Chapter 92
Chapter 92
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 92
>Chapter Title: Promise is a Promise, But Why Me?
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“Ugh, urk…….”
Was the high-speed movement too much for him? I steadied Obern as he vomited up his guts.
“Ah, th-thank you…….”
I channeled mana into his back, and he quickly stabilized. Once I confirmed Obern had pulled himself together, I turned my gaze to Shine.
“Weakling.”
[Weakling? You call me a weakling? If you hadn’t cut off the mana midway, I wouldn’t be in this state!]
“Of course I had to. Do you have any idea how much mana you guzzle?”
Not to brag, but my mana is exceptionally pure.
Even in equal amounts, it’s several times more efficient than any other mage’s.
And yet, with half my core’s output approved for him, he still keeled over?
‘Then go die outside.’
Of course, I could understand Shine’s grievance.
I was the one who abruptly cut off the mana, after all.
[Now that you’re here, hurry up and cough up the mana. You haven’t forgotten our deal, have you?]
“Deal? What deal?”
[The one where you let me take the black mage’s head.]
“Oh, that?”
Of course I hadn’t forgotten.
The whole reason Shine became my slave—no, my ally—was that wriggling black mage over there.
Even though I could’ve crushed his skull with that earlier ambush, I’d held back and just slammed his solar plexus. For this very reason.
But.
“Deal’s a deal. But why should I give you my mana?”
[What?]
“No, I mean, I just need to let you take his head, right? So why should I hand over my mana to you?”
[What kind of wordplay is……!]
Shine’s faceless form rose up, clearly pissed. Wow, even without limbs, the guy’s got strength.
I waved him off dismissively as his momentum suggested he might headbutt me any second.
“Shoo, you filthy thing. Begone.”
[You, you……!]
The light inside the helmet blazed fiercely.
He really was fun to tease. Poke him, and he reacted just right.
Anyway.
“Joking aside.”
[Joking? You think I look like I’m joking?]
“No, I was the one joking.”
I calmed Shine, who was baring his teeth—metaphorically speaking.
Of course, he didn’t settle down right away.
He glared at me with eyes that could kill me ten times over.
But then, perhaps reading something in my serious expression.
[There’s…… a reason for it, huh.]
“Yeah, something like that.”
I nodded.
Giving mana to Shine was no big deal.
Regenerating limbs would take just a bit of mana, and supplying activity energy was easy too.
I still had a few elixirs left in my subspace, after all.
The issue was……
Weeeeng—
Wooong—
The Fire Mark resonating furiously.
‘It’s ominous.’
While racing through the barrier zone to find Shine, the resonance had only grown stronger.
As if…… yeah. Like it was being drawn to Destroyer. Or summoning Destroyer itself.
A chill ran down my spine—
Even now, my hairs stood on end with unease. How could I waste even a speck of mana?
[I don’t know what it is, but fine. But how am I supposed to cut that bastard’s throat in this state?]
I snapped out of my thoughts at Shine’s voice.
“Get your head straight and look inward. Do you really need my mana?”
[What do you…… Hm?]
Shine tilted his head in confusion, then his light flickered as realization dawned.
[……I don’t need it right now.]
“Right?”
I didn’t know what had happened before I arrived.
I only knew the black mage had tried something on Shine.
And now that it had failed……
[Black mana’s brimming.]
“Yeah, it is.”
The black mana the black mage had poured into Shine.
Mana meant for some unidentified black magic spell now drifted aimlessly through Shine’s body.
[A bit lacking, but…….]
“How about this?”
I placed my hand on Shine’s form and trickled pure mana over its surface.
Soon—
Pzzt, crackle……!
Dark purple sparks danced across the body. With each burst of flame, unidentified runes shattered and scattered.
[This is…….]
“Don’t know what it is. Just cleaned up the miscellaneous spells clinging to your body.”
[Is that even possible?]
I shrugged.
‘Of course not.’
It looked simple, but it was a combo of several mana manipulations.
No one but me could do it…… Well, maybe Senior Riheim could.
Anyway, not an easy technique!
“Not all of it, just the incomplete spells. Guess they got messed up blocking the curse……. Anyway, better now?”
Shine nodded at my question.
[Much better. And…… this black mana? Nothing like your crappy mana.]
Shine got cocky again in no time.
“Parasite.”
[Parasite, parasite! You damn……!]
I reestablished the pecking order and glanced aside.
“You filthy dogs…… Ack, heuk. How dare you, in front of this body…….”
Not even a hard hit, yet the black mage spat up a mouthful of blood. He was nearly done for.
Well, understandable situation.
Ambushed mid-spell, so mana backlash was inevitable.
Anyway.
“That bastard’s stirring. Gonna stomp him or what?”
[Just…… wait. Let me size it up.]
With that, Shine’s light dimmed.
The ghostly fire blazing in the helmet dwindled to a faint ember, flickering weakly.
After a moment.
[Tch, can’t make the same body as before.]
Muttering something incomprehensible, Shine’s form floated into the air.
The armor decomposed into particles, melting into a writhing black aura. It swirled like a tiny vortex for a bit.
Thud.
Shine emerged into the world.
But his appearance was different.
“Got smaller?”
No more towering giant that made my neck ache to look up at.
At best, late 150s to early 160s cm? Not much difference from my height now.
‘……Though I’m still a bit taller.’
Anyway.
The cuter Shine flexed his hand and rolled his shoulders.
[Smaller build’s more efficient.]
That’s when Shine kicked off.
Thud, crack!
He yanked his sword from the withered tree trunk and lightly touched down on the ground.
Whoosh!
He aimed the blade tip at the black mage.
Like an honorable knight issuing a duel challenge, a dignified and solemn aura enveloped the area.
Shine declared to the black mage.
[You die by my hand.]
The black mage didn’t stay quiet before that proclamation.
“You, who fled like a rat, all talk now! Fine! I’ll kill you all!”
He wiped the blood from his mouth and pulled a fist-sized cube from his robes.
Click—
Twisting a protrusion on the cube produced a sharp grinding sound.
That’s when the unidentified wail came.
Groooar—!
Like a massive beast howling, a resonant roar shook the air.
“What…….”
I tilted my head at the pitch-black maw opening behind the black mage. No…… the subspace entrance.
Not your average subspace.
Just opening it spewed thick black mana that made my eyes water.
I soon realized what it was.
“……The Coffin of the Dead?”
“You recognize it.”
I remembered this from Prezen’s notes too.
The ultimate artifact for storing undead.
Unlike the subspace in a slave bracelet.
Any undead stored inside gained abundant black mana, improving with longer storage.
Basically, an undead aging chamber!
“No need for all that. I’ll kill you scum right here!”
“Big talk.”
He’d chased Shine alone and failed, causing this mess—now talking about killing us?
Anyway.
Rustle, swish!
Undead horde emerging from the subspace.
[No wonder they vanished midway. Hiding in a subspace, huh.]
“You scurried like a rat, that’s why. Who’d have thought Shine von Leman, the great traitor, was such a pest.”
Seems he’d recalled the slow-moving undead while chasing Shine.
“Can you handle it?”
[Can I handle it?]
Shine smirked.
My question wasn’t a big deal.
Black mage crippled by mana backlash. What threat was that?
‘Even controlling undead uses the core.’
The core is the source and hub of all magic.
Unstable core mana means no spell deploys fully. Same for undead control.
Not directly controlled by the core like other magic, but dominance weakens inevitably.
But……
I eyed the pint-sized Shine.
‘Too small.’
Even mages who rely less on body adjust spell accuracy by height and eye level. What about knights?
Even for Shine, dropping from 2 meters to this shrimp size wasn’t trivial.
Eye level, distance sense ingrained in the body—all disrupted.
But Shine smiled leisurely.
[Who do you think I am?]
He thumped his chest as if to say, trust me.
I watched with narrowed eyes, then turned back to the black mage.
If he says he’s fine, what more to say.
“Shut up then. Bring it here.”
[What?]
“That’s your new house from now on. Gotta have a proper home, right?”
I grabbed three or four mid-grade elixirs I’d gotten from senior before and shoved them into the maw.
‘Annoying that it builds tolerance, but…….’
The Coffin of the Dead was worth it.
With that, I wouldn’t need to waste my precious mana on this pathetic death knight.
And that’s not all.
‘Stronger slave.’
A stronger slave benefits the world.
[Ho, you’re quite taken with it.]
Shine grinned at the renewed mana permission. I didn’t reply.
I simply.
Hop—
Stepped back to a spot untouched by battle, unfolding my breathing technique.
“Bring the subspace as tribute before my breathing ends. Parasite.”
[Parasite, parasite!]
Seemed defenseless at a glance, but no worries.
If anyone dies, it’ll be Shine first.
Meanwhile.
Pat pat.
Rustle, swish.
Obern scampered over as if it were natural, drawing a mana accumulation circle around me.
“…….”
“……Sh-Should I not?”
“……No, do it.”
A fine display.
Anyway.
[Good, close range means smooth mana supply. Nothing like before.]
With that, Shine leaped forward.
“Kill them!”
With the classic villain line, the lead death knights swung their spears.
Black mage versus traitor.
A clash of irredeemable villains that no one could call.