Chapter 123 — A Requiem for the Fallen
1
In any form, living beings with emotions mourn the death of their own.
The sight of their kin, twisted and disfigured in death, leaves deep emotional scars.
And what if those very dead are reassembled in grotesque forms and sent to hunt them?
The powerless might be gripped by grief and sorrow.
But not those gathered here.
Manus looked at the Corpse Golem with cold, indifferent eyes.
‘A Corpse Golem… we shouldn’t be encountering this yet.’
In the later stages of the game, this creature appeared as a common monster during the final stages of a side quest, estimated to be at a level in the 70s.
Its patterns were simple, but it was a monster people avoided due to its disgusting nature.
The defining feature of a Corpse Golem was its dark aura, which gave it high resistance to magic.
Only 4th-Class spells and above could deal any meaningful damage to it, making it quite a troublesome foe.
On top of that, if it didn’t receive constant damage, it would recover 10% of its health every turn, adding to the headache.
Manus began gathering mana as he briefed the group.
“Only use 4th-Class spells or higher. If you can’t reach that level, fall back to support.”
“—Understood.”
“Guardians, don’t engage it head-on.”
“Yes, sir.”
Squelch—
The Golem started to move.
With each step, the wet, leathery texture of the reanimated corpses it was made from seemed painfully vivid.
There was no need to drag this out. Manus would handle it with the most powerful magic.
‘If necessary, I’ll use Cadenza.’
Fwoosh—
Flames burst to life, roaring fiercely.
Manus recalled Anais’ magic, wondering how she had structured her spells.
With a continuous burst of firepower at that level, the Corpse Golem wouldn’t be able to regenerate.
The structure of the spell [Altus] was always fascinating.
There were still countless variations of spells, all based on a handful of standardized magical structures.
[Ignis]
[Altus]
[Altus]
[Altus]
Ominous, black flames appeared in Manus’ hands.
Once seen, a spell was never forgotten.
He could now recreate what existed in his mind perfectly.
If this creature sought release, he would grant it swiftly.
Anais’ signature move unfolded from Manus’ fingertips.
[Anais’ Special Move: Dissolute]
Unlike the calm, serene flames Anais had, Manus’ flames burned without restraint.
BOOM—!
The black flames, so dark they were almost blue, surged up the Corpse Golem’s body.
The pungent smell of burning flesh filled the air.
The stench, reminiscent of grilled squid, seemed to amplify the battle’s intensity.
Boom-boom-boom—!
Spells rained down.
The Corpse Golem continued to trudge forward, showing no deviation in its simple patterns.
Amidst the chaos, the deliberate and dignified sound of Tyrannis’ footsteps echoed through the din.
The blazing flames in his hands shimmered as he spoke in a low, slightly irritated tone.
“Step aside.”
[Ardor — Judex]
It was the same spell Invidea had used to incinerate a demon.
But the power of Tyrannis’ version was superior.
A 5th-Class spell.
A ray of searing heat capable of melting solid stone instantly shot toward the Corpse Golem.
AAARRRRGH—!
The howls of countless tormented souls filled the air.
The anguished screams, however, sounded more like ecstasy than pain.
Manus quickly constructed another magic circle.
To deal with a Corpse Golem brimming with a desire for release, nothing was more effective than fire magic.
But 4th-Class spells weren’t quite enough.
‘Maybe I should disguise it as a Double Casting.’
To deliver a decisive blow, 5th-Class or higher spells were necessary.
Even though he had the skill Cadenza, which could extract extreme efficiency, he hesitated to use it openly.
He knew the moment he revealed that power, those aware of its value would start to make things complicated.
He knew, eventually, Tyrannis would be the one to lay this pitiful creature to rest.
But standing by idly didn’t sit well with him.
He could hear it—their pain.
The tortured souls of the innocent, who had died and become vengeful spirits.
In some ways, this might be his fault, too. Manus steeled himself.
He could manipulate this situation subtly, without drawing too much attention.
Of course, Tyrannis would probably notice, but there was no helping that.
‘Once I’ve made up my mind, I’ll follow through.’
No regrets.
He would take full responsibility for the decisions he made.
Squelch—
Despite taking a direct hit from a 5th-Class spell, the Corpse Golem was still standing.
“This one’s quite tough. Guardians, buy us some time.”
“Understood!”
The Corpse Golem was seething with the toxins of the bodies it was made from.
Just being near it caused a nauseating, almost sweet smell to spread.
Prolonged exposure would be dangerous for everyone, Manus included—especially for him, as his body was still growing.
If he could strike it down with a powerful enough blow, that would at least slow it down.
He spread his hands, combining his spells.
[Double Spread]
[Ignis] — [Ignis]
[Salop — Kaldor]
Thanks to his increased mana reserves, he could easily unleash a 4th-Class Cadenza.
Fwoooosh—
Everyone’s eyes widened at the strange phenomenon.
The creeping miasma met the searing flames and was instantly incinerated.
A wall of pure flame, burning as fiercely as ever, emerged from the intense heat.
Watching this brilliant display, Tyrannis narrowed his eyes.
That magic—it was something even he, who prided himself on his knowledge, didn’t recognize.
‘Just what—’
A fiery storm enveloped the Corpse Golem.
The ghostly wails of the tortured souls echoed like the cries of spirits being laid to rest.
The gusts of flames surged, as if they would burn away everything in their path.
The combination of Tyrannis and Manus’s magic halted the Corpse Golem’s steps.
But it wasn’t completely dead yet.
“We need a finishing blow. Stall it, little brother.”
“—I can do that.”
Fire magic was notoriously difficult to control, but it had limitless potential.
Unlike lightning magic, which shot out in straight lines, or wind magic, which became hard to control once released, or ice magic, which was hard and limited in application, fire was different.
Even in the original story, fire magic was hailed as the most versatile among elemental magics.
It felt like the creators of the game had gone out of their way to make fire magic’s effects visually striking to emphasize this point.
It had countless offshoots.
[Ignis — Azer]
Fwoosh—
A wall of flames shot up.
The heat was so intense it felt like the entire forest would turn into a sea of fire if he didn’t control his mana.
For some reason, though, the heat didn’t escape beyond the village.
The Corpse Golem writhed in agony.
Its body trembled as it curled up, as if awaiting salvation.
Everyone watched the scene in silent reverence.
Who had done this? And why?
Eyes filled with questions, but there were no answers to be found.
Finally, Tyrannis’ spell was ready.
“Everyone, stand back.”
Whrrrrrr—
The entire atmosphere shook.
Someone audibly swallowed.
Even Manus found himself staring, transfixed.
The magic circle Tyrannis had created wasn’t formed by his hands—it hovered in the air.
A 5th-Class spell.
The final stage of magic attainable by most renowned figures.
With such talent, one could become a Duke of a small kingdom or be highly esteemed within the Empire.
While 4th-Class was something one could reach with enough effort, 5th-Class was a realm only bestowed upon those chosen by the heavens.
But magic didn’t end at the 5th-Class.
History was filled with countless Archmages, who had surpassed the 5th-Class to wield magic of the 7th and 8th Classes.
It was said that Dragons, the progenitors of magic, wielded spells as high as the 9th-Class.
“Oooh—”
“So, this is…”
“It’s been ages since I’ve seen something like this.”
Here it was—the pinnacle of magic.
The supreme level attained by those who sought powers beyond human limits.
Magic so powerful, one was no longer just a mage, but a Magus.
6th-Class.
The magic of a Magus was unleashed.
[Helios — Exsur]
BOOOOOOM—!
A massive orb of fire descended.
It blazed like the sun itself, emitting an intense heat even more scorching.
Mages scrambled to throw up barriers, reducing the shockwave.
The aftermath felt as if the world itself was coming to an end.
As the flaming orb descended, the
Corpse Golem’s body began to disintegrate.
Sweat poured down Tyrannis’ face as he struggled to control the spell.
‘A 6th-Class spell… even for him, it looks hard to manage.’
That was Manus’ silent observation as he watched the magic unfold.
It had taken over a minute for Tyrannis to set up the magic circle.
If it took someone like Tyrannis that long, it was impossible for an average mage to even hope for something like this.
BOOOOM—!
The small sun sank into the ground.
And with it, the Corpse Golem, unable to withstand the overwhelming heat, had long since turned to ash.
“This is… the power of a Magus.”
This was the first gate Manus would need to pass through on his journey.
[The boss has been defeated.]
2
Mythos Academy.
Someone felt something.
Tears flowed down the boy’s face, and he couldn’t understand why.
Why were these tears falling, even though he had no connection to anything?
What was this overwhelming sorrow, this crushing sadness?
The boy stared blankly at the sky, lost in the inexplicable emotions welling up inside him.
“Why?”
It was an empty question, with no one to answer it.
Around him, people continued to pass by.
Laughing, talking, exchanging emotions with one another.
But the boy’s life had no such connections.
Suddenly, he thought of that man.
The only person who could see him—Manus Caesar.
“I need to ask him.”
The boy spent the rest of the day crying without understanding why.
A girl quietly watched him from a distance.
She had seen him before, during the final preparations for their competition.
The boy who no longer responded, no matter how much she tried to talk to him.
At first, she thought he was a ghost, but he was clearly a physical being.
Who was he?
Who was this child no one seemed to care about?
‘I’m curious, but—’
The girl, Kael, couldn’t bring herself to approach the crying boy.
Her instincts held her back, making her reluctant to get any closer to him.
And so, she turned away and silently passed by him.
The boy’s gaze followed Kael.
He thought she was stunningly beautiful, but all he could do was watch the people who never answered him.
Then, a voice reached his ears.
A voice that should never have been heard.
“—Why are you crying?”
It was the voice of salvation, a voice that descended upon the boy like an angel.
A silver-haired woman, with wide eyes, was asking him gently.
The boy asked, his voice trembling.
“…Can you see me?”
The silver-haired woman.
Looking down at him with such kind eyes, the boy’s eyes widened in response.
Perhaps it was from that moment onward.
That was when the chains of their fates began.
They did not yet know.
The world had already begun to twist.
The irreversible changes had already started.
–TL Notes–
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