The Return of The Mythical Archmage [EN]: Chapter 254

The Rebirth of the Mythical Archmage-255

Inside the Shadow Sanctuary deployed by Shadow, the Doctor and Sein were engaged in a battle. It wasn’t just a fierce battle; it was an overwhelming display.

Sein completely dominated the fight. The Doctor was barely managing to block Sein’s attacks, with no opportunity to counterattack. Or rather, it would be more accurate to say that there was no way to counterattack.

‘A viral property, huh? Just as Luan said, it’s quite an interesting property.’ The Doctor’s contaminated mana was spreading in all directions. Sein swung his sword at that mana, a downward slash so perfect it could be called beautiful. It completely severed the Doctor’s mana.

‘It’s as terrifying as it is interesting. If my sword wasn’t a Vinoshu sword, I wouldn’t have had any way to deal with it.’ The area was purified the moment Sein’s sword cut through it. It was a natural phenomenon, as the Doctor’s mana, the source of the contamination, had been removed.

‘But, is there nothing else? I’m already tired of this ability.’ Sein took a step forward. At the same time, his sword came down in a great arc from above. The sword energy generated from that strike completely erased the contaminated mana that had been blocking the space between the Doctor and Sein.

‘If you don’t have any other abilities, don’t struggle and just offer your neck. Fighting any longer would just be a waste of time.’

‘…….’ The Doctor silently scattered mana again. As if he hadn’t been using his full power before, he unleashed all of his mana in a 360-degree radius.

‘Can’t you hear me?’ Seeing the Doctor’s actions, Sein moved his sword again. This time, from left to right. A horizontal slash so fast that only a blurry afterimage was visible cut through the air.

‘I told you, I’m already tired of that ability.’ The sword energy that stretched out far away blocked the Doctor’s mana at the source. The Doctor’s mana completely vanished without even permeating the surroundings.

‘Try struggling in a different way. I came out here intending to fight seriously for once. If this is all you’ve got, I’m going to be disappointed.’ The Doctor bit his lower lip. His bloodshot eyes and the blood vessels throbbing on his lower lip showed he was desperately holding back his anger. He wanted to show his anger, but given the current situation, he was desperately trying to control himself.

‘Why isn’t he killing him? If he wanted to kill him, he could have done it at any time.’ The Doctor, who had been silent since the start of the battle, opened his mouth for the first time. He had a strangely refreshed expression. Did he come up with a solution? Or did he give up because there was no answer? If it’s the former, I need to be wary. If he’s talking like that now, it’s probably to buy time.

‘It’s obvious why. I need to capture you alive to get information.’ Sein chuckled softly. ‘I wouldn’t know if capturing you was difficult, but…’ He could capture someone like you anytime. That was the meaning implied in his smile and trailing words.

‘……Tch. I can’t deny it.’ I thought he would be angry, but he admitted it readily. His empty gaze was striking. ‘Has he really given up?’ Rather than feeling like he had found a breakthrough, it felt like he had given up on everything and reached enlightenment. According to Shadow, the Doctor is very rational and calculating. Perhaps he was even accepting his own death rationally and calculatingly.

‘Can I ask one last question?’

‘Last? Last, huh? Are you planning to commit suicide?’ The Doctor silently chuckled. It was a chuckle that implied agreement. Sein moved ever so slightly. If the Doctor was thinking of committing suicide, he had to be stopped before he did. That’s why he took that preemptive action.

‘Don’t move. If you show even the slightest sign of moving, I will erase my existence with my magic immediately.’ However, Sein’s actions were completely blocked by the Doctor’s following words.

‘……Indeed. So, I’m the world’s strongest when it comes to suicide.’ The Doctor was always within his mana range. If the Doctor tried to erase his body with that magic, even Sein wouldn’t be able to stop him.

‘……How boring.’ Sein clicked his tongue again. He had a look of disappointment. He had completely lost interest in the Doctor. ‘I have nothing to say to a spineless guy who chooses suicide. Disappear from my sight as quickly as possible. You pest.’ Sein took a stance. As if the sword he had been wielding just moments ago was not a sword at all. As if to assert that this was the true Sein Vinoshu’s sword. He emitted an overwhelming aura, focusing his killing intent on one point.

‘I’ll give you 10 seconds. If you don’t take your own life in that time, I will kill you.’ It was a display of spirit and momentum that seemed to say that there was no need to fight with less power now that he knew capturing him alive was impossible.

’10 seconds, huh? That’s quite merciful.’ The Doctor chuckled with a still-enlightened expression. ‘Shadow. You. Why did you betray me?’ It seemed that the last thing he wanted to ask was the reason for Shadow’s betrayal.

‘5 seconds left.’ Sein seemed completely uninterested in the Doctor’s question.

‘Could it be that your memories have returned?’

‘3. 2.’ Just as all of Sein’s mana began to concentrate on his sword.

‘That I was the one who implanted Umbra’s shadow into you. Did you remember that?’ Unexpected words came out of the Doctor’s mouth.

‘……What?’

‘You. What did you just say……’ Shadow and I exclaimed at the same time. That the Doctor was the one who implanted Umbra’s shadow into Shadow?

‘1. 0. Now die.’

‘Stop……!’ There was no time to say stop. As soon as the countdown ended, Sein’s sword flew towards the Doctor’s neck.

‘I should have asked what that meant!’ It was already too late. Sein’s sword would soon cut off the Doctor’s neck. The Doctor’s head would be separated from his body and travel to the sky.

‘Damn it.’ To end up with such an unsettling result at the end. I was frowning with that thought in mind when it happened.

Swoosh-! Suddenly, Sein’s sword energy began to disappear. The shadow that appeared between the Doctor and the sword energy absorbed all of the sword energy.

‘Hoo.’ Sein exclaimed with amusement. ‘A shadow magic user. I was told that you were an ally, but are you betraying us again at the last minute? As expected, a pest is just a pest?’ Sein raised his head and stared at the empty air. It was where Shadow was hiding.

‘……Please wait for a moment.’ Shadow revealed himself from that spot. ‘I need to hear more about what this guy just said… Just until then… 1 minute is enough.’

‘No.’ Sein took a stance again. A much more intense aura than before. The killing intent-filled mana was so sharp that my legs were trembling, even though I was only indirectly affected by it from behind.

‘That wasn’t his full power before……?’ No, it was as if even this wasn’t his full power, and his aura was still intensifying. Where is the end of that power? I can’t even imagine.

‘Get out of the way.’

‘Please. Just a moment. Just until I hear what this guy just said…….’

‘I’ll give you 3 seconds. If you don’t remove that shadow in that time, I’ll cut you down first.’ Sein glared at Shadow with murderous intent. As someone who hated everything related to the Black Magic Tower, he wouldn’t have liked Shadow, who was a member of the Black Magic Tower, even if he had betrayed them. He had just been tolerating him because of my persuasion, but now that he was suddenly rebelling and trying to protect the Doctor, it was natural for him to act like this.

‘Sein! I beg you too. Just a moment to talk……!’ Shadow looked surprised at my words. He had an expression that said he never imagined I would side with him. I wasn’t exactly siding with Shadow, though.

‘From the perspective of observing the changes in black magic, what the Doctor just said is something that shouldn’t be ignored.’ I just needed the information that the Doctor was about to reveal.

‘Luan. Even if it’s your request, what’s not possible is not possible.’ Despite my request, Sein didn’t seem to have any intention of yielding.

‘3, 2…….’ An even greater amount of mana than before was concentrated on Sein’s sword.

‘1. 0.’ And then.

Whoosh! Space was cut. No, was it time that was cut?

‘What…… was that?’ I don’t know. I couldn’t even understand what had just happened. Something just happened. That was all I could say. My eyes couldn’t even see the afterimage of Sein Vinoshu’s sword.

‘This is…… the world’s best knight.’ The only knight that mages acknowledge as absolute force. Sein Vinoshu. It’s shocking.

‘……You blocked that too?’ What’s even more shocking is that Shadow blocked that sword.

‘Please…… It’ll only be a moment…… Please give me time…….’ He didn’t block it as easily as he had before. It seemed that Shadow had also pushed himself quite hard, as the shadows that had been covering his body had completely disappeared. The appearance of a young child barely over 140cm. The appearance of a pitiful child who had lost the opportunity to ‘grow’ because he was consumed by the shadows was revealed.

‘You. That form is…….’

‘Please…… It’ll only be a moment…….’ Sein frowned. The words the Doctor had said a moment ago came to mind.

‘I see. So, Umbra’s shadow was a curse.’ It seemed that he had grasped the situation to some extent. He had a look that showed he completely understood why Shadow was trying to stop him now.

‘It’s quite pitiful in that form, but still, no. The fact that he said those words here means he’s trying to buy time. I can’t give him time now.’ I understand that Shadow’s situation is pitiful, but what’s not possible is not possible. There was not a single tremor in Sein’s decision.

‘If you understand, get out of the way.’

‘Please……! Cough!’ Shadow tried to move to stop Sein somehow. However, his body was not in a state where he could move properly. Shadow collapsed to the ground and his body trembled. It seemed that his limbs were not moving properly.

Sein slowly approached Shadow and spoke slowly. ‘A guy with that kind of personality usually leaves all of his research records as data. Because they’re arrogant guys who think their achievements should be widely known to posterity.’ Then, he passed by Shadow and narrowed the distance to the Doctor to some extent.

‘The information you want to know will be found by the guys who are searching for data outside. Trust them and wait.’ Sein put his sword back into its sheath.

‘In the first place, no matter how desperately you ask, he’s not the kind of guy who would give you a proper answer.’ Clang! The sound of the sword entering the sheath was particularly clear. Sein took a stance for a draw cut.

‘……A draw cut with a Western sword?’ It was a swordsmanship I had never seen before. Of course, I don’t have much knowledge of swordsmanship itself. But a draw cut with a Western double-edged sword.

‘Most likely, he would have pretended to teach you while sneering at you. Isn’t that right? Pest?’

‘……Heh heh.’ The Doctor chuckled softly. ‘Since I’m going to die anyway, I was going to play with that despicable traitor… Shadow. But you won’t even allow me that.’ He clapped his hands with a smile. ‘I admit it. Sein Vinoshu. You were a man worthy of your reputation.’ He had a rather refreshed expression.

‘I shouldn’t have built the research facility in France after all. I regret it.’ There was sincerity in those words. He seemed to genuinely regret building the research facility in France.

‘Sein Vinoshu. Since I’ve seen your perfection, I’ll give you one piece of advice. From now on…….’

‘I don’t need it.’ Whoosh-! The wind blew. A very thin, long wind. That wind started from the sheath, moved along the sword, cut through the air, and.

Swoosh-! ‘I don’t listen to your advice.’ The Doctor’s head flew into the sky. And immediately after that.

Shred-shred-shred-! As if he had been minced, the Doctor’s body split into dozens, hundreds of pieces. The Doctor was in a state no different from minced meat. It would be impossible to revive in that state, except perhaps in the ‘spiritual world’ of Tkisch [a reference to a specific afterlife or realm in this fictional world].

‘It’s over.’ I was certain of victory when it happened.

‘Heh heh. You should listen to people’s advice until the end.’ The Doctor, with only his head remaining, said with a chuckle. ‘I’ll give you advice now. Run away.’ At that moment, the minced meat that was the Doctor’s body began to swell like a balloon.

‘Of course, if you can run away, that is.’ And soon, the Doctor’s head also began to swell like a balloon.

‘A product of research that I failed to commercialize due to its overwhelming power. The source of my power.’ The Doctor laughed loudly.

‘Caries.’

‘……What?’ Did he just say Caries?

‘Do you think you can escape the power of destruction from the distant mythical era! Hahaha!’ Pop! The Doctor’s head exploded like a balloon.

Thump-thump-thump-! The air trembled. Amidst the trembling air, the formless energy that was the Doctor’s body was swirling and concentrating.

Whoosh! Sein swung his sword at that energy. But nothing changed. The unidentified energy was still swirling in the air.

‘…….’ Sein’s brow furrowed. It seemed that even Sein hadn’t anticipated this situation.

‘I can’t grasp the situation. I’ll retreat for now.’ He quickly realized that this situation was not good and decided to retreat. The time it took to make that decision was only about 1 second. It was a decision that was close to perfect.

‘……No, you can’t.’ But that’s something Sein can say because he doesn’t know what that energy is.

‘We have to stop it here. If we miss this chance, we’ll never get another one.’

‘Luan. Do you know what that is?’

‘Yes. I know.’ Caries. The name of a god from mythology that I read in the Mimir’s Book [a reference to a specific book of knowledge in this fictional world]. A wicked god who hoped to corrode everything in the world with his power. If the ‘power of annihilation’ that the Doctor possessed was a product obtained through the research of that ‘Caries’. And if the Doctor triggered the runaway of Caries’ product with his death as a trigger…….

‘The legacy of the wicked god Caries. If we don’t stop it now, not only Paris, but France, Spain, Germany… all the surrounding countries will be annihilated.’ The damage will spread throughout Europe.