The Great Mage Returns After 4000 Years (Web Novel KR) Vol 1 Chapter 185

“Can't you not go?”

Beniang looked at Osel as she said this.

Osel turned to his daughter. And just by seeing her bright, innocent eyes, a bright smile spread across his face.

“Are you worried?”

“…it's an Apocalypse. I heard that they're monsters, completely different from the other Demigods. How could I not when it's a being like that…”

“Of course, I'm scared too.”

Osel spoke in a soft tone.

“In my heart, the desire to run away is very strong. Ah, this is something the other circle members should never hear.”

“…you can do that.”

“Don't you know that I can't do that? It's not a problem that can be solved by running away.”

“…”

It was clear what Beniang was worried about.

Osel would have been lying if he said he wasn't scared. But it was fine.

He could still laugh sincerely.

“Demigods are certainly scary beings. But there are things that are more frightening than they are.”

“Like what?”

“Losing your family.”

Osel's gaze settled on Beniang.

“Having no home to return to.”

“…I'm also afraid of losing my father.”

“Haha. That's another reason why I should come back. Don't worry. Rezil has designed a splendid operation. If everything goes according to plan, there should be no problems.”

If everything goes according to plan. Even at that time, Beniang knew how ridiculous that statement was.

Their target was an Apocalypse-class Demigod. A true transcendent being who could single handedly wipe out a country.

There was no way they would be able to take down such a target without anything going wrong.

I love you. And I'm sorry.

He had smiled as he said those words.

She couldn't accept it at first. Rather, she was angry at Osel and Eizek for not keeping his promise.

And she cried after realising how pointless such behaviour was. She cried as if the world was ending.

After her emotions settled, she was overcome with depression, self-doubt, and loneliness.

Even then, time continued to pass. Slowly but surely.

Over time, her emotions gradually became diluted. At some point, Beniang became able to talk about Osel with a smile again.

However, from the moment she heard his will to now, there was one thing she was never able to understand.

How was he able to look in the face of his own death and smile?

* * *

Ivan stumbled.

The life seemed to have been sucked out of him. He didn't even have the strength to move his body.

Ivan had put all of his mana, mental strength, and even his vitality into that punch.

He wanted nothing more than to collapse at that moment. If he could close his eyes, even for a moment, there would be no greater happiness.

But he couldn't.

Ivan forced his eyelids, which seemed ready to close at any moment, to stay open.

'I touched it.'

It was clear.

According to Nora's words, his fist had touched Agni's 'core'. It wasn't just a touch either.

It was quite a formidable blow. He was certain.

It was his first time fighting a transcendent being like Agni, but he knew his punch had landed solidly.

Nevertheless, Ivan's expression wasn't good.

“Shit…”

Ivan's fist had literally created a sandstorm. However, this artificially created sandstorm soon dissipated as the force behind it disappeared.

The dust gradually settled, revealing Agni's body.

His upper half was missing, and the flames on his body flickered dangerously, like a dying bonfire.

It wasn't a joke. This proved that Ivan's thoughts had been right.

His punch was effective. In fact, it might have even been a fatal injury.

But in the end, it still failed to kill him.

[I didn't expect something like that.]

Agni spoke in a harsh tone.

There was no chance for him to say any more.

Crack!

An awl made of ice suddenly shot towards him.

Puk.

The ice awl stabbed into his body, but Isaka's expression was not good. The ice soon melted.

Isaka grit his teeth.

Did this mean he couldn't do anything with his ice even when Agni was so badly injured?

“Monstrous bastard.”

[It would be better for you to watch your mouth. Unless you want your soul to disappear.]

Even though he spoke sharply, Agni's condition was also not very good. Ivan's fist had actually touched his core.

It would have been really dangerous if the Half-Dragon's Dragontongue was stronger or if the Magic Warrior had more mana.

It was possible that he would have died in this place.

When he had this thought, Agni was filled with rage, but he forcibly suppressed his emotions.

He didn't have to get excited.

He could tell from their conditions. That last attack was the last hidden card they had.

They should have killed him with that last attack. Failure to do that meant that the result wouldn't change.

“…shit.”

Ivan's body inevitably collapsed.

In the end, all he could do was glare at Agni. The fact that he didn't immediately pass out on the spot was admirable.

It was Nora who prevented him from falling.

It was a bit ridiculous to see such a large man being held up by a little girl, but there was only a heavy atmosphere.

“Stop being such a crybaby.”

“…Master.”

“That aside, that last punch was really good.”

Nora smiled and stroked Ivan's head.

Ivan grumbled discontentedly.

“Why are you doing things you never did before?”

“I don't know.”

Nora murmured to herself before she seemed to remember something.

“What is the name of your technique?”

“…Ivan. Ivan's punch.”

“Huhu. How tacky. But calling it that name isn't too bad. Hmm. And it seems you're only a short step away from reaching the Warrior King stage.”

Nora's voice was light, and her expression was bright. But this appearance caused Ivan to feel uneasy.

“Ivan Dolgar.”

Ivan's expression hardened.

His real name, which even he had forgotten after so long, had come out of Nora's mouth.

Nora smiled as she looked at her student's face.

The years of her life flashed before her eyes. She'd stopped counting after the 200th year, but quite a long time had passed.

It was too long. At least, for humans, it was a very long time.

It was a boring, hard, and lonely time, but looking back, it wasn't a bad life.

She could think this way because of this student of hers, who accompanied her during her later years.

“Make sure you look carefully.”

Nora walked towards Agni.

After she used Flame Spirit, she had no mana left. But it wasn't impossible to use magic martial arts without mana.

This was also the decisive difference between a Wizard and a Magic Warrior. After all, Magic Warriors were those who paid more attention to their bodies.

'Ivan is still a step away.'

In other words, he needed more time.

No matter how much talent, instincts, and bloody hard work he put in, Ivan would never be able to overcome the obstacle of experience that was built up over time.

He needed someone who could show him that final step. That was what his teacher, Nora, believed.

A smile blossomed on Nora's face.

There was even the best opponent at this moment.

“What are you doing?!”

Ivan screamed and squirmed, forcing himself up. However, after he'd raised his body halfway off the ground, he collapsed face first in the sand once again.

He had no strength in his legs.

Nevertheless, he didn't stop struggling. He clenched his jaws so hard that his gums started bleeding.

He knew what Nora was thinking. He could feel it.

“Don't do it! Don't…”

Ivan coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Pieces of his organs which had been damaged by his attack could be seen in the blood.

“Please… please don't…”

Nora's footsteps didn't stop.

Seeing her crying disciple reminded her of the time when she first took him in.

Ivan, at the time, was very innocent. She recalled the pure and naive look in his eyes.

Her once cute disciple had grown to become a disgustingly giant man. But this also meant that she raised him well.

'Huhu.'

-Her stray thoughts ended there.

Nora's expression changed.

Before she knew it, she was right in front of Agni. Then she recalled Ivan's Punch.

It was an attack that contained the full potential of a Magic Warrior.

She slowly clenched her fist and stretched it forward. Doing martial arts without mana was the same as using a bow without any arrows.

Those looking on might think it was useless. However, that wasn't entirely true.

She could at least show him the motions. She could teach him the most ideal posture.

Ivan watched this scene with tear-filled eyes.

Despite his sorrow and helplessness, he watched his teacher's final moments with wide eyes.

Agni was also looking at Nora.

'What is she doing?'

He couldn't feel any power in this human in front of him. This meant that she wasn't a threat to him.

Even the smallest of his embers could still burn her to death. He was certain of this.

But he still couldn't move just yet.

No, he didn't want to move.

This wasn't like the Dragontongue. He wasn't moving because his 'heart' didn't want him to move.

Something about Nora's appearance at this moment made him not want to make a move.

'Reverence.'

Was a Demigod like him feeling reverent towards a human?

Nora's clothes were covered in blood and sand, but her upright posture seemed to carry a sense of purity and holiness.

Nora clenched her fist.

Ivan realised immediately.

That movement, that posture, that fist.

She was imitating the secret technique he'd just used.

No, it wasn't an imitation. She was fixing the shortcomings, reconstructing, and developing it to perfection.

It was Nora's last lesson.

She extended her small, thin fist.

Tok.

This fist hit Agni's body with a weak sound.

“…”

[…]

It happened in an instant.

The Dreadful Flames spread to Nora's arm. Then, the flames covered Nora's entire body.

Hellfire. Nora's entire body was engulfed in hellfire.

She heard Ivan's grieving cry.

Nevertheless, she didn't open her eyes. She didn't even open her mouth.

She didn't want to show her student the unsightly appearance of her screaming during her last moments.

She wouldn't allow it.

….

….

It was strange.

For some reason, she didn't feel any pain.

Was she already dead?

Was she burnt to ashes before she could even feel it properly?

No. That wasn't it.

Nora opened her eyes.

Chapter end