Chapter 130
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 130
Chapter Title: Event (4)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
BOOM!—KABOOM!—
The great archmage's magic wasn't just about dropping spheres of light.
Moments ago, combat helicopters had unleashed a barrage of machine gun fire and missiles, but they'd achieved next to nothing.
Yet now, the light spheres plummeting like shooting stars burst the bodies of the monsters surging forward in waves.
"Is that... the great archmage's magic...?"
Na Seoha watched the spectacle in awe, his mouth hanging open.
It was hard to believe that all this magic was unfolding from a single person's hand.
He'd heard tales of the great archmage's exploits from someone who'd entered the History Recreation Gate before, but witnessing it firsthand filled him with nothing but wonder.
"How the hell did he do that? Kang Ju-young, you didn't hear anything?"
Kang Ju-young recalled a few things the great archmage had said back in the History Recreation Gate but played dumb.
"I didn't hear a thing. Go take your position."
"Position? It looks like it's gonna wrap up just like this."
As Na Seoha said, the monsters struck directly by the light spheres collapsed on the spot and never rose again.
These were monsters from an S-rank gate, yet they were getting swept away like fodder from a low-rank gate.
"Instructor Kang Ju-young. Is that him—the great archmage?"
Cha Serin, who handled elemental magic alongside her, approached Kang Ju-young and asked.
Kang Ju-young nodded, figuring there was no hiding it with the great archmage putting on such a flashy show.
"He's the great archmage, just like you thought. If you go over there, don't say anything stupid."
"...Seeing it up close, he's even more incredible than the stories let on."
Cha Serin flinched a bit at Kang Ju-young's warning but still praised the magic.
In truth, nearly half the monsters had already been cleared out—even with all the heroes here just standing by.
Krraaah!—
At that moment, the Earth Drake took a few more hits from the falling light spheres, let out a roar laced with fear, and bolted in the opposite direction.
The other monsters seemed to realize it was hopeless too and turned to follow, but the great archmage watching them cut off their retreat in advance.
"Can't let you run away."
RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE!—
A massive rock wall, like a fortress battlement, erupted behind the monsters.
Na Seoha and Cha Serin, detecting no mana or incantation this time either, wore shocked expressions once again.
"As expected. No restrictions on mana or chants—he's just casting magic freely."
Na Seoha in particular scrutinized the great archmage's spells with the keen eye of a fellow mage.
Somehow, with a mere gesture, magic manifested without any prelude, slaughtering, trapping, and toying with the monsters.
"Hmph."
Then, the great archmage—who'd been unleashing magic with the momentum to wipe out the horde single-handedly—suddenly pulled back his hand.
"This should do it."
The moment the great archmage finished speaking, the falling light spheres vanished cleanly, as if they'd never existed.
Everyone but Kang Ju-young stared at him in confusion after he'd declared it was enough.
"Won't you finish them off?"
Kang Ju-young stepped forward as the representative and asked.
"If I finish them, everyone who came all this way would've wasted their time, no? This feels about right."
"..."
Kang Ju-young had half-expected this, recalling the History Recreation Gate, and sure enough...
The great archmage never saw things through to the end himself—he always dumped the cleanup on others.
'Still, at this point...'
Over half the monsters were dead, their momentum thoroughly broken.
Kang Ju-young figured they could mop up without heavy losses now. She nodded and offered her thanks.
"Thank you for your help."
"It was nothing."
At the same time, Na Seoha rushed over, unwilling to let the opportunity slip.
"Great Archmage! I'm Na Seoha, treading the path of magic. Please, bestow your wisdom upon me!"
"Wisdom, eh."
The great archmage... or rather, Lee Seongmin, eyed Na Seoha, who was begging for teachings.
Of course, Lee Seongmin didn't possess the depth of knowledge to teach magic to anyone else.
"That'd be tough. Na Seoha, right? Sometimes, walking your path without wavering is what's crucial."
In essence: Stick to the magic you were already learning.
With enough study, this world's magic might eventually let him cast without mana or chants.
"No, can't you at least nudge me that far?"
"My magic isn't the one true way."
"Anyone can see your magic is the right path."
"Prejudice. Not a mindset a mage should have."
While the great archmage responded, the monsters stirred again.
Trapped by the wall and milling in confusion, they'd resumed descending the mountain the instant the magic faded.
"Hm. Looks like fewer than a thousand left now."
On the flip side, the heroes assembled here numbered at least six or seven thousand.
Not all S-rankers—A- through C-rank heroes had shown up too—but no real danger there.
"I'll be off, then. Good luck to you all."
With that, the great archmage conjured a small cluster of light and vanished via spatial leap.
He'd made the light cluster deliberately—to show everyone it was magic.
"..."
Na Seoha stared blankly at the empty spot where the great archmage had vanished in a flash, at a loss for words.
Recalling how he'd ditched him with platitudes about "walking his own path" instead of any real teachings, Na Seoha turned to Kang Ju-young.
"Kang Ju-young. No way to meet the great archmage?"
"None. Monsters are coming—get ready."
"Argh! Damn it! Why not just wipe them all out while he was at it!"
Even Na Seoha, magic-obsessed as he was, knew priorities.
Stopping the descending monsters came first, so he swiftly gathered mana to prepare his spells.
'Hm.'
Separately, Kang Ju-young pondered the organization that included the great archmage who'd just left—as well as the healer and the destroyer.
'What kind of group is it?'
What if they turned to crime?
No one in Kang Ju-young's mind could stand against that organization right now.
'If they move for real...'
Worrying inwardly about what might happen, she gathered mana to face the monsters.
CLANG!—CLANGCLANG!—
The instant Joo Tae-ho swung his sword at the Geneva Apostle, dozens of clashes echoed out.
He'd likely used his innate ability, [Formless Blade], to batter the apostle's body all over.
-Joo Tae-ho's pulling out [Formless Blade] right from the start. Guess he senses the opponent's no pushover.
From what he'd heard, Joo Tae-ho usually held back his innate ability at first.
But given the circumstances, he led with it, assaulting the apostle.
'That means the guy's seriously dangerous.'
Or maybe dying to Villain Alliance leader Lucas had taught him something.
Either way, the apostle yielded slightly under Joo Tae-ho's onslaught but took no real damage.
'That body's tough, alright.'
Not just tough—it regenerated too.
It was only holding up this much because I'd jammed several blades into it with [Warlord's Weapon] and kept targeting the shoulder with the rest.
'Head-on, even Joo Tae-ho's in trouble.'
While I mulled that over, Cheon Seo-yun approached.
"Not fighting?"
"I am fighting."
"..."
She stared at me intently in response.
She must've seen me go all-out controlling those swords when she got attacked earlier.
'She's wondering why I'm half-assing it now when I can pull that off.'
KRRRAAARRGH!—
Then the battered apostle unleashed a massive roar and lashed out wildly.
Realizing Joo Tae-ho's attacks weren't much threat, it went for the kill.
-Ah... Joo Tae-ho's [Formless Blade] feels kinda weak.
Lee Seojun had said before that the sword Joo Tae-ho wielded directly boosted [Formless Blade]'s power.
But right now, he gripped a fairly ordinary blade—probably never imagined facing a monster like this.
"Hmm. It feels awfully similar to the energy those Geneva Cult holy knights use."
Joo Tae-ho dodged the apostle's red-auric sword with movements spry for his age.
Mentioning the Geneva Cult meant he knew they wielded destructive power.
"And tough as nails. Makes me curious who stuck those swords in him."
Yet Joo Tae-ho looked oddly relaxed.
'He got a way to kill the apostle?'
Lee Seojun cocked his head at Joo Tae-ho's demeanor too.
-Looks like he's got an ace up his sleeve?
"..."
I agreed, but Lee Seojun—who should've known—seemed clueless.
'Well, yeah. Normally he'd be crippled by that curse right now.'
Liberated from it, he was going full throttle.
And as if ready to wrap it up, he shifted into stance—then abruptly tossed his sword aside.
'Huh?'
I blinked at the move.
FLASH!—
A pristine white sword materialized in Joo Tae-ho's hand.
-Wha—what? That sword's gotta be...
Lee Seojun stammered in shock as the blade—looking forged from holy light—appeared.
Ignoring him, Joo Tae-ho swung the white sword, yielding wildly different results.
SLASH!—
Pairing the swing with [Formless Blade], the apostle's body shredded into dozens of chunks.
What took my full power just to pierce, he'd sliced through effortlessly—that white sword had to be why.
'What the hell is that sword?'
I glanced at Lee Seojun, who seemed to know, but he just gawked at Joo Tae-ho with a utterly wrecked expression.