Chapter 371

[Support me here:- https://bmc.link/punisher87 ]

In the dark woods, the mages revealed themselves. This time, there were twenty of them, and beside them was Myla.

[Look at this! I knew it. If it were my sister, she would have hidden the seal of the tomb somewhere else. But it's obvious! The only place in the Wantaramo where she can hide the seal from my eyes is Red Lake!] Myla stepped forward and spoke with a newly found voice. She seemed to be out of breath, perhaps from hurrying to get here. The mages, too, had sweat-drenched faces.

'I was a little worried about the Spectres, but thankfully, only the Magic tower mages seem to have come. The 3rd Magic tower must have come in a hurry, so there wouldn't have been time to bring the Spectres as well."

The Spectre corps is the elite secret force of Zipfel and the direct subordinates of Octavia Zipfel, making it a force that the 3rd Magic tower wouldn't dare to summon.

'But still, they must have reported that I am in Wantaramo forest, so eventually, the Spectre corps will come. They even sent five last time to catch me.'

The plan was to kill them all before the reinforcements arrived, check the tomb, and then leave the forest.

[When I said we should ally with Zipfel for the sake of our kin, you ignored me, calling it nonsense! Runcandel? Not even Chiron Runcandel, but that powerless young boy! You will stick to him!]

Myla's body swelled temporarily as she screamed in anger. It was a phenomenon that occurred when a descendant of the Fairy tribe was excited or exhibited power.

[Is this the path for our kin that my sister talked about? No wonder everyone turned their backs on you. Where are you? Come out! Come out and say something at least!]

A moment of silence passed. Myla's determined breathing grew louder.

In the meantime, Jin and Valeria estimated Zipfel's approximate power, and the Majins of Vermont were also cautious, watching them closely.

[Ha, I got excited for no reason. Anyway, listen well, sister. I am giving you a final warning as your sibling. If you come out now and beg, I'll let you die without suffering. We have a bond of flesh and blood... Kyaaah!]

Suddenly, Myla screamed.

It was because her wings were grazed by Valeria's mana beam. She had concealed magic in her hand ever since the mages appeared.

[My wings! My wings, aaargh! It's hot!]

Screaming, Myla cowered behind the mages. The mages showed no particular reaction to Myla's injury.

[You couldn't even block this? Kill them all immediately! What are you doing, huh!?]

"Shut up. You dare to step forward fearlessly, and shout, who do you dare to blame and give orders."

One of the mages said with a contemptuous glare at Myla. Myla was silenced by his icy attitude.

"Greetings, Jin Runcandel. I am Drew Malaga, the vice-master of the 3rd Magic tower."

Malaga is one of the central families of the Lutero Magic Federation. Before taking over the 3rd Magic tower, he had been the second-in-command of the mage unit, White Night.

-Nice to meet you, Lady Luna. I am Maul Hensirk, the second-in-command of the White Night.

-'You'? It seems the second-in command changed without my knowledge?

-My predecessor Drew Malaga has retired… 

-If it were Drew, he would have stepped down from those stairs before greeting me.

Jin recalled the conversation Luna and Maul had during the Holy Kingdom Incident.

"Good to see you, Drew Malaga. I heard you retired." 

"Not long ago, I returned as the vice-master of the 3rd Magic tower."

"It seems the Lutero Magic Federation lacks talent."

"Didn't all of Runcandel's former Black Knights retire? Yet they are still unofficially on missions, aren't they? I have a similar situation."

"Compared to the former Black Knights, you seem to fall short. Is it excessive confidence, or do you not know shame?"

"That was an inappropriate remark. If it displeased you, I apologize."

Drew was not a person to succumb to provocation easily.

Having served as the second-in-command of the White Night and then being appointed as the vice-master of the 3rd Magic tower again despite his retirement, there was a reason for his selection.

"Jin Runcandel."

Drew spoke as he stroked his beard.

"Speak."

"I have a proposal."

"A proposal?"

"Just leave. Higher-ups are about to send reinforcements, and you can't handle it. Neither can I afford to lose my subordinates needlessly to stop you."

"You think you can stop me by losing your subordinates. How would you like my answer?"

"I can't help it. Just one more question, who is that mage next to you? I hear they use forgotten magic...?"

Drew knew about Valeria being a record mage from what he had heard from Myla on the way here.

'Since Myla used the Magic tower master staff to call them, they came without any information. Drew didn't know from the start that there was a record mage here. But even if I kill all the mages, the information that I accompanied a record mage will likely reach Zipfel.'

As Jin had thought, Drew Malaga had already sent a letter to the Zipfel main house informing them of the existence of a record mage as soon as he heard it from Myla.

Myla's betrayal was an unexpected event, so it couldn't be helped.

In the instant before Jin was about to snort, Arya unexpectedly stepped forward and spoke.

"You deal with the Majins, Jin Runcandel."

You're going to face twenty of them alone?

Jin didn't bother asking such a question and simply nodded. If his teacher said so, it meant she could handle it on her own.

"Be careful."

As Jin began to unsheathe his sword to face the Majins, Valeria eyed the mages.

"Listen well, you Zipfel dogs."

Valeria removed her hood, revealing her face. Her mana-infused silver oak staff illuminated her face.

"I am a mage who will erase the name Zipfel from this world someday, a descendant of those trampled and vanished at the hand of Zipfel, a sibling of innocent gray owls who were killed by Zipfel. My name is"

Valeria Hister!

As she finished her words, Drew's pupils dilated. And Jin could only feel considerable shock.

'Teacher revealed her real name?'

She hadn't revealed her real name yet, even to Jin.

While fighting the Majins, Jin kept his focus on Valeria.

The reason Valeria had revealed her name was none other than to signify her intent to kill every single one of the mages in front of her.

"There's no way you'll be able to return alive."

She was certain she could do it.

"...Watch the ground!"

As soon as Valeria's staff moved, Drew shouted suddenly.

In the blink of an eye, without anyone realizing, chains of lightning attribute had spread across the ground beneath them.

'Did she set up the spell while revealing her true identity...!'

It was a shocking spell casting even for Jin to comprehend.

Even Jin, who was right next to her, didn't notice that she was channeling mana. It was unlikely that the 3rd Magic tower mages would have realized it either.

"Kraaaah!"

"Argh!"

The mages who hadn't managed to dodge the lightning chains cried out. Blood was already pouring from their mouths, noses, and ears, and the ones who barely shielded themselves were left with a chilling feeling running down their spines.

"Ahhh...."

The mages entangled in the chains writhed, and the five of them were soon soaked in blood, coughing up foam as they met their end.

In an instant, twenty percent of the Magic tower's force had been wiped out.

However, the misfortune of the 3rd Magic tower mages didn't end there. The lightning chains, even after killing five of them, continued to writhe like living entities, attaching themselves to the protective shields of the remaining mages.

Those chains didn't just exert pressure on the shields; they also blocked the mages' line of sight, maximizing their sense of dread.

"I'll buy us some time! Stay calm and respond, or we'll be swept away by the mana backflow!"

Drew indeed demonstrated the qualities of the second-in-command of the White Night. He continued to provide excellent commands to prevent his startled subordinates from falling into the backflow.

However, Valeria was expecting Drew to be capable of dealing with that level of situation.

Therefore, she intended to kill them in a way that surpassed their expectations.

Kaga-gang!

Suddenly, a dimensional portal opened in the air, as if summoning a phoenix.

Valeria had completed a summoning spell. However, the portal didn't open near Valeria; it opened "above" the heads of the Magic tower mages.

Crash, clang, clank!

What emerged from it were hundreds of sharp icicles. Like the overlapping teeth of sharks, these icicles shattered upon hitting the protective shields, but immediately regrew and continued their assault.

The mages whose protective shields had been broken met their deaths with gruesome wounds all over their bodies. The fallen flesh and entrails had turned into charred remnants still emitting sizzling sounds, consumed by the lightning chains.

The mages of the 3rd Magic Tower had never expected to be attacked in this manner. Despite having learned magic at Zipfel, and considering Zipfel's library to be a repository of all the world's magic, they were completely unprepared.

One thing was certain. The magic Valeria was unleashing was of something they had never seen before. In fact, the magic she employed was a variety that had undergone numerous transformations, making it nearly impossible to trace back to its original form.

As a result, they were utterly helpless in responding. Although they had believed they were well-versed in almost all forms of magic the world had to offer, the eerie and unfamiliar spells that Valeria wielded were causing their comrades to burn and be impaled to death. The sight was a true embodiment of terror.

Shoo!

In the midst of this confusion and panic, a faint sound of something being unsheathed was heard. It wasn't Bradamante.

It was the sound of Valeria's dagger being drawn from the sleeve of her robe.

Thud, thud...

Valeria began approaching the mages with deliberate steps, not particularly fast.

Her eyes were stained with bloodlust. Until Valeria came into close range, the mages were too preoccupied with surviving the lightning chains and icicles to pay attention.

The chains that lay on the ground were forming a path following Valeria's steps.

The icicles pouring from the portal above their heads also avoided the direction Valeria was walking in.

From then on, it was a literal slaughter.

Like a grim reaper, every time she moved her dagger amidst the mages, a life was snuffed out. Thuk, thuk. Valeria stabbed the mages in their throats and hearts with a cold, detached expression.

Gradually, she headed toward Drew Malaga, who was protecting his subordinate with his shield.

Drew had already accepted defeat and death before Valeria even stood before him. Since the first surprise attack that had killed five of his subordinates.

Even when Valeria stood right in front of Drew, he had no energy to retaliate or push her away.

Without stabbing Drew, Valeria met his gaze for a moment.

"Among the mages who slaughtered the Grey Owl Mercenaries, there was someone named Holden Malaga."

"Is he?"

"Seems like you're of the same bloodline."

Drew remained silent, avoiding Valeria's gaze.

"Are you afraid of your own brethren dying too?"

Schlick!

As Valeria slashed Drew's throat, the lightning chains and icicles finally breached the protective shield that had been barely holding against them, swallowing up Drew's subordinates.

Amidst the chaos of blood and screams, Valeria fired another mana beam to sever the wings of Myla, who was trying to escape.