The Return of The Mythical Archmage [EN]: Chapter 175

Charles was falling freely, escaping Triksh’s grasp.

I caught him and held him in my arms.

“You…?”

“Am I a little late?”

Charles, nestled in my arms, looked up at me with wide eyes.

He seemed to be asking how I got here.

“Well, I thought everyone might be in trouble, so I came to help.”

“No, that’s not what I’m asking…”

His eyes were asking how I entered this barrier.

“A cadre named Shadow let the term ‘spiritual world’ slip out.”

I smiled mockingly, looking at Triksh.

“And, luckily, I happened to have seen an ancient text that had a record of a magic called the spiritual world. I somehow managed to slip in.”

Of course, that was a lie.

It wasn’t me who knew about the spiritual world, but Mimir.

And the reason I could enter the spiritual world was because of the Nine-Tailed Fox’s power.

“That idiot Shadow…”

Triksh’s brow furrowed even deeper.

“You speak so nicely to a comrade who went through great pain to save you.”

I twisted my lips even more.

I couldn’t see my own expression, but I was probably wearing the ultimate sneer.

“What’s wrong with calling an idiot an idiot?”

Triksh’s eyes flashed like blades.

“Don’t you have even a shred of camaraderie?”

“I don’t hold onto irrational concepts like camaraderie. What I pursue is a mutually agreed-upon relationship based on gains and losses. A clean relationship with no room for emotional waste. A brat like you wouldn’t understand.”

The formless energy surrounding Triksh churned like boiling mud.

“It’s an order. Answer me.”

The semi-transparent mud stretched out like a snake, flying towards me.

It looked as if a soul was flying directly at me.

“How did you infiltrate the spiritual world?”

The semi-transparent mud enveloped my body. It pressed down on my body, as if trying to control my body and mind.

“As far as I know, there is no way for a third party to invade the spiritual world. What method did you use to trespass into my domain?”

Squeeze-!

The semi-transparent mud constricted my body. It felt like being crushed by a giant serpent.

Feeling that sensation, I inwardly exclaimed.

‘This is the absolute command of the spiritual world that Mimir spoke of.’

The spiritual world is a special barrier where the rank of the soul determines all superiority.

A being with a higher soul rank can exercise absolute command over those with a lower soul rank.

This is as natural as water flowing from top to bottom, a common sense in this world.

An immutable law.

“The reason I could enter this world is…”

And this law applies to me without exception.

And also.

“It’s a secret.”

Even Triksh, the master of this world, is not an exception to this law.

“You… how…?”

Triksh’s eyes widened.

“Why are you so surprised? Is it that unexpected that I didn’t follow your command?”

I stared at the semi-transparent mud enveloping my body and focused my mind.

“I don’t know why you’re so surprised. You should already know.”

At that moment, a semi-transparent mud, a spirit body, burst out from my body as well.

A spirit body much larger and denser than the one Triksh had unleashed.

It instantly shattered Triksh’s spirit body that was surrounding me.

“There’s no way a spirit master of your caliber wouldn’t be able to observe another’s soul. You must have seen it, right? The rank of my soul.”

Triksh’s pupils trembled.

“You look like you’re asking how I know about the value of my soul.”

“…”

“Are you curious?”

I smiled meaningfully and twisted my lips.

“Then keep wondering.”

“This bastard…”

Triksh’s forehead bulged with veins at my clearly mocking tone.

My smile deepened.

“From the start, the important thing isn’t how I know the exact value of my soul, is it?”

Kuuuuung-!

The spirit body surrounding my body expanded in an instant.

The spirit body, which was only the size of a cloak, suddenly grew as large as a hot air balloon.

“What’s important now is that the rank of my soul is higher than yours. And…”

The spirit body rapidly expanded and contracted. I watched it and raised my right hand.

The spirit body, which had been pulsating like a heart, flowed into my hand.

“I have now seized the practical control of this spiritual world.”

With the spirit body concentrated in my hand, I reached out to Charles, who was trembling with a look of utter bewilderment.

“You, why are you there…?”

“Just stay still.”

The target was Charles’s right shoulder.

The severed part of his body where his arm had been cut off.

Saaaah-!

As my hand approached the severed part of Charles’s shoulder, a formless light flowed out.

Probably a light of the soul that only Triksh and I could see right now.

It was instantly sucked into Charles’s body.

And the next moment.

“You, you… th, this… my arm… how?”

Charles’s right arm was back to normal. It was perfectly fine, as if it had never been torn from his body.

“Well, I tried it according to the instructions. It turned out pretty well.”

It was a technique I had learned from Mimir in a crash course, so I was honestly a little worried. But it went better than I expected.

No, it was too easy, more than just better than I expected.

‘What’s needed to handle a spirit body is the power of thought.’

I remembered what Mimir had told me earlier.

‘In short, it’s the power of the mind.’

‘When it comes to handling a spirit body, there’s nothing for the successor to be troubled about.’

As Mimir said, handling a spirit body was a piece of cake for a Vaitern user [a user of a specific type of magic].

I nodded, observing the spirit body moving according to my thoughts.

“Ah, right. I almost forgot.”

Then, I suddenly remembered the three people.

The three men on the ground, looking up at me with wide eyes like startled rabbits, their mouths tightly shut.

In order, the Blue Magic Tower Lord, the Red Magic Tower Lord, and my father.

I moved the spirit body, looking at the three of them.

My spirit body quickly flew in and tore apart Triksh’s spirit body that was constricting the three men’s bodies.

“You three! You should be able to move now!”

The three, now free, sequentially let out hollow laughs.

I couldn’t hear their voices, but I could tell from their lip movements.

They seemed to find this situation absurd, as they kept letting out hollow laughs.

“…Let me down.”

Charles, who was checking his reattached right arm, asked me to put him down.

“Okay.”

I let Charles go.

Charles, freed from my arms, used flight magic and floated into the air.

Then, with his body free, he swung his right arm around and exclaimed in admiration.

“The pain is completely gone too. You’re amazing…”

Charles gave me a look of gratitude and admiration, and gave me a thumbs up.

“Hayul.”

The three approached me as soon as they regained their freedom.

The Blue Magic Tower Lord called out to me as their representative.

“There are many things I want to ask… but now is not the time for that, is it?”

He stood next to me, glaring at Triksh.

“Kid. Thanks for saving us.”

“…We’ll talk in detail after we take him down.”

The Red Magic Tower Lord and my father were the same.

They had many questions for me, but they wouldn’t ask them now. They would talk in detail after dealing with that guy.

They were clearly focused on being wary of Triksh with that thought in mind.

“I don’t know why, but it seems like the tide has turned? Then…”

Charles stood next to me last. And so, the five of us formed a formation to face Triksh.

“Alright. Say it again, you son of a bitch. What were you going to do to me?”

Veins popped out on Charles’s forehead. He was recalling the extreme pain from earlier, and was building up his anger.

“You’re dead. I’m going to cut off your dick and feed it to you. You pig shit…”

Charles unleashed a torrent of vulgar curses.

It was a barrage of curses so varied that I wondered where he had learned them.

“Hmph! You’re not even worth a punch. Who do you think you are, acting up?”

After cursing for a while, he seemed to feel a bit better, and his expression was much clearer than before.

“Okay. I still don’t know why, but it seems like that damned incantation-like ability is useless when you’re around. So, let’s surround him again…”

And he came close to me and talked about the strategy.

“No. The four of you, please wait.”

I said, glaring at Triksh, who was silently wary of us from afar.

“Wait? Does that mean you’re going to fight alone?”

“Yes.”

Charles’s eyes widened.

“Don’t talk nonsense. I don’t know how you blocked his ability, but you’re not someone who can win against him alone.”

“Hayul. Even so, that’s…”

The Red Magic Tower Lord and the Blue Magic Tower Lord tried to stop me almost simultaneously.

“It’s not like I’m being arrogant or not understanding my place…”

I made eye contact with the two of them in turn. It was to convey my sincerity.

“To be blunt, the four of you are of no help in facing him right now.”

“…”

The Red Magic Tower Lord’s expression crumpled. He looked like his pride was hurt.

But it was only the Red Magic Tower Lord whose expression was distorted.

The other three had rather calm expressions.

“…The spiritual world. Is it related to the superiority determined by the soul rank that that cadre was talking about?”

The Blue Magic Tower Lord, who had finished organizing his thoughts first, asked as their representative.

“Yes. Inside this barrier, in the spiritual world, your achievements are meaningless. In this world, what determines superiority is only the rank of the soul. Only the superiority of spiritual power.”

“…So everything he said was true?”

My father asked with a cold gaze and voice.

“It seems he already said something about this.”

He must have looked down on these four quite a bit. Well, if you’re a normal mage who hasn’t trained their soul, it doesn’t matter if you’re a 3rd circle or an 8th circle.

It’s understandable that he would look down on them.

“Then there’s no need to explain further. Anyway, the four of you are of no help in this battle. That’s why I said I’d do it alone.”

I stepped forward, leaving the four behind.

“And from the start, I’m enough on my own.”

I made eye contact with Triksh in the distance and grinned.

His expression became even more serious.

“The four of you, please move after he releases the spiritual world.”

I can overwhelm him only here, in the ‘spiritual world’.

Once he understands that he can’t win against me and releases the spiritual world, this advantage will be reversed.

I need to preserve the four of your strength for that time.

“Then, all four of you. I understand that you understand.”

The four of them didn’t answer. It was a silent silence.

“Then. Please watch for a moment. It probably won’t take long.”

I concentrated the spirit body as it was.

It was the first time I was handling it, but the energy of the soul was as easy to handle as my own limbs.

“Thank you for waiting. You’re more kind than I thought.”

I sent it straight towards Triksh.

“Now then, shall we begin a battle fought with souls?”

“Don’t be cocky…”

Triksh’s spirit body seethed with anger and violently churned like flames.

“You insect!”

Triksh’s spirit body and my spirit body collided, and space twisted.

“Hmm. Insect. Insect, huh…”

I easily leaped over the twisted space and moved behind Triksh.

“Well, I wonder who the insect is?”

Triksh didn’t react to my speed.

“…!”

Triksh turned around in a panic.

But he was slow.

“Me? Or you? I don’t know. Then, shall we decide it with this battle?”

I punched Triksh’s face as he was halfway turned.

Fwoooooooom-!

I had only thrown a punch, but a roar like a missile exploding echoed.

Whoooosh-!

Triksh’s body fell straight down and crashed into the ground.

“First, I scored one point. With this, you’ve become one step closer to being an insect. Congratulations.”

Semi-transparent mud rose from the crater that had been dug out.

“This bastard…!”

Triksh moved his spirit body to counterattack. The spirit body formed a shape like a ballista [a large, ancient crossbow-like weapon].

The huge arrowhead pointed at me.

However.

“It seems like this is the first time you’ve directly fought against someone who uses a spirit body.”

Kwaaaaaang-!

Triksh’s ballista collided with my fist and disappeared.

“Seeing you prepare such a large attack in such a fierce exchange, with such a long preparation time.”

Triksh’s spirit body lost its shape in an instant and scattered like muddy water.

I flew towards Triksh, who was in the center of it.

And then, I kicked him.

Kwaaaaaang-!

The roar like a missile exploding echoed again.

Triksh’s spirit body was crushed.

Like a mud doll that had been dropped on the floor.

“That’s two steps. You’ve become closer to being an insect. Congratulations.”

I looked at Triksh, who was completely buried in the ground, and smiled brightly.

“Now you’re a fucking insect.”