Episode 1212
Episode 1212
-What the hell are you doing!!!
True to its reputation as a grand spell capable of felling the Profaner in a single strike, the Thunder Spear of Demon Annihilation unleashed terrifying power.
The ancient magic, which had been nearing completion through countless sacrifices, scattered with a spine-chilling scream. The foul blood-scented mana, along with the souls trapped within, rapidly dissipated beyond the fortress walls.
-You destroyed such a rare magic! Why in the world would you—?!
The hamster screamed as if he were about to bite Lee Han on the spot.
Though this magic criminal had committed countless atrocities in his lifetime, none of them could compare to the sheer wickedness of what this brat from the Wardanaz family had just done.
Not only had he prevented the completion of this great magic—he had outright destroyed it.
The long-cherished dream of ancient times, something no one had ever achieved!
-Don't tell me you're going to spout nonsense like the Empire's fools, refusing to learn 'evil' magic?! There is no good or evil in magic! There is only magic itself!
The concept of 'evil magic' was the one thing magic criminals despised the most.
Poison, when used correctly, could become medicine—just as a righteous person could turn wicked. What right did the Empire have to define what was 'evil'?
If that was the reason behind this destruction, the hamster would have found it utterly contemptible.
But Lee Han's sudden decision to unleash a grand spell from the outset surpassed even the hamster's wildest expectations.
"That bastard kept pissing me off."
-......
There were times when a person was so furious or so dumbfounded that words failed them.
That was exactly how the hamster felt right now.
He would have preferred it if Lee Han had destroyed the magic because it was 'evil' and needed to be sealed away forever.
-You... destroyed that magic because it pissed you off?!
The hamster stammered without realizing it.
Sure, the corrupted Evil God's ramblings might have been infuriating—but to destroy that power over it?!
An excellent choice. I feel pride in our contract.
Perkuntra, however, praised Lee Han enthusiastically.
Though the lightning spirit had often felt swindled whenever summoned by this contractor, this time, it was filled with nothing but satisfaction and pride.
To firmly reject an Evil God's proposal—
It didn't matter how reasonable or advantageous that proposal had been. Even if it had been 100% beneficial, it didn't matter.
What mattered was the will to refuse.
Without that will, even if one escaped a trap once or twice by luck, they would inevitably fall for it—or be ensnared—sooner or later.
I agree. As a demon, I must express my respect for the spirit that rejects such temptations.
-You pitiful thought-forms who don't even know the first thing about magic...!
The hamster's eyes burned red as he shrieked.
To have to listen to such nonsense from ignorant dimensional beings who knew nothing about the scholarly discipline of magic—who were merely born with power!
-Is that mage not bewitched?
Saratan cautiously asked.
Just as the heads of vampire families could be ensnared by magic, the hamster was no exception.
And since the one pointing it out was a mage himself, there was no guarantee he wasn't under the same influence.
"!"
Lee Han jolted in realization.
No wonder the hamster had been so unreasonably angry!
"That makes sense! Honestly, I thought he was way too furious."
-It's not that his anger is strange, but his obsession with magic—
Being angry was understandable.
But destroying magic just because an Evil God's words pissed you off? That wasn't exactly a normal reaction.
Unlike the Thunder King or demons, Saratan honestly felt it was a bit of a waste.
Regardless, once Lee Han had convinced himself, he tossed the hamster back into his bag. He planned to leave him in the basement until he regained his senses.
How dare you! How DARE you!! HOW DARE YOU—!!!!
The delayed eruption of the Evil God's fury began to engulf the entire swamp.
The blood-red sky split apart, and the already weakened fortress crumbled as if collapsing in on itself.
The undead of the region were sucked screaming into the fractured sky, while the Evil God Worshipper priests, who had been fighting near the fortress gates, were instantly annihilated by the sudden ambush.
Be careful!
Perkuntra shielded its contractor with the most serious expression it had ever shown.
Fighting the master of an Evil God's domain was no trivial matter. Even a Spirit King had to brace itself in earnest.
Moreover, the current opponent seemed to have swallowed even his own subordinates in his rage, turning them into pure power.
"Behind you!"
At Mahuda's shout, Perkuntra turned his gaze in apparent panic.
Just as the demon had said, a powerful magical reaction was coming from behind Lee Han.
But it wasn't due to an ambush by the Evil God. The exact location of the magical reaction was inside the backpack.
'What is this?!'
Lee Han was just as startled as the other two.
Had the hamster he'd thrown into the basement caused some kind of accident?
Pop!
Before his brief moment of pondering could even conclude, the culprit revealed itself. When a familiar white magic tome with a distinctive pattern appeared, Lee Han's eyes widened in recognition.
The Spirit Book left behind by the Skeleton Principal's avatar, containing fragments of his soul.
The opened book poured information not through letters but through soul-script. Instinctively, Lee Han could recognize the name of the magic the book was now imparting.
Small World, Dynamis!
"There's no need for reckless actions! My power alone is enough to get us out of here!"
Feeling the powerful reverberations of the magic, Perkuntra shouted in concern.
His contractor had already reached the limits of his stamina after summoning both a Spirit King and a powerful demon.
No matter how much he endured with magic, his flesh remained that of a mortal.
Attempting to recklessly cast powerful magic against the Evil God would only be self-sabotage.
Yet Lee Han was already fully internalizing the new magic.
Unlike Perkuntra, Mahuda—who shared Lee Han's body—shuddered at the bizarre ancient Small World magic and cried out.
"What... what kind of magic is this?! Did mages really create something like this?"
"I don't know what kind of magic it is, but explain it in a way I can understand, you damn demon brat! We need to escape!"
Despite Perkuntra's harsh words, Mahuda didn't get angry—he was too bewildered.
That was how difficult it was to explain this magic.
"So it's... it's..."
"Just go back inside and rot forever, you idiot!"
The Thunder King suddenly flared up and prepared for battle.
Since that demon was utterly useless, he had to step up. Grabbing lightning, he drew defensive lines in the air, causing threatening thunder fortresses to appear and guard their surroundings.
'It's coming!'
A terrifying strike flew through the cracks in the blood-red sky. It was a wave of power mixed with immense resentment and curses.
Perkuntra let out a fierce battle cry and summoned a heaven-reversing bolt of lightning from the ground to the sky.
Kwaaaaah—!
Ugh...!
After just one clash, Perkuntra already felt at a disadvantage. The opponent could mobilize everything he had accumulated in his domain, while Perkuntra had to endure in hostile territory relying solely on his contractor's magic.
And if he considered the state of his contractor's body, the longer the fight dragged on...
Swoosh!
Something flew in from behind in an instant.
It was a tiny droplet of water. It was so mismatched with the scale of the battle—one that could overturn heaven and earth—that it felt awkward.
Even Perkuntra was slightly taken aback.
He knew Lee Han frequently used water-element magic, but this wasn't the time to be throwing Water Prison Bombs at their opponent.
If he had the energy for that, he should have focused on defense and evasion to escape quickly.
'Wait. Was it always like this?'
Perkuntra belatedly realized something was off. His contractor's magic was usually about the size of a fist.
Why had it become so small?
!
As the droplet ascended against the air, its true nature began to reveal itself.
Before the waves of resentment and curses pouring from the cracks in the blood-red sky, the droplet seemed like nothing more than a single leaf. But that leaf ignored the violent countercurrents, leisurely carving its path forward as it glided.
Only then did Perkuntra recall the true nature of that magic.
That wasn't the Water Prison Bomb his contractor usually used.
It was the Skeleton Principal's magic—Hidor!
'How did he—?!'
And its power was just as terrifying. Having been struck and subdued by the Skeleton Principal before, the Thunder King could vividly feel the magic's might.
The droplet pierced through the enemy's wave and left a scar on the Evil God.
---------!
Though the wound itself wasn't large, the Evil God—feeling pain for the first time in its existence—howled in agony.
"Has that bastard come too?!"
Perkuntra turned around in surprise. If the Skeleton Principal hadn't come personally, there was no explanation for this situation.
But the Skeleton Principal wasn't there.
Only Lee Han stood there, staggering while gripping his staff.
Lee Han felt his vision turning red. Given how strongly he could taste iron in his nose and mouth, it was undoubtedly due to the overload from the Small World.
"This Small World... it lets you pull future magic forward to use it now—"
-Shut up, you fool!
Saratan desperately tried to share the mage's burden.
Just now, this Small World had demonstrated such astonishing Authority that even a demon would find it incomprehensible.
To think it allowed the mage to cast spells he'd only be capable of in the future...
But the recoil was anything but trivial. The more powerful the magic pulled forward, the more exponentially the mage's burden grew.
Then focus on summoning spatial magic for escape instead of attacks! Don't do anything reckless!
"I'll... I'll try."
Perkuntra anxiously looked up at the sky.
Strangely, the Evil God hadn't reappeared. Whether it was because it wasn't accustomed to pain or not, this was fortunate for them.
They needed to escape now!
'Finally, it's showing an opening.'
The Death Knights were startled by the Yaksha King's sudden remark.
Though he'd been given full authority over this extermination force, the Yaksha King had done little since entering the domain.
He just gave orders to his successor and stood there blankly, to the point where even the Death Knights who knew his identity muttered behind his back, 'Is he really who he says he is?'
But now the enemy was showing an opening?
-What do you mean it's showing an opening?
When Os's disciple gains new magic, the creature becomes enraged and exposes its weak point.
-???
The Death Knights grew even more confused.
As is often the case with the wise, their words were difficult for the less wise to comprehend.
Especially with someone like the Yaksha King—his words were so cryptic that even after hearing the explanation, they still couldn't grasp what he meant.
What did it mean that the Evil God would get angry and expose its weak point when the successor gained new magic?
Now! We may begin at last.
In an instant, the entire domain trembled. The roars of the Great Horn and the Spiral Horn shook the dimensions as Yaksha warriors fiercely charged from all directions.
The army the King had brought had been lying in ambush without the knights' knowledge!
-What in the... Wait, who's commanding this?
Even in their panic, the Death Knights asked sharp questions.
Since the Yaksha King had deceived both enemies and allies here, there had to be someone else leading the ambush.
And it wasn't just anyone. The Death Knights worried—had the Skeleton Principal come after all?
'Surely the Master hasn't secretly come out? If so, the burden on him would be no small matter...'
"Gyaaaaaaah!"
Ibinta of the Iron Cloak let out a scream and collapsed to the ground. The knights stared in bewilderment at his convulsions.
-What's wrong with you? Never seen a Yaksha army before, you country bumpkin?
"Behind you! Behind you! A monster!"
-What the... No, Lord Hierdan!
Only then did the Death Knights realize everything as they saw the eldest son of the Wardanaz family revealing himself while leading the Yaksha from afar.
The Skeleton Principal had called both of them from the very beginning.
It was an undeniably powerful combination—one that strongly conveyed his determination to swiftly suppress this incident.
Hierdan descended from the chariot running through the sky and gave a slight nod to the Yaksha King.
"The stratagem to make the Evil God lower its guard—truly splendid."
Take the praise gladly, eldest son of Wardanaz. Your ambush was equally superb.
'This is a combination I'd really rather not get involved with.'
The knights shuddered. They'd rather be sent to the Punishment Room than be caught between those two.
"What stratagem made the Evil God lower its guard?"
Hierdan asked to assess the situation.
Since they'd soon have to engage the enemy directly, knowing what bait had worked was crucial information.
Os's disciple willingly played the role of the 'lion's body worm.'
"Are you referring to Professor Garcia, as Gonadaltes's disciple?"
No.
"Then do you mean Professor Bagrak?"
The Death Knights swallowed dryly—despite having no saliva—and slowly inched backward.
Instinctively, they felt fear.
This conversation couldn't possibly mean...
No. I mean your younger brother.
"Ah."