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“Kuh-uh?!” The Black Mage barely managed to raise his arms, conjuring a protective barrier. Kisen’s attack was halted by its sudden appearance.
“Hee-hee-hee-heeing—!” The startled Dead-Eyed Black Horse neighed, its front hooves pawing at the air.
Without a flicker of emotion, Kisen drew a dagger, the length of his forearm, and slashed it horizontally with lightning speed.
That attack, too, was hastily parried by the Black Mage’s outstretched black hand.
*Clang! Ka-ga-ga-gak—!* Metal screeched against metal, and sparks flew.
One of a mage’s critical weaknesses is their hands, essential for forming seals. Therefore, the Black Mage had sheathed his own hands in metal for protection.
Evidently imbued with powerful enhancement magic, the metal remained unscathed even by Kisen’s aura.
“Tsk!” Kisen stepped onto the Dead-Eyed Black Horse’s head, pushing off to retreat.
At that very moment, Hay unleashed his
Not just one, but a staggering thousand blades descended, poised to shred the Black Mage to pieces.
The Black Mage frantically crossed his arms, extending them upwards to deploy a barrier. He was, however, a fraction too late.
Innumerable blades tore into the Black Mage’s body and the Dead-Eyed Black Horse. The horse’s neck was severed, its legs hacked away.
The
Kisen landed, swiftly regaining his stance.
As expected, the Black Mage was not alone.
Four black orcs, lurking nearby as if to guard him, charged directly at Kisen.
Yet, even if these black orcs were ‘Corrupted Fairies,’ their skill was no match for an expert like Kisen.
Before a few blows could even be exchanged, the black orcs’ necks were severed, and their bodies cleaved in two.
“Twenty percent,” Hay murmured to himself, his voice barely a whisper.
That was all the elemental power he had left.
He had to deal with the Black Mage before it was all gone. Kisen swung his sword horizontally through the air.
The black orc’s blood, staining the silver blade, splattered onto the ground. As the dust settled, Hay prepared his next attack.
Then, a dark violet shimmered.
*Pshhh—!* Something small, like a pea, shot through the dust like a bullet.
Kisen instinctively raised his sword, deflecting it, but the blade shattered, sending fragments flying toward his face.
“Kisen!” Hay swung his arm towards Kisen.
A shield of earth erupted from the ground, covering Kisen’s falling body like a dome.
*Pa-pa-pa-pa-pat—!* Several magic bullets pierced through Hay’s
‘They pierced it?!’ ‘I made the earth almost as hard as steel!’
Hay swallowed, kicking off into the air.
Was Kisen still alive? No, he couldn’t afford to worry about that now.
Hay shifted his gaze to the Black Mage. Despite taking the full force of
Perhaps he had cast powerful protective magic upon it.
The black horse, however, was not so fortunate. It lay dead, utterly butchered by the
The Black Mage raised his head, his hood falling back. Their eyes met, and Hay saw his sclera were blood-red, as if blood vessels had burst, surrounding unnerving yellow irises.
His complexion was so pallid it was like looking at a corpse. A visceral revulsion instantly seized Hay.
The Black Mage raised his hand. But Hay was faster, sweeping his staff-holding arm horizontally, and
Yet, the Black Mage’s attack proved swifter.
Blades condensed from the Black Mage’s dark violet mana, much like
The
At that very instant.
*Pa-ba-ba-ba-ba-bat—!* Six
Or so he thought.
The Black Mage’s body, which had clearly been pierced by the
“What in the—?!” A chill snaked down Hay’s spine. He whipped his head around, seeing the black mist writhing behind him.
“—Got you.” The voice was chilling, like metal scraping metal.
Before Hay could even react, the Black Mage’s metal-clad hand sharply struck his back.
“Cough—!” The impact severed his connection to
Hay plummeted towards the ground with terrifying speed.
The next moment, the Black Mage appeared below him, as if teleporting.
*Thwack—!* This time, he thrust his metal hand with full force into Hay’s abdomen.
“……!” Hay couldn’t even scream.
The Black Mage twisted his body, slamming Hay forcefully into the ground.
*KWAANG—!* With a deafening roar, Hay’s body was driven into the earth.
The impact created a crater, sending fragments of earth and dust spiraling into the air.
The Black Mage descended, observing the swirling dust. Hay’s white oak staff lay pitifully rolling across the ground.
Hay’s blood and flesh clung to the Black Mage’s metal hand. He recoiled in disgust, as if soiled, and magically wiped Hay’s blood away.
Beyond the dust, Hay’s crumpled, fallen body was visible. There was no movement, suggesting he was either unconscious or dead.
Even if he still breathed, he would surely die soon. The Black Mage had distinctly felt his metal hand plunge deep.
“Spirit Master, you are no match for me,” the Black Mage muttered, his voice laced with annoyance.
Their levels were fundamentally different. While Hay’s elemental power was immeasurable, it was undeniably inferior to his own.
He admitted a moment of genuine tension when Hay, wielding the power of a water spirit with strange luminescence, had effortlessly swept away the undead soldiers he had painstakingly gathered.
The Black Mage glanced back towards the village, where the battle still raged.
He pressed his index finger to his temple. A dark violet aura enveloped his yellow eyes, and the blood-red sclera transformed into an inky black.
He used his clairvoyance magic to zoom in on distant enemies.
A clumsy knight was pecked on the head by swarming crows and fell from his horse. They were all doomed anyway, yet they fought with desperate ferocity amidst the chaos.
The Black Mage slowly shifted his gaze, surveying the others.
A blonde frantically firing fireballs, a small child casting defensive magic to protect others.
One. One was missing.
“Where did that mage go—*Hoh*!” The Black Mage, who had been patting his chest, flinched. He retracted his clairvoyance magic and looked down at himself.
The Demon God’s Prayer Beads, which should have been around his neck, were gone. Panicked, the Black Mage looked around.
The prayer beads lay on the ground, their string broken. With a flick of his wrist, the Black Mage retrieved them.
Though scratched, they were otherwise intact. He tied the broken string, relieved, and put them back around his neck.
*Dudududududu—* Just then, the Black Mage sensed something amiss.
The ground beneath his feet began to rumble, as if an earthquake had struck.
“What is it?” The Black Mage’s ashen face twisted into a grimace.
He looked back at the spot where Hay had been slammed down. Before the dust had fully settled, his eyes widened in alarm.
The Spirit Master’s body, which should have been there, was gone.
Sensing danger, the Black Mage tried to transform back into black mist. This time, however, it didn’t work as intended.
A small golden magic circle had materialized beneath his feet, ensnaring his ankles.
“Th-this is!” It was literally an ankle-snaring spell, Lexa’s handiwork.
*Paaah—!* Simultaneously, the ground erupted behind him.
A glimpse of dusty, silver-gray hair flashed into view.
*Thwack! Dudududududu—* A searing pain in his chest was accompanied by a tremor that resonated through his entire body, like the rumbling of the earth.
The Black Mage stared down at his chest, his face incredulous. An arm, drenched in dark red blood, had burst through, protruding from his chest.
Around that arm, an invisible blade whirled.
Hay’s right hand, having surged up from the ground, had impaled the Black Mage’s chest.
“Kuh-uh…! Kuh-huh!” Blood surged from the Black Mage’s mouth.
Hay intensified the rotational speed of his
Blood spurted like a fountain.
Hay’s hair and pale face, already obscured by dust, were now so caked in blood it looked as if he had showered in it.
Trembling and convulsing, the Black Mage twisted to look behind him.
His eyes were wide with utter horror.
Hay met the Black Mage’s gaze, his own eyes unwavering.
“Kuh-heok—!” The Black Mage vomited blood, an astonishing quantity.
Hay ceased the
He had sacrificed his own arm to deliver a decisive blow to the Black Mage.
The Black Mage collapsed to his knees.
A handball-sized hole gaped in his chest, from which blood, along with more from his mouth, gushed forth.
“Ho-how, how, how…?” The Black Mage’s choked words were slurred, rendering them unintelligible.
Yet, the question in his eyes was clear.
‘How is he still alive?’ The Black Mage’s gaze fell upon Hay’s abdomen. Indeed, five holes were still visible in Hay’s stomach.
“Oh, this,” Hay said, shrugging his shoulders as he covered his wounds with his uninjured left hand.
“I just took some medicine and recovered a bit.” It was thanks to drinking
“It’s your fault for not confirming whether your enemy was dead or alive.”
At Hay’s words, the Black Mage looked as if he had been struck on the back of the head.
It was an obvious truth, so Hay couldn’t fathom why he was so surprised.
The Black Mage’s body trembled violently. Then, he burst into laughter.
“Kuk, ku-ku-ku-kuk….” “Even with his heart pierced, he’s not dead. Is this as Lexa said?”
The moment the Black Mage tried to gather his magic, golden lightning surged from the magic circle binding his ankles, searing his body.
The Black Mage, who had been convulsing violently, writhed in agony and groaned as the lightning ceased.
“Kuh-uh-uh-ugh…!” The Black Mage gasped, glaring at Hay. Hay squatted before him, dangling a necklace in front of his face.
It was the Black Mage’s prayer beads. Seeing them, the Black Mage’s face turned ashen.
Hay had snatched them when he pierced the Black Mage’s chest. Vomiting blood, the Black Mage desperately reached out.
“Th-those are…!”
“Hey, ugly. What kind of idiot,” Hay scoffed, nimbly retreating from the Black Mage’s grasping hand. He then twisted his lips into a smile more sinister than the Black Mage’s own.
“Walks around with their heart on display? You should hide it somewhere safe. Like Voldemort.”
Covered entirely in blood, his smile appeared utterly demonic.
“……Who are you calling ugly, you vulgar Spirit Master bastard! Give that back!” His voice, now louder, suggested he had recovered somewhat.
“Should I give it back? Or not?” Hay continued to taunt him, dangling it provocatively before the Black Mage.
The Black Mage desperately reached out, trying to snatch it, but failed. He grew increasingly agitated.
“Judging by your reaction, this really is your heart, isn’t it? What were they called? ‘Soul Jar,’ ‘Death’s Repository,’ ‘Demon’s Urn,’ ‘Heart’s Reliquary.’ So many names. Was it ‘Veinrahal’ in Elven?”
Hay tore his gaze from the Black Mage, raising the prayer beads high to examine them.
“By your reaction, it truly is your heart, isn’t it?” Hay couldn’t help but let out a cynical laugh. It was utterly absurd.
‘Chen told me the Black Mage wears prayer beads. If you inflict a fatal wound and he doesn’t die, try destroying the beads.’
Hay recalled Lexa’s words when they were planning this strategy.
‘No, definitely destroy the beads. Trust me.’
The Black Mage lunged his hand forward.
“G-give them back! If you kill me, my master will never forgive you!”
Hay almost had the prayer beads snatched away.
“So what?”
Hay channeled the power of wind, preparing to destroy the prayer beads.
Just then, an explosion erupted from the village. Hay flinched, his shoulders hunching as he turned his gaze.
The magic beasts exploded one by one, transforming into massive dark violet spheres before vanishing.
“Kuaaaahk!” Screams filled the air. The bodies of those caught in the explosion or touched by the spheres disappeared.
It was as if they had been swallowed by Pac-Man in a pixel game.
“What is that? He shouldn’t be able to use magic right now, should he?”
Was it pre-planted magic?
The Black Mage’s face lit up. He seemed to think this was his chance.
“D-don’t you care even about this? If I don’t stop them myself, they’ll kill all your comrades, won’t they?”
“Oh, really?”
Hay’s response was indifferent. No, it was as chilling as the dawn air in winter.
The Black Mage’s face paled. This was not the reaction he had anticipated.
‘This isn’t right?’
Hay opened his mouth.
“Mercenaries put their lives on the line. It’s not strange for them to die at any moment. And just because we’ve faced death together for a few days doesn’t make them my comrades.”
“What kind of heartless—!”
“I don’t think that’s something you should say, after killing and toying with over a thousand people.”
“Then what about that child you were with?! That little masked s*ave! You seemed quite fond of him, does it not matter if he dies?!”
“Renki?”
The Black Mage smirked.
“If you don’t return that, that child will also vanish without a tr—”
*Pa-sa-sak—*
The
Hay had expected a dramatic change, perhaps the Black Mage clutching his chest in agony, or screaming as if his soul was being torn apart.
*Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh—*
Instead, the Black Mage crumbled into ash, like a sandcastle collapsing, leaving behind only his robes.
“Seems like you’re the one vanishing without a trace.”
*Roll, roll*, the black staff clattered across the ground.
The adventure continues! If you loved this chapter, The Little Succubus Who Flirted and Ran Away Accidentally Provoked a Yandere is a must-read. Click here to start!
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