The Great Mage Returns After 4000 Years

Book 2 Chapter 586

The Exile, left alone in front of the throne, stood blankly, lost in thought.

Frey, the Apostle of Destruction.

Is it really possible for such a being to exist?

The existence from the 'Outside', that is, Destruction, should be something utterly incomprehensible to those within the 'Inside'. Something they mustn't and couldn't possibly understand...

‘But what was that form I just saw?’

It had intent, attempted to communicate, and even fled when words failed to connect?

At that very human-like behavior, the Exile felt a profound sense of disappointment.

Was that truly the Apostle of Destruction?

Could it have been someone acting out of malice, trying to deceive them with a performance…?

No. At this point, that theory held no significance. What reason would anyone have to claim to be the Apostle of Destruction? It would be an insane act that only a lunatic would commit.

Then, could it really be—

As the current Beginning Wizard said?

Had something happened in the ‘Outside’, in a realm that even the Exile couldn’t observe?

Step—

At that moment, someone entered the castle's interior.

The Exile recognized who it was and immediately knelt.

[Your Highness.]

"Hmm."

The Half King returned with an unscathed face.

It was the same composed appearance as when she had set out to pursue the fleeing Frey.

[The Apostle of Destruction…]

"Escaped. He fled using a method I've never seen before."

Even though the Half King had personally taken action, she had failed.

Was Frey truly capable of such abilities?

“I could have captured him if I continued the chase, but I judged that we couldn’t afford to spare any more time.”

[…….]

“Would you care to follow me for a moment?”

The Half King said, turning around first. The Exile gazed at her back for a moment before following.

And so they arrived at a place next to the broken castle roof, which was also the impact point of Destruction.

Sitting beside it, the Half King looked up at the sky and spoke.

“What about the other Void Lords?”

[I’ve ordered them to return to their territories.]

“Did they comply?”

[Most of them did.]

“So, there are some who didn’t.”

[The Everlasting Plum Sword, the Executor, and the Death Worm. Those three, in particular. Additionally, it seems there are some pretending to return while plotting something else.]

The Half King fell silent.

“What happened to the envoy from the Three Thousand Worlds?”

[He was not in a position to have an audience with Your Highness.]

“So, you sent him back.”

The Exile bowed his head.

The Half King gazed at the Exile’s strange head with a curious expression.

Her eyes, somehow different from usual, slowly opened her lips.

“What do you think of Frey’s words?”

[Your servant is too dull to understand his true intentions.]

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“He spoke of cooperation.”

[…….]

“There’s something I realized when I subdued the Beginning Wizard. Perhaps…”

[Your Highness.]

The Exile’s voice grew lower.

Soon, he knelt and bowed down.

[Your Highness, you stand above all others.]

The Half King remained silent.

[You must reign alone, bearing all burdens. Didn’t you already resolve to do so long ago?]

“That’s right.”

[This servant heard nothing. Please keep this moment of indiscretion to yourself.]

“I misspoke.”

The Half King looked up at the sky again.

“It seems that the claim that Destruction has split is not wrong.”

[Pardon?]

“Look at the sky.”

The Exile, who had been bowing, straightened his back and looked up.

From the hole in the sky, light flickered. At first, it appeared so rarely and briefly that it seemed like an optical illusion. But soon, the light began to pour down intensely.

─A meteor shower rained down.

The irregular trails of light shaped a sight never before seen in the human realm. The way they gathered in a circle around the dark hole resembled a cluster of lights being sucked into a vortex, leaving an ephemeral impression.

As the Exile stared blankly at the scene, he suddenly turned his gaze to the Half King.

[Your Highness?]

Tears were streaming down the Half King’s cheeks. But she wasn’t crying.

A smile still lingered on her lips.

“Isn't it a sight so beautiful that it brings tears to your eyes? The spinning beams of light spread across the sky—all subjects on this land must be witnessing it.”

[…….]

“But what each of those beams contains are terrifying fragments of Destruction. The ignorance of those unaware of this truth is, in a way, admirable.”

Frey, the Apostle of Destruction who had revealed his name.

Even in the midst of the tiresome chase, he constantly attempted to converse. Despite herself, the Half King couldn’t help but recall the words she had been forced to listen to.

Among those words, one stood out most prominently:

—You must have already experienced the first signal of Destruction. Always keep your eyes on the sky. Soon, it will come in full force. If I were to name it…

“The First Wave.”

The Half King’s body floated up toward the sky.

The long and arduous war against Destruction.

The first battle had begun.

***

The air grew cold.

The two knights had fully entered combat mode.

[Halt.]

It was the Black Knight who issued the warning first.

“Ah. It’s been a while, Black Knight. This is the first time we’ve met since the execution, isn’t it?”

Tap, tap. Pale smiled brightly as she spoke, yet she didn’t stop walking.

“El is here too? I guess I made a useless detour to the snowy plains for no reason~”

Srrrng—

Lucid had now drawn his sword.

[I said, stop, Blue Knight. What business do you have here?]

“I’m here to find my man.”

[...Your man?]

“Lukas! I’m here!”

She waved her hand energetically.

At that moment, Residue felt grateful for the chains that bound his body so tightly. If his body were free, he would have had to react somehow, and he wasn’t certain what kind of response would be appropriate right now.

Pale’s eyes scanned over Residue’s—no, Lukas' body.

“……”

Her smile remained, but the playful glint in her eyes vanished.

Back when Lukas had been going through repeated regressions, that expression had always been a signal of the worst kind of crisis.

“It seems Lukas owes quite a bit to you guys. Were you the ones responsible?”

[And if we were?]

“Well, if that’s the case, you bastards, I’ll pay you back tenfold.”

Srrrng—

In an instant, Pale drew her sword and kicked off from the ground. The earth violently shattered, and droplets of water that had been clinging to the cave ceiling came crashing down.

The moment the two blades clashed, a tremendous shockwave radiated in all directions.

[...So the rumors were true!]

To think she would draw her sword without a moment's hesitation! Did she not understand the massive aftermath a battle between knights could bring?

The saying that she was an unpredictable being was no exaggeration.

Kwagwagwang!

The clash of the Four Knights brought about a massive storm. Walls and the ground were sliced through like tofu, and the underground space trembled as if it would collapse at any moment.

In other words, it still didn't collapse despite all that.

'It's a solid space.'

He could tell that the durability of this underground cave was not ordinary.

Although the Four Knights weren’t fighting at their full strength, the fact that the space was holding up against their battle was impressive.

'Was Pale the reinforcement Beniang mentioned?'

No, there shouldn’t be any connection between them. And it was still far earlier than the time Beniang had indicated.

In other words, this situation was an unforeseen development, triggered by Pale’s independent judgment.

'It's an opportunity, but.'

Lucid’s attention was entirely focused on Pale. But there wasn’t just one knight.

And the other knight was still standing right beside Residue.

'Can I shake she off?'

The Red Knight.

Residue had never seen her fight before.

Of the Four Knights, she was the one with the least information available. He couldn’t tell what she was thinking. Even when she wasn’t in her knightly form, she showed no expressions, and her voice was always dry.

“Why isn’t she cooperating with Lucid?”

To prevent Residue from escaping? That seemed like the most plausible explanation.

But in her mind, his threat level was likely far less than half of what Pale posed.

If the battle between the Four Knights escalated any further, it would result in a catastrophe far worse than Residue's escape.

Clang! Clang!

However, soon Residue realized something.

The intensifying battle,

─ It seemed that way on the surface, but it's a bit different.

Residue realized that the two knights were not fighting at full power. One piece of evidence was that Pale’s face was exposed.

She wasn't wearing her helmet. This meant she hadn’t fully unleashed her power, in other words, she wasn’t in her true Blue Knight form.

Even now, she twisted her lips and swung her crude yet sharp sword, but occasionally a cold, calculated gleam appeared in her eyes.

‘She looks like a madwoman, but there’s a rational side to her.’

Thanks to Lukas' memories and the experiences he had shared with her, Residue could understand Pale to some extent.

So, what was Pale aiming for? Was there another ally coming? Perhaps Sedi Trowman, or maybe she truly was working with Beniang.

It was at that moment.

The Red Knight, who had been silent until now, shifted her posture slightly.

Her movement, combined with the form of her agile-looking full body armor, made her look like a beast about to begin a hunt.

Whoosh, the Red Knight's figure vanished momentarily and reappeared right next to Pale. Her outstretched hand struck toward Pale's waist with the sharp force of a spear.

“Hahaha!”

Pale let out a laugh as she twisted her body. The outstretched hand missed, swiping through the air meaninglessly.

It was only then that Residue realized why the Red Knight had remained still until now—she had been waiting for the perfect moment to launch a surprise attack. Pale had known this too, which is why, even while fighting Lucid, she hadn’t let her guard down toward that side.

Boom!

Lucid’s sword clashed heavily with Pale’s.

The power etched into Lucid's black blade was formidable. Pale, holding her sword with both hands, tried to push back, but she couldn’t endure for long and was sent flying backward.

Thud.

Pale planted one hand into the ground, resisting the momentum. She chuckled softly and tapped the second sword strapped to her waist.

“El, sorry to say this after borrowing your sword, but if you interfere, I’m not giving it back.”

[You're reminding me of the saying, 'Repaying grace with betrayal.']

“Hmm-hmm, my apologies.”

[I will not accept that. I think it would be better to join forces with the Black Knight and subdue you right here.]

At that moment, Lucid handed the sword at his waist to El.

El hesitated before speaking.

[This is…?]

[Deukid. It’s the sword I used when I was alive.]

[Why are you giving it to me?]

[I’m lending it to you. Until we’ve subdued the Blue Knight.]

Lucid had always wielded two swords.

One was Deukid, a famous sword he used in life as Lucid the Swordmaster.

The other was Hartnight, the demon sword he used after becoming the Black Knight in death.

[…….]

El nodded and accepted the sword.

“Hmmm…”

Pale’s face showed signs of discomfort—this situation seemed to be outside of her expectations.

“Uh, but isn’t a 2v1 a bit unfair, considering we are knights and all?”

[…….]

[…….]

Her complaint fell on deaf ears. Unfortunately, neither of the two knights was in the mood for jokes.

“Seriously, I never understand what real knights are thinking.”

Pale muttered, voicing the same thought that every other knight had when they saw her. Then, as if some idea struck her, she smirked.

“Alright! Since it’s two swords against me, I guess I’ll…”

Schwing—

Pale drew another sword from her waist—the red sword, which clearly belonged to El.

‘A sword?’

It was a bizarre-looking weapon, barely recognizable as a sword at all.

The part that should be called a blade felt so dull that if it were just a bit thicker, one might mistake it for a club. Moreover, there was no guard between the blade and the hilt, and the hilt had something resembling a trigger attached to it. The blunt tip of the sword had a hole in it, and the overall shape reminded Residue of a certain type of weapon.

‘It’s like a cross between a sword and a gun.’

Clack—

Pale aimed the red sword at the two knights.

“Bang.”

She pulled the trigger.

─BOOM!

An overwhelming blast of firepower, completely incompatible with Pale's cute voice.

It hit the Black Knight and the Red Knight.

‘What the hell…’

And even Residue was caught in the explosion.