Rebirth of the 8th-Circle Mage

Chapter 140 - The Second Button (4)

Chapter 140 - The Second Button (4)

‘Iselan?’

Henry’s expression showed his surprise at seeing Iselan. It was clear that Iselan was also taken back by this unexpected encounter.

However, Iselan didn’t recognize Henry, since Henry was wearing a helmet that covered his entire face.

Henry’s gaze shifted from Iselan’s face to his hand.

Iselan was holding onto the neck of a Dullahan, a high-ranking undead that lived in the 3rd district.

‘A Dullahan?’

Although the Dullahan’s head and body were separated, they were still linked together, and the head was its most important body part.

Dullahan’s head was under Iselan’s feet and its body was bound in chains.

‘What is he doing?’

Why was Iselan holding a bound Dullahan by the neck? Henry couldn’t understand his motives.

However, when Henry looked back at Iselan’s face, he saw that Iselan was smiling.

‘He’s smiling?’

Just then…

Shhh!

Iselan increased the Aura around himself.

“...!”

He released a tremendous amount of murderous aura.

Henry realized that the murderous aura was heading towards him.

Splat!

Iselan crushed the Dullahan’s head with his foot and swung his sword from his back, splitting the body of the Dullahan in two.

Thud!

The Dullahan collapsed.

Iselan then turned to face Henry and sprinted towards him, making the ground quake.

Thud!

Iselan’s speed was like that of a fast beast, and he neared Henry in an instant.

“Damn it…!”

Henry couldn’t help but curse. There was for sure some kind of misunderstanding, but there were too many things he would have to explain if he took off his helmet and showed his face.

The solution was simple.

To counter Iselan’s attack, Henry quickly put on his magical armor before Iselan could swing his sword.

Thud!

As soon as he stomped, the Colt Armor aided in creating a stronger magical armor, and instantly covered his whole body.

Tzzzzz!

Henry also released a huge amount of Aura all over his body. Otherwise, he knew that he wouldn't be able to hold out for even a second against the angry beast.

Clank!

The collision of Henry’s Colt Sword and Iselan’s sword created a tremendous, earsplitting roar that resounded in all directions.

However, unlike their match before, Henry’s arms were no longer shaking as if he were about to die.

Iselan moved closer and let out a small exclamation as their swords clashed.

“Khahaha! You're not too stupid after all!”

Iselan’s compliment was rather backhanded—he was praising Henry and at the same time looking down on him. Of course, Henry couldn't reply because he didn’t want to take off his helmet.

“Why aren’t you saying anything? Reveal yourself, Lich Knight!”

‘Lich Knight?’

Woong!

Henry didn’t even get the chance to think about what Iselan meant before Iselan continued attacking him.

Whoosh!

Henry narrowly dodged the sword, which slashed horizontally through the air. He took a step back to get out of range, but a blue light flashed from Iselan’s sword.

It wasn’t just a simple swing of his sword, it was an attack using Aura.

Only then did Henry realize that he had misjudged. However, there was not enough time to release his Aura and admit his mistake. Henry cast Magic Shield, a defensive technique that he was far more familiar with than releasing Aura.

Clankkk!

The sound of multiple layers of glass being shattered echoed through the forest. Thanks to the Magic Shield, he managed to block Iselan’s slash.

However, Iselan’s eyes were brimming with confidence and joy.

“As expected!”

‘As expected of what!’

Iselan had completely misidentified Henry as someone called the Lich Knight.

“I’ve finally found you!”

Oong!

Clank!

Another sword strike followed and the Magic Shield broke.

It was definitely a misunderstanding, but Iselan’s attacks were unstoppable.

Henry thought about how to effectively subdue this ruthless beast, but he quickly came to the conclusion that if Iselan was going all out, then Henry just had to fight with all his might.

Henry decided to make full use of this misunderstanding.

‘Ground Spear!’

Snap!

Rumble…!

As soon as he snapped his fingers, the ground started to shake and countless spears emerged from the ground like thorns.

Shunk shunk!

However, the hastily cast spell didn’t stop Iselan’s attack.

“Is that all you’ve got?”

Crush!

The spell was mage-level magic, but Iselan cut through the spears on the ground as if he were simply cutting reeds and pushed his head through.

‘That maniac!’

Henry knew very well that his hasty 5th Circle level magic wouldn’t be enough to subdue Iselan. However, he didn’t expect him to look so relaxed. There wasn’t a single scratch on his body.

Iselan pushed his way through and said, “You can’t tell me this is all you’ve got. Lich Knight, entertain me a little more!”

Thud!

Iselan climbed through the tall spears and landed on the ground.

Henry became even angrier as he noticed the confidence radiating from Iselan’s face as if he believed victory was already assured.

Not only was it a stupid misunderstanding, but Henry felt as if his Archmage power was being ignored.

Iselan slowly started walking towards Henry with a relaxed smile.

Henry cast a spell again as he waited for Iselan to approach.

Swoosh!

He decided to change his attack.

If Iselan could cut through the magical spears, he would have to choose something that Iselan couldn’t cut his way through.

So this time, Henry calmly prepared magic with a wind property.

“Okay, go ahead and show me. Do your very best till the end and entertain me.”

‘...What a maniac.’

Henry had no other words.

Iselan already had the reputation of being a natural fighter and a combat fanatic at the fortress.

From the perspective of a monster, Henry saw how scary that reputation was.This only fueled Henry’s determination to humble him.

Even though Iselan was a natural fighter, Henry considered himself the most powerful in the empire.

Whoosh…!

Henry used Iselan’s slow pace to complete the 6th Circle wind magic.

‘Why don’t you try blocking this, too?’

A tremendous amount of mana in his hand pulsated with an emerald-colored light.

The magic he prepared was called Mad Cyclone, a devastating spell that had decimated tens of thousands of enemy soldiers during the unification war.

Henry modified the dangerous spell into a new version that could focus on a single target, adapting it to his current situation.

“Come at me!”

The mad fighter’s eyes were full of anticipation and his Aura started to blaze more and more.

Henry sent the Mad Cyclone to Iselan.

Swoosh!

A sharp, piercing sound cut across the entire area.

The Mad Cyclone spread as if it would swallow up the whole world at any moment.

When the storm collided with Iselan…

Clank!

Iselan’s blue flames collided mercilessly with the Mad Cyclone.

“Enjoy it as much as you can, you fool.”

Henry clucked his tongue as he watched. Even though the highest-level Sword Masters were on par with Archmages, Iselan was facing none other than Henry himself.

They continued to clash.

Since the magic was intended for mass killing, the compression of its power lasted for a long time since it was in a small area, as opposed to a short time in a large area.

While Iselan was briefly caught up in the Mad Cyclone, Henry prepared his second spell.

Whoosh!

The second spell was a bitterly cold snowstorm, but Henry modified it this time as well.

“Earthquake.”

Thud!

It was a 5th Circle spell that caused an earthquake.

It wouldn’t cause much damage to Iselan, but it would be enough to disturb his sense of balance.

Henry kicked the ground at the same time he cast the spell. Green mana penetrated the ground and shot forward.

Rumble!

Henry could feel the tremors reach Iselan.

Henry judged that there was no need to turn the whole area upside down since his goal was to simply keep Iselan off balance.

The ground cracked and the air grew tense. Since the earthquake and storm were occurring at the same time, a thick dust cloud rose.

Henry threw the modified snowstorm towards Iselan as though he were throwing a ball.

Crackle!

Something incredible happened: when the snowstorm touched the Mad Cyclone, the thick dust cloud froze in an instant.

“How stupid.”

Since Henry had cast the spell, he could sense that Iselan was completely frozen. It would be impossible for him to break free and swing his sword again.

Iselan had to be frozen alive because he had mistaken Henry for the Lich Kight.

Henry released Aura onto his Colt Sword and started cutting the superfluous chunks of ice around Iselan. Finally, he stood face to face with Iselan, who looked ridiculous, frozen on the verge of losing his balance.

‘Lich Knight, huh…’

Henry could think now that the situation was under control.

When a Death Knight defeated a Lich and absorbed its power, it would undergo a transformation and awaken as the lowest-level demon called the Lich Knight.

Henry was reminded of Bloom, one of the highest-level demons he had defeated in the past.

Despite starting as a low-level demon, the Lich Knight possessed unique traits that allowed rapid development and unlimited potential. As a result, it quickly ascended to the ranks of high-level demons.

‘The secret he was keeping from me was the Lich Knight.’

Only then did Henry understand why Iselan had appeared in this location after refusing to drink with him.

Iselan was a responsible soldier.

He was secretly wandering around the 3rd district every night without his subordinates in order to get rid of the recently awakened Lich Knight.

As a high-level Sword Master, if Iselan didn’t step up, many of his subordinates would surely get hurt in the process of trying to subdue the Lich Knight.

‘But not today.’

Even though Iselan was obviously a good leader, he had picked the wrong day because Henry had business in the 3rd district.

Henry decided to drop Iselan off at the fortress first using Teleportation, but just then…

- Khaha, are you the one that was looking for me?

It was an unpleasant voice.

Henry turned his head to see the Lich Knight that Iselan had been searching for. It released a murderous aura towards Henry as it approached with dozens of Death Knights and Dullahans.

“Huh?”

Henry saw the Lich Knight and the Death Knight.

As soon as Henry made eye contact with Lich Knight, he raised his right hand without hesitation and cast a spell.

“Mad Cyclone.”

Rumble!

The sky wept as the spell was cast and another huge gust of wind blew.

By the time the furious storm passed, pieces of torn rags were scattered on the ground like flower petals.