C240 - Individual Study, Group Study (5)
The flames of pressure spread, wild and fierce.
What an unsettling feeling.
The fact that the biological golems being engulfed by the flames were civilians not long ago, and the fact that their Legendary brethren were being ridiculed, left a bitter taste.
"I know you're trying to buy time with the golems as shields. Don't you have any shame as a Great Mage? Get your ass out of here, Joe! I'm quickly losing interest in capturing you alive."
"Stop, stop! I'll surrender, so stop your attacks!" Joe raised his arms and his staff in a gesture of surrender.
Chukon and Suzanne's eyes widened. There they were, desperately defending against Murakan's attacks, but their leader, Joe, had suddenly surrendered.
To make matters worse, it was he who had taunted Murakan by saying, "You wouldn't be the Shadow Dragon if things had gone worse." And now, he displayed a completely different attitude. They could barely believe what they were hearing.
"Sir Joe, what are you saying now? Are you really going to surrender?" Suzanne asked, but Joe scolded her instead.
"Darn it! Slow, don't you realize the power of the Dark Dragon? They're enemies we can't defeat. At this rate, we'll be annihilated. It's only a matter of time. Surrender is the only way!"
"But..."
"But what! Great Mages, express your surrender as well before I change my mind!"
Consider the situation and set aside all positions, pride, and shame.
Joe was right. Chukon and Suzanne knew full well that they had no chance against those monsters.
The three hadn't felt this way in a long, long time, since they reached the heights of a Nine-Star Mage.
"Stop with the nonsense, Sir Joe! Have you been hit on the head? Surrender? Are those the words of a true leader? If we surrender, do you think that demon will keep us alive? Idiot!" Chukon sharply turned his head and shouted.
"Lord Chukon, what did you just say?"
"It's that Dark Dragon we can't handle, not that brat. If we capture him and hold him hostage, we can make the Dark Dragon step aside. No Dragon Guardian will let their Contractor die!"
Chukon was the only one among them who had known Jin before. And that's why he felt a mysterious foreboding that something bad was going to happen. The incredible abilities that surpassed his age were one thing. But Chukon had the ominous feeling that things would turn against Jin due to mind games, like last time.
When he met Jin on the abandoned island off the waters of the Bellard Feudal States, he only thought of him as a Magic Swordsman. He had never imagined that this young man had anything to do with Solderet or the Dark Dragons.
Magic abilities of over seven stars, swordsmanship of over eight stars, terrifying lightning, and now even Shadow Energy...
Even the Nine-Star Mages would prefer not to fight against him.
"If Sir Joe surrenders now, there is no future. We must capture that bastard and negotiate with the Dark Dragon!" That's what Chukon had been thinking since he realized Jin was a Contractor. If they could seize that boy, this battle was in the bag.
"Sir Joe, don't surrender and capture that brat!"
"Sir Chukon is right, Sir Joe. Despite his immense talent, he is still a young monster. If we combine our powers, no, don't you think you could capture him yourself, Sir Joe?" Suzanne chimed in.
Joe couldn't say anything for some time due to his embarrassment.
Everything they were saying was true.
'What humiliation is this. How did I not come up with such a simple solution? I only thought of relying on our leader!'
It wasn't because Joe was slow. As Chukon mentioned, he truly was dangerous.
'I just felt intimidated by his audacity and got scared for no reason.'
It was just an instinctive fear towards the stronger.
"I was irrational. Yes, no matter how strong the Dark Dragon is, he won't be able to do anything once we have his Contractor."
"We'll keep the Dark Dragon tied down for as long as we can. We won't be able to push him for much longer, so hurry up and grab him."
Meanwhile, the shouts of the biological golems, the semiorcs, and the Mages filled the battlefield. And due to the noise, Jin and Murakan couldn't hear the conversation between the Nine-Star Mages. But Jin could see that they had shared a conversation that caused a shift in Joe's attitude, who moved away from surrendering.
Joe's staff began to fill with mana.
Despite the infamy of his particularly cunning, inhumane, frivolous, and difficult character that constantly overshadowed his abilities, Joe was still a Great Mage who had long been considered the nemesis of Andrei Zipple.
"Get lost! Worthless trash!"
The remaining biological golems followed Joe's orders and began to disperse to the side.
With the path cleared, Tess unleashed her Breath towards Joe. Joe cast spells in line with the descriptor preceding his name: Cold Joe.
The ground beneath Tess's breath cracked, and ice pillars shot out. Unlike most ice-based magic, this ice shimmered with a somber purple hue.
What appeared as pillars were actually a mouth made of ice.
It was the mouth of another golem created by Joe. The open jaws snapped at Tess's breath, tearing it apart like a beast cutting a snake. Then it growled in a low, sinister tone.
"Woah." Jin couldn't hide his surprise at the abrupt appearance of a golem from beneath the ground. It had even bitten Tess's flames upon emerging. Jin himself had to shudder at such a scene.
"What is that thing? Don't tell me that ridiculous thing was hiding underground."
It wasn't just Jin. Even Murakan seemed surprised.
"Pollook, extinguish Tess's flames and protect me!" Joe shouted.
Unlike the incomplete biological golems they had recently started manufacturing with the wisdom and memories of their leader, this golem called Pollook was already complete.
It was an ice golem immune to fire.
To create Pollook, Joe had to search through ancient glaciers to find a white elephant, capture young demons, and use five phoenix hearts and wings.
He started crafting the golem in the time when he dreamed of surpassing Andrei and even challenging Keliac. It took him almost twenty years to complete it.
It was Cold Joe, the Great Mage's greatest work and masterpiece. This was why Chukon and Suzanne considered Joe to be on a higher level than theirs, despite all being Nine-Star Mages.
The blue flames spreading across the battlefield began to extinguish with Pollook's appearance.
Meanwhile, Joe began casting his own spells, which he had created and named Glacier Cold. The purple ice fragments that sprouted from his staff instantly surrounded Jin.
It was as if hundreds of archers were aiming at Jin.
So that's why you were Andrei Zipple's rival...
Jin positioned himself and prepared to dodge the ice. He also glanced at Chukon and Suzanne without letting Joe notice.
If Tess's flames didn't work, it was too risky to fight such a monster.
To make matters worse, Joe had saved most of his mana by using the biological golems as shields. In comparison, Jin was much more fatigued from using the Battle God's movement and summoning Tess.
Extreme defense. It lives up to its name. Its defensive capabilities are certainly impressive.
Two Nine-Star Warlocks. Since one of the two was famous for being a master of defensive spells, even Murakan with forty percent of his power restored had difficulty penetrating their barriers.
It was also because Murakan couldn't afford to bombard the area where Jin was.
I should save myself until Murakan gets rid of those two. I don't even know how Joe's signature spells work.
Jin had just chosen to fight more efficiently.
"Tsk, you must be seriously crazy. Although I suspect it was your ignorance that led you to make such a mistake, useless one."
Murakan shook his head with wide-open eyes. Everyone on the battlefield could hear his solemn dragon voice.
"How dare you bring forth a golem made by desecrating a phoenix's corpse before the very Master of the Fire Kingdom? After recreating the Legends as well. You have a talent for causing disasters," Murakan said.
Shwoom!
Murakhan stopped his attacks and descended to Jin. He then returned to his human form and forcefully cast a shadow shield barrier to cover the two of them.
"That knight is out of control. I don't think I should stop him. Right now, that knight is going to break the contract he made with you and forcefully use all your powers. Despite how much he appreciates you, this is completely unacceptable to him," Murakan whispered.
"Eh?"
Bang.
Jin staggered and fell onto one knee. His energy was being drained before Murakan could finish explaining.
"He appreciates you a lot, so he probably wouldn't use your life force, but... Oh, he wouldn't use your life force, right? No, he won't. Damn it, I'll explain it to you later."
Jin closed his eyes. A great drowsiness took hold of his body, and he felt helpless against it.
Murakan brought his palm to his forehead, frustrated.
In the next instant, Tess screeched, turning the battlefield into a blue inferno.
The blue flames spread as quickly as Tess's cry resonated.
It took barely thirty seconds for the hundreds of remaining biological golems to turn into ashes, and the lower-level Mages met the same fate.
All members of the Dark Magic Guild, except the three Nine-Star Mages, were dead.
"What's happening?" Joe managed to avoid the flames.
He turned his head as he ran towards Chukon's shield barrier and saw his masterpiece, Pollook, being devoured by the flames.
It wasn't ignited or covered in flames. It was literally being devoured by the flames, similar to how Pollook had chewed on Tess's breath.
Even Joe, Chukon, and Suzanne had to retreat in fear.
They knew Tess was one of the largest phoenixes, but this was something they couldn't comprehend with their knowledge. On the other hand, Murakan sighed in relief at the scene.
He managed to control his temper somehow. He feared that he might annihilate the entire area by drawing on the boy's life force. He's more rational than I thought.
Pollook vanished without a trace. Not a single trace remained. It turned into blue ash.
Obviously, Tess went after the Nine-Star Warlocks next, as if her fury hadn't been satisfied yet. Murakan was worried that she might cause trouble by not controlling her anger.
"Perhaps it would be wise to retreat now? Look here. The brat has fainted. This is going to bring trouble, you know? I'll make sure that idiot suffers a lot, so take a breath. Huh? Wait a moment. What is that supposed to be?" Murakan pointed towards the collapsed outer wall with his finger.
There was a faint human figure on the debris of the outer wall.
"Can you check what that is before you leave? Do you know what it is? I have a bad feeling. You don't know what it is either? Are you leaving now? You want me to take care of the child. Yes, sure, sure. Well thought out. Leave this to me then."