The Return of The Mythical Archmage [EN]: Chapter 146

Near the transport vehicle where The Beast was being held.

On the road, the remnants of a fierce battle were evident, leaving it in ruins.

Amidst the wreckage, where everything except the transport vehicle was in tatters, the Black Magic King exuded an air of complete leisure.

“You’ve grown old, Sophia Anescheff,” he remarked, looking at Sophia Anescheff, who was gasping for breath in front of the escort vehicle, with a hint of pity.

After several clashes, Sophia Anescheff was utterly exhausted, while the Black Magic King remained relaxed. Just by looking at their current states, it was clear where the battle’s momentum was headed.

“I’ll make one last offer. Step aside, my only rival, Sophia Anescheff.”

The Black Magic King’s voice sounded deeply sorrowful.

“Due to the mana released by our battle, the rampaging monsters are now even stronger. Continuing this fight in the middle of America isn’t something you’d want either.”

The Black Magic King’s mana, just by existing, influenced everything around him.

Plants withered, animals died, the earth lost its life, and the air became desolate.

It was mana that seemed to embody ‘death’ itself. Nothing remained on the land it swept through.

However, there was one exception.

There was one being that was positively affected by his mana.

That was the monsters.

The enemies of humanity, the beings known as the embodiment of destruction.

The Black Magic King’s mana caused monsters to go berserk and become stronger.

Currently, the Black Magic King’s mana had spread across about one-third of the United States.

Thanks to this, not only the high-level monsters being studied in various research labs but also the wild monsters living in the sea, mountains, and fields were all going berserk.

The situation was already chaotic, and to make matters worse, the monsters were getting stronger by the minute.

If the battle continued, the damage to the United States would be immeasurable.

“This is also my last act of mercy. I don’t want to deal with you myself, especially since you don’t have much time left.”

Sophia Anescheff.

The legendary mage who had suppressed him for over 50 years.

Now, a pitiful old mage dying from his curse.

He didn’t want to deal with such a being with his own hands.

“That’s unexpected. I didn’t think you had any feelings of mercy,” Sophia retorted, catching her breath.

“We’ve been fighting like this for 57 years. It’s only natural to develop some mercy,” the Black Magic King said with a small smile, still exuding a relaxed aura.

The composure of an absolute being.

Despite his arrogance, carelessness, and conceit, there wasn’t a single flaw in his demeanor.

“Is it like a twisted affection?”

Sophia chuckled softly.

It was a very dismissive laugh.

“That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard in the last decade.”

Then, she glared at the Black Magic King with sharp eyes again.

“Let’s be honest. You just don’t want to see my old self.”

At those words, the Black Magic King’s aura fluctuated greatly for a moment.

“Seeing my appearance makes you not want to acknowledge that you’ve aged as well.”

Sophia’s smile deepened at the fluctuation.

“Neither you nor I have overcome the wall of time. The face under that darkness must be no different from mine. You must be a wrinkled old man by now.”

Eleven years ago.

During the Atlantic Wormhole incident, the Black Magic King wasn’t shrouded in such darkness.

Why did he suddenly start wearing such darkness?

There was only one answer.

To hide his aging self.

To not reveal that he had become weaker.

It was clear that the Black Magic King was hiding his body for that reason.

“Why aren’t you answering? Was I right on the mark?”

Sophia took the Black Magic King’s harsh aura and silence as an affirmation.

At the same time, she let out a sigh of relief internally.

‘…That’s a relief.’

For Sophia, who was worried about the world after her death, the weakening of the Black Magic King was incredibly good news.

‘If the Black Magic King is weakened, even after I die, somehow…’

She was filled with such hopeful thoughts when she heard a sound.

“…Heh.”

A laugh.

“Hahahahahahaha!”

A laugh that shook the heavens and the earth. His mana reacted to his change in emotion, literally shaking the world.

“You speak amusingly, Sophia Anescheff. So that’s what you were thinking.”

The Black Magic King’s aura became even sharper. A sharpness that felt like a finger would be cut off at the bone just by lightly touching it.

It filled the surroundings.

Swoosh, swoosh, KABOOOM!

In reality, the surrounding structures were cut as if by a blade.

The Black Magic King’s mana became a powerful weapon just by him thinking.

“I’m showing you mercy because I don’t want to see my old self, because I don’t want to acknowledge my aging through your appearance?”

While everything around was being sliced apart.

The area around Sophia was completely silent.

The Black Magic King’s mana couldn’t extend its power to where Sophia’s mana was coiled.

“Heh heh. It’s comical. Such a joke! Hahahaha!”

The laughter echoed loudly.

The black mana, influenced by his intense emotions, twisted the severed structures. The remains of buildings and asphalt turned to dust in an instant.

They scattered, creating a massive storm.

“Has the power of time finally robbed you of your keen wisdom? Hehehe.”

Amidst the storm, the Black Magic King took a step forward.

Thump!

Just one step.

But with that, the world fell silent. The storm stopped, and the cement dust vanished completely.

“Sophia Anescheff.”

As if nothing should block the path of the king, everything in the world bowed its head.

“The reason I’m showing you mercy is simply because I’m grateful to you.”

Two steps. Three steps.

The Black Magic King slowly approached Sophia.

“If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have been able to reach this position.”

Five steps.

Seven steps.

The distance between them was now less than 5 meters.

“This… position…?”

Sophia’s eyes trembled like aspen leaves.

No way. It couldn’t be.

Her mind was filled with such thoughts.

“Sophia Anescheff.”

The Black Magic King called Sophia’s name and raised his right hand.

Then, he placed the palm of his right hand on his face and slowly lowered it.

“Behold.”

The darkness slowly disappeared.

As the darkness vanished, the Black Magic King’s true face gradually began to appear.

“That… face…”

Sophia’s pupils trembled in shock.

“Yes.”

As the darkness disappeared, the Black Magic King’s voice returned to normal.

“Now, even time cannot be my enemy.”

The Black Magic King’s face that appeared after the darkness vanished was very young.

He looked to be in his early to mid-twenties at most.

“Of course, neither you nor anyone else can stop me.”

The Black Magic King took another step forward.

At that moment,

CRACK!

Sophia’s mana, the barrier that had been protecting her, shattered into pieces.

“Therefore, this is mercy, Sophia Anescheff.”

He approached the completely defenseless Sophia Anescheff.

He touched her cheek and smiled leisurely.

“Step aside. I am a merciless king, but I still have enough refinement to watch the withering of a flower I’ve been watching for a long time.”

The Black Magic King’s gaze, as he looked at the shocked Sophia, seemed as vivid as could be.

Saaah….

Mana spread out from the Black Magic King’s smile.

Further and further.

Deeper and deeper.

The monsters affected by that mana danced more and more wildly.

As if celebrating the return of their king.

* * *

Immediately after the Tricolor Tiger opened its eyes again, another battle broke out, as expected.

“Dahlia and Soon-chan, focus on recovery in the back! Sarah, take the final defense line in front!”

I was at the forefront, battling the Tricolor Tiger, and quickly gave instructions.

“Shinwoo and Kyle, flank from the front! It’s only targeting me, so use that to buy us some time!”

The Tricolor Tiger, after reopening its eyes, did not split into three again.

The three colors, red, blue, and green, completely merged into one, creating a new entity with a pure white color.

“Jinseok, Heeyoon, and Maia…!”

With a flurry of white fur, it swung its front paw at me.

I concentrated all the Wind God’s power I had on my lower body and kicked off the ground.

A gust of wind blew, and my body shot out like a bullet.

WHOOSH-!

The monster’s front paw grazed past my feet.

Just that alone sent a tremendous shock through my feet.

It was indeed a fusion of three entities, with incredible speed and power.

‘The good thing is, maybe it’s because of the permafrost or something, but it’s somewhat weaker than a fusion of three entities…’

ROOOOAAAAR!

The monster immediately lunged at me, who had been thrown into the air.

Incredible speed comparable to the Red Tiger.

Being in mid-air, I couldn’t perfectly dodge that attack.

But it was okay.

This battle wasn’t a 1:1 fight between me and the Tricolor Tiger.

“Jisoo!”

“Yes!”

Adela and Heeyoon simultaneously cast magic, shooting it between me and the Tricolor Tiger.

It seemed that Adela was using wind magic to match Jin Heeyoon’s fire magic.

WHOOSH!

Even though it was their first time trying it, the synchronization was incredible.

They had never practiced it before, so it must have been a fusion magic born purely from Adela’s sense.

KABOOOM-!

The magic hit the Tricolor Tiger directly, causing an explosion.

Grrrrr….

The Tricolor Tiger’s body emerged from the smoke caused by the explosion.

Its skin and fur were scorched.

Despite that, it didn’t give up on attacking me, opening its mouth wide and flying towards me.

However, its speed wasn’t as fast as before.

“Jinseok!”

“Got it!”

At Heeyoon’s command, Ma Jinseok used magic.

Earth-type holding magic.

Roots of the Earth.

Ropes made of soil and stone bound the Tricolor Tiger’s body.

The monster frowned as if annoyed.

CRACK!

It had only exerted a little force.

Just that, and the roots of the earth shattered into pieces.

4th circle magic couldn’t hold it for even a second.

But that one second was crucial.

One second of hesitation.

During that brief moment when the Tricolor Tiger was stopped, Kyle had already finished all his preparations.

“Hoo.”

A small breath.

With that, a small wind blew.

Kyle’s body disappeared.

And then, SWISH!

He sliced through the Tricolor Tiger’s neck.

“…!”

However, what was this?

Kyle’s rapier failed to cut through its neck.

CRACK!

As if caught on a neck bone, the sword stopped midway.

It was an unexpected situation.

‘The Tricolor Tiger didn’t have toughness as an advantage…’

Could it be that as the Tricolor Tiger became one entity, its other stats, including toughness, had risen above average?

GRRRRRR-!

The Tricolor Tiger growled with the rapier stuck in its neck.

‘Mana reaction!’

My Divine Eye captured a massive movement of mana within its mouth.

‘This is… a breath?’

Originally, the Tricolor Tiger was an entity with no mana-based attack abilities.

But judging from its toughness a moment ago, the current Tricolor Tiger couldn’t be considered the same entity I knew.

In other words, it wouldn’t be strange if it used a breath attack.

I used telekinesis on my body in mid-air to switch the positions of my upper and lower body.

Then, I created a barrier right above my raised lower body.

THUD!

I kicked off the barrier and flew down towards Kyle and the Tricolor Tiger.

“Kyle! Get out of the way!”

Maia’s piercing cry was heard. However, Kyle couldn’t move from his spot.

The technique Kyle used, ‘Gentle Breeze,’ was high-risk, high-return.

As a price for using it, his body would lose strength for a certain period of time.

Kyle was currently unable to escape on his own.

‘What should I do? Should I use this acceleration to get Kyle out of the breath’s range?’

Numerous thoughts flashed through my mind as my body accelerated.

‘No, I can’t. Soon-chan and Dahlia are in the direction of the breath.’

It seemed that its intelligence had also increased as it became one entity. The direction of the breath was ominous.

If I dodged, at least three people would die.

‘Then…’

The only answer was to block it.

And there was only one way to block an attack from a monster of that level.

‘Resonance!’

My Infinity Circle accelerated, and my magic output increased by one level.