woooooong-
“Pull more power!”
“Feed the sacrifice!”
CRRRRRACK
Blood poured forth. The spilled blood flowed along the magic circle’s mana.
woooosh–
The Mana grew larger and more viscous. Demonic Mana ignited.
The ignited Mana gathered surrounding nefarious things. Those nefarious things again pulled in Demonic Mana, swelling the Mana even larger.
A vicious cycle of evil!
“Ooooooh!”
“Heh heh…”
From that moment, all the Black Mages intoxicated by the Demonic Mana wore smiles.
It must be intoxication from the power imbued in the Mana.
The nefarious Demonic Mana, which amplified destructive power, was power to them!
gulp
There were also those consumed by greed.
Some Black Mages imagined what deeds could be accomplished if they possessed that immense power alone.
If strewn upon corpses, it would create high-ranking undead; if used to forge black magic, its power could make one a Grand Archmage.
The Demonic Mana created by dozens gathered was that immense.
If the Black Mages had united and shared power in this way, they would have been stronger than now.
But.
“Focus on the magic circle!”
BOOOOM!
Due to their nature, corrupted by mastering Demonic Qi, they could gather under overwhelming power, but cooperation was quite difficult.
In fact, gathering this much was impossible without the leaders urging concentration on the magic circle!
Even those leaders had gathered for their own purposes of gaining power, so their assembly was nearly impossible.
100000
All.
The gathered Mana moved along the magic circle, transforming towards its target.
“The finale approaches!”
The place where they were amplifying Mana and imbuing the magic circle.
The Mait Kingdom.
Located in the southern part of the Kingdom of Malexia, it was originally a barren land.
Though the most belligerent of the kingdoms adjacent to Malexia, it was a place that had not developed.
Their invasion was not born of desire. Due to their harsh environment, they were forced to pillage.
Though a kingdom, it was more divided and chaotic than Malexia itself.
That was why this scale of large magic was possible.
Mait’s military power leaned far more towards warriors than magic. Even sensing the Mana now, preparation would inevitably take time.
“Teas may come. Hurry!”
“Yes!”
“But…”
But they could not let their guard down.
There were some lords among them with considerable power.
Mait was still a kingdom. Even if it was a deformed nation, it was not completely weak.
If it were that weak, it would have been devoured by other kingdoms long ago. It wouldn’t have been able to form trade or front lines against the southern races.
The blazing Mana began to burn as if incandescent.
The awaited finale!
Right before the magic circle activated!
“Oh, they’re coming!”
“It’s the Mait Army! From the energy, it must be Teas.”
GRRRROAN-
A massive force, enough to shake the earth, was charging towards where the Black Mages had set up camp.
Their armaments were poor, but each soldier had fierce eyes. Their eyes were filled not with fear, but with fighting spirit.
“Block them! Anyway, the finish is done!”
“Yes! Follow me!”
The Black Mages split in half.
“…Threshold of life.”
“huff.”
BOOM!
Using their own life force to entangle the enemy.
CRRRRRACK
Those who had lain dormant underground awakened once more.
A Black Mage army created in an instant!
Even with just one Black Mage, if corpses are abundant, an army soon forms!
Blocking a strong one might be difficult.
“Charge!”
“Waaargh!”
CLAAAANG!
The being most specialized for large-scale battles is the Black Mage!
Though split in half, they swiftly recruited dead soldiers and raised even fallen ones to move.
“Oh, they’re coming!”
“Damn bastards!”
CRRRRRRRACK-
It wasn’t that there were no strong individuals in the Mait Kingdom.
There were those who, aiming to strangle the Black Mages, pushed through the undead with all their might.
“It’s done!”
“This is the end! Cackle cackle.”
But the Black Mages, who had prepared their work long ago, were faster.
The beginning was in the Mait Kingdom.
The destination was that North.
‘Clear!’
The black magic, nurturing Demonic Mana and devouring the land, was complete.
“Pour it out!”
woooooong-
The immense Mana seeped into the earth in an instant.
“No!”
“……Ah..”
The Mait Kingdom’s army felt it instinctively.
That Mana was power that would make the kingdom even more barren. Was it not similar to the kingdom’s ley energy, which was said to have been cursed by a Dragon?
Only deeper! And thicker!
TOWOOONNG TOWOOONNG-
The Mana began to spread instantly.
Just as the Mait Kingdom’s army lost their will to fight.
“Let’s go!”
The Black Mages, having achieved their goal.
SWOOOSH!
Executed their escape using pre-prepared methods. Teleport, Fly, and if that failed, some even tried to burrow into the earth.
“S-Success…… gack.”
Though all could have succeeded in escaping.
The Mait forces were not solely composed of the incompetent.
Those called strong did not give up until the end.
“Krrrk… gack.”
They strangled the neck of a mage trying to burrow deep into the earth and pulled him out.
“Sp… Spare…”
“Bastards like you always think of escaping the moment you get a chance.”
CRACK. CRACK.
They crushed bones into powder.
“Kyaaaaaaah!”
They ruthlessly captured and subdued the Black Mages. No matter how powerful a Black Mage, their essence was still a mage. Using magic while in pain was difficult!
A ruthless, but most efficient method!
“Kyaaah!”
“Gack“
Even capturing flying Black Mages, Mait secured several Black Mages.
“Go find out! What they’ve done!”
“……Understood.”
None of the captured Black Mages would survive. They would surely provide vital information to the Mait Kingdom.
Rosin, the third son of Teas and hailed as the next lord of Teas, with deep eyes.
He himself had captured two Black Mages.
‘I don’t even need to ask. It’s obvious. But… there’s no other way if the kingdom’s people are to survive. To think we have to move as they desire. Tch.’
He finished his calculations instantly.
He resented the situation of his barren kingdom but barely endured. In that situation, the Black Mages had done something unexpected.
Though he didn’t know their goal, it was clearly harmful to the kingdom, especially their land.
He wanted to immediately kill all the Black Mages, but only captured three.
Furthermore, if left as is, even the hardiest Mait Kingdom people would surely die in great numbers.
That could not happen.
He had to find another way, not one where they were sacrificed.
Rosin swallowed his bitterness and gave the order.
“……Since things have come to this, gather the Riders faster than planned.”
“Already, my lord?”
Riders. They were the fastest messengers in the Mait Kingdom when anything happened.
Specially trained, they constantly roamed the kingdom. Only when they moved first could Mait’s leadership assemble.
“It can’t be helped. Move quickly! Disperse!”
“Yes!”
“We’ll go immediately!”
Did the Black Mages anticipate this?
The magic circle they had created began to change. It was a greater change than expected. What the outcome of this would be would only be known by watching.
A new variable was starting from the southern part of Malexia.
***
The nefarious Demonic Qi was not confined to the south alone.
The Great Battle of Zisert and Opern.
The battle, which they thought would end quickly, was dragging on longer than expected.
Initially, Opern had clearly seized the initiative.
But the problem was the remaining forces of the Owen Marquis’s House.
For some reason, many of the forces of the Owen Marquis’s House sided with Zisert.
Though they were remnants, forces were forces. It was enough to tilt the scales of the battlefield, which seemed to be at a stalemate, slightly.
Of course, there were also forces that sided with House Ofern.
They judged that Ofern was better than the greedy Zisert.
‘I can’t figure it out.’
It was strange from the start that they sided with Zisert, not Ofern.
They couldn’t be unaware of Zisert’s greed. It was Zisert who erased the Viscount’s territory entirely when it displeased them.
That they sided with them meant…
‘I’ll have to keep a close watch.’
It might be as the knights said who had visited Count Ofern with the seal some time ago.
Ian Owen.
The youngest of House Owen was moving.
According to the knights who visited Count Ofern…
‘There’s no need to trust it.’
Ian Owen was clearly intending to bring profit to Ofern. But to Ofern, it just didn’t sit well.
Even now, in this very battle, wasn’t House Ofern failing to press forward?
The enemy’s strength was greater than expected.
There were other variables.
“Again.”
“They are creating them in an instant. It seems not to be ordinary weapons.”
“Just as we develop, so do they.”
Servants. Zisert’s strategic weapon, of which Count Ofern had slain dozens on the battlefield.
These Servants were the problem.
Servants displayed the power of at least an Aura Expert. Tireless, they were sometimes even stronger.
There was no other way once Servants appeared except for a strong individual to step forward and destroy them.
‘Their magic resistance is also outstanding.’
Using iron plate scrolls was also difficult. They withstood magic thanks to their unique magic resistance.
If it were high-rank magic, the story would be different.
But no matter the iron plate scroll, high-rank magic had yet to be inscribed on them.
There was talk of Rayrn developing the iron plate scroll, but…
‘Where in the world has he gone?’
News of his son in the North had still not reached him.
He was not worried.
The depth of his son Rayrn’s power, felt the stronger one became, was deeper than that.
Few could put his son, a mage who also used Aura, into a difficult spot. Even if there was power that could do so.
‘It’s impossible.’
Rayrn’s most crucial power was in his head.
He was a son so intelligent he could be called a genius. Even when he seemed to act frivolously, he moved within a plan, and that plan had never collapsed.
There was no way such a son would be in danger. However…
‘Something unexpected must have happened.’
It was just regrettable that he couldn’t request support in this situation.
If his son were here, or even if he could wield just a bit more of his son’s forces, the story would have been vastly different.
The greatest strategy is a battle fought without sacrifice.
Even Count Ofern couldn’t help but feel a slight regret.
But having regret didn’t mean he would retreat or even think of retreating.
“Commander! Preparations are complete!”
“Let’s go immediately.”
CLINK.
The battlefield. To root out Zisert, who was holding that position, he once again raised his sword.
Zisert was a place that had accumulated old grudges, just as House Owen had.
It was also an opportunity to strike Zisert, who now seemed impregnable.
Wasn’t it time to erase those old grudges?
“Let’s go.”
Ofern raised his sword and stood again at the vanguard.
“Yes!”
He began to command the battlefield once more.
Around the time Ofern was commanding and coordinating the battlefield.
“Ohh.”
Rayrn, who had been dormant, began to stretch his limbs again.