Chapter 402

Words : 2663 Updated : Oct 13th, 2025

What’s going on now? When Rudger and Belkart were thinking that, a large shadow suddenly sprang out between the two of them. Rudger and Belkart, who had been close together, had no choice but to distance themselves. Belkart, who saw the newly appeared being, narrowed his eyes inside his helmet. “I see. So you were the master of this forest?” It was a massive stag with a mane mixed with white and sky blue colors. The mighty antlers on its head shone golden. The stag, over 10m in size, was flying in the sky without wings. More precisely, it was using its four legs to step on the air as if it were solid ground. The master of the forest and the spirit king existing in the Kasar Basin. The spirit king, who had only been the subject of rumors and whose existence was uncertain, had revealed itself directly. The spirit king glared at Belkart with hostile eyes, its eyes gleaming with magical power. At this moment, the spirit king clearly knew who was friend and who was foe. -Whoosh. A strange wind blew from the spirit king’s body. Immediately after, its body began to be enveloped by a bluish mist. It was clear that this was a phenomenon occurring from the discharge of magical power. Mana mist, a magical phenomenon that could only be manifested with a certain level of mana and the control power to handle it like the palm of one’s hand. This thing, which was said to be possible only for 6th rank magicians and above, was now being used by a beast, albeit a spirit king. The magical mist gathering around the spirit king concentrated into a single point and shot out a massive pillar of magic. “Kuk!” Belkart stretched out his hand and deployed his steel cubes. The rapidly rotating cubes formed a shield. -Kiiing! The magic blast and the shield collided with each other. The magic blast blocked by the shield split into several branches and scattered in all directions. However, the cubes that acted as shields also couldn’t withstand the heat and melted down, glowing red. “What an impossible output.” Belkart, at this moment, upgraded his assessment of this spirit king. With just the total amount of magic power it possessed and its ability to emit it, it was enough to threaten him, a 6th rank magician. -Puhwak! The spirit king’s eyes flared widely. Immediately after, magical spheres rose around the spirit king and shot magic blasts toward Belkart. It was the same power as before, however there were as many as 5 of them. Belkart spread his steel wings wide and went into defense. The magic beams scattered as they bent or shattered, but the Thunder God’s armor that Belkart wore also heated up considerably. -Chiik! Belkart attempted cooling with ice magic from inside the armor while using his next spell. “Even so, you’re just a beast. I’ll shoot you down.” Belkart combined the cubes to create a railgun. It was too much for shooting at people, but it was just right as a hunting rifle for targeting a spirit king of that caliber. -Twoong! Electromagnetic force swirled around the long and massive barrel as the railgun emitted light. Since it was a spirit king, it would be very tough, so he planned to confront it with powerful firepower. However, the railgun bullet with its terrifying speed failed to hit the spirit king. The spirit king’s body disappeared from its spot, leaving only a white flash and Belkart’s eyes widened inside his helmet. ‘It dodged at that distance? A bullet faster than the speed of sound?’ More unbelievable than that was the spirit king’s mobility in mid-air. The spirit king’s speed was beyond imagination, to the point where he lost track of its movement for a moment. “Is it wrapping its entire body in magic power and using it as propulsion to move?” Such impossible mobility with that massive body. Moreover, the magic blasts it was firing with pure magic power were truly like siege weapons. Belkart summoned his Thunder Dragon familiar while simultaneously calling forth the Golden Bird to cling to the spirit king. The spirit king flying with magic power wrapped around its entire body was like a meteor with will but this side had the firepower to intercept even meteors falling from the sky. The spirit king collided several times in mid-air with the Golden Bird and Thunder Dragon. Black, white, and purple trajectories intricately decorated the air like tangled threads. At that moment, the spirit king flew toward Belkart. The dazzling white trajectory had already approached within reach and Belkart released the electricity stored in the cubes floating in the air as if he had been waiting for this. -Pazizik! An electric net was created, blocking the spirit king’s charge. The spirit king didn’t stop, and the net also emitted strong magic power, trying to hold on somehow. The net stretched but didn’t tear. Rather, it stubbornly stuck to the spirit king’s body like flypaper. The spirit king’s mobility was lost for a moment and Belkart combined the cubes to create swords in mid-air. Five of the same Magnetar Swords he held in his hand appeared but the changes didn’t stop there. -Kagagagak. The five Magnetar Swords gathered together, twisting like a pretzel and merging into one. “Fusion. Compression.” Five swords weighing over a ton each merged into one to become a massive spear. Belkart in his armor gripped that spear and took a throwing stance. Even if it was a spirit king, it shouldn’t be able to withstand this single strike. Belkart was about to throw it with conviction. “...!” At that moment, Belkart couldn’t help but widen his eyes. In the confusion of the spirit king’s sudden appearance, he hadn’t noticed earlier, but something was riding on the spirit king’s back. It was a small boy. The boy, tightly gripping the spirit king’s white mane, was gazing at Belkart with clear eyes through the electromagnetic net. “You, you...” Belkart stumbled over his words as he recognized the boy. Rudger dove into the gap created in that brief moment. -Kang! Rudger’s sword stick struck Belkart’s spear shaft. Belkart gritted his teeth and shook off Rudger by greatly swinging the spear shaft but following that, countless magic bombardments flew up from below and engulfed Belkart’s body. -Pububububung! Consecutive explosions of pure magic power, though not large in size and not particularly powerful, their numbers were too numerous to count. All of them were attacks fired by the beasts on the ground. The magic powers rising toward the sky were like a meteor shower defying heaven. Rudger, who had retreated backward watching that scene, was amazed. The beasts, with nothing left but instinct, were working together to try to drive out Belkart. “Do all the lives in this land also not want to die?” While the Kasar Basin was full of all sorts of mysterious phenomena, none compared to this natural wonder. He thought that perhaps they could easily defeat Belkart like this but that was an action that underestimated Belkart too much. “Hup.” Belkart gathered magic power once and then released it greatly. The magic power spreading in a huge spherical form crushed all the magic bullets being fired toward the sky. Even for Belkart, this was an action that required enduring quite a large bleeding. The sturdy Thunder God’s armor was damaged in places, revealing Belkart’s bare skin. “Haa. Haa.” Belkart took out an ampule inside his armor and jabbed it into his exposed flesh. When he injected the contents, capillaries rose on Belkart’s exposed skin. “Kuuuk!” Belkart felt like his brain would burn up from the pain of the massive force crossing his entire body but he ultimately didn’t lose his reason and endured that power. The pain rushing through his body quickly subsided and the broken steel armor regenerated as if time was reversing. No, rather it became much stronger than before, and even its form changed. Horns rose above the helmet, and parts of the armor became pointed. If it had looked like ordinary armor until then, now it resembled a demon outright. Rudger stared at Belkart in disbelief. “Belkart Benmark. Just what are you doing now...?” “Why? Is this so surprising?” Belkart’s eyes gleamed inside his armor. “Did you think you were the only ones fighting with your lives on the line, giving everything with the determination to die?” Belkart spread the wings on his back. The steel wings resembling bird feathers had also changed to look demonic and the cubes in the air trembled in response to him. “You’re not the only ones who have bet everything.” The drug Belkart used was a special product made by Victor Dreadful but its contents weren’t simply Victor’s work alone. A sample of the dead World Tree that was in the underground of the Exilion Empire’s capital. And even a demon sample that Victor had obtained separately. The drug that mixed all of these together was the worst thing not permitted to humans. Something that would drive one mad with pain just by using it, or force one to give up being human but Belkart showed not a hint of hesitation in using it. -Juruk. Red tears of blood flowed down the outside of Belkart’s pitch-black helmet. Inside the helmet, Belkart muttered in a small voice. “Magnetar Sword.” 1,000 blades. The cubes gathered to create countless swords in the air. Both Rudger and the spirit king paused seeing that sight. The blade tips that would crush everything pointed toward the ground. “Destroy everything.” With Belkart’s command, the swords in the air fell straight to the ground. Rudger used magic to shoot down the swords in the air, but there were too many of them. The spirit king, now free from its restraints, also joined the situation. Every time the white meteor crossed the air, steel swords burst apart in droves. The beasts on the ground also faced it without running away. The beasts that raised their maws toward the sky shot magic bullets from their mouths targeting Belkart but the Magnetar Swords too easily pierced through such magic bullets and didn’t stop their descent. At this rate, the ground would become a wasteland, and the ley lines that were barely blocked would burst again. That alone had to be prevented at all costs. Rudger’s body floating in the air contracted into a point and disappeared. When he reappeared, it was above the ground. It was at the center of the ruins where the ley lines had stabilized. Rudger squeezed out his remaining magic power. To block all thousand swords falling at once, this side also needed one big shot, however Rudger’s condition wasn’t very good right now. After the fight with Limrei, he fought with Belkart without properly recovering his magic power. The magic recovery medicine he brought just in case had run out. Even if he cast magic with the remaining power, how much could he protect? Just as Rudger was thinking that, the magic bullets shooting toward the sky all stopped at once. Rudger couldn’t help but be surprised again at the magic power surging in his body. All the beasts in place were giving their magic power to Rudger. Magic transfer it’s a method that even between magicians can cause magic collisions if done wrong, so it’s rarely used but the magic power contained in these beasts of the Kasar Basin was so pure it was like nature itself. Rudger slightly curved the corner of his mouth. “I see. You also want to protect this place, right?” By now, all his depleted magic power had been replenished. ‘This should be possible.’ Thinking that, Rudger activated magic that he had never used in actual combat before. “Aether Nocturnus. I need your help too.” His familiar that was wrapping around Rudger’s body also responded to that call. The shadow spread out in all directions and spread huge wings. It was wide and massive enough to cover the heads of all the beasts in place and still have room to spare. ‘I can’t block or deflect them one by one. So I’ll absorb everything flying at once.’ Soon the wings rotated in a double helix shape, it was as if a huge tornado formed toward the sky. While normal tornadoes are light and long, this tornado unusually widened its range more and more as it went up. From afar, it looked like a huge black funnel. 6th rank darkness attribute magic [Abyss of Blind Ignorance] The thousand Magnetar Swords met the black vortex. There was no collision sound. The Magnetar Swords disappeared as if being sucked in the moment they touched the black vortex. Darkness attribute magic was the rarest case among the 10 elements, along with light attribute. Even when used, it was only to block the opponent’s vision or incite fear but the true power of the darkness attribute lay in its predatory nature that greedily devoured everything, just like now. The sight of countless steel rain cast by Belkart being sucked into the pitch-black vortex created in mid-air was even magnificent. “Wh-What?” Belkart couldn’t finish his words watching that scene from the air. Eventually, the steel rain stopped, and in the place where the black vortex that finished its meal disappeared, nothing remained. It was as if the very fact that magic had been used was erased. Rudger and Belkart’s gazes tangled in mid-air. “Be glad. It’s magic I’ve never shown anyone.” Though it couldn’t inflict damage on the opponent, conversely, it was the ultimate counter that absorbed whatever magic the opponent used. It was magic that would necessarily make any match end in a ‘draw’. “In the current situation, a draw is enough, isn’t it?” Rudger looked up at Belkart in the sky and asked. Belkart was fighting while burning his life. Conversely, Rudger’s magic power had somewhat recovered. As time dragged on, it would ultimately be disadvantageous for Belkart himself. “No. Not yet.” Belkart stretched out his arm and raised magic power once again. Red blood began to flow from the joints of his armor. “Not yet, I can do more. Because I, I...” Belkart muttered as if possessed by something. 1,000 Magnetar Swords were generated in the air again and Belkart tightly clenched the hand he had stretched out. “Com, press.” With that mutter, the thousand swords gathered into one in the air, forming a massive sword 20m wide and 800m long. Though its power was inferior compared to the 6th rank metal magic [Heaven Collapse Cloud Metal Jade], it was a single strike with enough power to pierce through the blocked ley lines. “Stop! Don’t hurt them!” The boy riding on the spirit king’s back shouted. Belkart paused momentarily hearing that voice. “...” Belkart’s gaze inside the helmet met the boy’s. That moment was brief but felt as long as if stretched like rubber. Belkart dropped the sword toward the ground as if having decided something. The great sword accelerated in mid-air by magnetic force in an instant fell toward the ground at a speed unbelievable for its massive size. Rudger also couldn’t properly react. He hadn’t expected that the other would squeeze out an even greater attack from there. The sword that fell vertically was deeply embedded up to its hilt in the ley lines they had barely blocked. Just as Belkart was certain this was truly the end, the ley lines where the sword was stuck bulged up with a ‘pook’ sound. It seemed like an explosion might occur, but the expanding ground just grew unusually large. Belkart only then realized something was strange. It was the same for Rudger. “...What is that now?” A mountain was rising from the ground.

Chapter 402

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