Chapter 99
Chapter 99
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 99
Chapter Title: Spirit Affinity: Acheronar (3)
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—Extremist Magical Research Society.
A secret society known to the world as the Magical Research Society, striking fear into the hearts of all.
It was a well-known fact that every member of this secret society was utterly deranged.
And Etiler, one of the mages belonging to the Magical Research Society, was no exception.
Etiler was a mage who had devoted his entire life to research on spirits.
Binding spirits with magic, temporarily hijacking contracts.
Or even methods to deliberately restrict a spirit's power—.
He had conducted countless studies related to spirits and achieved innumerable accomplishments through them.
"To research spirits, you need an enormous number of elves, after all."
True to form as a mage studying spirits, he carried elf slaves with him every single day.
And once they served their purpose, he would simply replace them with new elf slaves.
The elf slaves Etiler had brought on this journey were no different.
He planned to dispose of these worn-out elves soon and procure fresh ones.
"I was just thinking I needed another spirit, and luck would have it I run into an elf in a place like this."
"......"
Just then, a lone elf wandering about appeared before Etiler, who happened to be in dire need of one.
For Etiler, who required elves for his research, this was nothing short of fortune.
He was an authority who had conducted endless studies on elves and spirits.
At least when it came to handling elves, he was confident no one knew more than he did.
"This time, I've saved a bundle. No need to scour the black market for a new elf slave."
"......Elf slave?"
"Did you think hiding your ears would let you escape slavery? Pathetic, brainless pointy-eared freaks."
Etiler's gaze fixed on the robed elf standing opposite him.
Judging from the way they handled spirits, it was unmistakably an elf.
As far as he knew, no ordinary human could form a normal contract with a spirit.
"Elves are a race that can't do a damn thing once you block their spirits."
Moreover, elves who wielded spirits all had a heavy tendency to rely on the spirits they contracted with.
In other words, if you properly restrained the spirit, they couldn't even mount proper resistance.
This was a fact Etiler had learned through long experience.
"Varik! I'll handle that elf, so get a collar ready."
"Yes, sir!"
Hearing the mercenary's reply, Etiler immediately raised his right hand.
He was absolutely certain he could turn the elf before him into a slave.
From this moment on, that elf would become Etiler's new research material.
"......"
The hooded elf standing before Etiler remained blankly in place even after hearing his voice.
The elf's gaze was fixed on their kin, bound in iron chains.
No doubt shocked by the sight of their fellow elves' condition.
For Etiler, it was a situation that required no further thought.
Woooooong—.
He immediately drew his mana to its limit and gripped the grimoire hanging at his waist.
"—[Grimoire] activation...!"
"......"
With the elf showing no proper response, Etiler's magic swiftly took shape.
The anti-spirit suppression spell he had developed through over a decade of research—.
'Soul Shackles' began to reveal its power.
Chrarararak—.
Black chains extended from beneath the pure white sparrow spirit, instantly binding its ethereal form.
A startled voice escaped the elf's lips at the unfamiliar sight.
"......Black magic? You've bound a spirit with magic?"
"Too late for regrets now. My spell has your spirit firmly in its grasp—."
Fooo—.
Black smoke rose from Etiler's mouth.
This spell, teetering on the edge of black magic, demanded a price from the caster as well.
But Etiler had no need to worry much about it.
If he finished the job quickly, the cost to him wouldn't be great.
"It's a spell I developed called 'Soul Shackles.' The bound spirit can't move until I release it."
"......"
"You can no longer use your spirit's power! But what value does an elf without a spirit even have?!"
Hahahaha—!
His laughter, brimming with confidence, echoed loudly along the mountain path.
By now, the sticky shadows had thoroughly ensnared the sparrow spirit.
It was far too late to resist the binding.
Swoosh—.
As if realizing this, the sparrow spirit gazed at its master with a dazed expression.
- Chirp......?
"......?"
Elf and spirit.
The two intelligent beings stared at each other with blank faces.
No doubt, they had taken a critical hit from Etiler's magic and were floundering in confusion.
Elves who relied solely on spirits were always like that.
Swoosh—.
Just as Etiler confirmed the spirit's state and raised both hands to prepare his second spell.
"It's a spell that disrupts the consciousness form to sever the mana pathway with the spirit. Definitely a headache if it lands properly."
"Analyzing it now won't help you, it's already too—!"
"It could break free with its own power if given time, but incinerating it entirely would be more efficient."
"......What?"
The incomprehensible words brushed past Etiler's ears only briefly.
Soon after, the elf before him clasped their hands together.
- Chirp......?
The spirit's puzzled cry echoed in the air.
Etiler's reaction was no different.
However, the elf they faced continued their actions with an indifferent expression.
"—[Arcane Corridor] activation."
Woooooong—.
Behind the elf's overlapping palms, a massive shadow of the world flashed by in an instant.
Pajik, pajijik—.
Brilliant mana light scattered in all directions, whipping up a fierce gale around them.
From beyond the razor-sharp winds, the figure of a black-haired elf mage emerged.
"W-Wait... [Arcane Corridor]...?"
Etiler's panicked voice boomed out.
He sensed something had gone terribly wrong.
He had neutralized the elf's spirit, only for them to start casting magic outright.
Why the hell was an elf using a human magic system—.
And even more shocking was the fact that this elf mage before him had no grimoire.
"I-It can't be... This is impossible...!"
"......"
"No mage but the Chairman could possibly do that...!"
—Arcane Corridor.
The supreme mystery granted only to perfected superhuman mages, requiring no external medium.
Etiler himself knew of no one in the Magical Research Society who had reached that realm except the Chairman.
It was not a domain permitted to mere mortals.
A forbidden realm allowed only to monsters like Pilgrim Bartov—.
And the elf mage standing before Etiler had already set foot in that domain.
"Arcane Corridor—! How could a dim-witted pointy-ear like you reach such a realm...!"
It was a sight he had never witnessed in his life.
An elf pulling out magic the moment their spirit arts were sealed.
And the supreme domain manifesting from that elf's hands.
All of it was a first for Etiler.
"—Mad Flame."
- Screeeeech...!
The spectacle of the elf mage burning the spirit alive to free it from its bonds was no different.
Roooar—.
The sparrow spirit's screaming form amid the raging inferno entered Etiler's view.
The elf mage before him was utterly irregular no matter how you sliced it.
Their skill, their temperament—everything.
"N-No way... How in the world... What kind of insane elf is this...!"
"I suppose that means you've said everything you wanted to say?"
"D-Don't come closer! Stay away from me...!"
The black-haired elf mage fixed their gaze on Etiler, hair fluttering.
Beneath those cold eyes, Etiler's body stiffened rigid.
It was bizarre.
Utterly bizarre and eerie.
What kind of deranged elf in this world would use human magic to incinerate a spirit?
This elf was committing every taboo imaginable among their kind.
Was this woman a child spat out by the World Tree itself—.
- Screech...!
As such thoughts crossed Etiler's mind, the singed spirit returned to the elf mage.
"It would take too long to unravel it consciously, so I had no choice."
- Screech, screech...?
"Keep chirping, and I'll burn you again."
- Chirp—.
After this exchange, the sparrow spirit finally fell silent.
Etiler, stunned by the shocking scene, panicked only briefly.
Thud, thud—.
Soon, the black-haired elf mage began walking toward him.
"D-Don't come closer... you monster...!"
Thudududuk—.
Black clumps urgently poured out around Etiler.
Spirits he had personally corrupted through long research.
At the sight of the spirits Etiler commanded, a chilling voice slipped quietly from the elf mage's lips.
"I didn't originally want to become a mage."
"......"
"It was just that I had no other choice."
Roooar—.
Scorching flames swept over the corrupted spirits in a single wave.
Immediately after, the spirits Etiler had corrupted broke free of his control all at once.
The elf mage—Acheronar's magic had completely shattered Etiler's dominion.
And now, Acheronar's grasp was aimed not at the spirits, but at Etiler himself.
"If mages like you keep living, the number of my kin who suffer will only grow."
"Varik! Protect me—!"
Wary of the approaching mage, Etiler desperately called the mercenary who had been dragging the slaves.
Shring—.
The mercenary drew his sword and raised a trembling hand to block Acheronar's path.
He pointed his sharp blade at the elf and began to threaten.
"S-Stop! If you take one more step, I'll cut you down...!"
Slash—.
The mercenary's upper body vanished in an instant.
"—Heat Flash."
Black hair fluttered in the wind.
In a mere instant.
In the blink of an eye, the mercenary guarding Etiler was pulverized.
Thud—.
Amid the spray of blood, Etiler's legs staggered backward repeatedly.
"D-Don't come closer... I said stay away...!"
"I'm not as benevolent as Lapharia."
"Please... I beg you, just don't come any closer...!"
"I don't even have a sense of mission to rescue every kin sold into slavery."
Woooooong—.
Brilliant mana light began to take form at Acheronar's fingertips.
Once upon a time, there was a heterodox mage who struck fear into the hearts of earthly mages.
After that mage vanished, centuries had passed.
The ancient infamy had been buried beneath the earth over the long years, yet the mage who birthed countless legends still lived and breathed.
Human lifespans are short.
Even great geniuses burn their talents for a mere few decades before fading away.
Yet there existed a long-lived mage who had honed their craft ceaselessly, transcending the limits of human life.
"But if I let you go, Lapharia would be saddened. Better to handle this thoroughly this time."
"D-Don't! I said don't...!"
"It's a pity your short life just got even shorter, human—."
The Eternal Mage, Acheronar.
Recalling the long-forgotten epithet from memory, she clenched her fist extended toward the air.
Crack—.
Silence descended.