The Return of The Mythical Archmage [EN]: Chapter 359

The sudden appearance of a dragon.

The emergence of a monster more colossal than any discovered before has put the entire world on high alert.

[A giant drake appears in the middle of the city.]

[No attack was effective against it.]

A monster of unprecedented scale, possessing immense mana.

No magic or weapon currently in existence could pierce its scales.

[Milan collapses with a single breath from the beast.]

[Milan was instantly incinerated, reduced to ashes.]

In contrast, there is no way to defend against its attacks.

With just a light exhale, an entire city vanished.

It was a monster that seemed to possess both an unstoppable spear and an impenetrable shield.

[The unidentified drake begins moving west.]

[Next is France.]

“It has begun moving west.”

That monster, after burning Milan, began moving towards France, located to the west.

At this rate, France will collapse soon.

“How much time do we have before it crosses the French border?”

“Assuming it flies at its current speed, about 8 minutes.”

“…8 minutes. More leeway than I expected.”

The red dragon was flying through the skies above Milan, now a hellscape.

It was leisurely flying as if enjoying the devastation it had created.

If it had flown at full speed, it wouldn’t have taken even a minute to reach this point.

“Is there any way to stop its attack?”

“……”

No one answered the French president’s question.

Or rather, it would be more accurate to say that they couldn’t answer.

“…I see.”

The president scanned the surrounding officials with a half-resigned expression.

They all had expressions of despair, heads bowed low.

Their eyes were filled with a deep-seated sense of hopelessness.

‘It’s hopeless.’

Defeating that monster is impossible.

Everyone in this room thinks so.

They have all lost the will to fight.

“We must flee. The only way for us to survive is to escape abroad, all of us, right now.”

They looked like dogs with their tails between their legs in front of a tiger.

Seeing the officials like that, the president let out a deep sigh.

“…8 minutes. Do you really think we can evacuate the citizens in that short amount of time?”

“It would be impossible to evacuate everyone. However, we could evacuate 1/3 of them. If we prioritize evacuating the citizens in the western regions, which are still some distance away, we can definitely…”

“So, abandon 2/3?”

The president’s expression turned grim.

He felt genuine murderous intent towards the official who had so casually suggested abandoning the citizens.

“Is that something you should be saying?”

Truly, the president’s imposing presence.

No official has ever stood their ground in the face of that pressure.

“Yes.”

However, this time was different.

“I’m saying this because of the current situation.”

People lose their sense of reason when faced with death.

With death so close, the president’s imposing presence was nothing more than a gentle breeze.

“If we issue an evacuation order now, 1/3 will survive. But if we don’t issue an evacuation order now, everyone will die.”

Moreover, it was clear to everyone that the president was making the wrong decision.

He was trapped by the idea of justice and unable to make a proper judgment.

“I’ll say it again. We must flee.”

The official’s assertiveness began to overwhelm the president.

It was better to save a few people than to have everyone die.

“Calm down…”

The president said with a somber expression.

“Calm down, is that the only way?”

An expression of disillusionment with his own incompetence.

“Is there really no way to stop that thing…?”

“Yes. There isn’t.”

The official stated definitively.

“Milan, Italy, has fallen. And it wasn’t just any Milan; it was Milan where all of Italy’s forces were concentrated due to mafia-related issues. It was reduced to rubble in an instant.”

The military strength of France and Italy was roughly equal.

Originally, Italy was slightly stronger, but thanks to the ‘swordsmen’ who had rapidly risen to prominence in the last two years, they were now almost on par.

And that Italy had been defeated.

Even though almost 90% of their forces were concentrated in Milan, they were annihilated in 3 minutes.

“Even the magic of the Blue Magic Tower Master, Kim Kang-in, did no damage.”

A dragon that wields fire, befitting its red appearance.

Kim Kang-in, the Blue Magic Tower Master, stepped forward to confront the dragon.

But he couldn’t inflict any damage.

Even with the strongest water-attribute magic in existence, he couldn’t even scratch the dragon’s scales.

“That thing is a walking disaster. It’s not something that humans can dare to approach. We must flee.”

The official’s face was pale, and his lips trembled.

As if gripped by fear, the sound of his teeth chattering could be heard continuously.

“Just… just with a single exhale… Milan… an entire city was annihilated… We absolutely, absolutely cannot win. We must not fight. Fighting will only lead to a pointless death.”

People facing an unknown monster usually go insane.

The fear of the unknown, combined with the fear of death, began to create an indescribable sense of terror.

“Mr. President. There is no time. Even as we speak, time is passing.”

Three minutes had passed during the conversation.

Now, only 5 minutes remained.

“Mr. President. Please make a decision…”

The officials’ eyes were focused on the president.

They all hoped that the president would say the word to flee.

Crack.

A sound of something breaking could be heard from the president’s molars.

He had clenched his teeth so hard that the sound of his teeth colliding was terrifying.

“Given the situation, I suppose there’s no other choice…”

The president began to speak in a voice filled with lament.

Without a clear plan, the only option was to flee, as the officials had said.

It was better to save 1/3 of the people than to have everyone die.

“Effective immediately, issue an emergency evacuation order, prioritize evacuating the citizens who can be evacuated… and the citizens who cannot be saved…”

The president clenched his teeth again.

The citizens in the areas adjacent to Milan would be abandoned.

Those words were not easy to say.

That’s when it happened.

Bang!

The door was violently opened, and a man appeared.

“Mr. President, the red dragon…!”

The man, with a pale face, shouted, spitting as he spoke.

“It has begun to accelerate!”

At those words, the hearts of everyone in the room sank.

“A, accelerate? Why all of a sudden…”

“W, we must escape…”

The atmosphere instantly became chaotic.

“Calm down!”

Thump!

To quell the chaotic atmosphere, the president slammed his fist on the table.

“…So. How much time is left before it crosses the border?”

“I, it’s already…”

The man said in a trembling voice.

“It has already crossed the border…”

And immediately after that.

Kugugugung-!

The air vibrated.

A massive mana that even the officials could feel.

It was pressing down on the atmosphere.

“It’s already above Paris…”

And the next moment.

Kuoohhhhhhhhhh-!!

The roar of the red dragon shook the entire city of Paris.

That was the end.

“I see…”

The president’s last words.

And.

“Indeed… this is not a monster that humans can face…”

France’s last words.

That day.

France was annihilated.

* * *

“……”

16 minutes.

That was the time it took for Milan, Italy, and the entire territory of France to be incinerated.

The monster from the mythical era completely annihilated a country in that short amount of time.

It only took three breaths in the center of France.

The nation of France was completely destroyed, leaving no trace behind.

A country that was among the top ten most powerful in the world in terms of military strength was annihilated in 10 minutes.

That fact plunged the entire world into shock.

“A real dragon…”

I was the same.

The appearance of a dragon.

And the appearance of an individual much more powerful than the one I had faced before.

My head was throbbing.

What should I do about this situation?

My mind was not working.

“So, where is it now?”

I asked my father, holding my throbbing head.

It had been about 30 minutes since the monster appeared in Paris, France.

It took a total of 16 minutes for it to annihilate France, so about 14 minutes had passed since France was destroyed.

There was a 14-minute gap in its movements.

“It wouldn’t still be in the skies above France. Where is it moving?”

It had started moving towards France as soon as it had burned Milan.

It wouldn’t be strange if it had started moving to hunt another prey as soon as it had burned France.

“Right now, it’s…”

Perhaps Germany, Spain, or the United Kingdom.

It would be one of the three.

Which of the three did it go to?

I listened to my father’s words.

“It disappeared.”

“…Disappeared?”

But what was this?

I received a completely different answer than I had expected.

“What do you mean by disappeared?”

“It disappeared, literally. It suddenly vanished from the skies above France.”

“……”

Disappeared?

“Are you saying it teleported?”

“I don’t know. There are limits to what we can confirm with satellite cameras. All we know right now is that it suddenly disappeared.”

“…Even with satellite cameras, we should have been able to track the movement of mana.”

“Normally, that would be possible, but at the time, France was…”

“…Ah, that’s right. The mana would have been incredibly distorted because of the breath.”

In that chaotic situation, it would have been impossible to track the movement of mana.

“So, is it impossible to track its current movements?”

“Yes. It’s impossible.”

My father let out a big sigh.

“Because of this, the entire world is on high alert. If it can really use teleportation, it means that its attack could start anywhere, anytime.”

“…That’s true.”

An unmanageable monster that can freely use teleportation.

The existence of such a monster is enough to shake the foundations of this world.

“We’re already struggling enough to prepare for six months from now. And now a dragon…”

My head feels like it’s about to break.

‘If that thing has the same power as the dragons in mythology… Veil Stole is not the problem.’

Dragons in mythology are described as monsters with power comparable to gods.

If it really has the same power as the dragons in mythology, it means that it is a monster with power equal to or greater than Veil Stole.

There is no way to defeat such a monster.

Maybe if we had some time, but right now, we absolutely cannot win.

No wonder my head hurts.

“…At least it’s a relief that the Commander is safe.”

Commander Charles and Kim Kang-in are safe.

They were attacked by the red dragon in Milan, but they managed to find an opportunity to escape.

“I heard that the young master of Vino Sugar also managed to avoid the disaster.”

“Yes. They were able to avoid the disaster because they had joined up with Commander Charles at the time.”

“That’s a stroke of luck.”

“Yes. It really is.”

Just before I collapsed.

Commander Charles had sensed strange movements from the mafia and requested help from Vino Sugar, located in France, a nearby country, to respond to it.

In response to that help, Stella secretly gathered her forces and headed to Milan, joining up with Commander Charles. They immediately began their mission.

Thanks to that, Stella was able to avoid the disaster.

They did clash with the red dragon in Milan, but they were able to survive thanks to Commander Charles and Kim Kang-in being nearby.

Could there be a situation more fitting for the phrase “a stroke of luck”?

“Whatever the case, we need to start by tracking the dragon’s movements. That’s the only way we can do anything…”

That’s when it happened.

“Patriarch. Young Master.”

Uncle Seok-hyun appeared.

“There’s something you need to see urgently.”

Uncle Seok-hyun quickly operated the equipment in the study and activated a holographic screen.

“This guy is…”

Two men appeared on the screen.

As soon as he confirmed one of the men, my father’s expression turned grim.

“Destroyer…”

Destroyer.

A cadre of the Black Magic Tower who had fought my father two and a half years ago during the Black Magic Tower eradication operation.

A massive man with destructive power befitting his name.

He was standing with his arms crossed next to a sinister-looking man.

—I’ll say it again.

Destroyer said with a smirk.

—From now on, the world will be ruled by us, the Destroyer and the Anti-Magia Alliance. If there is any country that resists us…

Destroyer picked up the camera in front of him and pointed it at the opposite side of where they were standing.

“…!”

“…!”

A huge red figure was sleeping with its eyes closed.

—This dragon will come for you.

The red dragon.

The mythical monster that had annihilated France was there.