Chapter 29
Chapter 29: Reappearance (2)
Emphasized and repeated sounds make black mages anxious.
Especially when based on experience.
Gather at this location!!!
Flinch.
The black mage shuddered violently.
When those words were heard, a sword demon scattering divine power would appear in an instant.
This wasn’t just dismissed as rumor.
For black mages, it was famous enough to be carved into their bones.
‘Because of that bitch Riferoze, we were nearly driven to extinction…’
It was a maxim based on facts that had forced black mages into hiding for several years.
“That’s not that bitch’s voice.”
However, that voice was different.
The black mage felt an inexplicable sense of foreboding.
“She’s been missing for over five years.”
It must be certain since it was the judgment of the black mage leadership.
Already, black mages outside the Empire had started activities for harvesting long ago.
“Hmm, it can’t be.”
The pillar of light visible in the distance was smaller than what rumor had described.
If Riferoze had been there…
The wails of black mages would already be echoing.
“Please continue entering.”
The black mage felt relieved.
Black magic power was supplied to the magic circle that had momentarily stopped.
Ueoeoeoeo!
With an eerie scream, the black demon opened its maw.
The adventurers threw their bodies into the giant mouth as if entranced.
Bwiiiiiii! Bwiik!
Even the adventurer who had been blowing his whistle like a broken doll disappeared into the demon’s mouth.
About a hundred adventurers were swallowed.
‘P-please, someone!’
Before he knew it, it was John’s turn, having arrived last.
Adventurer Party Steel.
The leader was dead, they’d lost the tank James, and the last survivor John was scheduled to die soon.
By walking in with his own feet, no less.
‘If I had known it would be like this…’
I should have stayed by James’s side and died together.
John’s heart was breaking.
His body wouldn’t obey him, but tears streamed from his eyes.
“Ooh, quite excellent quality despair.”
The black mage admired his tears.
Despair and suffering were nourishment for black mages.
Jjeoeok!.
As John sensed his death before the demon’s drooling mouth.
Kuwong.
Kuwong.
The forest began to vibrate.
“Hmm?”
It was a subtle vibration, but it was enough change for the black mage to stop supplying magic power and turn his gaze.
John trembled, looking at the demon’s mouth that had stopped right in front of him.
Then a clear resonance reached John’s ears as well.
Kung, kung, kung, kung!
Footsteps that a giant monster would make.
Following those footsteps, the forest shook and leaves tainted with black magic power embroidered the ground.
“What lunatic is this?”
The leaves scattered on the ground would become a trap that drains life force.
The black mage waved his hand.
The demon’s face that had been about to devour John turned its head toward the footsteps.
The trees of the labyrinth shattered.
Through them appeared a giant man, and above the Empire uniform he wore, a soft divine power was blooming.
“There’s a paladin on the 2nd floor?”
The black mage smiled leisurely toward the giant paladin.
His build was rather large, but his face was young—probably just a youngster who had recently become a paladin.
“Good, excellent! I’ve obtained a quality sacrifice.”
The black mage’s robe flowed down and his hidden face was revealed.
An ordinary middle-aged man.
The peculiar points were that he had little hair and slightly many wrinkles on his skin.
And.
“Four lines drawn on your forehead.”
Four thick vertical black lines were drawn on the black mage’s forehead.
“Ooh, you know the meaning of these lines?”
Black lines carved somewhere on the face are the symbol of black mages.
Blackened fingers scatter death, and the black lines on the face harvest souls.
“If you’re a paladin, you’d know, wouldn’t you? The meaning of four lines?”
“I know well.”
A black mage’s realm varies according to the number of lives harvested.
One line means single digits.
Two lines mean double digits.
Three lines mean triple digits.
“Knowing that, you still have such an arrogant attitude? A mere paladin.”
Four lines means a thousand lives have been harvested.
‘Trash.’
Erik’s eyebrows crumpled.
His trapezius muscles danced as if he didn’t know what to do with his anger.
However, Erik’s eyes remained on the empty clearing.
“There’s one survivor.”
Erik said, looking at John who was trembling.
“Keuheuheu. A crazy paladin would also be quite suitable as a sacrifice.”
The black mage laughed gladly.
Seeing that, Erik said:
“Crazy? From my perspective, worshipping goblins is strange.”
“…Goblin?”
Erik, who normally killed black mages instantly, tried conversation this time.
‘Where the hell did these bastards come from?’
From age 5 to 10.
Erik had caught and killed black mages without rest.
At least the Empire where Ruelle’s church existed had been made a safe zone.
“Kreung. You mustn’t disparage Mol-tal as a goblin.”
“Looking at the magic circle, it’s a goblin with horns, so why are you lying?”
Erik tilted his head.
“Is there a goblin called Mol-tal?”
“Keuheuheu, this crazy paladin…”
Just as religious people worship gods.
Black mages worship demons.
There’s one difference.
‘Demons receive life as payment.’
Gods are beings who respond to faith by bestowing power.
Demons, on the other hand, are beings who provide power in exchange for sacrifices. Moreover, demons even force faith.
Therefore.
“Mol-tal, I offer a hundred lives, so please kill that detestable paladin!”
They use such idiotic incantations.
Ueoeoeoeoeo!
And use magic circles depicting demon forms without proper shape.
The demon opened its mouth jjeoek.
“Die and become nourishment!”
Hwioooooo!
A massive attractive force occurred and wind swirled toward Erik.
‘Thoroughly scratched.’
Erik’s lips twisted in the rushing wind.
The method to scratch black mages is simple.
Namely, insult the beings they worship.
“What are you going to do with a mixed-blood goblin’s magic circle?”
The damp wind was pulling him in, making him feel quite displeased.
The force sucking like Creation was pathetically weak.
‘I’ll show you the difference in class.’
Erik also drew his sword and was about to counter with [Creation].
‘Huh?‘
Even taking the skill motion, there was no response.
Looking at the status window.
[Creation— %^$]
Through the torn status window screen, broken text appeared.
Flash— A realization came to Erik’s mind.
‘Of course there’s a cooldown since it’s a skill?’
It was something he hadn’t known because he’d used skills with long time gaps between them.
It was natural for skills to have cooldowns.
Unlike divine power, skills were benefits from the System.
“Keuheuheu, something’s not working well? Ooh! Divine power isn’t rising from your sword!”
The black mage taunted Erik seeing this.
He laughed with a terrible sneering tone.
“How could a youngster alone stop the harvest! Keuheuheu, you should have just quietly read that spearman’s scriptures.”
At that vulgarity, Erik clenched his fist.
Then he suddenly put the [Sword of Creation] in his subspace pouch and stored the pouch in his [Inventory].
Actually.
“Hmm, beating him to death would be better.”
Erik preferred beating black mages to death.
That way forged divine power more strongly and sharpened his senses.
As Erik stood tall extending one hand.
“Why? Did you give up after even putting away your sword?”
The black mage felt puzzled.
He’d sneered so much, yet that bastard was still standing tall?
‘Why isn’t he being sucked in?’
It was definitely Mol-tal’s power that had even sucked in adventurers climbing the 5th floor.
“What would you do with a mere goblin?”
Erik extended his hand.
The magic circle before his eyes was filthy black magic power.
Erik planned to beat the black mage to death without touching him.
“What trick are you playing after even putting away your sword…”
At the sight of the paladin far away pointing at him with his fingertips, the black mage trailed off.
“Mol-tal.”
It felt ominous.
The black mage tried to chant an incantation to request protection.
However, the incantation couldn’t be completed.
Kuwong!
Because the giant paladin clenched his fist.
“Keuheok!”
The place where the black mage was located was quite far from Erik.
It was a clearing in the giant forest.
Easily over a hundred meters.
Moreover, before Erik floated the demon’s face, large enough to combine three or more goblin kings.
The horns larger than Erik were proof of that being’s existence.
And yet.
Pyuong!
“Keuk.”
Suddenly the black mage’s heart burst.
Even if you crush the brain and destroy the limbs, black mages can revive.
As long as the heart is intact.
Tuk.
“A four-line bastard is arrogant.”
Erik knew all of this well, so he killed by bursting the heart.
‘I’ve heard everything I needed to hear.‘
He’d also learned the black mages’ purpose of harvesting.
What they intended to do by collecting souls—he didn’t need to hear this.
Because what those disgusting black mage bastards would do was obvious.
‘Filthy black magic power.’
When he was young, he directly stuck his arm in, but now just clenching his fist was enough.
Right after the black mage burst, the demon’s face full of black magic power began to collapse.
Erik brought his hands together in a reverent posture.
“Purification.”
In response to the short and crude prayer, very mighty and massive divine power burst forth from Erik.
This covered the demon’s remnants like waves.
The black magic power turned pure white and floated in the air like particles.
The souls trapped by the demon were being liberated.
“May you be at peace in God’s embrace.”
Erik, this time at least, recited the prayer in a solemn tone.
Just as possessors exist.
Souls are real and exist.
Though Erik didn’t believe in God’s existence, he hoped in his heart that they would depart to a comfortable place.
“Erik, you blurt everything out roughly, so why is your last farewell so courteous?”
“Even if I can’t save everyone, I want to pray for their peace.”
Old memories flashed through his head.
On battlefields where far too many had died, this was the best Erik had decided on.
The labyrinth is tremendously vast.
He couldn’t save everyone here either, but he would at least pray for the peace of souls liberated from black mages.
“Are you coming to your senses?”
Erik said this while collecting the black mage’s corpse on the ground.
John, who had been trembling, opened his eyes.
***
“Paladin, this way!”
Erik moved following the adventurer John. John’s claim was that he’d left his companion affected by black magic power in the middle of the forest.
Erik bestowed divine healing upon John.
‘He accepted the divine power well.’
He’s neither a possessor nor a black mage’s minion.
Erik followed John one step behind while scanning in all directions.
‘At least ten or more.’
The presence of black mages was felt throughout the Labyrinth’s 2nd floor.
“Keueuueuuk.”
And nearby, he saw an adventurer turning black.
“Jo, Jonald!”
“This black lump is your companion?”
Erik’s prayer sharpened.
His divine power had been honed while cutting down black mages.
More sharply and ferociously.
After all, brilliant divine power devours filthy black magic power.
“Re-really, it’s Jonald. Th-the cut leg is right there!”
A black liquid lump with one leg missing wriggled.
“You’re saying this corroded lump of black magic power is your companion Jonald’s leg.”
Erik’s energy became even more ferocious.
‘Not a possessor.’
A possessor’s black magic power doesn’t take such a filthy form.
Fortunately, native black mages who aren’t possessors are easier to deal with.
“Don’t worry.”
As Erik waved his hand.
Kkeudeuk.
Scattering black fluid, the lump that had been a leg flew over.
His face was definitely ferocious and angry, but the movement of divine power was very courteous and stable.
‘Courtesy.’
That thought crossed John’s mind as he watched.
Then Erik solemnly placed his hand over Jonald.
“—Purification. —Recovery. —Stabilization. —Protection.”
Prayer words spoken were recited.
“Ah, ah, Lady Astia…”
John shed tears looking at his companion.
The black lump was gradually returning to human form.
Erik cast purification spells on the black lump and added prayers of recovery and stabilization on top.
Finally, he surrounded John and Jonald with a dome of divine power.
“When your companion wakes, run toward that pillar.”
Erik said this and headed into the pitch-black darkness.
Before he knew it, the goblin forest had turned dark like a demon realm.
‘How dare they.’
Erik’s rage deepened.
***
“Damn it, you adventurer bastards! Move quickly!”
Jang Du-sik swung his club while guiding survivors.
Even seeing the giant pillar of light, they were skeptical, which gave him trouble.
Actually, adventurers weren’t a big problem.
The real problem was the Imperial Army.
“That… it could be deception like the whistle. Everyone maintain alert formation!”
The Imperial Army had been caught by the whistle and lost quite a large force.
They were Imperial troops who had escaped after being caught in the deception once.
They were frightened even seeing divine power.
“If you’re going to talk such bullshit, why did you come here in the first place?”
Jang Du-sik placed possessors on the precarious boundary surface of divine power and persuaded the Imperial Army while pushing them with his club.
“…Look at those possessors. Don’t they catch fire when they get close to the pillar?”
“Kyat! Hot!”
Kang Pung-ho with his excellent sound effects was sacrificed the most.
‘Damn, how is such a crazy reaction possible every time…’
And yet.
“The third son of Viscount Paedo, Molon Sal Paedo. I’m the vice-commander of the 12th unit of the 2nd floor patrol of the Imperial Labyrinth Army.”
Persuading a mediocre noble was quite difficult.
Even at Kang Pung-ho’s scream, he didn’t erase his suspicion.
All the adventurers had believed and crossed over.
“Possessors?”
The whatever-son of the viscount instead put his hand on the sword hilt as if more suspicious.
“Hey, don’t you know me? Jang Du-sik, the right hand of Big Brother Erik, Director of the Possessor Management Bureau.”
“Who wouldn’t know a famous person like Director Erik? He’s the one who burst the 3rd Prince.”
That tone also felt somehow displeased.
“In the first place, where did Director Erik go, abandoning possessors in such an emergency?”
“Do—you—not—see that forest bursting over there?”
Kwaaaaang!
A golden explosion occurred in the black forest visible far away.
Seeing that made it even harder to believe.
“So you’re saying that you with possessors are Director Erik’s right hand, and the monster bursting the labyrinth’s forest is Director Erik?”
“That’s right!”
“Who would believe that?”
Before he knew it, even the soldiers behind the vice-commander had finished preparing to draw their swords.
Some back-alley thug leading possessors discussing the name of a pilgrim and Director of the Possessor Management Bureau?
In the first place, it was also strange that a fifteen-year-old paladin created such explosions.
As the 2nd floor patrol of the labyrinth, it was natural not to believe Jang Du-sik’s words.
‘Damn, so suspicious.’
Jang Du-sik scratched his head with his club.
Then a thought flashed.
“See my hair? Touch it.”
“Blonde… Heo.”
Due to receiving so many blessings while box-fighting, the effect of consecration still remained.
“Di-divine power… I-I’ll believe you.”
The pillar over a hundred meters away could be fake.
But the effect divine power gives is absolute.
“Re-real divine power from the Astia Order!”
That warmth and sense of stability.
The comfort that heals wounds.
Nothing can imitate the effect of divine power.
That’s why it’s divine power.
‘Then why am I doing this crap?’
Of course, Kang Pung-ho still had some doubts…
Before he knew it, the next survivor had arrived.
“That standing behind is a possessor.”
Adapted to Jang Du-sik’s emphasized and repeated words.
Kang Pung-ho moved his body on his own before Jang Du-sik spoke.
“Ah! Hot.”
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