The Return of The Mythical Archmage [EN]: Chapter 323

The battle between Sein Vinoche and the Black Magic King was at a standstill.

‘It suddenly occurs to me. What if you had realized that power a little earlier?’

The Black Magic King said with a complex expression.

Beyond the black mana that was being cut away constantly.

He stared intently at Sein Vinoche across the scattering darkness.

‘……What’s with the sudden question? Is your goal to damage my concentration with trash talk?’

His gaze was strangely lukewarm.

It would be one thing if someone else looked at him like that.

But it didn’t feel good at all when the Black Magic King looked at him with that expression.

It was like having ants crawling on his back.

‘No. I just suddenly thought of it. There’s no other intention.’

The Black Magic King chuckled and unleashed his magic.

The darkness, which had been shattered by Sein’s sword, began to expand again.

‘Even though your condition isn’t good because of Shin Ha-yul’s reckless magic, you’re fighting evenly with me, who is giving it my all. With a sword you’ve only learned for two months. You’re putting pressure on me.’

Sein cut through the darkness again.

He swung his sword with the intent to cut off even the Black Magic King’s lukewarm gaze.

Clang-!!

The shattered, scattering jet-black petals.

The sight of the corrupted mana crystals scattering was beautiful in an incongruous way.

‘What if you had reached that level a year… no, even half a year earlier? What kind of battle would it have been then?’

Sein took a step forward.

A casual step.

That step instantly closed the gap of over ten meters.

It was as if he had teleported.

‘You’re asking the obvious.’

This was a new technique that Sein Vinoche had learned while observing Shin Ha-yul’s Ignis [a type of fire magic] and the Black Magic King’s darkness.

A new technique he had learned while becoming aware of a higher-dimensional being called a myth and facing the absolute evil that was the Black Magic King.

‘You wouldn’t have lasted three moves before being defeated.’

By cutting through space. A ridiculous movement technique that crossed through space itself.

Because it wasn’t magic, it was an ultra-high-speed movement that the Black Magic King couldn’t even predict.

Sein instantly closed the distance to the Black Magic King.

Whoosh-!

And then, he brought his sword down on the Black Magic King’s empty chest.

The Black Magic King’s body, which was armed with darkness, was cut through.

‘……Now you’re even jumping through space.’

The Black Magic King touched the wound that was etched diagonally across his body and smiled mysteriously.

‘What do you call that technique?’

‘I don’t know.’

Sein immediately changed the trajectory of his sword again and executed an upward slash.

‘It’s a technique I’m using for the first time. It doesn’t have a name.’

The sword, as if defying the laws of physics, kept its power intact and only changed direction by 180 degrees.

The sword grazed the Black Magic King’s cheek.

The Black Magic King pulled his body back to get out of the sword’s path.

‘I had a close call there. I almost had my neck cut off.’

At that moment, Sein’s sword flickered faintly.

‘No. It’s already cut.’

Like a mirage shimmering.

As if the sword itself was an illusion.

The sword wavered like mist.

‘It’s impossible to avoid my sword at this distance.’

At that moment, a red line was drawn on the Black Magic King’s neck.

‘This is……’

And the next moment, the Black Magic King’s neck was separated from his body and flying through the air.

‘Hmm. It doesn’t seem like my mind sword directly cut my neck.’

But that was only for a moment.

The Black Magic King’s neck returned to its original state as if it had never been cut off.

As if the beheading was an illusion, he returned to his normal state.

‘I see. That attack just now. You cut through space, making my retreat as if it never happened.’

‘……You saw through it in an instant.’

The principle was no different from when he cut through space to move a moment ago.

The only difference was that instead of cutting the space Sein was going to move to, he cut the path the Black Magic King was going to escape through.

‘I thought there was no one with more talent than me.’

The Black Magic King said something out of the blue while touching his neck.

‘Whether it’s Ray Bell Bytenner, Veil Stoll, or the gods of myth. I was sure that none of them had as much talent as me.’

Sein frowned as if to say, ‘What nonsense are you talking about?’

‘I thought that I was the one and only being with supreme talent. That there was no one with as much talent as me in the past, present, or future. That’s what I thought.’

The Black Magic King stared directly at Sein with an expression of genuine admiration.

‘But… it seems I was wrong.’

He looked at the swordsman facing him with a sword and clapped with all his heart.

‘To think that there would be someone with talent equal to mine… no, in some ways, even surpassing me.’

With all his heart.

He gave applause filled with all the admiration and respect in the world.

‘Sein Vinoche. I admit it. Your talent is at a level that can reach the supreme realm. It’s a talent as blessed as mine.’

‘……Cut it out. I’ll only feel worse if I get praised by you.’

The Black Magic King frowned, looking somewhat regretful.

‘That’s why it’s even more regrettable.’

‘What’s regrettable?’

‘The fact that I have to kill someone like you with my own hands.’

Sein frowned.

‘……You’re talking as if my defeat is a given.’

He didn’t like the way the Black Magic King was acting as if he had already won.

‘I’ll make you a proposal.’

‘I won’t listen.’

Sein swung his sword again.

The darkness was cut away along with space.

It was as if the world itself had been cut away.

‘Listen. Sein Vinoche. There’s no harm in listening.’

‘I said I wouldn’t listen.’

The Black Magic King’s body, which had been cut away along with the world, instantly returned to its original state.

As if time had been rewound.

His body was restored to its original, intact state.

‘Sein Vinoche.’

‘You’re persistent.’

The Black Magic King was now cut vertically.

From the top of his head to his groin.

He was split in half.

But the result was the same.

The only difference was whether he was cut horizontally or vertically.

The Black Magic King’s body immediately returned to its original form.

‘You. Why don’t you become mine?’

‘I said I wouldn’t listen… what?’

Sein’s face contorted.

As if he couldn’t hate it more.

He frowned, savoring his disgust.

‘Become mine. Become my subordinate. Serve me and show your talent to the fullest. I want to see the end of your sword.’

The Black Magic King extended his right hand to Sein.

‘No. It wouldn’t be bad to make a pact either. I also have the desire to reproduce, and if it’s someone like you…’

‘Shut up. Before I cut off that tongue of yours.’

Sein gritted his teeth.

The goosebumps that had risen on both arms.

‘That was the most chilling thing I’ve ever heard.’

It was the expression and reaction of someone who had seen billions of cockroaches crawling around.

‘If that was trash talk to damage my mind… I’ll give you credit. Your plan was effective enough. I feel like my mind is going to go blank.’

Sein frowned, genuinely looking like he had a headache.

Just thinking about the two-letter word ‘pact’ that came out of the Black Magic King’s mouth sent a chill down his spine.

‘Hmm. I was serious though.’

‘Then it’s even worse. I feel like I’m going to throw up.’

Sein swung his sword, filled with resentment.

The Black Magic King was cut into dozens, hundreds of pieces in an instant.

‘How long are you going to keep showing off your meaningless power? It’s about time you realized you can’t kill me.’

Just like before, the Black Magic King’s body was restored in an instant.

‘Your sword can cut me, but it can’t take my life. Your attacks can’t keep up with my regeneration.’

There was no denying it.

No matter what attack Sein made, the Black Magic King instantly returned to his original form.

Sein’s attack power couldn’t match the Black Magic King’s regeneration.

‘Your mind sword is impressive, but it’s still just a sword. You can’t kill me with point and line attacks.’

To kill the current Black Magic King, you had to attack the entire surface, not just points and lines.

Thrusting or slashing wouldn’t stop the Black Magic King’s regeneration.

Frankly, the situation wasn’t good.

‘Yes. There’s definitely no hope right now. But that’s only for now.’

But that was all.

The situation was only slightly unfavorable.

The victory hadn’t shifted to the other side.

‘Your regeneration might not be infinite. If I keep attacking like this, you might reach your limit someday.’

Sein swung his sword.

A barrage of attacks using the mind sword.

Slashes rained down like a storm.

‘There’s no reason for me to give up.’

‘……Hmm.’

The Black Magic King groaned as he was hit by the rain of slashes all over his body.

He looked a little bored.

‘You probably know it deep down. That I’m going easy on you right now.’

The Black Magic King’s eyes gleamed fiercely.

‘If I had decided to kill you, I could have killed you at any time.’

‘No. Your magic doesn’t reach me. Just like my sword doesn’t reach your regeneration. Your attacks can’t invade my domain either.’

The Black Magic King’s magic was still incomplete.

The myth that the Black Magic King had forged, ‘darkness,’ only protected the Black Magic King’s body and granted him infinite regeneration.

It couldn’t be used for attack purposes.

As long as he couldn’t use darkness for attack, it was impossible to break through Sein’s defense.

The Black Magic King also knew this.

‘I admit it. Indeed. My magic is still immature. It’s impossible to directly break through your defense using darkness.’

But it wasn’t impossible.

‘But it’s definitely possible to break through indirectly.’

‘You… don’t tell me…’

Sein’s expression became urgent.

The Black Magic King reached out with his left hand.

‘Now. Try to stop me.’

He had reached out towards Sophia Anescheff’s body, which was between Sein and the Black Magic King.

‘Tch!’

The Black Magic King’s goal was to take Sophia Anescheff’s body.

The Black Magic King was planning to take Sophia’s body.

Sein immediately cut through space and moved to Sophia’s front.

From this position, he could protect Sophia.

‘Can you really protect her?’

The Black Magic King smirked as he looked at Sein.

‘I can definitely protect one Sophia Anescheff.’

‘I agree. Indeed. The current you can protect one Sophia Anescheff.’

The Black Magic King reached out with his other hand as well.

He raised his hand towards Shin Ha-yul, who was lying next to Sophia.

‘But what about two?’

Sein frowned.

‘Don’t bluff. You can’t kill Ha-yul. Ha-yul can’t be a hostage.’

‘Well. Is that really so?’

The Black Magic King forged a curse in his right hand.

‘I certainly can’t kill Shin Ha-yul. Killing Shin Ha-yul is like killing my own future.’

A sticky curse.

The orbit of a binding spell that bound the target took its place in the Black Magic King’s right hand.

‘But that’s all. I just can’t kill her. It’s definitely possible to put restrictions on Shin Ha-yul’s body. If her mental barrier is weakened like this, I can put restrictions on her and make her my puppet.’

Sein’s eyelids trembled.

He was flustered, realizing that the Black Magic King was genuinely trying to target Shin Ha-yul.

‘It’s a choice between two. Choose.’

His left hand was aimed at Sophia.

His right hand was aimed at Shin Ha-yul.

‘Will you block the curse aimed at Shin Ha-yul? Or will you stop me from taking Sophia Anescheff’s body?’

He was targeting two people with different magic.

‘Personally, I recommend protecting Shin Ha-yul. But the choice is yours. It’s entirely up to you to decide who to protect.’

The Black Magic King’s mana stretched out thickly.

‘I’m looking forward to it. I wonder what choice you’ll make.’

Just as Sein was frowning at the Black Magic King’s despicable actions.

Twitch!

‘……!’

‘……!’

Suddenly, Shin Ha-yul’s finger moved.