I Alone Regress in a Hero Party That Was Annihilated - Chapter 61

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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#61. Eccentric Mage (2)

 

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Eventually, the true master of the deep forest began to reveal herself.

 

The first thing that caught the eye was long green-gold hair flowing down all the way to her feet.

 

Following that, a highly revealing dress made of leaves, vines, and tree fruit came into view.

 

Her slightly drooping eye corners looked both languid and bewitching.

 

“I didn’t think you’d actually accept the invitation, but welcome anyway.”

 

Her voice carried a strange charm.

 

The Mistress of Nightmares, a Wandering Eccentric who refused even to belong to the Magic Tower.

 

The mage who had invited Featherback was smiling brightly.

 

However, unlike her softly curved lips, her eyes weren’t smiling at all.

 

There was something ominous swirling around her smile.

 

Featherback immediately drew his sword.

 

“Doesn’t seem like you’d listen to words anyway.”

 

“Oh my? That’s exactly what I wanted to say.”

 

Since dialogue was useless, only a contest of strength remained.

 

Eventually, the battle began.

 

The mage quickly formed hand seals.

 

A radius of several dozen meters around her began to fill with bizarrely shaped vines and roots.

 

As the mage’s gaze changed, the surrounding atmosphere changed as well.

 

“To oppose me in the forest, I wonder if you’re brave or just stupid…”

 

The mage’s voice and attitude overflowed with confidence.

 

Plants moving like living creatures became the basis for that confidence.

 

However.

 

‘She can’t use her full power.’

 

Featherback had already seen through the fact that the mage’s true power was concentrated somewhere else, not here.

 

Most of the earth and plants the mage controlled were blocking the flames in the forest outskirts.

 

She was neglecting her guard against Featherback right in front of her to prevent the fire from burning down the entire forest.

 

‘She has no eye for judgment.’

 

Featherback’s assessment was correct.

 

If he had been in the mage’s position, he would have completely ignored the fire demon burning the forest.

 

Because the enemy right in front of him now was far more dangerous than the blazing flames outside.

 

But the mage seemed completely unaware of this fact, still prioritizing her guard against the outside flames.

 

‘That works in my favor.’

 

Featherback took a step forward.

 

Swoooooosh―

 

Thorny vines and rotten roots rushed toward Featherback’s feet.

 

But Featherback paid no attention to them at all.

 

After all, attacks without the mage’s will behind them were meaningless.

 

Featherback calmly swung his blade, cutting down the plant stems rushing at him.

 

The blade cut through the air with a sharp sound.

 

The rotten roots were severed, raising clouds of dirt.

 

Even amid this, Featherback moved forward without wavering.

 

Slash slash slash!

 

Long, thick plants were cut into pieces one after another.

 

At that moment, Featherback and the mage’s gazes met in midair.

 

The mage’s green pupils visible beyond the robe wavered for an instant.

 

Featherback didn’t miss that opening and quickly launched an attack.

 

As he concentrated all his mana into his blade, a cold blue aura flowed along the sword.

 

Featherback thrust his blade straight toward the mage.

 

Crack―!

 

But the attack was futilely blocked.

 

An earth barrier that shot up in an instant blocked Featherback’s thrust.

 

“Tsk.”

 

The mage clicked her tongue lightly.

 

Because she had suffered a loss in that exchange of attacks.

 

However.

 

Crash―!

 

The moment Featherback smashed through the earth wall before him, the mage realized what she had suffered wasn’t just a simple loss.

 

Slash―!

 

Featherback’s blade burst through the frozen earth wall and cut the edge of the mage’s robe.

 

She had almost shed blood rather than just suffering a loss.

 

The mage, who had nearly suffered a fatal injury, hastily retreated backward.

 

Whish―

 

As she touched the grassland with her hand, all the short grass sprouting there formed into snare shapes.

 

Featherback’s advancing speed decreased slightly.

 

It was unavoidable since the grass tightened like snares with every step he took.

 

When Featherback plunged his sword into the ground, cold aura extending from the blade froze everything.

 

Crash!

 

With each step he took, the frozen grass shattered with loud noises.

 

“…”

 

The Mage hastily prepared her magic.

 

But powerful magic required equally deep concentration.

 

As long as Featherback was swinging his sword and sending icicles flying, casting Advanced Magic was impossible.

 

Thud thud thud thud thud!

 

She avoided the Slash Attack, but the countless Ice Shard Bullets flying alongside it were difficult to dodge.

 

The Mage cried out as if bewildered.

 

“Wait a moment!”

 

“A moment is enough time to sever your neck.”

 

Featherback showed no mercy whatsoever.

 

As the blade continued pressing forward, the Mage cried out repeatedly.

 

“I, I had no intention of killing you! I just wanted to have a conversation…!”

 

Featherback didn’t even respond and swung his sword.

 

Thud thud thud thud thud thud thud!

 

The wall made of mud and Tree Roots froze, crumbled, and split apart.

 

Featherback pursued the Mage who was retreating in panic.

 

‘She lacks practical experience.’

 

A skilled Mage would have prepared minions in advance to buy time before preparing the Supreme Magic she could deploy.

 

But whether she had underestimated Featherback or was worried about the Trees Outside the Forest, she was showing inexperienced behavior in various ways.

 

‘However, her capabilities themselves aren’t bad.’

 

Featherback nodded as he watched the rapidly growing Vines.

 

Slice!

 

The giant thorn Vines were severed, and beyond them, the angry face of the Mage became visible.

 

“You also came here because you need the power of magic, didn’t you!? Yet you act like this!?”

 

“Where did that spirit from when you invited me go?”

 

“Shut up! You’re really going to regret this!”

 

The enraged Mage began pouring out green Mana.

 

Geometric Ripples were drawn on the Grassland in dozens, hundreds, thousands of layers.

 

Soon, the nearby mud gathered in one place and transformed into the shape of a giant hand.

 

Rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble!

 

With Tree Roots forming the framework and mud attaching like muscles, it looked as if a Giant hidden beneath the Earth had stretched only its arm upward.

 

“Now it’s really over! Know that there will be no conversation! You brought this all upon yourself…!”

 

However, the mage’s cursing couldn’t continue to the end.

 

Featherback’s sword glowed white before moving in complex trajectories.

 

Mörsolt First Form ‘Blood Drawing ‘, Mörsolt Second Form ‘Skin Peeling ‘, Mörsolt Third Form ‘Bone Extraction ‘.

 

Featherback’s first strike completely drained the moisture from the damp earthen grip.

 

Sizzle— Sizzle sizzle— Sizzle sizzle sizzle—

 

The second strike peeled away all the earthen skin.

 

Thud thud thud thud thud!

 

Finally, only the hideous tree root skeleton of the grip remained.

 

The third strike was swung toward it.

 

Clang— Clang— Clang—

 

Finger bones chopped into small pieces and crumbling.

 

Featherback had destroyed the massive earthen hand that must have weighed hundreds of tons far too easily.

 

“Is there nothing more?”

 

“…”

 

At Featherback’s words, the mage bit his lips.

 

Soon.

 

Mutter mutter mutter mutter mutter mutter…

 

The mage began drawing his mana to its absolute limit.

 

Featherback instinctively sensed that the air in the forest had changed from before.

 

It seemed he was about to begin a full-scale offensive.

 

Hiss hiss hiss hiss hiss hiss hiss…

 

Magic circles floating in all directions emitted blindingly brilliant green light.

 

Featherback’s eyes finally showed a glimmer of interest.

 

“Indeed. Now you’re finally giving off a somewhat dangerous scent.”

 

Mages are threatening by their very existence.

 

They are those who command mana and unravel the mysteries of the world.

 

They are challengers of heaven who twist the Laws of Causality to change the result value called fate.

 

As such, they are powerful and also twisted somewhere.

 

Luring meteors wandering the Outer Sky to call them into their embrace, corrupting the mind of a saint who has cultivated for decades with just a three-inch tongue, killing the living and reviving the dead.

 

Mages are extremely dangerous in that they can manifest such miracles into reality regardless of their combat prowess.

 

Soon, the mage opened his mouth.

 

“Surrender even now, young Mörsolt. I’ll spare your life.”

 

Seeing him lower his voice and act leisurely, he seemed confident of victory.

 

Soon, monsters made of tree roots revealed themselves from underground.

 

[Ohhh-ooooooooo!]

 

Orcs, goblins, trolls, and even ogres.

 

Monsters that once lived in this forest raised their skeletal bodies.

 

What filled the bodies of those things that had been buried beneath the soil for a long time was not muscle and entrails, but damp tree roots.

 

‘Is it dark magic?’

 

Featherback carefully examined the eyes of the dead.

 

But in their eyes dwelt only damp moisture and black death, with no sign of the red aura of defying heaven.

 

They weren’t genuine undead like those he had faced in Mörsolt’s Secret Archive.

 

‘They’re simply moving corpses.’

 

That was fine then.

 

Featherback spoke.

 

“I’ll return exactly what you said just now.”

 

“?”

 

The mage’s eyebrow twitched slightly.

 

Featherback said.

 

“Surrender even now.”

 

“Hohoho— You refused to talk earlier, and now?”

 

“If you don’t surrender.”

 

Featherback continued speaking to the mage who wore a mocking expression.

 

“I’ll drop your head within seven steps.”

 

“Go ahead and try, you arrogant brat!”

 

As the mage waved her hand, soldiers made of tree roots and skeletons began surging forward.

 

At that very moment, Featherback stepped forward.

 

One step… drawing up all the mana in his body.

 

Two steps… extending it to his sword tip and stretching it as long as possible.

 

Three steps… twisting his muscles to their limit and releasing them all at once to slash horizontally.

 

Four steps… after cutting through the upper and lower bodies of the dead.

 

Five steps… putting all his strength into his back foot to launch his body forward.

 

Six steps… the mage’s face rapidly approached and he could see her expression hardening.

 

Seven steps… weren’t even necessary.

 

At the moment he took six and a half steps, Featherback’s hand seized the mage’s throat.

 

“Kehek!?”

 

The mage widened her eyes in disbelief.

 

It was only natural, since the opponent who had been dozens of meters away just moments ago had approached right in front of her nose in the blink of an eye.

 

However.

 

“I told you. Within seven steps.”

 

There was not a trace of mercy in Featherback’s hands as he swung his sword.

 

Swiiiiish—

 

The blade that fell like a ray of light aimed for the mage’s neck.

 

“Kyaaaaaaah! I was wrong!”

 

The mage screamed at the blade that flew right up to her nose.

 

Soon after.

 

Thud—

 

Her body slumped downward.

 

At that moment.

 

…Stop!

 

Featherback’s sword stopped just before it touched the mage’s neck.

 

‘As expected.’

 

Featherback lifted up the mage’s collar that was caught in his fingertips.

 

As the loose robe was pulled off, the mage’s face and upper body were completely revealed.

 

‘…Just as I expected.’

 

Featherback nodded his head.

 

Her true identity was exactly as he had suspected.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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