Chapter 71
Chapter 71: Well done, Commander of the Crazy Mage Squad.
“Subdue him.”
At Cliff’s command, one of the Azure Dragon Squad members stepped forward.
It was the same guy who had just been hit by my flame spear. He coiled a water vortex around his left hand along with his Water Spirit and said:
“I’ll make you kneel first.”
I sensed a 3-star mana from the water vortex.
Not bad.
Even though Cyan had fired a 4-star spell, it was at a pathetic level, barely able to manifest.
The moment the spell manifested, the mana failed to condense properly and scattered around.
A typical characteristic of someone who hasn’t properly mastered mana breathing.
This Squad member’s skill was actually superior.
Of course, that’s only in comparison to Cyan.
When the Squad member’s left fist flew straight towards my solar plexus.
I also wrapped flames around my right hand and met his fist head-on.
FWOOSH—
“Ugh!”
The Squad member coughed up blood, rolled in the air, and then collapsed backward. Mud mixed with rainwater and blood splattered, staining his face a yellowish-brown.
The difference was that before, I had only opened two mana circles, and now I had opened three.
“…”
The others’ eyes widened, and they simultaneously drew their Water Spirits and charged at me. While dodging backward, I reached out towards the chest of the man running at the forefront.
‘Fire Spear.’
FWOOSH—
The flame spear hit the front line, creating an opening. I pushed off the ground with my toes again, switching to offense, and gripping fireballs in both hands, I scattered them towards the enemies’ faces.
The Squad members didn’t panic; they quickly retreated, escaping the effects of the fireballs. Their movements were quite controlled.
The eyes of those who had retreated changed. Each of them took out a blue glove from their bosom, put it on, and then slowly gathered, forming a neat formation.
At this moment, Cliff stepped between me and the Azure Dragon Squad.
“Stop!”
Cliff raised his hand and said.
“Azure Dragon Squad, retreat.”
“Yes.”
At Cliff’s command, the Squad broke formation and instantly retreated. It was a swift movement, showing no hesitation to question their commander’s orders even in a combat situation.
Cliff looked at me intently and said.
“Samael had a hidden talent. Strange. Indeed, there seems to be a reason for such talk.”
I met Cliff’s gaze and retorted.
“Relax your eyes.”
“…”
“You still haven’t come to your senses. Cliff, was it? Let me give you a piece of advice. I’m not the type to give advice to just anyone. I certainly don’t give it to dogs or cows. So listen carefully. Whether you’re Urgon or whatever, you idiot, there’s no commander more idiotic than one who can’t recognize the opponent in front of them. Pride isn’t important. Take your subordinates and retreat now.”
As we locked eyes, Cliff slowly increased the distance between us and then stopped.
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“I’ll confirm it myself.”
“Stupid fool.”
Cliff took out a blue glove from his bosom and put it on. A large mana stone was embedded in the center.
Meanwhile, the rain was coming down harder and harder. The rainwater that splashed violently on the ground mixed with blood, rising up to my ankles.
As I brushed back my completely soaked hair, Cliff, along with his Water Spirit, spoke.
“Water Stream.”
A 4-star spell, Water Stream.
A powerful blue stream of water extended from Cliff’s palm, gliding across the ground towards me. Perhaps due to the mana stone embedded in his glove, its power was greater than expected.
The water stream swept across the floor, mixing with mud and blood, then a black torrent surged diagonally towards my face.
‘Wind Push.’
I pushed off the ground and leaped, wrapping a ‘Wind Barrier’ around my feet as I soared, blocking the rising water stream. Meanwhile, Cliff’s 4-star Water Spirit was once again complete.
“Ice Shower.”
SWOOSH—
Instantly, the rain falling within a certain space above me froze solid. It began to plunge towards my face like ice picks.
I deployed another ‘Wind Barrier’ above my head to shatter the falling ice shards, then looked down from mid-air.
At some point, Cliff, with ice wrapped around both hands, was leaping towards me.
“Wind blades that cut through the air, Wind Cutter.”
I, too, with wind blades in both hands, charged straight at Cliff.
I shattered the ice emanating from Cliff’s hands, then lunged forward, my blade biting deep into his chest.
Blood welled up, staining his torn clothes.
Cliff arched his back dramatically in mid-air, deflecting the wind blades, then stopped his attack and retreated abruptly.
Landing on the ground, Cliff looked down at his body with a startled expression. If his reaction had been even slightly delayed, his chest would have been deeply cut.
I also landed in front of the wall and looked at Cliff.
SWOOSH—
For a moment, only the sound of pouring rain could be heard.
Cyan was still looking at us with an expression of disbelief, and the Squad members wore the same expression as Cyan.
Cliff spoke in a hesitant voice.
“…You use incantations?”
“…”
“Moreover, Wind Cutter is clearly from the Red Magic Tower… Who are you, exactly?”
I didn’t respond.
Since when had it started? A noise was piercing through the sound of the rain.
It sounded like the clashing of swords, or someone shouting, or maybe even hallucinations. It was hard to distinguish amidst the heavy rain.
Suddenly, I heard voices blaming me. The Crazy Mage Squad members were calling out to me. Pelleer was blaming me. Was this the sound of the rain, or was it their cries of despair?
My ears started to throb.
The ground trembled with a BOOM— BOOM—, and no matter how much I tried to clear the water from my ears, they remained muffled.
I tried covering and pulling at my ears with both hands, but nothing improved.
“Ah, this is fucked up.”
It was so fucked up that I laughed.
Even if I wanted to grab someone and ask, I was the only one left alive. Those I could ask if I was going crazy were already dead.
Meanwhile, I could distinctly feel the mana waves. That was also fucked up.
I raised my head and looked ahead, and there was a strange guy drawing a Water Spirit.
I realized that this guy was the leader of the Urgon group I had just been fighting. Since I knew this, I guess I wasn’t completely crazy yet.
“Icicle.”
A pathetic icicle flew towards me. I watched it calmly and then rotated my heart’s circle in reverse.
Just as the icicle was about to completely engulf me, I detonated the dark lightning contained in my right hand.
FZZZZZT—
The form of the icicle vanished as soon as it touched the dark lightning.
No one realized what had happened. For a brief moment, a pitch-black darkness bloomed from my hand and then disappeared in a flash. To others, it simply looked as if the icicle had vanished the moment it touched me.
Someone muttered:
“How can a 5-star Water Spirit…”
Then, the aftershock hit. With a loud BOOM, the iron fence surrounding the estate shook violently and then collapsed outward.
“WAAAAAH!”
The cacophony of noise that had been ringing in my ears suddenly intensified.
I turned around involuntarily, and saw a swarm of ants, drenched in the rain, surrounding the estate and shouting.
“Bayern, retreat!”
“Those who destroyed my house are over there. Drive the wicked Bayern out of Khaoto!”
“Damn them to hell. Stop tormenting Samael! We won’t stand idly by any longer! WAAAAH!”
I looked around at them for a moment. They were the source of the noise.
Numerous third-rate thugs lay scattered on the ground with their sword hilts, and around them, familiar faces looked at me.
As I made eye contact, their names came to mind one by one.
The elders were visible first, and then the mercenaries behind them.
Elder Norman, Elder Isaac, Daisy was there too, and Bravo Khan, and the one-eyed man wrapped in bandages, standing soaked in the rain.
I even saw the twin brothers.
Donkey was there, and an unnamed kid, and the blacksmith with the beard.
The nosy people I met at the tavern and the young guys I saw at Donkey’s restaurant were all shouting together.
‘Ah.’
I turned back around.
The Crazy Mage Squad was beside me, and Kazen was with them.
I looked around at the rain-soaked ground and reached out towards one spot. As I lifted the slippery flagpole, the damp flag followed.
Red streaks of water poured endlessly from the flag.
I gripped the blue flag in reverse and walked towards one spot. The Crazy Mage Squad parted to the left and right, and even Urgon didn’t block my path.
With each step I took, the muddy water that had risen to my instep splashed violently to the sides.
I walked, staring directly at one of the guys mixed in with the Bayern group. He was desperately avoiding my gaze.
But the moment our eyes met, he shuddered and jumped to the side.
I immediately lunged and grabbed him by the neck.
CRACK—
Snake Eyes’ neck snapped.
“…”
Suddenly, Cyan crawled towards Cliff and knelt, pleading.
“P-Please, give us a chance. If you abandon us like this, there will be no family in Khaoto that can stop Samael. It’s like giving wings to those bastards. Doesn’t Urgon also hate to see Samael running rampant? If you protect me, I’ll do it right this time.”
“…Shut up.”
Cliff pushed Cyan away with a contemptuous look, then met my gaze.
Cliff spoke in a cautious tone.
“I hope it’s not too late. I’ll gratefully accept your advice. My judgement was indeed wrong. We’ll withdraw from here.”
One of the Squad members standing nearby shouted.
“Captain!”
Cliff shook his head.
“There’s no justification. The loan issue is already beyond reproach. Besides…”
Cliff looked around at the people outside the estate and continued.
“It seems Samael wasn’t wrong. We all know how Bayern operates. The moment I try to stop Samael, all those people will point fingers at Urgon. Are you suggesting I should act that way even in this situation?”
“But if we return like this, the higher-ups might reprimand you, Master.”
“That’s not your concern. And more importantly… I’m not confident I can handle him. Let’s go.”
Cliff turned and left, and the Squad members hesitantly followed. As Cliff was leaving the estate, he suddenly turned back with a thoughtful expression and looked at me.
“Can you tell me your name?”
“Ruin. Commander of Samael’s Crazy Mage Squad.”
“Thank you.”
After Cliff left, I approached Cyan, who was still kneeling.
Cyan, trembling like a drowned rat, suddenly glared at me with fierce eyes.
“You damn bastard. Don’t get cocky, thinking you’re something special. If you kill me, Urgon won’t stay silent. Yale hasn’t even committed its full force yet. Let’s negotiate. I’ll turn a blind eye to you killing Shane if…”
As the sky turned white, I struck Cyan’s head with the flagpole.
Blood splattered in the air, mingling with the sound of thunder.
CRACK— BOOM!
Fatigue washed over my entire body. Only now did my rain-soaked body feel heavy. The rain still showed no signs of stopping, pouring down relentlessly.
I planted the flagpole in the ground and turned around.
Kazen’s face was the first I saw.
Kazen raised his hand to dismiss the Crazy Mage Squad, then walked towards me with heavy steps.
Kazen looked me straight in the eye.
Somehow, his gaze resembled someone I knew.
The Patriarch spoke.
“…Well done, Commander of the Crazy Mage Squad.”
I forced my head up to look at the rain-soaked sky.
“…”
As I stood there enduring the downpour, a familiar voice came from somewhere.
“Just in time.”
I reached out my hand, and a cup was placed in it.
Still looking up at the sky, I opened my mouth and gulped down the liquor.
The strong drink flowed down my throat, refreshingly cool.
[TL/N: Goosebumps Damnn]
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