Episode 1114

Episode 1114

“?

Of course, Lee Han was just as bewildered.

How many mages were gathered here right now?

The Ascension Lily Magic Tower mages had staged a ridiculous-scale farce just to recruit one promising talent, but they were not to be underestimated.

Even Urangdam, the Tower Master, who usually never wore such stuffy and ornate clothes (he worried Wardanaz might not come if he welcomed him in his dirty research robes), immediately changed after hearing the news.

-The artifact tracked by the White Oak Knights and the Guardians of the Shadow Valley? That can’t be taken lightly. I’ll take command personally.

-W-wait. Aren’t you going to do the next event you prepared?

-What was the next event again?

-The Ascension Lily Tower Ball…

-Just the name is unbearable. I bet none of us have danced in the last ten years.

-Sir? B-but you told us to prepare it just like the noble families do outside…

-Forget it! This is no time for such events when the Tower’s true calling is needed. Besides, showing them our magical abilities will be more persuasive.

The other mages admired his words, but a few who had worked on the event looked at him suspiciously.

After all that fuss, his sudden change was suspicious.

…Could it be that he was just too bored and tired to bear it, too?

Whatever the reason, Urangdam assigned the mages and formed a perfect encirclement.

Even the Tower mages who normally wouldn’t get involved were excited to participate—it was much better than a dull event.

That’s why Lee Han hadn’t been particularly worried even as the chains on the artifact were released and it was opened.

He already trusted the professors’ power, and now, with the Ascension Lily Tower’s mages, things would pretty much solve themselves even if he just stood still.

Yet the spirit that had emerged ignored all the other powerful people and spoke to Lee Han. It was an unsettling feeling.

‘And he’s a bigger shot than expected.’

The rank of wandering exile spirits varied widely.

Saratan, self-proclaimed king, had a unimpressive record. She’d even been subdued by other spirits.

Lee Han didn’t know how Saratan lost—maybe it was by trickery or betrayal.

But a loser was a loser. Even with the strength befitting a “king,” it meant nothing if you couldn’t prove it by results.

By contrast, this General of Fire Heaven seemed to have no interest in calling himself a king, but felt several times more threatening.

Instead of ruling or arranging his own territory as a spirit, all his attention was elsewhere.

Naturally, the Ascension Lily Tower mages looked him up in the records straight away…

“Saratan. Any idea why that spirit is interested in me?”

-Uh…

“Uh?”

-I didn’t expect it to be that spirit…!

Saratan was aghast.

She never imagined the spirit locked inside the artifact would be the General of Fire Heaven.

An ancient spirit from several generations before her, and by far a more violent one at that!

Judging from the energy from the artifact, at worst she thought it would be a spirit equal to or below her own level…

“Is that really important right now?”

Lee Han rebuked her in frustration.

This spirit was really no help.

She should have said what she knew about the General of Fire Heaven and why he might be interested in Lee Han. Maybe he liked magic, or liked magic, or liked magic…

‘Is it even worth asking? That’s probably the answer anyway.’

Saratan gathered her resolve.

In other words, in terms of belligerence, Saratan was no spirit to be outdone by anyone else.

Now that she thought about it, she was angry that she’d been scared by an ancient spirit she’d never even met before.

-…You’re right. I’d like to test myself against him! Summon me!

“……”

Lee Han seriously considered kicking his staff away.

She’d been spouting nonsense for some time.

“I’m not talking about summoning you—I’m asking why that spirit is interested in me…”

Fine, fine! Either way, if I’m going to be sent back, it wouldn’t be so bad to burn someone like you on my way out!

“!”

The spirit’s body suddenly lost form and became a massive pillar of flame.

The room the mages were gathered in was the -Room of Seals- on the fifth basement level of the Tower.

With hundreds of magic circles layered upon each other, it was a place used to seal powerful extradimensional beings. Once the circles activated, a terrible pressure kept anything from escaping.

But Zbagni showed an unprecedented, absurd choice.

He burned up his entire body to break through the magic circles.

It was a massive loss, but Zbagni cared nothing for it. His current desire was entirely to take on this absurd mage at least once.

Mortal loved by both spirits and stars, face the General of Fire Heaven, hated and loathed by spirits and stars alike!

-He’s insane!!

Saratan screamed.

She suddenly understood what Zbagni had done.

The entity locked inside the artifact wasn’t Zbagni’s true self, but an incarnation.

An incarnation was only like a clone— even if it was destroyed, the original spirit in the spirit world wouldn’t perish.

Not that there was zero loss, though. An incarnation was part of oneself, and if it were sent back, there was definite damage.

That’s why Zbagni had been trapped in the artifact so long.

He could have chosen death and been banished back to the spirit world, but since that came with a severe loss, it was better to wait until the seal was undone.

A long while for the material world was nothing in the spirit world.

But now Zbagni had thrown all that away for nothing.

He burned up his entire incarnation to break the magic seals, and then pulled extra power from his true body to fill in the gaps.

When extradimensional beings drew on their power, they suffered massive losses due to the world’s rejection.

With his incarnation gone and his true body’s power depleted, even a spirit like Zbagni couldn’t ignore this loss.

The weirdest part of this choice was, when all was said and done, all Zbagni got out of it was a very brief chance to fight.

What was the point of breaking through the magic circles?

There were hundreds of fresh mages and knights around here!

All this ruin just for this one shot at a fight…

‘Saratan, that jerk!’

While Saratan stared, appalled, Lee Han felt much the same way.

At the same time, he mentally cursed Saratan. This spirit was never any help.

Of course, it wasn’t Saratan’s fault that a spirit like the General of Fire Heaven was inside the artifact. Even without Saratan, the knights would have brought the artifact and released the spirit.

But that’s just human nature.

For some reason, whenever Saratan was involved, Lee Han just felt unlucky!

‘I just need to hang on a moment!’

-Get me out! Let me fight too!

-How am I supposed to get you out? I’m not my master!

Lee Han retorted as he mustered his magic.

The Young Prince, as a true master of magic, could create a body for Saratan with but a snap of his fingers. Lee Han neither had that ability nor time right now.

If he had the strength, he needed to use it to hold on.

Luckily, reinforcements were already springing into action around him, so he just needed to endure a bit longer.

The moment Zbagni broke out, powerful figures moved instantly.

Professor Voladi and Professor Garcia, Tower Master Urangdam, Knight Bamandam of the White Oak Knights…

…Jute of the Guardians of the Shadow Valley, and Joulin, who transformed into a dragon in anger!!

‘No!!’

Lee Han screamed inside.

Not because of the former, but the latter.

Jute’s desire to take care of Lee Han as a fellow necromancer was a little awkward, maybe overwhelming at times, but ultimately not so bad.

He could always organize a necromancer get-together and have everyone, including Senior Direte, give Jute a group counseling session. It’d probably be possible.

But if Joulin transformed into a dragon here, that was a different story.

Even if the other Tower mages didn’t notice, someone like Tower Master Urangdam definitely would.

There were mass-produced imperial royals in the empire, but among them, only nine were of dragon blood.

And if those dragon-blooded followed someone around…

Wonderful, wonderful! Burning a loved one is even sweeter!

Lee Han forced himself to stop thinking and returned to reality. The sheer malice emitted by the other spirit made any other thoughts impossible.

‘Water Orb Projectile!’

The Water Orb Projectile stored in his intermediate spell cache was instantly cast and launched.

But it didn’t end just with a dazzling trajectory. Lee Han used intermediate teleportation to strike this evil spirit directly.

His brain felt like it was on fire from the focus, independent of his mana, but the magical experience he’d accumulated resulted in near-miraculous success. He’d executed it perfectly.

At the same time, Lee Han drew on Saratan’s power through his staff. He couldn’t manifest Saratan’s true form, but could grant her authority.

Power of Fortitude!

-Trust me, mage!

For the first time since their contract, Saratan did not fail Lee Han’s expectations.

Receiving Lee Han’s mana as if from a spring, Saratan roared, unleashing the power of Fortitude.

Not only did it make the staff itself unbreakably sturdy, but a shield of invincibility formed up front.

Blocked from the front, hit with a Water Orb Projectile from behind, the General of Fire Heaven simply grinned and severed his own body.

He didn’t care—he just wanted to fight as much as he could before being banished.

To be so strong, loved by spirits! All the more, I want to burn you!

“…You bastard! Who says I’m loved by spirits!”

Normally, Lee Han didn’t waste emotion fighting opponents, but this time he couldn’t help it.

All his hardships in contracting with spirits flashed before his eyes.

At Lee Han’s cry, full of genuine feeling, the General of Fire Heaven hesitated.

This mortal mage really seemed like someone universally loved.

Yet how could he show such profound bitterness?

It was almost as if his opponent was another being like himself.

‘Am I misunderstanding something?’

But regardless of his thoughts, the General of Fire Heaven didn’t stop. Judging by the situation, his chances of another shot were nearly gone.

His body faded away like dying embers.

But it was a trick. As if to buy more time to fight, a huge wall of flame rose up around the area. Simultaneously, the General of Fire Heaven reappeared in the air.

He had drawn out yet more power from his true body!

Saratan cursed.

-That crazy old man!! Why can’t he just age gracefully!!!!

Hahahaha! Hahahahaha! See if you can stop this!

Countless fiery warriors began forming inside the wall of fire.

Lee Han didn’t even have time to curse like Saratan.

First, he maximized the staff’s black magnetite to jam further incantations with counter-magic, then summoned Water Orb Projectiles to clear out the warriors.

But the spinning orbs of water were little more than morning dew in the face of the mighty heat pouring from the fiery warriors. They shrank and evaporated in the blink of an eye.

Clenching his teeth and beginning to cast again, Lee Han suddenly saw the approaching warriors vanish without a trace.

No!

Even Zbagni was shocked.

No sign or warning, yet his army had been nullified just like that?

‘Evangelion!’

He couldn’t see anything, but Lee Han knew by instinct. The cloak impressed upon countless parallel dimensions was protecting its master.

Realizing that his master’s power was guarding him filled Lee Han with confidence. He summoned another Water Orb Projectile.

It wasn’t the same spell as before. He’d already realized an ordinary Water Orb Projectile couldn’t defeat this foe.

Not just a physically rotating, destructive projectile—like -Wardanaz’s Lightning-, it carried an additional intent.

Though it was smaller and spun less wildly than before, Zbagni sensed defeat was imminent.