin Hayul’s cheek.

With a very small resentment.

As if she was complaining to this hateful man.

Lightly.

As if she was caressing the cheek of a newborn baby.

‘……I guess I’m getting old.’

Sein gave a bitter smile.

‘To see me become so emotional.’

A wistful bitter smile.

With such a pitiful smile, she took her hand away from Shin Hayul.

‘If.’

She took her hand away, stood up from her spot.

And slowly raised her hand.

‘If there is such a thing as an afterlife.’

Her life was contained in her palm.

The earnest heart of Sein Vinoche was imbued within it.

‘Then, I hope we can be born in the same era.’

Heart Sword.

Her heart was completely gathered into a single wish.

And took the form of a sword.

‘You with magic. Me with the sword. That way, we can elevate each other, train together, and grow together.’

The tip of the sword.

The pinnacle she barely reached at the end of her life.

A mysterious realm that no one has ever reached before, so it doesn’t even have a name.

‘It would surely be enjoyable.’

Sein thought.

What should she name this sword?

Since it’s the last one, it would be good to give it a grand name.

‘……It’s a strange feeling. There’s resentment and sadness, but no regrets.’

No.

Sein Vinoche’s last sword in life doesn’t need grand rhetoric.

‘No. If I say there are no regrets, that would be a lie. Just a little. Yes. Just a little, regret remains.’

This sword just needs to be a sword.

Because Sein Vinoche’s life was a sword.

No other rhetoric is needed.

‘Stella. Leaving that child behind and going first is just a little… troubling.’

Sein swung her sword.

An intangible sword that shouldn’t exist cut through the air.

‘And…’

What is being cut is an illusion.

A mirage that exists but does not exist.

Something that makes up this world.

‘Not being able to see your future. That’s just a little… disappointing.’

Was it the principle of the world that was cut?

Or was it this world itself?

No one but Sein could know.

What was certain was that Sein’s sword had definitely cut something.

And.

‘Yes. This will do.’

Shin Hayul’s body was being sucked into the crack that Sein had cut.

‘I’ll entrust Stella to you. If you take care of her, I can leave with peace of mind.’

Shin Hayul’s body was slowly sinking, as if being submerged in the sea.

‘You probably already know, but that child’s talent is greater than mine. If you raise her well, she will become a swordsman who surpasses me.’

Sein took her eyes off Shin Hayul and turned her back.

‘That child will be a great help in the near future when fighting against the evil forces. Go ahead and raise her well.’

The evil forces, Veil Stoll.

Stella will be a great help in that battle.

‘Oh, that’s right. If you like her while raising her, you can just eat her. I, her mother, will allow it.’

Sein turned her head slightly for the last time, looked at Shin Hayul’s face, and smiled playfully.

‘And…’

Sein’s words were not finished.

‘You’re an impatient one. Did you leave without even giving your disciple a chance to say his last words before his long journey?’

Before the words could even finish, Shin Hayul’s body had disappeared.

Sein erased her smile.

‘I’ve been kept waiting.’

All warmth disappeared, and her expression became sharp like a blade.

‘It was a bit unexpected. I thought you would aim for my back.’

She glared at the Black Magic King with a demonic expression.

‘I was planning to.’

He had long since abandoned any sense of composure.

From the moment he abandoned the 1:1 and used the cowardly strategy of targeting Shin Hayul and Sophia, he had abandoned the word ‘fair’.

Even now, he was planning to exploit Sein’s weakness if possible.

But.

‘If there was a weakness.’

He couldn’t have aimed for it.

There was not a single hint of futility in Sein Vinoche’s movements.

Even though she had completely turned her back and was looking away, there was no weakness to be found.

What he felt from her empty back was not a flaw, but awe.

If he attacked rashly now, he would be countered.

That was the only thought that came to mind.

The Black Magic King’s intuition was warning him not to attack.

‘Your intuition is good.’

Sein took a step towards the Black Magic King.

‘If you had aimed for my back and approached like that…’

At that moment, the air was cut.

Suddenly, without any warning.

The world was divided in two.

‘I would have made it like this.’

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

The fact that she cut the air itself was not surprising.

She was a crazy swordsman who even cut space.

The fact that she cut the air itself was not a big deal.

‘……I didn’t see it.’

The problem was that he didn’t see that strike.

Without any warning, the air was cut without him even realizing it.

‘Sophia Anechepri. I’m sorry, but it seems like you’ll have to help me until the end. It’s not like I’m going to lose, but just in case.’

Sein turned her gaze to Sophia, who was on the side, on guard, and staring at the Black Magic King.

‘Just so you know, I refuse any refusal. I don’t have enough strength left to send even you away alive.’

‘Don’t worry. I was planning to stay even if you told me to leave.’

Like Sein, Sophia had already made up her mind.

Her life would end here.

This was the place where she would die.

She would end her life here with the Black Magic King.

‘That’s a great look in your eyes. That’s what Sophia Anechepri is all about.’

Sein smiled faintly and turned her gaze.

Then, she looked at the Black Magic King, who had a serious expression, and gave a cold smile.

‘Well then, we don’t have much time. Shall we start soon?’

The air shimmered like a mirage.

A mirage that was only visible to the Black Magic King.

That mirage soon transformed into the shape of a sword.

‘Be honored.’

Sein’s sword shone brilliantly with the sole intention of killing the Black Magic King.

‘Being able to see this sword is the greatest of fortunes.’

The extremes are connected.

Magic and swords are the same.

A sword that has reached its peak cannot be distinguished from magic.

‘Ah, right. I forgot to ask this.’

Sein asked from under that massive sword.

‘What is your name?’

She asked the name of the evil foe she would face in her final moments.

‘I have no name.’

The Black Magic King frowned with a sharp expression.

‘The current me cannot exist as myself. Therefore, I have no name. The current me is just the Black Magic King. Nothing more, nothing less.’

‘I see.’

Sein nodded slightly.

‘If you don’t have a name, there’s nothing I can do. I have no choice but to give up on finding it.’

The sword floating behind Sein shook violently.

‘So.’

It trembled loudly, as if it would fall down at any moment.

‘In the next world, you come find me. Follow my name, and appear before me.’

Sein’s sword shone.

It shone as brilliantly as her life.

‘Then. I’ll kill you again.’

Like a star emitting its last bright light before it disappears.

‘Remember it clearly. My name is Sein. Sein Vinoche.’

It shone beautifully and enchantingly.

* * *

When I opened my eyes, a white ceiling came into view.

The smell of medicine tickled my nose, and the surroundings were filled with specialized medical equipment.

Is this a hospital?

‘You’re awake.’

At that moment, a voice was heard from the side.

A familiar voice.

‘Kim Kangin-nim…’

Kim Kangin-nim was sitting next to the bed, looking at me.

‘Are you hurt anywhere?’

‘Yes. I don’t feel particularly hurt… Ugh!’

The moment I tried to raise my upper body, I felt terrible pain all over my body.

It hurts.

It felt like someone was cutting my whole body with dozens of knives.

‘I’m sorry. That was a pointless question. There’s no way you’d be okay with such severe injuries.’

Kim Kangin-nim got up from his seat and put his hand behind my back.

And then he lifted my upper body.

‘Don’t overdo it. The fact that Hayul-gun’s [Gun is another Korean honorific, less formal than ‘nim’] body is still alive is a miracle.’

I observed my body internally.

‘……Yes. It is.’

There was no need to observe for long.

As Kim Kangin-nim said, my body was a mess.

Not just any mess, but a rag that had been torn to shreds and was about to turn into ashes from being burned.

‘What happened?’

My body being in the worst condition wasn’t a big deal.

I had taken the reckless step of overdriving Ignis and had also forcibly entered complete neutrality, putting a great burden on my circle.

It was a miracle that it ended like this.

‘How did I end up in the hospital?’

The key was how I was able to get here.

‘How did the fight end? What about Sein-nim and Sophia-nim?’

And the result of the battle.

‘……’

Kim Kangin-nim’s expression darkened.

The moment I met that expression, my heart sank.

I could tell just by looking at his expression.

‘Did they… pass away?’

Kim Kangin-nim quietly took out a pile of documents from his bag.

And from within, he took out a few photos and handed them to me.

I received the photos with trembling hands.

‘These photos are…’

The photos showed Sein-nim and the Black Magic King.

‘After the barrier disappeared. When we found Sein Vinoche-nim, she was already in this state.’

In the photo, Sein-nim was standing with her eyes closed.

With the most peaceful expression.

With an expression of enjoying victory.

She was peacefully closing her eyes with a faint smile.

‘Sein-nim… won.’

‘Yes.’

On the other hand, the Black Magic King was sprawled on the floor with the most miserable expression.

As if he had been stabbed by a huge sword, there was a huge wound on his upper body.

His upper and lower body were split in half.

The winner was clearly Sein-nim.

‘Sein Vinoche-nim… killed the Black Magic King and passed away as if falling asleep.’

I glared at the photos and bit my lip.

‘Really…’

Before my consciousness faded, at the very end.

Sein-nim’s last words, that she wouldn’t lose to anyone, came to mind.

‘She really… won…’

I felt complicated.

Even though the great enemy, the Black Magic King, was dead, I didn’t feel happy.

It must be because what I lost was greater than what I gained.

I slowly flipped through the photos, examining the traces of the final battle.

And soon after, I found something strange.

‘There are no photos of Sophia-nim. What happened to Sophia-nim?’

Sophia-nim was not in the photos.

‘Sophia-nim is currently missing.’

‘Missing?’

‘Yes. Judging from the traces of the battle, it’s certain that she fought alongside Sein-nim in the final battle, but…’

They couldn’t find her body.

That’s what it meant.

‘That means…’

‘Yes.’

And the fact that they couldn’t find her body meant…

‘Sophia-nim might still be alive.’

That’s what it meant.