Chapter 39: The Mage's Unwritten Rule
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 39: The Mage's Unwritten Rule
Crackle!
A violent discharge of electricity erupted directly in front of Yuren.
A blue veil shimmered into existence before him—the 4th-tier defensive spell, Magic Shield.
Though his reflexive response had saved him from injury, his heart hammered against his ribs.
Was that... an Elemental Bolt?
The 3rd-tier spell, Elemental Bolt, was a fundamental piece of magic. It possessed significantly more destructive power than a Mana Shot, and its properties shifted depending on the attribute assigned to it.
The attribute was lightning, so it must have been a Lightning Bolt.
Lightning was a specialized attribute, prized for its ability to catch enemies off guard with sheer speed. When applied to an Elemental Bolt, it granted a velocity roughly three times faster than any other element.
It felt like an arrow loosed from a divine bow.
Had he failed to react instantly, he surely would have lost a limb.
And he’s only a 3rd Circle mage?
Yuren knew Ferda had reached the 3rd Circle, and he hadn't underestimated him. Ferda was a possessor of a Red Circle, and those who held them always wielded immense power within their compatible attributes. It was already a well-known fact that he had defeated Thesalos Wolcher while still at the 1st Circle.
Because of that, Yuren had categorized him as being at the top of his level.
I thought he might even be comparable to a 4th Circle mage.
But even that had been an underestimation. Ferda was wielding magic with power that far exceeded Yuren's expectations.
How is he doing it?
Yuren’s eyes scanned Ferda, wondering if the man was receiving some kind of secret assistance.
But that was impossible. No one was permitted to carry weapons into this Sealed Warehouse.
To achieve that kind of casting speed through mental calculation alone—without even a wand or staff to assist him?
There was only one way to increase casting speed: repetition and mastery. And that mastery wasn't something achieved through the mindless repetition of a student scribbling notes. It was only possible when drawing the pathways of mana became as natural as breathing—so ingrained that one could cast spells in their sleep.
For the current Yuren, such a feat was impossible. Ferda’s genius was nothing short of awe-inspiring.
"You look curious about the spell," Ferda provoked, his voice dripping with ease. "For your information, it was an Elemental Bolt."
"You arrogant brat."
Yuren’s face flushed crimson. No matter how high his social status, as a mage, Ferda was nothing more than a fledgling at the 3rd Circle.
A magic circle began to form in Yuren’s hand.
"Keep acting tough while you still can!"
In a duel where lives were on the line, titles and ranks meant nothing. The magic circle Yuren completed did not vanish; instead, it hovered in the air.
A Continuous Concentration Magic Circle.
In common expendable magic circles, the mana within the circle is converted into the spell upon use. However, a Continuous Concentration Magic Circle does not consume the circle itself; it remains active, allowing the caster to fire spells repeatedly by simply injecting more mana. It was a technique any 5th Circle mage could naturally perform.
The magic circle is the same as mine. An Elemental Bolt.
Ferda deduced this from the shape and the inscribed runes. Just as he thought, ivory ice shards began to manifest from the circle.
It was an Ice Bolt.
"Try dodging this!"
Furthermore, it wasn't a single shot, but a rapid-fire volley. Ferda threw himself behind a display stand to evade the onslaught.
The ice shattered against the white stone stand. The projectiles were frozen so solid that the stand threatened to crumble under the continuous bombardment.
As expected, continuous concentration types are a nuisance.
It would be a lie to say he wasn't at a disadvantage. In that brief moment when a crack appeared in his composure, a sinister voice crawled toward Ferda.
— Do you need my power?
It was the temptation of demons. They were beings that sought out those driven into a corner, offering contracts in exchange for an absurd price.
They’ve caught a glimpse of my talent.
Demons were discerning; they didn't tempt just anyone. Of course, Ferda wasn't swayed by the voice in the slightest. He focused entirely on the battle.
Mana is not infinite.
Neither his opponent's mana nor his own was bottomless. The barrage of Ice Bolts ceased just before the stone stand gave way. Ferda stood up and glared at the magic circle.
There was only one way to neutralize a Continuous Concentration Magic Circle.
Break the opponent's concentration.
The moment Yuren attempted to resume his barrage, Ferda thrust his prepared magic circle toward him.
"Lightning Bolt."
A bolt of lightning shot out in a straight line. It was incredibly fast, but its trajectory was as honest as its speed. Having read the direction of the magic circle, Yuren manifested a blue veil in front of him.
Zap!
Ferda’s Lightning Bolt vanished the moment it touched the Magic Shield. It was a spell with high speed but low destructive power.
If only I could combine two attributes, I could have pierced it.
Combining Darkness, which had the highest destructive power, with Lightning, the fastest element—that was a feat still impossible for him at the 3rd Circle.
In that case...
Ferda shifted his gaze toward the magic circle. Although the opponent had stopped injecting mana, three Ice Bolts were already flying toward him.
- Magic Intercept.*
Using a technique to hijack an opponent's spell, he attempted to snag the three ice shards with threads made of mana. Ferda had once been an 8th Circle Archmage, but now he was merely at the 3rd Circle. It was impossible to claim all three of the rapidly approaching projectiles as his own.
If he gave up on one, he could take two.
I'll sacrifice the area furthest from my vitals.
It was a cold, rational decision. The Ice Bolt he abandoned tore a deep gash into his thigh. His skin ripped, blood sprayed, and a sharp pain surged through his veins.
But it didn't matter. The two ice shards Yuren had created now bared their fangs at their original master.
"I'm returning these to you."
A magic circle formed in Ferda’s hand. It was the same Lightning Bolt. However, this bolt was discharged from behind the Ice Bolts.
"Lightning Bolt."
Whoosh!
The Ice Bolts shot forward, propelled by the speed of lightning. They pierced through the blue veil Yuren had created.
Shatter!
The Ice Bolts dissipated as the blue veil broke. Yuren’s eyes widened in shock.
My shield was broken?
The shield couldn't withstand the impact of the Ice Bolt's solidity combined with the Lightning Bolt's velocity. His shock was short-lived, replaced by a sudden intuition of death. Ferda still had one Ice Bolt left.
"Lightning Bolt."
This time, the ice shard flew straight for the space between Yuren’s eyebrows.
"Aaaagh!"
Yuren broke his concentration and threw himself to the side. The Continuous Concentration Magic Circle flickered and vanished. Yuren stood up, adrenaline coursing through his brain.
"Whew... You caught me off guard. Are you truly just a 3rd Circle mage?"
Ferda replied, "Are you such a pathetic mage that you need to hear the answer from my own mouth?"
"It's because everything you do makes it hard to believe. Even that old man, the Royal Archmage, wouldn't be able to respond like you do if he were at the 3rd Circle."
"That old man is at least one of the wisest in this palace."
"You speak as if you know him. You've never even met him."
Never met him? Ferda thought. He had stood against that old man until the Emperor himself bowed his head.
While Ferda was lost in thought, Yuren pulled something from his robe. It was a magical tool—a wooden rod tipped with a rounded crystal.
A wand.
By simply channeling mana into it, the magic circle inscribed inside would react and discharge a spell. The fact that he had drawn such an item carried significant weight.
"Are you admitting defeat in terms of skill?"
"Mock me all you want! All I have to do is eliminate you!"
As he injected mana, a magic circle revealed itself. Ferda quickly read its form.
From the looks of it, it's a 4th-tier spell.
Just as he suspected, it contained a 4th-tier spell. The mana within gathered, emitting a bone-chilling frost as it sharpened into a point. Its shape was similar to the Ice Bolts he had been firing earlier.
However, it didn't feel like a simple Ice Bolt. The insight within Ferda’s eyes began to shine.
It's holding an excessive amount of frost inside.
It was a Frost Bomb disguised as an Ice Bolt. The moment it touched something or broke, the frost contained within would explode outward. If he tried to dodge, defend, or intercept it half-heartedly, he would be the one to suffer.
Therefore, I must shoot it down.
Ferda flicked a sphere of mana he had been holding in his fingers, making it collide with the Frost Bomb.
Pshhhhhhh!
A steam-like frost erupted, freezing everything in the vicinity. Ferda’s mana sphere also froze solid and rolled across the floor. It was a destructive spell, powerful enough to freeze mana itself.
He saw through my Frost Bomb.
Yuren wasn't particularly surprised. A mage skilled enough to perform a Magic Intercept wouldn't be fooled by such a simple trick. In the meantime, Yuren chanted another spell.
"Shield of the Empire!"
A magic circle drawn with highly concentrated mana took shape, becoming a physical shield. It was the 5th-tier defensive magic, Aegis. Named after a hero of the past, it boasted an ironclad defense. That shield would move on its own, perceiving and blocking magic without any further instruction from Yuren.
A troublesome one.
To anyone who hadn't seen it before, there was no magic more annoying than this.
...Or so one might think.
But Ferda knew it well. He remembered the most troublesome opponents the most clearly. That was why Ferda waited—waited for the moment the man became overconfident in his own magic.
Now.
It was the exact moment Yuren used his wand to prepare another Frost Bomb. Simultaneously, two spheres appeared in Ferda’s hands. One was a normal Mana Shot, and the other was a Mana Bomb created by condensing even more mana.
No way...
The moment he saw the Mana Bomb, Yuren’s intuition screamed at him. He tried to deny the ominous thought. How could a mere 3rd Circle mage know the countermeasure for a 5th-tier spell?
Despite his denial, Ferda’s spheres flew toward him. The first to strike was the Mana Bomb. The Aegis shield sensed the Mana Bomb and moved to block it.
Boom!
The area was blanketed in thick mana. At that same moment, the shield’s movements began to stutter unnaturally. Yuren’s eyes widened.
He knows the counter to Aegis?
A battle between mages was about revealing one's hand. Often, a mage played a card assuming the opponent wouldn't know what it was. In fact, that assumption was practically a requirement. If one chose a move only after preparing for every possible variable and outlier, they would never be able to cast a single spell.
Yuren was now facing that very outlier.
Then the second sphere is...!
It would target the Frost Bomb. A spell once cast could be extinguished by the mage's will. However, there was no way to stop a spell generated by a wand or staff midway. Ferda intended to wait for the Frost Bomb to be completed, make contact with it, and detonate it right there.
"I won't let you!"
Yuren quickly cast Magic Shield. A blue veil covered his front. It was a defensive spell that a single Lightning Bolt could never pierce. The mana sphere wouldn't be able to touch the Frost Bomb. Once the Frost Bomb was finished, he could just throw it elsewhere.
But contrary to his expectations, the spell Ferda cast was...
A Lightning Bolt?
It was the same lightning arrow. Yuren couldn't understand.
It won't be able to pierce it, so why choose that?
Even with its speed, it lacked the power to break through his veil. Just as Yuren tried to find the answer, he finally saw it. Something even darker, hidden against the dark background, was attached to Ferda’s back. It looked like a hidden arm, and it was making a throwing motion from low on the ground.
"Ah."
What entered his vision was the frozen mana sphere. It had been frozen by the aftereffects of the Frost Bomb and was now incredibly hard—solid enough to be used as a metal slug. Ferda had retrieved that sphere from his blind spot.
"Lightning Bolt."
The moment it entered his path, the lightning was fired. The Lightning Bolt flew forward, carrying the solid chunk of ice with it.
Shatter!
The Magic Shield broke. Yuren’s body recoiled violently. Still, Yuren was an experienced mage. He did not close his eyes in the face of an enemy. He saw the mana sphere Ferda had been saving flying toward him.
I have to find a way...!
But by then, the mana sphere had already struck the Frost Bomb.
Pshhhhhhh!
White steam exploded, turning the area into a field of frost. The mist refused to clear.
He must be dead.
Judging by the power, it wouldn't be strange if Yuren had died instantly. His defenses had been neutralized, and even with magic resistance, no one could survive a direct hit from a frost bomb.
Even so, Ferda did not lower his guard. This was a Sealed Warehouse, and the will to live was a powerful human drive.
And demons sometimes make that will a reality.
His fears became reality.
Crunch—
The figure of the ice mage, Yuren, covered in frost, began to move. His frozen clothes and wand shattered into icy shards, but he himself did not break. And before anyone realized it, he was holding a book in his hand.
"Hehehehe...!"
A laugh filled with madness shrieked in ecstasy.
"Ah... So this is what it feels like to obtain the power of a demon."
It was the typical drivel spouted by those intoxicated by demonic power. The book in his hand was Marbas's Ice Possession Technique.
- Marbas, the Demon of Frost and Ruin.*
One of the Seven Great Demons and the Archduke of the Frozen Hell. He was the perfect demon for an ice mage like Yuren.
He must have made a contract with Marbas just before the explosion and survived.
By selling one's soul to Marbas, one is granted the grace to survive extreme cold. Ferda slumped to the ground as he watched. He had lost too much blood, and his thigh could no longer support his weight. His superhuman concentration was finally reaching its limit.
"My... where did that confident Regent go? Come now, shouldn't we continue our fight?"
Yuren mocked Ferda. Everything was turning against him.
At that moment, the malice filling the room began to stir once more. All the demonic grimoires in the Sealed Warehouse rattled and moved.
— Offer your soul. Then I shall give you the power to kill that insignificant thing.
— I will give you the power to burn that man who insults you! Offer your soul to me!
— I shall grant you strength. Is it not said that even rolling in a field of dung, the world of the living is better?
The whispers of demons swirled around Ferda. It felt as if they were pulling at him from all sides, trying to claim his body. It was proof that Ferda was on the brink of death.
Ferda, who had been doing nothing but panting, finally opened his mouth.
"They say that just before you die..."
A smile played on Ferda’s lips. It was different from the few smiles he had shown before. This was a smile that came from genuine emotion.
"The face of the person you love most is the first thing you see."
Yuren frowned as he listened to Ferda’s sudden nonsense.
"And do you know what I see right now? It's you. Do you know what that means?"
"What kind of bullshit is this? You're not trying to say you love me, are you?"
Ferda’s blue eyes stared at Yuren. They glowed as he channeled magic. That unyielding light was his pride, and his gaze made Yuren feel small.
"It means it's not my time to die yet."
In that moment, Yuren’s intuition flared once more.
I... can't beat this man?
Even after contracting with the demon Marbas, his instincts told him he couldn't win.
That's impossible.
If that were true, then what did that make him, who had sold his soul to a demon? What did it make him, who had cast everything aside at the moment of death, only to still be unable to defeat a 3rd Circle mage?
Just as he tried to steady his heart, Ferda asked, "Do you know what the Mage's Unwritten Rule is?"
The Mage's Unwritten Rule. One never reveals their final trump card until the moment of death. In other words, it referred to the wild card that could overturn everything.
"So you're saying you'll use your final spell? You shouldn't have enough mana left for that."
Yuren was right. The mana Ferda had left was barely enough for a single Elemental Bolt. He hadn't even staunched the bleeding in his thigh, and he could no longer put strength into it. It was clearly Ferda, not Yuren, who was cornered.
Ferda gave a deep laugh and said, "Don't jump to conclusions. When did I ever say it was a spell?"
Not a spell?
At that moment, Yuren felt a presence behind his back.
"I see I'm not too late."
A man's voice rang out unexpectedly. Yuren whipped his head around. Standing there was a brown-haired man dressed in a guard's uniform.
There's no way... he's a guard.
No mere guard could enter a high-security area like this. He was clearly an intruder. And more than that, he was an intruder of considerable skill to have breached this Sealed Warehouse.
The man moved first, nimbly closing the distance.
I have to react.
Yuren began to draw a magic circle. In that instant, the man's ordinary eyes turned blood-red and glowed.
What? Why is the mana...?
Where that light fell, the mana gathering in the magic circle was forcibly scattered.
Could it be...!
A race thought to have vanished from history flashed through his mind.
"Are you one of the Red Eye Tribe?!"
Otherwise known as Mage Killers.
The dagger in the man's hand pierced through Yuren’s throat.
"Gah... kgh!"
It accurately punctured his windpipe and artery. The only sound he could make was the hiss of escaping air. Ferda, watching from behind, spoke familiarly to the man.
"Be careful. He's a guy who sold himself to a demon."
"I know."
The man gripped the dagger with both hands and took a stance.
"Believe it or not, I have quite a history with demons myself."
He pulled the embedded dagger out and swung it in a wide arc. Yuren’s vision flipped as his head flew through the air. In his fading consciousness, he saw Ferda. He was casting a Lightning Bolt toward his head.
"Farewell, beast who lost his pride."