The Return of The Mythical Archmage [EN]: Chapter 363

Shin In-hyuk’s magic swallowed the building whole.

Like an apple with a bite taken out of it, one side of the building was completely hollowed out.

Beyond the destroyed building, the interior was clearly visible.

‘Is no one there?’

There was no one inside.

Considering the size of the building, there should have been at least hundreds of people.

The interior was very clean.

There was no sign of life at all.

‘What happened?’

It wasn’t that he found it strange that there were no ordinary people.

The citizens in this area had already been evacuated a long time ago.

After seeing the Destroyer’s video message and learning that there was a dragon here, everyone fled far away to save their own lives.

Currently, Florence was practically a ghost town.

‘The mafia guys should be gathered here.’

What Shin In-hyuk found strange was that there were no mafia members, the Destroyer, or Anti-Magia members inside the building.

Since the leaders of these three groups were gathered here, the ordinary members of the three groups should have been gathered as well.

There was no sign of life in the building.

“…It’s different from what I heard.”

That wasn’t the only reason Shin In-hyuk was surprised.

“Didn’t you say that at least a hundred units of mana were detected inside?”

Just before Shin In-hyuk used Black Core [a powerful magic technique].

Shin Ha-yul and Adela used their respective eyes to scan the interior of the building.

As a result, they knew that the Destroyer and Roper were inside, and they were able to identify that many people were stationed inside.

“It was definitely… detected…”

Adela frowned, looking like she couldn’t understand.

But what was this?

When they opened the lid, the inside of the building was empty.

It was understandable that they were flustered.

“This is strange.”

Shin Ha-yul said with a serious expression.

“Both Adela and I definitely felt more than a hundred mana inside.”

They had sensed more than 100 different unique mana signatures.

That’s why they were certain that hundreds of people were stationed inside.

“But why is no one there?”

“That’s…”

Shin Ha-yul bit her lip.

“I don’t know. I still feel hundreds of mana inside the building. But why is no one there…”

“You still feel it now?”

“Yes.”

Shin Ha-yul’s senses were still detecting hundreds of unique mana signatures.

According to what she was feeling, hundreds of people should be visible through the cut-off building.

But there was no one inside the building.

It was a situation that was hard for Shin Ha-yul to understand.

“…”

Shin In-hyuk’s eyes became even sharper.

The already heightened vigilance grew even more.

“Hey, then what’s the plan?”

Ji Soon-chan asked cautiously.

“…We’ll have to adjust it.”

There were no people inside the building.

In other words, the first premise of the operation was broken.

Since the premise was broken, there was a need to create a new plan.

“First, we need to check if the three leaders and the dragon are inside the building. The detailed adjustment of the operation will be after that…”

Adjusting the operation should be done after that.

That was when Shin Ha-yul was about to say that.

“Hehehe. Well, well, a distinguished guest has come from afar.”

A huge man appeared on the rooftop of the half-destroyed building.

“Have you come to settle the score that you couldn’t finish back then?”

A man whose massive muscles were as prominent as his large frame.

The Destroyer.

“I’m delighted. My only blemish in life has come to me on his own two feet.”

He laughed heartily with his arms crossed.

“I feel like I might be moved by that admirable spirit.”

Looking down at them.

The Destroyer seemed to think of Shin In-hyuk’s attack not as a crisis, but as an opportunity.

“…That light mouth of yours is still the same.”

“Heh. That’s my charm.”

Shin In-hyuk scoffed as he took a battle stance.

Looking at Shin In-hyuk, the Destroyer smiled even more deeply.

Thud!

Immediately after, he kicked off the building and fell to the ground.

The rooftop of the building cracked and shattered like a spider web from how hard he kicked it.

Squeeeeze-!

He clenched his fist tightly and descended with the momentum to crush Shin In-hyuk.

It was like a huge cannonball falling.

Kuuuuuung-!

The Destroyer’s fist collided with the ground, and a loud explosion rang out.

A strong wind quickly scattered from the point of impact of the Destroyer’s fist.

It was a wind pressure as if a missile had exploded.

If he had been hit directly by that attack, even Shin In-hyuk wouldn’t have been unscathed.

…Yes, if he had been hit.

“…What’s his intention?”

The Destroyer’s fist didn’t even graze Shin In-hyuk.

It wasn’t that Shin In-hyuk dodged it, but that the Destroyer deliberately missed.

“Is he trying to show off his strength? Or…”

Shin In-hyuk’s hair fluttered in the strong wind.

His brow was deeply furrowed.

“Is he looking down on me?”

It was the expression of a beast whose pride had been hurt.

“Hehe. That’s not it.”

The Destroyer pulled his fist out of the ground and stood upright.

“I just didn’t want our fight to be interrupted.”

Behind the Destroyer, something like a mirage flickered.

“…Destroyer. Why are you interfering?”

The mirage soon took the form of a person.

“Did I interfere? Nonsense. You’re the one who interfered, not me.”

The Destroyer glared fiercely at the man taking shape.

“Don’t interfere. Roper. This guy is my prey.”

“…”

Roper, the leader of Anti-Magia.

He frowned as he glared at the Destroyer.

“You go over there and deal with those brats who are spacing out. Don’t even think about touching my prey.”

“…I can’t understand.”

He couldn’t understand the Destroyer’s words.

Considering efficiency, it was right to deal with Shin In-hyuk with a surprise attack here, and then deal with the remaining three.

Even if the surprise attack failed, it was right to first neutralize Shin In-hyuk with a joint attack and then deal with the remaining three.

But he interfered with the surprise attack and then asked to fight separately.

It was an act that Roper couldn’t understand with his common sense.

“Ha. How can a mere fox understand the thoughts of a lion?”

What he couldn’t understand was the Destroyer as well.

He didn’t know why he was so confident after interfering with a man-to-man fight.

“Enough, you go and deal with those brats.”

“No. You follow my instructions. Right now, it’s more important to take down Shin In-hyuk with a joint attack.”

Emotion-type and efficiency-type.

The compatibility between the two was so bad that it could be described as terrible.

“You’re under me. Listen to me.”

“A barbarian whose only strength is his fists should act like a barbarian and do as he’s told.”

The two glared at each other with grim expressions.

It was an atmosphere where they seemed like they would fight each other right away.

The two’s battle of nerves inevitably created an opening.

‘Adela!’

‘I know.’

And they were not the kind of people to miss that opening.

Adela and Ji Soon-chan began to move, taking advantage of the two’s opening.

As if matching their movements, Shin In-hyuk also prepared his magic.

‘Elena, please.’

‘Yes. Leave it to me.’

The first to act was Adela.

Adela’s mana flickered in two colors: cyan and gray.

Two different mana that seemed like they could never become one.

Woong, woong, woooong!

Two different properties that seemed like water and oil, unable to mix with each other, slowly began to become one in the body of a genius named Adela.

“Hoo.”

The time it took for the two mana to become one was only about 1 second.

As she was still lacking in training, it wasn’t a complete unity.

But it was enough to be described as fused.

“Thornbush Lantern.”

‘Thornbush Lantern.’

Like the mana that had become one, Adela and Elena’s words also became one.

“The lantern holds the moonlight.”

‘The lantern holds the moonlight.’

The fusion of green and gray that had only unfolded within Adela’s body soon spread out, engulfing the world.

“Adorning the world.”

‘Adorning the world.’

At that moment, thorn bushes sprouted from the ground where the Destroyer and Roper were standing.

A thorn bush that was slightly different from the thorn bushes that Elena used.

A thorn bush that Elena described as having a different mana density.

Flash-!

A full moon rose above the thorn bushes.

A small moon created by Adela’s mana.

Embracing the moonlight it emitted, the thorn bushes began to grow rapidly.

“…”

“…”

The Destroyer and Roper’s expressions hardened.

A magic that looked dangerous at first glance.

As if realizing that now was not the time to bicker with each other, they immediately went into battle stance.

“These bastards…”

The Destroyer’s fist was dyed a deep red color.

A special mana that made the Destroyer who he was.

Mana filled with the energy of destruction was concentrated at one point.

“It’s more fun than I thought?”

Whoooong-!

It was swung as it was.

A fist flying towards the thorn bushes that were growing to surround the two.

It was a thornbush lantern with the characteristic of absorbing mana and growing, but it could not easily absorb the mana of ‘destruction’ that the Destroyer wielded.

If it was attacked now, before it had fully grown, it wouldn’t be able to withstand it.

“Aslan!”

“Shut up. Don’t shout every single time.”

However, Ji Soon-chan was not going to just watch the Destroyer’s attack.

Although not as good as Adela and Elena, Ji Soon-chan and Aslan had fused to the point where it could be described as somewhat fused.

The two’s mana became one, giving birth to a new magic.

“Octagonal Gate!”

Defense specialization.

The octagonal gate that Ji Soon-chan was proud of was formed in the trajectory where the Destroyer’s fist was flying.

“…Dimension.”

Aslan’s specialty, space magic, was twisted.

Kiiiiing-!

The octagonal shield unique to the octagonal gate contained the semi-transparent distortion unique to space magic.

“Kahaha! Do you think you can stop my fist with this kind of defense magic!”

The Destroyer focused an even greater power on his fist with a hearty laugh.

The Destroyer’s fist, which had taken on an even more destructive momentum.

Kaaaaaaang-!

It collided directly with the shield that Ji Soon-chan & Aslan had deployed.

“Be shattered!”

The Destroyer’s laugh was full of confidence.

It was clear that not only the shield in front of him, but also the unidentified plant that was still growing would be shattered.

That was the laugh he was sure of.

However.

“…What?”

The Destroyer’s conviction was shattered to pieces not long after.

“It’s not being destroyed?”

The Destroyer’s fist couldn’t even scratch the barrier, let alone break through it and destroy the thorn bushes.

‘What is this…’

The Destroyer stopped thinking for a moment at the sense of powerlessness he was experiencing for the first time in his life.

‘…Tsk. Useless guy.’

Looking at the Destroyer, Roper clicked his tongue.

He thought the Destroyer would take care of it on his own, so he stayed still. He didn’t know he wouldn’t be able to break through that level of barrier.

‘I guess I have no choice. I have to step in.’

He wanted to watch the situation a little longer before moving.

It seemed like it wasn’t a situation where he could afford to be so relaxed.

Roper immediately moved his mana.

‘First, I’ll break that defense magic.’

Roper’s ability was mana that could freely change. With that, he could synchronize with the opponent’s mana and neutralize the opponent’s magic itself.

Roper’s mana flowed into Ji Soon-chan’s mana.

‘Two mana types? Is there even a guy like this?’

A strange magic where two different mana properties coexisted.

It was a magic of a type he had never seen before, but it wasn’t impossible to deal with.

‘It’s amazing, but is that all? It’s a magic made of two mana, but if I neutralize one mana, the other one will be neutralized on its own.’

Roper changed the nature of one of the two mana he felt. The simpler and easier to transform, Ji Soon-chan’s mana.

‘Type D, 23rd form. 485 value.’

And after a while.

Ji Soon-chan’s magic collapsed.

As Ji Soon-chan’s octagonal gate collapsed, Aslan’s space magic also naturally disappeared.

“Hoo…”

A different light flowed from Aslan’s eyes.

To think that he would be able to break through this magic so easily.

His vigilance towards the opponent increased a little more.

‘But is that all?’

But that was all.

His vigilance only increased a little.

‘If it’s just that much, I don’t need to do anything more. I can leave it to Elena.’

Aslan snorted with a look of disdain.

‘Next is that unidentified plant.’

At that time, Roper moved his mana to neutralize the thorn bushes that Adela had deployed.

‘…Two mana again?’

This time as well, he could confirm that two mana were mixed together.

To think that he would meet two-type mana users he had never seen before here in a row.

‘What kind of guys are they?’

Roper had a very small doubt and began to synchronize with one mana, just like before.

‘Type A, 33rd form. …1 value?’

Among the mana that Roper classified, the highest value of the best type A.

It was a mana of a form that was so close to perfection that even Roper was seeing it for the first time.

‘…It’s a mana that’s too beautiful to destroy.’

The mana was so pure that even Roper felt a moment of regret.

‘It’s a pity, but… I have no choice. Be destroyed.’

Of course, that feeling was only for a moment.

Roper immediately poured mana into the thorn bushes to destroy them.

Now, after a while, one type of mana would collapse and begin to collapse naturally.

‘Once this unidentified plant is destroyed, I’ll target those kids first.’

It seemed like he had made a mistake. Those kids seemed more dangerous than Shin In-hyuk.

What he needed to prioritize here was not Shin In-hyuk, but dealing with those kids.

‘…Wait a minute.’

At that moment, Roper’s eyes widened.

‘One person is missing?’

There were three of them before the plant sprouted.

Now, there were only two.

‘Shin Ha-yul. Where did that guy go?’

Shin Ha-yul had disappeared.

‘Is he hiding and looking for an opportunity to attack us? Or did he infiltrate inside? Or is he requesting support…’

Roper’s head became complicated in an instant.

Shin In-hyuk, who was looking for an opportunity, and Shin Ha-yul, who had disappeared.

His head was filled with thoughts about the two of them.

It was then.

‘This is…’

Something happened that made Roper’s already complicated head even more complicated.

‘The nature of the mana has changed?’

The nature of the mana that was type A, 33rd form, 1 value had changed.

‘Type B, 123rd form, 1 value?’

It wasn’t a subtle change, but it had changed like a different person.

‘What is this…’

Roper’s ability was famous.

It was famous because Roper himself had been using it so much.

As it was famous, there were many times when the opponent had come up with countermeasures.

‘Did he change the nature of his mana to counter my ability?’

But this was the first time someone had responded in this way.

To change one’s own mana.

‘Did he belatedly change the nature of the mana of the already implemented magic and overwrite it?’

This kind of thing. Even Roper couldn’t do it.

‘How on earth…’

At that moment, the thornbush lantern completed its full growth.

“Complete.”

The thornbush lantern that had become an adult could never be broken by magic.

Adela slowly walked towards the two and stretched out her hands.

“Then, I’ll go.”

The mana that poured out from Adela’s hands flowed into the surrounding thornbush lanterns.

Green and gray.

The thornbush lantern that had absorbed the two mana, shook very slightly.

And the next moment.

Swoooosh-!

Weeeeeeeng-!

The thornbush lanterns that surrounded all sides began to pour out moonlit magic bullets and green thorns.

Hundreds and thousands of magic bullets and thorns filled the surroundings.

‘…It’s dangerous.’

A threatening attack that was even awe-inspiring.

The existence of Shin Ha-yul, who had disappeared from Roper’s mind, vanished in an instant.

* * *

Taking advantage of the gap that Adela and Soon-chan had created, I moved to the underground where the dragon’s mana was felt.

“Tsk. Incompetent guys. They can’t even last 5 minutes.”

In the center of the underground, bunker-like space, there was a red dragon that was smaller than the one previously filmed in the video, and Marco, the leader of the Mafia Ganggeon faction.

“Then, there’s no choice. It’s a bit of a shame, but I have no choice but to finish the adjustment like this.”

Marco placed his hand on the red dragon’s head.

“Wake up.”

And the next moment.

The red dragon slowly began to open its eyes.