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[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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Chapter 76
“When did she reach the wall of 4-star level?”
As the magi murmured in surprise, Yulian let out a low sigh.
Then, she slowly drew the bowstring.
Without nocking an arrow—her hand was empty.
From the hand holding the string, a black sword began to emerge.
It was a formless arrow using the black sword.
Next, she activated the 4-star technique—Black Sword Conversion, the ability to freely manipulate the black sword.
The black sword split into sixteen strands, and sixteen formless arrows shot into the air.
Each one struck down Jupien’s splitting swords without missing a single blade.
Jupien’s eyes widened as she watched her blades scatter to dust.
“…Sorry, sister.”
Yulian whispered softly.
So low that no one could hear.
“It’s not just you who can’t afford to lose.”
Words fading away into the air, their meaning unclear.
Yulian’s gaze sank low, and Jupien, struck by the curse of exhaustion, collapsed gently.
The duel was over.
Waaah!!
As the healers carried Jupien away, the magi erupted into cheers.
Whether it was Yulian, who showed incredible skill, or Jupien, who displayed courage beyond her ability—both deserved the applause.
But Chris couldn’t take their duel lightly.
Because of Yulian.
‘That final move… that wasn’t 4-star level.’
He was certain.
Yulian was hiding her true strength.
‘She’s definitely at least 5-star. I need to be more cautious.’
Chris’s thoughts grew heavy.
Since he would inevitably clash with Yulian, he had to prepare.
But that was for later.
“Christian, Mysak. Step forward.”
At last, it was Chris’s turn.
The arena fell into silence.
The magi swallowed hard.
Everyone knew about the rivalry between Mysak and Christian in the Dark Demonic House.
Even before the fight began, a tense atmosphere filled the dueling ground.
But not many expected Christian to win.
No—none did.
It was natural.
‘Too reckless. Even if Young Lord Christian is highly talented, to challenge Young Lord Mysak, who’s already 4-star…’
It was now widely known that Christian possessed exceptional talent.
But still, this was too much.
He should’ve waited and held back longer—that was the general consensus among the magi.
Many expected a major disaster to unfold.
“A duel between magi is a life-or-death battle where killing the opponent is allowed. Considering Young Lord Mysak’s ruthless methods, there’s a high chance Young Lord Christian could die or be crippled here.”
It wasn’t an unreasonable concern.
Mysak growled at Christian like a beast.
“This time, I’m actually grateful to you. You’ve challenged me despite not knowing your place. Now I can break you without restraint.”
Chris smirked.
“Is that so? We’ll see who ends up broken. But tell me—did you get your mom’s permission before coming up here? What’ll happen if you get hurt? Won’t your mom cry?”
“You bastard!”
Boom!
The air in front of Chris exploded violently.
It was the destructive black magic—Compressed Explosion.
As the air temporarily vanished, a vacuum shockwave surged, whipping Chris’s body around wildly.
“I’ll kill you!!”
A barrage of destructive black magic followed in quick succession.
Dark flames filled with murderous intent swept toward Christian.
Christian tried to dodge, but invisible ropes held him down, restraining his body.
“W-What?!”
“Danger?!”
Destructive black magic resembles the Allied Forces’ elemental magic, yet differs fundamentally.
Allied elemental magic borrows directly from the forces of nature.
But destructive black magic intertwines with the principles of curses.
The flame-based destructive black magic just cast by Mysak—Pyre Platform—included a powerful binding effect, making it impossible to evade.
A black magic that makes one feel as though nailed to a post, tormented by blazing fire.
Whoosh!
Flames engulfed Christian’s entire form, and he couldn’t even scream.
Mysak grinned with satisfaction.
“To think you dared act arrogant with such pathetic strength. I’ll leave you a cripple, make you wish for death instead.”
Crackle.
Lightning surged from Mysak’s hand next.
It wasn’t just ordinary thunder—this bolt had a powerful slicing force that could cut through anything it touched. A lightning spear formed in Mysak’s grip.
“Haa!”
Crack!
The lightning spear tore toward Christian with brutal force.
Slash!
Both of Christian’s feet were severed. The lightning scorched the wounds, mangling the severed ends completely.
Unless they brought in a healer from the House of Divine Medicine, they’d never be reattached.
“We’re not done yet. Next, I’ll finely slice your arms.”
Like a child tearing off the limbs of an insect, Mysak’s eyes glinted with cruelty.
Winds of destruction gathered in Mysak’s hand.
Blade Whirlwind.
It was a destructive black magic that used spinning blades of wind to shred the opponent’s body into pieces.
A type of black magic used more often for torture than combat. It even contained a curse that amplified pain—a sadistic spell by nature.
As Mysak lifted the corners of his mouth, imagining the scream that Christian would soon let out—
A whisper brushed past his ear.
“Excited, are we? Having fun?”
“……!!”
Mysak’s eyes flew open.
‘What the—?’
A voice that should never have been heard.
But Mysak couldn’t finish the thought.
Thud!!
His head snapped backward as if struck by a hammer.
Chris’s fist, wrapped in demonic energy, had smashed directly into Mysak’s face.
His nose collapsed instantly, and blood gushed down.
“For someone at 4-star, you sure fell for a cheap illusion and got all giddy. What a moron.”
Chris said with a cold smirk.
“Ready to get beaten? Don’t cry if it hurts, yeah? Wouldn’t want your mom getting upset.”
And then—
Hell broke loose.
A deathly silence fell over the arena.
Wham! Thud!! Thud!!
It was a one-sided beating.
Christian was beating Mysak like a dog.
Mysak screamed.
“You bastard—?! Gaaahh! How dare—?! Aaaargh!”
“So noisy. Why’re you whining so much?”
Wham! Wham!
Mysak’s face no longer looked human.
His collapsed nose bridge, his sunken cheekbones—there weren’t many intact teeth left either.
“H-How…?”
“This doesn’t make sense!”
The magi murmured in disbelief.
Mysak was supposed to be stronger.
That was undeniable.
His black magic clearly reached the level of a 4-star. Christian, at best, was seen as a 3-star.
But Mysak was the one being overwhelmed.
Not even close to putting up a fight.
A completely incomprehensible situation.
But the more experienced veteran magi quickly grasped what had happened.
“Lord Christian perfectly identified and exploited Young Lord Mysak’s weakness.”
“That’s why Mysak can’t put up any resistance.”
Mysak’s weakness.
It was simple.
His abilities were overly focused on destructive black magic.
Because of his mother’s influence, he had neglected studying other fields.
He hadn’t even properly learned the Dark Demonic House’s signature powers: dark demonic energy and demonic swordsmanship.
As a result, although Mysak was the son of the Dark Demonic House, he possessed traits no different from a black mage of the Destruction Demonic House.
‘Dealing with a black mage is simple. Just beat the crap out of them at close range so they can’t concentrate enough to cast anything.’
Chris thought while swinging his fists.
Blood splattered, and screams rang out.
‘It’s not like he’s even a proper black mage.’
If Mysak had been a true black mage, he wouldn’t have been overwhelmed this one-sidedly.
Black mages usually have plenty of counters prepared for close-range enemies.
But Mysak had none of those.
Above all, Mysak lacked real combat experience.
‘Sheltered under his mom’s skirt, the only duels he’s ever had were probably formalities against people who pandered to him. No way he’s ever faced real danger.’
And this was the result.
Thud!
A one-sided beating.
“G-Keuugh. Y-You bastard…”
Thud!
Every time Mysak tried to do something, Christian’s fist smashed into him.
A one-sided duel.
Among magi, a duel only ends when one side is completely unable to fight or admits defeat—but at this point, the fight might as well have been over.
‘…Still, I didn’t expect him to be this pathetic.’
Christian was conflicted.
His original plan was to use this match to show everyone just how exceptional he was.
But Mysak was so pathetic, it didn’t even feel like his strength was being showcased.
In the end, Chris stopped punching.
“……??”
When the relentless assault suddenly stopped, Mysak blinked in confusion.
Christian shrugged.
“Your mom’s watching. I figured it’s kinda rude to just keep pounding on you, so I’m giving you a chance.”
“…What?”
“See? Your mom’s crying right now. When your mom’s that sad, shouldn’t you stop being a pathetic wreck and try a little harder?”
“You bastard…!!”
Mysak ground his teeth.
“I’ll… I’ll kill you… I swear…!”
Fwoooosh.
Violent demonic energy began to boil up.
Not dark demonic energy.
It was the red demonic energy of the Destruction Demonic House.
Mysak reached into his robes and pulled out a magical artifact shaped like a twin-headed phoenix.
It was the red demonic energy amplifier used by the direct descendants of the Destruction Demonic House!
“W-What…?!”
The onlookers gasped in surprise.
This was not just a duel; it was a competition.
A place for the sons of the Dark Demonic House to show off their achievements.
But to use a Destruction Demonic House’s magical artifact?
It was an absolutely unacceptable act, but Mysak had already lost the composure to distinguish right from wrong.
“Die!!”
Fwooosh!!
A dense darkness descended.
Crunch. Crunch.
The stone floor of the training ground, touched by the darkness, crumbled under the immense pressure and scattered like dust.
It was the 5-star Destruction Black Magic, "Requiem of Destruction."
“What?!”
The magi watching the scene leapt to their feet in shock.
“How could Mysak-sama use 5-star Destruction Black Magic?”
“It’s not his power! He’s using a magical artifact!”
The artifact Mysak had taken out didn’t just amplify the red demonic energy; it contained the power to cast 5-star Destruction Black Magic.
“That’s against the rules of the competition. We have to stop it!”
The magi murmured anxiously.
Merian, sitting next to Nordian, frowned and stood up.
“Mysak has crossed the line. I’ll step in.”
However,
“No, wait.”
“Lord? But…”
Merian widened her eyes.
5-star black magic holds power comparable to the ‘Black Colossus.’
Of course, since this time it was forced through a magical artifact, it wouldn't match the full force of a 5-star black mage, but to block that magic without injury would require at least the strength of the Black Colossus.
“Look at that bastard’s eyes.”
“!!”
As the destructive darkness approached him, Christian’s eyes burned fiercely.
As if he wasn’t afraid.
No, as if he was determined to face and win.
“In the worst case, I’ll step in. So wait. More importantly, aren’t you curious?”
Nogaju smiled.
“I’m curious to see what absurd sight that arrogant fool will show this time.”
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[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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