The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage - Chapter 125

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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 125
125
Speaking toward the Elder Elf.
Yoo Sung-hyun rushed forward with explosive speed.
Crack—! Boom—!
The velocity with which Yoo Sung-hyun burst forward, scraping the ground beneath him, was so swift that even someone with identical stats couldn’t match it.
A technique made possible only by channeling every ounce of strength throughout his entire body.
Yet the Elder Elf showed no surprise upon witnessing this. Instead, he met Yoo Sung-hyun’s charge as though it were only natural.
“Excellent.”
As if observing what manner of swordsmanship Yoo Sung-hyun would employ.
He assumed a defensive stance.
In the very moment of his charge, Yoo Sung-hyun recalled the Elder Elf’s swordsmanship.
A blade form like a dragon ascending to the heavens.
Recalling that sharp and evasive technique, I identified its classification.
‘It’s a domineering sword style.’
A domineering technique distinct from Leonik’s approach.
An exceptionally sharp and formidable style designed to precisely suppress and dismantle one’s opponent.
Thus Yoo Sung-hyun wielded his blade with fluid grace, rushing toward the Elder Elf.
Observing the graceful, gentle swordsmanship, the Elder Elf adopted a defensive posture with evident delight.
Softness overcomes hardness. The gentle triumphs over the rigid.
Yet should the rigid become even more resolute, the outcome shifts entirely.
No matter how soft a cloth may be.
It cannot fully contain a sharp and unyielding blade.
The Elder Elf’s sword pressed firmly forward, seeking to rend the gentle blade asunder.
But in that instant, the calm waves of the sea suddenly transformed into fierce, turbulent swells, sweeping away the Elder Elf’s blade.
Claaaaaang———!
A blade wielded with the ferocity of violent waves carving through stone.
The Elder Elf’s domineering sword collided with a sound like it might shatter, and he was driven backward, gripping his blade to absorb the impact.
A devastating blow.
Had he been even slightly careless, his blade might have broken or he himself might have sustained a wound.
What if the Elder Elf’s strength had been even marginally insufficient?
‘His shoulder would have been cleaved.’
A fierce slash like an enraged sea.
Yet within it lay an unmistakable gentleness like the ocean itself.
An utterly incomprehensible sword style.
Graceful and swift, yet infused with savage intensity.
A bizarre technique unlike anything he had ever witnessed.
He understood that it was formidable swordsmanship.
Perhaps this youth had wielded a blade for even longer than himself—such was the refined mastery on display.
The Elder Elf abandoned further contemplation at this point.
I couldn’t comprehend a swordsmanship I’d never witnessed merely by thinking it through in my mind.
My path had always been to clash, to break if necessary, and to fight—nothing more.
With that conviction, the Elder Elf charged toward Yoo Sung-hyun.
The one who was astonished wasn’t only the Elder Elf.
‘He actually blocked that.’
Recalling the other Elf knights I’d faced until now.
Was there truly anyone among them who could have completely defended against that strike?
No. There wasn’t.
Yet the Elder Elf charging toward me had blocked it.
Not only had he parried a swordsmanship that blended three techniques at once.
He’d deflected it flawlessly.
Could there possibly be another opponent like this?
‘Impossible.’
With that thought, Yoo Sung-hyun poured everything into his advance.
Our stats were roughly equivalent.
Wasn’t this the system’s design?
If the system had granted us equal stats.
Then victory would be mine.
Brimming with confidence, Yoo Sung-hyun swung his blade, and the Elder Elf, harboring similar thoughts, swung his own.
An enraged wave and a colossal dragon attempting to cleave through it collided.
But the wave quickly subsided.
Soon, like a tempest forming, the speed accelerated, and like dark clouds gathering, the light around them was absorbed away.
Though I couldn’t use skills.
Yoo Sung-hyun’s swordsmanship—Helena’s supremely powerful swordsmanship—took effect, and the blade strikes darkened.
The darkness itself, a black blade wielded from Yoo Sung-hyun’s fingertips, swiftly dissipated into the empty air like paint, and the Elder Elf’s eyes gleamed upon witnessing it.
A blade strike so swift that sound arrived slightly delayed.
Like lightning itself, Yoo Sung-hyun’s sword flew toward the Elder Elf faster than sound, and he raised his blade to meet it in an instant, then as he was pushed back, he deflected the strike.
Kwaaaang——!
Like thunder following lightning.
After the blade strike, the sharp sound of the air being torn asunder wrapped around the Elder Elf.
It was a deafening roar that seemed to split the ears.
Yet the Elder Elf, far from covering his ears, instead charged directly toward Yoo Sung-hyun, diving at him in the form of a dragon.
As the form of a dragon, shot forth in a straight line to devour its prey, was launched at Yoo Sung-hyun.
Yoo Sung-hyun swung that blade once more, swift as lightning.
Slightly faster than sound.
Wielded darkly and ominously, it was like a swift bolt of lightning.
As that sinister blade severed the dragon’s head.
The Elder Elf’s sword was knocked away.
Clang——!
Unable to overcome the force, his arm lifted, and the Elder Elf rose into the air along with his blade.
‘Huh.’
So he wields swordplay infused with yet another attribute.
Swift and concealed.
And coupled with the formidable power contained within the blade’s edge.
Just how many attributes can he manipulate?
I tried to abandon the thought, but it persisted regardless.
The Elder Elf refocused, and this time, hovering aloft, he gripped his sword with both hands and whirled it in a sweeping arc.
Just before Yoo Sung-hyun’s blade could be withdrawn.
Using the momentum of his lifted strength, the Elder Elf slashed toward the opening.
The blade, rapidly whirled through empty air, formed a graceful circle like a coiling dragon, and its target was unmistakably Yoo Sung-hyun.
‘Interesting.’
Witnessing this, Yoo Sung-hyun couldn’t help but be genuinely astonished.
His own speed surpassed the Elder Elf’s.
Yet the old elf exploited the momentary gap created by his previous attack to launch a counteroffensive.
Seeing the dragon-like form diving toward him, Yoo Sung-hyun marveled and raised his blade, executing yet another distinct swordplay technique.
This time, like sea mist blooming from the ocean itself.
He scattered blade strikes in all directions.
Encroaching upon the surroundings and spreading outward in every direction.
Clang! Clang-clang! Clang-clang-clang—!
Unpredictable swordplay that dominated the entire space.
Occupying space yet never lacking in weight.
Another entirely new swordplay technique.
This time, there was no common thread whatsoever.
“Remarkable!”
Faced with swordplay of such unfathomable depth,
the Elder Elf couldn’t suppress his admiration even during their bout.
He is undoubtedly a Dark Mage.
Yet he wields the blade with such mastery.
It’s genuinely astonishing.
Yoo Sung-hyun and the Elder Elf exchanged glances and smiled with satisfaction.
They raised their blades toward one another once more.
Their forms resembled nature itself—the sea—and a dragon defying such nature, ascending to the heavens.
An enraged ocean and a dragon bared their sharp fangs toward each other.
4.
Rumble—!
The dragon-like blade whirled, attempting to devour Yoo Sung-hyun, but the raging waves tore the dragon asunder, and as another dragon emerged and spiraled toward him, this time lightning descended, severing the creature’s neck.
Truly a spectacular sight.
The mere fact that two combatants could produce such imagery with a single blade made it impossible to judge the superiority of their swordplay.
-Wow, wow! Wow! Wow, wow!!!
Fiora, watching from a distance, cried out in unbridled excitement.
Nocturnium observed from a distance with a somewhat puzzled expression and asked Leonik.
“Is the Lord being pushed back?”
Yoo Sung-hyun’s body bore numerous lacerations, while the Elder Elf’s body showed far fewer wounds.
That’s why he posed the question.
However, Leonik shook his head firmly.
From the state of the battle, it appeared the Elder Elf was winning.
So why was he saying the Lord was winning?
-It is the Lord’s victory.
“…I’m not a combat specialist, so I can’t understand. Could you explain it in simpler terms?”
-Hmm, you might understand if you watched carefully, but if you insist, I shall explain.
“Thank you.”
Nocturnium’s eyes narrowed slightly, irritated by the imperious tone.
But curiosity kept him silent.
Then Leonik explained methodically.
-The Lord does have minor lacerations now, but if you look closely, you’ll notice the opponent has some wounds as well.
“True, but the number of them….”
-It’s not the number, but the location of the wounds that matters.
“The location of the wounds?”
-The Lord’s wounds are all minor, inflicted while parrying or defending. Meanwhile, the opponent’s wounds are all from the Lord’s perfectly executed attacks.
At Leonik’s words, Nocturnium let out an exclamation of realization.
“Ah!?”
Now that he thought about it, every attack that landed on the Elder Elf was inflicted exactly as Yoo Sung-hyun intended.
Whereas the Elder Elf’s attacks were all either blocked or merely grazed.
This alone revealed an enormous gap.
And Leonik continued.
-The Lord’s swordsmanship has risen to a level far surpassing even mine.
“Remarkable.”
Leonik alone was counted among the elite of Helena’s Legion.
At least in swordsmanship.
To hear he was surpassed even by the Lord….
-It would not be an exaggeration to call it divine talent. He possesses deep mastery in Dark Magic, yet also wields such profound skill in swordsmanship.
“Remarkable. It’s absurd.”
The praise he’d offered for Yoo Sung-hyun, following Leonik’s lead, had not been false.
But now he could only marvel sincerely.
If Leonik acknowledged him to this extent, the matter was different.
And not long after.
Leonik spoke again.
-It’s over.
With those words.
The dragon’s neck, which had been cleaving through the sea, was completely severed by the raging waves.
Clang—!!!
The Elder Elf’s blade shattered.
-Hehehehe! Y-you’re truly amazing!!!
The moment it ended precisely that way, Fiora cried out, and Leonik, as if he’d expected nothing less, smiled faintly despite being a skeleton.
And as if mixing the two of them together, Nocturnium simply gazed at Yoo Sung-hyun in admiration.
Perhaps this new Lord might fulfill that wish that Helena could not achieve.
That’s what Nocturnium thought.
5.
It seemed I’d pushed myself too hard—my breath came all the way up to my throat.
My breathing was so ragged that my vision itself began to turn white.
It had reached the point where I could barely discern what lay directly before me.
Yet one thing remained crystal clear.
My blade’s flow, like an angry wave, had severed the dragon’s lifeline.
Clang—!!!
I’d cut through.
A battle spanning hundreds, thousands of exchanges.
Had finally come to an end.
Fragments of the Elder Elf’s blade scattered through the air.
And in that same instant, as his blade was severed, his robe tore open with a thin sound, and crimson blood spread through the gap.
Scritch——!
“Cough!”
A perfect defeat for the Elder Elf.
Yet there was no sense of defeat, fear, resentment, or jealousy in his gaze.
Only pure joy radiated from his eyes.
A perfect defeat.
And so there was not a shred of regret.
It was an honor merely to have fought such a swordsman.
And so.
He spoke.
“Do not burden yourself with guilt. From the moment you arrived, I was destined to be liberated and ascend to heaven anyway.”
“I see.”
I’d anticipated as much.
Even for an elf, having been confined here for such a long time, it would be no surprise if his lifespan had already run its course.
And so I accepted it calmly.
Seeing me like that, the Elder Elf seemed satisfied and drew something from his breast.
Then handed it to me.
“Take this.”
“This is…?”
A small, whitish blade.
As I looked at it, wondering what it could be, I was about to ask.
“It seems our connection ends here. Farewell.”
With those words, the Elder Elf’s physical form dissolved into nothingness.
Having endured for such an eternity, not even dust remained behind.
I had wanted to ask about the blade, but he departed without allowing it.
As Yoo Sung-hyun rose from his seat, regret lingering in his chest.
Something emerged from the place where the Elder Elf’s body had vanished.
A spectral form of the Elder Elf, shimmering with a teal-white luminescence.
-Huh? You???
“What?”
If this was going to happen, shouldn’t he have bid farewell with less solemnity?

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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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