Chapter 72: The Mage (2)

Okua’s massive body, formed from fused corpses, was a colossal target.

And Moyongchan, facing him head-on, left no room for escape.

[Incredible.]

Okua’s voice echoed through the air. And then, the sun fell upon him.

A gigantic flash exploded. Yuri, watching the scene, raised his hand to shield his eyes.

Within that burning white light, Okua’s writhing figure could just be seen.

“It was worth insisting…”

Yuri murmured. Ever since he’d seen Maryrose’s fire spell ravage the battlefield, he had been pestering Hernando, day after day, to use magic.

He knew it wasn’t possible due to the dispel, but he didn’t stop. It had all been for this moment.

Hernando, releasing all his frustration, had unleashed an impressive offensive spell. Okua should have been completely incinerated.

The flash began to fade, and a shockwave rippled through the earth. Yuri was thrown back and rolled across the ground. He didn’t have a drop of mana left; he had no strength for anything.

“Ugh…”

He rolled a bit further until he lay still. When he lifted his gaze, he saw Okua, covered in soot, standing within the black smoke.

He wasn’t dead. But the damage seemed severe—he couldn’t move. Moyongchan and several knights who had been lying on the ground rushed toward him.

Yuri was certain of victory. But the joy didn’t last long.

“Akuaakkai?”

A strange voice sounded from above. Yuri turned his head slightly and saw an Orkval standing.

Its eyes were narrowed, and its axe raised.

“Uk akuma kuku…”

And it raised the axe to the sky.

“What the hell is this bastard doing…?”

Yuri tried to reach for Guilty, but that was all he could manage. He couldn’t even stand up.

Reflected in his eyes, he saw the Orkval’s grotesque face lean toward him. And just as the blade was about to fall—

Someone tackled the Orkval and knocked it down!

“Are you alright?”

“You’re…?”

Yuri’s eyes widened.

“Sver Gain?”

“Yes. Sver— I mean, Sven Gain.”

It was Sven Gain, with whom Yuri had grown close after a conversation behind Joachim’s back.

With sword drawn, Sven kept watch on the Orkval and continued.

“Please fall back. I’ll handle this one.”

Yuri slowly sat up.

“Thanks, Sven.”

Sven didn’t look at him, simply replied,

“Consider this repaying my debt.”

He was trying to act cool. But Yuri didn’t fault him. If you risk your life trying to act cool, then it truly is cool.

“I’ll consider the talk you gave me about Joachim repaid.”

“Excuse me?”

“Though I still have a lot to tell you. About Briol, Brusen, the Holy Kingdom, the Empire, the Duchy of Klein…”

“No, wait…”

As they spoke, the Orkval stood up. Sven smiled with resignation and took his stance.

“Anyway, I’ve got this.”

“Can you handle it?”

“I have to, even if I can’t.”

Yuri let out a laugh. That boy, who once seemed so immature, had grown a lot. At this rate, even Wolf Gain might have to bow before him.

“I’m counting on you.”

He stood up fully. But as Yuri’s weakened state became evident, several orcs approached him.

“Prince!”

At that moment, Briol soldiers rushed toward him. They surrounded him, as if to protect him.

“You guys…”

He recognized all of them. They’d eaten together, played cards.

“We’ll protect you.”

“Prince, fall back.”

“Trust us.”

For ordinary soldiers, orcs were already a fearsome enemy. Orkval even more so. But none of them backed down. They raised their weapons against the orcs.

Yuri spoke,

“It’s dangerous. You can’t beat them.”

“We’ll be fine.”

It was one of the soldiers he played cards with. He was from Ujes, Lord Gennard’s land. They always teased him for being Gennard’s lapdog.

“You’ve always been at the front. Today, stay behind.”

Yuri’s throat tightened.

“Hard to believe you were Gennard’s lapdog…”

“I told you I wasn’t!”

The orcs advanced with fierce faces. Among them, another Orkval. No matter how determined they were, they wouldn’t last long against enemies like that.

Yuri forced his arm to lift Guilty.

“Prince!”

Just then, some knights staggered over to join him. Not just from Briol, but from other kingdoms too. All were knights who had, at some point, received help from Yuri.

“We’ll handle the Orkval.”

And they clashed. The battle was brutal. Yuri felt something strange.

In his past life, people had died fighting for him. But not for Yuri, the person—for the prince.

This time was different. That’s why he desperately wished none of them would die. And someone seemed to hear his wish.

“Prince.”

A figure appeared out of nowhere beside Yuri.

“Asana. I told you not to stay here.”

“Should I go back, then?”

“No…”

It was Asana.

Before the fight with Okua, Yuri had ordered her to return. But apparently, she had stayed behind to protect him.

“You want them to live, right?”

“Are you sure?”

Asana was skilled in assassination, not open combat.

“Of course.”

As always, she nodded lightly and vanished into the shadows. Then appeared at the orc rear and slit an Orkval’s throat.

The Orkval looked at her in disbelief as he clutched his neck. His artery had been severed.

Blood gushed uncontrollably. The Orkval staggered and collapsed.

“Ha…”

Yuri smiled.

“I didn’t live in vain after all…”

In his past life, he had wasted his life meaninglessly. Yuri ran his fingers through his sweat-drenched hair and turned his gaze away.

Amazingly, Okua hadn’t fully died even after receiving such powerful magic.

But he was beginning to fall apart little by little.

The body, originally made of human corpses, melted in the flame, fusing into a single mass of flesh. Above him, Moyongchan’s energy strikes continued to rain down relentlessly.

An absurd level of power. How many humans could release that many sword-energy strikes? It was worthy of a place among the Ten Greats.

And the fact that Okua could withstand those attacks—just how monstrous was he?

Suddenly, Okua, retreating again and again, threw a punch.

Moyongchan, focused on attacking, was flung away. Once he was down, the remaining knights could no longer hold Okua back.

Another flew through the air.

Okua was still standing.

But he was at his limit. The black mist rising from his body grew fainter.

Yuri looked up at the sky. A new spell was forming.

After the fireball, a giant, barbed spear appeared. Perfect for hunting a monster like Okua.

[Kraaahhh…]

Just as Okua, swatting away the knights, looked up.

The spear shot toward him. Perhaps sensing his fate, Okua stayed still.

The spear pierced directly through his chest. And Okua dropped to his knees.

[This… is not… the end.]

With those last words, Okua completely collapsed.

The corpses the necromancer had fused through dark magic scattered. The fire-melted parts formed an even more grotesque image.

With Okua’s fall, the rest of the orc army lost all will to fight. Perhaps they had been controlled by dark magic all along, because they didn’t resist and were annihilated by the Alliance.

Yuri fell to the ground.

“Ha ha ha ha…”

He laughed out loud. He had done it.

He had killed Okua—the one who had destroyed the Alliance, slain Moyongchan, dominated the plains, and spread terror across the continent.

He had saved countless lives. He had changed destiny.

“Wooooooaaaaah!”

Realizing victory, the entire Allied army erupted in a roar of jubilation. On the plains, once drenched in sorrow, joy exploded.

“Prince!”

“We did it!”

“Long live!”

The troops of Briol ran toward Yuri. One after another, they threw themselves on top of him.

“Kuh!”

The soldiers piled on.

They crushed Yuri while chanting his name. It was an old form of celebration, as traditional as tossing someone into the air, and it was called “hamburger.”

Yuri struggled, but the number of soldiers stacking on him only grew.

“Yuri! Yuri! Yuri!”

“S-Stop…!”

“Yuri! Yuri!”

Seeing Yuri’s pale face, one soldier pushed the others off.

“Hey, hey! You’re gonna kill the prince!”

The “hamburger” collapsed.

Then they picked him up again and tossed him into the air. It was the henggarae.

Yuri rose and fell, again and again.

Normally, he’d have escaped by now, but after so many battles and expending even his life force, Yuri couldn’t resist. His body floated like a puppet.

Without mana, he was just an eighteen-year-old boy.

“Yuri! Yuri! Yuri!”

As Briol celebrated its victory, the other kingdoms also shouted with joy. Each celebrated in their own way.

***

Just before Okua fell, Hernando had been watching the battle.

The fire magic he had unleashed was strong enough to wipe out an entire city.

And that power, felt so closely, completely changed Eisen’s attitude.

“Impressive. He’s a true master.”

“You doubted me?”

“No, no…”

But Hernando never took his eyes off the battlefield.

Despite taking that hit, Okua didn’t die. He was clearly weakened, but still standing.

A monster.

“Looks like I’ll have to do another.”

“Another?”

Eisen’s eyes widened in surprise.

“You can do another one of those?”

“No.”

He had also spent a lot of mana.

“We’ll do it together using a magic bond.”

“Even that…?”

The magic bond was a technique where multiple mages pooled their mana to form a single spell. The lead mage had to control multiple types of mana simultaneously—an exceptionally difficult task.

The other mages, impressed by Hernando’s skill, agreed without objection. Hernando drew the magic circle, assigned each mage a position, and stood at the center.

Before beginning the chant, he called to his apprentice.

“Cory.”

“Yes!”

Cory had been watching from afar.

“If we fall, don’t let anyone near.”

“Understood.”

Mages who expended too much mental energy were left exhausted. Even a light hit could be fatal.

Cory nodded. Hernando smiled at him and began the incantation. A sound that didn’t seem like language spread through the air.

Like an echo, the other mages followed, each slightly off from the next. The magic circle glowed.

It was an incredible sight. A massive magical spear created by Hernando floated in the air. Some mages collapsed under the pressure.

But Hernando didn’t stop. Finally, the spear pierced through Okua.

The enemy fell. The magic circle dimmed, and everyone standing within it collapsed.

“Sir Hernando! Sir Eisen!”

Cory called out, but no one responded. Some guards tried to approach, but Cory blocked them.

“Sir Hernando said no one was to touch them.”

Cory guarded the circle, watching the battlefield. With Okua gone, the Alliance was overwhelming the orcs.

It seemed the war was ending. Cries of victory echoed with joy.

Cory smiled.

“We’ve won.”

But then he jumped back, startled.

Something was there.

“Eh…”

A dark, blurry shape in the form of a snake slithered across the field.

It seemed far away, but in the blink of an eye, it was near. Their eyes met.

Cory felt an indescribable terror.

The snake hissed several times, flicking its tongue, then slithered on, as if Cory didn’t exist.

“H-here… a snake…”

But the guards ignored him. They couldn’t see it. The snake passed through the magic circle and stopped in front of Hernando.

“No… no…”

Hernando had said no one must touch him. But that black snake opened its mouth, baring its fangs at him.

Cory clenched his fists. Something in his chest pounded fiercely, overcoming the fear.

‘That’s what magic is. Making your wishes reality.’

That’s what Hernando had said. In that moment, Cory wished with all his heart—

That the snake couldn’t harm Hernando.

As he stepped forward to shield him with his own body, something shone in his hand.

“Huh…?”

The snake jerked its head suddenly. Cory understood instinctively—this was his only chance. Before the snake could react, he stretched out his hands.

A beam of light shot toward the creature. An indefinable light, all colors blended together.

That light engulfed the snake. Like the dawn dispelling darkness, the serpent vanished in an instant.

The creature shrieked.

[This makes no sense…]

And disappeared without a trace. Cory fell to his knees, gasping for air.

Even he didn’t know what he had just done. Just then, Hernando began to rise.

“Cory…?”

“Sir Hernando!”

The sudden movement knocked off his hood, but Cory didn’t care. He smiled brightly.

“We won!”