Book 2: Chapter 368
As soon as he saw this grey haired young man, Diablo realised.
That his opponent was a 9-star Wizard.
‘Who is he?’
There were no 9-star Wizards on the continent that Diablo wasn’t aware of. He even knew most of the 7 and 8 star Wizards.
A young Great Wizard with such a unique appearance. Even if he were to hear about him in passing, he wouldn’t have forgotten him. Of course, there was always the possibility that his appearance was fake.
However, Diablo’s surprise wasn’t because of his outward appearance.
‘Those who reached the realm of 9-stars.’
Cairo Wilsemann, the de facto leader of Paragon, the 11th Tower Master, and until just recently, the Right Hand of the Circle Master, Ivan.
He was also 9-stars, but he couldn’t be said to have completely conquered that realm.
The different levels were only ranked from 1 to 9 for the sake of convenience, but even if two individuals were at the same level, their level of skill might not be the same.
Cairo, who had only just entered 9-stars, and Diablo, who had been 9-stars since a long time ago.
It was only natural for there to be a gap between them.
Diablo was certain.
There was no Wizard currently on the continent that was a higher level than him. Not to mention a higher level, he couldn’t even find someone on the same level.
Then what about this guy?
He had managed to perfectly cancel the Absolute Line he’d just shot out.
With the same technique.
‘…there are still strong people on the continent that I don’t know about.’
That was something he was already aware of.
But the time that this one appeared was very coincidental.
Iris, Anastasia, Peran Jun, Asilla, and Hector. He had just been on the verge of wiping out all of these people who were getting in his way.
This could only mean one thing. This man was most likely on the same side as them.
[It doesn’t seem like you want to answer.]
He said this to the man who had been silent since his arrival.
And this time, he received the answer he didn’t expect.
“Even if I tell you who I am, you wouldn’t know.”
His tone was indifferent as if he didn’t have emotions.
[Peran just called you Frey. Is that your name?]
“The answer to that question is not important in this situation.”
[…so you mean to say that further conversation is unnecessary. I understand.]
Since those were the other persons’ intentions, Diablo didn’t insist on further conversation.
He called upon his mana.
His opponent was a Wizard who was stronger than Cairo. There was even a high chance that he was close to his own level.
Nevertheless, the word ‘defeat’ was improbable.
Of course, he had been surprised to find a Wizard this strong, but that was it.
Diablo’s confidence was not shaken in the slightest.
[I will tell you one thing. As long as you are a Wizard, it is impossible to defeat me.]
“The reason?”
[Because this isn’t about the hierarchical relationship between Wizards… Peran Jun, even that man, who is praised as an unprecedented genius, is no different from a beggar in front of me. Of course, I know that you are a 9-star Wizard who surpassed Peran. That’s why I’ll show you clearly.]
Diablo’s black robes wavered.
[The fact that there is still a difference in levels among 9-stars.]
Paimon’s curtain. The true value of this black spell was not revealed in defence.
Crack!
The black cloth was torn into tens of thousands of pieces. The sound mixed with a cacophony of screams.
[Screeech!]
[Kyaaak!]
Hundreds of evil spirits appeared from the torn black robe. The evil spirits began to scream in every direction as though they’d just escaped from hell.
“Ku…k…”
Peran sank to the ground as a terrible headache shook his brain.
His head felt like it would split open. It was worse than when he tried to use spells while under Diablo’s pressure.
‘A mental attack.’
It was more powerful than any attack he’d encountered so far.
The higher the level of the Wizard, the more resistant they were to mental attacks. After all, the higher the level of the Wizard, the more inevitable it was that they’d spent a great amount of time training their mind. This training was fundamental for obtaining one of the most important skills for high level Wizards, Mind as Still as a Clear Lake.
That was why most mental attacks didn’t work on Wizards.
However, the resentment contained in the evil spirits Diablo released was beyond imagination. They were not beings that could be classified as simple banshees.
Each of those evil spirits contained the resentment of thousands of people.
But that was just the beginning of Diablo’s attack. As the evil spirits scattered in every direction, Diablo began to mutter.
[Hells…]
Bang!
However, before he could even finish the phrase, Diablo’s body staggered.
Shock could be seen in the way the flames that burned in his dark eye sockets flickered.
‘I was attacked?’
The mana that he’d just gathered to cast the spell scattered in vain.
The timing was perfect. If the attack had come any later, the spell would have already been released, and if it had come sooner, then even if the spell failed, his mana would not have been used up.
As a result, Diablo suffered a great loss.
He was forced to use up enough mana to cast an 8-star spell, but it had no effect.
‘Was that a coincidence?’
He raised his head.
And that’s when his gaze met Frey’s which was still locked onto him.
…It wasn’t a coincidence.
That thought lingered firmly in his mind.
He had no proof or basis, but he was certain.
That guy had intended for that to happen.
[Interesting…!]
There was a bit of heat mixed in with Diablo’s voice.
[Are you trying to compete with me in magic? Fine. Let’s do it.]
1,000 years.
He had devoted himself to magic for even longer than that.
Black mana began to swirl around Diablo.
[You will learn why all Wizards long for my teaching. And Why I am called the symbol of magicology.] (TL: Arrogant Diablo huh.)
“…”
Frey Blake’s gaze deepened.
The full scale of a battle between 9-star Wizards.
Not everyone there knew what it would be.
“…”
Peran looked up at the sky with a shocked expression.
At some point, the surroundings had become as bright as day. Of course, this wasn’t because the sun had risen.
Instead, it was because the hundreds or thousands of spells, which covered the sky, were illuminating the area.
Boom boom boom!
Loud explosions several times louder than thunder ripped the sky apart.
This was natural since hundreds of spells collided at the same time. However, the aftermath was horrifying.
Human corpses, undead corpses, small rocks, and even parts of buildings that were on the brink of collapse were swept away by the storm.
“…I didn’t expect to see a fight like this in an era where both the Dragons and the Demigods had disappeared.”
It wasn’t unreasonable for Hector to utter those words. After all, the battle occurring in the sky was something that mortals would believe was a battle between gods.
“Who is that man?”
“…I don’t know.”
Of course, he knew that this man was the ‘Frey Blake’ from his memories.
However… If that was the case then what about Lukas? In the first place, where even was he?
“Could you help that man fight Diablo?”
“…”
The answer to that question came almost reflexively.
“No. I would only get in the way.”
“…even 8-stars like you are like that. Truly, it’s suicide to step into such an equal fight.”
“No. In my opinion…”
As he looked at the battle unfolding before him, Peran’s expression became a bit strange. He paused for a moment before eventually deciding to close his mouth. After all, the words he’d been about to say were absurd.
Instead, he focused on the sky again.
…If his predictions were correct, this fight wouldn’t last much longer.
* * *
Hundreds of engagements came and went in the blink of an eye.
It was a battle that left those on the ground in awe, but the two Wizards understood that it was only superficial.
Rather than a battle of attrition, it was more of a probe. Or a test.
Those names were more appropriate than calling it a battle.
It had never been a full force fight.
Hundreds of spells were unleashed each second, but there were no signs that either side was growing weary.
Ttuk.
Diablo halted the spell that he had just been about to cast. Then he looked at his opponent, who had also stopped gathering his mana.
…With that, he was certain.
[You, what are you doing?]
“Is there a problem?”
[Quit your cheap acting. Did you think I wouldn’t notice?]
There was a hint of anger mixed in with Diablo’s voice.
[Why are you only responding to my spells? Why aren’t you casting any spells first? Do you think you can beat me with such a passive attitude?]
“It’s not my fault?”
[What?]
“It’s you who can’t make me use my full power. If you were worth it, or if I couldn’t afford to be so relaxed, I wouldn’t just respond.”
[…kuku. How arrogant.]
“Well. I will…”
Suddenly.
Frey’s voice broke off. His gaze was directed to a few figures in the distance.
A girl and a Death Knight.
They were continuing their own fight while ignoring the commotion in the sky.
In fact, it was so one sided that it couldn’t even be called a fight in the first place. Unlike the Death Knight, who was still in perfect condition, the girl’s entire body was covered in blood.
Frey knew who the girl was… It was Anastasia. The battle golem created by Hector.
However, the one that caught his eye the most was actually the Death Knight who was wielding Deukid and using a familiar swordsmanship.
He was strong.
Even though Iris was assisting her from the shadows, Anastasia stood absolutely no chance.
Instead, she was being overwhelmed.
“Diablo.”
He mumbled softly.
After that, Frey lifted his head to look at Diablo again.
“You… Did you resurrect the Sword King Lucid as an undead?”
There was a slight waver in his voice.
Upon seeing this faint, but obvious agitation, Diablo regained his calm.
He even let out a quiet laugh.
That’s right.
Even this unknown Wizard had no choice but to feel a bit of panic when faced with Lucid who had become his subordinate.
[It wasn’t easy. But it was possible for me.]
“…”
[You certainly are strong, Great Wizard. But you should know that magicology is not my only specialty. Necromancy is also one of my strengths. Let me ask you a question. If Lucid and I join forces, how long do you think you can la—]
Paak.
He couldn’t finish his sentence. Diablo felt a sharp blow to the back of his head.
And as if he lost consciousness for a while, the flow of mana in his body was interrupted for a moment.
Unable to maintain his ability to fly, Diablo plummeted to the ground.
‘I can’t… right myself…’
It was an incomprehensible situation.
As an undead, pain didn’t exist for him. It was understandable that he was surprised by the unexpected blow. But it shouldn’t have caused any interference with his spells.
[Ku… uk…]
He forced his mind to concentrate, but in the end, the spell did not manifest.
Instead, Diablo crashed into the ground with a heavy sound.
As soon as he landed, he tried to get to his feet, but he failed to do that as well.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Second strike, third strike, fourth strike.
The heavy shock reverberated within his body.
He didn’t feel pain in the conventional sense, but every time he was hit, his mana room shook violently and his concentration was interrupted.
‘What kind of attack is this?’
It wasn’t meant to inflict damage. If that was the case, then the strike would have already been aimed at his vital points.
It felt more like he was venting his anger on him instead.
“It should have been almost impossible to resurrect a man like Lucid as an undead.”
A voice came from above him.
“Because he had a noble, faultless soul. His soul must have been brilliant, unsullied.”
Frey paused for a moment.
“And you dirtied it.”
[So what?]
“Shut up. I didn’t give you permission to speak.”
Boom!
His body shook once again. As he trembled, Diablo finally realised.
He knew. He knew what it was.
The thing that was hitting his body without him noticing.
This time, when he was hit, he realised that it wasn’t magic at all.
It was Absolute.
[How…?]
He was using the power of Absolute like a club.
Such application.
Such skill.
“You were right before. Even among 9-star Wizards, there is a distinction in class.”
The voice was low.
“You will feel that deeply from now on.”