The Great Mage Returns After 4000 Years (Web Novel KR) Vol 1 Chapter 164

(Note: It's possible that I'll change the name of this chapter since the chapter name could be translated in many ways. Hopefully I don't have to, but it's still a possibility.)

Nempatal.

This city, which was closest to Silkid's border, was one of the few places that the Demigods' creatures had yet to reach.

But that didn't mean its situation could be considered good.

On the contrary, the fact that they hadn't personally witnessed the Demigods' wrath was not working in their favor.

Nempatal was currently in the depths of confusion.

Surrender… or struggle.

The powers of the two factions who were shouting these conflicting arguments were very similar, and the city's Guardian Warrior, who could make a decision independently, was absent.

Several of these bad situations overlapped, and Nempatal was currently on the path to the worst result without ever making a decision.

Of course, this wasn't a bad situation for Torkunta, who was currently on the run.

She currently sat in a noisy square with a robe covering her body. (TL: if you guys are wondering why I'm using female pronouns for Torkunta, I can only say 'Because the author did'. It might lead to a few unpleasant sentences, but you guys know how I am by now)

'How unpleasant.'

While feeling the texture of the rough leather, she couldn't help but have this thought. It was annoying enough to have to wear clothes, and now, she even had to wear a robe around her entire body.

As a noble Drake King, she really didn't like it at all.

'These low-class races don't have any confidence in their own flesh, so they have to cover it up with clothes.'

Torkunta couldn't help but recall her past body.

Scales that flashed like countless jewels and eyes that burned so red they seemed to contain magma. Not to mention the elegantly stretched tail and the wings large enough to cover the sky!

It wasn't even enough to say that it was an absolute beauty of a body.

“…”

She once again became depressed after thinking about the old days. Especially because of the current situation.

Torkunta stroked her arm slightly.

Her skin was so soft, her body so fragile that even if she were to just touch it with a fingernail of her past body, it would be destroyed.

“I don't want to die.”

Torkunta muttered softly.

She wasn't talking to herself.

She received the answer in her head.

[I know.]

It was Nix.

The woman who had become Torkunta's soulmate – literally.

Torkunta clicked her tongue softly and said.

“If I help you die, you'll give me this body. You mean that, right?”

Despite her threatening tone, Nix's voice remained the same.

[So what if I didn't? Do you intend to refuse?]

“Kuk.”

Her tone made her angry. (TL: sentences like this…)

This young Phoenix was just making fun of her everyday. She wanted to put her in her place, but if they were to really fight, she would never be able to win.

This couldn't be helped. Torkunta couldn't be more aware of this now.

After all, this body belonged to Nix in the first place, and she was just an uninvited guest.

In fact, if it wasn't for the current situation, Torkunta would never have gotten an opportunity to control the body.

Right. If it wasn't for this special situation of them running from the Demigods.

“I don't understand. Do you really intend to give your life just to help that Wizard?”

[…]

“Sacrificial lamb. A lot of humans I killed in the past were like you. Those who wanted to give their lives to save the rest because they couldn't kill me. Do you want to know what I thought when I saw that?”

Nix didn't respond.

It wasn't a question that required an answer.

Torkunta continued with a snort.

“They were still the same. What was the point of living if you would just die so foolishly? Nothing is more precious than yourself. I don't know for sure, but they must have shed bloody tears of regret before they died. Because they made a foolish decision.”

[I don't know why you're so cynical. Did something happen before?]

Torkunta couldn't help but be speechless.

Did something happen before? Had there been anyone who had ever asked her such a question?

No. There hadn't.

When she reigned as the monarch of the mountain range, there had been few intelligent individuals in the first place, and even those who could express their thoughts would never dare to ask such a rude question.

Most of them were just pathetic guys who would pee themselves if they ever met gazes with Torkunta.

“I will not die.”

Torkunta muttered again, evading the question.

But soon, she couldn't help but sigh.

'…how long will I be able to hold out in this city?'

She knew that the Demigods sent by Agni were currently chasing them. She didn't know how many there were or what abilities they had. But there was one thing that she could be certain of.

They'd succeeded in their pursuit.

They knew that she was currently hiding in this city. And now, they were slowly closing their encirclement around the city.

There was no escape.

This left her with just two options.

Be captured or die.

'So why did you decide to do something so conspicuous?'

A red-haired woman walking around asking people to kill her?

It was natural for rumors to have spread across the entirety of Silkid. Of course, it was inevitable.

'Two souls coexisting in one body. To get rid of only one of them, the person would have had to reach a legendary stage.'

That was why they were disappointed when they met Ivan.

He was the strongest warrior they'd met in the desert, but he was still not enough for what they wanted.

'What am I supposed to do?'

Faced with this hopeless situation without a proper answer, Torkunta couldn't help but sigh.

* * *

A man walked aimlessly through a desert, his tangled memories slowly taking form.

He still hadn't gotten any indication as to who he was, but general knowledge and common sense began to emerge one after the other.

'This is a desert.'

A place where you couldn't last a day without drinking water. A barren wasteland. A place most unsuitable to sustain life.

But something was strange.

The man looked down at his body.

The sun had gone down before rising again three times already. However, there were no problems with his body.

He was still filled with energy even though he hadn't had even a bit of water or food.

'Does this mean I have no physiological needs?'

Taking in nutrients, passing out waste, sleeping. He didn't feel the need to do any of these things.

Moreover, he had been walking nonstop for three days already, but he didn't feel tired at all.

What was going on?

“…”

The man could faintly see a city in the distance. This caused a number of particularly disturbing signs to appear.

He felt a mysteriously intense anger fill him up from within, and the lack of a clear reason only added to his frustration.

At least, there was one thing he could be certain of. To solve this question, he had to go to that place.

The man began to move faster, his steps taking him to the city of Talhadun.

* * *

Isaka slowly opened his eyes.

Was he still alive? Or was this the afterlife?

It was only after he felt the throbbing headache that he realised it was the former.

“Kuh…”

His memories took a while to become organised. He simply panted while grabbing his head with both hands.

“I…”

What happened?

Right. After he obtained the Demigod's crystal during the confusion… he took it back to a hideout and put it into his body.

Then, he'd lost consciousness because of the horrific pain.

After having this thought, Isaka hurriedly looked at his chest.

Babump.

His entire body seemed to be pulsing. In the center of Isaka's chest, a Demigod's crystal was embedded in a hideous manner.

The blood vessels on his chest rose as if they wanted to burst free from his skin and were wriggling in a mangled bunch.

Although it was a sight so disgusting it would make one want to throw up, Isaka's face was filled with joy.

“Success…!”

Probably because the probability of success was less that 10%. The only thing that Isaka could rely on was his Blake family bloodline.

His body had basically been created by Leyrin. So he believed in his body, where mana and divine power could coexist, something that was a miracle in itself.

And his gamble had succeeded.

Hwiing.

Isaka looked at the ice storm that was created by his own hands.

“Uhah!”

It was small in size, but he realised that his power had increased by several times. His divine power was stronger than ever!

It wasn't just that.

He wasn't sure why, but even his mana reserves had doubled. He might have been able to reach 8 stars as long as he gained enlightenment.

Isaka sent the ice storm towards the basement wall.

Boom!

This wall, which was created through magic engineering, was easily torn apart.

Isaka couldn't help but shudder slightly at his new power.

Even though he had only put in a little effort, it was this strong?

Maybe his full strength was now comparable to a Demigod's.

When the wall collapsed, the entire basement began collapsing. Isaka didn't care about this. This place was no longer useful anyway.

Isaka used Warp to head to another location.

Shuk.

The place he arrived at was in the mountains a fair distance away from the Blake family residence. This place was a temporary residence he'd created that no one else in the family knew about.

Isaka took a deep breath of the mountain's fresh air.

A smile stretched across his lips.

“Very good.”

He'd finally obtained fangs that could pierce the neck. How sharp they were wholly depended on his own ability.

A feeling of elation filled Isaka's heart.

If he just trained this power a little more…

“You, what the hell are you doing?”

“…?!”

At the unexpected voice, Isaka turned around hurriedly.

The first thing that caught his eye was the white hair. Even the thin clothes that wrapped the slender body were as white as snow.

It was a woman who gave the impression that she was a field covered in fresh snow without a single footprint to blemish her image.

But Isaka was paying attention to something other than her appearance.

“Demigod…”

Isaka drooled.

The power he felt from this woman's body was not something that an Apostle could exude.

“The crystal… are you here to retrieve it?”

Then the woman spoke with an annoyed expression.

“What the hell are you talking about? I asked you what you're doing.”

Isaka didn't answer as he inspected their surroundings.

There were no other Demigods around; he was certain of that.

He let out a low laugh.

“Hu… huhu! Looks like you came alone. Then I have a chance!”

Hwiing!

An ice storm blew fiercely around Isaka's body.

The woman narrowed her eyes.

“Right! I wanted to test my strength…! I should have power comparable to a Demigod's now! Even if I can't beat you, you definitely can't kill me easily…!”

“Don't misunderstand. It's annoying to talk to someone who's unable to properly communicate. So there's nothing else I can do about it.”

Paht.

The woman gently extended her hand.

Isaka focused his eyes on her, seeing what power she had.

“Huh…?”

Then, Isaka's eyes widened considerably.

The woman's power was also ice.

She smiled as she said.

“I was wondering which son of a bitch could use someone else's power. So no matter how annoying it was, I came all the way here from my hideout.”

“Uh… uh…”

She also summoned an ice storm. Hers was much more powerful than his newly gained powers.

Isaka could tell from a glance. Fear crept into his heart.

The absolute confidence that he had just gained evaporated without a trace.

'She's dangerous.'

Now that he really thought about it, this woman had just appeared here. She hadn't been waiting here for him.

'Space-time movement.'

A power that could only be used by the high-class individuals among the Demigods!

Isaka's face quickly became pale.

'I never heard of an Apocalypse like her.'

If the opponent was an Apocalypse, he had absolutely no chance of winning. In addition, this woman's power was the same as his.

It was like throwing a snowball at a strong blizzard. There was no way he could win.

He continued to step back, not even daring to use his divine power.

“Right. That bitch Leyrin must have had a hand in this. Haha. When did she steal my sample again? …how unpleasant. It's been a long time since I felt this dirty.”

The woman with white hair, Elliah, smiled brightly.

“So I'm going to let my anger out on you.”

(TL: Poor Isaka, just as he got a bit stronger.)

Chapter end