The image Jun conjured was of dozens of lightning bolts filling the night sky.
It was a huge phenomenon that revealed the grandeur of nature amidst the storm.
Fizzz―
A small spark began at his fingertips.
The magical pattern Jun created was woven over it.
A delicate image was layered over the woven pattern, and the magical power became the force that manifested the image.
The phenomenon that started from a tiny spark gradually grew and gathered at the tips of Jun’s fingers.
[Lightning Whip]
Fizzzzzzz!
The atmosphere changed in an instant.
In the blink of an eye, the lightning whip that burst out of his hand rained down on the goblins with a loud noise.
Kieeeeeeeghhhhhh――!!
The goblins at the front who were holding their crude shields reflexively raised their arms, but it was far too late.
The moment the lightning whip touched the goblins at the front, they convulsed.
The lightning didn’t stop there; it ricocheted to the goblins behind them as if it were contagious.
Although the destructive power was much weaker than before, and not enough to cause death, it was still enough to paralyze their entire bodies.
“…….”
With just one spell, dozens of goblins at the front were rendered unable to fight.
Jun briefly clicked his tongue as he looked at the result of his magic.
Maybe it’s because I haven’t practiced it enough? The image didn’t quite resonate. The magical pattern was too simplistic. It needs improvement.
In any case, it would be difficult to expect more destructive power when the choker’s seal hadn’t been released.
Despite this, Jun intended to find ways to enhance it further.
Meanwhile, a veteran soldier who must have understood his tongue-clicking sound in a different way was the first to come to his senses and shouted.
“What are you all doing? Charge!”
The soldiers grew startled by the rough voice and quickly regained their composure.
It was no surprise that they were stunned, given that dozens of monsters had been paralyzed in the blink of an eye.
Of course, the goblins were in an even worse state.
As monsters used to living in the wild, they were terrified by the thunderous roar of the lightning, and the sight of dozens of their kin screaming bizarrely as they died before their eyes only made it worse.
The bodies of those who should have been the first to charge forward froze stiff.
“Uwaaaaaah!”
“Let’s kill them!”
“Don’t go too deep! Keep your spacing!”
The goblins didn’t flee due to the presence of the Goblin Lord right behind them, but they couldn’t move or act out of fear.
In response, some of the veteran soldiers killed the goblins as cruelly as they could.
He aimed precisely at vital points and deliberately tore through areas with blood vessels, scattering blood across the ground.
As the smell of their kin’s blood filled the air, the goblins hesitated and retreated despite their overwhelming numbers.
Of course, the Goblin Lord didn’t just stand by and watch.
“Dakar tu Danaka Saru Petaha――”
“Huh…?”
When the Goblin Lord began chanting, Jun instinctively frowned.
He was already focused on the Goblin Lord with his [Keen Eyesight], and unknown knowledge suddenly surfaced in his mind.
Before he could grasp the situation, Jun instinctively shouted.
“Fall back! Defend yourselves!”
“The mage has given the order! Retreat! Fall back!”
“Raise your shields!”
“Spread out the formation!”
As the soldiers retreated from their advance, a red aura gathered around the Goblin Lord.
“[Blood Rampage]…?”
[Blood Rampage]. One of the signature spells of a Goblin Shaman.
As the name suggests, it was a technique that induced a berserk state in your allies.
It’s not at the level of completely losing sanity like when Plant Undead targets an Outer Wolf.
Even so, the goblins’ ferocity would be fully unleashed and they wouldn’t feel fear or pain.
This was more dangerous than he had expected.
On the battlefield, it was natural for tension to cause one’s body to stiffen, but under the spell, all such effects vanished.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
As expected, the goblins under the influence of [Blood Rampage] charged forward wildly, their eyes glowing red.
Wooden clubs came crashing down on the soldiers’ shields.
The paralysis caused by the lightning whip was nowhere to be seen as the monsters unleashed their innate ferocity without restraint.
“Ugh!”
“Grip your weapons tightly!”
“Maintain your spacing!”
At the front, the veteran soldiers enhanced their bodies with magic, while the regular soldiers supported them.
Under normal circumstances, these attacks would have been manageable for the regular soldiers, but after they got weakened by the Goblin Lord’s aura, even that became difficult.
Yet there was a small relief.
The duration of [Blood Rampage] wasn’t very long.
Just like now, the goblins’ relentless assault on the shields visibly slowed after about ten seconds.
As a result of pushing themselves beyond their limits, the hands holding the clubs were torn and bloodied, and soon some even began to drop their weapons.
Just when the soldiers prepared to launch a counterattack.
“They’re coming again! Keep it up!”
When Jun shouted like thunder, the Goblin Lord’s spell echoed through the battlefield once again.
“Dakar tu Danaka Saru Petaha――”
Why can I understand that spell?
Jun was momentarily startled by the phenomenon he was experiencing for the first time.
But this time, it wasn’t just the Goblin Lord who moved.
Several quick-footed goblins drove something into the ground.
It was a totem made from the head of a young goblin.
At the same time, the totem began to emit a red glow and it expanded the range of the Goblin Lord’s spell.
“Kiyaaaaa――!!”
Twice as many goblins as before were now exposed to [Blood Rampage] and began their frenzied charge.
Damn it. Are you getting desperate too?
The Goblin Lord’s goal was clear. It was to kill the commander here before the troops at the front could return to the rear.
Time was running out for it as well.
It was clear that it intended to use the gathered goblins as expendable pawns.
Because of this, the soldiers trying to hold them back began to retreat significantly.
After all, dozens of goblins had forgotten pain and were exerting strength beyond their limits.
Blocking them with just shields was no longer enough.
I don’t know why I can understand its spell… but this isn’t the time to worry about that. I need to deal with the current situation. But using area-of-effect magic is difficult right now.
Unlike before, the situation now had allies and enemies mixed together.
At times like this, rather than using magic to directly attack the enemies, it was the right choice to support those fighting at the front.
Rapid-fire spells.
Through [Keen Eyesight], Jun quickly assessed the battlefield and used the data gathered to cast support magic.
[Wind Cutter]
A spell that was the hallmark of a lower-ranking mage.
Therefore, there was no need to infuse it with detailed imagination.
The goblins in a [Blood Rampage] state wouldn’t have the time to defend against Jun’s magic anyway.
Even without enhancing the spell, the blades of wind would pierce through the goblins’ soft skin and tear into their innards.
Aiden. How did he move again?
But it wasn’t just about firing off spells.
Aiden.
Jun crafted his magic while taking cues from Aiden’s movements.
Aiden’s usually considerate personality shone through in battle.
Unlike Jun, who observed the battlefield from afar, Aiden would find and position himself wherever he was most needed. And this shifted the battle in their favor most of the time.
Jun incorporated Aiden’s movements and his personality into the way he wielded his magic.
[Detecting Target]
He left alone the goblins at the forefront who were menacingly swinging their clubs.
After all, the enemy was relying on sheer numbers to overwhelm them.
In such situations, what made things most difficult for the soldiers wasn’t the enemies directly in front of them, but rather the reserve forces behind them that were always ready to move.
Even after dealing with the enemy ahead, another would immediately step forward and swing their weapon.
Just giving the soldiers a moment of leeway would be enough.
For this reason, Jun targeted not the enemies right in front but those waiting in reserve behind them.
Or those who couldn’t wait any longer and tried to circle around became his prey as well.
Swish—Screech!
As if conducting an orchestra, each time he waved his hand, a [Wind Cutter] shot forth and created a brief moment of relief on the battlefield.
That’s something Aiden is quite good at.
The Aiden Jun had seen so far, perhaps because of his short time as a mercenary, tended to provide support rather than take direct control of the battlefield.
In fact, the flow of Jun’s spells was something he improvised on the spot by taking note of Aiden’s movements.
It won’t be as destructive as his, though.
But thanks to the nature of long-range attacks, the impact on the battlefield was much wider.
This is the true advantage of magic.
As long as you learned it, you could turn the tide of battle in various ways.
Maybe it was because of this.
Although the soldiers were affected by the Goblin Lord’s aura, they were still able to successfully fend off the goblin attacks.
Their skill was undoubtedly worthy of the Imperial Army.
“The mage is behind us!”
“We just need to hold off the ones in front!”
As the number of fallen goblins increased, the morale of the soldiers grew.
Eventually, when the battlefield situation stalled, it was the Goblin Lord who moved first.
Taruuuracha!
The Goblin Lord took heavy steps forward.
This was because it judged that it could not quickly push back the soldiers with just the Blood Rampage spell.
To directly impact the soldiers with a more powerful spell, it had no choice but to step forward.
At the moment the Goblin Lord advanced and began chanting its spell—
Tattat!
Aiden who had been hiding the whole time made his move.
His position was directly above the Goblin Lord’s head.
***
The advantage of magic lies in its various uses.
This was something Jun had keenly realized back when he was “Lee Jeong-jun” and raised a mage who focused only on firepower.
Honestly, when it comes to pure damage, nothing beats a warrior.
Until a mage learned high-grade spells later on, their role was surprisingly simple.
They had to use other spells to support their teammates.
For this reason, Jun had spent the two years leading up to the remake release of the game <Blackout> thinking about different strategies that could be executed with magic.
And at that time, Lee Jeong-jun came to a renewed appreciation of magic.
“If the conditions are right, it’s a truly overpowered class. It can raise party synergy to this extent.”
One of those strategies was the ambush tactic he was using now.
[Fog of Silence]
A spell that reduces presence.
Adding to that, Aiden who had been hidden under a cloak covered with branches and leaves dropped down from the tree.
His target was the Goblin Lord’s head.
However, the Goblin Lord was no ordinary goblin shaman.
It was an Irregular.
A creature that had surpassed the limits of its race. It sensed a faint presence and quickly stepped back.
The moment Aiden’s perfect ambush failed,
A smirk appeared on the Goblin Lord’s lips.
The price for a failed ambush was death.
Just as the goblin warriors who were guarding the Goblin Lord raised their spears to target Aiden,
The Goblin Lord saw it.
Aiden’s face was calm and composed, just like its own.
“……!!”
Aiden wasn’t the only one who had attempted the ambush from the start.
Rustle―
The sound of leaves rustling in the wind came from the tree right beside him.
Kyaghhhh?!
When the Goblin Lord turned to look to the side, what it saw was Ginovan wielding his sword with a serious expression on his face,
And the blue aura that enveloped his blade.
Slash――!
Death was now at its doorstep.
At that moment, the Goblin Lord’s mind raced furiously.
In the fleeting instant when it saw death close by, the soul of the Irregular that had surpassed its race cried out.
It could not simply die quietly like this.
In its final moments, the creature’s fierce determination was unleashed.
A resolve that even in death, it would not die alone.
Tanaha――!!
In its very last breath, it drew out its innate magical power and even offered up its own soul.
In that brief moment, the creature felt its soul slip away. But a faint smile crossed its face.
And at the end of it all, there stood Aiden.
***
Was there ever a time when he had been this focused?
The moment Aiden and Ginovan leaped from the tree, Jun witnessed a strange phenomenon within himself.
An unknown fragment of memory sharply flashed through his mind.
It was as if his brain was screaming. As if he had committed an unforgivable act.
– Don’t…… ……stop this… …moment!
The scene was in a basement.
In a damp neglected space, someone dressed in tattered rags was working on something atop a desk.
What is this……?
But the fragment of that memory passed by in an instant.
Once again, what was visible at the end of Jun’s gaze was the Goblin Lord reciting a spell filled with malice.
He could see the magic.
This was not simply a red fog formed by magical power.
He saw the flow of power entangled in the spell, the evil intent inside it, and the result that lay before him.
[Soul Chain]……?
A spell that sacrifices one’s own soul to share pain with others.
It had no physical force, but if it was used correctly, it could result in death from the shock of pain.
The brain of the afflicted would feel intense pain.
In fact, back in his days as “Lee Jeong-jun”, one of the members of his party had met such a death.
“……!”
It wasn’t the cool-headed logic of a mage, but something close to instinct that moved Jun’s magic.
[Detecting Target]
A focal point of gathered magical power.
However, no spell was cast through that focal point.
There simply wasn’t time for that.
Instead, just a fraction.
His talent and skill, [Mana Body], reacted.
The focal point of the magical power turned toward it. Rather than manipulating the magical power within his body, he moved external magical power at will.
Even the magical power in the distant vicinity of the Goblin Lord began to respond to Jun’s call.
Then his choker reacted on its own to suppress his talent.
A sense of helplessness dominated his entire body and yet,
Jun clenched his teeth and continued to resist.
Twitch—
Only a small amount of magical power responded to his will.
But even that was enough.
His magical power mingled with the spell the Goblin Lord was casting.
He couldn’t cancel the spell.
For the power used in witchcraft was different from magic.
Magic distorts reality by using the natural energy around it.
But was witchcraft any different?
Is it really different?
Though it lasted only a moment, he caught a glimpse of the Goblin Lord’s spell as it was involuntarily construed.
In that dire situation, Jun once again held to a conviction driven by instinct. This was very different from what a mage would do.
A very small amount of the magical power of the world was guided by his will and got mixed into the Goblin Lord’s spell.
At the same time, various spells flashed through his mind, only to be discarded as a new possibility took root.
Like electricity seeping into a circuit board, his magical power seeped into the spell and expanded its reach.
Normally, magical power alone would not contain physical force, but now, it has begun to manifest.
Just like Jun’s clenched fist, the magical power that had seeped into the Goblin Lord’s spell momentarily gripped it tightly.
“Kir―?!”
In that very brief moment, Jun’s [Keen Eyesight] caught the emotion that flashed across the creature’s face.
It was probably bewilderment.
Or perhaps it was despair or a sense of betrayal.
The spell, fuelled by the Goblin Lord’s own soul and filled with malice, seemed unable to move, as if something had taken hold of it completely.
And that was the monster’s final expression.
Slash―! Thud.
Ginovan’s sword ultimately delivered the Goblin Lord’s end.
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