Side Story Chapter 141
Evergrant was the first and only person to achieve the vaunted Ninth Circle of magic without being a dragon.
-Are you ready?
“Of course,” Kireua replied.
-I’ll ask you one last time: tell me anything that you want. I don’t want to be called a great mage who has petty paybacks to my enemy’s son.
Kireua had to hold himself back from asking, “Isn’t that true, though?” Despite his achievements, Evergrant was a narrow-minded person that Kireua couldn’t dredge up so much as a speck of respect for.
Kireua shrugged. “Just keep your end of the bargain, please.”
-Hahaha, good. I won’t use my word-wielding, but don’t think of it as a handicap. This is for my own amusement; I’d be so disappointed if the fight ends too easily.
Evergrant flicked his bony white finger at Kireua.
-Come.
Even before Evergrant had finished speaking, Kireua was already sprinting forward.
His body thrummed with such vigor that he felt like he couldn’t lose to anyone. He would certainly not lose to an undead, no matter how powerful. Kireua thought he would go easy with his first attack.
‘Magic Sword Art, Level 3.’
His back muscles flexed powerfully. The principles of Magic Spear Art could be demonstrated with a sword, too. Although the attacks wouldn’t be as destructive as if he’d used a spear, the sword was called the king of all weapons for a good reason: it was faster and more accurate than any other.
Kireua stabbed twice into the air and then swung his sword to connect the dots. It really was the simplest technique in the world, but it would allow Kireua to reach his target faster than any other.
He concentrated his aura on the tip of his sword and thrust it forward.
‘True Lightning Flash!’
Kireua’s sword thundered through the air—in fact, black sparks flew off of the blade as it traveled—at blinding speeds, so fast that Evergrant couldn’t even react.
“...Did I get him?” Kireua tilted his head. He could feel something through his sword, but it didn’t feel quite right. Evergrant was engulfed in black lightning, but all he said was,
-It’s fast. Is that all?
Kireua’s sword had struck dead center between Evergrant’s brows and gone right through , which would kill a normal person instantly. However, Evergrant was smiling.
-You never had a chance.
“What?” Kireua frowned.
-You don’t even know the basics about liches. It doesn’t matter if you carve out my brain or cut off my limbs, undead do not die. Their injuries will recover without limit; the only way to exterminate a lich is to destroy their phylactery, the core of their life.
Kireua’s eyes turned cold. It was evident how much Evergrant was looking down on Kireua.
“Do you seriously think I don’t know that?” Kireua snapped, allowing his irritation to display.
-What?
“I’ll say the same thing back to you: the moment you let your guard down, you had no chance of winning,” Kireua scoffed.
The light in Evergrant’s eyes swayed from side to side.
-...You’re certainly arrogant for a vermin who doesn’t know his place.
“You’re about to be bossed around by that very same vermin, so you might be being too harsh to yourself,” Kireua riposted with a sly grin.
Three blue fireballs appeared around Kireua without warning. Their color was distinctive, and their potency was obvious; even the bones of distant skeletons were melting.
“What a nuisance,” Crevasse complained as he covered himself and the others with a magic shield. Behind the translucent barrier, Aisha watched Kireua with concern. Beside the azure flames, there was only one other kind of blue fire in the world.
“Hellfire...” Kiruea muttered.
It was a Eighth Circle spell, but Evergrant had activated it without any preparation. It was, in a word, superhuman.
-If you still can’t understand, I’ll have to teach you myself. The old saying is right—fools need to have their lessons beaten into them. I’ll embrace that fire with you. Don’t you want to know how it’ll turn out? Hehehe.
Although he didn’t say it out loud, Evergrant was having more fun than he’d had in years. He was already looking forward to seeing Kireua’s flesh and bones melting in this hellfire. Kireua’s blood would be vaporized without a trace. Even better, Kireua was the son of Joshua Sanders. Although Joshua may have helped Evergrant’s dream come true, Evergrant was never content to let his revenge slip away.
-Hahahahahahahaha!
Evergrant burst into manic laughter. However, Kireua was more serene than ever.
‘Coal, eat all the fire using the power of Gluttony.’
-Huh? Really? Can I eat all of it?
‘Not those undead. They’re going to be my army of death.’
-What? That’s no fun...
‘It’s too early to be disappointed,’ Kireua added. ‘We’re going to infiltrate the mind of this lich using the power of Lust.’
-Oh!
Coal’s eyes twinkled.
-That sounds fun.
The Magic Tower was called the treasury of knowledge—and that entire treasury was basically inside Evergrant’s mind. In addition, Evergrant had been taught by a dragon.
‘The powers of Gluttony and Lust were basically your kin, but you devoured them. Eat every part of that lich’s subconscious realm just like that too.’
-Yay!
‘With the size of your greed, it’s not impossible.’
Kireua was certain that it was possible, in theory.
* * *
-Selim.
Selim froze, mid-panic. His spear was still skewering the smoke doll that was imitating Valmont.
“Silver-Eyed Ghost Sword...?” Selim murmured.
-As you already know, the Magic Spear Arts isn’t just a destructive martial art. When you reach and exceed the ultimate level, you can even kill a god.
“Is this... Is that you, Your Majesty?” Selim glanced back, surprised. He was receiving the message from Lilith Aphrodite, but he was certain nonetheless.
‘It’s His Majesty!’
The message was like rain during a drought, soothing the desperation of a totally unfamiliar situation. Selim had only ever focused on sharpening his Magic Spear Arts skills, so he hadn’t even imagined preparing for a situation like this. Who could have imagined that there was someone in the world who had the ability to create a doll that link its senses with someone?
-Close your eyes.
‘C-Close them?’
It was madness to close his eyes in front of the enemy, but the Emperor of Avalon was telling Selim to be mad.
-You don’t actually have to close your eyes—the important part is to feel the doll with your senses, not your eyes.
‘Feel it... with my other senses?’
-You’ll be able to do it since you’re my son.
Selim looked past the doll. Although it was unclear what was funny, Squalo the demon was laughing hard enough to set his shoulders bouncing up and down. The longer Valmont screamed, the louder Squalo’s laughter became.
-Hahahahahaha! He’s really going to die. Well, that’s no surprise seeing as his prince put a hole in right through his abdomen.
“You... son of a bitch...!”
-Whaaaat? “Son of a bitch”? “Son of a biiiiiitch”? Alright, I have no choice.
Squalo flicked his finger. Living up to his title of Pain Demon, Squalo’s ability was extending and enhancing pain.
“Arrrrgghhhhhh!”
Valmont let out a blood-curdling cry of pain. Squalo collapsed to the ground and rolled around laughing.
Selim closed his eyes without further hesitation.
‘Feel it with my other senses,’ he repeated to himself.
Was the Emperor of Avalon talking about the mana optical enhancement technique? When Selim focused his mana into his eyes, he could pick out a series of lines, but there was nothing peculiar about them.
‘...No, this isn’t it.’ Selim frowned. If his father was talking about the mana optical enhancement technique, he wouldn’t have bothered telling Selim to close his eyes. Then what was it?
-The important part is to feel the doll with your senses, not your eyes.
The key was extracting the true meaning behind the Emperor’s instructions.
-Selim, I know you will understand what I mean.
The telepathic message ignited an unwavering confidence deep in Selim’s heart. The person whom he respected more than anyone else in the world had placed his trust in Selim.
Selim’s grip around his spear tightened as he closed his eyes and reached out for the energies around him. One with thick demonic power, two people with strong mana, numerous undead’s demonic power, the vitality of nature... Selim could picture his surroundings in vivid detail even without using his eyes, but he was only looking for one thing right now.
After a moment, Selim opened his eyes. He’d found the “line” that he was looking for.
“...Hold on a little longer, Sir Valmont,” Selim whispered.
He heaved his spear out of the smoke doll. Black fluid poured out the construct like the lifeblood of a real human, and Valmont’s screams grew louder and more tortured.
-Hahahahaha! You crazy bastard, did you decide to give up on your subordinate?
“No.” Selim shook his head. “It’s the opposite, actually.”
-What?
Instead of answering, Selim took action. Every second mattered right now. The link between the doll and Valmont was long, thin, and faint, something that Selim would have never sensed unless he was looking for it.
Selim severed the link with his mana without hesitation. The screaming immediately died out.
-What?
Selim panted after he dropped out of his hyper focused state. Even Lilith could see that the link connecting the senses of the doll and Valmont was gone.
‘You were all dramatic like you were going to explain a way to beat up a demon, but that was only possible because your son is a genius!’ Lilith grumbled.
Joshua chuckled quietly.
-I’d never imagined that he would be able to do it with such ease either.
‘You gotta be kidding me. How can he do that only with a brief explanation? People like to tell me that I was a genius when I was young, too, but...’
-Have a kid yourself if you envy me.
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