Chapter 10
Chapter 10
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Black Mage (3)
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As soon as the Black Mage removed the bracelet, the entire cavern was engulfed in black magic power.
The floor, ceiling, and walls were all pitch black. It felt like being wrapped in the night sky.
"Damn it."
Even after unleashing this much black magic power, the Black Mage's face was far from pleased.
"It was my trump card against the Church."
Gritting his teeth, the Black Mage glared at Demian Haksen.
"Now that it's come to this, don't think you'll die easily! I'll make you beg to be killed!"
Demian Haksen paid no heed to the Black Mage's warning.
All his attention was fixed on the bracelet the Black Mage had removed.
'To think it held this much black magic power, and I didn't notice it at all.'
Mana becomes harder to conceal the more you store. The greater the accumulation, the stronger its presence. This applied to black magic power as well.
Yet that bracelet had perfectly hidden its mana, to the point even Demian Haksen hadn't sensed it.
'No way it's a relic?'
A relic, or artifact.
A treasure said to be found only in the ruins of ancient civilizations from a distant past.
Crafted with technology far superior to modern times, each one reportedly possessed extraordinary functions.
"For you to carry something like that, you're no ordinary Black Mage. Who the hell are you, really?"
"I don't owe explanations to someone who won't reveal his own identity."
Once again, the Black Mage refused to answer.
"...Though I'd like to say that, I'm not some rude thug like you."
The Black Mage rolled up his sleeve.
On his forearm was a tattoo of a white flower.
"They call me Agito, an executive of Yulan."
* * *
Black Mages were targets for extermination.
The black magic they wielded toyed with human souls and corpses. The Holy Church turned a blind eye to none of their atrocities.
Branding them heretics, the Church launched purge operations several times a year to wipe them out.
That said, the Black Mages didn't just sit idly by.
To counter the Holy Church, they exchanged information, offered mutual aid, and formed organizations.
At times, these groups gained immense notoriety and grew to the point where even the Church struggled to eliminate them.
"An executive of Yulan?"
Yulan was one such Black Mage organization.
It was famous enough that even Demian Haksen knew of it.
A relatively new group, it specialized in assassinations using black magic.
Though implicated in countless incidents, the Holy Church had failed to eradicate it thus far.
That was because every member possessed high combat prowess.
So there was no need to guess at the skill of this Black Mage, Agito, from such a formidable organization.
"Then why's a guy like you working for trash like the Black Snake?"
"I just needed a place to hide temporarily. I wasn't employed by them!"
"To hide...? Ah, because of the Holy Church, right."
The only time an executive of a group like Yulan would go to such lengths to conceal himself was when the Holy Church was on the move.
"I've heard the Holy Church has been purging Black Mages lately. You were masquerading as a third-rate Black Mage to evade them."
Agito ground his teeth.
"Yeah, you're right. Damn it, to run into a monster like you on a simple errand for pocket money."
Spitting curses, Agito asked,
"You've heard my name—still planning to hide who you are?"
"I've never hidden it."
"Ha, you still think I'm a fool."
Rage twisted Agito's face. Black magic power began to surge in response to his emotions.
"Now it doesn't matter if you talk."
Without constructing a ritual circle, the black magic power took form.
Log-thick tentacles sprouted from the ground like bamboo shoots.
"Get crushed and die."
The tentacles wrapped around Demian Haksen.
Terrifying force squeezed him tight.
"You filthy pest. Regret it all you want in the afterlife."
Even in victory, Agito showed no great joy.
From the moment he, an executive of Yulan, revealed his true power, victory was a given.
It couldn't compare to the massive Black Mage organization 'Hall of Ten Thousand Demons' lurking in the Empire, but Yulan was still considerable...
That was when it happened.
Cracks began to form on the tentacles' surfaces. The fissures spread across their entire lengths in an instant.
With the sound of shattering glass, the tentacles crumbled to pieces.
As the black magic unraveled, the dispersed black magic power whipped up like a storm.
"I thought you were using some impressive black magic."
From the center, Demian Haksen spoke in a bored tone.
"But it's nothing special after all."
* * *
"This... impossible!"
Agito screamed in anguish.
"This spell is something I've refined my entire life! No one else in the world can use it! And yet... you! How could you...!"
As long as Demian Haksen possessed the Authority of Greed, no black magic Agito used would work.
"Your entire life? It was pretty crude for something like that. You'll need to work harder."
Of course, Demian Haksen didn't reveal that. Instead, he taunted Agito.
"You... I won't let you live, no matter what. I'll kill you for sure...!"
Shame and fury burned on Agito's face.
Agito began absorbing all the black magic power released from the bracelet.
An enormous amount poured into his body.
"Guh, ugh."
It wasn't easy; Agito's face paled, as if he might vomit at any moment.
"If it's too hard, why not stop?"
Agito didn't reply. He didn't seem to have the strength.
Black lines began etching across the exposed skin peeking from his robe.
"A magic circle?"
Demian Haksen immediately recognized what the lines were.
Agito was using black magic power to draw a magic circle on his own body.
He didn't stop there. He drew a dagger from his bosom.
"Damn it, to think I'd have to use even this spell!"
Agito slashed his own wrist with the dagger. Blood spurted from the wound.
The blood turned to ash the moment it hit the ground and scattered.
Immediately after, green flames ignited above Agito's head.
The green flames stretched long like snakes, floating around him.
Demian Haksen instantly pierced the flames' true nature.
"You've borrowed a demon's power."
Skilled Black Mages could borrow demonic power by offering tribute to demons.
Agito had used his black magic power and blood as sacrifices to summon the demon's flames.
"That's right! Just as you said, this is a demon's power! Hellfire!"
The green flames were utterly sinister.
The merest touch melted the earth, turning it to lava that flowed like streams.
"You can't dispel this one! It's not black magic—it's a demon's power!"
Agito thrust his hand toward Demian Haksen.
"Go! Burn that bastard to ash!"
The demon's flames engulfed Demian Haksen.
It felt less like fire and more like an onrushing wave.
'He's gravely mistaken about something.'
Contrary to Agito's belief, the Authority of Greed could decompose even demonic power.
Just as Demian Haksen moved to activate his Authority against the flames, a thought struck him.
'...I don't necessarily need to use the Authority.'
Though he wielded black magic and the Authority, Demian Haksen was originally a swordsman.
Even as a Death Knight, he always drew his sword against strong foes.
'With this much black magic power, I can use the swordsmanship from my Death Knight days.'
In his previous life, Demian Haksen had integrated the techniques gained from battles with the strong into a single sword art.
Infusing it with his aspirations, he named it Soul Severing Sword.
Thanks to the Soul Severing Sword, Demian Haksen had reached the Divine Sword realm.
But in this life, he had to abandon it. The sword art was based on black magic power.
'Without black magic power, I can't wield the Soul Severing Sword.'
Black magic power and mana were fundamentally different; neither could substitute for the other.
Nor did he intend to gather black magic power just to use Soul Severing Sword.
Black magic power could only be obtained through death and corpses. Black Mages didn't commit their horrific crimes for nothing.
Demian Haksen had no intention of acting like one.
'I'm curious. How far can I manifest the Soul Severing Sword in a human body without being a Death Knight?'
Demian Haksen absorbed the black magic power into his body.
It fused naturally, as if returning home.
Pitch-black aura surged from the longsword's blade.
Seeing the aura, Agito's face stiffened.
"Aura? You... don't tell me you're not a Black Mage, but...?"
The aura, burning like smoke and flames, gathered toward the blade.
Soon, it took perfect form. A jet-black blade formed, one that seemed to devour all light.
Aurablade.
A feat achievable only by those who had reached the master realm.
An invincible weapon capable of slaying even dragons, the pinnacle of living beings.
That absolute power manifested in Demian Haksen's hand.
"W-Wait a second!"
Demian Haksen raised his sword.
The air warped around the Aurablade.
"S-Stop! I-I surrender!"
Demian Haksen swung.
A single black line bisected the world.
The green flames were sucked into the line.
Before long, not a single spark remained in the cavern.
"Hak! Hahaha! H-Help! Somebody help meee!"
Agito turned to flee.
Even though the only exit was blocked by Demian Haksen.
At that moment, Agito's upper body slid off and hit the ground.
Panicked, Agito looked back.
His legs stood upright on the ground, severed without him realizing.
"Agh! Aaagh! Aaaah!"
Agito clutched his severed thighs and screamed.
"Shut up."
Demian Haksen, now close by, kicked Agito in the face.
Agito's screams cut off abruptly.
"M-My legs... my legs..."
"Must be a shock. But now's not the time to worry about that."
Demian Haksen pressed the longsword's blade to Agito's throat. Color drained from Agito's face.
"P-Please spare me. I-I don't want to die."
"You want to live?"
Demian Haksen grinned.
"Then you'll have to pay a price instead of your life."
* * *
"Th-These are all the things I have."
Agito laid out his possessions before Demian Haksen.
Demian Haksen eyed them with irritation.
"This is everything?"
One book inscribed with curse-type black magic.
One relic bracelet Agito had worn.
And a pouch of gold coins—that was it.
The materials Agito had received from the Black Snake were all destroyed in the fight.
"An executive of Yulan, and you're this broke?"
"I-I was fleeing the Church..."
"You useless bastard. You should've brought more."
Demian Haksen tapped Agito's head with the longsword.
Agito's face flushed red.
The black magic book was worthless. Demian Haksen immediately picked up the bracelet.
In truth, the bracelet alone held immense value.
"What's this bracelet, exactly? A relic?"
"Y-Yes."
As Demian Haksen suspected, it was no ordinary item.
"What does it do, precisely?"
"It c-can store any kind of energy. M-Mana, black magic power—d-doesn't matter the type. A-And it has concealment, so it n-never gets detected."
"You're sure?"
"Th-The fact I'm still alive proves it."
Demian Haksen examined the bracelet with satisfaction.
Its function was simple, but it suited him perfectly.
'I can store black magic power in this.'
As proven today, using black magic power let him recreate his past sword arts.
Not at full power, but sufficient as a trump card.
The problem was, black magic power was dangerous enough to draw the Church's pursuit if discovered.
With this bracelet, he could be free of that worry.
'If I play it right, I might even manifest the Divine Sword.'
Demian Haksen had absorbed the techniques and realms of the strong after battling them.
The Divine Sword was the realm he reached, using them as nourishment.
He'd been able to kill Dorgo in his previous life thanks to reaching the Divine Sword.
"But is this really everything? Nothing else?"
"N-No, nothing! It's true! So please, put down that sword!"
Demian Haksen raised the longsword and said,
"Nah, there's more. Squeeze it out somehow."
"How am I supposed to squeeze out what doesn't exist..."
At that moment, hope flickered across Agito's face.
He rummaged through his pouch and pulled out a notebook.
"What's this?"
"It's a r-record of the items the Black Snake boss bought for me! You can verify it at the shops listed here!"
"Oh?"
Demian Haksen opened the notebook and checked inside.
It was densely packed with transaction records for materials.
"W-With this, you can prove the deals. You know trading with them is a serious crime, right? You might even link the Church and Black Snake!"
"Then I can wipe out the Black Snake without lifting a finger."
"You're quick on the uptake—pretty smart."
The two burst into loud laughter. Agito cautiously asked,
"You'll let me live now, right?"
"Nope."
Demian Haksen swung the longsword, severing Agito's head.
"I don't forgive those who touch my family."
Demian picked up Agito's head and stuffed it into a nearby sack.
"And I need some solid evidence that doesn't talk."
What good was just the notebook?
He needed proof that a real Black Mage was involved.
Letting Agito live and taking him along risked him blabbing about Demian Haksen.
"Time to screw over the Black Snake bastards."
With that, Demian Haksen left the cavern.