Chapter 211. Demon Realm (1)

“Wa... Water....”

Thud—!

Karyl clicked his tongue in annoyance as he watched Mikhail, who looked emaciated, collapse in front of him in the hallway.

“Huff... huff....”

Behind him, Serica staggered out of the room, using her spear as a cane.

“Can you even fight in this state?” Karyl asked.

Although appearing soft, Mikhail had experience in the Guidance Mercenary Gang. It was hard to imagine what kind of training had left him in this state, especially considering he had endured the harsh environment of the south.

“You... I'm going to kill you someday,” Serica growled at Nain Darhon with a fierce glare.

“Haha. At first, I was only going to teach her the essential spells for the 4th Class in a short time... but this kid mastered them in less than a week. And she only uses a spear, can you believe it?” Nain Darhon spoke to Karyl, unfazed by Serica’s threat.

No matter how powerful she might become as a Supreme, for now, Serica was still just a novice at the 4th Class. Someone like her posed no threat to a Great Sorcerer like Nain Darhon.

“But the funniest one is this guy,” Nain Darhon continued, poking Mikhail’s back as he lay flat on the ground. “He couldn’t even use auxiliary magic properly but managed to learn the Blades of Wind. It’s a 3rd Class spell, but its lethality is significant. So, I increased the intensity a bit...."

“Ugh...” Mikhail flinched with every poke.

“And even as a 4th Class, he’s mastered the 5th Class Wind Scythe. Somehow, he instinctively knows how to amplify magic. He’s incredible.”

Karyl nodded at Nain Darhon’s assessment. It was clear Mikhail was using the Eastern Land’s Magic Transformation Techniques.

“Anyway, both of them are amusing characters.”

“You mean they have outstanding talent,” Karyl corrected him.

Both Mikhail and Serica had shown remarkable improvement over the last two weeks of intense training. Karyl was curious to see just how much they had changed.

“Judging by their condition, they must have been in the Reversal Chamber,” Allen remarked as he looked at the two of them.

“Of course! I knew you would recognize it,” Nain Darhon replied, clapping in admiration.

“It’s a training room used by sorcerers since the Magical Era. One of the Assembly of Seven Elders, Pan Oman, created it. He loved researching Strategic Opportunity and Formations, creating many such elaborate setups.”

“Wh-What do you mean by elaborate setups?”

“In the end, those with talent will stand at the top. No amount of tricks can change that,” Allen said dismissively. “Still, implementing his techniques must have been difficult. Did you make it?”

“Yes, I did,” Nain Darhon replied.

"Good. Karyl, you know those brats from Azor’s guild, right?”

“The Ulkas Guild?”

“Yes. It’s been a few years since they gathered, so they should have a foundation. Bring them here and train them.”

“What? But... this place is only for the sorcerers of the Immortal Council...”

“Then just induct them. What’s the problem? They’re all sorcerers and free agents not affiliated with any other magic societies."

Nain Darhon seemed startled by Allen’s bluntness.

“No, it's just that...”

“I think that’s a good idea. We could see definite results quickly. I’ll contact them as soon as I return to Tatur,” Karyl said, clapping his hands in agreement.

“Do you even know what you’re asking? The Immortal Council is for the chosen few...”

“What’s good is good. Later on, you’ll be proud to have helped,” Karyl said with a sly smile.

“Proud? I must have gone insane...” Nain Darhon muttered in disbelief.

While Karyl couldn’t reveal future events, the mere existence of Antihum and the Immortal Council’s sorcerers was a significant advantage. Knowing how to quickly improve the skills of the Ulkas sorcerers was even better.

I never knew such secrets existed because I didn’t know magic in my past life. Training them here will be a significant advantage in the war against the empire,

Karyl thought.

The empire’s power was essential for the Oracle War. Showing overwhelming strength to ensure their survival was crucial.

As always, magic will be the key variable,

Karyl thought as he glanced at Nain Darhon.

“Even if I accept to lend the Reversal Chamber on my master’s orders, the Immortal Council won’t submit to you,” Nain Darhon warned, sensing Karyl’s intent.

“As you wish,” Karyl replied with a cunning smile as he slowly walked out of Antihum.

***

“Reporting in! The Dust of the Void is heading toward the Burning Anvil!” The guard saluted, his voice trembling with urgency.

“Where is Benedict?” Nain Darhon asked.

“Well, he’s... unwell, and won’t be available for some time...”

“That man... We should really just lock him up in the library for good. He’s always shirking responsibilities...” Nain Darhon clicked his tongue in annoyance before continuing, “What about the mana net we set up? Was there any effect?”

“There was a reaction. We could track its movement thanks to that, but... it seems we failed to capture it.”

“Doesn’t matter. Knowing its location is enough. Let’s go.”

Karyl took the lead, moving swiftly ahead.

***

Swish...

The edge of the mountain range behind Antihum—the peak was shaped like a blacksmith’s anvil, where one of the seventeen gods, Guldka, was said to have worked.

“That must be the one.”

“It looks different from Tarak. It seems incomplete. Nain, what did you use to create this creature?” Allen asked as he watched the Void Speck drift akin to a wandering spirit.

“Oh... well, I referred to the materials listed on the first page of the Book of Nightmares. Someone tore the book to pieces, so it’s unreadable now.” Nain Darhon glanced at Karyl. “Clay and lava iron, rotting moss and ivory powder, dew of the spirits, adamantite powder, and holy water mixed into a paste...”

Nain Darhon continued listing countless materials, each perfectly memorized. Naturally, he wasn’t a 7th Class Great Sorcerer for nothing.

“That doesn’t sound like the refinement method for Tarak. It’s more like alchemy for making a homunculus. No wonder it turned out so strange.”

Allen wasn’t impressed by Nain’s memory but rather by the materials he had used.

“Even during the Magical Era, human transmutation was forbidden. What you know isn’t even a proper transmutation method. Whoever taught you wanted you to fail.”

“That's...”

“It’s fine. That’s how sorcerers are born. They must satisfy their curiosity until they die.”

Allen looked at the confused Nain Darhon and burst into laughter.

“Curiosity is good, but you need to clean up your own mess. Listen carefully. I’ll only say this once.” Karyl pointed to the chest of the Void Speck. “See that? If you slash its heart, it will die. But if you stab it carelessly, the poison inside will trigger an explosion and subsequently blow up the entire area.”

“Huh...”

“The heart contracts and expands when attacked. It repeats this cycle, and the third expansion is the moment to strike.”

Nain nodded with a tense expression.

“So I just have to destroy the heart without letting it explode, right?” Serica Lauren untied her hair, attached the wand received from Karyl to her spear, and secured it with the hairband. Although it looked odd, she held it confidently.

Crack... Crack...

The blade of her spear turned icy white.

“It’s quite simple.”

She slung the spear over her shoulder.

“So all my suffering was because of this thing?”

Despite this creature being the cause of great distress for a Great Sorcerer like Nain Darhon, Serica showed no fear, only eagerness to fight.

“Serica...”

Mikhail, now awake, looked at her with worry.

“Everyone stay put. I'll handle this.”

She placed her hand on her chest.

Vooom...

A faint light emanated from her, illuminating her surroundings.

“That fool... She’s using that old method I used before.”

As various kinds of auxiliary magic took effect, her hair drifted upward, floating gently.

“Of course, she has a knack for battle magic...”

Thoom!

Before Karyl could finish, Serica dashed forward without hesitation and thrust her hand into the heart of the Void Speck.

“Wait!”

Even Karyl was caught off guard by her charge.

“Grooaarr...!!”

The Dust of the Void raised its massive fist to crush her.

Crack... Crack...

But then, frost formed around her hand clutching the Void Speck.

“Graa... Grr...”

The creature’s heart froze instantly, and it shuddered to a halt.

“By combining magic and physical attacks, the heart can’t expand."

Crack...! Crack.....!

Serica drove her spear into the heart. The spear, with the wand bound to it, was also frozen solid. Each strike froze and shattered parts of the creature’s body.

Boom! Boom! Crack!

As explosions erupted, the creature’s body crumbled into dust, leaving nothing but the frozen heart.

“...!!”

Karyl’s eyes widened in genuine surprise at the sight. Serica’s martial prowess was not extraordinary to someone like him, who had reached the rank of Sword Master. Rather, it was her strategy that startled him. At first glance, it appeared as if she was channeling mana into the spear’s blade to attack, making it seem no different from a Mana Blade.

However, her approach was entirely different.

She freezes the body with ice magic just before the spear hits, enhancing the damage of the incoming physical attack.

Unlike simply infusing a weapon with mana, Serica employed dual strikes—magic followed by a physical attack in less than a second.

Freezing Spear.

It was a direct assault from a sorcerer wielding magical weapons, not relying on physical strikes like a warrior but instead maximizing offensive magic to enhance her spear technique.

It’s not perfect, but it’s certainly that technique.

Serica hadn’t reached the Supreme level yet, but during her training in the Reversal Chamber, she had learned to leverage her strengths. Karyl couldn’t help but admire her combat sense once more.

“...Was it that easy?”

Nain Darhon looked at Serica, who was irritably stabbing the remains of the Void Speck.

“It was an incomplete creature, but still...”

Thud! Thud! Thud!

“It’s because she’s a monster.”

“A monster calling someone else a monster...” Nain Darhon shook his head.

“Well, I didn’t even get a chance to step in, but I think I got the gist of it. If something like that appears again, I’ll handle it,” Nain declared.

“If a creature with five times the power of that incomplete Speck were to emerge, would you be able to kill it?”

Nain turned to Karyl.

“Hmm... it would be tricky but not impossible.”

“What about ten times?”

This time, Nain frowned slightly.

“It would be tough, but...”

“Twenty times?”

“...Are you kidding? What’s your point?”

Nain laughed in disbelief at Karyl’s persistent questioning.

“You have to train. Both you and the Immortal Council need to become stronger so that you can handle something even twenty times more powerful than this creature.”

“...?”

Unlike before, Karyl’s serious demeanor made Nain look at him curiously.

“Hey, you. Didn’t you say you got the Book of Nightmares from the Church?”

“Y-Yes! That’s right.”

But his curiosity didn’t last long. He ran toward Allen, who had called him.

“And the ones who originally had that book were the ones Karyl mentioned, the Wooden Clouds or whatever.”

Karyl nodded.

“Those bastards... They’re a joke.”

“Huh?”

At that moment, Allen Javius spoke directly into Karyl’s mind, different from before.

[I understand why fanatics have emerged. No sane person would worship the Tarak that aim to destroy the world.]

...?!

Since they were bound by a soul contract, their conversation, unlike magic, couldn't be overheard by anyone, not even the Spirit Kings.

Allen picked up something from the remains of the Dust of the Void and showed it to Karyl.

What is that?

It looked like a black seed, but it had odd, bumpy protrusions.

[You thought Antihum’s village was wiped away in your previous life by the explosion of an incomplete Tarak, right?]

Right.

[That wasn’t the only reason. Even if it exploded, this thing made by Nain Darhon isn't even a quarter of a real Tarak. It couldn’t have engulfed the entire village.]

Then...?

Allen stared at the black seed.

[But if this thing, not the Tarak, were to explode, it would be different.]

Karyl looked at the seed held by Allen; he hadn’t seen anything like it before. As Serica's magic dissipated, the ice began to melt off the seed, and the thing trembled slightly, almost as if it were alive.

[This is called a Black Spore, a thing of the Demon Realm.]

...!!

At that moment, Karyl’s face hardened.