What kind of existence was a 7th-circle mage?
From the 7th circle onward, beyond the 6th, they stood in the realm of creation itself. They brought their own ideologies and philosophies into reality, constructing unique worlds of their own.
Then, what kind of world had Sergey built?
It went without saying. It was fire.
Flames that would engulf the world.
That was the height he had reached as a 7th-circle mage.
The [Mental Domain: Active Volcano] Jun had once seen at the Volcatornic Magic Tower was a good fragmentary example of Sergey’s envisioned world.
So, how did 7th-circle mages bring their mental images into this world?
It lay in the construction of an environment.
The creation of a setting tailored to realize their mental image.
And thus, what Sergey summoned was the image most familiar to him….fire.
Volcanic Volcano.
A volcano containing another volcano.
Sergey’s original magic, born from the mental image that he himself was a universe harboring a volcano within.
The ground began to boil, and the immense heat created shimmering waves in the air.
A huge fire-attribute magic circle began to spread out from Sergey as the center.
As the crimson flames completed the magical pattern, the range of the spell gradually expanded.
So giving up his body wasn’t just bravado.
He manifested a spell that required such intricate precision without any visible preparation.
Most mages would have their mana circuits entirely burned away in the process and meet their end.
But Sergey, who had undergone Enverman’s procedure, was an exception.
“Hoo…”
Jun took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
The thin syringe fell and rolled on the ground. The purple liquid surged from his arm through his veins and reached his chest in an instant.
Drip. Drip-drip.
As the purple liquid reached his heart, the change arrived quickly.
“Kh…”
Suppressing a faint groan, Jun opened his eyes to a sensation both unfamiliar and strangely familiar.
Before he knew it, his pupils had elongated vertically like a lizard’s, and scales had begun to sprout from his skin.
“Wh-What is that?!”
Upon seeing it, Enverman screamed as if forgetting he was still in the middle of battle.
Because it was the very ancient alchemists’ secret technique he had so desperately searched for.
The true identity of the purple liquid was none other than a mutant potion crafted by ancient alchemists.
Using a recipe salvaged from that era, Marshar had refined it with his own methods to create the liquid.
He had boldly claimed that although the effect was short, the side effects had been significantly reduced.
But for Jun, the one who had actually used it, that was far from the truth.
It feels like bugs are crawling through every vein in my body.
It was a sensation both itchy and painful, an unfamiliar energy that made his body feel like it no longer belonged to him.
Still, the effect is real.
Jun glanced around himself.
Mana had gathered.
An overwhelming amount of it.
At this moment, I should be able to control it.
[The influence of the spell, ‘Odyssey of the Lazy Pilgrim’, is reduced by 30 percent.]
Ordinarily, the maximum reduction achievable at the 5th circle was 25%, but in his temporarily mutated state, even 30% could be endured with ease.
Though the sensation of omnipotence felt like it might pierce into his brain, his mutated body, along with the traits [Steadfast Will] and [Unwavering Heart], maintained a precarious balance to suppress that overwhelming power.
As things stand, I have no way to completely block the fire-attribute mana of a 7th-circle mage.
There was no helping it.
Even with [Mana Body], new spells wouldn’t simply fall from the sky.
No matter how many times he layered [Ice Break], it wouldn’t be enough to stop the volcano that Sergey was summoning.
Which means, there’s only one method left.
It was a method he had used several times before.
Sometimes he had done it unconsciously, and other times, with deliberate intent.
Mana manipulation.
While it was second nature for a mage to handle their own mana, handling someone else’s mana was an entirely different matter.
Yet Jun had repeatedly caused such phenomena.
It had first happened during the Goblin Lord’s witchcraft.
And several times since then, he had interfered with and distorted the mana of others.
He had even managed to do it within Sergey’s [Mental Domain].
But with a 7th-circle mage standing right in front of me, this would normally be no more than a delusional fantasy.
And so, Jun sought a way to temporarily gain dominance over Sergey’s fire-attribute mana.
That answer was found in mutation. And breaking past the limits of his seal.
Right now… it’s possible.
That instinct struck him.
And then, he grasped the mana of the entire area.
It felt like moving an invisible third hand.
Then, he scattered the mana he had grasped throughout the area.
Into it, he poured his own mental image.
No magic was needed for what he was doing now.
Even so, the mana voraciously consumed the imagery Jun had created.
Then what exactly was the image Jun had created?
Devouring Flame.
The essence of flame he had seen as a child.
Greed.
The greed he had previously only mixed into his magic….this time, he turned it into an attribute and infused it directly into the mana.
As a result, the surrounding mana greedily devoured all energy in the vicinity.
But that wasn’t Jun’s intention.
He began to bring the rampaging mana under control.
Stop.
Your prey is not everything around you.
There is only one true target.
The mana that had spread around Sergey.
Though he couldn’t cancel Sergey’s magic immediately, he could still devour his mana.
However, the mana didn’t easily follow Jun’s will.
From the mana’s perspective, there were far easier energies nearby to consume. There was no reason to go after Sergey’s mana, which was harder to swallow.
A clear sense of rejection pulsed from the mana.
In response, Jun amplified his presence even further.
He fiercely spun his circle and focused harder on the [Mana Body].
He issued a stern warning to the mana that dared to ignore its master’s command.
Then, the mana steeped in ‘greed’ slightly recoiled.
[Detecting Target]
Seizing the opportunity, he clearly designated the prey for the mana.
The mana, now fixated on the target Jun had set, all surged in that direction.
Like a flock of sheep herded by a shepherd, the mana began to covet Sergey’s energy.
This is insane mana control…!
Magic like this….wielding mana without even a magic circle was something Sergey had never seen or heard of before.
He was stunned by the scene unfolding before him, but he couldn’t afford to remain in shock.
Whoooosh!
He accelerated the collapse of his own body, and in return, resisted Jun’s mana, which was greedily trying to consume his.
A fierce clash of mana between two mages.
However, as time passed, both could feel themselves falling into disadvantage.
With such a vast amount of mana under his grip, Jun’s mutant transformation was beginning to waver, as though it might unravel at any moment.
Cracks had also begun to form across Sergey’s body.
I’ll seize the chance in one blow…
And turn the situation around in an instant!
Jun used Illusia to cast [Flare].
At the same time, Sergey gathered mana in his mouth, preparing a breath attack.
The die had been cast.
***
“Lady Eleanor!”
Right after the standoff between Jun and Sergey began—
The heat radiating from around Sergey was so intense it melted everything it touched.
Unable to approach the enemy directly, Aiden rushed to Eleanor while Jun bought time.
He had noticed that, just moments ago, Jun had briefly looked toward Eleanor.
“Wait a moment!”
Thanks to the knights’ ironclad defense, Eleanor barely managed to shake off Enverman’s attention. She fired a light arrow and retreated.
“What is it?”
“Jun is in danger!”
“Damn it…!”
For a split second, Eleanor’s gaze turned toward the Blackguard knights.
Enverman, having injected the Butcher Monk’s serum, had already killed two of them.
Worse, with every life he took, his aura grew even stronger.
Because of that, even Tairdin, the captain of the knights and a fellow Level 7, was struggling to hold him off.
If Enverman got any stronger, the encirclement would collapse in an instant.
But Tairdin solved Eleanor’s dilemma for her.
“Leave this to us!”
Though he lacked the strength to defeat the strengthened Enverman, he wasn’t weak enough to be overwhelmed right away either.
Tairdin chose to stall the chimera’s master rather than defeat him outright. Enverman realized this and tried to shake him off, but the knight commander was no easy opponent.
“You bastard!”
“You cling like a damn leech…!”
Having secured some time, Eleanor quickly moved to follow Aiden.
“Hah, this is a damn mess…”
“There’s no way to get close to him!”
“Then what do you want?”
“I’d like to use your staff to strike him from a distance.”
“My divine magic can’t harm him. It’ll be destroyed by the heat before it even gets close.”
“Then use my mana instead.”
“…Ah.”
Eleanor was well aware of the overwhelming, domineering nature of Aiden’s mana.
If that power was channeled, it could definitely deal effective damage to that monstrous creature.
The two of them immediately placed their hands on the staff.
“Focus. Imagine transferring your mana into this staff.”
“…….”
Despite Eleanor’s instructions, Aiden said nothing.
Instead, Eleanor sensed an enormous surge of mana pouring into the Bell of Sorrow.
Such… overwhelming mana density.
She had witnessed it many times before, but even now, Aiden’s mana never failed to astonish her with its sheer intensity and domineering nature.
If he only had a greater quantity of it, he could probably cut through anything in the world.
By the time the two had nearly completed the [Transformation]—
Jun and Sergey made their move.
***
Sergey had no choice but to acknowledge the mage standing before him.
Even if he was born with a Mana Body, mastering it is a whole different matter.
He recalled the remnants of mana he had seen in the ruined Tower of Demian.
Just from those traces alone, he had been able to rise to the Seventh Circle. A talent truly blessed.
But that same experience had shown him just how dangerous such power could be.
If one gave in to its allure and used it carelessly, both body and soul would be swept away by the tide of mana, never to return.
Yet the mage before him was walking that tightrope, enduring the risk and pushing his power to the limit.
There was no imagining how many temptations and dangers he must have resisted to reach that level.
However—
Sergey also understood the mage’s weakness well.
The moment you falter, the rope will snap, and you’ll fall into the abyss.
So he had to shatter the mage’s composure.
Make him hunger for even more power.
He needed to break that delicate balance.
And what caught his eye—
Were Jun’s companions, preparing something in their direction.
A radiant blond man and a priest with his eyes covered by a black eyepatch.
A flame breath drawn up from the depths of his lungs was unleashed toward the two of them, and Jun’s gaze snapped in that direction.
Seeing Jun’s startled expression, Sergey knew his choice had been correct.
***
Sergey had made the right decision.
The moment the breath was aimed not at Jun but at his companions, Jun didn’t go after Sergey, who was wide open—
Instead, he released a [Flare] toward the incoming breath headed for Aiden and Eleanor.
The [Flare] amplified to its limit with gathered mana and further [Stacked] using “Illusia” managed to block the creature’s breath.
However, the breath of a Level 7 Balrog, who had inherited the full power of a 7th-circle mage’s mana, couldn’t be held back forever by a mere 5th-circle spell.
It’s not enough…!
On top of that, the breath was growing even more powerful, fueled by the fire-attributed mana gathering around Sergey.
To stop it now, he would have to control the mana and force it to devour the breath itself.
But the mana he had gathered so far was far from sufficient.
More mana…!
Yet if he tried to channel any more, his body wouldn’t be able to withstand it.
Still, there was no time for hesitation.
Biting down on his lip until it bled, Jun drew more mana into his circle.
Too slow!
At this point, all the mana in the area had already been pushed to the limit by Sergey and himself.
It wasn’t enough. So Jun reached into his dimensional bracelet and pulled out a container of mana fluid.
Mana fluid poured from the cylinder into both of Jun’s hands and was absorbed directly into his circle.
In that instant, a surge of omnipotence pierced through his brain, his entire body trembled, and for a fleeting moment, reality itself seemed to drift away.
“Now!”
Aiden’s voice rang out—
And at the same time, Eleanor began chanting a divine spell.
[Spears of Light]
A massive, sacred spear took form.
Red energy swirled around the holy weapon, drawn into it—
And Eleanor launched it.
[……?!]
A giant spear flew through the air.
The breath that had been pushing back Jun’s [Flare] reversed course the moment it collided with the massive spear, beginning to falter.
At that moment, Sergey’s eyes widened in disbelief.
Those insignificant pests he hadn’t even paid attention to…..breaking through his breath?!
Groaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh――――!!!
The flame breath split in two. And as it did, the spear also began to crumble, little by little.
“Phew… That was close.”
At Aiden’s shout, Jun snapped back to focus and stirred his mana into motion.
Mana steeped in greed surged like a tidal wave, pressing in on Sergey.
[How… How are you still sane?!]
“This isn’t the first time I’ve done something reckless like that.”
The know-how he had gained by brushing the edge of death time and again at the sacred grounds of the Ariklotus Church—
That was “experience”.
Leave a Reply