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Chapter 104

Even though blue magic has a short range, there was no way a mage would stand so exposed without any countermeasures.

Clank, clank—

The knight, drawing his long sword, began to rush forward to block the way.

“I’ll take care of that one,” Charlotte said, dashing ahead, leaping forward after a few steps and swinging down her battle ax.

Clang—

The knight met her attack head-on, swinging his two-handed sword.

Clash—

Ian slid past him. Ian had chosen to ambush in order to properly gauge their strength.

These were foes he had never encountered in the game. It was undoubtedly a risky choice to dive in and probe their full capabilities, but it also allowed him to quickly assess their capacity. From the moment he silently cast his enchantment magic, he had assumed that this vampire, Freya, wouldn’t have particularly high combat abilities.

Of course, her magic was powerful enough. For a moment, he had felt an overwhelming urge to comply with all her requests. But that was all it was—a momentary impulse. Her magic was far from sufficient to completely shatter his mind.

...It’s always like this, they get cocky and then pay the price.

Thinking this, Ian faced Freya, who was now turning her head back toward him after watching the falling mage.

“You...!” As she began to speak with a furrowed brow, the Sword of Judgment flew toward her throat.

Crunch—

Freya’s severed head spun through the air.

“I’m not working with her just because of a contract. It’s because it helps to kill all of you,” Ian said as he looked down at the fallen head.

A blue glow gathered in his eyes.

“...You must have a grudge against our clan. Too bad. You should have researched more.” Freya’s severed head spoke with a smile.

Ssshh—

Her body began to melt away like a shadow immediately afterward. Ian’s gaze turned toward the writhing center of the shadow.

Creeeak—

Frost Blades sprouted around his left arm. Ice crystals, sharp as blades, chased after the spreading shadow.

Creeeak—!

The ice that spread along the ground covered the shadow shortly after. Crack, the forming Frost Shield shattered as Ian’s blades struck it.

Ian’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“Do you know the greatest advantage of being immortal?”

The fallen mage, casting the Frost Shield while being pushed back by the shadows, slowly rose. The shadows stretched out like tentacles and plucked out the dagger embedded in his face. The mage looked at Ian with weary eyes filled with magical energy.

“The ability to accumulate magic and study spells indefinitely.”

Ting—

His staff struck the ground.

Thud.

Countless ice spikes erupted, surging toward Ian. Ian clicked his tongue and immediately spread the Frost Shield.

Boom!

The explosion scattered ice fragments in all directions.

Crack, crack—

Ian, watching the ice fragments hammering on the shield, had a cool flicker in his eyes.

So this is how it’s going to be.

Finally, the quest window appeared before his eyes.

[Adjudicator of Enchantment.]

Fragments of information floating in Ian\'s mind quickly found their places. Even if enchanting or corrupting him was their top priority, it was clear that Freya was thoroughly prepared to suppress him by force if necessary.

Facing a blue mage designed to counter red mages, along with a knight servant to protect him, and even Freya hiding in the shadows, Ian was indeed up against an opponent more tricky than Ascold in some ways.

That is if I had fought the two of them together...

Ian\'s gaze swept over the back of the knight currently engaged in combat with Charlotte.

"Well done, beast...!"

The two were intensely exchanging blows, fully engrossed in their battle. Since Freya’s shadow had merged, the knight\'s armor and sword had turned dark, trailing blurry afterimages. This was surely some form of dark magic unique to the vampire clan. Charlotte’s ability to match him was aided by Thesaya, who flicked her nails to slice through the shadow spikes sprouting from the knight’s shadow.

Perfect setup to take down a spellcaster.

Ian’s attention shifted beyond the Frost Shield. Across the settling explosion, the blue mage stood stock-still, preparing his next spell.

Tap, tap—!

Ian didn’t wait and charged. Though blue magic typically had a short range, making close combat was usually unwise; this time, he needed to exploit the mage’s misconception that he was a blue mage.

If he knew I could also wield red magic, he’d switch tactics immediately.

The mage had come prepared to fight a red mage. If he knew Ian could use red magic, he wouldn’t be casting attack spells so confidently. He would maintain distance, focusing solely on neutralizing Ian’s magic while relying on the knight and Freya for support.

That would be fucking tiresome.

Thus, Ian planned to fight up close, aiming to deliver a lethal blow quickly. Even if they acted immortal, as mere servants, they were not.

Ssshh—

Ian flicked his left hand. A gleaming blade surged toward the mage’s face.

Swoosh—

A dark ink-like shield sprang from beneath the mage’s feet, blocking the dagger. As the mage’s vision was obstructed, Ian leaped high.

Swoosh!

Ian, holding his sword aloft, vaulted over the curtain. The mage, his eyes flickering with magic, met Ian’s approach.

“I expected as much, junior.”

Creeeak—

A clump of Frost Blades sprouted in front of the staff he had spoken to. In Ian’s view, this was indeed a high-level mage.

Living long isn’t just an empty boast, it seems.

Twisting his body, Ian replied, “Me too.”

“...!”

A gust of wind erupted in mid-air, forcefully pushing Ian sideways.

Boom, boom—!

With the explosion, ice shards shot through the empty air. It was enough time for Ian to perform an agile landing after passing the mage.

Screech!

Shadow spikes urgently sprang forth. Freya seemed equally flustered since the trajectory was awkward. Ian simply rolled twice to the side to dodge and then stood, slashing his sword diagonally upward.

Clang—!

The sword blade diagonally struck the hastily risen Frost Shield. The mage looked down at Ian, with a mix of surprise and relief on his face.

“You might be the best swordsman among my juniors—”

The mage’s words faltered. Ian, smiling as he looked up, had eyes shimmering as if they held flames.

“I’ve never had a senior like you.”

“What is this...?”

The mage’s eyes widened as magic swirled. The situation was clear to Ian, also a blue mage: an incoming Chill Wave. But Ian had already completed his spell.

Woosh—!

At the center of the Frost Shield, where the sword was embedded, a bright yellow flame exploded. It was the Pinpoint Explosion.

“Ahhhhhh—!” A chilling scream erupted from the mage caught in the center of the blast.

Screech—!

Screams also continued from the shadows. Ian watched the shadow ignited by fire scatter in all directions before desperately extending toward the knight.

It looks like I’m supposed to target the entity inside the shadow first.\'

Yet, Ian unleashed a spell of Dancing Flames directly at the mage, capitalizing on the momentum he had already built up.

Boom, boom, boom!

The explosion ravaged the mage, sending him flying, his body horribly burned and disfigured, though Ian was certain he wasn\'t dead yet.

Tap, tap! Crunch.

Ian caught up to the mage in a sprint and drove the Sword of Judgment, held inversely, into the mage\'s chest. The mage\'s mouth twitched silently as he was impaled and pinned to the ground.

Ian released the sword\'s handle and extended his hand toward the Sword the Judgment.

Swoosh—!

Another Pinpoint Explosion followed. The charred mage finally lay motionless. Before the flames had even settled, Ian approached and gripped the heated hilt of the sword.

"At this point, coming back to life would rather be painful."

Crunch!

Ian decisively beheaded the mage. He didn\'t stop there; he also kicked the severed head away, ensuring that even vampire black magic couldn\'t revive him.

I haven\'t fought a spellcaster in a while. Should I say I was lucky...?

Boom.

His subsequent thoughts were interrupted by a loud explosion from behind.

"...!"

Turning around, Ian\'s eyes flared. The sight that greeted him was the figure of the dark knight, who swung his sword even with a battle ax embedded in his nape. From the tip of the sword, numerous shadowy thorns burst forth wildly.

A carriage shattered to pieces, and horses butchered in the chaos. And next to them, Charlotte, her armor torn and flung aside as she sprayed blood, and Thesaya, who was clearly swept away trying to save her, all caught in a single glance.

Woosh....

The shadow spikes that had devastated the horses and carriage dissipated.

—Aldrich...! My poor eighth love...

Fortunately, the dark knight, now focused on something else, no longer paid attention to them. He pulled the ax from his neck and tossed it aside.

—Avenge me, Stellan...!

Freya’s voice echoed as the shadow-enveloped dark knight, Stellan, let his sword hang low. Only the will to heed her request seemed to drive him, as fiery anger blazed behind his visor.

A second phase after defeating one...

Ian re-gripped the Sword of Judgment just as Stellan charged at him. Red magic began to swirl in Ian’s eyes.

Swoosh, swoosh—!

Stellan didn’t stop his assault, swinging his sword repeatedly. Black arcs, crescent-shaped, flew toward Ian.

Ranged attacks too?

Ian dodged with a grimace, rolling on the ground before running straight toward the knight. If this was his tactic, then using long-casting spells would be out of the question.

Swoosh!

Another shadow blade flew toward him.

Woosh.

Ian twisted away, and balls of fire erupted around him.

"Hmph...!" Stellan charged into the firestorm with a cold laugh, unbothered by the subsequent explosion. He met Ian’s descending sword with his own in a clash.

The disparity in their size and strength was apparent, and with the aid of dark magic, Stellan\'s choice seemed rational.

Sizzle—

Until blue holy energy surged along Ian\'s sword.

Swoosh— Crack—!

The explosion of blue streaks snapped Stellan’s sword and sliced through his thick armor as if it were mere cloth. The vampire clan\'s adjudicator, skilled with a sword, couldn’t have blocked such a blow, much less a mere knight servant.

"Ah...." With a low groan, Stellan’s body, diagonally sliced from the neck down to his side, collapsed unevenly.

There was no gush of blood or guts—just blue holy flames of Tir En consuming the flesh.

"Aaaaaah—!" Freya, hidden in his shadow, also screamed in agony. It was unclear whether it was due to the holy power of Tir En or the grief of another servant\'s death.

Crack—

Over the writhing shadow, a blade still bearing traces of holy power mercilessly pierced through. A tearing scream continued as Freya, impaled in the abdomen, revealed her true form.

“I don\'t understand why you or your servants are so careless. I\'ve already killed one of your kin’s adjudicators.”

Looking down at her howling like a beast, Ian spat out.

“Do I look that weak to you? As if I don’t have a hidden trump card?”

“What... I wasn’t being... careless...!”

Roar!

As if he had no intention of listening to a response, flames erupted from the sword. Another tearing scream continued. Ian, having dropped the hilt, drew a dagger from his waistband.

“Then it seems you guys are just below my expectations.”

“...!”

Freya tried to force her mouth open to speak. A red mage using a sword was strange enough, let alone mastering blue magic as well—who could have predicted that? Who in the world could know that a mage’s sword would emit holy power?

Initially, shaking off her enchantment was something not even a faithful priest or paladin could do. Only those of her kind or higher could do such a thing. However, she was not able to reveal such facts to Ian.

Crack!

Since a dagger with a wave-like pattern pierced through her heart.