Chapter 699: Chapter 699

Marquis Falkenheim commanded several knight orders. The Wyvern Knights were one of them.

Gasco, the captain of the Wyvern Knights and the overall commander of this operation, inhaled deeply as he looked at Ghislain.

‘He really possesses Transcendent-level strength.’

He couldn’t believe a mere mercenary had reached such a level, even as he witnessed it firsthand. But it didn’t make him feel afraid or hopeless. Even if the opponent was truly a Transcendent, they had enough forces to subdue him.

Hadn’t they already accounted for the possibility of interference from the knights of Nodehill and Larks in their estimations?

Still, it was impossible not to feel tense. Just being in the presence of the force radiating from the enemy made it hard to breathe.

‘Even if he’s not a full Transcendent, he seems stronger than the intel suggested. Was he hiding his strength after all?’

To think he hid his power while fighting against an entire army. Just how strong was he?

Grit.

Gasco ground his teeth. He could now understand why the man looked so confident. Since he had been hiding his strength, he must have assumed a manageable force would come after him.

That arrogance seeping from his demeanor was intolerable.

“Everyone, attack that bastard!”

At his shout, all the knights charged toward Ghislain.

Gasco was confident. No matter how strong a Transcendent he was, he wouldn’t escape unscathed when facing over a hundred knights of advanced rank or higher head-on.

Ghislain smirked and said,

“You can hold out, right? This will be a good experience.”

Julien and Kyle nodded with their expressions stiffened.

To break through the wall quickly, they needed to accumulate near-death experiences. This would be an immense help in raising their level.

Trusting in the two, Ghislain moved boldly.

KWAANG!

As Ghislain thrust his staff forward, the closest knight was struck in the stomach and sent flying backward.

At the same time, dozens of swords rained down toward Ghislain.

KA-KA-KA-KA-KANG!

Ghislain spun his staff, knocking away every sword. Yet, as expected of advanced-ranked knights, the attackers didn’t falter. They retreated smoothly, allowing the next line of knights to immediately lunge forward with their blades.

It was an attack that exploited a fleeting opening. Even a Transcendent living on a different timeline would find it nearly impossible to dodge – it was that precise.

They all believed that, even if not all, some of the strikes were bound to land.

THUMP! TA-TA-TATANG!

Contrary to everyone’s expectations, dull thuds echoed as the knights’ swords struck an invisible barrier.

Only then did the knights realize the opponent wasn’t a knight.

He was a mage.

Ghislain slammed his staff into the ground and began chanting a spell.

“Shock Wave.”

PAAAAAAANG!

A massive shockwave rippled out in all directions. The knights closest to Ghislain coughed up blood as they were thrown back. But that was only the beginning.

“Maintain the encirclement! Keep pressing him!”

As Gasco shouted, the knights closed in around Ghislain in a tighter circle.

Ghislain rested his staff on his shoulder with a grin.

“If you wanted to deal with me, you should’ve brought a bunch of mages too.”

Crack!

Before he even finished speaking, three knights charged at once. Ghislain swung his staff, deflecting the sword of the first knight.

The staff followed through in an arc, striking the second knight in the head. Seizing that brief opening, the third knight’s sword flew toward Ghislain’s side.

Clang!

But a flash of blue light flared as a shield blocked the blade. Ghislain didn’t miss that fleeting moment he placed his left hand on the knight’s sword.

‘Chain Lightning.’

Zzzzt!

Lightning burst from his hand, piercing through the knights clinging to him. The powerful current traveled through their armor.

The knights nearby convulsed and collapsed, though the rest endured by channeling their mana.

The shocked knights naturally fell back, and others quickly stepped in to take their place.

Gasco’s voice echoed through the banquet hall.

“Reform the ranks! Advance in a three-line formation!”

The knights regrouped swiftly. Even Ghislain, quicker than anyone else, found it difficult to respond in time.

The front line advanced with shields raised, followed by knights wielding longswords. The final row aimed their throwing spears.

Surrounded on all sides, Ghislain clicked his tongue once and leapt into the air. Just as expected, dozens of spears rained up like a hailstorm.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Ghislain swung his staff mid-air, batting away every spear. The attacking knights froze in surprise.

“In the air…?”

They had anticipated he was a mage and prepared their throwing spears accordingly. In the air, he might dodge swords, but his movements should be limited.

Yet his actions in the air were no different from those on the ground.

Taking advantage of the knights’ hesitation, Ghislain cast a spell.

“Frost Nova.”

Crackle!

The ground beneath the knights froze, and a cold burst of energy spread outward. The sudden chill slowed everyone down.

Then, countless bursts of magical energy erupted from Ghislain’s body.

Fwoooosh!

Boom! Boom! Booooom!

Streams of mana shot forth in the hundreds and slammed into the knights. Sluggish from the cold, they couldn’t avoid the deluge of magic.

“Aaaaargh!”

Boom! Boom! Booooom!

If the people of Fenris had witnessed the endless barrage of mana bursts, they would have been stunned.

It was the very technique used by the priests of the Salvation Church.

“As long as it works, that’s all that matters.”

Ghislain didn’t mind using techniques that his enemies had once wielded. There was simply no better method for swiftly handling a large number of foes.

Of course, he adjusted the range and power accordingly. He had no time to gather strength, and he couldn’t risk harming Julien and Kyle.

But even that much was enough to leave the knights visibly horrified. The shock experienced by Gasco, the one in charge of this operation, was beyond words.

“How… how can he cast an area spell that fast?”

The true terror of a mage lay in their ability to unleash devastating area magic.

Granted, even if the building collapsed, the knights here would remain mostly unharmed. However, no matter how seasoned, no knight could survive a direct hit from a spell powerful enough to bring down entire structures.

So, they kept pressing him, forming ranks nonstop to prevent him from casting spells. And yet, he was casting them with startling ease.

“Th-this makes no sense. Just how fast must his computation speed be…?”

It was a complete misunderstanding. Ghislain was simply forcing mana into his spells on instinct.

He wasn’t performing any real calculations. Just as Gasco had predicted, there wasn’t enough time to properly cast area spells but Ghislain filled in the gaps with sheer force of will, making use of spells he could cast immediately.

To others, it looked like he was casting magic without even a single chant.

“Overwhelm him with full force! Push harder!”

Quite a few knights managed to endure even after being struck by the mana burst. The remaining ones clenched their teeth and charged at Ghislain.

At some point, Ghislain had descended and planted his staff onto the ground again as he cast another spell.

“Gravity Well.”

Thudddddd!

Gravity twisted, seizing the ankles of the knights charging at him. The weight of their armor doubled, pressing them down.

Seizing the moment, Ghislain spun his staff, moving like he was dancing.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

With each resounding strike, another knight was sent flying. Even so, Ghislain kept enough awareness to check on Julien and Kyle’s safety.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Julien and Kyle were holding their own in a corner, fighting against ten knights at once. Despite facing formidable enemies, the two of them held an even match.

Their own skills were remarkable, but they also had an unexpected ally.

“I am the Dark of darkness!”

Flap-flap-flap!

Empowered by the mana Ghislain had transferred, Dark split and scattered in all directions.

“What the hell is that?!”

“A talking sparrow?!”

“It’s the mage’s summon!”

Dark’s illusionary clone technique (or something like it) proved incredibly effective. He blocked the knights’ vision or continuously harassed them, throwing off their concentration.

Julien and Kyle didn’t miss the opportunity and drove their swords in, methodically taking down the knights one by one.

Ghislain watched them with a satisfied smile.

“Good. To think they can already fight so calmly.”

Two years of training hadn’t been in vain. The two had grown astonishingly strong.

No one in Fenris had grown as rapidly as they had. They were both exceptionally gifted, yet they hadn’t grown complacent. They had pushed themselves relentlessly, and Ghislain’s instruction had been excellent.

Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaang!

Ghislain rampaged freely. Before long, the number of knights had been halved.

These were high-ranking knights, the kind who could easily claim the position of captain or chief knight in any territory.

Even with just this group, they were powerful enough to take on ten thousand soldiers. Though the confined space limited their ability to unleash their full power as they would on a battlefield, taking down a Transcendent shouldn’t have been difficult.

Yet they were all falling one by one without even managing to leave a decent wound on their opponent.

Even as he directed the knights, Gasco couldn’t hide the tremble in his eyes.

“What the hell… what is that guy?”

Though he had reached the pinnacle of mastery, he could tell his opponent was demonstrating Transcendent-level power, but wasn’t truly a complete Transcendent.

In terms of raw physical strength alone, he was confident he had the upper hand but the man’s technique was so bizarre it left him speechless. There were moments when he even lost track of his opponent’s movements.

And the magic, what was that? It seemed the concept of casting didn’t even exist for him. To use magic that powerful, that swiftly, in close combat would require at least a 7th-Circle Mage.

Superior technique combined with insanely fast magic. With those two things together, the knights simply stood no chance.

‘That… is not a level you can reach through training alone.’

There was no predicting what kind of attack would come next. In contrast, the opponent moved as if he could see right through the knights’ every move.

It was a kind of movement that only someone with vast real battle experience could show. That was how outstanding the opponent’s combat ability was.

He looked so young on the outside, yet how could he be like this? Gasco felt anger, jealousy, and awe all at once.

Kwaaaang!

When Ghislain widely swung his staff again, the knights blocking his path all fell.

Gasco realized he couldn’t just keep standing back to command.

If things went on like this, annihilation would be inevitable. He had to move now.

“You bastard! Die!”

Kwaang!

Gasco exploded forward, mana bursting around him.

Taking advantage of the gap as his allied knights collapsed, he charged in all at once to cut Ghislain down but before he could reach his target, his opponent suddenly appeared right in front of him. A chill ran down Gasco’s spine and he clenched his teeth.

“So, you’re finally going to fight me?”

Ghislain, having moved just a breath earlier, grinned and reached out his hand.

Seeing that blackened hand coming toward him, Gasco jerked his head back in alarm.

‘Black magic?’

There hadn’t been any intel that he was a black mage.

Bzzzzzt!

But that black energy that had just grazed past him, there was no doubt about it. It was black magic.

Gasco stumbled backward in shock. His mind was now engulfed in confusion.

As he retreated, he shouted loudly at Ghislain.

“You! So, you’re a black mage!”

At his words, the remaining knights hesitated.

Black mages were a source of fear even among knights. A single misstep could mean having one’s soul bound by them.

That was why black mages were always to be eradicated without exception.

The knights glanced back and forth between Ghislain and Gasco with confused eyes.

“A black mage? But he was clearly using elemental magic.”

“Judging from his mana, he’s not a black mage.”

Even black mages could use elemental magic. But regardless of the spells they cast, the nature of their mana couldn’t be hidden.

If their opponent were a black mage, the aura should have been evident. But there was no trace of black magic from him at all.

The idea of hiding the nature of one’s mana was absurd, and even if it were possible, the knights here were strong enough to perceive such differences.

Moreover, they had been clashing directly with him up until now. Their opponent was clearly not a black mage.

Yet Gasco, who had never joined the fight himself and had only given commands, continued shouting like a madman.

“You vile scum! How dare a black mage hide his identity…!”

The noisy Gasco abruptly stopped speaking. All the knights were now staring at him. Their eyes were filled with doubt and confusion.

Only then did Gasco, flustered, try to backpedal.

“N-no, I’m sure! Just now, he definitely used black magic.”

As someone who had reached the highest level, there was no way he could’ve mistaken the aura of black magic. Gasco, full of certainty, suddenly recalled that the mana of black mages was fundamentally different from that of other mages.

“Wh-what? I-I’m sure it was black magic…”

The knights frowned as they watched Gasco mumble in confusion.

They were already struggling in a fight against an overwhelmingly strong opponent. And now their commander, Gasco, was spouting nonsense – of course their morale would plummet!

Because of Gasco’s behavior, the battle came to a temporary halt. The knights were all at a loss.

Ghislain shrugged his shoulders and said,

“Looks like they sent someone a little lacking to be in charge. I guess Marquis Falkenheim doesn’t have any competent men under him.”

“Y-you bastard…”

“Why are you suddenly accusing a good person of being a black mage?”

“Black mages can use elemental magic too.”

“So what? Did you sense the aura of black magic when I used other spells? Is it even possible to separate them like that? Can someone just change the nature of their mana at will?”

“I-I’m certain that…”

“If you’re really that suspicious, go weigh me against a duck or something.”

Grit.

Gasco ground his teeth. He’d also heard about the current trend of using ducks to test for black mages.

Bringing up such superstition here was practically mocking him.

Come to think of it, there was no need to keep exchanging words with this guy.

“Silence! Whether you’re a black mage or not doesn’t matter! You die here!”

Kwaaaang!

Gasco exploded forward again, mana bursting out. Ghislain raised his staff and blocked the sword.

Kang! Kagagagakang!

In an instant, dozens of blows were exchanged. As someone who had reached the very edge of the highest rank, Gasco unleashed swift and fierce attacks.

But the other knights just stood there watching, not moving. The atmosphere had turned awkward, and they weren’t sure whether they should follow Gasco’s lead.

Just as Gasco, feeling stifled, was about to shout at them to move, Ghislain stealthily extended his blackened hand once more.

Kaaang!

Gasco recoiled and shouted loudly.

“See! He definitely just used black magic!”

The knights, who had just started to regain their composure, once again stopped in their tracks with hesitant stances. They looked at Gasco with confused eyes as he blurted out nonsense again.

There wasn’t even a trace of black magic. And even if the opponent was a black mage what did it matter? They were here to kill him anyway.

“Hh… hhhhrrrk…”

But from Gasco’s point of view, that wasn’t the issue. There were knights from other noble families present here.

Now he had become a laughingstock in front of them. A man who valued his honor, he couldn’t bear the fact that he had turned into a liar in their eyes.

Gasco shouted with a voice full of frustration.

“I’m telling you, he really is a black mage!”

He had completely fallen into Ghislain’s psychological trap.