The Return of The Mythical Archmage [EN]: Chapter 392

About 10 minutes had passed since Elena unleashed the Primordial Green.

Despite the overwhelming difference in skill, Adela was putting up a surprisingly good fight.

“She’s definitely a monster. To hold her own like that despite such a gap in power,” Tey remarked, watching the two spar with an expression of pure enjoyment.

It seemed Elena’s magic had already been analyzed back in the Empire days, so he was only focusing on Adela’s movements.

“…She’s grown so much again in just ten days.”

I felt the same way.

The Primordial Green, which could be called Elena’s ultimate magic, was a sight to behold.

It was my first time seeing it, so I should have been drawn to it.

But my eyes didn’t even think about looking that way. My gaze was solely fixed on Adela.

“Successor, you need to be on your toes. You might get caught up if you’re not careful.”

“…Yes.”

It wasn’t an empty threat; she really could catch up if I wasn’t careful.

If she succeeded in fully mastering Elena’s power, then Adela and I could completely switch places.

That’s how high Adela’s potential was right now.

“…I can’t just keep watching.”

My will was surging.

Watching Adela’s fight made my fighting spirit boil. I couldn’t let her catch up like this.

“Let’s start soon, too.”

All my questions had been answered.

That was enough observation.

It was time for me to start training as well.

“Can’t we watch a little longer?” Tey replied without even turning his head. He seemed to want to watch Adela a little longer, a look of utter disappointment on his face.

“You’ve already seen enough, haven’t you?”

“I guess so, but…”

He even started smacking his lips openly.

It was the first time I’d seen Tey like this.

Even when things happened with Mimir, or when something happened with me, he hadn’t been this disappointed.

Was Adela that appealing to him?

“We can observe her any other day, not just today.”

“…I guess. Watching the changes in real-time is fun, but watching with some time in between has its own charm.”

If Elena heard that, she would probably be shocked.

She would probably get goosebumps all over her body, stand in front of Adela, and say, ‘Don’t come near me.’

“Then let’s go.”

Tey smacked his lips one last time, as if he was still disappointed, and turned off the screen showing Adela.

“That shield friend over there also seems like he’d be fun to watch… The more I think about it, the more I feel it’s a shame.”

Then he turned off the screen showing Soonchan as well.

For the record, Soonchan hadn’t even started a proper sparring session yet.

Asran’s special lecture was still going on in real-time.

Judging by the atmosphere, I didn’t think Soonchan would start sparring for at least another hour.

“…It can’t be helped. A mission is a mission. Let’s go.”

Once everything was settled, Tey pointed to a portal that had opened on the opposite side.

A portal similar to the one Soonchan and Adela had entered.

That was the training area prepared for my training.

“Yes.”

I slowly followed Tey towards the training area.

And so, I passed through the portal.

I arrived at a unique training ground.

“This place. The structure is quite unique.”

How should I put it?

It had the form of a training ground, but it also felt strangely like a research lab.

If there was a research lab for studying magic back in the Empire days, and Tey was the head of that lab, it would probably feel like this.

“It’s a space modeled after my sanctuary… my lab from the Empire days. It’s understandable that you find it unique.”

So that’s how it was.

“When using magic of the Illusion Stone or the Yuhwan type [a type of magic that manipulates illusions and reality], it’s most efficient to imagine something familiar.”

The perfection of the world created by the Illusion Stone depends on the caster’s imagination.

The most familiar place, where there’s no need to imagine, is bound to be the most perfect.

“So that’s why Elena’s was a forest, and Asran’s was a training ground in the castle.”

“Exactly.”

I understood.

“Well, to be honest, I’m good at this kind of magic, so if I wanted to, I could have created any structure…” Tey trailed off with a blank expression.

“You were too lazy.”

“Yeah.”

It seemed he didn’t want to waste his energy like that.

“If you had asked me to make a labyrinth or something, I would have put in the effort, but a sparring arena… honestly, you can just make it any way, right? As long as the area is big enough.”

Tey stood in the middle and stretched.

A strange heat could be felt amidst Tey’s usual leisurely atmosphere.

If I had to give that heat a name, it would probably be ‘fighting spirit’.

“Then let’s start right away.”

No. It was a little different.

It was a little different from pure fighting spirit.

The fighting spirit was firm, but the reason for having that spirit was different.

“…It seems like you just want to finish quickly and go back.”

Right now, Tey just wanted to finish training as quickly as possible and go back.

He probably wanted to go back and observe Adela.

That’s why he was so motivated, unlike usual.

To put it in perspective, it was like the will of an office worker who wants to finish all their pending work in the afternoon at superhuman speed to leave work on time on Friday.

“Hey. That’s not true. It’s not just the cool beauty friend that I’m interested in.”

He seemed to want to say that he was just as interested in me as he was in Adela.

“I’m also very interested in your magic. If I wasn’t interested in you in the first place, I wouldn’t have taken on this training.”

That was definitely true.

“Whether you’re interested in me or not. You’re more concerned about Adela right now, aren’t you?”

But that was it.

He was interested in me, but that was all.

All of Tey’s interest was focused on Adela right now.

“…Is it obvious?”

“Yes. It’s obvious.”

Tey gave a slight smile. It was a look that said, ‘You’re quick to notice.’

“I’m a little. Just a little disappointed.”

“Why? Because I’m not paying attention to you?”

“No. It’s not that I’m disappointed because I’m not getting attention…”

It was similar, but a little different.

I wasn’t a child. Would I be disappointed just because I wasn’t getting attention?

“It feels like my newly developed Mythic Magic is being ignored.”

The reason I was feeling disappointed was because it felt like my magic was being ignored.

The Mythic Magic that I had finished re-modifying.

With this magic, Tey should have been unable to contain his excitement.

But he was acting like it didn’t matter, focusing all his attention solely on Adela.

That’s why I was disappointed.

No, was it not disappointment?

‘Should I say my pride was hurt for no reason?’

As the person who created and used this magic.

My pride was strangely hurt.

“Really? I didn’t mean to ignore it. I apologize if it sounded that way.”

Tey shrugged, looking a little surprised.

“It’s not that I’m not interested in your magic. It’s just that I thought Mythic Magic was just Mythic Magic. It was just pushed to the back of my mind.”

“…”

At those words, my eyebrows twitched for a moment.

I knew Tey didn’t mean it that way, but it sounded like he was looking down on us.

Like, no matter how much you guys mess with Mythic Magic, it’s all the same.

“…Is that so.”

How should I put it?

It felt like someone had pressed a trigger switch in my body.

“That perception. I think I need to correct it a little.”

Originally, I was planning to take it step by step, slowly.

But I changed my mind.

“Alright. Let’s start right away.”

I’ll go all out from the start.

“Okay.”

Mana swirled around Tey’s body.

The ghostly ether unique to Tey’s ‘Dream-type magic’ spread in all directions.

“I’ll give you the first move.”

A perfect battle stance.

There wasn’t a single opening in Tey right now.

“You’re giving me the first move. Are you sure you won’t regret that?”

“Regret? Me? Why?”

“Giving me the first move means you’ll just be watching no matter how much time I take to prepare my first move.”

In a magic duel, giving up the first move is a penalty that’s bigger than you can imagine.

“If you give me that much time, it could be dangerous for you.”

Usually, it’s harder to defend against magic than to cast it.

Defending against a spell that has been prepared with enough time is not easy even for a mage with a higher level of achievement.

“Well. I don’t think it’ll be that dangerous.”

The person who knew that better than anyone was answering so nonchalantly.

In other words, he wasn’t even considering me as an opponent.

“…I understand.”

Even if he had the fighting power of his prime, it felt like he was underestimating me too much.

“Then, as you said, I’ll take the first move.”

I couldn’t just stay being underestimated like this.

I mobilized everything I had learned so far and rotated the circle [referring to the magic circle used to cast spells].

“…Hmm.”

The corners of Tey’s lips curled up slightly.

It was an expression that said he knew what kind of magic I was going to use.

‘He probably thinks I’m going to use Ignis.’

He probably thought I would use Ignis as my first move, no matter what.

That’s how confident he was.

It was the magic with the highest firepower among the magic I possessed, and the magic with the most outstanding power.

Moreover, it was a magic that had the power to carry ‘concepts’, so it wouldn’t be affected by Tey’s Dream-type magic.

Ignis was the only magic like that.

‘He must be preparing for fire-attribute magic.’

He was sure I would use Ignis, and he must have prepared for it.

If I used Ignis as it was now, my defeat would be decided with a high probability.

That’s why.

‘I won’t use Ignis as my first move.’

I wouldn’t use Ignis as my first move.

It was foolish to use the magic that the enemy was predicting and preparing for.

‘Of course, ordinary magic is also a pass.’

Just because the enemy was predicting it, it wouldn’t do to give up Ignis and use ordinary magic.

That would be like preparing only a rifle and going to war when the enemy was preparing for a cannon.

It would be better to just use Ignis in that case.

‘The magic I’ll use as my first move is…’

The magic that was suitable for the first move now wasn’t Ignis, but a Mythic Magic with power comparable to Ignis.

‘Dissolutio [a powerful, destructive magic].’

A dangerous magic that had a history of going berserk in the past.

A Mythic Magic that inherited the legacy of the God of Destruction.

Dissolutio.

‘This is the only magic I have.’

This was the only way to land a blow on Tey Rovain right now.

‘It’s my first time using it, so I don’t know if it’ll work…’

But it was worth trying.

I closed my eyes and began to contemplate my inner self.

“Hoo.”

A light breath.

I could feel my mind being drawn deeper and deeper.

‘Couldn’t you use Dissolutio now?’

I remembered Adela’s words, saying that I could use Dissolutio without any problems now.

Now, with the right clothes on my body, wouldn’t I be able to handle Dissolutio?

Somehow, it felt like I could do it now. That’s what Adela had said.

‘It’s possible.’

Adela was right.

I could use Dissolutio now.

I was confident that I could control it without letting it go berserk.

‘It’s a magic that I haven’t been able to condense yet, so it’s impossible to activate it in my own way, but…’

It was possible to use it in the old way.

The way my master used to use Mythic Magic.

‘Now. Now that I have 100% understanding of the incantation of Mythic Magic and have succeeded in analyzing the structure of Mythic Magic…’

Even my master couldn’t handle it, the wild horse.

It would be possible to handle Dissolutio.

“I’ll begin.”

I exhaled a breath full of mana.

“When the world becomes nothingness, it shall be the ultimate.”

The incantation of Dissolutio began.