Two Mystic-grade Mages led their group down a narrow, dark corridor. Their footsteps echoed through the passage.
Jerdin commanded the 9th squad. While Paulinn led the 10th.
They pressed forward without hesitation. Having already committed to eliminating every Blood Mage in this base, their steps carried unwavering purpose.
At the corridor’s end, the ten mages encountered five Blood Mages standing guard. The Blood Mages turned their heads in unison as the extermination squad arrived.
Were they expecting us?
Leon felt doubtful, though the Blood Mages’ formation appeared somewhat haphazard and uncoordinated.
Nine mages, Jerdin included, swiftly stepped forward. They maintained a tight formation, creating a defensive wall to restrict the Blood Mages’ movements. Meanwhile, Paulinn hung back, preparing high-level magic and waiting for the perfect moment to end the battle.
Leon took his position in the formation.
In a flash, five Arcane Blood Mages charged like gusts of wind. Their eyes were vacant, but fierce red Magic Power coursed through their arms.
They sprinted down the corridor with inhuman speed, readying their attacks.
The mages quickly layered their defensive magic. One after another, glowing barriers materialized before them.
Bang-
A Blood Mage’s arm crashed violently against their barrier.
The barrier trembled but held firm, withstanding the impact.
“Hold it stronger!”
Jerdin called out, gesturing to layer an even larger barrier. The Mystic-grade Mage’s barrier stood solid and unwavering.
Behind them, the other Mystic-grade Mage, Paulinn, continued preparing his high-level magic.
“Fall back!”
At Paulinn’s sharp command, all mages retreated in perfect synchronization, as if they had rehearsed it countless times.
Thousands of bubbles erupted from Paulinn’s fingertips. They filled the space where Leon had just been maintaining formation.
Each tiny bubble detonated upon contact with a Blood Mage.
Kaboom-
The successive small explosions demonstrated devastating power. When they combined into one massive blast, the entire corridor shuddered.
“Attack!”
Leon and his fellow mages each summoned attack magic, bombarding the area where the Blood Mages had been.
All five Blood Mages fell, and silence reclaimed the corridor. Leon approached the corpses, considering absorbing their cores, but decided against it. He preferred not drawing attention while working with the squad.
Blood Magic remains the primary objective, after all.
As Leon caught his breath, another mage spoke up.
“How should we handle the bodies?”
The five Blood Mage corpses in the corridor remained relatively intact. Unlike the Seventh Elder’s corpse from earlier, these hadn’t completely disintegrated.
“While collecting spoils isn’t our mission…”
Paulinn glanced questioningly at Jerdin. Though both were Mystic-grade Mages, Jerdin held more authority as a Personal Disciple of an Elder.
Jerdin examined one corpse, searched it, then shook his head. Leon watched this with disappointment.
“Nothing here.” “Not even Spatial Pockets?”
Paulinn added, clearly puzzled.
After pushing aside the corpses, they discovered the corridor branched again at its end.
“They seem to be copying the Lair of Ancient Mages.” “Aren’t they just madmen who worship Ancient Mages like gods?”
Jerdin shook his head.
The corridor split into two paths ahead.
“It’s too risky to divide our group further, so we’ll take them one at a time.”
Paulinn nodded in agreement with Jerdin’s assessment.
Time had left the corridor walls damp, with patches of mold growing here and there. A cloying stench permeated the air.
An Arcane Mage walking beside Leon wrinkled his nose and said,
“I just can’t get used to this smell.”
His name was Lucas. He served as a Personal Disciple in the Valley of Souls. He was among the mages who had escaped through the Teleportation Magic Circle to summon reinforcements when the Beasts first invaded.
Leon recalled rumors circulating that Lucas was a traitor. Apparently, that misunderstanding had been properly resolved.
He turned to Leon and said,
“Don’t you think so?”
Though they’d never interacted before, he approached Leon with immediate familiarity. It reminded Leon of Aaron’s boundless friendliness back in Widia. Aaron had also turned out to be a traitor.
Surely not…
Leon responded appropriately to Lucas’s words as they continued down the corridor.
Jerdin, leading the group, raised his hand. The signal to halt.
Everyone held their breath and stopped, peering past Jerdin at what lay ahead.
Another door stood before them. Two Blood Mages guarded it. Being only Arcane-grade Blood Mages, they posed little threat.
They seemed completely unprepared for intruders. The deeper they ventured, the less likely it appeared they would find anything significant in this base.
As persecuted beings living in hiding, Blood Mages wouldn’t leave important clues in such a poorly guarded location.
Jerdin took point, easily dispatching the two Blood Mages before opening the door. Beyond lay a prison similar to what they’d encountered on the first underground floor.
“…”
Behind the iron bars, mages stared back with terrified expressions.
Noticing the extermination squad’s attire differed from the Blood Mages’, they approached the bars and began pleading.
“P-Please save us.” “…What should we do?”
One of the mages whispered, sensing the gravity of the situation.
Most imprisoned mages were Apprentice level, though a few Arcane Mages were mixed in.
“Since they know magic, couldn’t they assist with the extermination?”
Of course, deeper in the prison, most people appeared sickly, just like on the first floor. They seemed far too weak to face Blood Mages.
“We should check all remaining corridors first, then consult the Seventh Elder before releasing anyone.”
Jerdin stated calmly. No one contested his decision.
Just as the extermination squad finished inspecting the prison and prepared to leave, a voice called from inside.
“Please let me out. I can help you.”
The voice belonged to an Arcane Mage imprisoned in the prison’s middle section.
Unlike the others, his complexion appeared relatively healthy.
The squad’s eyes turned to Jerdin and Paulinn, and after studying the mage briefly to gauge his level, Jerdin nodded.
“We have questions anyway, so we’ll release you for now.”
Using a key taken from a Blood Mage, they opened the prison door, and the mage struggled to his feet, emerging from behind the iron bars.
“Please ask anything you need.” “How were you captured?” “Allow me to introduce myself first. I’m Peric, a mage from the local Magic Tower. This forest lies just outside our School’s jurisdiction, but we had no idea a Blood Mage base existed here.” “Were you aware Blood Mages were kidnapping mages?”
When Paulinn asked, Peric nodded.
“That’s precisely why I entered this forest. The disappearance of mages one or two at a time seemed suspicious, so I had just begun investigating.”
Jerdin tilted his head questioningly.
“So the School hasn’t grasped the situation’s severity?” “Regrettably, that’s correct.” “And you were captured immediately upon entering the forest?”
Peric nodded sheepishly.
“I couldn’t match the Blood Mages’ physical abilities.” “That’s understandable.”
By now, the extermination squad had returned to the fork, reported their findings to the Seventh Elder through the Communication Bead, and proceeded down the right corridor.
“The Elder reports they’ve also encountered a split path.” “They’ve designed it like a maze.”
Jerdin questioned Peric.
“Do you know anything about this hideout’s layout?”
Peric considered before speaking.
“I don’t know much about the structure, but I overheard Blood Mages’ plans while imprisoned. I listened to their conversations.”
Jerdin calmly inquired further.
“So Blood Mages do communicate? When we encountered them, they seemed nearly mindless.” “They drink blood. Their reason returns clearly right after feeding.” “Huh…”
Jerdin grimaced as if he’d rather not imagine it.
“They claimed all Beasts in this forest had fallen under their control. I’m unsure exactly how, but they appeared to be directing the Beasts.”
Jerdin nodded gravely upon hearing this. He already knew from the Valley of Souls that Blood Mages controlled the Beasts.
“And they mentioned plans to soon attack the city where our School is located.” “Attack the School?”
Jerdin’s eyes sharpened.
He knew the number of Blood Mages in this base wasn’t particularly large. After all, they had organized the extermination squad based on that intelligence.
“This… requires careful consideration.”
Jerdin’s expression grew worried.
If that was their goal, they needed to consider the possibility that the Blood Mage numbers exceeded their estimates. It seemed these Blood Mages might not represent their full strength.
Jerdin stopped walking.
“We should report to the Elder again first.”
However, the red Communication Bead remained silent. Flustered, Jerdin tried again.
“Seventh Elder?”
Still no response.
Paulinn’s unease showed as he spoke.
“…Could something have happened?” “In such a short time?”
They had definitely been in contact with the Elder before entering the corridor.
“We should head back…” “Um… the corridor appears blocked.”
Jerdin hadn’t noticed, but they had reached the right corridor’s end. A solid wall blocked their path. A dead end.
“This can’t be blocked without purpose…”
As Jerdin’s words faded, the blocked corridor began to ripple. That ripple quickly led to a dramatic transformation.
Where the wall had been, it suddenly became the center of a vast plaza. In that wide-open space, an even stronger stench assaulted their senses.
“Is this… an Illusion Magic Circle?”
It matched the type of Illusion Magic Circle the Seventh Elder had dispelled at the entrance.
Jerdin looked at Peric with confusion.
“I had no idea about this.”
As Peric shook his head apologetically, a sharp, metallic voice rang out.
“You’ve made it this far?”
The squad’s attention snapped toward the voice in unison.
From the darkness, a man who had been lying carelessly began to slowly rise.
A powerful stench emanated from him, but his eyes showed clear awareness. His reason was definitely intact.
That wasn’t their only concern.
Behind him, Blood Mages who had been sprawled about began staggering to their feet. They numbered at least thirty.
The first Blood Mage to stand raised an eyebrow.
“So there was a reason they told us to wait here.”
He was a Mystic-grade Blood Mage.
As he finished speaking, the surrounding Blood Mages slowly began encircling the extermination squad.
The squad instinctively drew closer together.
“We can’t block attacks from every direction like this.”
One mage whispered, recognizing their dire situation.
Facing thirty Blood Mages’ coordinated attack would be challenging enough, but allowing a Mystic-grade Blood Mage free rein meant their survival chances approached zero.
Jerdin and Paulinn exchanged glances.
“Hold out as long as possible.”
With those words, Paulinn immediately launched himself at the Mystic-grade Blood Mage.
“Everyone maintain formation!”
Jerdin shouted, directing their defense.
But their enemies moved too swiftly and struck too hard.
The Blood Mages attacked as one. Their eyes blazed with madness as they charged like wild beasts.
Their small group struggled to block attacks raining from all directions.
As Blood Mages’ strikes poured in, their tight formation shattered instantly.
An Arcane Mage at the front was torn apart by a Blood Mage’s sweeping arm.
“No! Hold on somehow!”
As blood-colored magic exploded through the air, a fierce magical battle erupted between the extermination squad and Blood Mages.
Watching his comrades fall, Leon unwrapped the cloth covering his Wooden Sword.
At his gesture, the Wooden Sword floated midair, and beside it appeared a Mana Support Crystal emanating mysterious light.
As the Brilliance of Creation manifested, a golden symbol etched itself on his forehead.
Time seemed to slow around him. The next second’s future crystallized clearly in his mind.
Simultaneously, he could see the overall flow of Magic Power.
Red Magic Power streams wrapped the Blood Mages’ bodies completely, likely from physical enhancement magic.
He saw five Blood Mages swinging their arms as they rushed toward the isolated Leon.
Here.
Leon thought as he stepped back.
Their swinging hands sliced empty air where he had stood.
Leon seized the opening.
He aimed the floating Wooden Sword and thrust it forward swiftly.
As the Wooden Sword cut through the sharp wind toward the Blood Mage’s abdomen, just as the target began desperately dodging.
Suddenly, blood-colored lightning struck at Leon’s position. Leon raised his hand as if anticipating it.
“Thunderlight!”
He instantly spread 5 Electric Orbs to absorb the lightning.
Crack-
The Electric Orbs burst as the lightning shattered and scattered.
Leon continued creating Electric Orbs without pause.
Dozens of spells sliced through the air, colliding with explosive force.
Leon held his ground against five Blood Mages in the chaotic battlefield.
“Split.”
From his fingertips, one, then two more Wooden Swords materialized.
Ten Wooden Swords now orbited Leon before flying in different directions, seeking the Blood Mages.
The Wooden Swords moved relentlessly, reaching spots where Blood Mages would dodge a step ahead.
His future prediction ability outpaced even their superhuman physical capabilities.
The Wooden Swords systematically broke down the Blood Mages’ defenses without allowing a single opening.
Finally, a Wooden Sword pierced one Blood Mage’s abdomen.
“Arghhhh!”
The Blood Mage’s core was drawn directly into the Wooden Sword.
The remaining Blood Mages froze, bewildered that their attacks couldn’t reach Leon.
Even that scene flowed into his mind.
Multiple possible futures tangled chaotically.
His head throbbed, but the Mana Support Crystal prevented any Magic Power shortage.
Leon quickly assessed his surroundings.
Paulinn battled the Mystic-grade Blood Mage while the others barely withstood the onslaught.
This was because Jerdin focused more on protecting the surviving members than attacking.
Seeing Leon’s wandering attention, the remaining Blood Mages scowled.
“Die… !”
Four Blood Mages charged simultaneously.
But Leon had already seen through their movements.
Gripping one Wooden Sword, Leon twisted slightly, evading their attacks. His movements flowed like water as he calculated his counterattack in that brief window.
Leon dove between the Blood Mages in an instant, swinging his Wooden Sword with surgical precision.
Blood sprayed as red Magic Power streams hazily dispersed.
One by one, Leon’s Wooden Sword found their vital points without fail.
After several breathless moments, five Blood Mages lay fallen before him.
“Phew…”
Leon wiped his sweat and immediately turned his head.
This wasn’t over yet.
Another enemy approached.