Episode 1215

“Demons usually don’t cooperate well, do they? One can’t help but be surprised when they do. Compared to them, you, the great General of Lightning and Thunder King Perkuntra, have always been my steadfast supporter. I’ve trusted you all along.”

The more urgent and regretful the situation, the longer and more detailed Lee Han’s flattery became.

Perkuntra found himself swayed by such an obvious tactic, and realized he had grown far closer to this contractor than he should have.

…Hmph. Fine. Now that it’s come to this, let’s see it through to the end.

-Isn’t this a bit too easy for a spirit king to fall for?

Mafuda sounded skeptical, but Perkuntra ignored it.

No spirit would be so soft as to be swayed by a demon’s words.

As long as the thunder spear could be thrust, it would deal a proper blow. However—

This strike of Eradication, combining the Thunder King’s lightning and the infamous demon’s spear arts, boasted power several levels above ordinary Small World spells.

Even if the opponent was a god-class being, it was the same.

But the problem was landing the hit.

Right now, the Yaksha King and Sanguiros were literally tearing apart and smashing the domain in their fight.

The professors and knights of Einrogard were moving quickly, forming layers of encirclement and landing blows on Sanguiros, but that was only possible because they were professors and knights.

Could Lee Han, still just a student, sharply drive between such a battle and land a blow?

Moreover, the enemy had seen your attack once. He’d be on guard if he sensed a similar kind of energy.

“I understand. But the enemy will surely leave an opening.”

I suppose so.

Even Perkuntra couldn’t deny that.

A proper divine being would show no gaps. In fact, this fight wouldn’t even be happening.

But the enemy was a tainted, immature evil god who happened to gain self-awareness.

It had already been proven several times that he acted emotionally and impulsively.

The opportunity would surely come!

All right. But stop using that Small World spell.

“You mean Basilios?”

……

“Evangelion?”

You just can’t help yourself before you burn out, can you?!

As his contractor blatantly feigned innocence, Perkuntra rumbled with annoyance.

He knew perfectly well which Small World he meant, yet acted coy.

I’m talking about the magic that draws from the future. That spell is dangerous. Mages intoxicated with magic always meet tragic ends.

Falling under a spell could happen to anyone—not only the hamster. Even Wardanaz.

Especially a Small World like Dunamis was more dangerous than anything. It was so powerful and tempting, mages would lose sight of their limits and keep drawing on it.

The omnipotent sensation of pulling magic one cannot use into the present.

That feeling is a sweet and deadly poison to mages.

“I understand. I’ll keep that in mind.”

Good. At last, you’re listening.

“So… just three more times?”

……

-Was it a mistake for the yaksha to heal him in the first place?

The demon was exasperated.

Was this wizard fearless?

No matter how much magic you have, the strain on your mind and body is…

-If you’re relying on the staff spirit or the bracelet demons, I suggest you reconsider.

In truth, even Saratan or Mafuda collaborating was extremely rare.

Such a wild exile spirit and a vengeful, bitter demon had little reason to voluntarily shoulder the burden of magic together.

But even that was nearing its limit.

Saratan, for example, was already holding out by making the staff his body after losing his power.

No matter how strong, a spirit whose body—the staff—shatters cannot be asked to share much more burden.

What about the demons, are they not able to help yet?

-It’s practically a revolt down here. If I go back down, I probably won’t come back up for a while.

The deep demons—those not yet awakened—were in a semi-mad state from the sudden pain forced upon them.

If those demons ran wild, who knew what would happen? Lee Han couldn’t let dozens of demons erupt from the bracelet and fight over his body.

-Ha. I’m fine.

Despite listening quietly, Saratan finally spoke up. Immediately, both the spirit and demon scolded him.

Don’t bluff, kid.

-That attitude is why you got caught.

-…Damn bastards! If only I had my original power, I’d bury you both like saplings!

Saratan raged, but neither paid him any mind.

The Thunder King Perkuntra found such wandering spirits laughable, and Mafuda, being a demon, had no respect for spirits to start with.

Saratan, unable to reason with them, tried to convince Lee Han.

-Trust me. I can handle it.

“Is that really… Wait. Don’t you often get things wrong…?”

-This time is different. My life depends on it—you think I’d mess up?

‘That’s pretty convincing.’

It was hard for even Lee Han to argue. No matter how error-prone, who’d make a mistake over their own life?

…Once. Only one time, when it’s truly necessary.

Perkuntra and Mafuda ultimately yielded.

Only one time, at the most decisive moment.

If it went that far, maybe it could be salvaged.

“Don’t worry too much. If the Yaksha King wasn’t surprised to see me, that means this yaksha had already predicted all of this. If that’s so, he must have factored in me using Dunamis. It’ll be fine.”

Perkuntra stared in disbelief at his contractor.

He cursed the Yaksha King every chance he got, but now puts his faith in him?

‘What a shameless…!’

---

Though the Yaksha King never properly explained his plan, everyone present knew what to do the moment Sanguiros appeared in person.

The Yaksha King was the so-called “shield-bearer.”

Armed with overwhelming defense and foresight, the wise king met the evil god’s murderous rage head-on, pinning him in place.

The death knights were the harpooners.

Like whalers hunting a giant whale, they zipped up, down, left, and right in the domain, driving cold harpoons of yin into the evil god’s massive body.

Each attack may not have done much damage alone, but every time a harpoon stuck and a chain connected, the evil god’s existence was shaved down bit by bit.

Even now, when Sanguiros should have been tearing off the Yaksha King’s flesh, the pesky “gnats” pricked his body and made him roar in disgust.

GET—OUT—OF—MY—WAY!

Clearly, his patience was at its end. The real reason for your rage now is actually…

Kill you!

The Yaksha King drew Sanguiros’s attention back to himself.

Without a word of insult, he drew all of the foe’s hatred—an ability that left the knights deeply impressed.

Perhaps the Yaksha King’s most powerful authority was this:

The ability to draw hatred from all, friend and foe alike!

“Time is the warp, space is the weft as I weave the cloth of magic…”

Finally, the professors fulfilled their true role as mages.

Wise ones who created variables amid the battlefield.

While great magic was being prepared, Professor Kirmin and Professor Voladi fended off attacks and protected the casting professor.

Professor Garcia, not trained in magic combat, was less resistant to this kind of chaos. She needed to be fully protected until the ritual was complete.

“I-I’m sorry.”

Out of embarrassment, Professor Garcia apologized. Professor Kirmin found it odd.

“Why apologize, Professor Kim?”

“If I had practiced magic combat, you two could be moving independently now…”

“We’re not Professor Baegrek. What use do magicians have for brawling lessons? Don’t worry about it.”

“Even student Lee Han said he found me unreliable because I never practiced magic combat.”

“……”

“……”

An awkward silence fell.

Professor Voladi signaled silently to his friend—encouraging him to comfort the junior professor.

‘This bastard. He thinks I’ve got an answer for everything?’

Professor Kirmin was irritated.

That guy never treats him as a friend, but now leaves it all to him?

“…I’ll just prepare a few extra spells in case the enemy’s focus shifts our way!”

Ultimately, Professor Kirmin changed the subject.

He simply couldn’t think of what to say.

Besides, it was a decent topic shift; he really did need to prepare more spells.

He couldn’t just leave everything to the junior professor.

With the incantation, -Kirmin’s Ritual Wedge- was prepared. This 7th circle spell, based on three limited Small World magics, was especially effective against malice entities like evil gods.

It required significant resources to cast, but now was no time to be stingy.

Professor Kirmin took out three rings and five spirit redflowers, then slashed his palm. As his blood touched them, the Small World spells stored in the rings awakened, quickly combining into a new form.

The spell, greedy for the flowers, searched for its next meal. Professor Kirmin relentlessly fed more reagents, magic, and incantations, aiming the growing spell.

“Strike, O new ritual—nest within the foe…”

As the spell neared completion, Professor Voladi asked,

“After you cast, could you layer an illusion maze in the area?”

“What? That won’t mean much to the evil god, will it?”

This Ritual Wedge’s effect, upon piercing the target, was to awaken a new ego in them—a kind of parasitic thought-form spell.

While powerful on its own, it was especially potent because the enemy, not used to having an ego, was an evil god. The less sure he is of himself, the more he will be thrown by new egos.

By contrast, the illusion maze would mean little here.

Even if cast wide, Sanguiros would likely tear it apart with a single move; no sense wasting the spell.

“I just want you to send Wardanaz far away so he can’t get close.”

“…Complain about your unruly student later!”

Not that he didn’t understand his friend.

Wardanaz was Professor Kirmin’s student, after all.

Seeing the Thunder King wielding his lightning sword below, Wardanaz was clearly still in the battle.

His intentions were clear.

Surely he was aiming to score a blow against the evil god.

‘I said I respected Wardanaz as a fellow mage, but I didn’t mean I respected this kind of madness.’

He only respected him chasing down cultists and hunting outside school. Joining the professors and knights in a battle against an evil god? Never.

Maybe I respected him too much?

‘Maybe I should have stopped him from ever leaving school in the first place…’

But that was too late, and Wardanaz was showing the same stubborn streak as his own mentor.

After having left him behind, he’d stolen a dimension and followed after. And apparently, he’d used Small World, Dunamis as well.

If he cast an illusion maze, Wardanaz might just attempt to break through with Dunamis again.

“…Wishing students everywhere would listen to their masters just a bit more—go!”

Professor Kirmin launched the completed spell like an arrow.

Unlike spells of other schools, it didn’t shake the earth or make spirits and demons tremble. Illusion magic didn’t strive for outward force.

What mattered was striking the enemy deep in the soul…

AAAAAAARGH!

When Sanguiros suddenly started raging as if berserk, Professor Kirmin was startled.

Was it really that effective?!