Chapter 174
Chapter 174
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 174
Chapter Title: The World's Strongest Spiritist (9)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Lilia, whose mind was as sharp as they came despite her innocent personality, had already guessed why Galen had assigned her to handle the magic soldiers—without needing any lengthy explanations.
The Miracle of Selection offered the best cost-performance for dealing with those magic soldiers, so the idea was to clear out the nuisances as quickly as possible and focus on capturing Atma.
In her eyes, it was the optimal strategy. She wondered if she'd ever truly thought Galen's choice was a bad one, but anyway.
Having swiftly crushed the magic soldiers in a flash, Lilia teamed up with Michael to finish off the rest.
One had already died to Galen the moment they appeared, leaving just four spiritists. Even if their spirits obeyed perfectly, four Gold-rankers taking on two Gems was absurd—and since things weren't even that smooth, it was almost too easy.
Being here marked them as demon collaborators anyway, so there was no need to hold back.
"Gah!"
With Jason collapsing in a heap, the area was cleared.
Amid the corpses strewn everywhere, he was the only one still breathing—but a happy ending wasn't in store for him. They'd kept him alive only because he likely knew the most.
"Can I leave him in your care?"
"I'll guard him thoroughly."
Michael assured her at Lilia's request. He knew full well how valuable the intel was. With a Gem warrior's sharp senses, he could knock Jason out again at the slightest sign of stirring.
As Michael slung the unconscious Jason over his shoulder like luggage, Lilia scanned the surroundings and spoke with a hint of unease.
"But... Atma's nowhere to be seen."
"Indeed."
Michael looked troubled too.
Spiritists positioned themselves even further back than regular mages, thanks to their spirits rampaging up front.
In the dead of night, with flames and winds whipping about everywhere, the bright spots were bright, but the shadows were pitch black.
The battlefield had been utter chaos, so neither Michael, busy fighting spirits, nor Lilia, who joined late, had pinpointed Atma's location.
They figured once they cleared the rest and things quieted down, he'd be easy to spot... but even after cleanup, Atma was still hidden somewhere.
"He can't be too far from his spirit, so he must be nearby... Ah?"
Lilia glanced at the site where fire and water still clashed fiercely and widened her eyes. Michael noticed the anomaly right away too.
It was impossible not to.
The massive bird of flames, blazing hot until moments ago, was rapidly dimming.
Craaaack!
That was the exact moment Galen sensed the cold front surging down relentlessly.
It was an unforeseen situation, but after all the hellish battles he'd endured, he wasn't about to panic.
'Third-party magic? Another surviving spiritist?'
Fire and ice—completely opposing attributes—would point to that logically, but Galen soon shook his head.
For some reason, it felt off. Instinctively, he realized the cold and flames stemmed from the same mana source.
Something tugged at the edge of his mind, half-formed.
"......"
Unfortunately, he had no time for idle pondering. One wrong move, and he'd end up frozen solid. The cold piercing through the water streams was that fierce.
He'd only seen two winters since becoming a mage. He knew Water Flow Manipulation couldn't control ice.
First things first: break the situation. Galen pulled the unfrozen water back while drawing fresh mana from Spiral Eddy.
Whoooosh!
A fierce gust from the side shoved the massive ice block aside. The thick mist clouding his vision billowed away with it.
Under the faint moonlight, the revealed form was a bird of ice, its body gleaming transparently.
"...What the hell is that?"
He'd assumed Atma had pulled some trick, not a third party—but seeing this ice phoenix boldly replace the fire one left him baffled anyway.
Putting out the flames on its body wouldn't cause a transformation like that. Could Atma, like Galen with his temporary spirits, handle multiple? A fire spirit and an ice one?
Craaaack!
This level of power made it believable as another main force, not just a side dish. Even Spiral Eddy felt the freeze, so Galen layered on Phantom Flame Burst.
Roooar!
With wind and fire combining to swell its size, balance felt restored. Fire was weak to water but strong against cold—or so the image went—yet they were evenly matched. That meant the cold was Gem-rank worthy against two Golds.
'Then why not use it sooner?'
Using it with the fire spirit would've undercut its own power? Or had he grown complacent, only for his clan to get wiped too fast?
Galens' question resolved soon enough.
Not quite how he'd hoped, though.
Whoosh!
Frustrated at not advancing, the ice bird suddenly flapped hard. Its body slid sideways in a skid.
Twisting midair at an angle to slam into him like a missile, maybe?
Half right.
Swoosh!
Tracing a smooth curve, the ice bird dropped abruptly—not at Galen, but veering instead.
Straight down toward the ground vertically.
"Huh?"
Galen stared dumbfounded at what looked like a suicidal dive, but something even more absurd followed.
A bird of ice headers into the dirt should've shattered spectacularly.
Crunch!
But with just a soft sound, its massive form got sucked straight into the earth—like diving into water.
Immediately after, the ground began shaking violently.
"Whoa?!"
With the other spiritists dead, Galen had been about to retract Territorial Advance when its mana shot out urgently again.
The same sensation as when he'd touched the cold returned clearer now—the spirit's mana from Atma, sharper than before.
But separately, Territorial Advance alone couldn't block Atma's Gem spirit. The power gap was clear.
Crack!
The earth split in an instant. Almost simultaneously, the heaving ground bulged up, gaping open—like a sand-dwelling monster bursting forth.
"Shit—"
Galens' words cut off. The yawning maw snapped shut, swallowing him whole.
It happened so fast Lilia and Michael, standing apart, couldn't react in time.
"Broooother!"
Lilia's scream tore through the night sky.
Her reason, nearly evaporated in that instant, barely snapped back at the familiar voice.
"Whew, shit. Nearly died there."
Galen, who had space-leaped with Dark Metamorphosis, landed beside Lilia while wiping his brow. Seeing him unscathed, her tension melted away.
"G-Good... you're safe......"
"It's not over yet!"
Michael, who hadn't relaxed, shouted.
Atma's spirit, failing to devour Galen, barreled underground toward them. The ground beneath the three shook fiercely.
But things had changed.
One Gold Territorial Advance couldn't stop a Gem spirit.
But the archbishop stood firm here.
"How dare you try this here!"
The Radiant Sword in Lilia's hand extended into a Radiant Spear. The fury-laden spear plunged deep into the earth.
Thoom!
Holy power rippled through the ground.
The spirit, already weakened by Miracle of Selection, shrieked horribly and curled in on itself.
Right then.
"Underground!"
Galen yelled urgently.
He'd sensed the spirit, not fully neutralized by Miracle of Selection, gathering its remaining power.
At the same instant, Michael stomped, feeling the same dread, while Lilia instinctively wrapped her left arm around Galen's waist and leaped.
Fwoooosh!
Like a volcano erupting, the transparent spirit burst from the ground. Its transparency came from being a mass of wind.
The huge wind clump had some momentum, but depleted as it was, it wasn't hard to handle.
Kabooom!
Safely airborne thanks to Lilia, Spiral Eddy extended from beneath Galen, shredding the wind mass.
Matching elements, but Galen's power edged higher. Sensing futility, the spirit dispersed into nothing.
Soon, gravity brought Lilia and Michael lightly to ground. Galen, hugged tight by Lilia, and Jason, slung over Michael's shoulder, were fine too.
The spirit wasn't charging again—Atma catching his breath, maybe—giving the trio a brief respite.
"This isn't how any spiritist I've known fights."
Michael twisted his lips.
"Just one enemy, yet it feels like battling multiple spiritists. That he didn't fight like this from the start makes it even more infuriating."
"He must've underestimated you, Sir Michael. With so many underlings then, he was probably conserving power."
"Quite irritatingly, he's using tactics similar to yours, brother."
As Galen soothed the angered Michael, Lilia pulled a displeased face too.
"How does a spirit keep switching elements like that? Constant changes make it a real pain. And we still don't know where the main body's hiding......"
"Oh, I found him."
"...Pardon?"
"There's a reason you two missed it. Look closely—the veil's gone, right?"
"Now that you mention it."
The dark veil that had blanketed the entire garden like a lid had vanished stealthily after Galen and Lilia breached it, its top destroyed and never repaired.
"So where'd it go?"
As he asked, Galen's eyes flicked to one corner of the garden.
Phantom Flame Burst mercilessly hammered the suspicious spot caught in Dark Metamorphosis' range.
Kaboom!
Flames from the explosion revealed shadows. Lilia and Michael, turning that way, widened their eyes.
"What... the hell is that......?"
"Nightmare! Or... something?"
Michael, seeing the mannequin-like darkness for the first time, let out a groan.
Lilia reflexively shouted, then voiced doubt. It was several times larger than the one from before.
"Well, well."
Darkness gathered at the half-blown head, reforming it. A gravelly old voice emanated from within.
"Blasting first and asking questions later—such an impatient temper. Youthful folly, perhaps."
"Atma!"
Michael bellowed, recognizing the voice. No respect remained, so his words were harsh.
"What is that form?! Have you abandoned your humanity entirely?!"
"No need to get so worked up. This is merely... yes, like wearing armor. Mages have frail bodies, as you know."
"I can't imagine doing that, no matter how pressed."
Galen snarked.
As he saw it, it was roughly... Nightmares clinging to his body?
Not entirely wrong to call it armor. It had layered darkness thick enough that Phantom Flame Burst only chipped some off.
"Nice armor. Your outer guards would love it."
"They won't see it. I ordered them beforehand not to come no matter the commotion."
"Oh? They obey well. Actually stay away when told."
Good thing, really. Core forces were handled; the rest were small fry—guilty or not—and as long as they didn't meddle, no issue.
Anyway.
"By the way, might not get another chance. Mind if I ask something?"
"What?"
"You're Gem-rank—why side with demons?"
He genuinely couldn't not ask, pure curiosity.
Gem mages... awkward since it included himself, but they were hardcore narcissists.
Entering Gem required infinite, absolute confidence in one's magic.
Put differently, massive egos. So why borrow demon power—that tacky shortcut to strength?
One reason Galen considered—
"Maybe you didn't team up after becoming Gem? Opposite: demons made you Gem?"
"Pfft, no way."
Lilia chuckled.
But Atma stayed silent.
The black lump looming wordlessly was creepier. Lilia stammered, slightly flustered.
"Wait, really......?"
"Demons can't just make contractors Gems on demand, of course."
The Burtane family head, Morris, he'd met before—a demon contractor, but just strong Gold.
If they could crank out Gems freely, wouldn't they Gem up their direct demon minions first?
Even the cheat-like status window didn't auto-unlock Gem. That said how special it was.
"But enlightenment paths vary. Meeting a demon could spark it."
"......Always such a pity."
A suppressed, eerie voice replied. Atma finally spoke.
"Why spiritists can only have one spirit. No matter how strong I made my fire spirit, it couldn't perfectly replace other elements. That gnawed at me."
"That's true for all mages too?"
This world's magic resembled superpowers—specialized in one field. Versatility woes plagued all mages, not just spiritists.
At that, Atma chuckled lowly.
"I thought so too. Until the demons. Do you know what they call mages?"
"Half-assed, I heard."
"...You know."
"Not why, though."
"Because what humans call magic looks half-baked to demons."
The ones who'd called him that hadn't died prettily, but Galen listened quietly.
"As human, I couldn't mimic demons fully. But I found a slight path. It led me to Gem."
"You mean Modified World?"
"Yes. If one spirit per person... make it changeable into anything."
"Huh, Modified Worlds work like that too? No outward sign at all......"
"A lone spiritist filling all roles. Isn't that the world's strongest spiritist?"
"Hey, though."
Galen, half-tuning out Atma's heated rant from midway and nodding to himself, suddenly asked.
"Is one spirit per person an absolute rule?"
"...What?"
"Just curious. You've got way more experience as a spiritist than me."
Galen spread both hands wide.
Mana of life spread to both hands, birthing a fire spirit in his left and a wind spirit in his right.
"Temporaries I can make plenty, but permanents? No dice. Is that normal?"
"......"
"He probably doesn't know either. Looks like you're just the superior spiritist, brother."
"......"
Lilia's whisper contrasted with Atma's silence—heavier than death.