Chapter 108: The Tragedy of Colon (7)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 108: The Tragedy of Colon (7)
“Damn it! You insects, block them!”
“Yes, sir!”
“All natives, gather near us!”
The sheer number of ice chunks pouring from the sky was too much for Murakan and Casimir to block alone. There had to be hundreds of them, and Murakan seethed with frustration at being unable to assume his dragon form.
“Aaaaah!”
“Ugh…”
The natives with their voices still intact shrieked in terror, while those whose throats Myuron had ruined could only manage low, rasping groans. Many, however, were simply frozen in place like stone statues, too petrified to make a sound.
“Hey! Move! Unless you want to die!”
Spitting curses, Murakan grabbed the natives one by one and tossed them toward Casimir.
“I’ll send them your way! Stay sharp and block those ice chunks!”
“Please try to throw them gently, Lord Murakan!”
Of course, Jin, who had just been caught in a newly activated magic trap, could not join the rescue.
Wooooong…!
Beneath his feet, a glowing magic circle erupted, and mana chains shot up to bind his legs.
Myuron looked as if he might die from sheer joy. As the hundreds of ice chunks began to crash down, the ground shook as if from an earthquake.
“It’s quite a… beautiful night, isn’t it? Jin Runcandel.”
Clang!
Jin swung Bradamante down, severing the chains.
But no matter how many times he cut them, they instantly reformed.
“Hehehehe, hihihi! That is the pride of our 7th Magic Tower. It won’t be easy to escape—”
Crack!
“—it. Ah, was that a bit too easy? Don’t look at me with such a scary expression. I still have plenty of magic traps left.”
The moment Myuron finished speaking, Jin shattered the chains again. By surging his Spirit Energy even further before striking, he obliterated the magic circle itself, causing it to vanish.
However, the surrounding area still glowed with mana. Among the lights were countless magic circles Jin had never seen before, making it impossible for him to move recklessly.
He’s completely insane. Just how many traps did he set? I couldn't even sense them because I can’t read the flow of mana.
With the magic circles revealed, Colon was no longer a set of abandoned ruins.
It was a magical fortress. Jin had never fought in a place so densely layered with traps.
And while it might have looked like he had severed the chains with ease, it had cost him a significant amount of energy. For Jin, who had only recently achieved Sword Liberation, explosively surging his Spirit Energy after activating it was no simple task.
It’ll be trouble if all his traps are like this. I can’t just blow them all up with Spirit Energy. If I do, I’ll run out of stamina before I even reach Myuron.
Murakan and Casimir were busy saving the natives. This meant he would get no help until the ice stopped falling.
But… can an 8-star mage really control this much mana?
Since he couldn’t read the flow, he couldn’t grasp the true scale of the magic, but every visible spell required an immense amount of mana.
Even the hundreds of ice chunks currently raining down would consume more than sixty percent of an ordinary 8-star mage’s reserves.
Even if the magic traps were set in advance, these kinds of responsive spells require significant mana to maintain. On top of that, he cast three high-level spells simultaneously…
This level of mana management was beyond what Jin understood an 8-star mage to be capable of. That meant he was either 9-star, or…
He has a mana amplification artifact. I have to find it and destroy it.
“What are you thinking about?”
Myuron waved his staff, activating another trap.
This time, a beam of highly condensed mana shot from behind Jin. Just as he was about to throw himself aside, dozens of small magic circles flared to life in his peripheral vision.
They were spells Jin knew all too well.
Land of Erosion?!
The essence of 8-star earth magic. Once those dozens of circles bloomed, anything within their range would be devoured by the ground.
There were only two ways to stop it: overpower it with even greater mana or escape the area.
Naturally, it was better to take the beam head-on than to leap into the Land of Erosion.
Flash!
As he cleaved through the center of the beam, Bradamante’s Spirit Energy clashed with the mana, creating a vortex. Stray energy grazed his body, but the wounds weren’t severe enough to hinder his combat ability.
At the same time, the Land of Erosion spread across the spot where Jin would have dodged. Seeing the dark-red mana fill the air as if to devour the very void, Jin couldn’t help but swallow hard.
That was a close call.
Jin had only been able to block an 8-star mana beam because Spirit Energy was a higher-order power than mana.
Watching this, Myuron narrowed his eyes.
Father said that Solderet was originally the God of Swords. Indeed, if Jin Runcandel masters that power, he’ll be a difficult opponent for any mage. Besides, this guy… does he understand my spells?
He had thought Jin dodging the Hell Wind earlier was just a coincidence.
But Jin remained unfazed even after the magic traps were activated, and he had instinctively avoided dodging into the Land of Erosion.
His actions were too precise to be dismissed as mere luck.
“Are you… perhaps a Magic Swordsman?”
Jin’s pupils dilated. It was fortunate his face was hidden by his helmet. No one had ever seen through his abilities so quickly.
The position of Tower Master of the Zipple Clan’s 7th Magic Tower was not a title handed out freely, even to a pure-blood.
This was especially true for someone like Myuron, whose personality was so clearly flawed. Considering the Zipple’s public emphasis on propriety, one had to possess truly outstanding skill to become a Tower Master.
“Hehehe. No answer! I have a feeling, though. You’re a Magic Swordsman.”
Myuron, who had been keeping his distance, began to close the gap for the first time.
It was not a normal move for a mage like him to attempt close-quarters combat against Jin, who had activated Sword Liberation. Since his pre-laid traps were working so well, there was no need to close the distance.
And Jin knew why.
He’s planning to inject mana into me to force a Mana Backflow!
The most fatal vulnerability for any being who wields mana is the onset of a Mana Backflow.
That was why battles between mages were often decided more quickly than those between warriors; if a mage with stronger mana could induce a backflow in their opponent, the fight was over.
The situation was grim.
Amidst the numerous glowing magic traps, Jin’s movements were restricted as if he were wedged into a narrow crevice.
Myuron, on the other hand, was their master and remained almost entirely unaffected, largely neutralizing Jin’s advantage in physical ability.
“Mana Backflow is the most humiliating defeat for those who wield magic… Hahaha, gah!”
However, Jin’s advantages in close combat weren't limited to his sword and martial arts.
The moment Myuron tried to stab Jin with his mana-infused staff—
Flash!
Always, without fail, in a moment of crisis!
The ancient light magic that created an opening: Chenmi’s Flash Cannon.
As a light as intense as the sun exploded between them, a triumphant smile spread across Jin’s face. Myuron was forced to stumble back, his eyes clamped shut.
“What was that you were babbling about?”
The instant Myuron’s focus wavered, the traps lost their glow. Some of the ice chunks still hanging in the sky shattered into dust, and Bradamante drew an arc of dark light.
Slash!
Black particles of Spirit Energy lingered in the sword’s wake.
The distinct sensation of cutting through bone and flesh traveled up his arm.
His left arm. A shame.
Jin had intended to cut him in half, but Myuron had instantaneously compressed the air with his mana, twisting Bradamante’s trajectory just enough to save his life. Only his left arm was severed.
His instincts aren't like a mage’s; they’re almost animalistic. His magic might be inferior to Andrei’s, but in some ways, he’s a more troublesome opponent.
Uncertain he could kill Myuron with a follow-up attack, Jin chose instead to leap back and escape the dense web of traps.
The entirety of Colon was a minefield, but the most dangerous ones he had identified were concentrated here.
Thud.
Myuron’s left arm fell to the ground, Spirit Energy swirling around the wound. The same dark energy clung to Myuron’s shoulder, visibly and slowly eating away at his flesh and bone.
“Wow… marvelous! Light magic and the power of shadows. I want them. I really, really do.”
Ugh!
Letting out a short groan, Myuron formed a small blade of mana and, while smiling, carved out the flesh corrupted by Spirit Energy.
He acted as if losing an arm was nothing. It wasn't a bluff.
He was enjoying this fight.
“You probably think I’m crazy, right? But Jin Runcandel, even though I can’t see your face under that helmet… I bet you’re making a pretty good expression right now. You’re the same breed as me. You love fighting.”
Of course, that was Myuron’s delusion.
“Think whatever you want. I’ll grant you that much freedom before I kill you.”
“How kind of you. But can you actually kill me? I think our primitive friends… will protect me. Let’s see, I’ve used three so far.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Didn't you think it was strange? You’re very well-versed in magic. There’s no way you don't know that my current mana management is above 8-star.”
I’ve used three.
Jin mulled over the words for a moment, and then his blood ran cold.
“Myuron Zipple, you don’t mean…”
“What do you mean, ‘you don’t mean’?! It’s exactly what you’re thinking! I’m using our primitive friends as mana boosters.”
“You’re using humans as catalysts?”
“If you don't believe me, I’ll show you. Heh.”
Boom!
Myuron suddenly fired a mana cannon, completely obliterating a small, nearby building—a structure already half-destroyed by the falling ice.
It was the place Dino had identified as the ‘basement where the natives were taken.’
As the dust settled, a horrific scene was revealed: natives, piled up like heaps of trash, their bodies covered in engraved rune characters. Though he couldn't see them all, it seemed every native who had been taken was in that pile.
Not only Casimir, but even Murakan stared, shaking his head at the horrific sight.
Dino collapsed, his face devoid of all life.
“You look like you can’t understand why I’d volunteer to show you my weakness.”
“You bastard…”
“I’m showing you because I’m curious. Just how precious are the lives of these natives to you all? So precious that the three of you won't attack me together, and you, Jin Runcandel, are facing me alone?”
Myuron smacked his lips.
“If you want to finish me, go ahead and destroy all those insects acting as my mana pouches. They’re still alive, you know. Then the three of you can come at me together. It’s a simple task, isn't it? Throw away those lies like ‘goodness’ and ‘conscience’ and let’s have some real fun, hehehe.”
Sigh.
The moment Jin let out a low sigh.
“It’s a lie!”
A woman’s voice shouted from somewhere.
“It’s a lie! What’s strengthening that man’s mana isn't our kin over there, but our sacred object!”