Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 657

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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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Chapter 656. Crossing the Line of Taboo
“…This can’t be real.”
Tomi muttered in a daze, staring at the Mage he’d been fighting moments before. In an instant, the Mage had unleashed forbidden magic.
I felt no hesitation or fear from him. He clearly wasn’t even considering the abyss’s curse that any Mage should be prepared to face. He’d simply shattered the taboo as casually as using ordinary magic.
“How is a Puppeteer capable of that-”
“Tomi! Don’t lose focus!”
Crash!
The other Ruswena Mages continued their assault without hesitation. Nakina wielded the Celestial Water Shield to protect Tomi, defending against the endless barrage of attacks.
“But Senior-”
“No buts! Shut up and fight!”
The Mage had cast forbidden magic against his own will. Was such a thing even possible?
Everyone fell into despair at the Puppeteer’s power, far exceeding their expectations. If threads were woven through them like they had been with Barsabe, the situation in Gaia could reverse in an instant.
Especially if Ian were to be controlled by the Puppeteer-
“Damn it!”
The very thought was horrifying.
Nakina gazed pitifully at the Mage writhing in flames across his entire body. Though his reason was gone, his nature remained, and his screams were filled with agony.
There was only one thing she could do to help him.
“Tomi! Hurry!”
“Yes, understood!”
Whoosh!
Before the forbidden magic could fully activate, they would end his breath. His soul might fall into the abyss, but at least his body would find peace in sleep. Tomi and Nakina flew forward, evading the attacks of the Ruswena Mages.
And I stood motionless, watching it all unfold.
A chill—
A cold wind brushed lightly against the boy’s golden hair. What was this emotion rising from the depths of my chest?
I unconsciously recalled Naum, whom I’d seen in the abyss. The way he suffered, eternally repeating the moment of death.
‘…Ian. Please smile.’
And Wesley—
‘…Gail, would I ever kill you?’
Zaira’s Grandmother—
‘…Ian Hielo. I won’t thank you for your mercy. This is a battlefield, I am a citizen of Ruswena, and the King holds our lives in his hands.’
And even Vitor, the Mage who had annihilated Hielo.
All had chosen their paths of their own will, but this Mage had not. Though we stood opposed due to different nations and interests, weren’t Mages those who bound themselves together through their special power?
“Aaaahhh!”
The very essence of baseness and cowardice. Not merely using another, but casting all responsibility onto them as well.
I felt my sixth sense burn alongside the Mage. This was unmistakable anger, compassion, and sorrow.
Mana surged violently around me. As I turned, light traced along the trajectory of my golden eyes.
“Ruswena-!”
My roar thundered across the sky. I had crossed the line decisively. Ten years ago, when the King of Eriponi had treated Mages like tools, it wasn’t even close to this. Then I could have helped in some way—
But there was no way to save one falling into the abyss.
If I had known the way, I would have saved Naum and walked this path together.
“Do you know how deep the abyss truly is?!”
Only those who had ventured into its depths could comprehend how profound, how dark, how cold, and how agonizing it was.
The Soldiers faltered upon witnessing my fury. Even from a distance, they could feel the overwhelming presence radiating from the boy with every fiber of their being.
“Kh, kh-heh, heh.”
Countess Darsi’s body trembled as well, yet her laughter never ceased. She had perfectly controlled that arrogant Mage—Bariel’s flag was as good as broken in half.
Minister Martin looked bewildered at the sound that was neither crying nor laughing, his gaze alternating between the front and the Countess.
Ku-gu-gu-gung—
The clear sky darkened in an instant, as if a summer storm were approaching.
Whether it was due to the forbidden magic, my rage, or the wrath of God itself, no one could say.
“Let’s see what you’ve got! Come on!”
Zing! Zing!
As Countess Darsi extended her hand, the waist of the Mage who had invoked the forbidden magic bent backward. The force was staggeringly immense and powerful. Tomi and Nakina, who had been rushing toward the Mage, couldn’t withstand it and were sent flying.
“Damn it! Hell!”
“Ian!”
Both called out to me simultaneously. Only I could stand against the forbidden magic. It had been the same with Wesley and with Zaira’s Grandmother.
At the time, I had thought it was because my magical power was extraordinarily strong, but now I understood. I was ‘one who exists through forbidden magic,’ and that was why I could oppose it.
“I apologize! This is beyond our capabilities!”
“Ian, we’ll handle the main force!”
It would be more appropriate for Tomi and Nakina to take on the Puppeteer while I faced the forbidden magic. Instead of answering, I turned my body, and immediately Tomi and Nakina rushed past at high speed.
“Look, Minister! The Bariel Mages are panicking, are they not? Ohoho! Prepare to support them quickly!”
“W-well, are you alright, Countess Darsi?”
“Yes, of course. Those Mage fools—if only they hadn’t known of the forbidden magic, this wouldn’t have happened. How foolish. Hohoho. Hurry, Minister! That Mage Knight is coming up!”
Recognition is instantaneous. When someone is told ‘apple,’ they cannot help but think of an apple regardless of their will. Even if they wish not to think of it, that very process of recognition must occur first.
The ‘forbidden magic’ works the same way. If you command a Mage whose senses are bound and whose will is severed to perform forbidden magic, the formula itself can be easily discerned. The problem lies in how to activate it.
‘Did you see that well, Your Highness?’
Countess Darsi laughed, feeling her heart pound rapidly. Through her senses, the King of Torlun must also be experiencing joy. As the sweat-drenched Countess Darsi moved the puppet strings frantically, Minister Martin stepped backward.
‘Something’s odd.’
It wasn’t merely that she was drenched in sweat and excited, her appearance disheveled. Something about Countess Darsi’s appearance seemed slightly off. If I had to point it out, it was as if her facial features had become somewhat distorted.
Martin shook his head lightly and led his Subordinates toward the front of the camp.
‘I will strongly recommend to the King. Countess Darsi—no matter how I look at it, she seems suspicious and strange. Keeping someone like that at his side would only put Ruswena in danger.’
Ku-gu-gung— Ku-ung!
Sudden thunder roared as if it would tear the earth asunder. This was no ordinary occurrence. Martin clenched his jaw firmly and observed the powerful vibrations erupting in the sky.
Zing! Zing!
Boom! Boooom!
The clash between me and the forbidden Mage. The dense flow of magical power made it difficult to see clearly, but even if one could see it, the speed would certainly be beyond human perception.
I pressed forward against the overwhelming force that seemed to swallow me whole, seeking openings in the Mage’s defense.
‘What could it be?’
Forbidden magic carries the caster’s deepest desire. Naum had wished to open a new path for himself, Wesley had sought to unseal the mana stone and gain formidable power, and Zaira’s Grandmother had prayed for victory in war.
Then surely the Author must also be yearning for something. Was it merely an amplification of magical power?
Kwang! Bang!
Sweat trickled down Ian’s jaw. Since returning alive from the Abyss Sea, I had gained Idgal’s power and expanded mana, but the Forbidden Mage was still overwhelming. One who wagered both body and soul was desperate, and desperation was the most crucial element in combat.
Ian bit his lower lip as he stared at the Mage.
‘Should I use Bitter River? But the Author is unconscious.’
It was a mental-type magic that fused and detonated the pain of both user and target. The side effects were severe, but I had cast it on Zaira’s Grandmother during the Cliffford War.
She was a being with will, so mental attacks were effective, but my current opponent was the Puppeteer’s puppet. Whether it would work on one without will remained unknown.
If it didn’t work, it could backfire on me.
‘Using Idgal would probably be most effective, but the problem is getting close. The moment we clash is too dangerous.’
While Ian held his ground against the Forbidden Mage, Tomi and Nakina charged straight at the Ruswena army’s main force.
Whoooosh!
“Where is that Puppeteer bastard!”
“May we kill them all?”
“Yeah, that’s good! Anyone who wants to live should lie down with their head buried!”
Zing!
“Mages! The Bariel Mages are closing in!”
“Idgal arrows, prepare!”
“Aim! Fire!”
“Fire! Hit them! Keep shooting!”
“Okay, so that’s how it’s going to be?!”
“Senior! Turn right! Watch out for the Idgal arrows! I’ll handle the barrier!”
Hraaaaagh!
Tomi and Nakina flew over the densely packed soldiers like a swarm of ants, unleashing relentless magical attacks.
The momentum was good, but only for a moment. The Black-Armored Knight riding a Dragon and other Ruswena Mages descended upon them.
Ugh!
My strength was gradually waning. It had been a long time since such fierce combat since the Cliffford War ten years ago. But precisely because of that, I couldn’t stop now.
“These damn Ruswena bastards!”
If I had finished them completely back then, this wouldn’t be happening. And to avoid the same regret ten years from now, I had to sever this chain right now.
Seeing the two Mages closing in, Countess Darsi hastily pulled out another puppet.
“Kill them! Kill them! Kill them now!”
Then she moved her fingers fluidly like playing a piano again. Soon another Mage’s waist snapped, and before them, a Forbidden Magic formula materialized. Nakina, realizing this, rushed forward with all her might, but—
Zing! Zing!
“Damn it! No! Please!”
“Senior! Be careful!”
Boom! Bang!
The soldiers flattened their bodies to escape the scorching heat. Even Countess Darsi, at some distance, was knocked backward violently.
She giggled in the dust as she raised the puppet to the sky. This time, the Forbidden Magic again….
“What?”
Why are my hands like this?
Countess Darsi stared at her wrinkled hands and froze. Not just her hands. All the skin on her body had become flabby, as if it would melt and drip away.
Without a mirror at hand, Countess Darsi panicked and touched her body with her hands. What on earth was this….
“Wh-what?”
She called out to a nearby Soldier.
“Hey, by any chance—”
“Gasp!”
The dazed Soldier caught sight of Countess Darsi’s appearance and recoiled in shock, stumbling backward. Immediately, all the Soldiers in the vicinity maintained their distance from her. With each step she took forward, they retreated two. Some even drew their swords and spears, pointing them at her.
“Why, why are you all doing this?!”
“Ahhh!”
“Fall back!”
Meanwhile, Tomi noticed the commotion spreading through the Ruswena Soldiers. The woman in the dress became visible at a glance, as the crowd parted in a circular pattern centered around her.
“Senior—!”
“Go! Hurry!”
Nakina was binding her opponent with binding magic. But she knew it was only momentary, and so did Tomi. Before the forbidden magic, her spells were nothing more than glass shards that couldn’t even scratch the surface, and there were far too many opponents targeting them both.
Perhaps due to the commotion from the Puppeteer’s direction, the Mage facing Nakina had conjured the forbidden magic but held it in stalemate without releasing it.
“Senior, please—!”
“I’ve got this! I won’t die!”
Tomi flew toward the Puppeteer with tears streaming down her face. The situation was uncertain, unknowable even a step ahead. But one thing was certain: this battle being waged in Ruswena would surely leave scars upon the Mages.
“Hold on!”
“It’s fine! I absolutely—! won’t die!”
The moment Nakina cried out as if making a vow—
The Black-Armored Knight, who had drawn near without warning, slashed her back with his blade.

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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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