The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage - Chapter 278

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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 278
278
2.
At the Broadcast Spirit’s cry, Yoo Sung-hyun and his Minions responded instantly, moving into position.
It was the right call to move swiftly when the special effects of the demonic energy remained unknown.
The severance effect that Nemesis possessed.
I had already confirmed through Helena that such an effect could manifest in other demonic blades as well.
Because of this, I had swiftly summoned corpses from the Underworld to prepare for such a scenario.
I refrained from summoning additional Minions as a precaution.
Preparation for contingencies was important, certainly.
But I had already accounted for Minion summoning as a countermeasure.
So I prioritized summoning corpses instead.
And as expected.
Demonic energy swirled around them as Keron brought down a spear infused with demonic power from behind and cried out.
“『Severance』!”
[Due to interference from the 『Severance』 skill, summoned creatures and Minions cannot be summoned within the designated area.]
Leading with that effect.
Beltain, standing behind with a staff imbued with demonic energy, brought it down and cried out as well.
“『Domain』!”
[Due to the 『Domain』 skill, the designated area fills with negative energy. Beings without demonic power cannot naturally recover mana and vitality.]
And finally, as Zaya, their leader, wielding a greatsword infused with demonic power, cried out.
“『Erosion』!”
[Due to the 『Erosion』 skill, the consumption cost of all skills within the designated area doubles, and damage output likewise doubles.]
Even 『Erosion』, a double-edged blade if ever there was one.
All of these effects were formidably complex.
While each weapon possessed multiple special effects from its demonic power, only one skill could be activated at a time.
In other words, beyond these, they could no longer employ any additional special effects.
This was the most powerful combination they had devised.
I quickly grasped the situation and nodded upon seeing the effect that prevented summoning Minions and creatures.
I had made the right decision to summon corpses instead of Minions, anticipating Severance would be deployed.
The time frame had been too brief to gather more than thousands of corpses.
Yet even this number was considerable.
As thousands of Death Legion soldiers, devoid of souls, rose to their feet.
Zaya, the leader of the Forbiddens, cried out upon seeing them.
“Scatter!”
At his command, Beltain and Ired, positioned in the rear, increased their distance from one another, and Zaya and Keron at the vanguard did likewise.
Against the massive wave of undead surging forward like a tidal flood, they unleashed torrential attacks radiating demonic power.
Sword energy and spear energy infused with demonic power scattered through the air.
From behind, countless arrows and spells imbued with black demonic energy followed in a barrage.
And so the Death Legion shattered to dust and ash before even reaching them.
Yoo Sung-hyun acknowledged them with his gaze.
‘This is no joke.’
Each of them was stronger than Ragna Ecrion had been when wielding the Demon Sword.
And there were three of them.
Beyond that, there was also a rather keen archer—not quite as formidable as Ragna Ecrion, but sharp nonetheless.
Had Ired already possessed the Demon Bow, it would have been considerably troublesome.
Each being stronger than Ragna Ecrion could have been quite burdensome.
Of course, I was different now than I had been then.
I had three Minions at my command.
And corpses were prepared as well.
This place could be called my Battlefield.
Moreover, the moment they stepped forward.
My Minions were not idle either.
Against Keron with his Demon Spear, Silvanor advanced; toward Beltain wielding the Demon Staff, Helena flashed an alluring smile; and against the youngest, Ired, Fiora engaged.
Zaya, the commander, faced me.
The first to clash in combat were Keron and Silvanor, both close-range fighters.
Clang——————!!!
The sharp ring of sword and spear colliding echoed as Keron laughed savagely and muttered.
“Good to see you again.”
“Ha, the feeling is mutual.”
With those words, sword and spear moved with dizzying speed.
The spear shot forth as a single point, yet the points multiplied, countless dots filling space until they became a plane descending like rain.
The ashen demonic energy imbuing the spear scattered like rays of light, raining down in torrents.
Yet even as the sword flowed gracefully to meet those spear strikes, it too expanded from line to plane, weaving a silken surface through the air.
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
The rain of spear thrusts could not penetrate that plane—it was blocked.
[Ah! Keron sought revenge against Silvanor, but it cannot break through!!! It is as if this is not a clash of sword and spear, but sword and shield!!!]
With the Broadcast Spirit’s commentary, the spear strikes moved faster still.
Yet they could not pierce the sword’s plane.
So Keron concentrated his demonic energy further, focusing on a single point.
Penetration favored the point over the plane.
That concentrated demonic energy shot forth as a single point, and soon it pierced the plane woven in the air.
The sword’s plane shattered and scattered like torn fabric.
The spear that had pierced the plane was withdrawn, and just as Keron gripped it and prepared to strike again.
The energy tore asunder, the soft and graceful form like silk vanished, and in its wake the sword shot forth in succession.
The energy solidified sharply in the air, each fragment like glass shards flying toward Keron alongside the blade.
“…!!!”
The plane became fragments, each carrying a sharp edge as they flew in.
The sword followed, overlaying them with countless blade tips pouring down.
Countless points, just like the strike he had unleashed.
Yet each one was identical to the points Keron had condensed and formed.
Rather than spreading like a sheet, individual points poured forth from Keron.
To block them, Keron drew upon his magical energy and rotated his spear, but—
Thud-thud-thud——!!
“Ugh.”
He had no choice but to allow some of the attacks through.
[Ah! Keron has been pushed back!!! And Silvanor is right on his heels!!!]
The Broadcast Spirit’s commentary grated on my nerves, but I pushed forward with my spear technique with all my might.
I had no way of knowing how much longer I could endure.
But I could not afford to lose here.
With that resolve steeling myself, I charged forward, yet—
Silvanor gazed upon me with a tone tinged with regret.
“Your spear strikes are sharp, yet they shall never reach me.”
His words carried a note of sorrow, yet—
His voice was far too resolute.
At those words, I gnashed my teeth and charged forward.
Was this how the weak felt when we had dominated them so easily?
A twinge of regret stirred within me.
Had I truly driven so many to despair?
But more than such thoughts—
I wanted to pierce through that Swordsman before me!
With that singular conviction, I gripped my spear, gathered my magical energy, and launched myself forward as though I myself had become the spear. Silvanor, in turn, adjusted his grip upon his blade.
If my opponent showed conviction—
Then I too would show mine.
A single branch of the World Tree sang out with a sharp metallic ring as it transformed into its true form.
The divine wooden sword crafted from the World Tree’s branches emanated the essence of verdant life, sheathed in a clear and elegant jade-green aura.
The sword strike descended as though I stood in the heart of the Forest itself.
Transforming into a spear, I charged forward, determined to become a lance that would cleave through the Forest.
A fierce collision erupted.
Before Silvanor and Keron collided—
Ired and Fiora watched each other from their respective positions.
Naturally, Ired harbored no carelessness toward Fiora.
“Ha! The weakest-looking kid ended up being my opponent?”
Though his words suggested otherwise, he remained vigilant.
His bravado was hollow, yet—
Fiora responded to his words with an apologetic tone.
-I-I’m so sorry you have to face me.
“…?”
Her timid demeanor caught Ired slightly off guard.
Was she really a Minion of the Demon King?
I knew each of the Minions possessed considerable power, but I never expected to see such timidity from one of them.
It was rather surprising.
However, Fiora was a Minion who appeared frequently in broadcasts.
Ired was not deceived by her outward appearance.
Ired then employed skills derived from his class, rapidly unleashing a volley of arrows.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh——!
Though his class ranked lower than those of his older brothers, it was nonetheless a Unique-tier class.
An archer-class job positioned quite high even among Unique-tier classifications.
And Ired’s mastery in wielding it was equally formidable.
The rapid-fire succession of skills, each spaced with only slight temporal variations, appeared chaotic at first glance.
Yet each was released at exquisitely calculated moments designed to suffocate any chance of escape.
And yet.
‘…She’s not dodging?’
Despite arrows encircling her from all directions.
Fiora remained motionless in place, her two arms writhing like slime as she took on a gelatinous form.
What was she attempting?
From what Ired knew, Fiora’s ability was transformation.
Since her defensive approach varied depending on what form she assumed, his mind raced to anticipate her next move.
But he could not discern it.
And just as the arrows were nearly upon her.
Fiora’s writhing arms suddenly transformed, and in that fleeting instant, Ired caught a glimpse of them.
‘Pincers?’
The segmented claws of a crab or lobster. Or should one call them limbs?
Fiora suddenly spread her newly formed pincers wide and swung them in a sweeping arc around her.
Then.
Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat——!!!
Mana erupted from the pincers like a machine gun, spraying forth in a frenzy.
The mana bullets that followed shot forward, all converging upon the arrows Ired had unleashed.
Yet the force alone seemed insufficient to stop them.
‘There’s no way she could block them with that….’
Just as he thought this.
The spiraling mana bullets struck the tips of the arrows, and in that instant, each arrow was struck by the rotating projectiles, their trajectories twisting into bizarre angles.
Thus, the arrows bent away in directions entirely different from those Ired had calculated.
Not a single arrow reached Fiora.
‘What in the….’
Stunned by this absurd turn of events, Ired was nocking another arrow to his bowstring when.
This time, Fiora’s two legs writhed and transformed.
Boom——!!!
The air shattered with the sound of an explosion.
A sonic boom tore across the Arena.
And the sonic boom was headed directly toward Ired.
When Ired confirmed this and spotted Fiora appearing before him.
Fiora’s two legs resembled those of a cheetah, and upon seeing this, Ired channeled his most devastating finishing technique into an arrow and released it.
Then Fiora’s tiny head writhed and transformed into a dragon’s head, opening its small maw to unleash a torrent of breath.
Kwaaaaaaaaaa———!!!
Fiora’s breath and Ired’s arrow imbued with his finishing technique collided head-on.
Helena smiled with an expression of utter indifference, shaking her head.
Shaking her head as if finding it all tediously dull, Helena muttered while gazing down at Beltain, who lay devastated beneath her feet.
“Silvanor and Fiora both need to step up their game, it seems.”
Helena, who had finished first, murmured while observing the violet flames clashing against ash and the pitch-black darkness.
“Though Yoo Sung-hyun is performing admirably, of course.”
With those words, Silvanor and Fiora gathered around Helena with expressions of shame.
Naturally, Keron and Ired were dragged along in a state of unconsciousness.

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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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