Chapter 202: The Fallen Saintess (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 202: The Fallen Saintess (2)
"Could it be... he planned for this all along?"
Bayorodum muttered in disbelief.
He was the one who had found the intriguing subject of the Saintess.
He was also the one who had thought of using her to bring about her corruption.
He had been certain that all his preparations were perfect.
So why had things turned out like this?
The tangled threads of his plan were so knotted that he had no idea where to even begin untangling them.
'Did I underestimate the level of humans...?'
But to say that, the caliber of the humans he had faced so far was far too pathetic.
Even the players who belonged to the strongest tier had been turned into handfuls of ash and scattered by just a few of his spells.
With the military and all other forces virtually annihilated by his undead army, there was absolutely no reason to overrate humanity.
Which meant...
'That human alone is strong enough to be called an anomaly.'
There was no other way to explain it.
Absurd martial might, the ability to orchestrate situations, and above all, an easy composure that never lost its calm in any circumstance.
The root cause of all this was that he had underestimated this single human.
"Indeed..."
Bayorodum nodded slightly.
At this point, even if he didn't want to admit it, he had no choice but to accept it.
The fact that if he didn't go all out against this human... the consequences would be irreversible.
"Now that I've even lost the Saintess, I cannot afford to suffer any more damage. Admittedly, this is your victory so far. But do not raise your victory goblet too early. I, too, have a hidden card left."
Bayorodum pulled out the Black Horned Dice.
Unlike before, this time, all the faces of the die began to glow simultaneously.
* * *
Jinhyuk's eyes narrowed.
'Could this be...?'
He had thought only 'that guy' could use the final ability of the Black Horned Dice.
To think a mere boss monster of the 10th floor would know this.
Just when he thought things would go smoothly, it seemed this guy had a trump card of his own.
Bzzt!
The patterns rising from the die overlapped into one.
The Ancient Runic Language formed six seals around the pattern, and a dark red vortex erupted over those seals.
It was hot.
Waves of mana pricked his skin.
"Ho."
An exclamation of interest escaped the lips of Teresa, who was standing beside him.
It was only natural.
Because what was coming from the other side was the strongest close-combat monster, renowned for its power even in the Demon World.
Step.
With a light footstep, a white-haired man with glowing blue eyes and pale skin appeared.
He was different from the ones they had faced before.
For the entity standing before them was a Death Knight of the 'Grand Sword Master' class.
As if he had no need for heavy armor, his limbs were exposed in a light outfit of thin plate armor inscribed with Anti-Magic Defense wards.
Footwear that prioritized mobility, and a perfectly balanced physique.
He was a monster that elicited spontaneous admiration of perfection just by facing him.
"He's the one who subdued me. Well, to be precise, he subdued the Softie."
Teresa shrugged.
"He's going to be quite a headache."
With Bayorodum, the mage, providing rear support, and the Death Knight blocking enemies at the front, the division of offense and defense was flawless. It was a combination that could achieve maximum efficiency with just two individuals.
Of course, the same advantage applied to this side as well.
"How about it? Can you handle him?"
"More or less. I can use my Demonic Qi to my heart's content now, so it'll be different from last time."
"Then I'll leave the Death Knight to you. I think I'd feel more comfortable playing with the Lich anyway."
"I don't mind that, but in return, promise me one thing."
"A promise?"
"You must continue to remain strong. So that I don't lose interest in you. As long as you do, I won't have to point my sword at you, and the Softie won't have to grieve over losing someone precious."
Because she had such a familiar face, he had momentarily forgotten.
Teresa was currently in her corrupted state.
The only reason she was playing along was because his Demonic Qi was the strongest.
Due to her split personality, her original personality would become dominant again once this battle ended, but now that she had been corrupted once, this personality could awaken at any time.
'Which means she could betray me at any moment if a Demon King or a high-ranking demon manifests.'
That was why Teresa was telling him this.
Never to fall behind them.
And to help her original personality from being hurt any further.
"Come to think of it, this reminds me of what happened before. Remember? Back then, you were just as anxious as you are now. Like a sandcastle on the verge of collapsing."
The day he first met Teresa.
He had made a request of her.
No matter what happened, she had to believe in him.
"Yes, I think I remember clearly."
Having received a satisfactory answer, Teresa smiled softly.
"I don't dislike a man who remembers anniversaries. Though, I won't be able to get any closer than this because of that clingy queen clinging to you."
Screeech!
Teresa began to walk forward, dragging her greatsword along the ground.
The distance closed.
The Death Knight also took his stance, gripping his sword.
"You still haven't learned your lesson after being defeated once. You are no match for me. If you know honor, admit your defeat and withdraw."
"Oh my. A mere corpse talking about honor? Go look for that in a Bone Dragon's food bowl. Personally, I won't be satisfied until I pay you back for the beating I took."
Different yet similar energies clashed in the air.
In the silence before the storm, Teresa and the Death Knight measured the distance between them.
Three steps, two steps... and then one.
Teresa entered the range where a single strike could end a life.
The air shifted abruptly.
Their tightly held breath exploded in an instant.
What followed was a brutal struggle between beasts that required no words.
Boom!
While Teresa, wielding her heavy greatsword, pursued destructive power...
Clang! Clang! Clang!
...the Death Knight, wielding a thin, long sword, gained the upper hand with speed and agility.
A clash of destructive power rising from pitch-black aura and an exchange of offense and defense too fast for the eye to follow ensued.
Swordsmanship sublimated into art.
[Teresa uses Lv17 'Flag of the Fallen Kingdom'!]
[All stats increase by 10% for 1 minute!]
As the patternless Flag of the Fallen Kingdom was erected, Teresa's movements changed.
Smash!
Her greatsword, thrusting upward from below, blew away the Death Knight's helmet in a single stroke.
In an instant that was almost simultaneous, the Death Knight, who had tilted his head back to minimize the impact, drove his sword into Teresa's shoulder guard.
A fierce back-and-forth battle.
Trading flesh for bone, their swords aimed for each other's vitals.
* * *
Dust! Dust!
Jinhyuk brushed the dust off his clothes.
"Since things seem to be heating up over there, shall we get started as well?"
"Knowing how to use both sword and magic is certainly impressive, but do you truly believe that is enough to defeat me?"
Hmm?
It seemed he was gravely mistaken about something...
"I won't be needing a sword to fight you."
Jinhyuk put both of his swords back into his subspace inventory.
"Magic alone is more than enough for you."
To raise skill proficiency, battling a powerful mage was essential.
If the opponent was someone of Bayorodum's caliber, he would make the perfect practice partner.
Furthermore, his heart pounded with anticipation at the thought of using the 'second stage' of Fusion this time.
"Magic alone is enough, you say... Hahaha! Yes, I suppose you could think that. I must have looked far too pathetic at first. Still, I never expected to be looked down upon to this extent."
The manic laughter vanished in an instant, as if it had never existed.
Bayorodum held up three fingers.
"Three moves. I will finish you in exactly three moves."
Vrrrr!
His body slowly floated up into the sky.
Bayorodum positioned himself about ten meters above the ground.
Instantly, a red hexagram appeared behind him.
In less than a second, a magic circle spanning five meters was completed.
"Since you know how to form circles, you must understand the importance of calculation speed."
Calculation speed.
How quickly one could draw a complex magic circle was the most crucial factor in a magic battle.
Because even within the same circle, the outcome could change entirely depending on who seized the initiative first.
Therefore, high-circle mages could complete these calculations in the blink of an eye, while low-circle mages were bound to be outread in every move.
"However, that is only the case for mediocre mages. For someone of my level, it operates on an entirely different dimension."
The Lich created another magic circle with his other hand.
Double Incantation.
And a double incantation of entirely different attributes at that.
"It's not like you're teaching an Introduction to Magic. So what's your point? Are you trying to say that because you can do a double incantation, someone like me is no match for you?"
"How many simultaneous incantations do you think I can maintain?"
Being able to maintain different incantations simultaneously was the yardstick by which a mage's ability was measured.
And Bayorodum...
Vrrr!
Vrrr!
Vrrrrr!
...could manifest thirty incantations at once.
A multiple incantation!
Countless hexagrams appeared behind him, filling the sky.
Every single one of them was a spell powerful enough to turn an opponent to ashes in a single strike.
"This is who I am."
The Demon World that ruled the upper floors of the Tower.
The commander who led the 2nd Magic Corps, recognized by the Demon King and the demons alike.
All of those titles pointed to one entity: the immortal archmage, Bayorodum.
Bayorodum looked down from above.
"What is it? Have you frozen in fear? Well, it is only natural to react that way once you realize the difference in our class."
Seeing Jinhyuk stand completely still, Bayorodum smiled with satisfaction.
Right then.
Smirk.
Letting out a soft chuckle, Jinhyuk slowly chanted the incantation.
[Unique Ability 'Fire Element' and 'Glacial Shaping'...]
He fused the two skills.
And then.
[...'Daylight' is fused!]
He added a third skill to the mix.
The second stage of Fusion was to combine not just two, but multiple unique abilities and skills.
Until now, he had appropriately mixed magic and close combat instead of engaging in large-scale magic battles that consumed massive amounts of mana.
But today was different.
He intended to show this guy, without holding back, what a true multiple incantation looked like.
[You have successfully fused the Unique Ability 'Triple Magic'!]
[The fused ability has been saved in the 'Memory of the World'.]
He strengthened the newly acquired ability through a 'Barrier'.
And based on that strengthened ability, he reproduced the multiple incantation.
Vrrrrr!
One by one, barriers and magic circles based on the Ancient Runic Language began to manifest over Jinhyuk's shoulders.
"T-This can't be..."
The light in Bayorodum's eyes shook violently.
It wasn't a mere thirty.
...They couldn't even be counted with the naked eye.
Countless magic circles were encroaching upon the sky.
[A 10-Star 'Multi-layered Barrier' has been constructed.]
Time limit: 1 minute.
['Infinite Magic' is activated!]
He didn't have grandiose titles like a magic corps.
But a veteran didn't need such hollow decorations.
Even without anyone's recognition, the one who could simply enjoy this world was the true master of the Tower.
"I will finish this in a single move."