Chapter 266: The Mad Mage and the Broken Ones
Chapter 266: The Mad Mage and the Broken Ones
The moment he tasted fear, Mavolo flinched and raised his head. With a trembling hand—the only one he had left—he carefully wiped the corner of his mouth. As he pushed himself off the floor, barely managing to get up, lukewarm blood, still wet, dripped to the ground.
Mavolo de Ailight. About 300 years ago, in an era when he still possessed a sliver of innocence, Mavolo was the greatest mage of his time. An archmage who stood at the pinnacle of all magic, revered by all. He was the head of Magia, the foremost of the magic cities, and a pioneer who led the charge to save the Hall Plain.
Of course, his path had not been a smooth one. He had returned from the brink of death countless times. But each time, Mavolo had miraculously survived, crushing his enemies and seizing victory. And until the day he kidnapped his precious comrades, the hero Lloyd and the elf queen Margarita, earning him the disgraceful title of ‘Traitor’ after everything was over…
…he was called a hero, looked up to by all. Such was the life of Mavolo de Ailight, an archmage whose experience befitted his legend.
Later, when Saintess Grazia learned the full story and led a punitive force against him, he repelled even them with his power. There may have been hardships and adversity along the way, but looking only at the results, Mavolo was undoubtedly a mage whose life was paved with victories.
That was why, perhaps, he could not accept this.
“Cough!”
Another fountain of blood erupted from Mavolo’s mouth. Numerous healing magic circles swarmed around him, but they melted away as soon as they appeared. The Blazing Swords embedded all over his body burned brightly, threatening to tear the mage apart from the inside.
As the flames surged through him, Mavolo let out a pain-soaked groan and writhed. Even so, he took a step forward, trying desperately to grasp Ordo again. It was then that a sharp sound tore through the air, aimed precisely at his head. He twisted his body in haste.
Slice. Thud.
“Oh, you dodged that? You’re pretty persistent… I guess that’s an archmage for you.”
“Gurgle.”
Kim Soohyun muttered in a disappointed tone. Strictly speaking, however, Mavolo hadn't dodged it. He had merely avoided having his head split in two, but his remaining right arm had fallen to the ground.
Mavolo screamed. No, he tried to scream. But blood seemed to well up in his throat again, and only gurgling bubbles of it spilled out. His mind was in turmoil. His reason refused to accept his defeat and death, but the instinctual feeling that washed over him as he faced Kim Soohyun was pure, bone-chilling terror.
“Cough, cough! W-Wait…”
Thwack!
Just as he managed to open his mouth after continuously coughing up the blood that filled it, Mavolo’s vision violently distorted. Stars burst before his eyes, and for a moment, his memory cut out. When he managed to piece the film of his memory back together, he realized his head had been slammed into the cold floor.
He reflexively grunted and tried to get up, but his armless body only squirmed like an insect. He tried to lift his head, but a heavy pressure pressing down on the back of it forced it further into the ground.
The moment he felt the cold killing intent at the nape of his neck, what little reason remained within Mavolo completely vanished.
“S-Spare me!”
“Hm?”
“Y-You said you were interested in the ruins, didn’t you? If you just spare me… Gack!”
“I don’t want to hear it.”
Without a hint of hesitation, Kim Soohyun plunged his sword into the back of Mavolo’s neck. He never had the slightest intention of letting him live. The outcome was already decided. Keeping him alive to listen to his pleas might lead to some unforeseen trick. Rather than being tempted by the sweet nothings of a loser, simply killing him cleanly was the best method—that was Kim Soohyun’s philosophy.
Finally, thinking this was the end, he poured the power of Eternal Flame into the Formless Sword embedded in the back of Mavolo’s neck.
*
Perhaps because I’d poured Eternal Flame into him with intent, Mavolo’s body was instantly engulfed in a ball of fire. Only after confirming this could I finally breathe a sigh of relief. I had been worried he might feign madness and use every last ounce of his strength to cast Mind Manipulation on my comrades. Of course, I had already churned his internal magic into a mess as a precaution, but you could never be too sure.
“Gyaaaaaaaah!”
The sight of Mavolo howling was quite ridiculous. He stomped his feet and twisted his body, looking just like a caterpillar. He may have been an archmage who dominated an era, but in the end, his death was no different from any other enemy’s. For a while, I watched blankly as his body burned.
At some point, Mavolo’s screams abruptly stopped. The patterns engraved on his skin began to rot and blacken, and his entire body quickly crumbled into a handful of ash. I staggered slightly as I withdrew the power of Eternal Flame. In that moment, I felt a gentle breeze stir. Wind was blowing in a city where everything had stood still. At the same time, the remaining ashes scattered on the wind, dancing into the air.
And so, I witnessed the end of Mavolo de Ailight, head of the ancient Magic City Magia.
“Hah…”
I let out a faint sigh. Every joint in my body ached, but I felt fine. In fact, I felt incredibly relieved. I had single-handedly defeated a mage with a Magic Power stat of 100, even if he was just a Resident. I had succeeded in an expedition that was so difficult I had failed it once in the first playthrough at the Istantel Low Clan.
“Soohyun!”
“Hyung!”
Suddenly, I heard the voices of my clan members. I turned toward the sound and was relieved to see them all standing safe. The ancient mage’s buffs must have been stronger than expected, since my clan members looked as though they had been through quite an ordeal. More than half of the enemy Users were sprawled on the ground, while the rest still stood holding their weapons. None of them moved anymore.
Mavolo had called them failures. That meant his Mind Manipulation had failed. The magic that moved them must have been severed the moment Mavolo fell, which was why they were standing there like puppets with their strings cut. They were fated to die soon, even if left alone.
“Soohyun, are you okay?!”
“I’m fine. The others are… Huh?”
I answered calmly and was just about to turn and walk away. In that instant, the figures of my clan members suddenly seemed to distort, and I felt the ground drop out from under me. When I quickly came to my senses, I realized one of my knees had given out and was on the floor. At the same time, a throbbing dizziness filled my head.
Dammit, so these are the side effects.
I cursed inwardly. Seeing me collapse, my clan members were running toward me with horrified expressions. I tried desperately to regain control, but my body slowly tilted against my will.
By the time my cheek touched the cold floor, my entire body felt as heavy as lead. Soon, darkness began to creep into my mind.
*
It wasn't the first or second time I'd been in this situation, so when I regained consciousness, I was able to accept my current state relatively calmly. My body felt as limp as waterlogged cotton. I had been so careful to conserve and recover my stamina after the Ruined Laboratory, but this single battle had wiped it all out. A sigh escaped me just thinking about it.
“Hah…”
“Mmm…!”
“?”
I was definitely conscious. As my senses, dormant while I was out, slowly reawakened, I realized my face was warm and the side of my neck felt quite comfortable. A strange sense of déjà vu washed over me. The moment I felt it, a thought flashed through my mind, and my eyes shot open. And then.
“……”
Calm down, Kim Soohyun. This has definitely happened before. Just remember what happened then.
A blue robe was in front of my eyes. I could feel a soft… something… at the back of my neck, so it seemed I hadn't burrowed my face inside like last time. And judging by the soft texture against my neck, it was definitely a person’s thigh. In other words, I was getting a lap pillow, my face buried in someone’s abdomen.
“Oppa? Are you awake? Oppa!”
“Yeah, uh. Yeah.”
The owner of the lap pillow was none other than Kim Hanbyul. She was looking down at me, her face slightly flushed. I quickly tried to sit up as I answered. I tried to get up as nonchalantly as possible, but that turned out to be the wrong move. The strength drained from my arms, and I ended up shoving my face right back into an awkward place.
“Kyaa!”
At the same time, I felt several strange stares. Kim Hanbyul supported me, looking flustered. With her help, I finally managed to sit up, and only then could I take a look around. Near me were Ahn Sol, her eyes swollen from crying, and Baek Hangyul, whose lips were trembling.
“Oppa, are you okay?”
“Hyung-nim, no, Clan Lord! Are you…?”
“Waaah…”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Sol, don’t cry. Oppa’s not dead.”
“Waaah… That’s not it…”
I soothed Ahn Sol in a calm voice, but she just shook her head, tears streaming down her face. Then, with an expression that screamed, ‘I’m so upset right now,’ she spoke.
“Waaah… I was the one who healed you… Why did you frown and try to get away when I gave you a lap pillow, like you hated it… But when Hanbyul-unni did it, you buried your face and snuggled closer… Waaah.”
I stared blankly at Ahn Sol, then turned to Kim Hanbyul with a look that asked, Is that true? Her face turned bright red, and she looked away. I quickly decided to change the subject.
“I see. Anyway, how long was I out?”
“About 30 minutes…”
“Thirty minutes. Where are Ko Yeonju, Ahn Hyun, and Lee Yoojung?”
“Oh, after they confirmed you were healed, they went to scout the area. The city suddenly changed after that sorcerer fell… They said they’d just take a quick look around, so they should be back soon.”
Stop trailing off like that. It just makes it weirder.
The ancient Magic City Magia looked completely different from when we first arrived. While it had some shabby aspects before, Magia had appeared generally neat and majestic. But now, as if a stopped clock had suddenly started ticking again, only a messy, dilapidated scene remained. Buildings were rotting and black in places, and cracked walls gave off a desolate feeling.
“Oppa. Are you very surprised?”
“Hm? No, not really.”
The clan members must have been shocked, but I had known the city’s true face from the beginning. I had activated Third Eye ever since we broke the Path Barrier, so I wasn’t particularly surprised.
My stamina was recovering, albeit slowly. According to my memory, there would be no more battles here. However, to prepare for the one-in-a-million chance, I decided to rest quietly until Ko Yeonju and the others returned. While waiting, I decided to listen to what had happened during the battle with the other Users.
Kim Hanbyul must have been frantic during the fight, but she recounted the situation in relative detail. As expected, the Users buffed by the ancient magic were not as easy to deal with as they had been at first. She said they had a particularly hard time because the Users’ physical and magic defenses had been greatly enhanced.
“At first, we didn’t know what the buffs were, so we were almost completely on the defensive. Even when we managed to land an attack, they just kept coming relentlessly, as if they felt no pain… Ah, but the Shadow Queen was amazing. Even though her shadows wouldn’t activate, she was flashing all over the place, coordinating the battlefield.”
“Mmmph…”
“But as time went on, the situation gradually improved. There were a few dangerous moments, but each time, Baek Hangyul used Reflection at just the right time…”
“Mmm-hmm…”
While speaking, Kim Hanbyul glanced down. Her gaze fell on Ahn Sol, who was whimpering in my arms. She had been crying her eyes out, so I’d ended up consoling her. I patted her back repeatedly and nodded for Hanbyul to continue.
Kim Hanbyul tilted her head once, then spoke as if she had just remembered something.
“Ah, silly me. Oppa, I have something to show you.”
“What is it?”
“Just a moment. Baek Hangyul. Could you take that out for a second?”
“Y-Yes!”
Baek Hangyul, who had been listening to us quietly, answered with a startled expression. He set down the bag he was wearing and began to rummage through it with careful hands.
“Ah, I found it.”
Having found it right away, Baek Hangyul smiled brightly and held out his gently closed fist to me. Through the gaps between his fingers, shimmering streams of white light were leaking out.