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Blood spurted like a fountain, painting the surroundings crimson—a truly gruesome sight.

The corpse staggered before collapsing with a thud.

Despite three people having died in the blink of an eye, no one screamed. They all remained frozen, rigid, only staring. For if they didn’t, they feared that the eyes of the grim reaper, whose black cloak fluttered, might turn toward them.

The man, who seemed to be cloaked in death itself, like a guardian deity, walked toward a box and closed its lid with his own hands.

“Burn this? That would be a shame. After all the effort put into making it. If it were to just become firewood, it would truly break my heart.”

Rrrrrumble!

As soon as the man finished speaking, the boxes began making strange sounds, dispersing to specific locations.

Ian quickly snatched one of the boxes. Like magic, one of the large boxes disappeared entirely, but the man, seemingly unaware, looked around with a satisfied expression.

“Good. It seems we now have the right conditions to talk. So, what brings you here, uninvited guests? Don’t you know this is the business site of Vedid Dimude, and no unauthorized persons are allowed?”

“What does it matter? A Dark Mage has already made this place their base,” Ian replied, licking his lips and crumpling the wrapping paper in his hand.

The moment the Dark Mage revealed himself, Ian had sensed that this was no ordinary opponent. He had already taken ‘Wigner Gamma,’ a performance-enhancing drug made in Cordelia.

The drug just needed a little more time to kick in.

“Heh. So, you’ve boldly stepped into a place that might be the workshop of a Dark Mage?”

Workshop? No way. This place was just a warehouse.

Though the place was full of black magic, with drugs infused with the faint power of the Outer Gods piled up, there was no special flow of energy. Ian could confidently say:

“You’ve got to cut away the rotten parts.”

The man chuckled.

“You must be out of your mind, fearless lunatic. I suppose that’s why you came up here, soaked in blood. Let me ask you one thing—did you kill the other Dark Mage who was here?”

Instead of answering, Ian stepped forward. Semid, quick to catch on, called the soldiers and prepared to head downstairs, knowing they’d only be a burden if they stayed any longer.

The man sighed as he watched them leave.

“I thought I’d grown used to farewells by now, but I guess not. Every time, it still stings.”

“Wasn’t that something you accepted when you became a Dark Mage?”

At Ian’s question, the man bitterly lowered his gaze.

“Ah, of course! Of course… I knew that when I decided to follow the God of the Outer Sea, I’d have to give up a lot. Maybe that’s why I became so attached to my comrades.”

As Ian began to feel the effects of the drug kicking in, he asked the man:

“For someone saying that, you don’t seem all that angry. Are you preparing something?”

The man smiled slightly and nodded.

“Time stalling is mutual, isn’t it?”

“I’m already prepared.”

“…I’m not. But you’re not going to wait for me, are you?”

Obviously not. Ian infused his throwing knife with the power of Bane of Evil and hurled it.

Shing!

Throwing a knife was something that wore down the durability of the weapon, typically only done with arrows, but in this situation, there was no other choice.

The Dark Mage didn’t react to the incoming blade. Instead, the grim reaper, hovering behind him like a protector, swung its enormous scythe, deflecting the knife.

Clang! Ka-boom!

When the knife and scythe clashed, an explosion erupted, and flames spread in all directions.

Unleashing such an inferno indoors was no different from arson.

No matter how much magic and materials were used to prevent fire in the building, there was a limit to what could withstand it.

“I just need to finish this quickly.”

There was no need to drag this out against the Dark Mage.

Drawing the flames to distract, he attempted to approach the Dark Mage in an instant to swing his sword, but the opponent’s counter was equally formidable.

As if waiting for this moment, the Dark Mage was protected by several layers of barriers. The sharp blade of the Holy Sword sliced through the protective shields.

Even the three layers of barriers could not withstand the force of the blade upon impact, shattering like glass.

Cha-ching!

He managed to buy a moment’s time. In that gap, the Reaper hovering behind him let out a chilling sound and swung its scythe.

Hruuuh!

As the attack missed, it now swung the scythe down at an angle from above.

With no choice but to step back quickly, purple particles gathered around the Dark Mage, forming daggers as if flowers were blooming.

It was not hard to predict the scene that would unfold next.

Tatata-tat-tang!

The daggers poured down like a torrential rain, stabbing into the ground.

Fortunately, they didn’t seem to have a homing function, so they flew straight, but the number was considerable.

“Fast, aren’t you! But how long can you keep dodging like that?!”

The daggers were not a magic that consumed a great deal of mana; they were being recreated as quickly as they were fired.

Glancing at them, Ian fell into thought.

“Hmm.”

He had seen similar magic that threw dozens of daggers several times before.

However, he had always been focused on dodging, never once thinking to try it himself, deeming it inefficient.

But now, strangely, inspiration struck him. Perhaps it was because he had been diligently practicing the Bane of Evil; it seemed he could effectively utilize this ability if he played it right.

He thought to study it further when the battle was over. While moving with that thought, a rough wind blew, and a Reaper appeared in front of him.

A summoned creature?

It had already assumed a stance to swing its scythe.

Skhreeee!

Its eyes glinted red within the ragged black cloth as the scythe reached out.

Ian lowered his stance. The scythe, pulsating with dark magic, grazed above him. He stepped forward and slashed upward with the Holy Sword.

Swish!

It was a painfully simple strike, but the tip of the sword definitely made contact with the Reaper.

Though the feeling transmitted through his hand was minimal, visually, he could see the Reaper’s robe torn, and it even suffered injuries beneath it.

The Bane of Evil and divine power were opposing attributes for beings of the Outer Realm. They were particularly deadly for the deceased.

Gyaaaaaah!

One attack alone would have sufficed, but with two powers infused, the Reaper twisted its body in agony.

“Uh?”

The Dark Mage let out a dumbfounded sound.

This was understandable because the Reaper he had summoned was a type of specter that would not be affected by average physical attacks.

It even possessed resistance to magic, making it rare to see it in pain.

This was all because the Dark Mage was unaware that Ian’s sword was a Holy Sword. To the casual observer, it was merely a well-crafted sword.

Having incapacitated the Reaper, Ian immediately moved towards the Dark Mage.

Although Ian had moved away from the daggers embedded in the ground, how far could he really go indoors?

If he ran in a straight line, he could reach right in front of the opponent in no time.

The problem was that the Dark Mage would not just sit back and watch. As the opponent reached out, a force pushed him back.

Thwang!

A shockwave burst forth. Ian saw it with his own eyes. Enveloped in flames, he pushed forward.

He staggered slightly, but it only reduced his acceleration. He was not blown away by the impact.

However, the shockwave was not just meant to push Ian back.

Hundreds of daggers embedded in the ground resonated and exploded in a chain reaction.

“!”

Kaboom!

While it was not strong enough to shake the building, it had more than enough power to eliminate a single person.

Moreover, the spreading dark magic was like poison to anyone.

But the Dark Mage, Ben Jiniman, did not assume that his opponent was dead from this.

His senses still detected a presence. He began to gather the thick dark magic that filled the floor to prepare for the next spell.

At the same time, following the gathered dark magic, a fireball approached. It was not magic but a person.

“I knew it!”

As the fireball illuminated the darkened space, Ben Jiniman furrowed his brow.

It was a person, clad in armor made of flames.

A red knight?

But that didn’t matter. Ben Jiniman extended his hand. In an instant, a magic circle was drawn in front of his palm, and chains sprang forth, entwining together.

[The Devouring Serpent]

Crash!

With the sound of metal clashing and scraping, the chains transformed into a gigantic snake, its mouth wide open.

It was a magic spell with a high-density mass. Anyone bitten by it, no matter how much of a knight they were, would not escape unharmed.

However, the unfolding scene was more than enough to stiffen Ben Jiniman’s expression, which had previously been confident of victory.

“…A mace?”

He scoffed when the opponent raised their sword.

If they had reached Level 6 and attained true mastery, that would be one thing. But he was certain that no mere sword could break through this massive magical attack.

Yet, the flames entwined around the blade elongated and transformed into a long-handled mace that slammed down on the serpent.

Bam!

The snake’s mouth closed instantly, crashing down to the ground.

The floor could not bear the weight and collapsed under the impact, but Ian didn’t mind.

Ignoring the serpent’s head and the chains unfurling from it, he dashed forward, tearing through the three layers of barriers protecting the Dark Mage.

Chink!

As the barriers shattered noisily, Ben Jiniman stepped back and immediately began to erect new ones.

Two layers, three layers—he prioritized his own safety even at the risk of overextending himself. Meanwhile, he activated his magic to bombard the approaching Ian.

Tatata-tang!

Creating weapons from dark magic and throwing them was the essence of the dark magic he had built up, but it was futile.

From head to toe, the flames enveloping Ian blocked the curses and other attacks.

It was clear that the Holy Flame Armor, which only capable Red Knights could wear, was protecting him.

“I thought he was a mercenary…!”

He felt deceived by the outfit and the carefree atmosphere.

To penetrate that Holy Flame Armor, one would need to use a certain level of magic, which was impossible for him at that moment.

He was running low on stamina. Surviving close combat against a knight was no small feat.

The problem was that there was no one to praise him for it.

“Damn it!”

The end was in sight. An unavoidable conclusion loomed before him.

Beyond the shattering barrier, a dagger flew and pierced Ben’s collarbone.

Thud!

“Guh!”

He tried to endure the pain and complete the spell he was preparing, but even before he could, one of his arms was severed.

The sharp agony broke his concentration, causing the spell he was casting to fall apart. Before his severed arm could even drop, he was kicked in the abdomen.

Boom!

“Cough!”

He was sent flying and crashed into a pile of boxes stacked against the wall. He tried to stand up, but it wasn’t as easy as it sounded.

“Ha, ha.”

Gasping for breath, Ben Jiniman chuckled as he looked at the drugs scattered across the floor.

“Heh, heh heh…!”

Bitten down, his laughter was close to a sob as he struggled against the pain.

Ian, removing the armor he wore, asked him, “What’s so funny?”

“Oh, well… it’s amusing. They say you can’t predict the future. Who would’ve thought this would be my grave?”

“…….”

“Ha, I really suffered to make these. What bad luck. If it weren’t for you, everything would have gone smoothly. I thought I could win against anyone as long as it wasn’t Yongwi.”

Indeed, the soldiers Semid brought were much weaker than expected.

If Ian hadn’t been there, they probably wouldn’t have even made it this far. The two dark sorcerers on the floor below would have handled it neatly.

‘Ah, is that so?’

Perhaps Semid was destined to die here today.

Recalling how chaotic the world had been before the regression and how it was destined to fall to the dark sorcerers, taking on Semid’s request might have been the turning point.

Ben Jiniman grinned as he continued, “What was the question again? How can it not be funny? Even if I die here, I think I can still mess with you.”

“What?”

Thud…

Ian furrowed his brow in response.

“I told you I have something prepared. I didn’t want to use it, but given the circumstances, there’s no choice. Oh, just so you know, it’s already too late. The conditions for activating this spell are very simple: either I give the signal, or I die. It’s just a matter of time.”

Ian pulled out another dagger. Seeing that, Ben Jiniman smiled wickedly.

“Do your best.”

The dagger sank into his forehead.

———-