Demon-Hunting Genius Mage

[Translator - Prøks]

[Proofreader - Prøks]

Chapter 111

Thump, thump, thump.

The two clones, spread out on either side, gradually closed the distance.

The more I watched, the more I was amazed.

Their gait, gestures, footwork, breathing – everything had its own unique pattern.

Woooong—

They even emanated the same energy as Dercion himself.

‘…Looks like I'll have to deal with three Dercions at once?’

No matter how I looked at it, this was already beyond the level of ordinary light magic.

As if sensing my admiration, the real Dercion, walking in the middle, opened his mouth.

"You seem quite surprised. So was I. When I first grasped this power, I was truly astonished."

Swoooosh!

Whooosh!

The Dercion on the left approached with dense demonic energy, while the one on the right wielded a compressed sphere of light.

The sphere of light, generated in triplicate as befitting a high-ranking mage, seemed ready to pierce my body at any moment.

Meanwhile, Dercion continued speaking.

"Isn't it truly amazing? That light and darkness, complete opposites, can be combined."

"…Light and darkness combined?"

What was he talking about now?

‘I knew blackmagic existed, but…’

A fusion of those two attributes?

I had never heard of it, nor had I ever considered it possible.

Because, as Dercion said, light and darkness were completely opposing attributes.

‘There's a reason why combining water and fire is impossible.’

In attribute fusion, compatibility between the attributes was the most important factor.

Simply put, if the compatibility wasn't there, no matter what you did, you couldn't combine them.

Certainly, light and darkness fell into that category.

But.

‘…I can't deny what I'm seeing.’

Through my [Insight], I could see that both clones were infused with Dercion's unique light attribute magic and that ominous demonic energy.

This was proof that Dercion wasn't lying. It meant that the combination of the two was actually possible.

In fact, I was witnessing it with my own eyes.

"When light creates an illusion, darkness gives it substance. These guys were born that way."

"…Born? You mean they're alive?"

"Well, that depends on how you define life, doesn't it? Seeing them move like this, at least to my eyes, they seem alive. Hahaha."

Dercion chuckled ominously, glancing over the two clones before turning his gaze back to me.

His face seemed completely absorbed in something.

"The combination of these two is truly limitless. To the point where I can't even fathom its extent."

Then.

"Such a pity, such a pity…! That you won't be able to experience that greatness!"

Dercion suddenly stretched out his hand.

And then.

Shwaaaaaak!

The clones, which had somehow gotten quite close, began their attack.

Magic and demonic energy struck from both sides.

Thump-thump-thump!

My heart pounded as I tried to evade, but then…

Clang! Clang!

Elbert, arriving before me in the blink of an eye, deflected the clones' attacks with his sword.

Fwoom!

The demonic energy and magic, their original purpose thwarted, crashed into the ground.

Having confirmed this, Elbert glanced back and said,

"I'll handle these two. You take on the main body."

"Me, take on the main body?"

It was a short, clear instruction, but doubt arose before agreement.

"Will you be alright alone?"

It was a valid concern. After all, he was declaring he'd face two opponents by himself!

In a one-on-one situation, they might be evenly matched, but against two, it would surely be overwhelming for Elbert.

Of course…

"Then will you do it?"

"…No, sir. I'll take the main body."

His casual remark brought immediate understanding.

Right, Elbert was definitely better suited than me.

Though it seemed reckless, he was the Knight Commander and a leader.

Surely he wasn't doing this without a plan.

Clang! Crack! Bang!

Leaving Elbert behind as he engaged in fierce combat, I slowly started moving.

Dercion immediately grasped the situation and took a stance.

Magic, mixed with demonic energy, surged with an unpleasant sound.

Tsssss!

As expected of a high-ranking mage, his reaction was swift.

However, contrary to his actions…

"Heh heh, Yuhan. Are you really sure about this?"

Dercion's expression and tone were laced with mockery.

Well, it wasn't surprising.

‘Even in the game, high-ranking mages didn't consider those below 5th Circle as worthy opponents…’

So what about now?

An 8th Circle versus a 5th Circle. No matter how things went, it was a gap too wide to overcome.

Of course, that was assuming a typical 5th Circle mage.

‘I'm not just any 5th Circle mage.’

The 1 Circle boost from the unique effect of the [Holy Staff].

The mythic tier traits [Prodigy of Magic] and [Essence of Light].

[The Former Master of Swordsmanship], a top-tier spirit imprint that all swordsmen dreamed of.

And the rare magic swordsman build, hard to find anywhere else.

If I set my mind to it, I could create variables at any moment.

Therefore…

"You won't have the leisure to worry about me."

Crackle!

I confidently took the first step.

"Indeed… I'm looking forward to it!"

Along with his words, Dercion's magic began to pour down.

Fwoosh! Fwoosh! Fwoosh!

Blackened rays of light reached close range in the blink of an eye.

I had anticipated this and immediately changed my course, narrowly dodging the rays.

Or so I thought.

Tss! Drip.

A stinging pain, and crimson blood flowed down my left arm.

It seemed one of the three rays had grazed my arm by a hair's breadth.

It wasn't a major injury, but it startled me.

‘That fast?’

The speed was on a different level from the light magic rays I cast.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that it truly captured the full speed of light.

However, the feeling it evoked was more curiosity than fear.

‘How does he do it? It doesn't look that different from what I do…’

-Magic learning ability increased by 300%.

I replayed the situation in my mind, analyzing every detail.

A battle against another light attribute mage was a rare opportunity.

Perhaps Dercion's magic could be a great help in reaching the level of a high-ranking mage.

Of course, Dercion wasn't the type to just stand by and watch.

"Tsk tsk, your basics are lacking. Distracted thoughts are forbidden in a battle between mages!"

Crackle!

His reprimand was immediately followed by another attack.

This time, three rays of light flew towards me again.

Fwoosh-!

He seemed to have put more power into it this time, as the range was wider than before.

I twisted my body without hesitation, but…

Tss!

Once again, it grazed my arm by a hair's breadth.

Drip!

A burning pain surged from my arm.

But there was no time to catch my breath.

Dercion, now seemingly serious about the fight, launched his next attack immediately.

Whoosh!

A strange, dark energy emerged from the tip of Dercion's staff, creeping along the ground towards me.

It looked like a shadow approaching.

I didn't know what kind of technique it was, but I knew I had to avoid it at all costs.

Crackle! Thud!

Instinctively, I channeled electric magic into my feet and pushed off the ground, creating distance.

The shadow, as if unable to advance further, wobbled before me and then disappeared.

Silence lingered for a moment.

Dercion, seemingly not expecting this, frowned.

"You've become quite the nimble mage, haven't you, Yuhan?"

"I've always been quick on my feet."

"Tsk… You've already strayed from the path of a mage."

What was he so dissatisfied with?

Clicking his tongue, Dercion began to condense mana.

Simultaneously, black rays of light poured out from his staff.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Fwoosh! Fwoosh! Fwoosh!

It was a completely different pattern from before, when he fired them in threes.

For a moment, I thought Dercion had surpassed the limits of an 8th Circle mage, but…

‘…No, that's not it.’

Fortunately, it didn't seem to be the case.

He had simply split the three rays of light into multiple strands.

As a result, the power and speed of each individual ray had decreased.

Enough for me to dodge them.

Whizz! Whizz! Whizz!

I twisted and turned my body relentlessly, weaving through the shower of rays.

It was a close call, but somehow I managed to evade all the black rays.

However, my heart grew more and more urgent.

Because I knew that this current attack was just a delaying tactic.

‘…Damn it.’

Even while dodging the rays, my eyes were fixed on Dercion's staff.

More precisely, on the black mass of magic he was condensing.

It was a process similar to when I cast the large-scale flashbang.

In other words, Dercion was casting his own large-scale magic.

An ominous sign.

If I left it alone, it was clear that not only me, but all living things in the vicinity would be affected.

‘I have to stop it!’

With that thought, I desperately pushed past the rays and stretched out my arm.

At that moment.

Flash!

-Magic learning ability increased by 300%.

Like watching a revolving lantern, the scene from a moment ago flashed before my eyes in slow motion.

The scene of Dercion firing the black rays.

‘…This is it.’

In an instant, I grasped the principle behind Dercion's ray magic.

And at the same time…

I fired a ray of light infused with [Essence of Light].

Bang!

The ray of light left my hand and flew towards the ominous mass of magic Dercion was gathering.

It struck the mass of magic in a fleeting instant.

The ray of light, moving so fast that even I almost missed it.

Crackle! Fizzle! …

The shocked mass of magic dispersed into the air.

And…

“…You.”

Dercion glared at me with an expression I had never seen before.

“What have you done?”

His face was contorted with fury, his eyes and brow furrowed.

Honestly, I was taken aback.

‘Is this something to react to like that?’

Even if he asked what I had done, I had no answer.

After all, I had only imitated Dercion's ray magic.

Moreover, it wasn't that difficult.

‘Instead of activating it blindly, you just have to let the magic flow into the trajectory beforehand.’

Then, the ray naturally follows the trajectory of the magic, and its speed increases explosively.

Of course, casting ray magic while doing this required a considerable amount of concentration, but still…

I didn't think it was something to be so surprised about.

But then…

"What a disgusting ability. I must nip you in the bud right here!"

Dercion, further enraged, amplified his mana.

Rumble! Rumble!

The power was so intense that the ground shook.

Shivers ran down my spine, and my breath quickened.

I knew instinctively.

That he, with the power of an 8th Circle mage amplified by demonic power, was now using his full strength.

And that wasn't all.

Turning my head at a sudden groan, I saw…

"Ugh!"

Elbert was clutching his stomach with a pained expression.

Looking closer, I saw that his stomach and the hand holding it were stained crimson with blood.

It seemed that handling two opponents was indeed too much, as he had been injured by the clones.

The two clones, seemingly thinking the battle was over, slowly turned their heads towards me.

As my eyes met theirs, I couldn't help but swallow hard.

Gulp.

‘…This is dangerous.’

Just as I thought that…

"Yuhan!!"

A familiar voice came from somewhere.

Turning my head, I saw…

"Huff… Huff…!"

There was Barundel, the middle-aged dwarf, running towards me, gasping for breath.

"…Barundel?"

Or, more accurately…

He was running with a group of powerful individuals, easily recognizable even at a glance.

Most were unfamiliar, but there were a few familiar faces.

Roan, Professor Ziren, Shuharn.

And Asion Gale.

"Huff… Huff…!"

Barundel, who had reached me in no time, gasped for breath and then suddenly grinned, saying,

"I've arrived!"

His face radiated a sense of accomplishment that was almost contagious.

‘…Right, he did suddenly disappear earlier.’

It seemed Barundel had anticipated this situation and brought reinforcements in advance.

[Translator - Prøks]

[Proofreader - Prøks]