The World Is But an Illusion
The dragon's breath was torn apart in midair and vanished as if disassembled by the coordinated efforts of the three archmages.
It did not simply disappear. The aftershock was reversed and fed directly into the magic circle they had created, empowering it further.
Nine overlapping magic circles glowing with light emerged from various points, madly devouring the surrounding mana and swelling in size. They merged together, transforming into a three-dimensional magical formation. Under the control of the three archmages, it unleashed an incomprehensible phenomenon.
Along with spreading waves, the empty air was dyed achromatic and frozen solid. The violet energy that Casarnox emitted briefly struggled against the effect before being devoured.
Finally, even Casarnox himself was trapped within the colorless time freeze, petrified like a specimen. The other three archmages seized the opening to launch their attacks—
One of the archmages preparing an attack cried out in alarm and hastily cast a different spell.
The nine-layered circle that had momentarily collapsed and been rebuilt exploded with a flash of light. Everything within the area swept by that radiance shattered like a mirror.
Beneath the peeled-away illusion, Casarnox—completely unaffected by the time freeze—spread his wings wide.
Under the brilliant flash, countless magical runes appeared on their own, merging and evolving repeatedly through several stages of sublimation. The moment the sight registered, dozens of light beams shot forth, targeting the six archmages.
The mere aftershock of those beams was enough to gauge their terrifying power. Yet the archmages, relying on the countless artifacts adorning their bodies, blocked the assault with almost no damage.
A multicolored barrier shattered endlessly yet regenerated just as quickly, scattering light in every direction. Within that radiant storm, the archmages wove spells with superhuman concentration and counterattacked once more.
A vivid green ray burst from one archmage’s staff. Casarnox twisted his massive body with surprising grace to evade it. The beam that barely missed struck the ground behind him, reducing a radius of over ten meters to nothing but fine dust.
Another archmage created an extremely compressed sphere of blue-white flame and hurled it forward, while yet another interfered with Casarnox’s magic to delay his retaliation.
The archmage positioned furthest back generated magical runes from his staff while chanting a spell, causing the surrounding shadows to writhe violently. The remaining two archmages each fired rays and projectiles imbued with dangerous effects of their own.
At that moment, the violet energy enveloping Casarnox’s entire body flashed with countless other colors, and the surrounding space began to twist wildly.
The battlefield, which had been limited by Asterion’s seal, expanded endlessly and fractured into dizzying duplicates like reflections in a shattered mirror.
The incoming magical attacks all seemed to lose speed, or perhaps they continued forward but were trapped by the infinitely stretching space, never reaching their target.
"—Lad, Cratesia—! Sishima— Te, Reoria—!"
The enormous chanting voice of the archmage casting from the rear overlapped like infinite echoes, causing the writhing shadow darkness to erupt.
The endlessly stretching and overlapping illusory spaces were stained by that darkness, corroded, and collapsed. The attacks that had been momentarily held back surged forward once more. Casarnox was forced to urgently focus his magic on himself and dodge.
It was not a simple evasion. Space and time rippled together with the movement. Whether this was a real phenomenon or one created by Casarnox’s illusion remained unclear.
Even as the battle continued, there were no earth-shaking roars or explosions that could shake an entire region. Yet the exchange of blows—where powers capable of producing such effects were concentrated to an extreme degree—was a spectacle impossible for those of lesser caliber to truly comprehend.
Unfortunately, Han Yujin, who was hiding underground and observing the situation with his newly acquired divine sense, was no different.
He could tell that something incredibly powerful and dangerous was unfolding, but that was the extent of his understanding. Before even measuring its strength, the very principles behind these mysterious phenomena operated on an entirely different level. No matter how much knowledge he accumulated, it was only natural that he could not fully grasp it at his current realm.
When a refiner reached the Nascent Soul stage, they gained a new, higher-dimensional perception of space and time. Trying to perfectly understand this battle without that insight was like a blind man attempting to fully appreciate the artistry of a statue through touch alone.
No matter how diligently one groped in the dark, the limits were painfully clear.
In any case.
Because their exchange was so far above his level, surviving had paradoxically become easier. Even while thinking his efforts might be futile, Han Yujin pushed his stealth arts to the limit and continued searching for an opportunity.
All kinds of flashes and orbs shot toward one another, faded, then regrouped and blazed again. Space and time warped chaotically, causing the battle scene before Han Yujin’s eyes to rewind several times before unfolding once more.
Then, at one particular moment—
One archmage, surrounded by an endlessly shattering barrier, scattered a beam of light from his staff that seemed to tear through the air and abruptly leaped across space in a surprise attack.
The intent was far too obvious. Even Han Yujin, who understood less than half of the battle, could immediately tell that the attack was meant to restrict Casarnox’s movements.
However.
The attack that should have ended as a mere check instead severed one of Casarnox’s wings and carved a deep wound across his torso.
Amid fragments of light scattering like the Milky Way, vivid crimson dragon blood mixed in and sprayed outward. From within that spray, the dragon’s foreclaw swung down like lightning toward the archmage who had landed the successful strike—his face frozen in shock.
It was not a simple physical attack.
The violet energy he emitted resonated entirely, blurring the boundary between reality and illusion while throwing the laws of space and time into chaos. The foreclaw, now as massive as a towering mountain, slammed into the archmage.
The scream-like roar was shattered into pieces along with his body before it could even finish. The explosive aftershock of mana was instantly absorbed into Casarnox’s body, allowing him to somewhat withstand the subsequent attacks.
Only “somewhat,” however.
Because of that recklessly bold counterattack, Casarnox had his remaining wing torn to rags, more than half his tail severed, and was forced to spray a massive amount of blood.
"Kuhahaha…!"
Even while wracked with pain, Casarnox’s mental wave radiated in all directions, carrying an oddly cheerful tone.
"If I were to fall helplessly like this, wouldn't that make it four against one?"
He continued with words that made no sense.
Immediately afterward.
The archmage who had been controlling the shadows suddenly turned his magic toward the archmage standing right beside him and unleashed it.
The darkness split open like the maw of a horrific beast and silently swallowed its target. The ambushed archmage’s robe and necklace erupted with brilliant light to form a barrier, but it was torn apart almost instantly.
The archmage who had barely torn through space to escape roared in fury.
He had barely saved his life, but more than half the artifacts he wore had been destroyed—an enormous loss. His complexion was deathly pale, suggesting the damage was not limited to equipment alone.
The betrayer, the gloomy-faced elder called Yankoti, answered in a calm, leisurely tone.
And indeed, Casarnox did not miss the brief opening. He gathered terrifying magical power and began pouring out all kinds of spells.
Although Asterion’s seal that restricted the space and suppressed the target’s power remained in effect, the dragon who had been facing six archmages was now only opposed by four.
The battle had never been relaxed to begin with. Its ferocity now more than doubled.
Despite his injuries, Casarnox mocked his opponents with even greater ease than before.
As all kinds of magical attacks and defenses flew back and forth like mad, the conversation that accompanied them allowed Han Yujin—who had been unaware of the circumstances—to infer a great deal.
Violet energy surged across Casarnox’s entire body like a storm. The incoming spells were caught in the vortex, melted, twisted, and fired back in reverse.
Merely losing two numbers had created a far larger gap than expected.
As the archmages gradually began to be pushed back, the betrayer Yankoti—who had been keeping his distance—chanted a spell and detonated darkness toward the dragon. It was clearly a restraining move.
Thanks to that, the balance was restored. Casarnox looked at him and sneered.
The betrayer Yankoti answered in a voice as emotionless as a grave. His gaze suddenly swept across the ‘small fries’ who had somehow managed to survive in the vicinity until now.
Having intervened once more to restore balance, he raised his staff high.
The crystal orb at the head of the originally transparent staff filled with a wicked blood-red darkness, and the surrounding shadows began to squirm.
Immediately afterward, screams erupted from those who had been hiding all around. They were crushed and sucked into the shadows with no chance to resist—an utterly horrifying sight.
The moment the betrayer archmage’s gaze turned toward the ground—
Han Yujin activated his earth-burrowing technique to its maximum and dove downward. However, once he reached a certain depth, he realized the Asterion seal was blocking him and immediately changed direction.
The darkness writhed and snapped at the spot he had just passed, missing by a hair’s breadth.
It had been merely a second of evasion. Yet when his attack failed, Yankoti’s brow furrowed slightly.
Han Yujin, who had been desperately racking his brain to survive, shouted urgently.
He had spoken only the truth, just in case.
And the darkness that had closed in right before his face suddenly froze.
Did I survive…? He knows about Icapa Pangea?
He had thrown it out on a hunch after hearing the words “demon worshipper,” never expecting it to actually work.
However, his shout had not only caught Yankoti’s interest.
The other archmages, who had been completely ignoring Han Yujin’s existence, now turned a very slight amount of attention toward him. Even the dragon engaged in a fierce battle with those archmages reacted similarly.
Casarnox’s interest, in particular, seemed to surge dramatically. He was likely desperate for any variable that could shift the situation.
Suddenly, the violet energy rippling around the dragon’s body dug downward, accepting a small loss in the process. Before Han Yujin could even react, it wrapped around him and playfully dragged him into the center of the battlefield.
I’m finished!
He was going to die without even seeing the outcome. Once caught like this, even being casually tossed aside would cause him to disintegrate like dust in the aftermath of the colliding spells.
Casarnox’s gaze swiftly scanned every part of Han Yujin’s body.
The moment that puzzled murmur left him—
Han Yujin felt the entire world dyed violet as every sight before him blurred like a dream.
His sense of direction vanished. He could no longer feel his own body. He had no idea whether seconds or hours had passed.
Then, at some point—
He realized he was standing in a splendid and beautiful garden. Before him stood a pavilion-like structure that was clearly of a fantastical design. Inside it, someone was looking down at him.
Before he could even properly examine their appearance, their eyes met.
After that, he could not spare even the slightest attention for anything else.
A pair of eyes that flowed with light resembling cosmic nebulae stared at him as if piercing through his very being. The crushing, pulverizing pressure alone demanded every ounce of his mind just to endure.
At some point, a laugh that sounded pleasant yet was filled with utter futility and disbelief rang out.
The great Void Refinement stage dragon was laughing so hard that he even slapped the pillar of the building beside him with his palm.