Chapter 385
Chapter 385
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 385
>Chapter Title: Good Thing You Like It
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Zzweeeeng—!
In the accelerated stream of thought that shattered time into fragments, Aster spun his circles with all his might, seizing the mana. The coercive force of Transcendence and his circles yanked ambient mana into massive clumps as his mind raced on.
‘Otto’s Transcendence?’
No clue.
But Aster had experience with the Decullan Seven Mages’ first seat, Aevilon. He still didn’t know what kind of Transcendence Aevilon wielded, but one thing was crystal clear.
It wasn’t far off from the truth he’d grasped through countless crises.
‘First strike wins.’
Kwaduduk!
The gathered mana condensed into a single mass, laced with a sliver of Aster’s magic power. As it compressed further, the infusion created a flow.
Pajijik, pajik—!
It was Annihilation Burst. Right now, no finesse—just raw violence.
Kiiiiing—!
The Annihilation Burst blooming in midair took the form of a spear hurtling toward Otto. This most brutal energy cluster seemed ready to shred Otto’s heart—no, his entire body—to pieces.
But Aster didn’t stop there.
Kagagagak!
Five circles spinning in different directions accelerated, adding attraction. Transcendence bolstered the power. And simultaneously—
Jjejeok, jjeok!
The ambient mana froze solid.
Otto found himself trapped in a prison of iced mana in an instant—a desperate moment where no one could cast a spell.
So—
What was the point of a grand archmage who couldn’t manifest magic?
……That was Otto’s current dilemma.
‘…….’
Otto’s impassive eyes shifted. He took in the approaching Annihilation Burst and unleashed his Transcendence. Actually, he’d had it active all along. He’d just been gauging his opponent’s moves.
Now that he had a read, Otto manifested his will.
It was unyielding. If Aster’s will was boundless freedom, Otto’s was an unbreakable millennium rock.
And in response—
Kwaddududuk!
The earth surged up, forming a barrier. It was paper-thin. But when the Annihilation Burst slammed into it, Aster realized it was far tougher than it looked.
Jjeeoeong—!
……A barrier unscratched by Annihilation Burst.
‘This…….’
Aster dimly grasped what Otto’s Transcendence was.
Two clues.
First.
Even after Aster bound all the ambient mana, Otto’s spellcasting showed no strain.
If Otto had shattered the control to cast, that’d be one thing—but his magic operated using mana outside Aster’s control, leaving the binding intact.
And that mana outside the control zone was……
The earth.
Mana embedded in this ground.
……And second.
‘That spell.’
It looked like a massive material body at a glance, but no physical substance could react that fast in time chopped to bits.
A master knight’s sword strike pierced accelerated time, but that was closer to the concept of a “sword strike” at work, not the material blade itself.
So, it wasn’t physical.
More like……
‘……Mana made manifest.’
Realizing that far, laughter nearly burst out.
‘Is this…… even possible?’
Manipulating mana embedded in matter was novel enough—but solidifying and wielding the mana within?
Just as Aster manipulated ambient mana to form and control Annihilation Burst, Otto did the same with mana in the earth, crafting something akin to it.
‘Borrowing the fragments’ power?’
The librarian Teheman-sunbae said only Reverse Heaven’s master could handle fragments, but Aster knew that wasn’t strictly true.
In a way, the thing in Baharmut that showed the future used Reverse Heaven fragments too. Otto wielding them wouldn’t be strange.
But.
‘……No, that’s not it.’
Kkaduduk, kkaduk, kkaduduk!
Aster raised a barrier against the countless earthen blades erupting from the ground while resonating his circles to manipulate mana.
Frozen mana around Otto shifted, sparking wildly. Dozens of Annihilation Bursts. Followed by explosions.
――――!
As light flooded everywhere, Aster blocked all the blades and escaped the fragmented time. Back in normal flow, he kicked off and leaped forward.
He’d reached perfect Transcendence mastery, but clashing with Otto—who’d handled it for ages—wasn’t fun. So Aster chose……
‘A fair fight.’
Fisticuffs.
Pissit—!
Aster vanished from midair, reappearing right in Otto’s face. Otto, blinded momentarily by the flash, startled at the sudden presence and raised a barrier. But……
Pajijik!
It scattered like mist.
……Interference Formula.
“……Khek!”
“Honeyed Fist.”
The sweet fist smashed into Otto’s face. So sweet it sprayed spit and blood across the air. Even then, Aster pondered the next punch’s name.
‘Next up…….’
He planned to chain combos skillfully, mount, and toy with him one-sidedly.
But Aster overlooked one thing: Otto, head of the Urbona House, had fisticuffs chops too.
Shek—!
“……!”
Aster jerked his head back from the chill sword aura grazing his nose. It was a short dagger.
“An archmage…… with a dagger?”
Aster was furious. This shamed all archmages.
Fury became justice, justice became violence. The elevated violence converged into a fist.
Ppak!
……One hit.
Peobeok!
……Two hits.
Shek! Sheeshek!
Left, right-left. He dodged the swift dagger, stepped back, then went for three……
Kwaduduk!
……But earthen magic surged, so he added a scoop of barrier.
‘Clang! One step forward on the sound. Then…… three hits again.’
Peobeok!
Otto’s massive frame tilted on the third hit. But things didn’t go Aster’s way.
Pibit! Pibibibit!
Endless thin spikes—not blades—from the ground swarmed to impale Aster’s body.
Here, Aster had to choose.
‘Dodge? Or block?’
Dodging felt like returning to Transcendence clash; blocking risked holes somewhere.
Time for empathy. What did House head Otto want?
‘……Got it, your wish.’
Aster did the exact opposite. He layered barriers thick and charged straight at Otto. Earthen spikes rose to meet him head-on, but pride swelled inside.
And so.
Kadduduk! Kaduk!
Barriers shattered, holes punched through his body—by then, Aster reached Otto. A smile spread across his face.
“Tough bastard.”
Chwaak!
The dagger grazed his face, but Aster barely paused, tackling Otto’s waist. And then……
Kung!
Otto slammed to the ground in the tackle.
Aster moved to mount……
“Tut, your height…….”
Too short. Legs too stubby. Riding Otto felt like a goblin on an ogre. As he flustered—
Puk, pubeok! Puk!
“……!”
Agonizing pain pierced his back. But it didn’t end there.
Jijijik, jik……
The spike inside split open. Like tree branches forking.
A normal mage would’ve been torn apart, but Aster wasn’t normal. Circles controlled external mana fiercely, internal magic power even more so.
……He swirled internal magic power to halt the spike’s growth, then twisted violently to snap it. Grinning savagely, he looked down at Otto.
“Like it?”
Around them, tididitik! Explosions rang out.
Otto’s earthen magic clashing with Aster’s mana trying to block it.
“Realms are like that.”
They seem special amid lesser foes, but scrapping with equals shows they’re nothing much.
Wasn’t there a saying? In a world of third-rates, second-rate is first; in a world of first-rates, second-rate is third-rate.
Ppak!
“……What!”
Aster headbutted triumphantly but reeled from Otto’s unexpectedly hard skull. And……
Ppeoeok!
“Khek!”
An iron fist to the face. How did a fist…… dent a mana-forged body like this?
Without mana body, it’d be dire. Rumors of Urbona House body-tempering secrets were true.
As Aster steadied himself.
Deobseok.
“……Keuk!”
A brutish hand gripped his throat. His body slowly lifted from the ground.
Otto finally seized Aster, stood, and grinned while crushing his neck.
“Yeah, I like it.”
Tidididit!
Amid endless clash sounds of magic and mana, Otto eyed Aster with gleaming eyes.
And then.
“Very…… much!”
Kwang!
Otto’s brutish grip slammed Aster into the ground. Stone dust flew; blood sprayed skyward.
After coughing up a mouthful of blood.
……Koong!
Aster bounced up, headbutted Otto’s skull, and eyed the staggering Otto.
“Good thing you like it.”
Their gazes crossed.
Beast-like, not human.
……Both were smiling.
* * *
A bit away, at the rocky mountain base.
“……House head!”
A Black Stone mage bolted toward the distant battle like a madman. Or tried to.
Gigik—!
A transparent barrier blocked him. He froze, glaring narrowly at the being before him.
‘What the hell is…….’
Unheard of.
A black wyvern.
Three times a normal wyvern’s size—its body alone a fearsome weapon.
But the real issue now……
‘……A mage. Hiding somewhere.’
He’d tried charging to the house head repeatedly, but Black Stone mages couldn’t because of that.
A mage somewhere blocked them.
So they scanned meticulously for the hidden mage instead of rash moves—
[…….]
The black wyvern, impassively watching the fight, turned its gaze to them right then.
“…….”
“…….”
Faced with that overwhelming bulk, Black Stone mages raised defenses. But no reckless attacks.
Uncertain when or where the hidden mage might strike.
Amid this, only Vice Leader Gaite stayed calm.
Anyway.
A strange silence hung between Black Stone and the black wyvern. The first to break it……
[……You lot.]
The black wyvern—Yongyong.
Yongyong eyed the Black Stone mages and posed a question.
[Would you serve the Great One?]
……A wyvern spoke.
The impossible sight left Black Stone mages speechless. They couldn’t even process it. Shocking enough to harden even Vice Leader Gaite’s face.
Misreading the silence, Yongyong narrowed its eyes, pupils slitting vertically at them.
[Pity. The Great One accepts all races.]
So, what now?
[You all die here.]
Geugeuk, geugeugeugeuk……!
Mana swirled around Yongyong.