◈ Episode 355. It wasn’t a bad plan, but
The Golem and the Dark Dragon clash.
Guuuuuuung……─!
“Didn’t your whole body just start shaking……?”
“It’s not because of my mood, I feel like I’m really shaking!”
“Those two are too strong!!!”
Beyond the special structure of the Sapphire Hall.
The aftermath of the collision is transmitted to the audience.
The players even made a fuss for a while.
The senior officers of the Magic Tower caught an unusual feeling.
“Va, Senior Vangrit, am I seeing something wrong? Tell me! Shouldn’t you, Senior Vangrit, who has been to the Arcana Continent, know why the two of them are fighting so seriously?”
Bensch asks, grabbing Vangrit by the hem of his robe.
“If you ask me, I don’t even know what it is……!”
But Vangrit does, of course.
The senior mage who had traveled the Arcana continent with him.
None of them could understand what was happening.
Kiko, a senior enchantment mage, muttered in disbelief.
“……I wonder if it’s Senior Bellier?”
Bellier, a senior in healing magic, was not present, as she was busy researching ways to purify the evil fruit swallowed by the dragon. But Marcelo shook his head.
‘If, if Bellier knew.’
She must have shared his concerns with himself in some way. Because it was a conflict between Chief Lee and Elder Yugweed, not anyone else. Marcelo opened his mouth.
“I’m sure Senior Bellier doesn’t know either.”
“Chief Marcelo, then what is that……?”
Thump!
At the same time, another clash.
Bensch straightens up from the impact and opens his mouth again.
From now on, it was no more rhetoric, but a sober assessment of the situation.
“Didn’t the rules forbid the manifestation of magic above mid-level in the Duel of Proof? This is the Magic Tower. We know how dangerous each other’s magic is……!”
This was the Magic Tower where the greatest geniuses from the Arcana Continent gathered.
Even if they exchanged moderate magic, they could be dangerous enough to each other. One only had to look at the surviving duel records to see that.
Naslow, a senior in Illusionism, flipped open the book he was holding.
“If we look at just the most recent duel between Senios and Karimzeva, for now……. Senios, it shows that he sustained significant injuries.”
This made it even more concerning.
At this moment, the golem that Yugweed had unleashed was…
It was one of the highest level earth magic.
‘What if it was a normal mage…….’
Vangrit shook his head in disbelief.
” …… It would have been over with the first blow.”
It wouldn’t have been the end of the duel, it would have been the end of their lives. Of course, fortunately, it was Hoyeol. An enormous Dark Dragon that could not only withstand the highest level of magic, but was pressuring it.
Several of the seniors turned to Feiyan, a senior in spirit magic.
“By the way, what is the identity of that dragon, Senior Feiyan? Surely, only spirit magic can summon something like that, so what is the name of a spirit like that dragon, it must be a spirit king?”
“Mumbling. (Shaking head)”
“……No, does the bread still go over in this situation?”
“Mumbling. (Nod)”
Gulp.
“I don’t know, but it’s definitely not spirit magic.”
Feiyan finished her answer, swallowing the bread with a nervous expression.
The seniors’ attention naturally turned to Vangrit.
If it was senior Vangrit’s magic affinity……?
“Is that even magic in the first place, Senior Vangrit?”
“No, because I don’t feel any magic.”
“What, what, are you sure about that?!”
Vangrit nodded.
“Whoa. It’s true.”
It was true. No matter how hard he tried to focus his senses, no matter how hard he tried to feel, he could sense no magic from the dark dragon. This time, the question was directed at Marcelo.
“Chief, what the hell is going on here?”
Marcelo didn’t have an answer.
He was thinking, trying to formulate an answer in his head.
In fact, the situation was simple enough.
‘There’s something between them that I don’t know about.’
For some reason, you’re pushing each other beyond the bounds of the duel, and in the process, Elder Yugweed violated the extremely strict rules of proof duel.
‘It’s a confusing situation for me.’
Was it a mistake to rush through the election of the next Tower Master without asking for Elder Yugweed’s opinion? No, it was not. Elder Yugweed’s personality is such that whether or not we asked for her opinion.
There was no way to avoid this.
‘It’s the highest level of magic.’
Sir, who also faced such high-level magic.
There was no choice.
There would be no choice but to violate the rules of the Duel of Proof…….
“……!”
Marcelo’s gaze suddenly snapped from his thoughts.
He turned to Vangrit.
“Senior Vangrit, what did you just say?”
“What? What do you mean……?”
“Obviously, you said you don’t feel any magic, right?”
“Yes, sir, that’s right. Unless there’s something wrong with my magic power affinity……. That Dark Dragon is not a manifestation of magic power, especially just before it spread its wings to reveal itself. Chief Lee had rather withdrawn his magic power!”
“I see.”
Marcelo listened to Vangrit’s detailed explanation.
His complexion began to brighten rapidly.
Yes, even if Yugweed broke the rules.
The Lord was still strict about discipline.
“The only thing that is stated as a discipline in the Duel of Proof is the restriction on manifesting 『magic』, of course. There will be no fistfights between mages over magic.”
Didn’t I say that before?
Magic Tower was a group where only the most talented mages gathered. It was common knowledge that only mages gathered there, so it was only magic that came and went from there.
It was so obvious that it didn’t need to be written down!
“That’s why there is no rule that says you must use only 『Magic』 in the Proof Duel.”
“……!!!”
“That’s right, Chief is still strictly enforcing the discipline.”
At those words, the senior mages breathed a sigh of relief.
Although they didn’t know what had happened.
As long as Hoyeol was strictly following the rules.
They didn’t need to worry unnecessarily.
However, questions remained.
Questions that soon turned to alarm.
Realizing this, Bensch stuttered.
“So, then, you’re the one who blocked Yugweed’s highest magic. It’s not enough that you were able to block it without manifesting your magic, you’re overpowering it? Oh, my……!!!”
*
Elder Mage.
Their power, I had witnessed with my own two eyes earlier.
Not one, but two.
Even in a life-and-death struggle.
Senios and Karimzeva.
I once compared the battle of the two elder mages to a demi-god battle.
Indeed, Yugweed’s magic was no match for theirs.
wiiiing─!
The golem’s magic heart glowed. The vast amount of power emanating from it pushed the golem forward, unaffected by the flapping of the Dark Dragon’s wings. Then, a punch.
BANG!!!
It’s more of an explosion than a crash. A gaping hole appears where the golem’s fist landed, as if a Meteor Strike had landed.
Flutter!
The Dark Dragon, spreads its massive wings and soars into the sky.
It had barely dodged the attack.
Now that it’s in the air, it has a clear view of the Sapphire Hall.
For the time being, I didn’t have to worry about the impact of the clash being felt outside. It seemed that the mysterious structure of the Magic Tower was also applied to the Sapphire Hall.
‘The battlefield has become vast.’
As if to prove it.
Shoooooow!
The golem leapt into the sky.
It was fast.
So fast, in fact, that it locks eyes with Yugweed.
“Still got time to spare, chief?”
Boom!
Experience definitely counts.
Thanks to my experience in the Zero Mountains, I don’t even have to turn my head to recognize the situation. Is this the same ankle-grabber that brought down Eunaxus?
If it brought down Eunaxus, it must have thought it could bring down the Dark Dragon. I’m sorry to hear that. The Eunaxus that the golem brought down had no wings.
Besides, this Dark Dragon looks like a certain someone.
‘I hate it so much.’
I mean, you’re out of foam.
Flap!
Sweeping its feet off the ground is inelegant.
With Yugweed and Golem tied to his ankles, the Dark Dragon soars.
It soars higher into the sky.
Yugweed’s bewildered voice is heard.
“……How can you fly?”
Of course, flying……!
Look at those enormous, flapping wings.
You have to flap your wings well to make a profit.
‘I might add.’
[Legendary, Dark Dragon Lee Ho-Yeol] at this moment.
His voice was echoing incessantly, both in reality and on the Arcana Continent. It could be said that it literally grew stronger in real time every time it manifested.
Rapid flight.
A neck that stood firm in the midst of it all.
I looked down at Yugweed and said.
“No one can hear you now, Yugweed.”
Indeed.
You must be out of sight and out of mind.
It’s time to listen to your heart.
Like I said.
I had an inkling as to why Yugweed had broken the rules of the Duel of Proofs.
So I asked.
“Where do you intend to go after you leave the Magic Tower?”
Yugweed spits out a laugh at my question.
“Haha, you were looking down into the old man’s mind.”
Looking down.
Anyway, after all these years.
How many relationships have we built?
It’s been said that you can see through water, but you can’t see through people, and I knew about mages’ temper tantrums from Senios, so I gave him the benefit of the doubt until the very end…….
I believed that Yugweed would never show any real enmity toward me. It is hardly fair to say that she has now applied for a duel of proof, merely because she covets the place of the next master of the tower.
‘We have weathered many storms, haven’t we?’
From the reconstruction of the Magic Tower.
Senios, to the funeral of the Tower Master.
Yugweed continues.
“What will the Tower Master say if he sees me like this? Well done? Did you think you would lose? If not, what kind of modification is this, Yugweed?”
…… If that cat had a conscience, he wouldn’t say that.
I think about it indifferently.
Yugweed whispers in a low voice.
“When you get a chance, ask the tower master, Chief.”
……What, Yugweed had guessed Tower Master’s whereabouts too?
Well, more than Marcelo.
Yugweed had known Tower Master for a long time.
‘I might have guessed.’
Yugweed shrugged.
“Chief Marcelo is rather naive in that regard, isn’t he? Perhaps that’s why he’s still called Little Chief by Tower Master. By the way, this is a nickname he gave Marcelo on purpose because he found it offensive.”
Spiteful.
Even if I had followed the Tower Master’s wishes, I had to admit that I was not without my flaws this time. Little Chief, and now I found out about Marcelo’s second name unexpectedly.
Yugweed cut to the chase.
“As I’m sure you know, Chief, new wine must be put into new bottles. This is a new era, a new connection between your world and the Arcana continent. An old mage like me, a pretentious elder mage, is not going to be able to lead it.”
She was right.
“True to this senior’s word, I intended to leave the tower, but then I stepped onto the Arcana continent, and there I saw my path, and when I returned to the tower,……. I saw a way to leave in a spectacular and fitting manner.”
She wasn’t wrong.
It was bad enough that the Elder Mage and the Chief Mage, both candidates for the next Tower Master, were dueling, but there was no way to get more attention than to break the rules during that duel…….
At least, not in my mind.
Yugweed released his magic power.
“Then shall we agree that our contest ended in a fierce dogfight, with your victory, Chief? I apologize for subjecting you to the whims of an old woman, Chief.”
Yugweed added, raising his eyebrows.
“No, our next Tower Master”
At the same time.
Passth-
The magic heart goes out, and the golems begin to disperse.
Shhhhhhhhhh!
Golem wreckage crashes down in all directions, with Yugweed crashing through it, and the sight of it makes me think I’ve really beaten the crap out of Yugweed.
Then, a message pops up.
[You’ve won the Duel of Proof].
[Your relationship with the Magic Tower increases].
[Your influence in the Magic Tower increases].
And then─
I stood stiffly on my feet in the Sapphire Hall. Yugweed, who had collapsed in the center of the Sapphire Hall after the duel and returned to her original form, cheerfully picks herself up.
“What a defeat, chief. I broke the rules and still couldn’t reach you. What the hell was that giant dragon? Anyway, that was great, I was surprised in many ways. Seriously.”
You sound excited, Yugweed, like a mage who has accomplished a sinister goal. This is why I said I could see through people, but not through mages.
Killing two birds with one stone?
With your own retirement.
By exalting me through a duel of proof.
Me both inside and outside the Magic Tower.
To make me the next recognized master of the tower.
But regardless of the betrayal I felt, I opened my mouth.
“Yugweed, you have violated the strict rules of the Duel of Proof. Furthermore, the manifestation of combat magic is forbidden within the tower. As of this hour.”
The eyes in the room focus on my words.
“Yugweed Lupeng, your status as an elder mage is revoked.”
The senior mages, including Marcelo, seemed to have guessed. They still had a look of confusion on their faces, but they weren’t surprised.
The players, however, were different.
“!!!”
I thought as I looked into the wide-eyed eyes of the players.
This is going to unintentionally fuel the legend, I thought.
“I, Yugweed Lupeng, accept your disposition sweetly.”
Yugweed bowed her head in satisfaction.
You thought that was the end of it, Yugweed, didn’t you?
But you are mistaken.
You still overlook me, Grandfell.
‘How could I have chosen the rhythm knowing everything?’
Because I have an agenda, too.
Before the shock of the blow to the Sapphire Hall had even worn off.
I continued to declare.
“Also, I, Dark Dragon.”
“……?”
“I offer my resignation from the next Tower Master election.”
“……!!!”
……No.
It’s charismatic, full of twists, and it’s all good.
I’m not sure why you’re calling yourself “I, Dark Dragon.”……!!!