Chapter 178
Entering the temple, Franz was able to face the Seven Great Evils.
He was exactly as the barbarians had described. He stood there seemingly fine, but his eyes were closed.
Yet, to call him blind was questionable, as he wasn’t holding a cane in his hand.
However, that wasn’t the only unusual thing. His inner self, or more accurately, his magic power, was in a state of considerable chaos.
Usually, the magic power of Mages was expected to be pure, but even though he used magic, he seemed far from pure.
'It doesn’t seem like the barbarians were lying.'
They might be a bit loud, but they weren’t the type to deceive others. Their pride would never allow for such despicable acts.
If anything, they would sooner die than commit such despicable acts.
Well, it wasn’t particularly important.
Whether his magic power was pure or chaotic, the fact that he had to be killed remained the same anyway.
“By the way, is that a bull…?”
Behind the Seven Great Evils stood a massive stone statue. Its entire body was muscular and it had large horns, making it look exactly like a bull.
Its only distinguishing feature was its thick, sturdy tail.
Seeing as they went out of their way to leave an animal statue inside the temple, it was likely an object of worship for the nearby barbarians.
There were times in ancient civilizations when animals were treated like gods, so that tradition had probably been passed down.
As Franz looked around and assessed the situation.
“Franz, so that guy is a cultist?”
Yuna asked as she adjusted her grip on her sword.
However, the aura flowing from her body was extraordinary.
Then again, having walked through such a gruesome sight to get here, she probably wanted to kill him as quickly as possible.
After all, bringing justice to the world was what a Hero did.
“Yuna, wait. We still don’t fully know his abilities.”
All the barbarians had told them was that he used a sword and various types of magic.
It was ambiguous whether that magic was shamanism or actual magic, and above all, his chaotic magic power bothered Franz far too much.
“Hera, you attack first.”
“Understood.”
Hera raised her bow and pulled the bowstring. Light then gathered to form an arrow.
It was then.
The guy kicked off the ground and drew the sword from his waist. His movement was so incredibly fast that it was difficult to even follow with the eyes.
Thud-!
He arrived in front of Hera in a mere instant.
Soon after, the chillingly sharp blade surged toward Hera’s neck.
However, that sword never reached Hera.
Clang-!
A sharp noise rang out as the blades clashed. Yuna, who was standing next to him, had swung her sword and blocked his attack.
'I didn’t know there was another monster like this…'
If one were to look purely at his skills, excluding the fact that he had joined hands with the cult, he would be a worthy member of the Hero’s Party.
If Franz had come alone without listening to Yusti-ah, he would have struggled quite a bit.
But struggling didn’t mean he couldn’t win.
Snap-.
As Franz snapped his fingers, a purple magic circle was drawn on the floor.
The magic circle emitted light as the magic activated, and soon after, iron chains made of magic power shot out.
Rattle-!
The chains advanced rapidly toward the Seven Great Evils, and the guy kicked off the ground and ran to escape them.
However, Yuna wasn’t one to just stand by and watch.
“Where do you think you’re going?!”
Yuna’s sword struck sharply at his opening.
Claaang-!
He swung his sword and deflected Yuna’s attack, but in the process, he had no choice but to come to a halt.
To think he would live to see someone perfectly deflect Yuna’s sword.
Well, it just meant the world was wide and full of monsters.
Rattle-!
The extended chains bound his body.
Thus, with the moving target stopped, he was no different from prey to a sharpshooter who never missed.
As Hera released the bowstring she was holding, a cluster of light fluttered around the arrow as it was loosed.
A trail of light remained along the trajectory of the fired arrow, and the advancing arrow rapidly surged toward him.
It was then.
Rumble-!
His magic power swirled, and suddenly, the chains vanished.
Thus, with the target able to move again, it was only natural that the arrow failed to hit its mark.
As he kicked off the ground and twisted his body, the arrow narrowly missed.
“Did he just dispel the magic…?”
Franz narrowed his brow at the unbelievable situation unfolding before his eyes.
He hadn’t simply broken free of the chains with brute force, nor had he destroyed the magic through some other method.
He had intervened in the magic and reversed its process.
This was the same principle as the anti-Magic that Franz frequently used.
Of course, the theory itself wasn’t that difficult. It was merely like unraveling a complex weave back into its threads.
However, that was only possible if one knew all the components of the magic in question and could break down its activation process step by step.
In other words, it was impossible for mediocre Mages to even imitate.
Furthermore, he had dispelled not just ordinary magic, but magic that had been reinforced several times over, so his magic was just as monstrous as his swordsmanship.
“This is interesting.”
The appearance of a powerful enemy was certainly something to be wary of, but ironically, Franz was feeling intrigued.
A talented Mage was inherently drawn to the unknown, after all.
Perhaps he might provide the answer to reaching an even higher realm.
Snap-.
Franz snapped his fingers.
Countless magic circles were immediately drawn in the air, and magic began to pour down like rain.
The magic varied in both attribute and type, truly showcasing skills befitting the pinnacle of magic.
However, the guy wasn’t a pushover either.
He moved swiftly to dodge the magic while methodically dismantling the magic circles.
It was a feat that made it impossible to believe his eyes were closed.
It was then.
[I remember now…]
Leviathan suddenly spoke up.
“What is it?”
Franz asked out of courtesy, but he didn’t really expect much.
Because whatever that damn eel said didn’t seem like it would be particularly helpful.
However, contrary to his expectations, the words leviathan shared were shocking.
[That guy is definitely someone I have fought before.]
“What do you mean? Explain in a bit more detail.”
[I don’t know about the physical body, but the soul and magic power are unmistakable. He was probably forcibly bound through some kind of shamanism. Humans truly are endlessly ugly.]
In short, another soul was inside the body of the guy they were fighting, and the original owner of that soul was one of the heroes of the Mythical Era.
How on earth was that possible…?
In magical theory, the soul and the body were not considered separate, so there was no way to explain this current situation.
But if it was shamanism, as leviathan said, it might be possible. There were still many undiscovered aspects of shamanism.
[But judging by his skills, it seems he isn’t fully intact.]
“I agree.”
The heroes of the Mythical Era were those who had a proven record of fighting against the Demon God. No matter how incomplete their physical bodies were, they wouldn’t be at a level where they would struggle against mere magic being fired at them.
It was then.
The guy wove through the magic and lunged at Franz.
He had aimed for the brief opening created while conversing with leviathan.
The chillingly sharp blade surged toward Franz’s neck, but he was still just calmly analyzing the situation.
With his companions standing right there, fully alert, there was no way such an attack would reach him, right?
Claaang-!
Yuna struck his attack away, and the recoil caused his arm to fly up above his head.
That meant an opening had been created, and Hera aimed for that opening and fired an arrow.
Swoosh-!
The arrow headed toward him, leaving a trail of light.
“───!”
Honestly, at this point, it would be understandable to give up and accept death, but he simply didn’t know how to give up.
Then again, his life was on the line, so perhaps it was only natural.
A magic circle began to be rapidly drawn beneath his feet. That magic was definitely from the Mythical Era, serving as proof that leviathan’s words were true.
He probably thought he had made his escape this way, because the completion of the magic would be faster than the arrow reaching him.
He had to admit his skills were amazing, but…
Snap-.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t just stand by and watch that happen.
The nearly completed magic circle dismantled in reverse and turned into a cluster of light.
With his means of escape gone, he was left as nothing more than a target for the arrow.
Boom-!
The arrow blew a massive hole in his chest and lodged into the animal statue behind him.
Blood poured out from the gaping hole, and having lost his heart and mana core, he lost his balance and collapsed backward.
It was then that he opened his closed eyes.
“Ah… Finally, can I sleep in peace…?”
Could it be that he had kept his eyes closed simply because he simply wanted to sleep?
Franz decided not to think too deeply about it. Feeling pity for an enemy would only cause him pain.
“The plan is… already complete… no, incomplete… But it is enough… to bring ruin to the world…”
After spitting out those incomprehensible words, he breathed his last.
Franz pondered over what he had said before shaking his head.
That was something he could do a little later.
“Guys, good work. Let’s head back… for now…?”
As he was speaking, Franz felt something strange.
As if the temple were shaking…
…No, it was shaking.