The Black Magician (1)
‘Husel!?’
In the midst of focusing solely on the relic, this was an attack from a completely unexpected quarter, but a name instinctively sprang to mind. Regardless, there was only one response possible in that moment: snatch the relic's core while instinctively deploying Ironclad Armor, then halt in place by maximizing his weight.
But the result was unforeseen.
Kwaaaaang!
“Gyaack!!!”
The massive orca whale that had launched the savage ambush left only a ghostly trail of blue mana strands and a grotesque screech in its wake as it was pathetically flung away.
Sploooosh!
The black behemoth plunged into the sea like a bomb, kicking up a massive spray, followed by a rain of shattered teeth fragments cascading down.
The perpetrator of that spectacle was shoved back by the impact as well but stood firm on the water's surface, staring blankly at the spot where the enemy had vanished.
“Hah……”
He too had taken a solid hit, but he was certain it paled in comparison to what the other had endured.
“What the hell……?”
It was absurd enough to warrant the reaction. Caught completely off guard, he'd had no choice but to collide—and yet he'd sent the enemy packing in one go.
He couldn't read the orca's expression, but in the instant of impact, the way its body had flinched and its mana had quivered betrayed its utter shock.
But upon a moment's reflection, it made perfect sense.
His body had been lightened to an eighth of its weight, mana poured in to accelerate beyond limits. Then, right before collision, he'd reversed gravity—meaning for that split second, Wolrang and his full mass had ballooned to eight times normal.
That colossal weight, riding the full force of the hyper-accelerated charge, had smashed into the foe.
Even with Ironclad Armor fully deployed, his shoulder plate had shattered—not from the enemy's teeth, but from the sheer shock. In effect, it was tantamount to a Meteor Strike in lethality.
……That's insane.
The beast that had sunk into the depths surely hadn't died, but Tiny was confident it had suffered a wound too grievous to recover from quickly.
But this wasn't the time to stand around marveling.
- Grooooaaar!
A wail emanated from the Kraken's shrouded main body, not far off over the waves. And in the distance, one of its tentacles plummeted toward the royal castle.
The moment Tiny witnessed it, his expression hardened.
“No!!”
There's no stopping that.
The realization hit, and rather than panic, Tiny's mind calmed, his thoughts accelerating like lightning.
The soul of the Herculean Knight, who had triumphed through countless life-or-death ordeals, was accustomed to sharper judgment in crisis.
Still, the first emotion to surge was instinctive relief.
I've secured the relic.
Minimum objective achieved. Any further sacrifices are inevitable, right?
He chided himself for the cowardly, feeble mindset, yet his resolve wavered.
What's cowardly about it? I gave it my all.
Wolrang was slowly sinking beneath the surface, his limbs trembling from exhaustion. Mana depleted, and his body had taken heavy damage.
But.
Is this really…… enough?
A hollow chuckle escaped him.
Through those long years of his previous life, no matter what others said, he'd striven to live boldly and honorably by his own standards. Yet every crisis dredged up this weakness first, leaving him feeling pathetic.
When would these frail thoughts finally fade?
……I'm still far from there.
Tiny clenched his fist, shaking off the cowardice by force.
Stagnating in satisfaction meant abandoning his best effort. He could fool others, but never himself.
A proud life wasn't about appearances—it was about facing the sky squarely, without shame.
“No regrets toward myself.”
- Eyes straight to the heavens, bold and unashamed.
That's right, Tin? ……Yeah. So that one day, in heaven, he could meet Erina-nee with chest puffed and a smile.
Therefore…….
I never stop!
“Ptoo!”
Tiny spat the acrid blood rising in his throat and drew in the surrounding mana with all his might.
Woooong.
It was clearly overreaching.
“Nngh.”
His mental strain at its limit, his head throbbed, vision swimming.
His battered Mana Body screamed in protest, but he ignored it.
First, recover……
To regain minimal combat viability.
With resolve steeled, Tiny first restored his sight with the scant recovered mana, scanning the castle and its environs.
- Kwaaaaang!
Thankfully, a black barrier unfurled, blocking the Kraken's assault. The demon worshipper superhuman hadn't gone down easily.
Not sure if that's fortunate, though.
Either way, he couldn't intervene there now. Too far, and no strength left.
So…….
In that brief instant, Tiny's eyes gleamed with the optimal strategy.
Thought became action.
“……Let's go!”
Woooong.
The relic pulsing in his hand—Humanitas's core. Ripped forcibly from its moorings by the black mage's immense demonic energy rather than proper ritual, its power flickered unstably.
Stabilizing it as best he could, Tiny charged toward the Kraken's main body on the nearer sea, beyond the castle.
* * *
“Hah……”
Jenas licked his parched lips, gazing skyward.
He'd taunted boldly, but his foe was visibly a 7th Circle black mage. Black mages were top-priority trash to eradicate, but at that level, they were closer to walking calamities.
And behind him, a colossal octopus tentacle plummeted toward the castle.
Hah, is this my grave?
The thought was inevitable.
At least the tentacle seemed aimed first at the black mage.
- Such……!?
A metallic rasp of indignation rang out, a black barrier deploying—followed by a deafening explosion.
Kwaaaaang!
With the roar, the black mage plummeted into the palace gardens.
Now!
Jenas's feet naturally veered toward the crash site.
- The Kraken's honoring the deal!
I'll trust you on that, Tiny.
Facing the Kraken alone was like single-handedly halting a natural disaster—impossible. Better to strike at reachable foes.
These demon worshippers who unleashed this nightmare…… A 7th Circle superhuman has to be their leader.
Worth risking his life.
The tentacle, repelled by the black barrier and flung skyward again. Jenas ignored it, charging his target.
Silver winds laced with chill enveloped him, and he vanished in a gust.
Inner palace gardens. A massive crater from the black robe's fall.
- Of all the rotten luck……
A grating, steel-scraping voice echoed from the five-meter-wide pit.
- Right at this timing……
He had every reason to grind his teeth.
The Kraken's rage over its lost hatchling had targeted the castle, and he'd "coincidentally" blocked it from above.
Getting momentarily distracted by some no-name Challenger hurling stones had been the mistake.
But it also sparked questions about the situation.
The expendables are barely registering too. Was the magic circle that efficient? Enough to dull even my senses? And only three points damaged, they said……
A bit odd, but.
Still within expectations.
Thanks to the king gathering citizens to the castle for the unprecedented tsunami prep, infiltration had been smooth. He'd slipped into the holy barrier concealing his power naturally.
Though his power's nature blinded him to the outside from within, he figured no major hitches.
One minor regret: the relic guardian wasn't that pesky Morse family brat who'd kept thwarting the organization.
But not a game-changer. Just bad luck.
Fwoosh!
He blasted away the dust, rising.
No need to heal the internal wounds from the Kraken yet. No reason to face it either.
With the tsunami mage slain by Husel's gambit, no one here could match him.
One nagging issue, though: the Kraken tentacle that struck him had frozen midair afterward.
It did that before too. What the……
Unfamiliar with Kraken ecology, he assumed it'd lash out again when it felt like it and turned away.
- Rise, faithful of the Great Malum!
Now, just mobilize the organization to assassinate Carun's king and nobles.
No more hiding demonic energy.
Topple a continental powerhouse, sever East Continent ties. Victory was at hand.
But.
“Enemy!”
“Black mage!”
“The demon's minions summoned this disaster!”
“Kill him!”
Unexpectedly, no minions came—instead, Carun knights swarmed.
- Fearless fools……!
Irritation erupted as black lightning arced outward.
“Aaaagh!”
“Kwaaagh.”
It yielded the desired result.
Then.
Amid the pathetic deaths, one scattered his lightning and closed in instantly. Youthful face half-hidden by a mask, but wielding unignorable silver winds and icy power.
Rare dual-attribute mana swirled around his sword, piercing the space he dominated.
- It's you!
The culprit behind the Kraken's surprise blow—a Challenger.
Impressive for his level: keen spatial sense let his meager power breach superhuman domain.
But.
- Don't flatter yourself!
Kwaaaaang!
Impressive, but just that. His signature Black Lightning was top-tier among offensive black magics.
And it proved so again.
“Guhk!”
Smiling at the flung foe, he reached out to finish it.
But.
“……Huh?”
His extended hand was suddenly crusted in white frost. His face stiffened.
When did……?
Shocked, but no time to show it. The flung enemy had vanished from sight.
- Arrogant cur!
Rumble.
Black lightning swept dozens of meters wide.
A speed-specialized Challenger might evade even a 7th Circle black mage—especially now, wounded by Kraken.
But he could obliterate the probable zone.
- Die!
Kwa-gwang!
“Kwaaak!”
“Uwaaak!”
“Monster……”
The killing bolt drew fresh knightly screams.
But no foe at the epicenter. Instead, chill killing intent prickled from behind.
Hmph!
Did they think a magic swordsman at his level had blind spots like some novice mage?
Black flames surged rearward, engulfing the source.
Kwaaaaang!
Perfect hit. He smirked faintly—
Snick.
His robe fluttered, torn long.
……It reached?
A chill ran down his spine, fury boiling.
Silent minions, enemy hordes, unexpected struggle—all fueling his rage.
- Playtime……
He spat venomously.
- Ends here!
Black demonic energy erupted, drowning the area in pitch darkness no light could pierce.
His fully mastered 7th Circle attribute, Darkness, blanketed vision, amplifying mana.
Sensing the overflowing demonic energy, he extended a hand toward the redhead staring wide-eyed his way.
Wind attribute too? Should reach. But your life ends then.
One-on-one mage vs. knight favors the knight—when levels match.
His triumphant smile formed, and the blood-vomiting redhead on the ground mirrored a faint smirk.
What?
In that puzzled instant, a massive, ominous aura poured from overhead.