Chapter 11
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: An Eye for an Eye, a Tooth for a Tooth
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As the gates swung open, the clamor of the rebels crashed over us like a wave. Hundreds of soldiers, at least.
Mingled among them were figures shrouded in black mist, exuding an eerie aura that didn't seem human at all.
Black magicians, no doubt.
"What the hell is that?"
"Who's this guy walking out alone?"
The rebels spotted me and started murmuring. The distance was about a kilometer.
"Walking's the last thing I feel like doing."
I drew a dagger from my belt. A sharp but ordinary steel blade I'd grabbed from the warehouse earlier.
I gathered mana in my thumb and briefly slashed it across the edge of the dagger.
Zzzzt.
Blue sparks flew, etching geometric runes across the dagger's surface.
[Spatial Coordinates: Fixed]
My personal teleportation spell. It let me leap through space using any object infused with my mana within range as a medium.
"Well, this works out perfectly."
I spun the dagger lightly in my hand, pulled my arm back, then whipped it forward with full force, channeling the twist of my hips.
Kwaaaang!
It was a simple throw, but with my strength and mana behind it, the air tore apart with a sonic boom. The dagger hurtled forward at invisible speeds, arcing straight toward the heart of the rebel camp where the loudest bunch was clustered.
"Wha-what? What was th—?!"
"An arrow? Raise shields!"
By the time the rebels looked up in panic at the streaking flash, the dagger had already pinpointed the center of their formation, right above their heads.
I grinned and thrust my right hand out, clenching it in midair.
[Spatial Leap: Blink]
Pop!
The world flipped. The scene at the gates vanished in an instant, my vision twisting nauseatingly. But that was fine. You get used to this stomach-churning crap after a decade or so.
Thud.
When my sight cleared, my hand had perfectly snatched the handle of the dagger still sailing through the air. At my feet lay a black-robed figure with a stunned look on his face.
"Uh...?"
Our eyes met, and...
"Hey there."
I gave him a friendly greeting as I drove the dagger into his skull with the full force of my fall.
Spluuurt!
His head caved in like tofu with a gruesome crunch, sinking into his chest cavity. I used the corpse as a cushion and landed lightly.
"......"
Silence blanketed the area. The hundreds of rebels who'd been chattering moments ago froze, staring at me in the middle of their camp.
They couldn't process it. The guy who'd been standing way off in the distance had appeared right under their noses in the blink of an eye and smashed their magician's head like a melon.
"Wh-what the...!"
"H-how did this bastard get here?!"
"Spatial teleport? He's a mage?!"
Shouts mixed with panic and terror erupted. I yanked the dagger from the body, flicked off the blood, and slowly reached for the demon sword at my waist.
"What a slow reaction time."
Shing.
The crimson blade sang as it slid free, red mist laced with killing intent creeping from my feet across the ground.
As the soldiers recoiled in horror, I glanced down at the hunk of meat at my feet. The black magician's shattered skull and lifeless body.
It might be gruesome to a normal person, but to me, it was prime ammo.
I infused it with mana and kicked the corpse like a soccer ball.
Splooosh!
It sailed in an arc toward the densest cluster of troops, right into the wall of shieldbearers.
Thump.
The moment it hit the shield wall, I clenched my fist.
[Black Magic: Chain Explosion]
Kwaaaang!
The corpse swelled red against the shields before detonating in a thunderous blast. The mana I'd pumped into it turned bones and flesh into shrapnel grenades, shredding outward.
"Gaaahhh!!"
"M-my arm! My arm...!"
A dozen soldiers near the epicenter crumpled in the explosion. But the real show was just beginning.
"Wh-what? Why's this guy's body...?"
The freshly exploded corpses began glowing red again, like a contagion of death begetting more death in a chain reaction.
Pop! Boom! KABOOM!
"Aaaah! Run! Get away from the bodies!!"
"Gah! Help... me...!"
Explosions popped off like popcorn. One took out three, three took out ten. The center of the rebel camp vanished in a hellscape of crimson flames and blood mist.
I'd popped plenty of demons with this trick back in the day.
Savoring the fireworks, I gripped my demon sword tighter and stepped toward the panicking foes.
"What in the world is happening?!"
Duke Kane, the rebel leader, hurled his wine glass and bellowed. The battle had been going perfectly. The elves' covering fire had crumbled the walls, and the siege engines were moments from smashing the gates. By tonight, he'd have the Emperor's head and his throne.
Then a red flash erupted from the front lines, sweeping his main force away like leaves in the wind.
"Report! Did the imperial mages pull some hidden trick?!"
"N-no, Your Excellency!"
A grimy messenger stumbled into the tent, gasping.
"The enemy... the enemy's just one man!"
"What? One man?"
Duke Kane's brow furrowed.
"Have you lost your mind? One guy causing explosions against thousands?!"
"It's true! Some bastard dropped from the sky, exploding people and tearing through the center!"
"Exploding people?"
At that moment, the man beside Kane flinched and looked up. Balsak, the black magician allied with the rebels.
"Could it be black magic?"
"It... seems like it!"
"Do you have any guesses?"
Balsak muttered in disbelief.
"An ancient black magic, taboo and erased from records. It reverses mana circuits—insanely difficult to cast, and he's using it in real combat?"
Cold sweat beaded on Balsak as he stared at the red flashes outside.
"Does the Empire have a black mage like that? No living mage is that monstrous...!"
"Why wouldn't they? He's right here."
A chilling voice came from behind.
"Eek?!"
In an instant, a man in a black coat appeared behind the messenger who'd just delivered the report.
"Good work. Nice job guiding me."
Kasian patted the frozen messenger's shoulder amiably, then casually eyed Kane and Balsak like he owned the place.
"This the spot? Figured it was—the flashiest tent. Left a mark on your runner. Slipped past the guards easy."
"Who the hell are you...!"
Kane gaped, fumbling for his sword, but his trembling hands couldn't grip the hilt.
This wasn't mere fear.
It was the primal instinct before a biological apex predator. Kasian ignored the duke entirely, brushing blood from his coat with an annoyed flick of his wrist.
"Don't get the wrong idea. I don't like using black magic on humans. Feels wrong killing our own kind. Demons are what it's for."
"What...?"
"It's efficient enough, but leaves a bad aftertaste. Out there, some of those exploding guys were probably conscripts dragged in blind to your black mage pact."
He shrugged.
"I was gonna dial back the firepower, break a few limbs at worst. But you crossed the line."
Kasian's eyes turned icy.
"So I came personally. Rule one's to crush the snake's head first."
"Y-you arrogant bastard...!"
Balsak moved first, in desperate defiance of his terror. Violet-black mana whirled from his staff's tip and shot forward.
[Black Magic: Dark Spear]
The spear of pure darkness ripped through space toward Kasian's heart amid a tearing boom.
"Die! How dare you...!"
But.
Clang!
Kasian didn't dodge. He swatted the incoming void lance aside with his gloved hand like a pesky fly.
Shatter!
The black magic, said to pierce steel, fragmented like glass and scattered into the air.
"......?!"
Balsak's eyes bulged. It wasn't dispelled. Kasian had physically shattered the spell's structure with overwhelming mana.
"Hey. Your rune structure's so sloppy. Trajectory's obvious. Don't modern black mages learn basics?"
"H-how can a human block black magic barehanded...!"
"I've used black magic ten years longer than you. Experience gap's huge."
Kasian advanced slowly.
"Eek...!"
Balsak's instincts screamed: this man was a calamity. No human magic could match him.
'I'm dead. Staying here means death!'
Reason fled, survival instinct took over. Madness gleamed in Balsak's eyes as he raised his trembling staff and shrieked.
"Yes! Plenty of sacrifices! This much blood, this much resentment!"
Ironically, this intruder had created perfect conditions. No better spot to open a demonic gate than a blood-soaked battlefield.
"Come forth! Flames of the abyss! By our pact, your servant calls!"
"Y-you madman! What are you doing?! Summoning that here will kill us all!"
Kane yelled in horror beside him, but it was too late. The premade magic circle on the floor ignited blood-red, tearing space asunder.
Kuuguuguugu!
The tent's air grew heavy. Rotting eggs, sulfur, and cloying blood reek filled the space.
[KIIEEEEAAAAAH!]
A non-human roar exploded from the rift.
"Ooh! You've come!"
Balsak cackled, kneeling. A massive hand burst through the crack—crimson skin, steel-hard claws, muscular forearm etched with black tattoos.
Crack!
The ground split like an earthquake as the hand gripped the floor. A hulking figure, at least three meters tall, rose from the fissure.
Curved horns on its head. Bat-like leather wings. Flames swirled around it, hot enough to incinerate the tent.
[Who... has called me.]
The demon's voice thrummed not in ears, but minds. A mid-tier demon, Flame Pursuer. A walking disaster that could solo a knight order.
Balsak prostrated ecstatically.
"Me! I called you, great warrior of the abyss! Burn this insolent intruder! I offer part of my soul as payment...!"
[The air reeks of blood. A fine feast.]
The demon ignored him, scanning the room. Its gaze lingered on the cowering Kane in the corner and Kasian standing defiantly before it.
[Worms. Snacks, perhaps.]
The demon licked its lips with arrogant mirth. Kane foamed at the mouth and passed out from the pressure.
But.
"Hah..."
Kasian let out a deflating scoff.
"What's this red monkey? Lackey of the Flame Lord?"
[......?]
"And you—got scammed learning black magic? Fed it that much blood and this is the result?"
Kasian clicked his tongue.
"Don't go bragging where you learned it. Embarrassing. And... you started it. So I don't care. This game's eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, summon for summon, right?"
"What are you...?"
In lieu of an answer, Kasian slashed his palm with the demon sword. Crimson blood dripped, but mingled with the blade's demonic energy, it swirled midair, turning black without touching the ground.
"Most of your tricks? I've done 'em all."
Kasian grinned.
"Let me show you what a real demon summon looks like."