The Great Mage Returns After 4000 Years (Web Novel KR) Vol 1 Chapter 222

“That was also a joke. Why don't you relax, Lucifer? We obviously need to work together to defeat Lord.”

Frey laughed as he said those words.

Looking at his smile, Lucifer couldn't help but think.

'…this guy.'

He was dangerous.

No. He'd become dangerous.

By abandoning the humans and becoming transcendent, he had set foot on an entirely new level.

But that wasn't a big deal to Lucifer.

The most important thing was the way his thinking had changed.

'This is outside of my predictions.'

Before this, he was able to read Frey's way of thinking. From the information he'd gotten from Iris, the stories about the Great Mage, and the information he'd obtained first-hand. All of those had allowed him to have a certain understanding of the human named Frey Blake.

But it was different now.

'I thought that becoming a transcendent being would cause a dramatic change in his personality, but…'

He hadn't expected that he would change so severely. He didn't know why, but the hostility that the current Frey had towards the Demigods or Lord had faded.

In addition, it seemed that some of the responsibility towards the humans he'd carried had been relieved to an extent.

Frey had said that they should work together to defeat Lord, but Lucifer didn't trust him anymore.

He stopped making predictions. From now on, he thought to deal with the situation using the things he'd prepared beforehand… and improvisation.

He could have an alliance with Frey, but it would only be temporary. If Frey determined that he'd reduced Lord's power to a certain extent, he would immediately turn his sword on him without hesitation.

'It's so ironic. The weakest of the three of us is the one holding the sword.'

And they didn't have a choice but to let him. Frey was the weakest one there, so he already occupied the safest position.

He was a wolf in a fight between a lion and a tiger.

But that safety wouldn't last long either. Sooner or later, if Lord and Lucifer's powers were reduced to a level similar to Frey's, they would also pressure him more and more.

So in the end, the conclusion was simple.

He needed to figure a way to hide how much power he had left.

[That was a magnificent attack.]

Then they heard Lord's voice. There was a crack on his chest. It was the first time that he'd actually been hit.

He looked at Frey and said.

[Is that what your transcendent body looks like? It's pretty good.]

“Are you still in the position to be so relaxed?”

[…Huhu. My goal was already achieved the moment you, Frey Blake, became a transcendent being. I sincerely welcome you. Become one of my kin.]

Frey gently raised his eyebrows as he said.

“Why are you so adamant to pull me to your side? Lord, I don't think that you'd ever consider a human as your kind.”

[You are the biggest piece.]

“What?”

[…and as you said, I don't think I can afford to remain relaxed. So let's move on to the 'next step'.]

Lord turned to look at Lucifer.

[So Lucifer, it's time for the clown to leave.]

Woowoong.

Lucifer reacted.

He saw something white shoot out from Lord's hand. This was the only warning that appeared before space was torn.

Jijik!

“Kuk!”

Nevertheless, he was unable to avoid it. When Lucifer came to his senses, one of his wings had been torn off.

Black blood poured from Lucifer's back. He then used the feathers of the torn wing to engulf Lord.

Lord simply waved his hand slightly.

[Didn't you already say it? Your attacks will not reach me.]

“My attack was…!”

Piht.

Frey unleashed his divine magic power once again.

In an instant, the divine magic power soared into the sky and split apart like lightning before charging towards Lord.

Only then did Lucifer realise just how strong Frey had become.

'He hasn't reached the next stage.'

Before this, Frey could have been said to have surpassed the mortal class. Therefore, his complete separation from the human race did not lead to a radical increase in power.

If he were to express it, then it was only his output that had increased. The divine magic power he released now was about twice as powerful as before.

But that was still not enough to kill Lord.

Woowoong.

The warning came once again. And just like before, he was unable to dodge it.

Another one of Lucifer's wings was torn off.

'Dammit.'

He couldn't help but swear.

Lord was persistently aiming for him. It was a hellish situation.

It was Frey who was actively damaging him, but Lord's focus never shifted from Lucifer.

[I wonder how weak you would become if all of your wings were torn off.]

When he heard Lord's voice, Lucifer had a slight mental breakdown.

Every time the number of wings he had decreased, Lucifer would become weaker. But this was something that no one should have known.

“I wonder who told you that.”

[No one told me… about the characteristics of an Angel. I found them out on my own.]

“Then did you realise your true identity?”

Lord paused for a moment. It seemed he didn't know that yet.

Lucifer sneered.

“Then should I tell you?”

This time, a pair of Lucifer's wings was torn off simultaneously. He couldn't hold it in and let out a cry. (TL: It seems he really did have 12 'pairs' of wings originally and 6 pairs in Hell. 3 pairs went to both sides. So far Lucifer has lost 2 pairs of wings. Hopefully the author sticks to this count…)

“Kuack!”

[No. You don't need to.]

Lord finally responded.

At that moment, Frey was still attacking Lord, but it didn't seem to have any effect.

Frey was probably trying his best. But Lucifer didn't believe that. He felt that he was only pretending to help while conserving his power.

'So this is how it is.'

The only one he could rely on was himself.

Then he heard Dro's voice.

“Haha!”

A smile blossomed on Lucifer's lips.

“Stop, Lord.”

Lord, who was about to rip off another pair of wings, stopped moving.

This was because he was curious about Lucifer's confident tone.

Lucifer opened his mouth, not trying to suppress his leaking laughter at all.

“My preparations are complete.”

[What preparations are you talking about?]

“Huhu.”

Tak.

Lucifer flicked his finger, and a moment later, someone appeared in the sky above them.

Frey and Lord narrowed their eyes at the same time.

It was a face they all knew.

“Kaltud…”

Kaltud, the High ranking demon who was also Nozdog's Apostle. The red-skinned demon had suddenly appeared there.

“You seem a little surprised, Lord. I'll show you something even more amazing.”

Lucifer smiled as he said this.

“Kaltud, kill yourself.”

Everything afterwards happened in an instant.

“Yes.”

With a happy expression on his face, Kaltud reached into his chest and pulled out his own heart.

The heart in his hand was still beating while giving off a dark, evil aura. Every time it pulsed, black liquid poured from the broken veins.

[What are you doing?]

Unlike Lord, who had become a bit more serious, Lucifer's voice was completely relaxed as he spoke.

“Kaltud was one of my most loyal servants. And he inherited some of Lucifer's power. Therefore, he was able to enter and exit the Continent as he pleased. Decades ago, I told him to become the Apostle of any Demigod.”

At first, the plan was to have an insider in order to learn the Demigods' movements. An Apostle, who was closely connected to their Demigod, was the most suitable for such a role.

He didn't have high expectations. After all, the Demigods would definitely be wary of the demons. However, Kaltud carried out Lucifer's orders brilliantly, completely surpassing his expectations.

He managed to become the Apostle of an Apocalypse called Nozdog!

“When I received that report, I felt that the day would arrive when I would be able to use this card. Lord, you should have a good understanding of the relationship between Demigods and Apostles, right? Now that Kaltud is dead, Nozdog will definitely fall into hibernation. Even if he forces himself to stay awake, he would definitely be much weaker.”

Lord froze.

It was so faint that it was almost unnoticeable, but he was clearly affected.

Lucifer laughed as he targeted that sore spot.

“And Dro is on the continent right now. You should have an understanding of his strength. It wouldn't be a problem for him to kill a weakened Nozdog.”

Silence.

Lucifer quite liked this silence. He continued in a cheerful voice.

“It seems like it's my turn to take the lead, Lord.”

[This… was this your hidden card?]

Lord's voice shook slightly.

This was proof that he was surprised. Lucifer sneered as he replied.

“Right. You must have been surprised. Now, listen to my demands. Firstly-”

[How disappointing.]

“…what?”

[Lucifer, I'm even more certain now that your fusion was a failure.]

Crack!

“Kuack!”

Lucifer let out a scream. His last two wings were torn off, and his body fell to the ground in an instant.

'What's going on?'

He didn't understand.

Did Lord just use his power to rip off the rest of his wings?

How?

He raised his head.

Lord was looking down at him.

[The Dragon Lord's clumsy schemes and Lucifer's arrogance. It seems you have received only the worst parts of the two. As a result, you're weak. It would have been much harder if you worked as separate individuals.]

“…you, do you think that Nozdog will be safe after doing this?”

[It doesn't matter if he's safe or not.]

“What did you say?”

[I said it's fine if Nozdog falls into hibernation or even dies.]

Lucifer became speechless.

This wasn't a lie. He could hear the sincerity in Lord's voice.

“How… you… are you really Lord? The Demigods, you…”

[You have the habit of guessing what the other person is thinking and making your own conclusions. Didn't you realise how dangerous something like that is? Change is bound to happen, Lucifer. The same goes for my values.]

“That's… hilarious.”

Lucifer suddenly roared.

“You talking about change? Garbage that wasted almost an eternity…! Demigods, especially you, do not have the right to talk about that!”

Suddenly, Lucifer's head cooled down.

“…the Demigods that came to hell. Right. I thought you'd sent them back to the continent. To protect Nozdog or to carry out some other plan. Because I could no longer feel their divine power in Hell.”

However, that wasn't the case.

Lucifer muttered in disbelief.

“You ate all the other Demigods. H, haha!”

Lord didn't deny it.

Right. It was only then when all the pieces fit into place.

Lord had gotten stronger. In a short amount of time, he'd become ridiculously strong. According to what he'd known, this half should have been enough to deal with Lord. Yet his powers couldn't even reach Lord.

And now, he knew the reason.

“You're crazy. Did you really swallow the people who supported you for thousands and tens of thousands of years?”

[Do not insult us with such vulgar words. I didn't swallow them. They simply returned. They're back where they belong.]

Lord's voice was calm and confident as he said these words.

He put his hand on his chest and said.

[I can still hear the voices of my people. They are thanking me for allowing them to feel this fullness once again. Of course, you wouldn't understand.]

He didn't know much, but he knew one thing.

'A clumsy trick.'

Right. At some point, he'd become accustomed to moving things behind the scenes rather than doing them directly.

He became hesitant to act personally. And when things happened as he predicted, he felt pleasure similar to that of a drug. This all started after he accepted the Dragon Lord.

He looked at Lord and muttered in a strange voice.

“…I didn't think there would be someone even more broken than I.”

No one here would have expected it. Not even himself.

That those would be Lucifer's last words.

Chak!

In the next instant, Lucifer's head was ripped off.

Feathers, blood, and brain matter mixed together and fell like rain.

In this gruesome downpour, Lord and Frey's eyes met.

(TL: these chapters… I'm not sure how I feel about them. Somehow, all three of them became crazy.)