The Rebirth Of The Hero’S Party’S Archmage [EN]: Chapter 247

247.

“So, you’re saying you want revenge for what happened 300 years ago?”

Zernique’s eye behind the eyepatch twitched, barely containing his glee.

“Fascinating. Usually, when people feel such an overwhelming difference in power, they learn some manners.”

*This bastard…*

I unleashed the Hwacheonjigye [Dragon Flame Art], but the dimensional barrier surrounding Zernique absorbed all the flames.

“Heh heh heh heh, alright, alright, I get it. I did promise a reward for running errands for this great senior, didn’t I?”

Suddenly, he lifted the eyepatch above his forehead.

I expected some issue with his eyes, but his large, sharp eyes were beautiful, even exuding a noble air.

But his pupils… how could they be so grotesque? Four irises were fused together to form a single pupil.

“I’ll show you something you’ll never see anywhere else, as a reward for daring to challenge me twice, you admirable junior.”

Zernique crossed his hands, forming a hand seal.

“I’ll show you that even without cumbersome powers like mental imagery, a strong guy is still strong.”

He closed his left eye and kept his right eye open. The eyeballs on the eyepatch mirrored his movements.

“Secret Art.”

It was a hand seal that Rain had never seen before in his life.

The mere joining of fingers evoked an ancient, sinister darkness. At the same time, Zernique’s magic intensified to the point where the air itself trembled.

My teeth involuntarily clenched, and I trembled.

“Element Deployment.”

What am I even seeing right now…? A scene straight out of my daydreams from my Rin days unfolded before my eyes.

My heart pounded like crazy.

Eight rings floated behind Zernique, interlocked with each other. The characters emitting a faint light at the center of each ring were all Origin Runes [primordial magical symbols]…

Fire.

Water.

Earth.

Wind.

Ice.

Iron.

Poison.

Lightning.

The next moment, Rain couldn’t help but widen his eyes.

“Don’t just stand there gawking, you fiend.”

The moment Zernique changed his hand seal, the rings of Lightning, Iron, and Water merged into one.

“Or are you going to die without even seeing everything? Just like 300 years ago.”

Then, a torrent of transcendent power poured out from that ring.

*What am I looking at right now?*

It was a torrent.

A tidal wave of destruction clad in the power of lightning.

As soon as the Hwacheonjigye’s gaze touched it, the lightning water instantly evaporated, but there was a lump of iron hidden inside.

[Abooooo!]

Setsunen [Rain’s dragon companion] spat out lightning with his own will.

What was deflected by the dragon’s lightning and shattered the stone statue of the plaza fountain was a wedge of heavy mass.

Electricity crackled on its water-soaked surface.

*How did this happen?*

In that instant, I was witnessing a transcendent spectacle, and even without taking direct damage, my breathing involuntarily became ragged.

*He’s mixing and using three Origin Rune attributes?*

Even Rin could use double casting to mix two attributes using ordinary magic.

Combining magic with good compatibility could amplify its power several times over.

For example, Lightning had good compatibility with Water or Iron, and Wind could be amplified several times over by mixing it with Fire or Poison.

*But that’s only the story of ordinary runes or magic.*

He just combined three Origin Runes, which are difficult to use even one at a time? That quickly?

“Alright, here comes the next attack!”

This time, Ice, Iron, and Poison were combined.

Countless ice picks floated in the sky, casting a huge shadow over the entire plaza, and rained down like a torrential downpour.

The surface of those ice picks gleamed hideously with poison, and the steel within enhanced their destructive power and mass.

“Did you get cocky just because you obtained the power of a dragon? Hahahahahaha! A guy like me, who was born strong, is strong even without that kind of power!”

I can’t even read the attacks with Bell Curios [Rain’s analytical ability]. It’s impossible to even scatter the magic.

*It’s fast, too damn fast.*

It’s absurd to instantaneously interpret and compensate for an attack that combines three Origin Runes.

*All I can do is defend with Hwacheonjigye.*

The dragon’s flames intersected countless times with the magic of eight attributes, causing fierce explosions in all directions of the plaza.

*There was such a realm in magic?*

Swept up in the explosions, countless citizens were slaughtered, burned to death, frozen to death, and drowned to death, but I couldn’t protect them.

*How long has it been since I faced an enemy who pushed me to my limits just to protect myself?*

Is this the difference in skill?

To be able to freely wield magic of eight different attributes like that….

That’s no longer double casting. It wouldn’t be a problem to call it a new realm of triple casting.

If a great mage couldn’t reach the realm of a sage and instead entered the ultimate realm as a great mage, would they look like that?

*No.*

I coughed up blood as an ice pick that hadn’t been completely burned pierced deep into my side, thinking so.

*Even so, there’s no way the difference could be this great.*

I thought the defeat was becoming inevitable, but once again, a warm hand emitted light from my side, soothing the pain.

*……?!*

It was Priest Slayer [a cursed artifact].

Has it gone out of control?

Zernique was as relaxed as could be in the face of something that couldn’t be considered a mere anomaly.

“You should cherish your body. Aren’t you treating it too roughly since it’s about to be sold off?”

No, don’t be fooled.

There must be an opening. Think about how many times you’ve crossed the line between life and death.

Find a way to win. Don’t be overwhelmed. Turn your thoughts rationally.

“Logically speaking, if you beat me after researching magic for a thousand years, would that make sense? Then who would study? Everyone would just be scheming about how to get involved with a dragon.”

But there’s not even time to think like that. The attacks are too fast. Too diverse, complex, and difficult.

“Keuh…!”

When the dragon’s flame and the origin’s flame collided, a steel pillar soared up from behind as my body was thrown back by the shockwave.

*Oh no.*

My head collided with the pillar, and a dizzying sensation overwhelmed me, the shock stealing my thoughts from my mind.

*A mistake──!*

The ground at my feet rose up greatly, swallowing Rain in a circle so that he couldn’t escape.

[Ah, abaaaa!]

Before I could even react, a steel wedge pierced through the sphere.

Clang!

Just before my body was pierced, a flash of light suddenly erupted, knocking away the wedge. Zernique slightly raised the corner of his eye.

“Oh, this power….”

It’s the power of the hound that Elamas was bringing around.

How are they using that, hmm.

Bart, who had suddenly rushed onto the battlefield, immediately kicked off the ground and charged towards Zernique.

“If you use all eight attributes, even a warrior is nothing.”

However, the ground instantly froze white.

On an icy road where it’s all you can do to keep your balance, you can’t even get a proper running start.

That should have been the case, but at that moment, arrows plunged into the ground, extending vines to create stepping stones.

“Rem…!”

As Rain blankly called out that name, Rem had already landed next to Rain.

“Tch.”

Right, they had that damn bow.

Zernique clicked his tongue. That eyesore is still being a nuisance even after 300 years.

The moment the Dragonbone Spear rushed towards him, the ground Zernique was standing on soared high. The Dragonbone Spear futilely pierced the ground.

“Tsuaaaaaaa!”

No, it doesn’t end with a futile result.

A superhuman strength beyond the realm of humans wields the Dragonbone Spear, which had been buried deep in the ground.

The ground that had soared high was cut off at the waist and collapsed, and Zernique’s mouth gaped in disbelief above it.

*What is this? He was just a bug that wasn’t worth much when fighting the Dragon Slayer….*

The moment Zernique entered a temporary state of mid-air suspension, the dimension of his trajectory began to waver and distort.

The moment I recognized that distortion, the dimension had already begun to crack and shatter.

This power, which had been so sickening even 300 years ago….

The moment Zernique saw Miria wielding Shirping [a powerful artifact] in the distance, the smile disappeared from Zernique’s lips for the first time.

“Ha, how did these lingering spirits all come back to life as a group to take revenge for what happened 300 years ago?”

If that’s the case, then there’s no need to drag it out any longer. The games end here.

It’s time for molting.

As Zernique thought that, Zernique’s body was completely exposed in Rain’s field of vision. Rain’s eyes widened.

*The dimensional barrier was broken by the Time-Space Island.*

Now is the time.

I can end it now.

And at that very moment, just as I was about to control providence and burn that body with the Dragon’s Flame.

“Wait a minute. Are you sure it’s okay to burn your own body like that?”

What did you just say?

Not only Rain but the other three also widened their eyes.

If Zernique had said this alone, there wouldn’t have been even a momentary gap.

But right now, this voice is….

“Rain, what did you just say?”

“Why are you talking the same way as that guy?”

Rain hurriedly grabbed his throat, which had uttered words he hadn’t even thought of.

*My voice isn’t coming out.*

Was I possessed?

No, I had been constantly wary of that with Bell Curios. I’ve never been affected by such an anomaly.

Even as that was happening, Rain’s mouth was constantly chattering along with Zernique.

“You’re so incredibly stupid. Heh heh heh, if I was really planning to kill you, I would have found you and killed you before you grew up. Why would I have kept you alive until now? You, who have been causing all sorts of chaos?”

The blood and vengeful spirits of the countless people massacred in the plaza mingled together.

“The grudges of four strong individuals!”

When was this activated? Was it originally drawn? Why didn’t I notice it?

“And even the grudge of a blood relative to complete the soul transfer!”

A huge magic circle was drawn on the paving stones of the plaza, and even Rain couldn’t recognize the runes or mathematical formulas used in it.

“What do you think was the reason for isolating you in this barrier and playing with you? It was just to keep you from doing anything foolish until your companions killed off the underlings.”

What are you saying?

What is this bastard saying with my body?

“Why? Why? You always have to think about the reason. The reason is, this great senior was interested in your body from the beginning. Screw the Black Church’s cause.”

“……?!”

“A body with Bell Curios, a body not branded by the Black Church, a body to enjoy freedom, it had to be in an unaged state.”

Eventually, the magic circle began to burn with a dreamlike light.

“I don’t need a body that has aged hideously. Because there’s no way to make it young again. I’ve been waiting for you for a thousand years, that’s what I’m saying.”

A sensation of consciousness, no, a soul, being forcibly dragged somewhere, into that distant abyss….

“You, get out of Rain’s body!”

“Rem, shoot that bastard’s body! So he can’t do any more crazy things, quickly!”

The emotions and memories experienced while living as Rin and Rain were shattered and woven together, piercing through my head, and the smile of Rista, who came to the Magic Tower 300 years ago, vividly came to mind.

“If you do that, your precious friend will die right away in a moment?”

Rista, who kept following me around and trying to talk to me while I was organizing books, smiled brightly when I laughed in disbelief, saying, “You’re finally smiling?”

“One piece of advice. If you want to win, shoot this guy’s heart. Then it’s your victory.”

“Rem, hurry!”

“What do you want me to do! Who should I shoot!”

“Aim for Zernique!”

“Wait. What if what that guy is saying is true?”

And the last memory as Rin, tears falling on my face from my companions as I was submerged in the cold ice, saying, “Promise.”

……

…

…………

………

…

The next moment, the brightness of the light spot reached its peak, temporarily stealing the sight of everyone inside.

In that light, the Lightning Gauntlet suddenly separated from Rain’s body and flew towards Zernique, equipping itself on his hands.

Rain, who seemed to lose strength and collapse as soon as he was separated from Setsunen, staggered and stood up.

And after looking down at his hands, clenching and unclenching them, stroking his face, he finally burst into a hearty laugh.

“Heh, heh, heh, hahahahahaha! This is amazing, so this is how the world looks through these eyes!”

The group was frozen in place, unable to understand what was happening right now.

Rain?

Does Rain laugh like that? What is it?

The magic power that began to explode violently from Rain’s body was not the heat of a dragon. It was a miasma that instantly rotted and devoured everything around it.

“Finally, I finally got it. Bell Curios, a body with the power of omnipotence!”