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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Xrecker
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&tbsp;
Weather control.
Considered the pinnacle of elemental magic, it was a high-level magic typically requiring a mage of at least the seventh tier. However, I had managed to create a spell with similar effects by combining Majestic Presence and Thunderbolt, two sixth-tier spells.
This was possible due to the unique nature of the wind element.
The traditional four-element theory stated that all natural phenomena originated from four elements: Aqua, Ignis, Ventus, and Terra.
While Ventus was commonly referred to as wind, its true meaning was atmosphere (大氣), the fundamental element governing all natural phenomena in the sky.
Just as ice formed from water and ash from fire, lightning originated from wind, according to this theory.
While it sounded like pseudoscience, it was accepted as fact in this world.
Since wind and lightning magic shared the same origin, despite their seemingly disparate nature, they were surprisingly compatible. This realization led me to create a spell that could generate localized storms.
Crackle, crackle, boom!
A massive storm, accompanied by thunder and lightning, descended like divine retribution, sweeping away all enemies below.
Even though it was my own creation, the sheer power of the spell never ceased to amaze me.
The hailstones, lightning strikes, and massive tornadoes left scars on the earth like claw marks from a giant beast.
Anyone caught within the storm’s radius wouldn’t escape unscathed.
It was, after all, a fusion of two tactical-level spells; its power was immense.
As the storm subsided, obeying my will, I looked down. Less than ten men were still standing.
Even they were battered and bruised, their clothes torn.
They had struggled valiantly to protect the Margrave of Hamburg amidst the raging storm.
I descended to finish them off.
Thud.
As soon as I landed, Fellmond, his face contorted in anger, shouted,
“Coward! You hid in the sky because you were afraid to face us!”
I scoffed.
“If you’re so upset, learn some magic yourself. Besides, isn’t one against a hundred cowardly as well?”
“Tch!”
Struck by my words, Fellmond bit his lip in frustration.
The Margrave of Hamburg, standing behind Fellmond, asked,
“Archmage Kaldrash, why did you betray humanity? What corrupted you?”
“Corrupted me?”
“Isn’t that what you did? You betrayed your comrades, your country, and even humanity. You lie constantly and slaughter your fellow countrymen without remorse. If that’s not corruption, what is?”
I couldn’t hold back my laughter any longer.
“Heh, heh.”
What started as a chuckle grew into a full-blown roar of laughter.
“HAHAHAHAHAHA!”
I threw my head back, laughing heartily.
Humans truly were foolish creatures. They only saw and heard what they wanted to.
I wiped away a tear of laughter and corrected his misconception.
“I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I’ve always been this way. I pursue personal gain, act on impulse, and get angry when annoyed. I’m just an ordinary person.”
I couldn’t be bothered with universal love and compassion like that righteous fool, the Hero. His misguided attempts to love everyone equally had led to the party’s downfall.
“Humans and demons are both living beings made of flesh and blood. To me, demons are just humans with horns, and humans are just demons without horns. They’re all the same, so I don’t understand why you discriminate.”
The Mad Mage, who had ruthlessly slaughtered demons on the battlefield, had simply turned his blade against humans.
Nothing had really changed.
Just the color of the blood spilled.
“Madman.”
The Margrave glared at me as if I were a monster.
Like father, like daughter. They used the same insults.
I spread my arms.
While my mana was running low after casting Stylish Gale, I still had enough to kill these men.
Wind swirled around my limbs, and I assumed a fighting stance, one foot slightly behind the other, my arms extended.
The remaining ten men, their hands trembling, gripped their swords and glared at me.
A tense silence hung in the air.
The first to attack was a burly warrior in the front.
“UAAAAAAAAAAH!”
He charged, roaring, his longsword raised above his head, perhaps to bolster his courage.
I lunged forward and struck his chin with the heel of my palm.
Crack!
His jawbone shattered, and his large body crumpled like a rag doll.
Nine left.
I used his body as a shield and kicked two more soldiers, who had attempted to attack from behind.
A blade of compressed air, launched from my foot, sliced through their abdomens, and they collapsed onto the snow.
Seven left.
“Damn it! Die!”
A soldier, driven mad by fear, charged recklessly, his spear imbued with aura.
I calmly dodged the spear thrust, snapped the shaft with a chop of my hand, and then, as the soldier fumbled with the broken weapon, I kneed him in the stomach.
“Gah!”
His fragile human body couldn’t withstand the blow.
Six left.
“Th-This is madness! I have to survive!”
One of the soldiers, terrified by the rapidly dwindling numbers, dropped his weapon and turned to flee, his survival instincts overriding his sense of duty.
I shot a wind bullet into the back of his head.
Five left.
“Don’t attack him one at a time, you fools! Three of you, attack together!”
Fellmond shouted, his voice laced with desperation. The remaining soldiers exchanged glances, gulped, and then surrounded me.
I slowly walked towards the center of their formation, making it easier for them to attack.
“HAAAA!”
The first soldier swung his glowing sword at my neck.
I didn’t dodge.
Clang!
His weak aura couldn’t penetrate my Whirlwind Bone Cutter defense.
I punched him in the stomach, then, as the other two soldiers lunged forward, trying to exploit the opening, I sent gusts of wind their way.
The three soldiers, already exhausted, died easily.
Two left.
I looked at the Margrave and Fellmond.
Fellmond, his face contorted in frustration, pointed his sword at me.
He hadn’t run. A testament to his loyalty to the Margrave.
A tense silence filled the air.
Fellmond, unable to bear the tension any longer, attacked first.
“Ha!”
His sword glowed with a bright aura, a sign of his resolve.
He closed the distance in two steps and swung his sword down, aiming to cleave my skull in two.
Thwack!
I caught the blade with my bare hands.
Fellmond’s eyes widened in disbelief.
But it couldn’t be helped.
Compared to the Hero’s swordsmanship, which I had witnessed countless times, his attacks were too slow.
While their skills might have been comparable, the Hero always fought with the enhanced stats granted by his holy sword and the Sage’s buffs. There was no comparison.
I snapped the blade in two and punched Fellmond in the stomach.
“Gah!”
Fellmond coughed up blood, his innards ruptured, and looked back and forth between me and the Margrave in disbelief before collapsing.
One left.
I approached the Margrave of Hamburg.
He had long since discarded his weapon, realizing resistance was futile.
“Any last words?”
The Margrave chuckled wryly.
“I should have brought more men. I didn’t think a hundred of my elite soldiers would be insufficient.”
“I’m just stronger.”
“…Tell my daughter not to seek revenge.”
“Worried about your daughter now that you’re about to die?”
“It’s simply a judgment call as the head of the family. I don’t want to burden my heir with such a heavy responsibility.”
The Margrave closed his eyes.
I gathered my remaining mana and, out of respect for his composure in the face of death, swiftly decapitated him.
His headless body slumped to the ground.
“Phew…”
I was the only one left alive.
I wiped the blood from my face and started walking towards Hamburg, to retrieve Gold Run.
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