Chapter 109: Volume 5 Chapter 108 – Tragedy of Kollon (7)
"God damn it! Runt! Block it!"
"Alright!"
"You guys, gather around me!"
Murakan and Kashimir couldn't stop all of the falling ice. Blocking hundreds of projectiles would have been much easier if Murakan could transform into a dragon.
"Aaaack!"
"Euhh."
Those with their vocal cords still intact screamed, and those with theirs severed let out a low, airy sound. There were also many who froze in place.
"Hey! Move along if you don't want to die!"
Murakan swore and ran towards the ones who froze in fear. He tossed them to Kashimir.
"I'm gonna send all of the natives to you, so just focus on blocking the ice bullets!"
"Toss them carefully, Sir Murakan!"
Jin could not participate in the rescue because of the magic trap.
Wooooom…!
Mana chains emerged from the glowing magic circle beneath his feet and wrapped around his ankles.
Myuron was going to go crazy from the enthusiasm. As hundreds of ice bullets smashed into the ground, the earth rumbled and quaked.
"Isn't it… such a lovely night, Jin Runcandel?"
Clang!
Jin swung Bradamante to cut the chains.
However, no matter how much he swung his sword and broke through the chains, new chains emerged and restrained him.
"Kuheeheehee, that's a spell that we, the Seventh Tower of Magicians, brag about. It's impossible…"
Crack!
"…to get out… Hmm, was that too weak? Awww, don't look at me like that. There's a lot more where that came from."
Before Myuron could complete his sentence, Jin broke free from the chains. He enhanced his spiritual energy then attacked, shattering the magic circle.
However, his surroundings still glowed with mana. Many magic circles were suspended in the air, so he couldn't move as freely.
'This guy is crazy. How many traps did he even cast? I can't read his mana flow, so I can't even sense these traps.'
The Kollon Ruins was no longer a disposed ruin with all of the traps. It was now akin to a kind of magic fortress.
Jin had never fought someone in a place with so many pre-cast spells.
Although it looked as if he escaped the mana chains with ease, in reality, it took quite a toll on him. Mustering explosive amounts of spiritual energy right after unleashing his blade was not an easy feat.
'If all of his traps are like this… This is a little problemattic. I can't use spiritual energy like that much longer. I'm just gonna die of exhaustion before I can even get my hands on him.'
Murakan and Kashimir were busy saving the natives. They couldn't help until all of the ice projectiles had been deflected.
'But… can an 8-star magician use this much mana?'
Although Jin couldn't read Myuron's mana flow, just by looking at the spells, he knew that Myuron needed to use insane amounts of mana at once.
Only considering the ice projectiles falling towards the natives, that would take at least sixty percent of an 8-star magician's mana.
'Even if he cast the traps beforehand, maintaining them would drain him quickly. In fact, he used three high-tier spells before this…'
It wasn't the strength of an 8-star. Either Myuron was a 9-star or…
'He has a mana enhancement artifact. I have to find and destroy it.'
"I wonder what you're pondering about."
Myuron spun his wand through the air, and another trap was activated.
This time, a concentrated beam of mana was shot behind Jin. As he prepared to throw himself to the side to dodge, dozens of smaller magic circles were activated. It was a spell that Jin knew well.
'Erosion?!'
An 8-star earth spell where any object within the magic circle would disintegrate and get absorbed by the ground.
There were only two ways to evade the spell: either break the magic with stronger spells or escape the area surrounded by the magic circles.
Instead of throwing himself into the activated earth spells, getting hit by the giant laser was better.
Vooooom!
Jin used Bradamante to cut through the beam of light. Sparks of mana flew everywhere and burned Jin's skin. Thankfully, he didn't suffer any severe injuries.
Just as he was about to move out of the laser, more Erosion traps were activated. The dark red mana began to disintegrate and vacuum the surroundings, and Jin gulped.
'Phew, I would've died there.'
The fact that he sliced through the 8-star laser beam meant that his spiritual energy was stronger than Myuron's magic.
Myuron's eyes narrowed.
'Father said that Solderet was originally the God of Swords. As expected, Jin Runcandel will be hard to deal with when he uses his sword. And on top of that, he… understands my spells?'
He thought that Jin's deflection of Hellwind was a coincidence.
However, his calm and composed actions at the activation of multiple traps and not dodging into Erosion were too perfect to be a coincidence.
"Wait, are you… a magic swordsman?"
Jin's eyes widened. Thankfully, his helm covered his face, so Myuron could not see his shock. No one had figured out Jin's specialty this fast.
Myuron wasn't the Pillar of the Seventh Tower of Magicians for nothing.
He was definitely much stronger considering his horrible personality. In a mannerism-obsessed society like the Zipfel Clan, his magic had to be that much stronger to compensate for his scumbag demeanor.
"Kuheehee. No answer! I'm already sure of it. You're a magic swordsman."
Myuron—who had kept his distance all this time—approached Jin.
It would be weird for him to enter close-combat range as a magician against an opponent like Jin who had an unleashed sword. All of his traps were working fine, so there was no need to close the gap.
However, Jin instantly understood the magician's goal.
'He's going to inject mana into me and force a mana overload!'
To those who possess mana, the most dangerous moment was when their mana began to overload.
For magicians, the outcome of the battle was more predictable than that of knights. The magician with the stronger magic could induce a mana overload and easily end the battle.
This was not good for Jin.
Surrounded by dozens of activating traps, he couldn't move between all of the magic circles.
And conversely, Myuron walked through them as if it was nothing, so Jin's durable and powerful body was ruled out for the fight.
"Mana overload is the most devastating loss for those who possess magic… Kuheeha—ERK!"
However, in close combat, martial arts and swordsmanship weren't Jin's only skills.
As Myuron gathered inconceivable amounts of mana in his wand and prepared to stab Jin with it…
Flash!
An ancient light spell that offered him a second chance in moments of danger—Photon Cannon.
A powerful light flashed between them. Jin smiled in relief, and Myuron stumbled backwards with hands over his eyes.
"The fuck are you mumbling about?"
As Myuron recoiled for a short moment, the traps' magic circles dimmed. The ice projectiles in the sky shattered into pieces. Jin then swung Bradamante.
Slash!
Particles of spiritual energy scattered, trailing behind the blade's path.
The feeling of cutting through flesh and bones. Jin could sense it through his fingertips.
'Left arm. Disappointing.'
He aimed to cut Myuron in half, but Jin could only cut his left arm. The magician used his mana and compressed the air to change Bradamante's trajectory.
'Reactions unlike any magician, almost like a beast. He's lacking compared to Andrei, but he's still a formidable opponent.'
He knew that he couldn't kill with another attack, so he planned to escape the trap-infested grounds instead.
The entirety of the Kollon Ruins was covered in traps anyway. Despite this, Jin concluded that the most dangerous traps were on the battlefield.
Plop.
Myuron's left arm fell on the ground, and a whirlpool of dark mist spiraled around the wound. The same was occurring for his shoulder. The remaining spiritual energy ate away at his bones and flesh.
"Wow… Amazing! The power of light and shadow. I really want it for myself. Erk!"
Myuron let out a deep breath and conjured a small magic sword. He cut off the wound infected with the dark spiritual energy.
He didn't really care that his arm was cut off. It wasn't just any bravado.
He was enjoying the fight.
"You think I'm crazy? Jin Runcandel, I can't see your beautiful face because of that helm… but I think you are making an excited expression. You and I are not so different. We both love to fight."
That was Myuron's mistake.
"Think whatever you want to think. I'll give you that freedom until your death."
"Why, thank you. But can you really kill me? These pathetic fellows… They'll protect me. Let's see, I've used three so far."
"The fuck do you mean?"
"Don't you think it's a little strange? Your understanding of magic is deep. You definitely know that I'm operating above the 8-star limit."
—Used three so far.
Jin reinterpreted that line and let out short breaths.
"Myuron Zipfel… You… There's no way…"
"Whaddya mean, 'there's no way'? It's exactly what you're thinking! I'm using these useless people to enhance my mana!"
"You're using humans as your catalyst?"
"If you can't believe it, I'll show you. Hehe."
Boom!
Myuron shot a ball of mana towards the small building. The structure, which was already broken from the falling ice, was obliterated.
It was the 'basement where the natives were dragged' that Dino described.
The dust settled and revealed a pile of people covered with runes. Not all of them were visible. However, it was definitely the destination of Myuron's victims.
Kashimir and Murakan saw the horrifying sight and shook their heads.
Dino looked soulless and slumped to the ground.
"You seem to be confused. You must be wondering why I'm just showing you my weakness like that."
"You…"
"I'm showing you because I want to know how much you value these mongrels. If you didn't care about them, all three of you would be hitting me at once. But instead, you let Jin Runcandel fight me alone. How foolish."
Myuron clicked his tongue.
"If you want to end me, let those mana-source roaches die. They don't deserve to be alive. And fight me, all three of you. Isn't that easy? Fuck that kindness and morality bullshit, and give me your all. Kuheehee."
"Hoo."
Jin let out a heavy sigh.
"It's a lie!"
A woman shouted.
"It's all a lie! His mana isn't empowered by the people but our divine relic!"
—————
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