The Return of The Mythical Archmage [EN]: Chapter 285

“Shit! You goddamn bastards! You dare give me a fake vest? No, they wouldn’t give a fake one for an operation like this… Is it broken?” The terrorist yelled.

He didn’t seem to understand me at all. He seemed to think the reason the vest wasn’t exploding was because the Anti-Magia [a device that nullifies magic] was broken, or that it was a fake.

“Report to the boss right now! There’s a big shot here!” The terrorist shouted to the other terrorists waiting outside.

Instead of shouting for help, he was shouting to report. His intelligence seems terrible, but his ability to assess the situation isn’t bad.

“Khehehe. Whether my vest is broken or not, it doesn’t matter. You’re going to die here. You’re going to die! Kahaha!” …No.

Looking at his foolish appearance, it doesn’t seem like he came to that conclusion himself. Is it the result of indoctrination?

They say the brainwashing education of Anti-Magia is beyond imagination. They must have pre-taught him how to deal with this situation.

“Don’t hesitate, just kill me already.” The terrorist shouted with a crazed expression. He threw the rifle he was holding on the floor and spread his arms wide.

“Hurry! Hurry!” He pounded his chest, as if telling me to stab him there. He hit it so hard that I could hear the sound of his ribs breaking. What a madman.

That was all I could think. Is that what a fanatic brainwashed by Anti-Magia looks like? I’d heard the rumors, but I didn’t know it was this bad. It’s disturbingly scary.

“I won’t kill you.” I took a step forward, intending to subdue him. …I didn’t want to see that disturbing sight any longer.

“Puhah! As expected, a kid is just a kid. You. You’ve never killed anyone, have you? You can’t do anything but magic…” The terrorist sneered, twisting his lips.

I approached the terrorist in one step and grabbed his chin. And then, I applied pressure. Since I couldn’t use mana, it was pure grip strength and physical force.

“Kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk!” The terrorist screamed.

“How does it feel to be subdued by a mage who doesn’t use magic, with just one hand?” The man couldn’t answer. No, he couldn’t answer. His mouth was completely under my control, and he couldn’t even move his jaw joint on his own.

“Honestly, I don’t think a pest like you is worth saving. But considering how the incident will end, it’s better to keep you alive for the sake of the picture.” Blood vessels started to burst in the man’s eyes. It must be because he focused too much power on his head to resist my strength.

“In short, you’re not even worth killing.” I increased the force on my hand a little more. Crack! The sound of bones being crushed and broken echoed from the man’s jaw joint.

“Kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk!” Perhaps because his jaw was shattered and his mouth regained some freedom, the man screamed again. The terrorist collapsed to the floor, groaning in pain. I looked down at him and smiled.

“By the way, about your colleagues who were watching outside. They won’t be able to report the situation here to your leader.” The man answered with slurred pronunciation. His jaw was completely shattered, so I couldn’t tell if he was saying ‘what’, ‘huh’, or ‘uh’. But judging from the context, he must have said, ‘What?’

“How can you be so stupid? How do you think I got in here?” There’s only one door to the bathroom. Of course, I took down the scouts before I came here.

“Don’t tell me, the others are already… !” “Nothing has gone your way.” The man’s eyes became hazy. I slowly brought my head close to the man’s ear.

“So, don’t bark anymore. If you bark any more, it won’t end with just your jaw. You’ll be rotting in prison for the rest of your life, but you should at least have your arms and legs intact.” “… !” The terrorist’s body convulsed violently. He seemed to realize that my warning wasn’t just a simple warning.

“It would have been better if you had kept your mouth shut from the beginning.” The face of a defeated man, filled with despair. Now, he looks a little better.

“Then, sleep for about 10 hours. Maybe when you wake up again…” I took my head away from the man’s ear and clenched my fist lightly. “You’ll be in prison with your other colleagues, being interrogated.” And then, I hit his jaw. An additional blow to his already shattered jaw joint, and he lost consciousness.

Thud! The terrorist sprawled on the ground. I used the chains I had brought to tie up the man. And then, I secured him to one of the bathroom stalls. This way, even if the man wakes up again, he won’t be able to interfere with me.

“…That.” Adela, who had been silent all along, slowly opened her mouth. “How… did you… get here…” She had a look of complete confusion. The butler next to Adela had the same expression. They looked like they had no idea what was going on.

“I told you.” I went outside, brought the remaining terrorists I had knocked out, and tied them up with chains as well. “I was going to pick you up.” And I fixed them so they couldn’t move easily. That’s it.

“I came to pick you up as promised.” Ah, right. I almost forgot about this. I extracted the Anti-Magia embedded in the leader’s vest. It wasn’t particularly difficult. It was just literally fixed inside the vest. It wasn’t really extraction, I just tore it open and took it out.

“Adela?” Adela didn’t answer. Did something happen? I took my eyes off the terrorist and looked at Adela. Adela’s eyes were moist. Her cheeks also seemed a little red.

“Are you hurt anywhere?” Where does it hurt? “Huh? No. I’m not hurt. You protected me so well…” “Really? You’re not just pretending to be okay, are you?” I approached Adela and examined her body. She was fine. She didn’t seem to be hurt at all.

“Hmm. You’re fine. You were just surprised, right?” I couldn’t activate ‘Divine Eye’ [a magical ability to see details] because of the Anti-Magia, so I couldn’t see in more detail. But even roughly, she didn’t seem to have any problems with her condition. She really seems fine.

“Yes. I’m fine.” “…Hmm.” But why is her face so red? Was it because she was surprised by the shooting earlier? It seems like it.

“Okay. It’s good that you’re not hurt.” Anyway, it’s a relief that there’s no problem. “Ah. Wait a minute. Stay still.” “Yes? Ugh!” I reached out to Adela’s bangs. Her hair was very disheveled from the earlier incident, so I just tidied it up a bit. “There.” “Th, thank you… hiccup!” Adela hiccuped in the middle of her reply.

“You must have been really surprised?” It was the first time I’d seen Adela hiccup. She must have been really shocked. “It’s okay. I’m here now. You don’t have to worry.” “……Yes. I don’t… hiccup! Sorry… hic!” Adela covered her mouth with both hands. Her face turned even redder, as if she was embarrassed by the hiccups. I watched Adela and chuckled softly. “Um, Shin Hayul-nim.” The butler called me at that moment. “I apologize for interrupting, but no matter what, I can’t grasp the situation… How is this situation unfolding right now?” “It’s nothing much. I just found a way to suppress the Anti-Magia, and I came to carry out that plan.” I pulled out a thin strand of shadow from the tip of my index finger and wrapped it around the Anti-Magia. “Hoo… It really… isn’t reacting. Is that magic the way to suppress the Anti-Magia?” “Yes.” I gathered the shadow again. “That magic is…” Adela’s expression turned cold again. Her expression was calm, as if she hadn’t been hiccuping just a moment ago. She must have realized that the shadow magic I just used was the same as ‘Shadow’s’ shadow. I winked at the butler from an angle where Adela couldn’t see. It was a signal to talk about it later. “……” Adela nodded as if she understood. “Do you have any more questions?” “Yes. For now…” There were still many questions, but there were no questions important enough to ask in this situation. That was the expression on his face. “Good.” I checked the time with the analog watch I had brought separately. I couldn’t use my usual phone or walkie-talkie because they run on mana, and I couldn’t use them now with the Anti-Magia. Therefore, communication during the operation was naturally impossible. The only way we could coordinate with each other was by using ‘time’. “The timing is perfect.” The current time was 10:21 AM. I had achieved the first checkpoint, joining Adela, within the time limit. Now, the next is the second checkpoint. It was time to proceed with the sweep operation at 10:30 AM. “First, I’d like to ask the butler to monitor these guys here.” “Yes? Yes, I understand.” Without the Anti-Magia, these guys couldn’t beat the butler even if dozens or hundreds of them attacked. “But, the fact that you’re specifically asking me to do that…” The butler looked at Adela with a strangely uneasy expression. “Yes. I have a separate request for Adela.” “……” The butler’s expression darkened. He looked very anxious about being separated from Adela in this dangerous situation. “Is it… dangerous?” “Objectively speaking, it is a dangerous task.” If anyone heard what I was about to ask Adela, 10 out of 10 people would be horrified and scream. They would say that I was asking her to do something too dangerous. “If you say objectively… then subjectively…” “It’s safe.” It might seem like a dangerous request at first glance, but it’s different when I’m involved. “Are you sure?” “Yes. I’m sure. I can promise you with everything I have.” I made eye contact with the anxious butler. “I will make sure that Adela doesn’t get a single scratch. No, she won’t get a single scratch.” “Is it something I shouldn’t do?” “Yes. You can’t. This is something only Adela can do.” It was a mission that only Adela, who inherited the constitution of Sol Lunari [a unique lineage or power], and whose face was as well-known as mine, could carry out. “……Are you okay, Miss?” “Yes. If it’s something only I can do, then I have to do it.” “……I understand.” The butler nodded with a helpless expression. “Anyway, unless we resolve this situation, it’s not like we’re really living even if we survive. I’ll trust you.” The butler came up to me and extended his right hand. “Please take good care of the young lady.” “Yes. Leave it to me.” I grasped the butler’s hand with appropriate strength, so that my will would be conveyed through the handshake. I made eye contact with the butler with confidence. Only then did the butler breathe a sigh of relief, as if he was somewhat reassured. “Then, Adela. Let’s go.” The current time was 10:25 AM. There were only 5 minutes left until the operation began. We had to move to the target location in that time. “What about what I have to do?” I went out of the bathroom first, and Adela followed me, asking. “I’ll explain on the way. First…” I explained to Adela what she had to do, keeping my voice as low as possible. * * * With 30 minutes left until the promised time, the leader of the Anti-Magia was yawning leisurely. He was going to die in 30 minutes, but there wasn’t a trace of anxiety on his face. It wasn’t because he had a way to survive that he was so relaxed. The leader knew better than anyone that he was going to die. The reason he wasn’t anxious now was because the sense of accomplishment from carrying out his mission was greater than his fear of death. The brainwashing education he received from the Anti-Magia had turned him into a fanatic who didn’t even fear death. “Any contact?” The leader asked casually. “No. I think they gave up on the hostages, following the international counter-terrorism manual.” The terrorists’ words caused the hostages to react. There’s no way the government would abandon us. They’ll definitely come to save us. Such words, close to wishful thinking, were heard here and there. “Foolish bastards.” At that muttering, the leader got up from his seat with an unpleasant expression. He was disgusted by the government that was thinking of abandoning the hostages, and he was also disgusted by those foolish bastards who believed in such a government. “Don’t whine. It’s all your own fault. If you hadn’t been so attached to magic, if you hadn’t submitted to magic, this wouldn’t have happened.” Sophistry. It was a sophistry without any logic, but the leader believed it was the truth, because that’s what he was taught, because that’s how he was brainwashed. “So, they decided to abandon the hostages according to the manual. Then, I guess we have no choice but to follow the manual as well.” The counter-Anti-Magia response method established by the International Counter-Terrorism Headquarters was to ignore and give up. There was nothing they could do until they found a suitable solution. So, they gave up. That was the decision for the happiness of the absolute majority. That was the conclusion the international community had reached. It was a manual that the Anti-Magia didn’t like very much. That’s why the Anti-Magia created a new manual. “From now on, we’ll kill 100 people every minute.” If the other side gives up, then they just had to make sure they couldn’t give up in the future. “After 10 minutes, we’ll kill 200 people.” They would kill the hostages in the most gruesome and miserable way possible. If you don’t plan to move, then the hostages will die in agony. They would send such a threat. That was the new manual created by the Anti-Magia. “A fitting punishment for the poor lambs who have become slaves to magic and mana.” It was when the leader was about to slowly approach the hostages. “Stop.” A woman’s voice was heard from one side of the passage. “I cannot tolerate any more of your atrocities. If you’re going to torture someone, then torture me instead.” “Hoo.” Adela Steart. “So, a big shot was hiding here.” The leader smiled brightly as he confirmed her face.