The Return of The Mythical Archmage [EN]: Chapter 319

The Black Magic King’s right arm, which had been spinning through the sky, finally fell to the ground with a thud.

‘……Indeed. It seems your mind works as quickly as your swordsmanship.’

Despite the sudden loss of an arm, a trauma that would send most into a panic, the Black Magic King remained calm and composed.

‘Where did you figure it out? Just knowing that I killed the Magic Tower Masters wouldn’t be enough to reach that conclusion.’

The Black Magic King stroked his chin with his remaining left hand, a thoughtful gesture.

‘I’ve heard that swordsmen can feel their opponent’s heart by clashing swords. Did you read my inner thoughts when you cut me?’

‘As if.’

Sein’s sword, which had momentarily vanished, slowly began to materialize again, regaining its original form.

‘The idea that you can know someone’s heart by clashing swords is just nonsense spouted by romantic swordsmen. What you feel when swords clash is the weight of the opponent’s sword and the density of mana covering that weight. It’s no different from magic.’

Sein shook her materialized sword as if to shake off something, a subtle movement.

Red blood splattered from the sword, staining the ground a crimson hue. It was undoubtedly the Black Magic King’s blood.

‘What I felt through my Mind Sword wasn’t your heart, but your physical condition.’

‘What do you mean by my physical condition?’

The Black Magic King’s eyes narrowed, a sign of his growing unease.

‘There’s no need to play dumb. I already know everything.’

Sein once again pointed the tip of her sword at the Black Magic King, a clear threat.

‘Your body and mana are not in perfect harmony.’

‘Huh? W-what does that mean…’

It wasn’t the Black Magic King who reacted to Sein’s words this time, but Sophia, her voice filled with shock.

‘Your body and mana aren’t in harmony… Does that mean his current state isn’t his complete form?’

‘I can’t say for sure, but that’s how it feels to me.’

‘That can’t be…’

Sophia staggered, looking greatly shocked, her face pale.

‘Then we… we were so helpless against a Black Magic King who wasn’t even at his full power…?’

She seemed utterly shaken by the realization that they had been completely overwhelmed by an incomplete version of the Black Magic King.

And she looked even more shocked by the fact that the Black Magic King’s power could become even stronger, a terrifying prospect.

‘Tsk. I thought you had improved a little, but you still haven’t come to your senses.’

Sein glared at Sophia with a look of disdain, her patience wearing thin.

‘Get a grip. Whether you were defeated by an incomplete version of him without putting up a proper fight or not, it doesn’t matter now.’

Sein advised Sophia in a cold, sharp voice, cutting through her despair.

‘What’s important now isn’t that kind of thing…’

Her voice was as cold as the murderous gaze she directed at the Black Magic King, a chilling focus.

‘It’s that now is the only chance we have to defeat him.’

Sophia’s trembling stopped, the cold water of Sein’s words washing over her, instantly calming her down.

‘So get up. Get up and prepare to fight.’

Sein’s sword began to blur again, the Mind Sword activating once more, making the blade seem to disappear from this world.

‘This is probably our last chance to defeat him.’

At that moment, the Black Magic King’s severed right arm turned into mist and began to scatter, dissolving into nothingness.

Much faster than Sein’s Mind Sword disappeared, it turned into black mist and vanished, a display of his dark magic.

‘How unfortunate.’

The vanished right arm was already reattached to the Black Magic King’s body, a testament to his regenerative abilities.

‘If I could just get through today, my victory would be as good as confirmed.’

The Black Magic King’s mana surged again, a dark and ominous power.

He released the mana he had just recovered, a display of his immense magical reserves.

‘So, variables are still variables. Nothing goes according to my will, from start to finish.’

As if he was determined to completely eliminate the enemy before him, his resolve hardened.

The corrupted mana surged like a beast, a wild and untamed force.

‘Sein Vinoche. You are absolutely right. I am indeed not at my full power yet. I cannot yet perfectly control the power of the 10th Circle [The highest level of magic].’

The vast mana was so immense that it felt as if the entire world had turned into the Black Magic King’s mana, a suffocating presence.

‘Fighting you now is a great loss for me as well. A fight with you will inevitably be accompanied by considerable strain.’

The dense mana, which seemed impossible to be from someone not at full power, began to engulf the surroundings, a suffocating blanket of dark energy.

‘But that’s all. What I lose by fighting you is just a little time due to the strain. Just a very small loss of time.’

The mana emitted by the Black Magic King was glowing darkly, as if it were not of this world, an otherworldly power.

‘Even if I am not at my full power right now. You are no match for me.’

The Black Magic King’s mana soared into the sky, a terrifying display of power.

‘You will regret it.’

The soaring mana gathered in groups, forming a huge mass, a dark and ominous cloud.

‘Regret rejecting my offer.’

The gathered mana soon took the shape of a giant rock and began to fall to the ground, a terrifying spectacle.

‘If you had accepted my offer quietly, you could have enjoyed life a little longer.’

A giant rock falling through the atmosphere, a sight that would inspire terror in any heart.

A magic of extraordinary scale, only seen in myths and stories, a legendary power.

A meteor fall magic, a cataclysmic event.

Meteor, a symbol of destruction.

‘……Indeed.’

Looking at the magic, Sein narrowed her eyes, a calculating gaze.

‘Is that the source that made you despair, Sophia Anetscheff? I understand your feelings a little.’

With her eyes narrowed, she raised the corners of her mouth, a hint of a smile playing on her lips.

‘However.’

Sein put her sword back into its sheath with a full smile, a confident gesture.

‘It’s not enough to make me despair.’

And she immediately took a stance for drawing her sword, a swift and practiced movement.

Kugung-!

Based on Sein’s right foot, the ground cracked like a spider web, the force of her stance shattering the earth.

All the weight was concentrated on her right foot, and the ground could not withstand the force and began to shatter, a testament to her power.

‘If I cut that down, my idol will also return.’

The sky was filled with a swarm of meteors, a terrifying display of power.

Despite the overwhelming power that would make anyone terrified, there was no negative emotion to be found on Sein’s face, only a calm resolve.

All that could be seen was confidence and pride, a warrior’s spirit.

Sein’s hand moved, a slow and deliberate motion.

Slow enough for a three-year-old child to see, a deceptive simplicity.

She slashed through the air, a silent and deadly strike.

Ching-!

And when Sein returned her sword to its sheath again, the sound was like a sharp chime.

Kuoong-!

The meteors that filled the sky were all cut in half, their power nullified, a display of her incredible swordsmanship.

‘How is it, Sophia Anetscheff?’

Amidst the meteors that had lost their power and were falling, Sein murmured softly, her voice calm and collected.

Sophia’s eyes were fixed on Sein Vinoche’s back, a gaze of awe and admiration.

‘Do those rocks still look scary to you?’

There was no trace of despair or fear in her eyes, only a newfound hope and determination.

* * *

Lightning bolts rained down from the sky, a chaotic and terrifying storm.

It was as if all the dark clouds in the world had gathered in one place, and from there, dozens, hundreds of lightning bolts were falling, a spectacle of raw power.

‘Meteors. Typhoons. Magma. Extreme cold. Next is lightning?’

Under the swarm of lightning, a woman stood with a sword in her hand, a beacon of defiance.

Looking at the simultaneous lightning strikes, she remained unfazed.

Holding a small piece of metal that wouldn’t even serve as a lightning rod, she seemed completely at ease.

‘It seems like power won’t work, so you’re going to compete with speed next?’

She raised her sword with a relaxed expression that showed no fear or dread, a confident smile.

‘Not a bad approach. No matter how skilled a swordsman is, they can’t keep up with the speed of lightning.’

She smiled as she raised her sword, a hint of amusement in her eyes.

‘Of course.’

Sein Vinoche’s sword was swung down, a swift and decisive motion.

‘That’s not something that concerns me.’

At that moment, her confidence was absolute.

‘My sword is my mind. It is my thought. No matter how fast lightning is, it can’t keep up with the speed of my thoughts.’

The lightning was cut, a feat that seemed impossible.

The hundreds of falling lightning bolts were all split apart and vanished without a trace, a testament to her mastery of the Mind Sword.

The fragment of the 10th Circle magic that the Black Magic King had shown was mercilessly sliced by Sein Vinoche, a display of her incredible power.

‘There are no gaps in my defense.’

With a momentary swing, the sword that had disappeared from this world regained its original form, a seamless transition.

Sein sheathed the sword again, a practiced and fluid motion.

‘No.’

At that moment, the Black Magic King moved, a sudden and unexpected attack.

‘Sein Vinoche. You have a clear weakness.’

As if aiming for the timing when Sein sheathed her sword, he had been waiting for this moment.

He moved behind Sein and swung his right hand, a swift and deadly strike.

His right hand was filled with corrupted mana pushed to its limit, a force that could crush anything.

If she were hit by that hand, even Sein Vinoche would not be able to escape death, a fatal blow.

Of course, there was no way Sein Vinoche would not be able to avoid such a simple attack, or so it seemed.

Sein Vinoche, who had swordsmanship that could cut through typhoons and lightning, a master of her craft.

How could she not react to the movements of a mere magician, a seemingly simple attack?

‘You cannot use the Mind Sword continuously.’

However, the Black Magic King had anticipated her weakness.

‘After using the Mind Sword, you must sheath your sword.’

Sein could not react, her body momentarily frozen.

‘That is your weakness.’

Immediately after using the Mind Sword, Sein was like a machine that had overheated and entered a cooldown state, a vulnerable moment.

At this moment of sheathing, she could not even move a finger, a critical vulnerability.

If this continued, Sein Vinoche would have her chest pierced by the Black Magic King’s right arm, and her heart would be crushed, a fatal outcome.

If it were a 1:1 match, Sein would have lost at this moment, a grim reality.

‘I told you. There are no gaps in my defense.’

However, this was not a 1:1 match, a crucial detail.

‘No. Should I say there are no gaps in ‘our’ defense?’

This battle is not 1:1, a fact that the Black Magic King had overlooked.

‘It would be a problem if you forgot about me.’

Sophia Anetscheff, who had suddenly appeared, perfectly blocked the Black Magic King’s attack, a timely intervention.

‘Sophia Anetscheff…’

The Black Magic King frowned, his surprise evident.

He looked surprised that Sophia would enter a defensive stance at this timing, a strategic move he had not anticipated.

‘Why are you surprised? Did you think I wouldn’t know the weakness you know?’

Sein Vinoche was well aware of her weakness, the cooldown of the Mind Sword, a vulnerability she had acknowledged.

A necessary gap that arose because she could not fully control her mind yet, because she was still immature, a flaw she was working to overcome.

Sheathing the sword, a moment of vulnerability.

‘I knew very well that you would aim for my sheathing timing.’

She had predicted that the Black Magic King would move at that timing, a calculated risk.

‘I predicted it and asked Sophia to prepare. I told her to protect me the moment I sheathed my sword. To protect me even if it meant sacrificing her life. That’s what I told her.’

Sein’s body began to move again, the cooldown over, her power restored.

The short overheat was over, and she was back in the fight.

‘There are no gaps in our defense.’

Sein’s body, which had fully recovered to its original condition, swung her sword again, a swift and deadly motion.

‘And in the first place…’

The Black Magic King frowned and began to evade, a desperate attempt to avoid her attack.

Chwaaaaaaaak-!

But he could not avoid Sein’s ‘Mind Sword’, a strike that defied conventional defense.

A sword that exists, yet does not exist, a paradox of power.

Even the Black Magic King did not know how to block such a sword, a technique beyond his understanding.

Because it was swordsmanship, not magic, and an area he had never stepped into, a realm of skill he could not comprehend.

It was impossible to come up with a countermeasure for it, a technique that defied logic.

‘It’s not just me who has a gap after a big movement.’

The Black Magic King retreated, spitting out blood, a sign of the damage he had sustained.

The Black Magic King’s body turned into black mist and vanished, a desperate attempt to escape.

He had turned his body into mist, erasing his form, a temporary reprieve.

‘Just as I have an inevitable gap called sheathing because I am immature. Black Magic King. You also have an inevitable gap after using magic because you are still immature.’

Sein sheathed her sword again, a calculated move.

After about 0.3 seconds of cooldown, a brief moment of vulnerability.

‘You can use magic that can be called natural disasters, such as meteors, typhoons, magma, and lightning, a display of immense power.’

And then, she prepared for her next attack.

‘But it is impossible to use that level of magic consecutively, a limitation he could not overcome.’

Sein’s sword cut through the world again, a swift and deadly strike.

‘If you could have used meteor-level magic at full power consecutively, our teamwork would have been meaningless, a testament to their combined strength.’

Blood stained the sky, a grim reminder of the battle.

The blood gushing from the Black Magic King’s body, which had turned into mist, a paradoxical sight.

Blood was dripping from the Black Magic King’s body, which should not have been able to be cut because it had no form, a testament to the power of the Mind Sword.

The Black Magic King appeared about 20 meters away from Sein, his form solidifying once more.

The wounds he had suffered during the mist transformation were still on his body, a sign of the damage he had sustained.

‘You are stronger than me. But weaker than us.’

Sein sheathed her sword again, a confident gesture.

A 0.3-second cooldown, a brief moment of vulnerability.

That momentary gap passed, and she was ready to strike again.

And she took a stance to draw her sword again, a swift and practiced motion.

‘You cannot defeat us.’

She sneered coldly, with her sword slightly drawn from its sheath, as if she were about to swing it at any moment, a display of her confidence.

‘……How pathetic.’

Looking down at Sein, the Black Magic King also sneered, a mocking gesture.

‘It’s ridiculous that you think this is my limit.’

The Black Magic King’s mana began to concentrate at one point, a gathering of immense power.

With the momentum to crush Sein and Sophia before him, a display of his overwhelming strength.

With the momentum to erase only the two of them, it surged fiercely, a focused and deadly attack.

‘Good. Try to block this as well.’

The mana, which was already enormous, became even more enormous, a terrifying display of power.

As if he had not been at full power until just now, a revelation of his true strength.

As if this was his true power, a force that could shatter the world.

The enormous mana gathered at one point and began to surge, a gathering of immense power.

A magic with an appearance reminiscent of Shin In-hyuk’s ‘Big Bang’ [A powerful magic technique], a destructive force.

No, should it be called a magic that is truly reminiscent of the ‘Big Bang’ [The origin of the universe], a cataclysmic event?

‘I won’t leave a trace.’

The Black Magic King slowly raised his right hand, a deliberate and menacing gesture.

Clearly targeting Sein, he pointed at her heart, a fatal aim.

‘Die.’

At that moment, the condensed mana was compressed even further, a gathering of immense power.

The calm before the storm, a moment of eerie silence.

Just as the moment before an explosion is the quietest, a deceptive tranquility.

The Black Magic King’s magic also became silent for a moment, a prelude to destruction.

‘You don’t listen to people’s advice at all.’

At that moment, the corners of Sein’s mouth curled into a sneer, a mocking gesture.

‘I told you. You cannot defeat ‘us’.’

‘Nonsense. You two cannot block this with your combined power. Whether you combine your strength or not. Nothing will change.’

‘Two? I don’t know what you’re talking about.’

Looking at the Black Magic King’s expressionless face, she mocked him with all her might, a display of her confidence.

‘Didn’t you forget someone?’

At those words, the Black Magic King’s pupils trembled slightly, a sign of his growing unease.

‘……Shin Hayul!’

Shin Hayul, who had been holding his breath nearby and quietly observing the situation until just now, was nowhere to be seen, a sudden disappearance.

He was so lacking in presence that his existence had momentarily disappeared from his mind, a strategic move.

‘Where is Shin Hayul…’

It was when the Black Magic King was about to turn his gaze around, a moment of distraction.

‘You’re too late.’

Shin Hayul appeared, a sudden and unexpected arrival.

Holding a huge staff that he had no idea where he had taken from, a mysterious artifact.

With a unique pattern on his head, a sign of his power.

‘Kailum.’

‘Great Memorize.’

He chanted the activation words, a magical incantation.

‘Ignis.’

And then, he unleashed his power.

‘We have won.’

Mana reversed, a shift in the flow of power.

‘Reverse Heaven.’

Ignis began to rampage, a chaotic and destructive force.