Chapter 217 — Protect Your Soul

1

Necromancer.

Those who became legendary figures were worshippers of the God of Death.

The reason they became objects of persecution was simple.

They considered the dead more important than the living.

Some dismissed necromancers as mad mages.

That might have been true.

From offering souls to Mors, to creating bizarre life forms using human corpses.

Necromancers were the ones who acted like typical fanatics.

“Soul Eater.”

“Oh? You know of it. Not something students of this era would typically know about.”

The Wanderer spoke proudly of his masterpiece.

A relic of a bygone era that had disappeared into history.

Those who remembered the Soul Eater, the Soul Devourer, would all say the same thing.

[Guard your soul well.]

The Soul Eater’s true ability wasn’t in its physical destructive power.

It was destroying souls while enduring enemy attacks.

No matter how great one’s physical abilities, souls were vulnerable.

If exposed to the Soul Eater’s attacks for a certain time, anyone with a soul would definitely die.

Whether they were Masters or ordinary people.

Only the time they could endure differed — it was a familiar that inevitably led to death.

On battlefields, the Soul Devourer was an object of terror and the biggest obstacle in subjugation.

“This is not a familiar that mere students can handle. If you withdraw quietly now, I will spare your souls.”

“Well, we have no intention of doing that? Let’s start quickly.”

Anais interrupted his words while igniting black flames.

Seeing they might attack at any moment, the Wanderer stepped back and commanded his familiar.

“I must bestow blessings upon those who invite death. Soul Eater. It’s time for the festival.”

[Grrrr-!]

With an eerie sound, the grotesque creature moved.

The Soul Eater’s main weapons were arms like tentacles.

Using them to bind enemies and extract their souls.

Guillermo’s shield spun sharply to block the enemy.

“Attack.”

“Yes!”

[Anais Exclusive Skill: Dissolute]

[Manubia]

Kael’s 4th-Class lightning magic and Anais’s exclusive skill struck the Soul Eater’s entire body.

Rumble-!

The lightning left gaping holes and black flames crawled up its entire body.

[Grrrr!]

Though they inflicted some damage, the Soul Eater began moving as if nothing had happened.

The Wanderer behind it sneered.

“Did you think I hadn’t gathered information all this time? Huhuhu… I’ve already analyzed all your magic. Red-haired heretic. You use the most threatening magic.”

“Why… is it not working?”

Anais was momentarily flustered.

This had never happened before?

The core of Dissolute was inflicting damage until the flames extinguished.

“Huhu… I’d be a fool to tell you that. Quietly accept your death!”

The tentacles extended.

Crack!

Though Guillermo’s swung shield struck the tentacles, Guillermo, who was as strong as Manus in pure power, was pushed back.

A formidable opponent.

‘But, worth trying.’

It wasn’t as overwhelmingly disadvantageous as fighting Manus.

That monster had pushed with strength even greater than the Soul Eater before them.

The problem lay elsewhere.

[1]

A clear number appeared on his chest.

Kael instinctively shouted.

“Senior, dodge the attacks!”

“…Understood.”

“Since it eats souls… it’s probably related.”

Guillermo nodded heavily.

The worst matchup for him who focused on close combat.

Looking at it, its magic resistance seemed top-tier.

An enemy that appeared so powerful that ordinary magic wouldn’t even scratch it.

What should they do?

Guillermo began looking for a breakthrough.

[The method of dealing with familiars is surprisingly simple.]

Kael also followed Manus’s previous teachings.

She decided to target the Wanderer himself rather than the Soul Eater.

Lightning magic, the fastest kind.

‘If speed is added to speed…’

[Double Spread]

[Fulgetra] — [Fulgetra]

[Series Fulgetra]

Bang!

A flash of lightning struck the Wanderer.

Speed that normal humans couldn’t even react to.

The Wanderer took the hit and rolled back several times.

But Kael didn’t let her guard down and began building her next spell.

Something that flashed momentarily had perfectly protected the Wanderer.

Proving this, the Wanderer got up with a weak groan, “Ungh.”

“My, if I hadn’t prepared for this, it could have been dangerous. Using the same method as the young lord, I’m surprised.”

“Damn it.”

“Huhu… I put in much effort for this day. Do you see? His minion? When the minion destroys the tower, this world will become a world of the dead.”

The group instinctively understood what his words meant.

Was the tower a kind of sacred ground, serving to contain the dead?

But if so, the Apostles’ actions didn’t make sense.

“Hey, aren’t you misunderstanding something? The Apostles inside there say it’s a ‘place to protect.'”

“Apostles? You speak of those disgusting traitors? You’ve met them? This is… somewhat interesting.”

Boom!

The Soul Devourer’s tentacles tore up the ground.

Even as they extracted information, the battle continued.

Guillermo gritted his teeth and dodged the attack.

‘If contact is the problem, just avoid it as much as possible. If not that then…’

Guillermo decided to properly utilize his family’s secret arts.

Originally, the Buckley family wasn’t one that favored in-fighting.

They were a family that handled shields like yo-yos.

In other words, a perfect out-fighting style.

Guillermo connected mana like strings.

And he quietly spoke to Anais behind him.

“Anais, buffs.”

“They’re not amazing like Pearson’s. Is that okay?”

“That’s enough for now.”

Anais nodded and built up magic circles.

Soon, Anais’s power permeated Guillermo’s entire body.

[Cultus]

[Dutamen]

3rd-Class Cultus that greatly enhanced reaction speed and dynamic vision.

Mixed with the orthodox strengthening magic Dutamen.

With rising power, Guillermo began moving nimbly.

Meanwhile, Kael hurriedly gathered information.

‘These eyes, I must find weaknesses with these eyes.’

Her red-dyed eyes read the intricately tangled mana.

Something no one else could do.

This was the task she had to do right now.

2

Papalis.

It recovered its posture and hurried to prepare a charge.

Manus glanced back.

The reason he left the Wanderer alive.

The reason he sent Kael.

It was all for this moment.

It was also the moment for her to get some hints about her bloodline while facing the Wanderer.

[Strong interference has begun.]

[The worldline twists greatly.]

[The Apostles’ vigilance increases further.]

‘…What’s this?’

What is this now.

This was strange.

Was there such content?

He looked back with an uneasy heart.

At that moment, a sharp voice rang out.

“Manus! Look out!”

Bang!

An attack that burst before he could react.

He momentarily lost his composure because of the messages.

The price was taking Papalis’s attack and falling from the castle wall.

There wasn’t even time to scream before intense pain rushed through him.

Papalis’s charge attack.

Though it wasn’t a direct hit, the shockwave sent him flying.

What could he do but blame himself for letting his guard down.

“Hup-!”

Manus raised mana with superhuman reaction speed and controlled his posture in mid-air.

Using the principles of Matu magic, this much was nothing.

Landing lightly, he looked at the castle wall.

The wall’s durability looked quite okay.

“Manus! Are you alright?!”

“No problem.”

Manus leaped up onto the castle wall in one breath.

Following its predetermined pattern, Papalis poured out bombardment to find its next target.

Better end this quickly and go help Kael.

Manus’s blue eyes flashed as he poured out mana.

There was no need to conserve power.

After all, it was just a fool with lots of health.

“No more mercy.”

A big idiot that only used predetermined patterns.

Without variables, it was just a rich experience point bag.

[Triple Spread]

[Ardor] — [Typhon] — [Exodus]

A tingling sensation rushed through his entire body.

An eccentric feat possible because his mana had greatly increased.

Hot winds swept around a sphere of flame.

Added to that was the power of angels.

5th-Class flame, wind, and holy magic combined in one place to create solar wind.

Whoosh!

The heat alone melted the small fry, and swept away the dark green darkness.

“Young Master. Please don’t overdo it.”

“It’s fine. Now.”

“I will protect the others.”

Aden, who sprang from the shadows, spread a curtain.

The children remaining on the wall were instantly transported below.

Manus smiled as he controlled magic with trembling hands.

Though he had intuitively foreseen success, it took too long to attempt.

He hadn’t even dared try it in the Warrior’s Desert.

But a boss fight with plenty of time was different.

‘Seems much easier than the Apostle.’

Unlike the Apostle with rampant irregular patterns, Demonium had fixed patterns.

Just a bit bigger, a bit stronger, and a bit tougher?

Then this side just needed to hit it with slightly stronger magic.

The magic flew.

A sphere of flame resembling solar wind.

The slowly but surely flying sphere burned everything around it.

[Kuhuuum!]

Sometimes there would be power struggles in the form of magic duels.

A mini-game that occurred very rarely.

It was a battle of whose mana was stronger, and winning there provided a chance to inflict huge damage on the opponent.

A user had discovered the conditions for this to occur.

It happened when the opponent’s and one’s mana were similar and using magic of the same level.

Dark red mana and Manus’s magic showed signs of collision.

“What is that…”

“A pure power struggle. Like a duel between equal mages.”

“Lady Aden knows a lot.”

Aden smiled at Melanie’s words.

You see many different scenes when you’re in the Imperial Palace.

This method was a way to concisely confirm power superiority when magic towers clashed.

A pure mana confrontation.

Which means…

“As expected, Young Master was a monster.”

“It’s really strange hearing that from a Master’s mouth.”

“Huhu… I’m human too. At Young Master’s age, I was just a novice.”

Everyone raised their eyes to watch the overwhelming spectacle.

Crackle!

A confrontation that made the air tremble.

Everyone held their breath watching the battle between Demonium and Manus.

What that scene meant was one thing.

It meant Manus’s mana capacity was similar to Demonium’s.

–TL Notes–
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