Episode 1114
Episode 1114
"?"
Of course, Lee Han was equally baffled.
Just how many mages were gathered in this place right now?
Though the mages of the Daylily Magic Tower were putting on this absurdly large-scale farce just to recruit one promising magic student, they were by no means pushovers.
Even the Tower Master Eullangdam, who had forcibly squeezed himself into stuffy, extravagant clothes he wouldn't normally wear (they'd worried Wardanaz wouldn't come if they greeted him in their usual dirty research robes), immediately changed back upon hearing the news.
-"A relic pursued by the Hornbeam Knights and the Guardians of the Shadow Valley? This is no trivial matter. I'll take command personally."
-"W-wait. What about the preparations for the next event?"
-"What was the next event again?"
-"The Daylily Magic Tower Ball..."
-"The very name is utterly dreadful. It's been at least ten years since any of us last danced."
-"Huh? B-but Tower Master Eullangdam, you instructed us to prepare it exactly as the noble families outside do..."
-"Enough, enough! This is no time for such events when the Tower has pressing duties to attend to. Moreover, demonstrating our magical prowess would carry far more persuasive power anyway."
While the other mages nodded in admiration at how reasonable this sounded, the few who had prepared the event shot suspicious glances.
After all the fuss he'd made about the preparations and now this sudden change—no matter how you looked at it, something was off.
...Could it be that even he found it unbearably tedious and dull?
Regardless of the reason, Eullangdam had already deployed the mages to establish a perfect encirclement.
Even the tower mages who normally wouldn't bother with such matters joined in eagerly. This was far better than some boring event.
That's why Lee Han hadn't been particularly concerned while unsealing and opening the relic.
He'd already trusted in the professors' combat abilities, and with the addition of the Daylily Magic Tower mages, this seemed like a problem that would resolve itself even if he did nothing.
But for the spirit that emerged to ignore all the powerful figures present and speak directly to Lee Han—that was deeply unsettling.
'And it's a bigger deal than I expected.'
Even among exiled spirits who roamed about, there were vast differences in caliber.
For all his self-proclaimed title of "King," Saratan's track record wasn't particularly impressive. Hadn't he even been subdued by other spirits in his true form?
Of course, Lee Han didn't know how Saratan had been defeated. It might have been through schemes or betrayal.
But in the end, he was still a loser. While claiming the title of king suggested he possessed basic strength, without the achievements to back it up, the title meant nothing.
In contrast, this so-called General of Fire Heaven showed no interest in calling himself a king, yet felt several times more threatening.
It meant that instead of ruling or cultivating his own domain as a spirit, he was solely focused on other matters.
And of course, the Daylily Magic Tower mages immediately found records about him...
"Saratan. Any guesses why that spirit is showing interest?"
-"That..."
"That?"
-"I had no idea it was that spirit...!"
Saratan was horrified.
Who could have imagined the spirit sealed within the relic would be the General of Fire Heaven?
An ancient spirit from generations before him, and far more violent than he could ever be!
Judging by the energy emanating from the relic, he'd assumed at worst it would be a spirit of his own caliber or weaker...
"Is that really important right now?"
Lee Han rebuked him impatiently.
This spirit was truly useless.
Shouldn't he be explaining what he knew about the General of Fire Heaven and speculating why the spirit was interested in Lee Han?
Maybe he likes mana? Or perhaps he likes mana? Or could it be... he likes mana?
'Hmm. Do I even need to ask? I have a feeling that's the answer.'
Saratan steeled his resolve.
Truth be told, in terms of combativeness alone, Saratan was by no means an inferior spirit anywhere.
Now that he thought about it, he was angry at himself for feeling intimidated by an ancient spirit he'd never even met.
-"...You're right. I've been wanting to test myself against him too! Summon me!"
"......"
Lee Han seriously considered kicking the staff with his foot.
He had been spouting nonsense all along.
"Not summoning, but why is that spirit showing interest in me..."
Fine, fine! If I'm going back anyway, it wouldn't be bad to burn something like you before I go!
"!"
In an instant, the spirit's body lost its form and transformed into a towering pillar of flame.
The space where the mages were gathered was the <Chamber of Sealing> located on the fifth basement floor of the magic tower.
This place, layered with hundreds of magic circles, was used to seal powerful extra-dimensional entities. Once the magic circles were activated, they exerted an overwhelming pressure that made escape impossible.
Yet Zvagni made a choice that defied all expectations—an utterly absurd decision.
He burned away his entire body to break through the magic circles.
It was an enormous loss, but Zvagni didn't care. The desire to fight that ridiculously strange mage was all that mattered to him now.
'You, a mortal loved by spirits and stars—face me, the Fire General, hated by spirits and stars!'
-You madman!!
Saratan screamed.
He had just realized what Zvagni had done.
What had been trapped inside the artifact wasn't Zvagni's true body but an avatar.
Such avatars were like fragments—even if defeated and destroyed, the true spirit in the spirit realm wouldn't perish.
Of course, that didn't mean there was no damage. An avatar was still a part of oneself, and if it was forcibly returned through reverse summoning, the backlash was inevitable.
That was why Zvagni had remained trapped inside the artifact for so long.
He could have chosen death over imprisonment and been reverse-summoned, but enduring that loss wasn't worth it—it was far better to wait until the seal was eventually broken.
What was a long time in the Material Plane was merely a tolerable wait in the spirit realm.
But now, Zvagni had rendered all those choices meaningless.
He burned his entire avatar to break through the magic circles, then drew additional power from his true body.
When an extra-dimensional being forcibly drew power, the world's rejection inflicted severe losses.
Burning his avatar and even drawing from his true essence—even a spirit of Zvagni's caliber couldn't ignore such a devastating loss.
And the most absurd part of this choice was that, despite all this immense sacrifice, all Zvagni gained was a brief chance to fight.
What good would breaking through the magic circles do?
There were hundreds of perfectly capable mages and knights nearby!
To suffer such losses just for one fleeting opportunity...
'Saratan, you bastard!'
While Saratan was reeling in shock, Lee Han was similarly stunned.
At the same time, he cursed Saratan too. This spirit was truly useless.
Of course, it wasn't Saratan's fault that a spirit like the Fire General had emerged from the artifact. Even without Saratan, the knights would have brought the artifact, and the spirit would have been released.
But human emotions couldn't be helped.
Somehow, whenever Saratan was involved, it felt like luck just vanished!
'Just hold on a little longer!'
-Release me! I'll fight with you!
-How the hell am I supposed to release you?! I'm not the Headmaster!
Lee Han snapped back as he gathered his magic.
The Young Prince, being a master of magic, could have created a temporary body for Saratan with a flick of his finger and summoned him, but Lee Han lacked both the ability and the time for that.
If he had that kind of power, he'd need to use it to endure.
Fortunately, reinforcements were already moving in from all directions—if he could just hold out a little longer, they'd make it.
The moment Zvagni broke through, powerful figures sprang into action.
Professors Voladi and Garcia, Tower Master Eullangdam, White Poplar Knight Bamandam...
...even Jute, the Guardian of Shadow Valley, and Jowurin, who was transforming into a dragon in her fury!!
'No!!'
Lee Han screamed internally.
Not because of the former, but because of the latter.
Jute, as a fellow black mage, cared for and looked out for Lee Han, which was a bit burdensome and awkward, but not a major issue.
They could just hold a black mage gathering someday and all give Jute some psychological counseling. With Senior Diret there, they could probably convince him.
But Jowurin—that was a disaster.
But Jowurin transforming into a dragon here and now was an entirely different matter.
Other mages in the Magic Tower might not realize, but someone of Tower Master Eullangdam's caliber would undoubtedly grasp the situation at once.
The Empire had countless imperial family members churned out like factory products, but among them, only nine were dragonkin.
And for a dragonkin to be trailing after someone like this...
'Good, very good! Burning someone beloved only brings greater joy!'
Lee Han snapped out of his thoughts and returned to reality. The vile malice radiating from the opposing spirit left no room for other considerations.
'Water Prison Bomb!'
The Water Prison Bomb spell stored in his Intermediate Magic Storage activated instantly, shooting forth.
It didn't end with just a dazzling trajectory. Lee Han cast Intermediate Teleportation to ensure a direct hit on this wicked spirit.
His brain felt like it was burning from the extreme concentration required—independent of mana expenditure—but the magical experience he'd accumulated produced near-miraculous results. A flawless spell execution.
Simultaneously, Lee Han drew upon Saratan's power from his staff. While he couldn't summon Saratan's true form, he could invoke his Authority.
Authority of Tenacity!
-Trust me, mage!
For the first time since their contract, Saratan didn't betray Lee Han's expectations.
Roaring, Saratan devoured the mage's mana like a spring and unleashed the Authority of Tenacity in an explosive burst.
It wasn't merely about hardening the staff's durability—an impregnable barrier formed before him.
Blocked in front and struck from behind by the Water Prison Bomb, the Fire General merely laughed as he severed his own flesh.
It didn't matter. He wanted to fight to his limits before being Reverse Summoned anyway.
'How strong you are, so beloved by spirits! It only makes me want to burn you more!'
"...You bastard. Who the hell is 'beloved by spirits'?!"
Lee Han, who normally avoided emotional waste during battles, couldn't help but flare up this time.
All the hardships he'd endured while contracting spirits flashed through his mind in an instant.
The Fire General paused at the raw emotion in Lee Han's words.
To him, this mortal mage seemed like someone universally cherished.
So how could such bitter resentment exist?
It was as if his opponent was someone just like himself.
'Could I have misjudged something?'
But regardless of his thoughts, the Fire General didn't stop moving. Given the circumstances, he only had one or two chances left.
The Fire General's body dwindled like an ember dying out.
Yet it was a ruse. As if buying time to fight, a massive wall of flames erupted around them. Simultaneously, the Fire General rematerialized in the air.
He'd drawn power from his true form once again!
Saratan spewed curses.
-That insane old bastard!! He should've aged gracefully!!!!
"Uahahaha! Uahahahaha! Try blocking this one!"
Within the fiery barrier, countless flaming warriors began to materialize.
Lee Han didn't even have time to curse like Saratan.
First, he maximized the Black Magnetite in his staff to disrupt further spellcasting with Reverse Magic, then summoned Water Prison Bombs at full capacity to eliminate the existing warriors.
But the rotating orbs of water were like morning dew before the warriors' scorching heat—shrinking and fading in an instant.
Just as Lee Han gritted his teeth to cast again, the approaching warriors suddenly dissipated without a trace.
No!
Even Zvagni was stunned.
To nullify his entire army without any preparation or warning—how?
'Euangelion!'
Though nothing was visible, Lee Han knew through instinct. The cloak imprinted across countless parallel dimensions was protecting its master.
Realizing his teacher's power was shielding him, Lee Han regained his composure. He summoned another Water Prison Bomb.
Not the same as before. He'd already sensed ordinary Water Prison Bombs couldn't defeat this foe.
This one wasn't merely rotated for destructive force—it carried additional conceptual weight, like Wardanaz's Lightning Transformation.
Smaller and less frenzied than before, yet Zvagni instinctively knew: this meant defeat.