Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 670

It wasn’t a question meant for an answer. Or, to be precise, Ian didn’t care what the answer was. The moment he sensed another presence beyond the forbidden mage’s gaze, Ian unleashed a cold, surging fury.

Zhiing-! Zhiing!

‘Annihilation.’

The golden eyes that dyed the world. The cloth that had been protecting Ian burned away in that light, and at the same time, cracks appeared on Mando’s clock.

Crack!

“……!”

The light that spilled from the broken clock fell unfiltered, and the Ruswena soldiers had no choice but to bear it fully.

Like those who had died covered in volcanic ash, they froze in their escape postures, holding their breaths. Their breaths were too slow and dull. The wind blowing in the middle of the battlefield was so hot and sharp.

“Run away! Run away!”

“The mages have gone mad! Aaaagh!”

“My body, my, my body-!”

“Please save me! Please save me!”

The Ruswena soldiers couldn’t believe it. They were in danger because of the Ruswena mages, not the Bariel mages. What on earth was going on?

Elderte extended his long bow and shouted at the forbidden mage, or rather, the King of Toolrun.

“Stop it right now! Stop it!”

But there was no way he would hear. The forbidden mage was only focused on Ian in front of him, and Ian had just slammed his condensed magic power into the forbidden mage’s face.

And that was a fatal blow that would lead to the opponent’s death.

Thud-!

Thud! Kwaaaang! Bang!

“I-!”

Elderte quickly drew a new Idgal arrow [a type of arrow] and aimed, but he couldn’t even stand properly because of the gale that had exploded in the sky. His tied-up turquoise hair swirled wildly.

“Lord Ian!”

“Oh my! Hold on tight!”

The Bariel mages also grabbed onto the World Tree branches and faced the wind.

Once the storm had passed, they cautiously opened their eyes and looked around.

“Haa, haa…….”

Ian, drenched in sweat, stood there, panting.

And the forbidden mage had vanished without a trace. The broken clock fragments lay scattered on the ground before turning into dust and flying away. Elderte paused with his bow in hand, and the soldiers, freed from the magic, took the opportunity to flee.

“A forbidden mage…….”

Was that even possible?

Ian wiped the sweat dripping from his chin with the back of his hand and looked towards Elderte. He wouldn’t know. Starting with Wesley, Ian had already faced and defeated many forbidden mages one-on-one.

It was difficult in the last battle because he had to deal with two at once, but now that his comrades were with him, there was no problem.

“…He’s dead.”

The Bariel mages simultaneously made the sign of the cross, as if their minds were connected. It was a lament for the mage who had fallen into the abyss, his will taken away. A brother connected by the sixth sense. They would mourn his pitiful end.

“…Lord Ian, are you alright?”

At the mages’ question, Ian lightly raised his hand. It was a gesture that showed no sign of the previous battle or the current fatigue. He now understood why Haile had compared the mystical orb to Acorella potion [a powerful healing potion].

He had indeed used a lot of magic power, but Ian felt almost no physical fatigue.

“Good. I’m fine.”

Was it because the Ruswena king’s neck was within his sight? Ian swept his disheveled hair back and fixed his gaze on his next target.

Elderte, the one who inherited the blood of the turquoise serpent. You’re next. I will hold you accountable for daring to invade Bariel and Hiel, disrupting the order.

Zhiing! Zhiing!

It was then. The Ruswena mages, who had been clinging to the World Tree, simultaneously unleashed their magic power. Yes. There were still many mages left among them.

A smile appeared on Elderte’s lips. If one forbidden mage couldn’t stop Ian Hiel, then two, or even three, could attack him at once.

“Huh?”

“Lord Ian, they’re acting a bit strange?”

“Wait a minute, hold on!”

The Bariel mages took a battle stance and tightened their grip on the World Tree branches.

However, the Ruswena mages’ reaction was strange. They were only trying to break free from the tree branches, and there was no other hostility felt.

“It’s a portal!”

“What, what is it? What on earth is this-”

The Ruswena mages squeezed out their remaining strength to open a portal. And then, they stretched out their hands as if they were swimming.

The Bariel mages tried to grab them, but it seemed their goal wasn’t to ‘move together.’ Among the mages who were pushing and pulling each other to create gaps, two of them threw themselves into the portal.

“You bastards! Where do you think you’re going!”

“Grab them, grab those bastards!”

“Don’t go into the portal! We don’t know where it leads! Here, I caught one!”

Elderte stared at the scene with a bewildered expression. What was going on? Why were the Ruswena mages trying to escape the battlefield by opening a portal?

He knew this was also the King of Toolrun’s decision, but he had not been consulted at all.

“Y-Your Highness. The mages are trying to escape-!”

“It would be best if you took cover first. The tide has turned.”

To turn the mages into forbidden ones, the King of Toolrun needed a puppeteer to act as a buffer in between. A shield to filter the forbidden power and bear the karma instead.

But since there were no puppeteers in Ruswena right now, the safest and surest way was to bring the mages to Toolrun and work on them there.

“What the heck. Ian, why are they like that?”

Berrick, who had been busy slashing and punching, also looked at the portal with a puzzled expression.

At this, Ian immediately flew towards the portal and gave instructions.

“Hold them. All the Ruswena mages. If it’s too difficult, you can kill them.”

It was a method to carry out forbidden magic. Ian then realized that there was nothing the King of Toolrun could do right now.

That meant that if the mages crossed over to Toolrun, they could all be turned into forbidden ones. Even greater hardships would come like a wave, so it was wise to stop them right now.

“Ugh, ugh, ugh-!”

“Understood! Everyone!”

“Put in all your strength! Damn it, there’s no other way!”

At Ian’s command, the Bariel mages squeezed their eyes shut and amplified their magic power.

The thick branches of the World Tree stretched out and strangled the Ruswena mages, and soon, with a cracking sound, their heads fell back.

Swoosh!

Meanwhile, Ian quickly flew into the portal and snatched the wrist of one of the mages. Then, the mage smiled. The entrance to the portal was shrinking at an incredible speed.

“Lord Ian! Come out!”

“The entrance is getting smaller!”

…Let’s just kill them.

Ian aimed at the mages who had hidden in the black space inside the portal, but they were like swimming fish. They swam freely and smiled at Ian as if daring him to catch them, and the Bariel mages gathered right in front of the portal and called out to Ian.

“Lord Ian! It’s okay! Please come out!”

“Please! Please!”

There was no way. Not right now.

Ian reached out towards the portal entrance, and the Bariel mages grabbed his hand, arm, and even his clothes, pulling him with all their might.

Swoosh!

The moment Ian’s toes came out, the portal disappeared. He almost got trapped in the infinitely multiplying magic space. The mages barely held onto their pounding hearts and looked up at the clear sky.

“O-Oh, ugh. Lord Ian…. I thought I was going to die…….”

“Huk, huk. If we were just a little late, we might never have seen Lord Ian again.”

“Lord Ian, please come out quickly! What’s so important about those two that you’re doing this!”

“They are the ones who answered the call of the King of Toolrun. If we don’t catch them now, it will be dangerous in the future.”

“We’re here now, aren’t we? We can go up safely, okay? We can do it step by step.”

“Hey! Is Ian okay?”

“Yeah, Berrick! Mind your own business!”

“What a rude way to talk! Got it!”

As soon as Berrick confirmed that Ian was okay, he threw down his blood-soaked magic greatsword and lay down on his back.

After a bout of commotion, the battlefield became quiet. The forbidden mage had been dealt with, and the remaining Ruswena mages were all dead. Only countless corpses were sprawled out, using the golden reed fields of Ruswena as their bedding.

“Then now…….”

The heads of the mages who had been hugging Ian turned simultaneously with a creak. Now, was the only thing left the Ruswena king?

Elderte gritted his teeth and backed away, following Martin’s escort.

“Dragon! Black Armor!”

Even as the soldiers scattered and fled, the black-armored knights answered the king’s call. Their faces were resolute, as if they were about to jump into the battlefield at any moment.

But could they really stop the mages with just them? They weren’t even magic swordsmen? And even Ian was still alive?

Elderte retreated and ordered Martin. The only way to contact Toolrun right now was through Lady Darcy.

“Send someone. Go to the palace and bring Lady Darcy. She’s in the second drawer of the study.”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

“Damn it.”

Elderte couldn’t understand Toolrun’s intention in taking the Ruswena mages. Was it to completely withdraw from this war, or to supplement the puppetry and send them back? Whatever it was, it was true that Ruswena was facing immediate danger.

“Bring the Idgal arrows! Unless we blind them, there’s no way to escape the mages’ gaze!”

“Shoot the arrows! Keep pouring them!”

“Those who run away will be beheaded immediately! Our families are behind us! Will you protect your families, or will you lead the enemy to them!”

“Get a grip, you bastards! It’s not over yet!”

“Black Armor will support you! Idgal- arrows!”

The chaotic Ruswena camp regained its vitality. Although the number of remaining troops was small, they had managed not to collapse.

But this was like a sandcastle. Everyone here knew that the mages could easily knock it down with a single touch.

“Just wait. I’m going to blow the palace doors off.”

It was the moment when the mages were about to fly towards the Ruswena main force, rolling up their sleeves.

Boo-ooo-

Boo-

A strange horn sound echoed loudly near the Ruswena border. It was a different tone from the water buffalo horns mainly used by Bariel and the three neighboring countries.

The mages turned around with puzzled faces and then frowned.

“What’s that again?”

Thousands of unfamiliar groups had crossed the desert. The flag patterns fluttering everywhere were quite familiar. Ian muttered as he saw the red seal clearly imprinted on the white background.

“…It’s Hawan.”

The ‘puppet’ who killed Prime Minister Shatima and seized command was in Hawan. They had rushed down to support the battle in Ruswena. Not through Merelov, but through the southern desert area.

“Your Highness, H-Hawan!”

“Hawan has sent support!”

“Thank goodness, thank goodness!”

Martin and the officers checked the border with binoculars and reported with joy. There was no law that said they had to die. They didn’t know what kind of forces Hawan had brought, but they wouldn’t be easily defeated by Bariel like this.

“What is Hawan’s strength? Can you identify it?”

“It’s probably the puppets that Lady Darcy made. If we join them, we can communicate with the King of Toolrun, Your Highness!”

Elderte nodded and ordered.

“Send a dragon to them. We will share the situation.”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

Meanwhile, the Bariel mages were watching this. They didn’t feel any particular sense of crisis, even though Ruswena was pushing in from the front and Hawan was pushing in from the back. They were in the sky, while the others were on the ground.

However, only one person-

“What the hell?”

Only Berrick, who was rolling on the ground and struggling with the soldiers, looked back and cursed in annoyance.