Chapter 38 : The Potion-Chugging Mad Mage

Craaaack… CRASH!

The sound of the barrier shattering was sweet—almost musical.

I glanced at the old mage, wondering if it sounded just as sweet to him.

At that moment, the gust of wind I carried tore his damned hood back. Finally, his face was revealed.

And on that wrinkled, pallid face bloomed shock.

The old man’s eyes, framed by white brows, widened in disbelief.

A deep satisfaction swelled inside me.

Smiling, I thrust my sword straight through the broken barrier.

“Come out, old man.”

Just before my blade could land, his lips moved swiftly and the staff in his hand flashed blue.

In an instant, light swallowed him—and he vanished.

I spun on instinct.

Far behind me, the old man reappeared, glaring at me in flustered rage.

“You mad bastard! You broke it? That’s impossible…!”

“Barriers exist to be broken.”

I replied lightly, stooping to pick a few stones from the ground. I rolled them in my palm, eyes never leaving him.

He was a wrinkled, hollow-cheeked old man—pathetic in appearance. The sort of stubborn codger who never listens, not even on his deathbed.

Seeing his face dulled my fighting spirit for a moment.

With that body, even if I didn’t kill him, he’d probably keel over on his own just by running around long enough.

Still, I had learned what I needed.

That invisible barrier of his could be broken—with starlight condensed to a point.

Only at close range, but still.

I called out to him.

“Old man! Just accept it! Why keep flailing? Even if you die fighting, people will just call it natural causes!”

A vein throbbed on his forehead.

“You son of a bitch! Shut that mouth!”

His once-polished tone crumbled into raw curses, and I thought—so that’s his real self.

I shouted back.

“Insolence! Still that rotten tongue!”

“Brat who doesn’t even have dry blood on his head.”

“When the blood dries, you’re already dead. You must know—you’re nearly there.”

“You little bastard.”

“Enough words, old man! Step forward and bare your neck. I’ll grant you natural death myself.”

“……”

He closed his eyes, breathing deep. Then, when he opened them again, his voice had returned to the calm cadence he had before.

“…So you’re not one who can be handled with half measures.”

He raised his staff—then slammed it to the ground.

BOOM!

The jewel on its head flared yellow, and lightning dropped from the sky.

“Shit!”

CRACK!

I dove aside just in time to dodge the thunderbolt.

But that wasn’t the end.

He hammered the ground again and again.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Each strike brought the roar of splitting air overhead, followed by another lightning bolt.

CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!

Bolts fell relentlessly, chasing me like hounds.

“This is cheating!”

[Hooh… so this is magic. Fascinating.]

“Now is not the time to be impressed!”

I scrambled desperately to evade the thunderstorm.

How the hell is he casting so recklessly? Is this his last blaze before death?

I didn’t know much about magic, but this—this was madness. Lightning falling like rain.

Dodging, I caught a glance of the old man.

He was still pounding his staff into the ground, eyes locked on me, while his other hand reached into his robe. He pulled out a small glass vial and guzzled it down.

The secret lies in that staff… and those potions.

Instinct told me so.

But still, the lightning poured down without end.

I had to focus on dodging—otherwise I’d be struck before I could even counter.

I hurled one of my Night Sky Bombs at the ground.

BOOM!

Dark smoke billowed like a rolling storm cloud.

I tossed the rest in quick succession.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The mist spread wide, cloaking the field.

Thunderbolts stabbed through the veil several times, then ceased.

The old mage tossed the empty vial aside and muttered,

“I’d heard you wield black magic… but strange. I sense no mana at all.”

My tongue itched to lash back.

I wanted to shout, It’s not black magic, you disrespectful bastard—it’s martial arts!

But I clenched my jaw. If I opened my mouth, another bolt would drop on my head.

Instead, I picked up a stone and tossed it toward the edge of the smoke.

CRASH!

Sure enough, lightning smote it instantly.

“……”

I stared at the shattered pebble.

If that had been me, I’d be a corpse already.

Shushruta’s warning flashed in my mind—if the flute-player himself showed up, don’t even think of fighting. Just run.

What kind of monster are you, old man?

First he had been an elusive hermit, now a potion-chugging lunatic.

“Phew…”

Time to plan.

Hiding in the mist, I caught my breath and thought.

You never give a mage distance.

Always, always close in and end it fast.

But… I had tried that already. Almost succeeded, but he slipped away with teleportation.

I had expected he’d use it once—but had no counter prepared.

Even so, there was no other choice. I had to get close.

His barrier could be broken, yes—but only by thrusting starlight at point-blank range.

Ranged attacks—Meteor Shots, sword-qi—were useless.

So how to approach?

Use more Night Sky Bombs?

I could scatter them along my path, making his magic easier to dodge.

But they devoured too much inner energy. Use them too freely, and I’d have no strength left to forge the starlight strike needed to break his barrier.

Without that, I’d lose.

So—discard that option.

Only one path remained.

Run like hell. Dodge like hell.

Sometimes, simple and brutal was best.

I summoned my qi, guiding it into the paths where wind flowed.

At once, a sharp whistle filled my ears, and the wind wrapped around me.

I scooped up a stone, flung it aside, and the moment lightning smote it—

CRASH!

—I kicked off, qi bursting from my feet, and shot forward through the storm.

Szzzzzt…

The instant I left the smoke, the ominous crackle of static flared above my head.

I didn’t even look—just flung myself diagonally right, skimming past the lightning.

CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!

Bolts slammed down just behind me, close enough to set my heels tingling.

I zigzagged frantically, weaving through the storm.

Then—from ahead—came the sound of cutting air.

The ice arrows, back again, screaming toward me in volleys.

At the same time, the ominous zzzt… of static built above my head.

I almost couldn’t believe my ears.

He’s casting both at once?

I bellowed.

“This is too much, damn it!”

My gaze locked on the oncoming arrows.

The moment they entered my perception, their paths unfolded in my mind. In that instant, I read them all, tracing their lines through the air—then found the single empty seam among them.

Tap!

I kicked off, body spinning forward like a honed spear, plunging through the gap.

Time slowed.

CRASH!

Lightning split the earth behind me.

Swish!

A couple of arrows grazed my shoulder, biting cold where they kissed flesh.

I clenched my teeth.

Perfect victories, my ass.

Time snapped back.

I twisted like a whirlwind, tearing through the wall of arrows, then hit the ground running—straight at the mage.

His eyes widened, clearly not expecting me to break through.

Yet even so, a smug ease lingered on his face, and that irritated me most of all.

But retreat wasn’t an option now.

I summoned the Starlit Moon Technique, condensing radiant light to my sword’s edge.

I’ll break it again.

I knew, at least in part, how it worked.

Teleportation magic—it wasn’t common, not even among mages. A high-level spell.

He must’ve only had one in him.

No—he had to.

And my own qi was running low.

This had to end here.

One step.

That was all that separated us.

I drew back my blade, ready to drive the star at him—

The old man dropped the empty vial from his hand, then slammed his staff down.

The jewel flashed brown.

A bad feeling surged.

The ground trembled. Suddenly, a massive wall of earth rose before me.

“What—?”

Rrrrummble…!

Above, the sky cracked with electricity.

“…Hm?”

And behind me, ice arrows shrieked through the air, waiting for me to turn.

—Mages are cunning creatures, a voice echoed in my mind. The voice of a great mage I once knew.

—They’re obsessed with making their plans work. And when things don’t, they tremble with fear. The older they are, the worse it gets. When we plan, we make a backup or two. But a mage? They plan for their backup’s backup. And then they plan for that failing too. Until they’ve layered countermeasure upon countermeasure, seven, eight deep.

I nodded grimly inside my mind.

—So, if you ever face a mage, crush their plan at the start. If you fail… don’t hesitate. Run. Remember my words.

I shut my eyes tight.

“Damn it, Sister… you could’ve told me before the fight.”

BOOOOM!

Flash.

At the village’s edge, Shushruta stirred awake.

The sound of battle thundered in the distance.

“Ashuban!”

She shot into the air without hesitation.

To keep it short—I survived.

My hair reeked of burnt singe, and my body stung from icy cuts, cold gnawing into my flesh.

But alive.

With the speed I’d built up from Floating Step, wind tearing around me, I had dashed straight up the earthen wall, sprinted along its face, then kicked off, flipping down to barely evade the storm of death.

The wall itself, bombarded by bolts and arrows, groaned and toppled with a thunderous crash.

Dust filled the clearing.

When it cleared, what I saw left me muttering,

“Ah… now this is just unfair.”

At the mage’s feet lay several shattered potion bottles. Around him floated spells, waiting like hungry wolves.

Ice arrows bristling sharp, heavy chunks of earth spinning in the air, searing crimson fireballs that looked ready to melt flesh at a touch—

And all of it accompanied by thunderbolts stabbing down at random.

“So that’s… what? The backup’s backup’s backup’s backup?”

Magic was never meant to fit within a normal man’s sense of reason. But this was absurd.

Standing amid it all, the potion-drunk mage looked anything but sane.

Dark veins crawled across his once-pale face, writhing grotesquely. His smile was vile, monstrous. Looking at him, one could hardly tell who the demon was.

I called out, voice faint with exhaustion.

“Old man…”

He grinned, face bathed in sunset glow, every inch the madman.

“Do you feel like surrendering yet? I didn’t plan to take it this far… but you forced my hand. Hand over Ophosis’s dagger.”

I glared back, deadly serious.

“That’s not happening.”

Tap!

Then I turned and ran.

I had my own backups prepared.

Behind me, spells hissed and crackled, promising death.

So this was his plan’s plan’s plan’s plan.

And what am I doing now? My plan’s plan’s plan’s plan’s plan’s plan.

Dizzying.

My head swam. In the depths of my mind, a red giant rose, striding forward.

Was this… the infamous heart-devil’s fire?

I no longer knew.

The giant reached up toward the heavens, clutching a red thread.

It grinned wide—then yanked.

Snap.

Something broke inside my skull. My vision drowned in crimson.

A blood-drenched world.

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