Boom!
"Ugh!"
Hellnik suffered a large wound on his back from Jerome's sudden attack.
"You... have already recovered...?"
"Didn't I say I would definitely kill you?"
Jerome grinned. Though kind, he was also relentless like a true mage.
Hellnik did not reply and immediately unleashed his mana.
Boom!
The shield Jerome had cast shattered. He clicked his tongue as he retreated. The power was overwhelming. It was completely different from the last time they met.
It was obvious he was using a hidden power. His appearance was far from normal.
However, Hellnik couldn't press the attack against Jerome, as Ghislain and Yulian swung their swords at him.
Slash! Slash!
"Ugh..."
His body was now so torn up it was hard to find an uninjured spot. The black smoke emanating from him had noticeably lessened compared to earlier.
Jerome shouted at the two.
"I'm not your enemy! I'm here to help! My name is—"
"I know! Focus on the fight!"
Ghislain shouted back. He already knew Jerome was surprisingly talkative.
Come to think of it, he'd never seen a mage who wasn't chatty.
No matter how kind, mages inherently believed themselves to be the center of the world. That was probably why.
"Got it!"
Jerome immediately answered and moved, aware of the urgency of the situation. Still, his condition was not as severe as Claude's.
Boom!
Ghislain swung his sword, his red eyes glinting.
He had activated five cores. He couldn't maintain it for long, but there was no time to conserve energy.
The red streaks danced erratically, leaving dozens of wounds on Hellnik's body. Ghislain especially aimed for the heart multiple times, trying to destroy it.
"Arghhh!"
Hellnik was a mage. He wasn't skilled in close combat.
Nevertheless, he endured Ghislain's attacks with his body and focused on casting spells. He only cared about protecting his heart from destruction.
Boom!
Dozens of dark arrows struck Ghislain's body all at once. He coughed up blood and was thrown backward.
Slice!
Yulian's sword persistently targeted Hellnik's neck. For Hellnik, it was an extremely irritating attack.
Other parts could be destroyed, but his heart, the source of his mana, could not. He also had to guard his head, which controlled his mana.
Thus, whenever Yulian attacked, he focused his energy around his head and neck.
Boom!
Suddenly, a massive black hand emerged from the ground and struck Yulian. Hellnik, as a high-ranking necromancer, wielded bizarre and unpredictable magic.
Unlike the others, Jerome didn't engage directly.
'That energy... it's depleting. Could it be...?'
Being a mage, he quickly analyzed the situation and reached a solid conclusion.
'That hidden power, is it? The fact that he's no longer reviving corpses means… he's using that power on himself.'
Hellnik seemed desperate. This wasn't the way a mage typically fought.
It resembled more of a brute's fight, albeit one who could use magic.
There was only one reason why someone who usually hid in the shadows would behave like this.
'It's a time-limited power. His mana is continuously draining.'
The black energy pouring uncontrollably from Hellnik's wounds was evident to the naked eye. It wasn't quite the same as mana, but it wasn't entirely different either.
That energy overflowed from Hellnik's body like an explosion, likely enabling his monstrous strength.
Dragging things out would cause him to collapse on his own. But if they let him escape, their allies would be in danger.
That's likely why those two weren't retreating either.
'Alright, let's do this.'
Buzz—!
Jerome cast shields over Ghislain and Yulian. At the same time, he activated healing magic.
Hellnik's counter attacks were so intense that the two were in shambles.
Although it wasn't as effective as holy power, Jerome's high-level healing magic had considerable effect. Trusting this, Ghislain and Yulian charged even more aggressively at Hellnik.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
As the two closed in on Hellnik, Jerome stepped back.
He couldn't use wide-area magic; it would risk hurting the two.
Even targeting only Hellnik was tricky. The three moved at a tremendous speed, entangled in combat.
Jerome cast a precise spell.
Zap!
Dozens of light beams shot out from Jerome's hand.
It wasn't the crude "rock throw" he used against bandits before but a proper "magic missile."
The dozens of missiles homed in on Hellnik, skillfully weaving through the gaps in the trio's melee.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Though a low-circle spell, it was cast by an 8th-circle mage. Each missile carried enormous power.
Ghislain and Yulian instinctively stepped back whenever the missiles approached.
Even with a homing function, they were prone to missing if the combatants moved too quickly.
"Ugh!"
Hellnik, struck by the missiles, turned to glare at Jerome.
Jerome deftly dodged attacks while continuing his magic assault.
He was certain Hellnik's mana was running dry. But how did he recover so quickly?
Even Jerome was a little surprised at the power on display.
'Was that guy really just 5th-circle?'
Alpoi's mana pool far surpassed an average 5th-circle mage, and it was surprisingly pure.
Such exceptional mana was rare, surpassing even many elders or tower lords of magic towers.
'Why hasn't he reached the 6th circle with this kind of mana? How did he lose all his mana to me so easily? It feels like he's meticulously cultivated this mana over a long period.'
Alpoi consumed Dragon Heart and used a lot of mana for construction work, so he was not inferior to anyone in terms of magic power alone.
However, his willpower was not enough for him, but he was a 'lucky mage.' It was a fact that Jerome could not know at the moment.
Still, Alpoi's mana was definitely a great help. When Jerome got involved, Hellnik started to consume energy faster and faster.
Moreover, Jerome wasn't merely attacking. His expertise in spatial and absorption magic gave him an edge.
'I can extract it!'
Rip!
Jerome extended his hands, and Hellnik's wounds tore open further, releasing more black energy.
That energy began to flow into Jerome's hands.
"Argh!"
Jerome's robes bulged grotesquely. Black veins protruded all over his body.
This power was beyond his capacity to handle.
'Damn, this guy's no joke.'
Jerome inwardly clicked his tongue. For Hellnik to endure and fight with such power was beyond comprehension.
He had no choice but to stop absorbing and scatter the energy into the air.
"Arrrgh!"
Hellnik screamed in agony.
Even a brief moment had drained a significant amount of his energy. As expected, he, too, was a mage. Instead of directly attacking, Jerome focused on weakening Hellnik's strength.
The holy power that had damaged him earlier had left a lingering effect, hindering his recovery.
"Ugh, if it weren't for that woman!"
If it weren't for the saintess's holy power, he would have ended this long ago. It was maddening.
Though he wanted to kill the saintess lying far off, dealing with Jerome took priority.
He couldn't risk Jerome absorbing his energy again.
Flash!
Hellnik blinked forward, appearing right in front of Jerome.
But Jerome, also a mage, distorted space to deflect the attack and escaped to Ghislain's side.
"You bastard!"
Flash!
Hellnik moved again, only to face Ghislain and Yulian, their swords already swinging.
Boom!
Hellnik suffered another severe wound. Jerome, in the meantime, repositioned and extended his hand once more.
Rippp!
Another wound tore open, spilling energy. Though Jerome could only extract it briefly, the constantly draining energy was fatal to Hellnik.
"Arghhh!"
Hellnik unleashed a flurry of spells.
The surroundings were utterly destroyed, yet he couldn't kill his opponents.
Jerome fought shrewdly. His mana wasn't in perfect condition either.
No matter how pure, borrowed mana couldn't be fully absorbed. It was a temporary, disposable substitute.
Moreover, its amount was still insufficient compared to his usual reserves. Even though it was vast for a 5th-circle mage, it was still just 5th-circle mana.
Thus, Jerome prioritized defensive magic over direct attacks.
Shielding himself and the others from Hellnik's relentless spells, he exploited every opening to siphon Hellnik's energy.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The three began pressing Hellnik in such a manner.
Ghislain's eyes gleamed. He and Yulian were also growing tired, but Hellnik was weakening even faster since Jerome had joined the fray. Just a little more, just a little more, and they could finish this.
"Arrrgh!"
Hellnik realized he could no longer hold out. If he delayed any longer, he would simply collapse.
No, he was already being pushed back. The true death loomed over him, the Master of the Dead and Lord of Death.
'This can't be!'
Hellnik was a wielder of souls. He knew full well the weight of his accumulated karma, towering to the skies and burying the earth.
If he died like this, his soul would wander the River of the Dead for eternity, tormented without end.
Just as he had inflicted the same upon others.
Such was the inevitable end of those who, despite dabbling in dark magic, failed to reach transcendence.
In the end, Hellnik resolved to truly stake his life and unleash his power.
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
Hellnik gathered his energy. Though it wouldn't be as strong as before, it could still deliver a critical blow.
Seeing this, Ghislain shouted.
"Jerome! Disrupt him! Hold on no matter what! I'll finish it!"
Jerome also sensed the gravity of the situation and exhausted all his remaining mana to absorb Hellnik's energy.
Boom!
"Ugh!"
Hellnik couldn't suppress the pain and let out a scream. The disruption twisted his energy into complete chaos.
However, Hellnik could still handle this energy better than Jerome. It was very similar to the mana he originally possessed.
As he focused his mind, the energy stabilized and began gathering again.
In contrast, Jerome was still unable to withstand the energy of the essence he had absorbed.
"Urgh..."
Jerome, whose body was bulging with black veins, eventually coughed up blood.
His mana was too depleted, and his body too exhausted to endure the energy.
Jerome had no choice but to disperse the absorbed energy into the air and collapse.
But the brief opening created by his efforts was remarkable.
Hellnik required a moment to use his technique, and Jerome had extended that time even further.
Ghislain lunged forward and shouted.
"Yulian!"
Flash!
Yulian, his eyes still icy, appeared in front of Hellnik.
He channeled all his mana into his sword. Upon seeing Yulian's approach, Hellnik instinctively focused his energy on his neck.
However, Yulian's sword, which had persistently targeted his neck all this time, instead...
Squelch!
...pierced deep into Hellnik's heart.
"Ughhh!"
Hellnik let out a cry of anguish. The energy within his body began to surge wildly, spiraling out of control.
But it didn't matter. If he unleashed it now, he could at least obliterate the enemies before him.
Just as Hellnik was about to detonate his energy...
Yulian quietly spoke.
"Ghislain."
Flash!
In an instant, Ghislain leapt high from behind Yulian.
Whoosh!
A blazing black aura completely enveloped Ghislain's body. Only his two eyes shone vividly with a red glow.
Since reaching the fifth core, Ghislain hadn't used amplification.
Not because he didn't want to, but because even his five cores power was almost impossible to maintain with amplification.
But now, to seize the opportunity created by Jerome and Yulian, he risked everything.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
An overwhelming storm of mana imbued his sword.
In the split-second before the attack landed, Hellnik's eyes widened.
'Time…'
Even without intending it, time seemed to slow. The immense power approaching him affected everything in its vicinity.
Nothing could move. Everything froze. Hellnik found himself trapped in this temporal rift.
Ghislain clenched his teeth tightly. Just swinging his sword placed immense strain on his body.
He felt as though he might drop the sword before reaching his target. No, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say his body felt like it would explode.
But somehow, he endured.
With this monstrous power, he was certain he could sever the neck of that abomination.
At this very moment.
He had surpassed the power of his previous life.
Crash!
Ghislain's sword tore through even space itself as it passed through.
[T/L: I am in dire need of support. I will give discount to all those who will buy the rest of the chapters all together, so please support me the reader on my webnovel platform and read ahead chapters on my ko-fi page "RevengerScans" : https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]