-chapter 76-
“This is the original Lin.”
Though I put on a nonchalant demeanor to provoke him a bit, I realized that underestimating a dark magician would lead to death, as I had learned from my past life.
‘From the very start, I should suppress him with everything I have.’
The seal I formed was Ra (羅).
Two circles and two diamonds combined—the runic property of those shapes is ‘to spread’… but wait, what is this?
‘Can’t I feel any magic from the § on my palm?’
The mystical barrier was not forming. A chill ran down my spine for a moment. Did I form the seal incorrectly? Am I lacking magic?
No, everything is correct, right?
“────!”
At that moment, while I was staring at my palm, Rivadin lowered his stance and leaped toward the ground.
In an instant, Rain’s body already assumed a defensive posture. With a metallic screech resembling iron scraping against the wind, a massive stone slab charged toward me.
So fast… In a moment, I raised my staff to block. I deftly countered the ensuing five strikes.
But the force of those blows exceeded my expectations drastically.
Crack—crack—crack!
Even with perfect hardening, my staff screamed under the incredible force, and when the sixth strike collided, it shattered into countless wood splinters.
‘Not just the end part, but the entire slab is made of steel?’
And the end part glowed darkly. It’s wrapped in an abyss…
One hit could spell my doom.
Every hair on my body stood on end.
‘And this guy uses Osarius-style sealing techniques.’
As shards of wood scattered all over, Rain kicked the ground and spun in the air, creating distance.
‘That bastard Libeni was the same, huh.’
The moment I checked my body, a grin twisted my lips in disbelief.
‘Has the peaceful time I’ve lived in Rain’s body been too long, to make such a rookie mistake…?’
One, a single shard had penetrated beneath the flesh of my left arm. I felt something warm spreading slowly in my body.
It’s not the sensation of blood clumping. It’s the spreading feeling of poison—the sense of death.
“Reverse Summon.”
As the magic circle shattered on Rain’s palm, a colorless, transparent barrier expanded around the wound. It would temporarily halt the poison’s spread.
‘But it’s only a quick fix…’
I need to get the initial treatment done quickly. This time things are different. Rem, Bart, and Sammy are nowhere to help.
“Pfft, Bwahahahaha!”
Suddenly, Rivadin burst into laughter, reveling in the joy of seeing me in dire straits.
“Honestly, I can’t stop this once I see that pathetic expression on your face.”
It looked too similar to the expression Libeni wore when he was dying, which made me feel uneasy.
“You filthy rats are just so honest. The moment I burst out some power, you cower and go 100% at it. You’re so easy to read.”
“What the hell have you done?”
“I anticipated you had a hidden weapon. Knowing that, if I disable it, then that’s that.”
Clank… As Rivadin pulled in his hand, the glowing magical chains emitted a damp metallic sound as they extended into the air.
A spasm rippled across my mouth.
No way, this can’t be happening. Countless questions ran through my mind as a cold sweat matted my back.
“The Chains of Warning…?”
That’s hard to believe. I can hardly accept it now, but it’s indeed five-star magic that Lin developed as a secret weapon when he was eighteen years old.
“What? You know about it too? Looks like you’ve studied Lin a bit.”
Three hundred years ago, as we neared the Source of the Abyss, the level of dark magicians escalated exponentially. Defending against their attacks has become far more challenging.
This chain was developed with that in mind. Rather than countering already expended spells, it prevents their casting outright.
Since it’s five-star magic, the required amount of magic power is staggering. After becoming Rain, I haven’t dared to use it…
‘If I expend all the magic I have now, I might just be able to use it for five seconds.’
In any case, it’s utterly unbelievable, so I focused all my mana into my eyes, flooding my vision in crimson.
┏ 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 ┓
• The formation of the magic in the sigil consists of three octagons (steel) and two pentagons (electric).
• The runes used are formulaic Rutin:
‘制 (Control): to suppress’
‘誓 (Vow): to protect’,
‘鎖 (Chain): to bind’,
‘攔 (Block): to obstruct’,
‘煉 (Refine): to purify’.
• Size 88 axels, range 122 Kimite.
┗ 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 ┛
The essence of Bell Sidious was completely identical to what I had created. No one was just copying from a history book poorly.
In that moment, I instantly comprehended why the special operations mages were incapacitated so helplessly.
Meanwhile, another suspicion flared uncontrollably. Libeni bore the appearance of what I forced Rista and Frieda to dress him in.
‘And this guy possesses my ultimate technique. Both of them wield my sealing techniques.’
How in the world is that possible? Are there records documenting such things? If not, is there an enemy among my past companions?
‘Impossible. They wouldn’t behave like this. Moreover, it’s been three hundred years…’
In an instant, a chilling thought pierced my mind—a face of a disciple, who had lived for three centuries and was now under the scrutiny of the heretics, flashed before my eyes.
I shook off the ominous thought instantly.
Tureina would never do this. Yes, she wouldn’t do that. While she had her jokes, she was harmless… and she’s already dead.
“…How in the world do you wield Lin’s techniques?”
Rivadin chuckled sinisterly.
Then that smile split into something more sardonic, and the next moment, he lowered the stone slab and grasped the impetus for a charging attack.
“If you want the answer, you’ll have to keep me entertained for a while!”
He immediately raised his hand to cast the magic circles.
But clang…
A cold chain wrapped around my body, specifically targeting the rib socket beneath my scapula, halting my palm from forming the magic runes. The magical beams rising from my palm flickered out unstably.
‘As expected, instant confinement…!’
The ‘Chains of Warning’ can block up to three spells in total. Right now, he bound the second spell I was about to cast!
Swoosh!
At that moment, the sound of a crack sliced through the air as the stone slab surged toward me. I tilted my head back to dodge, and the impact cracked the ground beneath me.
“Futile tricks!”
Planning to be more cautious with the last one, huh? I needed to drain the power of the chains first… but eliminating Bell Quirius from the equation was another story. I had to find a different approach.
“Rune Reshape.”
Just as Rivadin was about to follow up, the ground on which I stood quaked dramatically, and the area around me rose abruptly.
“This is your last desperate effort, huh!”
High-speed calculations for first-tier triangular sigils manifested, and fireballs rained down, blocking his anticipated path. I should have blocked it.
Clang…!
Once again, enveloped in a shroud of defeat, my palm unleashed an elusive sigil amidst an overwhelming sensation of helplessness.
“Ah damn…!”
I intended to intercept it with a first-tier spell that lacked any sealing value. Was this the moment he deemed fatal?
The seasoned Rivadin sealed my magic just a beat behind, ensuring Rain’s responses would be fatally delayed.
Suddenly, Rivadin, who had climbed the slope, struck down the stone slab upon me. This was an assault that neither magic nor even a mere gaze could handle.
“Form Four, Elephant!”
I would regain my footing from the shattered staff. I infused it with magical power to harden it and meet the fatal attack head-on.
Smash—!
In one clash, the broken staff twirled in the air, one fragment embedding painfully deep within my arm while the slab barreled toward my throat—
“…?!”
—In that moment, Rivadin sensed an overwhelming aura, a heatwave bursting forth from where I stood, and he quickly rolled to the side.
────whoosh!
Then fire blasted forth from where he had just been standing.
As the fierce flames tore through the air, the gust of heat swept across the foliage, announcing my presence.
Rivadin squinted at the unexpected arrival of the foe while Rain breathed a sigh of relief.
“You always show up just in time, Pipi.”
Pipi, who had returned from a grand display of flames, perched upon Rain’s shoulder and began to mercilessly peck his cheek.
“Ouch! I’m sorry, I’m sorry! It’s not that I didn’t trust you, it’s just… I was worried about the danger!”
Well, if that’s the case…
Pipi nodded knowingly and glared at Rivadin. More precisely, it was at the chains swirling around him.
“Magical, magical! That’s Lin’s technique. Pipi knows, Lin’s technique!”
“Do you remember?”
“Oh, so Pipi thinks this is the real Lin. That means that’s a fake Lin!”
I froze for an instant, caught completely off guard.
Following that, I leaped into action.
“No, no! I’m the real one! Think about it, do you think I would have grown up like this?”
Pipi narrowed its eyes at me.
Immediately, I lowered my head in penance.
“I’m sorry for the sacrifice I made yesterday! I’ll repay that debt with a hundred corncobs!”
Only then did Pipi seem satisfied, wagging its head and tail cheerily.
“I’ll let that one slide, just once.”
That brief smile soon turned serious as both Rain and Pipi prepared for battle again.
“There’s the beast again, having fun with its chatter. Just like a rat.”
Therefore, once Rivadin finished scouting the area and leaped back into battle, Rain and Pipi shifted into combat stances, executing a fantastic combination.
With Pipi zooming about, the scorching trails blazed as heat pierced through the forest, shaking up the thicket.
To counter that assault, Rivadin’s aggressive onslaught against Rain was suppressed to the point where it lost sharpness.
“Damn it, I thought I had the chance for a single blow, but that bird keeps interrupting!”
Rivadin’s annoyance was palpable.
This wasn’t an amateur against whom I could easily wage war… With such a master in play, it was fortunate my side was relatively competent.
‘Such foolish tactics with the Chains of Warning…’
The Chains can activate three times in total. Afterward, it enters a standby mode and recharges the rune’s power.
‘But the brat has no clue. That’s why he’s so careless.’
While Rivadin reasoned through his inner thoughts, everything was slipping according to Rain’s design.
‘Alright, the runes on the chains lost all light, but are gradually regaining it…’
As I dodged Rivadin’s sealing techniques, I glanced at the Chains of Warning for intel.
‘If that light returns, the uses will be restored, and I’ll have to strike at that moment while it’s depleted.’
Dodging his swinging stone slab, I rolled to the side, and Rivadin spat onto the ground.
“Damn it, you move like a damned rat.”
Although he was sounding irritated, his expression was full of confidence. It seemed he believed he had completely bagged me as prey.
“Tell me how you killed Libeni. I’ll grant you the same fate.”
Calmness is akin to a double-edged sword.
While there’s a risk of shabby complacency, it also fosters clear-headed decision-making, making for a truly troublesome opponent.
So I needed to turn the tables on his relaxed demeanor right away.
“The fact that a loser like you dares to claim my reincarnation is utterly disgusting.”
“?”
“If you merely sealed my magic, I would have died then and there—which only means you’re afraid of long-range combat!”
Pointing my finger toward the sky, I sent a nonverbal signal to Pipi to halt its attack and maintain a position.
“You pathetic fool! You should have just entered the First-tier Seven Blades instead! Oh, never mind, with that pathetic capability, they wouldn’t even consider you.”
In that instance, I could have sworn I heard a vein burst from somewhere in Rivadin’s face.
“I’ll tear your mouth from ear to ear!”
Then Rivadin impetuously dashed forward, leaving traces of footprints behind him.
“Bell Quirius.”
Bright crimson splatters burst forth.
For a fleeting moment, I felt as if the entire world surrounding me was engulfed in blood.
And that blood pierced straight into Rivadin’s body.
An incomprehensible insight dawned brilliantly within the ignited crimson eyes, blooming forth a white flower of death, eerily beautiful.
What that was, I knew well.
‘Bell Sidious.’
It was an absolute force that stole others’ magic bestowed upon members of the Ludwig clan, earning them the title ‘Magic-Thief.’
But that was the folklore of Bell Quirius; the lower-grade Bell Sidious only serves to read others’ magical constructions. Just that.
Yet… what’s wrong with his eyes? They should’ve appeared dead back in the Thorns of Blood. Why do they have lively colors now…?
Crackling—a chain, stretching lengthwise, penetrated Rivadin’s chest out of confusion.
“What… the…?”
The five powers inscribed upon the chains drained Rivadin of all his peculiar abilities.
“I told you, this is the original Lin.”
Even the magic that dramatically augmented his physical abilities, the spell that had easily lifted the massive stone slab, and the technique that maintained his corporeal form all vanished.
“Using my magic before my face makes it way too easy to steal, doesn’t it?”
