Chapter 361: I’m a Mage Too (3)

Delmud flinched as he saw Ghislain emerge unscathed from the flames.

"That bastard…"

It was possible for someone skilled enough to escape. Firestorm was a wide-area attack spell, so its concentrated power wasn't overwhelming.

But even so, it was a 7th-circle spell. An average knight would have been incinerated instantly. Yet, Ghislain's body showed no signs of burns or damage, indicating an enormous mana reserve.

Delmud quickly prepared his next spell.

Ghislain, his red eyes glowing ominously, tilted his head slightly. He could sense a surge of immense mana gathering around Delmud.

"You're slow."

Boom!

The ground shattered as Ghislain launched himself toward Delmud with astonishing speed. In an instant, a dark red aura blade extended from his sword.

"Ugh!"

Before Delmud could complete his spell, the aura blade was already slicing toward him.

Whoosh!

Delmud hastily canceled his casting and conjured a fire shield in front of him.

Clang!

"Aaagh!"

The hastily constructed shield was no match for the aura blade, shattering instantly. The blade slashed across Delmud's chest, leaving a deep, bleeding gash.

"Tch."

Clicking his tongue in annoyance, Ghislain landed back on the ground.

If it had been anyone else, they would have been sliced in half. Delmud had somehow managed to lessen the impact at the last moment. Truly befitting a 7th-circle mage.

But this fight was far from over.

"Not fully mastered yet, it seems," Ghislain muttered.

Delmud had reached the 7th circle only a few years prior, so his mana control wasn't yet perfect. And, like a proper noble mage, he lacked extensive combat experience.

The best way to handle such an opponent was to keep them constantly off-balance, denying them the chance to unleash powerful spells.

Whoosh!

Dark red spears flared into existence around Ghislain once again.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

The spears shot toward Delmud like a barrage of arrows.

"You bastard!"

Delmud wasn't someone who would fall to such attacks. With a single motion of his hand, flames roared to life, disintegrating the incoming spears effortlessly.

But it didn't stop there.

Zing!

"Blink!"

Delmud teleported, his body shimmering as he reappeared a considerable distance away.

The moment he disappeared, Ghislain's aura blade slashed through the space where he had been, cutting through empty air.

Delmud tried to use the opportunity to cast a powerful spell, but it wasn't easy.

Whoosh!

Dark energy condensed in the air, forming into sharp projectiles that shot toward him at incredible speed. Delmud had no choice but to quickly cast defensive spells to dodge or block the attacks.

Zing! Zing! Zing!

All around him, the dark red mist condensed into jagged spikes. While they lacked the proper form of spears, they were still deadly. The sheer number of them overwhelmed Delmud, forcing him to rely on rapidly cast spells to defend himself.

"Protect me!"

Fwoosh!

Flames roared to life, gathering around Delmud's hands and forming into fireballs that surrounded him. The fireballs, glowing like rubies, spun around him in a mesmerizing dance.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

As the spikes collided with the fireballs, they exploded one by one.

Though Delmud couldn't cast more complex spells in this chaotic situation, his sheer mana reserve and willpower allowed him to hold his ground.

"Fire Field!"

Fwoosh!

Flames erupted from beneath Delmud, spreading outward in a massive wave. The fire field ignited the ground, consuming everything in its path and stretching beyond the confines of the mana barrier.

"Run! Get back!"

Hubert shouted in terror, urging everyone to retreat even farther.

At that moment, Vanessa grabbed Alpoi's wrist tightly.

"Stop grabbing me like that all of a sudden!" Alpoi snapped, though his face reddened.

Vanessa ignored him, drawing on his mana. She turned to face the encroaching flames, extending her hand.

"Aqua Field!"

Rumble!

Moisture from the air and the ground surged toward her mana, forming a massive barrier of water to counter the flames.

Hiss!

Steam erupted as water and fire clashed, shrouding the area in a thick fog. But Vanessa alone couldn't fully extinguish the flames of a 7th-circle mage.

"Ugh!"

Gritting her teeth, she tried to draw even more mana when she heard others chanting around her.

"Earth Shape!"

"Ice Wall!"

"Water Strike!"

Mages from all sides cast their spells to help counter the advancing flames. Together, their efforts slowed the fire wave until it finally stopped.

But Delmud was too preoccupied to care about such distractions. His focus was entirely on Ghislain, who continued to dodge and attack within the inferno.

"Raging Fire!"

Whoosh!

A massive column of flame shot from Delmud's hands, chasing Ghislain relentlessly.

"Hmph!"

Boom!

Ghislain stomped the ground, channeling mana through his feet. The flames were pushed aside, extinguished in an instant.

Taking advantage of the opening, Ghislain extended his aura blade even further and swung it with incredible force.

Slash!

The torrent of flame split cleanly in two. But the attack didn't end there. The energy from the aura blade continued to surge forward, cutting through Delmud's flames and forcing him to dodge.

"Tch!"

Delmud twisted his body, narrowly avoiding the slash.

Rip!

The front of his robe was torn by the invisible force. The constant, precise attacks left him no room for complacency.

Whoosh!

Before Delmud could regain his footing, more crimson spears rained down from all sides.

"Damn it!"

He conjured fireballs around himself to block the projectiles.

Boom! Boom!

But the barrage didn't stop. Even when he teleported away, more spears were already flying toward his new position.

"How does he know?!"

Delmud shouted in frustration. It was as if Ghislain could predict his movements, setting traps in advance.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Though Delmud managed to block most of the attacks, a few spears struck him, leaving bloody wounds.

Before he could recover, Ghislain appeared, grinning fiercely, and slashed with his sword.

Slash!

"Ugh…"

Delmud teleported again, narrowly escaping. But this time, part of his arm was sliced.

Zing! Zing! Zing!

There was no respite. If this continued, Delmud knew he would be worn down, his mana drained completely.

"This arrogant bastard!"

He had to acknowledge Ghislain's skill. The man fought as if he were used to battling mages, exploiting every opportunity with precision.

Despite his power, Delmud realized he was being outmaneuvered. He decided to change tactics.

"Raaagh!"

With a roar, Delmud unleashed all his mana.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The sheer force of his power caused Ghislain's dark red spears to explode mid-air. The overwhelming mana blanketed the area, exerting suffocating pressure on everyone present.

Rumble!

Ghislain's glowing red eyes narrowed as he bared his teeth in a feral grin.

"Now it's finally getting interesting."

The amount of mana of a 7th circle mage is on a different level from that of ordinary mages. No matter how much he pushed, Delmud would somehow endure.

In that case, it wouldn't be easy to finish the fight even if he fought all day. The more he exploded his mana, the shorter his duration would be.

However, Delmud got caught up in his fighting style and exploded all his mana. Now it was time to fight with strength and finish the fight.

As if Delmud was going to finish it all at once, he poured an enormous amount of mana into each spell.

"Fire Pillar!"

Boom!

Enormous pillars of flame erupted from the ground, targeting every spot Ghislain moved to.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Despite the relentless attacks, Ghislain dodged with almost preternatural awareness, anticipating each strike before it landed.

To the spectators, it looked as if the flames had consumed Ghislain, their eyes unable to keep up with his movements.

Even as he evaded, Ghislain continued to launch his dark red spears at Delmud, keeping him from regaining control.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The battlefield was a chaotic inferno, the combatants moving so quickly that the onlookers could barely comprehend what was happening.

Alpoi, now drained of mana, muttered weakly from Vanessa's arms.

"Is… is the Lord's fighting real? My heart feels so full…"

He had always known Ghislain was a formidable fighter, having seen him take on dozens or even hundreds of enemies. But this was the first time he had seen him stand toe-to-toe with a 7th-circle mage.

The Scarlet Flame Magic Tower mages were equally awestruck.

"Could Count Fenris really be a Master?"

"And he can use magic too…"

"What circle could he possibly be at to achieve this?"

It was surprising that he was a Master who had only heard rumors, but he was also using strange magic. It was unknown what school of magic it was, but in any case, magic was magic.

Even if it was used as an assistant, the destructive power and speed were not ordinary. That's why they couldn't help but think that Ghislain's magic skills were extremely outstanding.

In fact, he was just randomly firing a bunch of magic.

The Crimson Magic Tower mages, meanwhile, were filled with disbelief.

"This is impossible. No one can master both swordsmanship and magic to this level at his age!"

"It defies all logic!"

They absolutely did not want to admit it. Ghislain's skills were so outstanding. At first, they thought their tower lord would win easily. However, looking at the battle situation, they were being pushed back like crazy.

This was ridiculous. Why are the 7th Circle mages called superhumans? They are called superhumans because they can fight an army alone.

But how can they fight such a superhuman like that?

When Delmud became the tower lord, Ghislain was just a kid who was ignored even in the North. He became the great lord in just a few years and now he was showing skills comparable to a superhuman.

A deep sense of defeat and inferiority welled up in their hearts.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The two continued to battle, reducing the surroundings to ashes.

Delmud infused his rapidly cast spells with an overwhelming amount of mana, exponentially increasing their power.

The sky and earth shook, and the area around them was engulfed in relentless flames.

Amid the blazing inferno that seemed to consume the world, Ghislain appeared almost insignificant.

But it only seemed that way because flames surrounded him on all sides.

Boom!

Each step Ghislain took caused the flames to erupt, only to extinguish immediately after.

Dudududududu!

Dark red spears continued to materialize, shooting toward Delmud endlessly. The spears were blocked by the flames and detonated one after another, yet the barrage never ceased. 

The sheer volume of spears forced Delmud, even as he cast spells, to unconsciously retreat step by step.

The fight was gradually turning into a clash of raw power.

Inside Ghislain, Dark observed the battle, slightly amazed.

'Wow, Master is seriously good at fighting.'

To hold his own against someone as monstrous as Delmud—Dark already knew Ghislain was strong, but seeing him fight properly was something else entirely.

'No, compared to those insane memories, he was even stronger back then.'

The astonishing strength Ghislain was displaying now wasn't even half of what Dark had seen in his fragmented memories.

At first, Dark had assumed Ghislain was just a madman. But now, it seemed as though he truly had returned from the future, carrying knowledge that made the impossible a reality.

It sounded absurd, but without that explanation, the current situation defied all logic.

'When this battle ends, I have to ask him about it.'

For the battle to end safely, Dark needed to survive. If Ghislain died here, Dark would perish as well.

There was no one in this place who could serve as a new host.

Dark's voice echoed in Ghislain's mind.

— Master, I think your mana is running low.

Thanks to Dark's abilities, Ghislain's mana had been significantly amplified. However, the sheer strength of the techniques he was using caused his mana to deplete rapidly.

"Hoo, yeah, I guess it's time to wrap this up."

The fight had already turned into a direct clash of power. There was no need for tricks anymore—he needed to settle this with a decisive blow.

Rumble!

As Ghislain activated his third core, an overwhelming surge of mana erupted within his body.

— Master! No! You can't do this!

Dark's voice rose in panic. Even without activating the third core, Ghislain was already far stronger than before.

The second core, combined with Dark's abilities, had exponentially amplified his mana.

The third core, however, would multiply his power several times over again. When combined with Dark's enhancement, it would result in an unparalleled level of strength.

The problem was that Ghislain's body wasn't yet capable of withstanding such immense power. His core and physical body were not in equilibrium.

— Your body will explode!

Ghislain responded with a fierce grin.

"Then I just have to kill him first."

BOOOOM!

A storm of dark red mana erupted violently from Ghislain's body.

[T/L: Please support me and read 385 extra chapters: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]