The Great Mage Returns After 4000 Years (Web Novel KR) Vol 1 Chapter 126

“Rebuild the family? You?”

Mana surged within Isaka's body.

He was the head of the Blake family, as well as a Tower Master and a well-known 7 star Archmage.

“I guess you learned some tricks, and now, you can no longer see things clearly. Who do you think is standing in front of you right now?”

“Then I will ask you the same. Who do you think I am?”

Frey's quick response made Isaka pause for a moment.

“What? What nonsense…”

What a load of crap.

Isaka was just about to say that, but he was unable to.

“…!!”

Isaka's body suddenly shook, and his eyes widened considerably.

'My mana…?'

It wasn't responding to him.

Isaka began falling from hundreds of meters in the air.

While his body could not be compared to that of a warrior, he was still stronger than ordinary people, yet if he was to fall from such a height, his entire body would be crushed like a tomato and he would die instantly.

He couldn't use magic, so he had no choice but to rely on another source of power.

Isaka hurriedly unleashed his divine power.

Chak.

A platform made of ice formed below him, preventing him from falling to his untimely demise.

After firmly standing on this platform, Isaka turned back to Frey.

“You… just controlled the surrounding mana. That's not possible for someone below 8 stars…”

Although Isaka himself was the one saying those words, the expression on his face showed that he didn't believe it.

But Frey simply gave him a cold smile.

“You know it well.”

“D-, don't be ridiculous. That's impossible with your mana sensitivity and talent…”

Isaka was the one who knew the most about the condition of Frey's body.

For Frey, not to mention 8 stars, it was almost impossible for him to even reach 5 stars.

However, the destructive power of the Hyper Bolt, the ability to control all mana within a certain range and most importantly, the deep, abyssal gaze that seemed to look at his very soul were constantly suggesting that ridiculous possibility to Isaka.

“, answer me, Frey! What kind of trick did you just do?”

“Trick? Do you think it's possible to take control of mana with a trick?”

“Th-, that…”

“You said it yourself. It's not possible for someone below 8 stars.”

“I don't believe you could have reached that stage at your age…”

Isaka's confusion was natural.

This wasn't 6 stars or 7 stars.

This was 8 stars!

A level that transcended normal Archmages.

Even on the entire continent, the number of Wizards who had reached that level could be counted on one hand.

'8 stars? Frey is 8 stars?'

He couldn't believe it.

No, he wouldn't believe it.

Isaka had reached 7 stars 10 years before, and even up to that point, he was still on the same level.

But that didn't mean that he'd progressed a lot within that time.

To put it bluntly, there was barely any difference in his skill between then and now.

His proficiency and accuracy when using his power might have improved a bit, but the increase was insignificant.

This didn't mean that Isaka had neglected his study and training of magic.

He still meditated for more than three hours per day, and he read every magic book on the continent that he could lay his hands on.

He also didn't forget to regularly meet and have exchanges with Wizards on his level either.

Nevertheless, he still saw no hope of advancing.

He didn't even find a single clue as to how to advance to the next stage.

The 8 star stage wasn't something that could be reached just with some talent and effort.

Therefore, Isaka, who had been regarded as a genius since childhood, remained unconvinced.

But now, his third son, the one who he had thrown out because he lacked talent, had returned after a few years as an 8 star Wizard?

Isaka felt like he was having a nightmare at that moment.

“The power of ice? I thought you'd have wind because of Leyrin's personality, but I guess not.”

Isaka felt like those words were mocking him for abandoning magical science and relying on divine power.

“Shut up…!”

He felt inferior at that moment, but Isaka would never admit that he felt such a way because of his own son, especially when it was Frey.

A shard of ice formed in his hand before shooting towards Frey.

Clang!

Frey could have avoided it, but he let it hit his barrier.

This was so he could judge how strong Isaka was.

As the shard of ice struck the barrier fiercely, Frey narrowed his eyes and thought for a moment.

'7 stars.'

This much wasn't threatening at all, but he was unsure if it was Isaka's full strength.

…Besides, Isaka wasn't the only enemy he had to face,

Rooaaar!

Something shot out of the ruins of the annex, and upon closer inspection, Frey realised that it was a grotesque monster that seemed to be a mix between a bug and a human.

But its body was much larger than Frey's.

'Demigod's Creature.'

This was a special creature that was born purely from experimentation rather than physical transformation.

It was many times stronger than normal creatures. (TL: I guess there are many creatures? strange)

“Kyaaaak!”

The monster roared loudly and spat out some kind of fluid.

Frey didn't know what it was, but he knew it was dangerous, so he erected an ice barrier.

“Frost Wall.”

Suddenly, the ice barrier in front of Frey disappeared.

“…!”

Though confused, Frey quickly used Blink, but his reaction was a bit slow and some of the fluid managed to touch his shoulder.

Crackle.

Immediately after, his robe began dissolving.

Frey quickly took off the Salamander's Robe.

It had only been a slight touch, but before long, the entire Salamander's Robe was dissolved.

'…magic tools created by Schweiser aren't so simple.'

If that fluid touched his body, he would have to immediately cut off whichever part it touched.

No, but the most important thing was to figure out why his Frost Wall had disappeared so suddenly.

“Huhu…”

Isaka let out a laugh.

Then he gave Frey a mocking smile, as if he had won something.

“Even if you're an 8 star Wizard… you won't be able to use ice in front of me.”

“Thanks for the kind explanation.”

Frey immediately fired back a response, but inwardly, he couldn't help but feel that the situation was becoming a bit tricky.

Fire and ice magic were his specialties.

This was because he had consumed the Frozen River and Torkunta's heart, which caused the power he could display to far surpass that of Wizards on the same level.

But now, one of them had been sealed.

'Can he cancel it even if I use 8 star spells?'

He wasn't sure.

Nevertheless, Frey was certain that Isaka wouldn't be able to simply get rid of it like he had the Frost Wall.

He wanted to try.

However, the creatures constantly pouring out from the ruins were a bit troublesome.

Even for him, he still needed time to cast 8 star spells.

Frey clicked his tongue and decided to use one of his favorite spells.

Flame Ball.

He could create many in a short time, and they were all considerably powerful. Moreover, because it was a 5 star spell, he didn't need to shout a chant to cast it.

Fwoosh.

Dozens of fireballs appeared behind Frey before shooting down towards the creatures below.

Boom boom boom!

A long series of explosions sounded out.

At first glance, it appeared as though his attack had been successful, but Frey clicked his tongue instead. A skilled Wizard could tell the extent of his attacks by the size, sound and smell of the resulting explosions.

Frey was the same.

Even though he'd used a 5 star spell, it didn't have much effect.

It was much more serious than he thought.

This meant that these creatures' magic resistance was much higher than Frey expected.

However, since Leyrin was the one who created them, it made sense that their magic resistance was so high.

After all, didn't the undead that Oydin, a half-Apostle, made show tremendous power?

Frey glanced at his bracelet.

The Great Sage's Staff.

If he used it, his magic power would increase several fold, but Frey still had no intention of taking it out.

'Leita is probably watching from afar.'

Because of that, Frey didn't want to show his hand.

This was also the reason he hadn't summoned Asura yet.

However, there was still a power that Leita knew about at his disposal.

Indra's lightning.

Frey's body suddenly became covered in lightning.

Crackle.

“Kiiieeek!”

The creatures cried out sharply.

This reaction was quite surprising, considering the fact that these guys hadn't even flinched after being hit by his Flame Balls.

'…has my power increased?'

Frey felt that his divine power was now twice as strong as when he'd fought Sheryl.

Does it get stronger the more I use it?

It hadn't been very long since Frey had gotten the divine power, but it was already equivalent to 7 stars.

However, even if the power of his lightning had increased, the creatures' reactions had been too pronounced.

'They have no resistance to divine power.'

The creatures that were created by the Demigods had no resistance to divine power.

At first glance, this might have seemed like an ironic situation, but in truth, it was quite understandable.

After all, the enemies these creatures were created to fight were those who used mana.

It was safe to say that they would never be able to fight against the Demigods themselves, and in the event that some of them might become rebellious, a resistance to divine power would cause them quite a lot of trouble.

Of course, the most important factor was that there were very few situations that would cause these creatures to have to fight enemies that used divine power.

That said, it was quite clear what kind of power Frey had to use.

Crackle.

A pale bolt of lightning began dancing over Frey's hand, and a thunderstorm seemed to be brewing in his eyes.

* * *

That night turned out to be the night of the full moon.

For vampires, the full moon was the time when their blood seemed to boil.

Of course, Sheryl Roland, who had the blood of vampire sovereignty in her veins, was able to maintain her composure and not get swept away by her instincts.

'It's a good night.'

But that didn't mean that the excitement would disappear completely.

Her lips pulled back into a bright smile, revealing her sharp fangs.

No, no. She couldn't get excited.

After all, she had been given a mission by none other than the Great Mage himself.

Mistakes or failure would not be tolerated.

It was nighttime.

More importantly, it was a full moon.

All the conditions were in place to maximise her vampiric powers.

Sheryl slipped into a dark alleyway in the town.

After looking around for a while, she found several large sewer rats.

“Find Leita Blake.”

Squeak.

These sewer rats then wiggled their noses before turning their little bodies around and disappearing into the darkness.

The abilities that a high ranking vampire had were truly unbelievable.

No matter how weak rats were, to communicate with such a large number of them was simply unthinkable for normal vampires.

Pillat was a very large city. Because of this, even though she was getting the sewer rats to help her, it still took her some time to find her target.

It was then.

“…”

She felt a surge of dense divine power.

Sheryl frowned.

'Is it a trap?'

She couldn't help but think so.

The Blake family had been under the control of the Demigods for decades, perhaps even longer than that, yet they had still managed to hide it perfectly.

Had it not been for Heinz's information, she would not have noticed it at all.

Sheryl felt that this showed the thoroughness of the Apostle, Leita.

However, such a careful woman was now acting in a very open manner.

It was too suspicious.

Squeak.

The sewer rats' bodies went stiff.

They were beasts with low intelligence, so they wouldn't be of much help anymore.

Sheryl sighed.

“I have no choice but to move directly.”

Her body then melted into the shadows.

It would be a bit risky, but it was still manageable.

The full moon in the sky and the darkness in the city were perfect for her. Even if the Demigods themselves were to arrive, they would not be able to discover her easily.

It was still possible for her to escape if the situation became too dicey.

Leita's hiding spot appeared to be deep underground.

Sheryl moved quickly in the shadows.

Ssss.

It didn't take long for her to reach her destination.

It was a basement that was connected to the sewers. In this place, the scent of blood, drugs and decaying bodies were overwhelming.

It was disgusting.

Sheryl slowly looked around the basement, frowning.

The floor was moist with blood, and there was a decaying body lying in a corner. From what she could tell, it hadn't been long since the person died.

Sheryl continued to go deeper.

There, she found a large magic circle, painted entirely with blood.

At the same time, she saw a bunch of bodies piled up upon an altar.

Sheryl's expression hardened.

“This…”

Human sacrifice.

Was it evil black magic, a curse, or necromancy?

It was clear that she was trying to enhance the efficiency of the ritual by using living humans as a sacrifice.

Because it was so unethical, this practice had been banned by the Wizard Association as well as the Kastkau Empire, also known as the Magical Empire.

Leita stood in front of the altar.

“Hurry, hurry…”

She was staring at the magic circle with an impatient expression on her face.

Sheryl assessed the situation as she watched on.

'The ritual is almost over.'

That was why there were no longer any living beings on the altar.

What sort of magic did she want to cast at the expense of so many human lives?

Woowoong.

Suddenly, light erupted from the magic circle.

Sheryl retreated deeper into the darkness in order to remain hidden.

Flash~

The intensity of the light increased momentarily before a man walked out of it.

It was a young-looking man with a solemn expression.

“M-, Mr. Apep!”

Leita almost screamed with joy.

“I'm glad you made it!”

The man, Apep, looked down at the altar with an expressionless face.

“…Hmm. I was curious as to how you would warp a transcendent being like me. Indeed. Did you use human sacrifice to maximise the efficiency of the Warp?”

“That's right!”

It had only been a few hours.

In those short, few hours, hundreds of humans had been sacrificed.

Nevertheless, there wasn't even an ounce of guilt on Leita's face.

It seemed the only thing she could think about was the fact that she was now safe.

“The other two were relatively close, so they should arrive by dawn.”

“I see.”

Only

The man named Apep muttered in a low voice.

“Frey is probably creating a mess right now. Mr. Apep, please deal…”

“There's no need to hurry.”

“Huh? But…”

Apep turned to look at the shadows.

To be precise, he turned to look at Sheryl, who was hidden in the shadows.

“Let's start by getting rid of the rats first.”

Chapter end