Chapter 37: Return (3)

‘This is absurd.’

Mustang Fury denied the emotions he was feeling.

‘I am a 7th Tier Black Mage. I am on a different level from mere Low-Class individuals!’

The realms of mages and black mages are divided by tiers.

There are a total of 12 tiers.

To be called a High-Class Mage, one must reach at least the 7th Tier.

A mage’s combat power varies by school, making it impossible to evaluate them with a single standard.

Mustang Fury was a High-Class Black Mage specialized in the Frenzy School, which focused on combat.

He possessed such formidable combat power that even Mid-Class individuals would look down on it.

That’s why he couldn’t understand it. Why he was so terrified of Damian Haksen, a mere Low-Class individual.

‘What the hell are you? ’

But the killing intent emanating from Damian Haksen was far from ordinary.

To be complacent in the face of such a sight would be foolish.

Knowing this, Mustang Fury channeled his black magic to its maximum.

Knights enhance their bodies with mana to gain superhuman strength and speed. The Frenzy School could use black magic in a similar manner.

The giant, over 3 meters tall, suddenly disappeared.

He reappeared behind Damian Haksen.

Mustang Fury clenched his fist. The large, hammer-like fist was solidly condensed with black magic.

‘I’ll kill you in one blow.’

Mustang Fury struck with his fist.

A deafening sound erupted, and the ground shattered. The shockwave alone knocked down the surrounding trees.

But despite the immense destructive power, Mustang Fury’s expression did not relax.

The destruction was limited to the surrounding ground, while Damian Haksen remained unharmed.

-You... What trick did you just pull?

Just a moment ago, Mustang Fury had seen it clearly.

At the moment he was about to strike Damian Haksen with his fist, the trajectory suddenly changed.

As a result, Mustang Fury’s fist plunged into the ground instead of hitting Damian Haksen.

“I can’t seem to maintain my patience, so I’ll tell you in advance.”

Damian Haksen did not answer the question. He only muttered incomprehensible words.

“Tell me about Dorgo. If you reveal where he is, I’ll spare your life.”

-Barking...

Before he could finish speaking, Damian Haksen swung his千里剑 (Chilrijeom, a type of sword).

The blade, swung from below, slashed across Mustang Fury’s neck.

The sound of his vertebrae snapping was clearly audible.

-Aaaaah!

Blood spurted wildly from the severed neck as Mustang Fury clutched it and screamed.

“Does my warning not seem serious to you?”

Damian Haksen glared at Mustang Fury with a murderous intent.

“Then I’ll make you feel it deeply now.”

* * *

Mustang Fury desperately pressed his head. A bizarre phenomenon occurred.

His muscles melted like jelly, and the severed part began to reattach.

The Frenzy School enhances the body to fight. The greatest advantage gained from this is not brute strength.

It is regeneration.

Frenzy School black mages can completely restore their bodies even if they are cut, torn, or crushed.

-Grrr...

Mustang Fury, who had barely reattached his neck, growled at Damian.

-I’ll kill you... I’ll tear you to pieces!

“What you should be saying is something else, isn’t it?”

-Shut up!

Mustang Fury charged.

His massive body disappeared and reappeared in front of Damian. He then swung his fist at Damian.

Damian read Mustang Fury’s movements with a cold, indifferent gaze.

‘He thinks he can win with just one hit, doesn’t he?’

Mustang Fury was not paying any attention to defense at all.

This was a characteristic of the Frenzy School’s combat style, focusing solely on offense while relying on regeneration.

‘I’ll show you that your thinking is wrong now.’

He blocked the incoming fist with his palm and pushed it to the side.

The fist’s trajectory changed, striking the ground instead of Damian.

-What?

Confusion appeared on Mustang Fury’s face. The same phenomenon had occurred again.

-Is this your trick again!

Mustang Fury swung his fist again.

His mutated body and vast black magic made his attack as swift as a flash.

However, Damian effortlessly deflected all of Mustang Fury’s attacks.

His fist never once touched Damian.

‘You’re really benefiting from that potion, aren’t you?’

The Insight of Ten Thousand Currents, a realm of Sword Mastery, allows one to alter the trajectory of an attack and change its flow.

However, the more powerful the opponent’s attack, the more mana it consumes.

That’s why Damian couldn’t properly utilize the Insight of Ten Thousand Currents until now. His mana was too limited.

But after consuming the mana crystal potion this time, he was able to address this issue to some extent.

-How long do you plan to run?

“Why? Are you bored? Then I’ll play along.”

Damian no longer deflected the attacks.

He moved to avoid the attacks and simultaneously drew his sword, slicing through Mustang Fury’s forearm. A long, deep wound appeared on Mustang Fury’s arm.

-It’s useless!

As Mustang Fury channeled black magic, the wound on his arm regenerated instantly.

Seeing this, Damian Haksen smiled in satisfaction.

“Good. You can cut me as much as you want.”

-What?

Damian Haksen plunged into Mustang Fury’s embrace.

As he passed by, he sliced through Mustang Fury’s side.

His abdomen split open, and blood gushed out, though his internal organs did not spill out.

-Aaaaah!

Mustang Fury roared and swung his fist.

Damian easily dodged the attack and sliced through the joint of Mustang Fury’s forearm. The arm dangled like a broken tree branch.

-Damian Haksen!

Fury filled Mustang Fury’s voice. The four tentacles on his back lashed out at Damian.

Damian’s hands moved swiftly, slicing the tentacles into dozens of pieces.

-You!

New tentacles sprouted from Mustang Fury’s back, ready to lash out at Damian Haksen.

However, Mustang Fury couldn’t swing the tentacles.

Damian Haksen had vanished. He was nowhere to be seen.

-Where did you go...

“Here.”

A voice came from the side.

As he turned, his thigh split open. The bundles of muscle were severed at once.

Mustang Fury’s body staggered. Immediately after, another voice came.

“This time, here.”

Before he could turn, his knee split open.

The muscles, tendons, and even the joint bone were severed. Mustang Fury’s massive body tilted to the side.

-Aaaaah!

Mustang Fury immediately planted his tentacles into the ground to support his body.

He quickly regenerated the wound on his knee.

But before it could fully heal, Damian Haksen struck again.

-Aaaaah!

The same place was cut again, doubling the pain. Mustang Fury screamed.

“Slow and dull.”

Damian Haksen moved relentlessly, mutilating Mustang Fury’s body.

Every time his voice was heard, blood splattered and flesh split. Eventually, Mustang Fury could no longer withstand it and fell to the ground.

In a state where he couldn’t move.

Damian appeared in front of Mustang Fury to finish him off.

Just as he was about to slash his neck, Mustang Fury’s eyes flashed.

He opened his mouth wide at Damian Haksen, and black magic began to condense in his throat.

-See if you can avoid this!

Mustang Fury expelled the black magic. It was released in a radial pattern.

Just as the black magic was about to vaporize Damian, he extended his sword forward.

The sword and black magic met. The sword vibrated fiercely, emitting a sword aura.

The emitted sword aura created an invisible barrier.

The black magic relentlessly pounded the barrier but could not penetrate it, scattering in all directions.

-...!

With his ultimate move blocked, Mustang Fury’s eyes widened in shock.

Sword of Void - Sound Piercing.

One of the techniques used by the Sword Demon in his previous life, which absorbs the opponent’s attack to form a protective barrier.

Originally a defensive technique, it could also be used as a counterattack depending on how it was used.

“I need to hear about Dorgo, so I won’t kill you.”

The longer he blocked the black magic, the larger the sword aura grew.

Damian flicked the blade with his fingertips.

The sword aura grew several times larger. A wave of sound engulfed Mustang Fury.

* * *

Mustang Fury was swept away by the sword aura and flew a great distance, rolling on the ground several times.

-Cough... Cough...

Mustang Fury lay on the ground, spitting out blood.

He had suffered severe internal injuries from the attack. His internal organs were ruptured, and his blood vessels were torn.

-Hurry... Regenerate...

Mustang Fury tried to regenerate his body using black magic.

But no matter how much black magic he channeled, the wounds on his body remained.

The Frenzy School could not regenerate wounds indefinitely.

Each time a wound was regenerated, physical strength and black magic were consumed, with a limit to how much could be done.

-Damn...

Footsteps approached.

Mustang Fury lifted his head with great effort and saw Damian Haksen approaching.

He was in the same perfect condition as before, not even sweating.

-Damian Haksen...

Mustang Fury looked at Damian with a face filled with fear.

-You... Who are you... How can you have such power...

“Do you think I kept you alive to hear such nonsense?”

Damian placed his sword on Mustang Fury’s shoulder.

“Speak. Where is Dorgo?”

-...Do you think I’ll tell you?

“Then you must die.”

Damian raised his sword high. At that moment, Mustang Fury shouted.

-Rebecca! Now!

Mustang Fury yelled.

From a distance, Rebecca activated her black magic.

She had not been merely observing the situation. She had been preparing black magic in case of an emergency.

A dark shadow appeared behind Damian Haksen.

A skeleton in a hooded cloak held a scythe to Damian’s neck.

-It’s an instant kill curse from a 7th Tier Curse Mage!

Mustang Fury shouted in ecstasy.

-No one has ever survived that curse at such close range!

Despite the imminent death, Damian’s gaze did not waver.

“Thought you had something better. This is all you’ve got?”

Damian said with a bored tone. Mustang Fury gritted his teeth.

-We’ll see if you can still say that after you die! Rebecca! Kill him!

Rebecca formed a seal. The skeleton raised its scythe to slash at Damian’s neck.

At that moment, a pattern appeared on Damian’s palm.

The pattern began to glow red. The skeleton covered its face with its bony hands as if it had seen something terrifying.

It then let out a bizarre scream and disintegrated.

-...What?

The shocking scene left Mustang Fury speechless.

Their knowledge could not explain what they had just witnessed.

Feast.

One of the seven powers implanted in Damian’s body by Dorgo in his previous life.

A power that could decompose and absorb all forms of magic and black magic.

With this power, Damian could never be defeated by a black mage.

-This... This is black magic that has been researched for a lifetime in Ura... It can kill even a High-Class individual if the conditions are met!

“So this shoddy black magic is your ultimate magic?”

Just as a knight has a vision, a mage has a vision.

It has a slightly different meaning. It refers to the magic a mage spends their life researching and perfecting.

Some visions are not created by individuals but are researched and perfected by specific groups.

“Is this the level of skill you’ve been boasting about?”

Damian despised black mages. He found them so repulsive that he couldn’t bear it.

This time, the meager confidence of these frogs in a well had truly infuriated him.

He couldn’t stand it without crushing them.

“I’ll give you a parting gift before sending you to the afterlife.”

Damian Haksen removed his bracelet.

It was a bracelet he had obtained by killing Ura’s officer, Agito.

An ancient artifact that could store any kind of energy and completely conceal it.

Damian had been storing black magic in this bracelet, preparing for emergencies.

“I’ll show you what real black magic is.”

Damian raised his finger.

No magic circle, no incantation. He simply moved the black magic to activate the black magic.

The night sky instantly turned black.

The shining stars, the moon, the sky that grew brighter as it approached the horizon.

Everything turned black.

-This is...

Mustang Fury couldn’t recognize the black magic Damian was using.

He couldn’t, because it was a black magic that Dorgo had kept as his ultimate technique.

Pitch Black.

A black magic that exerts a physical force capable of crushing everything within its range.

It was a 9th Tier black magic, the highest tier.

In his previous life, Damian had used this black magic to destroy a castle protected by dozens of layers of protective magic.

Damian lowered the finger he had raised.

An invisible force pressed down on Mustang Fury and Rebecca.

Before they could even feel pain, their bodies were completely crushed.

Only a pool of blood remained where they had stood.