The Mage’s Nemesis Has Reincarnated - Chapter 143

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

The Natural Enemy of Mages Has Been Reincarnated – Episode 143
Terion stared at Zeke McLafflin with an incredulous expression.
‘Has that bastard lost his mind?’
No matter how reckless one became, the opponent was a demon.
Not some foot soldier of the Demon Realm, but a superior being who commanded entire legions.
To curse at the physical manifestation of such an entity without a shred of fear—it was madness.
He had to be thoroughly, irredeemably insane.
‘Unable to even break free from binding shackles, and yet he dares provoke Lord Dantalian? It’s absurd. Can’t he sense that overwhelming demonic power?’
A demonic aura so palpable it made one’s skin crawl radiated from Dantalian’s form.
Yet Zeke McLafflin continued to provoke relentlessly.
“Stop staring and come at me already. Legion Commander of the Demon Realm.”
He was openly taunting, adopting a stance that screamed ‘let’s fight’.
‘He’s insane. He should be a pulp by now.’
No matter how much of a divine descendant he claimed to be, Dantalian’s specialty would render it all meaningless.
With all his cards exposed, what possible way could he win?
Yet Dantalian remained still.
Only glaring with eyes filled with irritation.
‘Is he reading my thoughts?’
Suddenly, Dantalian’s gaze shifted dramatically.
His eyes widened with astonishment.
[…You. You are remarkable. I cannot read a single thought from you. In all my existence, I have never encountered a human capable of deliberately emptying their mind. And one audacious enough to provoke me with such shallow tactics, no less.]
“The first, you say. How honored I am.”
[You should feel no honor. It merely means you are an ignorant pup unaware of your station—a frog in a well.]
Dantalian sneered and unleashed even more demonic power.
“Ugh!”
“Kgh!”
Carbollearos and Terion’s complexions turned ashen as they struggled to breathe.
It was a reaction anyone sensitive to demonic power would display.
But Zeke McLafflin was the exception.
“What are you doing?”
His expression remained composed, as though he sensed no demonic power at all.
Witnessing this, Dantalian could only draw one conclusion.
In truth, Zeke McLafflin was absorbing only the demonic power that reached him, which was why he felt no pressure.
[If he cannot sense my power, then he is not a mage? But then why does he wear binding shackles?]
“Ah, this?”
Zeke McLafflin flexed deliberately.
Crack!
The binding shackles snapped effortlessly.
“I was just pretending to be suppressed.”
“He… he broke them so easily….”
Dantalian was just as startled as Terion.
[An aura user?]
“Who knows? Why don’t you figure it out?”
Dantalian studied Zeke intently, but no matter how hard I tried, reading his thoughts proved impossible.
Well, occasionally I caught glimpses of something.
But it wasn’t a language spoken on the Pangaea Continent.
[I pride myself on knowing every language in this world. What tongue is he using?]
“Why are you asking me? You’re supposed to read my mind and figure it out.”
[….]
He was openly mocking me.
Recognizing this fact, killing intent flickered once more in Dantalian’s eyes.
[Speak, or I’ll kill you.]
“That’s my line, actually. If you don’t answer my questions, you’re the one who’ll die. By my hand.”
[His bluster and confidence are truly unmatched in this world.]
Dantalian’s bitter laugh faded as his expression shifted completely.
To one of utter boredom.
[To be honest, this was a refreshing experience. A human who dares defy me. But I’ve had enough. It’s all become tedious now.]
Had the entertainment worn thin because I couldn’t read his thoughts?
Dantalian’s gaze had grown indifferent, as if regarding a bothersome insect.
[I had many questions, but now information means nothing. Simply die.]
Before the words even finished, the mana Dantalian unleashed converged into a single point.
In an instant, the compressed mana transformed into a bullet and hurtled forward.
Straight toward Zeke’s heart.
Watching this unfold, Terion expected Zeke to explode like a firework.
But.
Whoosh!
“…!!!”
[….]
Seeing Zeke absorb the mana bullet outright, I couldn’t hide my astonishment.
Neither could Dantalian, who had been observing.
[Ah. That technique. Opening a dimensional space to store magic. Seeing it firsthand is fascinating. It feels different from when I read about it in memories.]
“This isn’t the time to be admiring it.”
Zeke offered a warning of sorts and sent the mana bullet straight back.
“Release.”
The mana bullet absorbed through magic absorption fired directly at Dantalian.
In this situation, most opponents would show the same reaction.
Panic.
But Dantalian’s response was different.
His face brimmed with composure.
That confidence became evident in his next move.
Whoosh!
I simply waved my hand and dispersed the returning mana bullet.
[Did you really think I’d fall victim to magic I cast myself? I’m not an idiot.]
“That won’t work.”
[Storing and releasing magic is certainly a commendable technique. But if you thought you could act cocky toward me relying solely on that, don’t expect a painless death. You’ve ruined my good mood, after all.]
“My good mood….”
Zeke muttered the words over and over, then opened a spatial rift.
Tssssss—
Whether startled by the spatial rift or by the feather sword Zeke drew from it, Dantalian’s eyes flickered with surprise.
“You’re treating this like some kind of game. You still don’t feel the danger, do you?”
[Opening a spatial rift too. Surely he hasn’t made a contract with another demon, so how….]
“Never mind that.”
As I layered aura over the blade, the sword shimmered with a blue haze.
“Try tasting my sword.”
Zeke’s blade moved at speeds invisible to the naked eye.
Though it appeared careless, Dantalian was actually prepared for the attack.
Or rather, there was nothing to prepare against.
His skin, protected by mana, could not be cut by mere aura.
‘Even if the strongest Grand Aura Master came, a sword would simply bounce off.’
But.
Crack!
Contrary to expectations, blood scattered as flesh tore open.
‘How… how is this possible?’
Dantalian was forced to reconsider everything.
Tap!
Sensing the danger, he hastily increased the distance between us.
And once more, Dantalian gathered mana.
‘Powerful techniques always have limitations.’
Even if the opponent possessed that peculiar magic-absorbing technique, it couldn’t block anything beyond a certain threshold.
‘It has to be that way….’
Yet confusion was evident on Dantalian’s face.
‘Why won’t my mana gather?’
Magic that had worked flawlessly moments ago was now completely blocked.
“What’s wrong? Not attacking like before?”
Dantalian, inwardly panicked, looked at the approaching Zeke.
[It’s you. You’re devouring my mana.]
“As expected of someone so remarkable, your instincts are sharp. But what will you do about this?”
Zeke closed the distance in an instant.
“Now you look like you’re about to die.”
The sword swept horizontally, grazing past Dantalian’s abdomen.
Black blood trickled down from the shallow wound—a cut, but a cut nonetheless.
“So demon blood is black. How fitting for creatures with such dark hearts.”
[Your mockery ends here, human!]
Dantalian stretched out his hand and drew up demonic energy.
‘I can absorb mana, but surely not demonic energy!’
With that calculation in mind, I unleashed a forbidden dark spell exclusive to demons.
But my prediction missed the mark once again.
[…D-demonic energy too? He’s absorbing that as well?]
I was blocked before I could even attempt it.
The demonic energy absorption skill I activated at the perfect moment also severed Dantalian’s sorcery.
Now no one could stop Zeke McLafflin.
“Nothing else to show me?”
[….]
“Guess not. Well, that’s disappointing. You’ve completely killed the mood.”
Zeke McLafflin, grinning wickedly, raised his sword.
Whoooosh!
[Ugh…!]
“That expression is priceless. So demons can feel pain too?”
With both mana and demonic energy blocked, Dantalian had nothing left to do.
He could only flee desperately from the blade.
But evading the pursuit of Zeke McLafflin, whose stats had already exceeded five thousand, was impossible even for an Aura Master.
Especially not while wearing the Boots of the Wind God, which increased movement speed by three hundred percent.
Slash! Swish!
[Gasp, cough!]
Blood sprayed everywhere, yet he could mount no resistance—he was like a hunted beast fleeing for its life.
And Zeke McLafflin was the hunter.
Terion Maldorado, who had been watching this shocking spectacle in stunned silence, finally raised his staff.
He could not simply stand by and watch.
“Lord Dantalian! I, Terion Maldorado, shall come to your aid!”
By announcing his name, Terion believed he could slay Zeke McLafflin and later be recognized as a hero of the Demon Realm for rescuing Dantalian from crisis.
But it was merely a wish, merely a thought.
Terion’s ambition crumbled before the man who had created the Aura Blade.
“And you are…?”
“I am Maligore Desbon, the Dark Lord. By my master’s command, I shall carry out this execution.”
Maligore Desbon, summoned in an instant, swung the Aura Blade.
Thud!
Terion stared at his severed arm as though it belonged to someone else.
“Gaahhh!”
The pain that arrived belatedly brought his senses crashing back.
‘I-I cannot fall like this!’
Fortunately, the arm holding the staff remained intact.
I opened my eyes wide and raised my remaining arm.
With an arm, I could cast magic.
Or so I thought.
“What…?”
The mana wouldn’t gather.
More precisely, it vanished the moment it accumulated, as if into thin air.
Like a mirage.
Terion’s face filled with bewilderment.
Now I finally understood why Dantalian could do nothing but flee.
“I’ll begin the execution.”
“Ah.”
Maligore’s blade, raised high, sliced across Terion’s throat and passed through.

* * *
[Terion Maldorado eliminated!]
[Main Quest cleared!]
[As the first reward, you have acquired a new basic skill.]
[As the second reward, an item has been granted. You can check the item in your subspace.]
By eliminating the Forerunner of the Earth, the Main Quest was complete.
The corners of Zeke’s mouth rose with satisfaction as I read the message.
‘So Maligore killed Terion. Good thing I summoned him.’
Of course, I’d already replicated Terion’s magic before his death.
There was no more proficiency to gain, but having more magic never hurt.
Now the only task remaining was completing the Sub Quest by killing Dantalian.
‘But I’d like to extract some information first…’
A legion commander of the Demon Realm would know plenty of secrets.
Including why he commands the Lich Dragon as a subordinate.
‘He won’t listen to words, so there’s only one method left.’
I approached Dantalian, whose entire body was drenched in black blood.
He flinched.
The creature, now reduced to an ordinary human after having his mana and demonic energy drained, trembled at the mere sight of me.
Since I had no intention of killing him yet, I’d deliberately inflicted hundreds of shallow wounds, and he looked at me with disgust as if I were a madman who enjoyed tormenting others.
[How cruel you are, human…]
“Stop wasting energy fleeing and stay still. What? There’s barely any space to run in this narrow cave anyway.”
[And who forced me to flee in the first place?]
“If you’d stayed put, I wouldn’t have needed to slash you like this.”
[…Don’t be ridiculous. You threatened to kill me—how could I not flee?]
“Is that so?”
Indeed, it would be stranger not to flee when facing an armed opponent.
“Then I won’t cut you anymore.”
[Really?]
“If you answer my questions with sincerity, that is. If you don’t like that, well….”
I picked up my blade again.
Dantalian’s body flinched reflexively.
“Or perhaps you’d prefer to keep enjoying the pain like before.”
[N-no. I’ll answer whatever you ask.]
“Good. Then my first question.”
I smiled wickedly as I spoke.
“Tell me how to reach the Demon Realm.”

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