Chapter 171
Chapter 171
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 171
Chapter Title: 59: New Sovereignty (5)
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Light of Annihilation.
A power that erases the very existence of all things without leaving a trace.
Truly a fitting final struggle of magic.
Jamie pushed back against the Serpent's last particle magic with darkness at the forefront.
His body was forced backward.
He had unsummoned all the undead soldiers. If he hadn't, they would have been swept away and reduced to a handful of ash.
Precious assets. He had witnessed their remarkable growth firsthand this time. With Azad and Raiza, he could become far stronger than he was now.
To do that, he, their master, had to grow stronger first.
'I'll crush the desperate flailing of a worm like Serpent.'
His violet eyes glowed fiercely.
Scud and Beyond Avalon, the two weapons, became one.
Not literally merging, of course.
It meant their divided power was now concentrated into one.
The darkness was being devoured.
The Serpent seemed desperate to kill him somehow.
Jamie curled up the corner of his mouth. His toes slid back. Like a flame flickering before extinction, the darkness flared up massively.
'Keep the promise you made.'
When he first used black magic, he had declared he would make it vomit everything up and die.
His entire body's core writhed.
Black mana exploded outward, expanding the darkness. Jamie infused it with the essence of single-strike swordsmanship and the Welton family's secret arts.
And overlaid Leviathan upon it.
Devour.
Even annihilation—eat it up.
—It was at that moment.
'......This is.'
The dazzling light of annihilation was no longer visible.
Beneath a cloudless blue sky, a giant taller than a mountain approached.
With every step the white giant took—its head shaped like a faceless egg—the terrain shifted.
Jamie's pupils trembled.
Though it was his first time seeing it, his pounding heart seemed to claim it knew the giant.
'Is this an illusion?'
Did the Serpent have the capacity left to cast an illusion on him?
Or perhaps there was another accomplice hiding nearby.
Either way, it wasn't a good situation.
As Jamie frowned and scanned the surroundings, his eyes caught a man in a black robe approaching the giant.
In the man's hand was a staff that was all too familiar.
Jet-black like the robe, with a purple gem at its tip.
'God Killer?!'
Why was that in the hands of some unknown human?
As the startled Jamie moved to approach the man,
[Creation of the 12 Gods. Filth, the product of the repulsive ones.]
The man's voice echoed across the entire area.
A fierce wind whipped up, tearing off the hood. Along with jet-black hair emerged a face twisted in rage...
'Myself.'
At that instant, long-forgotten memories flooded into his mind like a tidal wave.
The giant. The incarnation the 12 Gods created to kill him. And the demon they made to exterminate humans who wouldn't obey.
Rage erupted.
How could beings calling themselves gods oppress humanity like this!!
[I cannot forgive you!!]
"I remember. My power."
[Darkness]
He drew forth the darkness.
The Serpent clutched his heart.
He couldn't keep this up any longer. If he maintained it like this, even handing his soul to the Demon King wouldn't save him.
His goal was an attack close to self-destruction. He'd become a cripple afterward, but if Javelin returned, he could obtain a stronger body than now through the Demon King.
'Javelin definitely didn't die.'
The Serpent didn't fully know his true intentions, but he had anticipated that the man had many hidden cards.
Among them was boundless regenerative power.
He had taken a big hit from Jamie's black magic, but he was surely regenerating somewhere like a cockroach.
So he just had to win. No matter what state he ended up in, as long as he won, it was his victory.
'Just a bit more. Let's push a little harder.'
He could feel his qi and blood twisting in real time, but he ignored it.
Until his mana core stopped functioning.
Just hold out until he could no longer cast magic—then Jamie Welton would surely die.
It had to be that way.
"......"
But things never went as planned.
The offensive power of his particle magic was unparalleled among all magics.
Staking his life on it, even powerful black magic should only manage to block it.
It should have.
"Why, why has the darkness invaded even here!!"
The darkness was annihilating the light of annihilation and closing in.
The world filled with light was turning into one without a single gleam.
The Serpent couldn't believe it even as he watched.
Jamie Welton's skill was on par with his own. Even using black magic, only slightly superior.
It was impossible to push back magic enhanced by burning life force so easily.
'No way, him too?!'
If Jamie Welton was also burning his life to strengthen his magic, it wasn't impossible. But for a mere 8-year-old brat with no backing to do that?
Even if the rumors of his holy power were true, maintaining this level of power while using holy power was impossible.
The Serpent's teeth shattered. He had clenched his jaw so hard.
He was being pushed back. Continuously pushed.
"I...!!"
"I want to thank you."
At that moment, Jamie's voice pierced through the darkness.
The Serpent's eyes widened.
The light of annihilation had been completely consumed by the darkness.
From within, Jamie emerged with a serene expression.
But something was off.
The sword in Jamie's right hand. Its blade shimmered with a strange light.
The Serpent knew that light better than anyone. He couldn't maintain his composure.
His demonic face twisted further, thick rage clouding it.
"Y-You bastard... what did you do to that sword...!"
Blood streamed from both eyes, nose, and ears as the Serpent screamed hysterically.
"Why is my magic contained in your sword!!"
The light flowing along Jamie Welton's blade was the essence of the particle magic he had unleashed.
Jamie smiled faintly and raised Scud straight up.
"Thanks to you, I broke through the wall."
And,
"Vanish peacefully."
The power of a 7th-class archmage poured forth.
"Nooooooo!!"
――――――――――――――――!!
The Serpent, who had exerted every ounce of strength until the very end, was engulfed by his own magic and vanished without a trace.
Jamie let out a short breath.
"Hoo."
He glanced at the spot where the Serpent had stood, leaving not even dust, then turned his head toward Scud.
'This is my new sovereignty.'
The moment he awakened to 'Stage 2 Authority: Darkness,' Jamie remembered his past life's history.
The authority of Darkness was the power composed of darkness among the various properties of black magic. Darkness had the property of annihilating everything it touched, but it had another ability besides annihilation.
No one in this era knew of it.
"Attraction."
The second property of darkness.
Darkness draws everything in. Even light.
Diablo Volpir created darkness with attractive properties to counter the 12 Gods' holy power.
That became the foundation of 'Stage 2 Authority: Darkness.'
Based on that authority, he reinforced Leviathan and perfectly comprehended the clue to manifest it.
Like this.
Bzzz—
The light of annihilation rose from Scud's blade.
It should have vanished when he slew the Serpent.
However, Leviathan remembered the power it had devoured and could recreate it anytime as long as it recalled the composition.
For now, it was just this one, but if he continued turning enemies' powers into his own, the possibilities for weapons would be endless.
A true demonic sword.
He felt like he had taken a true step into the path of the magic swordsman.
"I like it very much."
Jamie curled up the corner of his mouth.
He had chosen a different path from his previous life. Whether this new sovereignty was better than his past one was still unknown, but Jamie trusted himself.
He would hone it continuously.
To surpass his previous life and drag the 12 Gods down to the depths of the underworld.
"But first, let's wrap up this incident."
Ascending to 7th class had expanded his mana sense beyond compare.
Within that sense, he detected faint demonic energy.
"Javelin, you survived."
Thanks to his contract with the demon tribe.
Even so, considering his upper body had been bitten off, it was tremendous regenerative power.
Jamie bent his knees slightly.
No time to delay. He would smash the bastard's head right now and put an end to the incident.
"Hah, hah, hah."
Kennyak felt his vision blurring.
His left arm was gone.
A hole pierced his right thigh.
His abdomen had taken a fatal wound too, making it hard to breathe properly. Yet he didn't fall.
Gasping intermittently, blood streaming from his mouth, he absolutely refused to collapse.
"You're quite persistent."
Javelin looked at Kennyak with a bored expression.
A homunculus who had reached 5th class.
His skill in handling magic circles was decent, but that was all.
Javelin was a human contracted with the Demon King and a demon knight who had risen in the demon world.
A goat's horn curled on his left forehead, and his eyes were horizontally slit like a sheep's.
"A 5th-class mage is woefully insufficient against me."
"You bastard, I'll... kill you."
"That's what I mean."
Javelin pointed one finger at him.
"It's impossible."
"Kahak!"
Demonic energy became a beam of light, piercing Kennyak's right shoulder.
The skill gap was overwhelming. An unbridgeable chasm no matter how he struggled.
Kennyak knew it too. That with this level of skill, he couldn't even scratch Javelin.
But he couldn't give up. Even resolved to throw away his life, he had no intention of dying in vain.
'I sense sealing power.'
Javelin might not know, but this space was specially crafted by Kennyak.
Here, he could sense the essence of objects nearly twice as acutely as usual.
Behind Javelin was an invisible black sphere.
He didn't know exactly what was inside, but it was sealed because it was too much to handle.
In other words, something within that black sphere was beyond Javelin's control.
'It's a gamble.'
Somehow, release whatever was inside.
Steel-ing his resolve, Kennyak gripped his staff with both hands and began constructing a three-dimensional magic circle.
"That's what I mean~ Useless struggling!"
Javelin closed the distance to Kennyak in an instant.
Demonic energy writhed, intertwining with mana. Even before becoming a demon, he had been a promising mage.
His eyes turned pitch black as ebony tree vines sprouted from his left arm at tremendous speed, crashing down over Kennyak's head.
Boom!!
The stone floor crumpled like tofu.
The vines rooted deep into the ground.
Kraka—!!
Dozens of sharp thorns shot up sharply from the deeply embedded roots.
"Kuh!"
"Hahaha! Nowhere to run?"
The thorns elongated, chasing Kennyak closely.
'The magic circle isn't even complete yet.'
The three-dimensional magic circle he learned from Jamie was an excellent technique allowing multiple magics at once.
But it consumed immense mental power, making focus in this situation nearly impossible.
'But I'm a homunculus! Not human!'
There had never been a time being born a homunculus was a blessing.
Captured by his master's emotions, he only felt torment. Everything the master ordered, he hated doing.
At first, he didn't even want to learn magic.
But orders were absolute, so he learned reluctantly.
Made for magic, it wasn't hard. Eventually, he even found some enjoyment.
Each time, the master tampered with his emotions. Removed joy, instilled jealousy and inferiority.
Did the master want to create his own copy?
His personality darkened. The forced emotional reconstruction wasn't pleasant, but as his master's doing, he accepted it.
He had to obey even vile orders as a doll.
He hated it so much, but dolls had to do what they hated. Then, under orders, he took a job as a teacher at Phoenix Academy.
He discovered a new world.
The children followed his words. He taught them magic, watched them grow.
Some even thanked him. Many avoided him due to his sullen personality, but even they were endearing.
But the master exploited those children. He began stealing futures from the promising ones.
He had to watch. As the master's doll.
But now was different.
"I'm here of my own will."
He had defied his master.
Honestly, without Jamie Welton, the master would have killed him.
He was grateful to the one who freed him.
So this one life, he would stake for the future.
"I won't hand the future to the likes of you."
"What nonsense from a piece of trash!"
Javelin raised his opposite hand high.
Demonic energy condensed massively.
If that touched anything, the entire space would be obliterated.
That wasn't bad either.
This space too was a product of ugliness. A filthy underside that should vanish with him.
"Let's go together."
"Bullshit."
Javelin hurled the condensed demonic mass.
The thorns clustered around it like armor, moving with it.
To prevent Kennyak from intercepting and detonating it mid-air.
But Javelin still didn't know.
"No intention of dodging."
The actions of one resolved to die.
The massive explosion engulfed the entire space.
Javelin hurriedly erected multiple layers of barriers.
"W-What are you doing, you bastard!"
Kennyak smirked at Javelin's panicked voice.
At the same time, the demonic mass and flames raced toward him to devour him.
'May my sacrifice become a stepping stone to a bright future.'
Kwaaaaaang!
The demonic energy and flames intertwined, swallowing the spot where he stood.
And at the same time.
"You did well, Teacher Kennyak."
Crack—
The black sphere revealed itself and began to split open.
From within, blue glows emanated.
"Rest easy."
The space crumpled.
And.
Siegfried returned.