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Of course, since this encounter was anything but pleasant, his expression was far from warm. With a predator’s smile, as if he had his prey right before him, he glared at Bright.

“So, you’ve been playing the role of a slave hunter here?”

Bright trembled, his face ashen. The terror of that day flashed through his mind like a series of rapid images. The memories of being beaten to death, to the point where he wished he could just die, prodded his brain and stiffened his body.

“You are…”

Really, he felt like cursing the gods for what sin he must have committed in a past life to deserve such misfortune.

Then, Kronto, oblivious to everything, shouted.

“What are you doing, Bright? Energy Bolt!”

For Bright, it was a nightmare revisited, but for Kronto, it was merely the appearance of a new enemy. He was perfectly calm, capable of casting his magic. The powerful magical energy whirled through the air like a boomerang toward Repenhardt.

Wheezing!

Watching the incoming Energy Bolt, Repenhardt instinctively raised his right hand. He intended to draw up his aura to defend as usual. Then, a thought struck him.

‘Wait, there’s no need to physically exert myself anymore, right?’

He had regained quite a bit of his magical power, so there was no need to fight the old-fashioned way with hands and feet. With his right hand raised, Repenhardt traced a symbol in the air.

“Flash of the Shield, Arcane Shield!”

A blue flash surged, and a shield of light enveloped Repenhardt’s entire body. It was the Arcane Shield, a 3rd circle anti-magic spell specialized in defense.

Boom!

The Energy Bolt struck the Arcane Shield, emitting light and disintegrating. The Energy Bolt, not being a high-circle spell, didn’t have the power to penetrate the Arcane Shield’s magic resistance. Kronto muttered in confusion.

“What? Was he a magician?”

And quite a skilled one at that, as he was able to cast the Arcane Shield with just a single command word, indicating he was at least capable of casting 5th circle spells.

‘Is he a magician of a similar level to me at that age?’

A tense Kronto shouted to Bright.

“Tie him down! This time I’ll prepare a proper spell!”

Finally, Bright came back to his senses. Though briefly frozen by the nightmares of that day, he realized that they were over thirty in number and had a high wizard among them. No matter how strong, they could certainly handle a mere young man.

Drawing his sword, Bright mustered courage from nowhere and yelled.

“Attack!”

The remaining mercenaries charged at Repenhardt in unison. Knowing that he was a mage, they needed to close the distance quickly to disrupt his spellcasting. Failing to do so meant they would be the ones to suffer. All were experienced mercenaries, aware of what was necessary in such situations.

“Taaah!”

“Uraatcha!”

Each shouted their unique war cries as they surged towards Repenhardt from all directions. Repenhardt clasped his hands in front of his chest, reciting the runes needed to gather magical energy.

“Setafil Land Delphirod Ketana…”

By then, the mercenaries had already reached him, thrusting their swords without hesitation towards the large target. Stabbing, slashing, and swinging upwards, blades pierced Repenhardt’s body. If they could just interrupt his spellcasting, he would pose no threat! It was a success!

…Or so the mercenaries thought as they were about to smile triumphantly.

Ting! Ting-ting-ting!

As they struck, their swords rebounded as if hitting a rock, flinging back with powerful force. Some even tore their grips due to the momentum. The mercenaries gaped in shock.

“…What?”

“Uh?”

“What’s going on?”

Undisturbed by the confused mercenaries, Repenhardt calmly continued his spellcasting.

“The power of the earth to the sky, the power of the sky to the earth. The fallen powers join to gain strength.”

His words wove the gathered magical energies into a spell. Continuing the chant, Repenhardt slowly rubbed his hands together, generating a spark of static electricity. This completed the catalyst needed for his spell.

“Kill him!”

“Don’t let him finish the magic!”

The mercenaries swung their swords frantically, but it was futile. No blade could penetrate his body! Just then, Kronto completed his spell and shouted.

“…I summon the mighty flame! Fire Blaster!”

A stream of fire cut through the desert heat, heading straight for Repenhardt. The mercenaries dodged in all directions, but the pillar of flame struck Repenhardt directly.

Boom!

A massive explosion erupted, sending billows of black smoke into the air. One of the mercenaries muttered absently.

“Did we kill him?”

That was when it happened. A thick arm burst through the black smoke, fingers grotesquely twisted, blue lightning crackling between them.

A grave voice resonated.

“Begone, sons of the sky. Strike my foes! Chain Lightning!”

Crack!

Lightning struck as if from a clear sky.

The giant serpent of lightning repeatedly devoured its prey. Blue bolts discharged wildly, striking dozens of mercenaries in a chain reaction as they ran. It was as if a vast net of lightning had struck over the mercenaries’ heads. The intense electric shocks flailed over twenty mercenaries, hurling them onto the sand. Horrific screams echoed.

“Arghhh!”

“Kuhhh!”

“Ahhhh!”

It was chaos.

The smell of burning flesh pierced the nose. Bright blinked repeatedly, unable to believe the scene before him.

“…”

At his feet lay more than twenty mercenaries, turned into charred corpses. The only survivors were Bright and the original followers who had been with him since Chrome City, spared from the nightmare attack due to their fear of Repenhardt.

From behind, Kronto’s mumbling filled with confusion could be heard.

“What, what is that? How did he complete the spell?”

The fact that the enemy had wiped out over twenty people with a single spell wasn’t surprising. It was common knowledge that a high mage’s spell could be this powerful.

Thus, all the mercenaries had desperately rushed in to interrupt the spell. They did not fail in their attack. They stabbed, slashed, and chopped earnestly. Every attack hit its mark. Yet…

“…why doesn’t he die when he’s stabbed?”

Kronto was merely blinking repeatedly. It was amazing enough that the monster could deflect a sword with his bare body, but he even withstood Kronto’s magic, Fire Blaster. A spell powerful enough to turn a large wagon into a heap of charcoal in an instant!

“…”

Under the hot sun, a cold silence lingered. Bright, Kronto, and the few surviving mercenaries all stood with their mouths agape, staring at Repenhardt. The situation had so surpassed normalcy that it seemed to pause their thinking for a moment.

Meanwhile, Repenhardt, despite demonstrating such powerful magic, was still grumbling discontentedly.

“Ugh, they should have all turned into charcoal… Indeed, the lack of magic power is significant.”

Moreover, he wasn’t satisfied with the casting speed. It seemed he had been stabbed by swords about 20 to 30 times while chanting the spell. In his previous life, a spell like Chain Lightning could have been cast simply with a start-up word. It looked like he would have to rely on Elucion’s voice for a while longer.

‘Well, it’s still about what I expected.’

Clenching his fist, he grinned broadly. It was a spell cast in madness, trusting his sturdy physique to bear the brunt. Repenhardt himself knew better than anyone that he was not yet proficient enough to use the sixth circle spell, Chain Lightning, in actual combat.

It had been a simple test. Thanks to his cheap Teslon head, his magical computation and charging were subpar, but he believed that the areas of focus and magical control, which stemmed from the soul, would still be intact. However, as with all theories, without actual proof, it was merely a hypothesis. Having not used magic in real combat for a while, he felt slightly anxious, but the test proved his senses responded quite excellently.

“Maybe it’s time to hang up the sign of a mage again?”

Quite satisfied, Repenhardt looked at Bright and Kronto. Then, he noticed Siris, who was defensively standing next to a fallen scimitar. Repenhardt formed another hand seal and recited a spell.

“I am the servant of the great mana, borrowing its power to gather what has been scattered. Dispel Magic.”

A green flash shot from his fingertips, enveloping her scimitar. The weight-increasing magic on the scimitar was dispelled, returning it to its original weight. Siris quickly reclaimed her weapon. Kronto murmured in astonishment.

“How could you so easily undo my magic?”

The spell, Dispel Magic, though not high in its circle, required a clear understanding of the opponent’s magical patterns and flow to be effective. This young mage was astonishingly more skilled than him, who had dedicated nearly fifty years to magic. The speed of his spellcasting and the potency of his Chain Lightning made him realize how severely he had underestimated him.

Of course, this was because Repenhardt’s current state was quite imbalanced, but Kronto had no way of knowing that. Seeing Repenhardt effortlessly counter his spell, Kronto’s morale was instantly broken.

He shouted in fear.

“Is it because of those elves? If so, take them all!”

He still believed Repenhardt had attacked them out of greed for the elves they possessed. Given the situation, it seemed no other reason could suffice. Bright finally came to his senses and exclaimed.

“We will give them up!”

“No need!”

“…Yes?”

Then why are you attacking us? Unable to understand the situation, Bright’s mouth fell open in confusion. Repenhardt’s expression hardened as he stepped forward.

Suddenly, he asked.

“How many did you kill?”

Bright responded with a trembling voice.

“…Who do you think we killed?”

“I’m asking how many elves you’ve killed.”

For a moment, Bright and his group could only blink at each other. “Why suddenly ask how many elves I’ve killed?” Bright cautiously responded, “Maybe around forty…”

He might have exaggerated the number a bit, wondering if their skills were being assessed for recruitment. His response was tinged with a hint of pride. At this, Repenhardt sighed, feeling neither anger nor frustration anymore.

“So, that’s how it is…”

Suddenly, a chilling brilliance flashed in Repenhardt’s eyes.

“Then I shall exact their vengeance!”

No sooner had he finished speaking than his fist tore through the air. Bright’s head burst open as if it had exploded.

Boom!

Flesh and brain matter scattered like petals across the sand of the desert. The moment Kronto and the others widened their eyes in horror, Repenhardt’s body soared into the sky.

☆ ☆ ☆

Thunderous explosions followed one after another. Golden auras scattered in all directions, followed by magical flames and bolts of lightning. It didn’t take long for the murderous Repenhardt to annihilate those who had lost their will to fight. They could hardly resist and were simply killed.

“Screams!”

“Argh!”

“Ughhhh!”

Echoing screams filled the sweltering desert, the sight of the massacre filling everyone’s vision. Kronto stood there dumbfounded, groaning softly.

“Ugh…”

His mind felt completely empty. Not a single great spell that he had diligently practiced came to mind. Only overwhelming fear filled his thoughts, leaving no room for the idea of resistance.

But even amidst the chaos, an unresolved question lingered.

“Why on earth…”

The number of mercenaries dwindled rapidly. Each encounter with that cruel man’s fist left them scattered as bloody masses across the desert.

“…why exactly?”