Level -99 Archmage - Chapter 82

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 82. Eternal Sword
The Dragon of Despair, who had been reveling in leisure, was now utterly ashen.
The smile had vanished.
Eyes wide with shock, trembling like a terrified beast, it could barely hold itself together.
The Dragon of Despair was certain: the man before it was Sephiro, the Dragon God.
‘What in the heavens is the Dragon God doing in a place like this…!’
Ataraxia spiraled into panic.
Though the man wore the shape of a human like itself, there was no doubt—he was the Dragon God Sephiro.
There was no possibility of misreading the signs.
No room for confusion whatsoever.
There were far too many factors confirming Ataraxia’s conviction that this man was Sephiro.
‘He negated both my magic and Dragon Speech without chanting—without even a whisper of his aura. No, it goes beyond mere concealment. That is Absolute Magic itself. Flawless Non-Existence!’
Magic can be countered.
But no mere human could erase the Dragon Speech of Despair.
Dragon Speech is the fundamental magic possessed by the dragon race.
Fundamental magic exists outside the hierarchy of ordinary spellcraft—it is more akin to divine authority itself.
Such authority cannot be opposed by conventional magic.
Only magic ranked at Wish-level or higher could contend with it.
And beyond all else—
…a user of Absolute Magic could hardly be an ordinary human.
Ataraxia was a member of the dragon race, the originators of all magic.
An ancient dragon of Despair, and one whose strength was legendary even among dragonkind.
She would stake her existence: what she had witnessed was absolute magic that erased being itself.
Magic so supreme that even the Creators—even Aheta, Lord of the Moon—could not perceive it.
‘Non-Existence is the Absolute Magic the Dragon God frequently employs.’
This was knowledge known only to those of ancient dragon rank and above.
The “Absolute Magic” wielded by the Dragon God Sephiro was shrouded in absolute secrecy.
Ataraxia knew of only three varieties.
And Non-Existence was one of them.
But her certainty rested on more than this alone.
Had she arrived at the conclusion of “Dragon God Sephiro” based solely on this, she would be foolish.
The Dragon God Sephiro was an existence at the pinnacle.
A singular, transcendent deity beyond perfection itself.
The absolute sovereign of the dragon race—an excellence that surpassed all measure, a being for whom even the word “perfect” fell short.
‘That is why it was possible. The conquest of Arrogance. The awakening of Wish. All of it!’
Ah!
Now the entire picture came into focus.
The name of Arrogance, which neither the Twelve Races nor the Abyss had ever conquered.
She had long wondered who the human was that had subdued it.
…But if the Dragon God Sephiro had stepped forth personally, it would scarcely be surprising.
Indeed, if it was Adora—the Witch of Death, carefully cultivated by the Black Witch herself to become the “Lord of Arrogance”—such a figure might well have captured Sephiro’s interest.
‘…For a time, he did indulge in the hobby of filling his Mystery Codex.’
It was a tale well-known among the dragon race.
For a span of ages, the Dragon God Sephiro had wandered the myriad worlds seeking rare treasures, finding joy in completing his Mystery Codex.
That he had claimed the Star of Arrogance likely stemmed from the same motivation.
It was quite probable he had set his sights on it from the beginning, all the better to fill his collection.
Look at it now.
Everything fits perfectly.
There could be no other being capable of all this besides Sephiro.
‘Yet even all this evidence pales before that one Final Magic.’
Final Magic.
Ataraxia’s trembling intensified at the very name.
Slowly, Ataraxia gazed behind Park Chan-woo.
‘…I see it. I feel it. Behind him—death itself. A monster of annihilation that unmakes all things.’
At the moment he revealed his true presence.
At the instant he broke through Non-Existence and became real.
Ataraxia had seen it clearly.
Death incarnate—an inescapable doom, a force of fate itself.
The Reaper of Annihilation, burning away and obliterating all that exists!
A chill ran through her entire being.
That was precisely why Ataraxia had recoiled in shock.
Every Absolute Magic was pouring forth from that thing—death itself.
It had to be Sephiro’s heart.
Only the heart of a great Dragon God could make all of this possible.
And before Sephiro’s heart, that thing which was death itself, time had been engraved.
512 : 21 : 36 : 40
512 : 21 : 36 : 39
512 : 21 : 36 : 38
……
The seconds ticked downward.
Of course, this was the remaining time of the status ailment called Limited Lifespan.
Yet Ataraxia believed this was the time left before the Final Magic would activate.
‘I have heard it said. That Sephiro has reached a hierarchy transcending Absolute Magic. That he has finally perfected the Final Magic using his own heart—the magic that sings of oblivion, that returns all things to the state before Non-existence itself……!’
If that were not the case, what else could this countdown mean?
The lord of dragons, the god himself, had finally perfected the “end.”
The puzzle was why he had taken human form.
At first, she had thought it was mere amusement and had grown excited.
She had been thrilled, believing he had completed the Final Magic.
‘Ah……!’
Then she understood.
……the terrible mistake she had made.
A blunder of staggering proportions.
She had shown unseemly conduct before the Dragon God Sephiro.
For Sephiro was not an existence one could meet so easily, even among his own draconic kin.
The Dragon God Sephiro keeps near him only those who interest him.
He paid no mind whatsoever to the countless dragons who followed him.
In truth, the dragons served Sephiro of their own accord.
Ataraxia herself had seen Sephiro only once, long ago, from a great distance.
Even for the Ancient Dragon of Despair, Sephiro remained unreachable.
Yet Ataraxia and all the dragons revered the Dragon God Sephiro.
Unable to see him, unable to draw near, they found satisfaction in venerating from afar the great one who transcended them.
And so, without realizing it, she had become overwhelmed with excitement.
This was a chance she would never have to stand before Sephiro like this.
Everything the Despair Clan did, every war Ataraxia waged—all of it was for the purpose of earning the attention and trust of the Dragon God Sephiro.
There was no other reason.
And that alone was enough.
“Why does the Despair Clan linger in this place?”
That was when it happened.
From his lips flowed a voice utterly devoid of emotion.
Shudder—!
Ataraxia felt a chill race down her spine.
It seemed Sephiro recognized her.
In human form, he was asking why the Despair Clan had come to the Second Night.
……This was bad.
If Sephiro took issue with it, the annihilation of the Despair Clan was only a matter of time.
Yet at the same time, there was an odd exhilaration in her chest.
The Dragon God knew of the Despair Clan.
He, who remembered only those who captured his interest……!
Thump!
At once, Ataraxia dropped to her knees.
She bowed her head low, eyes fixed only on the ground beneath her.
She dared not meet his gaze.
What could she possibly say?
‘I must tell him the truth.’
Yet her tongue refused to move.
How could she explain that she had come here on the command of the Black Witch?
“The Black Witch sent you to find the Wish and the Star of Arrogance?”
“……!!!”
He had seen through everything from the start.
Deceiving Sephiro had never been possible to begin with.
It was clear that Ataraxia knew full well that she had come here as the Black Witch’s subordinate.
“Master, please kill me!”
“Very well. Since you beg for death, I shall oblige.”
Sephiro.
No—Park Chan-woo spoke.
At this moment, Park Chan-woo was doing his utmost to mimic ‘Sephiro’.
The dragon before him was laboring under a delusion.
It seemed the status abnormality of Non-Existence and the erasure of Dragon Speech had struck him hard.
So much so that she seemed to believe he was the true Dragon God.
‘I mustn’t let even a shred of doubt take root.’
Yet for all that delusion, the opponent was still a dragon.
If even the slightest suspicion arose that he was not Sephiro, the dragon would certainly move heaven and earth to confirm it, sparing no means or method.
The moment this deception unraveled, everything would be over.
Conversely, if the deception remained hidden—if he could only cement belief in it with absolute certainty—
‘I could make use of this dragon.’
A dragon whom even the Creators of the Abyss could not easily contend with.
The gains from wielding such a being were beyond imagination.
‘I shall perform the Sephiro I have known.’
And so Park Chan-woo began to act.
A great being, indolent and arrogant, steeped in cold disdain.
But mere posture was not enough.
The dragon before him was a monster that would slay even those it could not kill.
He had to go further than this.
This was the crux.
A deed only Sephiro could perform.
A miracle no one else could display.
Only then would the dragon abandon all thought of suspicion.
Only then could he turn crisis into opportunity!
Step.
Park Chan-woo advanced one pace.
He came to stand beside Yi Hyeok-su, extended his hand, and opened his mouth.
“Give me your sword.”
“…?”
Yi Hyeok-su blinked.
His head could not keep pace with what was unfolding before him.
And well it might not—the mage who had been attacking moments before had just called the oracle ‘Sephiro’.
After that, she had spouted incoherent words, then fallen to her knees.
What was her relationship to the oracle? What was the oracle’s true identity?
He understood nothing at all.
And now the oracle had drawn near and demanded his sword.
Yet save for the Coin, nothing could be transferred to anyone else in the Abyss.
Try to hand something over and it would simply vanish into nothing.
He could not be unaware of that truth—yet still demanded the sword?
‘The Lion King’s Great Sword?’
…Moreover, the only sword Yi Hyeok-su possessed was the Lion King’s Great Sword.
It was this blade, inscribed with the name of the Lion King, that allowed Yi Hyeok-su to wield Lion Magic.
In short, losing the Lion King’s Great Sword would mean Yi Hyeok-su could no longer use Shadow Suffocation and the other arts of Lion Magic.
Yet he was asking for this precious treasure without warning?
As their eyes met, Park Chan-woo gave a short nod.
It seemed as though the line had been crossed, even for a benefactor…
“…Very well.”
Yi Hyeok-su did not deliberate long.
Though he did not understand the situation, if the oracle acted, there must be reason.
The loss of the Lion King’s Great Sword mattered little.
Yi Hyeok-su held out the great sword.
Transfer.
Park Chan-woo grasped the blade with unhurried ease.
That was the moment.
“…!!!”
“…!!!”
Both Ataraxia and Yi Hyeok-su’s eyes widened in shock.
Park Chan-woo was holding the Lion King’s Great Sword completely intact in his hands.
The blade had not vanished.
Even though it had unmistakably passed from Yi Hyeok-su’s grip to Park Chan-woo’s.
Yet Non-Transferability was an absolute law of the Abyss.
A law that even the great Nine Lords themselves could not break.
And now, that absolute law had shattered.
Park Chan-woo had broken it himself.
“Ah, as expected…!”
Ataraxia cried out in rapture once more.
It could only be Sephiro.
Before the Dragon God Sephiro, no rule held any power!
Of course, there was another reason this miracle was possible.
This was no miracle at all.
Conquering the Tower of Arrogance, Park Chan-woo had obtained the Magic Swordsman class and two Hidden Traits.
One was Eternal Annihilation Magic, which destroyed the fundamental magic of a race itself.
And the other was…
《Hidden Trait ‘Eternal Sword’ activates!》

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