The Archmage’s Destruction Strategy - Chapter 37

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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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#037. Reversing Fate

Luck is a relative concept.

Just as winning the lottery jackpot, which might be someone’s lifelong dream, holds no great meaning for someone who already possesses hundreds of trillions of won, the types of values recognized as luck vary greatly depending on each person’s individual values.

And for the person called Shirasaki Miyu, the value that could be called ‘luck’ held a completely different concept from others.

Money?

In a world where monetary value was already beginning to collapse, material values defined by the concept of wealth held no great meaning for her.

Honor?

For her, who despite being one of the top-ranked Awakened in all of Japan engaged in no particular activities, honor was merely shackles that increased bothersome responsibilities.

Victory?

For her, who had been a natural competitor even before becoming an Awakened, winning and losing was a matter more important than life itself, but what she wanted was victory using her own skills, not victory dependent on luck.

The enormous contradiction created by her ‘special personality.’

At this very moment, the greatest luck for Shirasaki Miyu would be for Sung-jun to survive this battle and upgrade the Grimoire she possessed, but the only being in the world capable of performing that act was already dead.

In a situation where the payment of the luck she had accumulated was impossible unless the already determined fate was ‘canceled’ and time was turned back, the three absolute beings who governed the world’s destiny had no choice but to make an inevitable decision that should never have occurred under normal circumstances.

《There is only one way. Cancel the already confirmed fate.》

The absolute being governing the present, Verdandi, announced her decision to her companions.

《Turning back time is impossible. It is beyond our authority.》

The absolute being governing the future, Skuld, objected to Verdandi’s opinion.

《Turning back the clock of the entire universe is impossible. However, changing part of events that occurred in the past might be possible.》

The absolute being governing the past, Urd, offered her opinion.

Even if the world’s time were turned back entirely, events that had already occurred would go through the same sequence once more and head toward the same result.

Therefore, the only method available to the three goddesses governing fate was to alter part of the events that occurred in the past, making Sung-jun’s death something that never happened in the first place.

The problem was simply deciding ‘to which point’ the events should be made as if they never happened.

《The moment Ma Sungjun’s death becomes ‘something that never happened,’ the ‘death of Ma Sungjun’ that Yejigwi read will also become something that never happened. If that happens, this battle itself will become something that never happened.》

《The battle with Yejigwi is a separate event established as the price of ‘misfortune’ that Ma Sungjun paid. That too cannot be canceled carelessly.》

In a space transcending the concept of time where past, present, and future coexisted in a single moment, the three absolute beings engaged in fierce debate to resolve the current situation.

Then they reached the best conclusion that was expected to have the least impact on the world line.

《Let’s say Yejigwi was mistaken.》

《He certainly saw Ma Sungjun’s death. However, that was merely a mistake due to Sung-jun’s life signals being weakened to a level undetectable even by Yejigwi, and Ma Sungjun survived by a narrow margin.》

《With the power of luck accumulated in the human called Shirasaki Miyu, Ma Sungjun ‘miraculously’ survives by a narrow margin.》

《Then this battle will end with Ma Sungjun’s victory?》

《No, let’s say that human’s luck is settled by Ma Sungjun being granted a second chance.》

《If the human called Ma Sungjun ends up dying anyway, wouldn’t the second chance be meaningless?》

《Normally, yes. So the second chance will be fought under fair conditions for both sides.》

《Fair conditions would be…》

《Starting from Ma Sungjun’s revival, we seal the ‘future foresight’ of both Yejigwi and Sung-jun. In a situation where no confirmed future exists, it becomes a battle where everything depends on the strength each individual has built up.》

《The past agrees with the present’s opinion.》

《The future also agrees with the present’s opinion.》

《The alteration of fate is confirmed. With this, the clock of the human called Ma Sungjun shall turn once more.》

Making Ma Sungjun’s death ‘something that never happened,’ Verdandi thought.

‘Did the human called Ma Sungjun cause this incident knowing such a future would unfold?’

***

“What?”

Yejigwi, who had turned around after seeing Sung-jun’s fallen corpse, turned his head at the strange sense of unease he suddenly felt.

However, there was still only Sung-jun’s dead body kneeling with his head bowed.

‘He’s dead. It’s not a fake death. An irreversible, certain death. If a future where he was alive had been read, I wouldn’t have started this battle in the first place.’

Since a future once read and confirmed never changed no matter what, Yejigwi never read the same future twice.

However, due to the strange anxiety he began feeling from the moment of Sung-jun’s death, Yejigwi began doing something he would never normally do – ‘reconfirming a confirmed future.’

‘It’s not reading? I can’t see the future!’

Experiencing this phenomenon for the first time in his life, Yejigwi launched a sword strike powerful enough to change the terrain at the spot where Sung-jun’s corpse lay, with a desperate expression.

He didn’t know what was interfering with his future foresight, but the only human currently present in this place with such a possibility was Ma Sungjun.

However, just before Yejigwi’s sword strike reached Sung-jun’s corpse, a translucent barrier appeared in front of Sung-jun and deflected Yejigwi’s strike with a tremendous explosion.

“Were you alive?”

“No, I was dead. I was definitely dead. It’s just that the fact of being dead itself disappeared.”

“You changed a fate that was once confirmed? A mere mortal! That’s absolutely impossible!”

“Ah, of course I can’t. Magic is omnipotent but not almighty.”

Sung-jun, who had somehow restored his heart wound with healing magic, staggered to his feet.

Then he pointed his index finger toward the sky and said.

“But those above can do it.”

Sung-jun, revived from death, immediately cast the ‘Coin of Fate’ spell.

Then a coin that had changed to a dull gray like a stone rather than its original golden color was summoned to Sung-jun’s palm.

“As expected, it’s blocked. Well, it was too balance-breaking a technique anyway.”

“What’s blocked?”

“If you could see the future, you would have been able to read and know the answer I’ll give in the future without me having to answer, but seeing you ask like that, it seems you’re blocked too.”

“Answer my question! You vermin!”

A small smile appeared on Sung-jun’s lips as he looked at the enraged Yejigwi.

“It means that from now on, neither you nor I can read the future in advance.”

***

‘How… how is this possible?!?’

The rematch had begun.

Yejigwi couldn’t understand the situation he was in.

Even if he could somehow accept that his opponent had used some trick to seal his foresight ability, he absolutely couldn’t understand the fact that he was being pushed back in a fight against a mere human.

It was natural for Yejigwi to think this way.

Even without being able to use the foresight ability, which was the closest thing to ‘cheat’ among his abilities, Yejigwi was an apocalypse-class Corrosion Entity with enough power to annihilate humanity with his strength alone.

However, Sung-jun’s true ability, which he began to fully display after sealing his opponent’s future foresight ability, had reached a level far beyond what Yejigwi considered mortal strength.

“Chain Lightning.”

As Sung-jun chanted the incantation, dozens of lightning branches extended from his fingertips like branches.

It had the same form as magic used by mages in commonly seen RPG games, but the power contained within boasted insane levels of destructive force as if created without any consideration for ‘balance.’

“I cancel the order! All of you attack at once! We must kill that bastard now by any means necessary!”

As Yejigwi’s order not to interfere in the fight was canceled, Corrosion Entities waiting on all sides rushed in simultaneously.

However, Sung-jun didn’t even blink as he frantically unleashed area magic, turning all the monsters approaching him into charred meat scraps.

“Sorry, but.”

-Kwaaaaang!!!-

“Area combat.”

-Kwaaaaang!!!-

“Is a mage’s specialty.”

-Kwaaaaang!! Kwakwang! Kwakwakwakwang!!-

Heat that seemed capable of melting even the earth, poison that would rot one’s lungs with a single breath, acid that instantly melted tough skin capable of deflecting anti-tank shells.

The wet blood spilled on the ground became paths for lightning flowing along the surface, and exploding flesh became grenades attacking other nearby Corrosion Entities.

And at that moment, there was one man swallowing dry saliva as he watched Sung-jun single-handedly sweep away hundreds of thousands of Corrosion Entities.

‘That’s not strength a human can possess. Where did such a monster come from?’

Zhao Xin.

The man who inherited the position of ‘Salvation King,’ China’s strongest Awakened position, following Seo Moo-gyeol who was killed by Yejigwi.

He was watching the battle between Ma Sungjun and Yejigwi from a distance where the aftermath of combat couldn’t reach.

“The combat data?”

“We’re transmitting it to the situation room via wired line.”

A man carrying a huge shield-like device on his back answered Zhao Xin’s question.

However, the shield-like device on his back had a peculiar form that looked more like a type of shield than military equipment.

“Is approach impossible even with your Extreme Chain?”

“I tried, but failed. That area is practically like a lava zone.”

“How many personnel are currently on standby?”

“Units one through five are all assembled. Units eight and onward are primarily tasked with stabilizing the outer regions, so it will take more time for them to join us.”

“Five units… about half of Tianwu Guan’s forces… In reality, we should consider it half of half…”

The Tianwu Guan he belonged to had lost about half its members in the previous battle against Yejigwi.

And the man called Ma Sungjun he was observing was a monster fighting on equal terms with the individual who had annihilated half of Tianwu Guan in an instant.

‘I don’t know what that man Sung-jun’s purpose is, but as long as he’s fighting the Corrosion Entity, he shouldn’t be considered an enemy. Then should we join the battle now? If we help him succeed in eliminating Yejigwi…’

The best possible outcome would be all Corrosion Entities spread across the Chinese Mainland dying simultaneously the moment Yejigwi was killed.

Just like in fantasy novels where all demons fall at once when the demon lord is defeated.

However, even if such a result didn’t occur, eliminating an apocalypse-class Corrosion Entity from the Chinese Mainland would have tremendous significance.

‘Perhaps we could buy time to restore the collapsed system.’

What mattered was headquarters’ judgment.

Whether orders would come to watch the battle’s outcome and intervene later to defeat the exhausted enemy, or to join the battle to create a debt of gratitude and use that as leverage to win over the man called Ma Sungjun – that was entirely up to the judgment of those above.

And shortly after, the decision made by the superiors who had been watching Ma Sungjun’s battle in real-time was relayed to Zhao Xin.

“Captain. There’s a communication from the Situation Room.”

Zhao Xin picked up the old-fashioned communicator connected by wire, took a deep breath, and put the receiver to his ear.

“This is First Unit Captain Zhao Xin.”

And shortly after, when Zhao Xin put down the receiver, the man wearing the bulletproof vest asked him.

“Orders?”

“Yes.”

“What are they?”

“By any means necessary, wait until the battle ends and ‘absolutely’ secure the person of the man fighting Yejigwi.”

Securing Sung-jun’s person.

That was the final decision made by the Chinese Government upon discovering an Awakened who could fight on equal terms with an apocalypse-class Corrosion Entity that had wiped out half of Tianwu Guan’s forces.

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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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