Chapter 453
Chapter 453
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 453
>Chapter Title: Classic Regular Line, Huh?
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It wasn't easy.
Though he figured as much, Aster didn't feel any particular sense of crisis.
He clenched his fist, sensing the darkness closing in from all directions.
‘……As expected.’
Crackle, crackle—!
Blue sparks flared up from his grip.
The darkness that had been devouring his mana weakened. It was still tough to wield mana, but the restrictions had clearly loosened.
With the ritualist, the 9th Elder, stepping into the fray, the barrier's rules had slackened.
Some law of causality or whatever.
‘Well, that’s not what matters.’
“You made a mistake.”
“……!”
The 9th Elder’s eyes bulged at Aster’s sudden charge right up to his face. He was so startled that the curtain of darkness around him rippled.
“H-How…… Gah!”
Crackle!
A brutal blow smashed into his face. The 9th Elder flew back powerlessly, skipping across the ground like a stone.
‘What……!’
An approach that seemed to skip through space.
Disoriented, the 9th Elder quickly tried to pull himself together.
“Got me, huh?”
“……!”
Aster seized the 9th Elder by the scruff of the neck. Darkness clung to him like slime, but he ignored it. And then……
Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!
“G-Guh…… Ack……!”
The 9th Elder couldn’t regain his wits amid the primal violence.
No elegance, no mystique.
Not even the bare minimum of decorum in a high-level battle of wits to land superior spells.
“Y-You barbaric—!”
As the 9th Elder thrashed and spat curses, darkness surged in from all sides. Aster raised a force field against the encroaching shadows.
Scrrch, scrrch—!
The clash of the darkness’s shredding blades against the force field.
Even amid it all, Aster didn’t let go of the 9th Elder’s neck.
‘Fights are all about momentum.’
Lose that momentum?
It’s over from there.
Especially against someone like the 9th Elder who used unknown tricks.
‘At least one arm.’
You had to be prepared to give that much.
Whether that would be figurative or literal, well, that depended.
Anyway.
“That all you’ve got?”
“How dare— Guh!”
“No, I’m just asking. If that’s all……”
……then just die.
He didn’t bother voicing the rest. This wasn’t a fight to toy around in.
Bam!
Aster slammed the 9th Elder’s head into the ground hard once more, then pressed down with his full weight.
Crack!
The sound of neck bones snapping echoed out.
And then……
Crackle, crackle—!
Sparks flickered in his grip.
Obliteration would finish it for sure, but the darkness’s interference made it impossible. The best he could manage was Collision Formula……
‘……That’s enough.’
Aster drew mana from his core to form a Collision Formula. The attribute of the mana he pulled…… fire.
When fire-attributed mana collided, its force was incomparable to ordinary mana.
Especially now that the Crimson Flame secret art had reached a higher realm.
Crackle, crackle—
The lightning of the Collision Formula reached its peak.
Soon—
Zing!
A sharp sound rang out as a shockwave spread.
He didn’t mutter something like ‘……Did I get him?’
Because it was obvious he hadn’t.
Aster looked at the headless, limp 9th Elder, then stood and brushed off his hands. He took in his surroundings.
Rustle, rustle……
Black silhouettes emerged from all sides.
All identical.
……The 9th Elder.
Sure, “identical” just meant the same pitch-black forms shrouded in darkness, but still.
“How many of you are there?”
Illusions again?
……If only.
They were all real.
“You won’t die peacefully.”
“Classic regular line, huh?”
At Aster’s mockery, the darkness boiled.
“You won’t die peacefully—!”
The 9th Elders charged from the seething darkness.
Rending flesh and blue lightning.
The darkness rippled as blood flowed.
Meanwhile, at that moment.
Pahren stopped and gazed ahead.
Kahazar, who had been following, approached his side.
“……There?”
At the end of the corridor, stairs leading underground were visible.
No one had told him, but Kahazar knew.
Whatever it was, it was down there.
“Then, let’s—”
“Stop.”
Kahazar halted and looked at Pahren.
Pahren’s expression was as cold as ever.
But Kahazar could read it.
……Annoyance.
Clear as day.
Pahren was displeased.
Why?
The moment the thought arose—
Rustle……
A silhouette appeared before the stairs.
Black robe.
Face hidden.
At a glance, it looked like an ordinary wandering mage.
But it wasn’t.
“……Salvatium.”
“Correct, Patriarch Kahazar. Ah, shall I introduce myself? I hold the position of the Eleventh Elder of Salvatium. My name is nothing special, so call me the 11th Elder.”
The 11th Elder bowed politely.
Her hands visible beyond the robe were soft and pale.
Incongruous.
“I politely request that both patriarchs withdraw. Salvatium has no intention of antagonizing you.”
The voice was feminine, merely disguised.
Kahazar’s expression hardened.
Withdraw?
“Why not have you withdraw instead? The Kutlan Family bears no grudge against Salvatium. Unlike the Empire.”
A veiled threat.
“Our circumstances are complicated as well.”
“Something important down there?”
“I won’t deny it.”
“Tell me. Perhaps our interests could align.”
“I doubt it.”
“What do you want?”
Kahazar’s curiosity was plain.
What was Salvatium after in the Sanctuary?
The 11th Elder sighed faintly.
“One more request. Can’t you simply withdraw?”
“Just tell us what you want.”
“Even if it’s something unrelated to you?”
“That’s how curiosity works.”
“Sigh……”
She glanced at Pahren.
She knew he had joined hands with the 4th Elder.
And that the 4th Elder was preparing to activate the fifth defense system—the Black Magic Circle.
An ally, but not one to fully trust.
“Pahren, what do you say?”
The 11th Elder listened closely.
If she stalled for time, the 4th Elder would activate the Black Magic Circle.
Even an Archmage wouldn’t withstand that.
Then they would seize the Fragment of Reverse Heaven and flee.
Please……
She looked at Pahren desperately.
After a long silence, Pahren pulled out a cigar and lit it.
Sizzle……
Smoke spread.
“Go ahead. Try to stop us.”
Just one sentence.
The 11th Elder sighed deeply.
“Sigh…… nothing ever goes my way.”
“That’s life.”
She drew a dagger.
“You’ll regret this.”
She stabbed it into the ground.
Thud!
Black mana spread.
It dispersed without resistance.
Then—
Pop—!
Strange runes rose from the dagger, filling the area.
Some became shackles, binding Kahazar and Pahren.
“Ridiculous. You think a mere artifact can restrain me?”
Kahazar poured mana into them.
But instead of breaking, the shackles devoured it and grew stronger.
Like pouring oil on a fire.
“If you’re thinking of entering transcendence, stop. It won’t end well.”
“What…….”
“Is it from the Great Plateau?”
“Something like that.”
Just those words—Great Plateau and transcendence—were enough.
Shamans of the Great Plateau layered curses, fragmenting time to inflict near-infinite agony.
This binding was the same.
“Patriarch Kahazar, stay still. What good will exhausting yourself do?”
“Requests should at least sound polite.”
“Does this seem like a request?”
Kahazar laughed.
Then he entered transcendence.
Curses? Pain?
What of it?
“Arrogant fools, the lot of you.”
Killing intent spread as his time fragmented.
Rumble—!
The Sanctuary screamed under the monstrous surge of mana.
Meanwhile—
The 4th Elder stood in a stone chamber, scanning the inscriptions on the wall.
They described the Sanctuary’s true purpose.
[Truly……]
[……what a fine vessel.]
The 4th Elder turned.
Two mages stood there.
The ones Aster had called Sunshine and Moonlight.
They stared at him with greedy eyes.
Clear and murky eyes.