LIGHT NOVEL Chapter 674
“Everywhere you look, it’s a Mage.”
It was the special training instructed by Ghislaine. After hearing about undead traps from Zico, Ghislaine thought it was a fantastic opportunity.
Such a passionate chance to fight doesn’t come around often.
Thanks to Ghislaine, who pushed through everyone’s objections, Deneb and Kyle found themselves facing hundreds of undead.
Grrr!
The undead, gradually being pushed back by the soldiers, naturally attacked the two as they got closer.
Surrounded by both undead and allies, Deneb and Kyle had no choice but to fight for their lives.
Gah! Gah! Gah!
The undead were falling quickly. This meant Deneb and Kyle’s skills had improved beyond comparison.
The knights of Nordhill watched the situation unfold before slicing down the undead that approached the soldiers. This much help was allowed by Ghislaine.
While the undead were collapsing everywhere, Ghislaine and Yulien had managed to cut through the undead blocking their way and were now close to Basilrud.
Seeing the two approaching, Basilrud panicked.
“What, what is this!”
There were over a hundred undead right in front of him. Yet they were quickly cut through.
The two didn’t even take the time to properly slay the undead, just shoving them aside and charging through.
And one of them was a mage, can you believe it!
“You cheeky brats!”
A massive wall made entirely of bones rose up in front of Basilrud. A wall even the average knight would struggle to break.
At the same time, his hands began to be shrouded in dark energy.
“I’ll make you regret daring to come at me!”
In that moment, Ghislaine, who was in front of Yulien, gripped his staff with both hands and swung it as if it were a bat.
BOOM!
A large hole burst through the bone wall, debris flying everywhere. Basilrud’s eyes widened as he prepared to cast a spell.
“Y-You’re not a mage, are you?”
His incredulous question spilled out before he could stop it. He just couldn’t believe it even after seeing it.
“Everywhere you look, it’s a Mage,”
Ghislaine replied curtly, forcefully slamming the staff down.
BOOM!
Basilrud extended his shield and staggered back, his hands thrust forward as dark magic burst forth.
“Die!”
Even in his panic, the quick counterattack was certainly befitting a 6th Circle Mage.
A powerful surge of energy poured from his darkened hands.
WHOOSH!
As Ghislaine rushed towards him, he spun his staff swiftly.
CLASH!
The dark magic collided with their powers and bounced off in all directions. Basilrud was left dumbfounded, mouth agape.
“Huh?”
What kind of magic bounces off like a stone hit by a bat? It was an unimaginable sight.
“W-What? This crazy….”
The fight between mages isn’t like this. It’s about dueling powers, neutralizing spells, and the one with the upper hand wins. That was the standard.
But this opponent wasn’t even engaging in a power contest.
Basilrud stepped back in shock, his mind blank, unable to think of how to respond.
He completely forgot there was someone else moving alongside Ghislaine.
WHOOSH!
While Ghislaine bounced back the magic, Yulien quickly closed in on Basilrud.
“Gah!”
Basilrud twisted his body to evade the sword swinging right in front of him. But it was a moment too late.
SLASH!
“Kraaah!”
Yulien’s sword cut through Basilrud’s shoulder, severing his arm.
Teeth clenched, Basilrud reached out with his remaining hand toward Yulien. Though Yulien lifted his sword in a hurry, a massive surge of magic overwhelmed him.
BOOM!
Basilrud attempted to follow up with another attack, but he was too pressed for time.
A long pole (or something?) swung menacingly toward his face yet again.
Basilrud hastily raised his remaining arm to extend his shield. But he was too busy focusing on Yulien, making his reaction a moment too slow, and the shield didn’t fully deploy.
BOOM!
“Ugh!”
The tremendous impact had Basilrud spitting blood and staggering back. Since the attacks came relentlessly, he couldn’t concentrate at all.
Yet, he managed to barely fend off the magical might.
‘W-What distance am I supposed to—’
Basilrud didn’t even check in front of him and staggered backward blindly. He needed to gather his thoughts again.
BOOM! BAM! BOOM!
A surge of magic burst from his feet as he propelled himself backward. As he panicked and retreated, he finally managed to catch his breath as the enemy stopped pursuing.
Ghislaine didn’t follow him due to Yulien. He had something else in mind.
“Tsk, tsk, you lack training.”
“Ugh.”
Yulien, with a cracked ribs and shoulder, took Ghislaine’s hand and struggled to rise. Ghislaine immediately reached out and released his magic.
“Healing.”
SHINE!
A vivid green light enveloped Yulien’s body. Gradually, the fractured bones began to mend.
Though not as powerful as a priest’s divine power, the healing from a 5th Circle Mage was still quite handy.
Ghislaine expressed wonder.
“Wow, magic is really nice. I can easily heal light injuries now.”
Having done the healing himself, he felt amazed as if it was a new discovery. Of course, the predominant feeling was sheer joy. He was totally immersed in magic recently.
Seeing this, Basilrud gritted his teeth in rage.
“Those bastards….”
He had lost an arm in the blink of an eye. Yet these guys were leisurely healing themselves.
For a 6th Circle Mage like him to be in such a predicament—his pride turned into an unstoppable fury.
“How dare you use such tactics….”
This was his first time in such a brawl since learning magic. Therefore, he had no idea how to respond properly.
Their reckless charge threw off the mage’s usual fighting style. Basilrud, gritting his teeth, retreated further and began to gather his magical power.
THRUM…
The ground trembled, and stones floated around him as an immense energy poured out.
He was planning to unleash a powerful spell that could wipe out this entire area.
“Heh… it seems you’ve got some brains. A mage charging straight at me, huh? Trying to catch me off guard?”
Initially, if he could just repel the knights’ advances, he would win the battle. So, he blocked them with the undead and planned to sweep everything away with powerful spells.
He didn’t mind losing the undead he had amassed. More corpses would surely be created soon enough, and he could take the time to recover.
But now, these strange guys were rapidly approaching, throwing his original plan into chaos.
But now it’s over. He wouldn’t be caught twice with the same trick.
“I’ll show you the difference in circles.”
Basilrud’s body lifted into the air. Simultaneously, countless bones began to rise from the ground.
It took a little time to cast, so he took precautions to ensure the enemies couldn’t come close.
WHOOSH!
A tremendous surge of dark magic exploded from his body. By now, dozens of swirling black orbs were forming in the air.
Once this storm of darkness was complete, no one present would survive.
“So, what do you think? With your level, you’ll never be able to dispel this magic.”
Basilrud wore a broad smile.
Even though Yulien was a 5th Circle Mage, he could lessen the spell’s power, but he would never nullify it.
To begin with, the difference in circles also meant a huge difference in mana.
And with this spell, even if it was weakened, it would be enough to sweep away everything in the area.
Basilrud confidently prepared to cast his magic.
But then…
WHOOSH!
A fireball flew right in front of him.
“You little brat?”
Unable to multi-cast, Basilrud immediately deployed his shield.
There was a brief interruption in the casting, but it was fine. The rearranged magical energy would remain in the air for a moment even if the casting was interrupted. He could just pick it back up before it dissipated.
The fireball collided with the shield and vanished. It was an incredibly brief moment, so he didn’t care much.
“As long as I complete the magic fast….”
BOOM! WHOOSH! BOOM!
“Ugh! W-What’s this speed!”
But Basilrud couldn’t keep his casting intact.
The fireballs came flying at him like crazy, making it impossible for him to focus. Each time he raised the shield, the casting would get interrupted.
He opened his eyes wide in shock. They weren’t dispelling his magic; they were continuously attacking and messing up his casting! A regular mage would find this impossible.
To pull off such a stunt, you needed one talent.
“M-Multi-casting?”
BOOM! BOOM! WHOOSH! BOOM!
Before Basilrud could even gather his wits, dozens of fireballs were soaring toward him.
But that wasn’t all. The spear of mana Ghislaine favored shot forth countless times toward Basilrud.
BOOM! WHOOSH! BOOM! BANGBANGBANG!
“W-What the heck!”
Basilrud was frantic, hastily raising his shield to fend off the assaults. He couldn’t even continue casting the magic he originally planned.
The rearranged magic began dissipating over time.
To cast quickly, you need to have a high processing ability. Unfortunately for Basilrud, that was his weak spot.
And as time passed, another problem loomed larger.
“M-My magic….”
He was depleting mana just to hover in the air. He had to maintain the shield continually.
Having already spent considerable magic to cast a powerful spell, his remaining mana was dwindling too quickly.
“N-No!”
BANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANG!
Magic reigned down at an insane speed. Never had he seen anyone cast spells this rapidly.
Even a 6th Circle Mage like him found this impossible. What in the world was this person who could use magic like this?!
In reality, Ghislaine wasn’t even considering a power duel. He didn’t plan to attempt to dispel Basilrud’s magic either.
Basilrud, being a 6th Circle Mage, naturally had more magic. Additionally, dispelling meant calculating the opponent’s mana arrangement in reverse.
“That sounds tiring.”
He was fine just hammering down magic like he was doing now; there was no need for tedious calculations.
And Ghislaine’s strategy was proving incredibly effective.
At least when it came to managing magic, no one could compete with Ghislaine. Hence, he could shoot off spells non-stop with less mana.
BANGBANGBANGBANG!
Basilrud’s shield shook from the continuous onslaught. He howled in disbelief.
“This is madness! A 5th Circle Mage!”
Clearly, his mana was much greater than that of the 6th Circle. His understanding of magic was superior as well.
Yet he was the one getting pushed back. The relentless barrage of spells left him no time to counterattack.
As every collision of his shield with the incoming spells sapped more of his power, he reluctantly had to descend to the ground to conserve the remaining energy.
But Ghislaine and Yulien were already wrecking the bones on the ground and rapidly closing in.
“Gahhh! W-What the hell! Who are you?! How can you use magic like this!”
Basilrud screamed, his face twisted in bewilderment as he couldn’t comprehend the unfolding situation.
Arriving right before Basilrud, Ghislaine wore a fierce grin.
“Magic isn’t just about the circle; it’s about real combat.”
BOOM!
The staff loaded with magic slammed into Basilrud’s body.
Because Basilrud had put all his strength into deploying the shield, he wasn’t injured. But his magic once again plunged into oblivion.
BANG!
Yulien also channeled his mana to slice through Basilrud’s shield.
BOOM! BANG! BOOM!
The two attacked without resting. Basilrud’s complexion grew paler with each passing moment.
“N-NO….”
Under half of his magic was left. He had never experienced such a fight before, leaving him completely at a loss.
In such cases, one needed to switch magic rapidly, but he had neither the experience nor the skill to do so.
Naturally, as a mage, his physical abilities were lacking, leaving him unable to dodge properly.
This was the weakness most mages had. That’s why Jerome relentlessly practiced hand-to-hand combat.
First, you master combat before magic. That was one of the hallmarks of the Radiant Mage Tower.
BAM! BANG! BOOM!
Basilrud trembled.
If he were to attack, he must drop the shield. But if he dropped the shield, part of him could get sliced off again. No, he might even lose his head this time.
Once the fear set in, he couldn’t even consider launching an attack.
“W-Wait a second….”
BAM! BANG! BOOM!
Basilrud’s voice trembled as he spoke. His hands shook as much as his shield trembled from the impact. His mana was running low.
But the two showed no signs of stopping. Feeling their momentum falter, they struck the shield even harder.
“W-Wait, wait!”
Basilrud kept shouting. No magic came to mind anymore.
He had lost his will to fight. All he could think about was not wanting to die.
In a ridiculous twist, a 6th Circle Mage found himself caught in the fighting style of a 5th Circle Mage.
Feeling his mana completely depleted, Basilrud screamed.
“S-Stop!”
BOOM!
The shield shattered. Basilrud froze in fear.
Without mercy, Ghislaine swung his staff aimed right at Basilrud’s leg.
CRACK!