Chapter 103 – Spirit (2)
A giant centipede, crawling across the ground, its body filled with deadly poison.
The magical beast Mahbat, smashing everything head-on with its massive body.
The Owlbear, climbing trees with hardened claws and feathers.
The Red Lizard, which never lets go once it has chosen its prey.
Creatures of considerable danger filled the place.
It seemed that demi-humans and magical beasts of the Sloan Forest had all gathered here. But the enemies did not stop there.
The ground trembled.
The earth surged upward, forming a massive shape.
Vermin’s eyes widened like lanterns.
“Damn it… even Golems are coming out?!”
Golems formed from earth.
They were weaker than the ones Verden had fought in the past, but unless the medium was destroyed, they could not be killed all the same.
And before their eyes, there wasn’t just one Golem, but two.
Cold sweat formed on Kedian’s brow.
“This is dangerous.”
To neutralize the Golems, the spirit had to be defeated.
But there was no immediate way to deal with the spirit. And with so many enemies, escape was impossible. They were cornered.
“Vermin, don’t you know some way to deal with the spirit?! Weaknesses or something?!”
“W-weakness? Wait, let me think…!”
“They’re coming! Everyone, prepare!”
Before they knew it, the enemies were already upon them.
There was no more time for leisurely discussion. With heavy tension, the adventurers gripped their weapons tightly, and just as a Goblin bared its teeth and rushed in—
<Veil of the Whirlwind>
A violent wind surged, wrapping Verden and the adventurers.
The charging Goblin was hurled back, smashed into a Golem, and its head burst open. Those following shared the same fate. The gathered Golems, demi-humans, and magical beasts tried to rush in, but they could not pierce the whirlwind’s barrier.
Skald glanced around.
“This… is this not 5th-tier magic?”
“It’s the effect of a magical item.”
“Ah, I see. Well, thanks to that, we’re saved. However…”
Though they had escaped the immediate danger, the situation remained dire.
Vermin suddenly looked at Verden in urgency.
“This magic, how long does it last?”
“About three minutes.”
“Three minutes, huh…”
Vermin chewed on the answer, then continued.
“As far as I know, a spirit’s fury doesn’t last long. Once it unleashes its power, it needs a long period of rest. If we stall for time, the spirit will weaken… but it’ll take at least thirty minutes.”
“That’s impossible. Standing in place is suicide, and if we scatter… even if some survive by luck, they won’t come out unscathed.”
“Is there no way to subjugate the spirit?”
At Verden’s question, Vermin answered.
“If you condense enough aura to cut through the spirit’s true body, yes. But none of us here can manipulate aura to that level. So that leaves magic… but the spirit is an abnormal species formed of pure magic power, with incredibly high magic resistance. At least 5th-tier magic is needed. And it has to be fire magic, the weakness of a forest spirit. For us, it’s impossible.”
“Fire magic, huh…”
Verden fell silent in thought.
To be honest, it was possible to subjugate the spirit.
With just one use of starlight magic, the situation would be overturned in an instant.
But I can’t use it here.
Meteor was out of the question, and so was Comet.
Starlight magic was Verden’s trump card. Revealing such a hand carelessly was undesirable, especially in front of adventurers who traveled widely.
Verden, by nature, did not trust others easily.
Then the only option is composite magic.
Even 4th-tier magic, if fused with different attributes, could unleash power equal to or greater than 5th-tier. Even if it couldn’t kill the spirit in one strike, it could inflict heavy damage.
But the problem lay with the adventurers.
Even with fast calculation ability, several seconds of concentration were needed. The magical beasts and demi-humans were distractions.
Wide-area bombardment was also impossible—adventurers would get caught in it.
The adventurers could not be allowed to die.
They were the ones paying him, and if only Verden survived, future commissions could be jeopardized.
The subjugation of the spirit, and the survival of Manha.
Both had to be achieved.
…Yes, that will work.
A method came to mind.
Looking at the troubled adventurers, Verden spoke.
“There is one way, would you like to hear it?”
***
After hearing Verden’s plan, Skald stroked his chin.
“To draw its attention? That is not difficult… but…”
The problem was how long they could endure.
Vermin and Skald could hold out to some extent, but Rubina and Kedian were in danger. The two shook their heads.
“I can take care of myself, don’t you know me?”
“With a divine shield protecting only myself, I can endure somewhat.”
Thus, all agreed.
Skald turned to Verden.
“But can you truly subdue the spirit? I know you are strong, but as a 4th-tier Mage…”
“It is possible.”
Verden was certain.
His resolute answer made Skald nod.
“Very well, I shall trust you.”
The moment the Veil of the Whirlwind vanished would be the signal to begin.
Verden stood in place, fully activating his mana circuits. Blue magic power manifested around his body, blazing like flames.
The oppressive pressure made the adventurers gasp, and Verden’s voice brushed their ears.
“We begin.”
Fwaaaa—
The protective wind that shielded them vanished.
***
Kedian lifted his staff high into the air.
Divine power radiated, and a bright yellow sphere floated overhead.
“O Luas, grant them vast light!”
The sphere exploded, light engulfing the area.
Demi-humans and magical beasts blinded by the sudden brilliance lost their sight in an instant. Now robbed of vision, their other senses became sharply heightened.
Drawing in a deep breath, Skald roared—
“Come at me!”
The monsters, drawn by the voice that shook their hearing, all rushed toward Skald.
As planned, Vermin dealt with the Golems alone, while Kedian summoned a Servant to guard Vermin’s back, then used his remaining divine power to cast a small shield. Rubina, stepping on the monsters’ heads and shoulders, provided thorough support with her arrows.
A single mistake here would mean death.
They’re holding out better than I expected.
In the meantime, Verden, cloaked in invisibility, secretly approached the spirit.
But as he drew close, the spirit sensed him. Perhaps because it was a spirit, it pierced through the invisibility spell with ease.
Verden immediately aimed his staff.
<Flare>
A scorching ray of fire.
The ground surged up, colliding with the magic. The melted earth turned into flowing lava, and startled by the heat, the forest spirit retreated at once.
[Crack.]
With that sound, the spirit flickered.
As the green light touched the trees, dozens of branches twisted sharply and shot toward Verden.
He cast <Flame Veil>, burning all the branches away.
Verden, taking flight, closed in, but the spirit fled.
From above, he scorched the forest as though setting it ablaze, but the spirit was so small that hitting it was difficult. It was far more agile than expected.
Each time he nearly struck, the spirit shielded itself with trees and earth.
Irritating.
It felt like fighting a tenacious Mage.
Wait, a Mage?
A good idea struck him.
A way to stop the spirit’s movements.
Verden descended to the ground.
The fleeing forest spirit flickered its light, almost as if mocking him. At the same time, Verden gathered magic power to its fullest, his blue eyes flashing.
Mana Pressure.
Vast magic power engulfed the spirit.
[…]
The forest spirit froze.
Just as I thought.
Mages were sensitive to magic power.
Just as Goad, a Gold-rank adventurer, once fainted under Verden’s mana pressure, so too would a spirit composed of magic.
And indeed, the idea was correct.
As Verden increased the intensity of his pressure, the spirit began to resist.
Magic power clashed against magic power. Just as Vermin had said, the spirit’s magic resistance was formidable. Its output was on the level of a 4th-tier mana circuit—or higher.
But Verden’s reserves exceeded that.
For a brief moment, the spirit managed to push his mana away, but it could not withstand the prolonged struggle. Through the clash of power, he felt its strength weaken, until finally, he completely subdued its movements.
Verden activated his Mystic Eyes.
A composite magic took form in an instant.
A blazing spear of molten earth scorched the surroundings, its tip pointed directly at the forest spirit.
[…]
The creature tried desperately to move its magic, but it could not twitch an inch. In that time, Verden completed his spell.
<Lava Spear>
───KWA-GWA-GWA-GWANG!
The crimson flames swept through the place where the spirit had been.
Feeling it was not enough, he followed with more fire magic. Explosions shook the forest, searing heat stung the skin.
Before long, part of the forest was reduced to ashes.
Within the blazing flames, no trace of the spirit’s magic could be felt. Turning his head, Verden saw in the distance the Golems, having lost their medium, collapse to the ground.
The spirit was surely destroyed.
Now only the monsters besieging the adventurers remained.
Verden gathered his magic and shot it high into the sky.
From the clouds, three bolts of lightning surged. In the dark blue storm clouds, thousands of strikes writhed.
Sensing a chilling aura, Skald looked up at the sky and shouted.
“It’s Asher’s magic! Everyone, clear the area!”
Skald slung Kedian over his shoulder and leapt with all his strength.
Vermin and Rubina also fled. Confirming that the adventurers had cleared the range as planned, Verden swung his staff downward.
<Threefold Thunder Annihilation>
KWA-GWA-GWA-GWANG!
Massive lightning crashed down upon the forest.
***
A spell that had once inflicted fatal wounds even upon the great Soul Tree.
For the far weaker demi-humans and magical beasts, survival was impossible.
Those at the center left no remains at all. Those within range were torn apart by the fierce current or burned from within.
The few beasts at the outermost edge barely survived, only to spew blood and collapse moments later.
The adventurers, sprawled on the ground, slowly raised their heads.
Charred marks seared into the forest floor, earth torn open. Corpses strewn everywhere.
Vermin blinked blankly.
“What… what is this…?”
His comrades felt the same.
Few had ever witnessed 4th-tier lightning magic, but they had heard often enough of its overwhelming destructive power against living beings. And that it consumed a staggering amount of mana.
Skald recalled the thunder moments before.
That was surely <Lightning Strike>. But this destructive power… could it be composite magic?!
It was certain.
Not a Double Casting, but a Triple Casting composite spell. Compared to the <Lightning Strike> he knew, the difference was unmistakable.
That casting speed…
At that moment, Verden approached the adventurers.
“Are you unharmed?”
“Y-yes, we’re fine.”
Skald swallowed and nodded.
Kedian cautiously asked Verden.
“But, wasn’t Mister Asher a 4th-tier Mage? Yet this power…”
“Not all 4th-tiers are the same.”
Ah… At that one sentence, the adventurers nodded.
The immense mana they felt from him, his extreme talent in handling not just rare high-level attributes but multiple elements skillfully, his peculiar combat style shifting between close and long range, and his casting speed that defied all common sense.
Whatever he was, he was not someone to be judged by ordinary standards.
If anything, we were the ones in the way.
And it seemed he still had many cards hidden.
While the adventurers were battered and in tatters, Verden stood spotless, not even dust on him, his breathing steady.
Even after subjugating a spirit, even after casting such magic, he showed no burden.
A genius… no, a monster.
So thought the adventurers.
Perhaps they had just met a Mage who would one day have his name etched into history.
Heh, Skald laughed.
“In any case, we owe you our lives, Asher. I—no, we misjudged you. It seems we’ll have to raise your payment. After all, you saved our lives and managed to subjugate this many.”
“I would be grateful.”
“By the way, what of the spirit?”
Verden pointed to the ashes.
Casting <Tidal Wave> to clear away the heat, he revealed a single green crystal where the forest spirit once had been.
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