episode_0021

“Hit it!”

Before the leader hyena could give his order, shadows began to swarm from all directions.

Sword strikes rained down from his immediate vicinity, and blades aimed for fatal wounds swept in like a storm without a moment’s hesitation.

however.

Woohoo!!

Just before their blades could graze John’s body, he was caught by an invisible curtain.

The hyenas’ swords were frozen as if caught by something, leaving only vibrations.

Something invisible trembled as if it would tear apart at any moment, but it never reached John.

“What the!?”

“How did this happen…!”

The hyenas were shocked. The tip of the sword hung in the air, motionless, as if entangled in a spider web.

There were no mana barriers or shields like the wizards used. The hyenas could not understand why the attacks had stopped.

A smile appeared on John’s lips.

“Are you surprised? But what can I do? It doesn’t end here.”

John’s eyes flashed with a cold light and an eerie glare. A strong wave spread out around him, and mana surged like waves, covering the surrounding hyenas all at once.

Kwaaang!!

“Kwak!”

“Profit… !”

The hyenas were swept into the air by a huge wave.

They hit the floor and scattered with screams.

John looked down at the hyenas with pity.

“What kind of magic is this…!”

The hyenas, thrown to the ground, trembled in fear. They seemed to have fallen into an invisible trap.

It felt as if a transparent noose was tightening around the sword in my hand.

“Back off for now!”

“Keep it large!”

As expected of highly trained hyenas who had been in sync for a long time, they quickly assessed the situation and gathered in one place to form a formation.

John spoke in a calm voice.

“Are you curious as to why the attack was blocked?”

No one answered, but everyone was waiting for his answer. That’s how strange and heterogeneous the magic that John showed was.

“I think you’re curious, so let me know.”

John snapped his fingers. At that moment, the mana in the air reacted. Colorful mana created small waves and drew out glowing lines.

“This is…!”

“Mana?”

The hyenas stepped back in shock.

It wasn’t a simple shield. What he had created was an intricately woven web of mana.

John’s greatest abilities as a wizard are his magical power management and mana affinity.

He creates an invisible thread that interferes with the mana that exists around him.

The thread catches approaching attacks, preventing them from reaching John.

“The mana floating around listens to my orders. Unless I allow it, you can’t even lay a finger on me.”

John swept the air with his fingertips. Mana reacted again, causing invisible threads to ripple like waves.

“Oh my god.”

“Is that possible?”

The hyenas were shocked. Physical attacks were ineffective against them, so they were an unbeatable opponent without a magician.

“Do you understand why I was left alone?”

One of the three magics John learned to reach the rank of Super Wizard.

Shadow formation.

The interfered mana flows like a shadow, wrapping around the incoming attack and instantly stopping it in place.

At first glance, it seems like a defensive magic that provides invincibility, but in fact, it has a fatal weakness.

It is vulnerable to attacks using mana blades, and if a wave strong enough to affect the caster’s interference occurs, the magic control is immediately released.

Moreover, it can only block physical attacks.

However, John was not stupid enough to reveal these weaknesses.

“Let’s finish it slowly.”

Phew!!

With each step John took, mana swirled around him.

A strong gust of wind blasted in all directions, shaking the air.

Every step he took was followed by an overwhelming wave of magical power.

“This… … .”

“I didn’t expect this.”

The hyenas backed away with frightened eyes as the storm of mana grew stronger before their eyes.

The confidence that had protected them until just now has long since collapsed like a sand castle.

They realized.

To kill John, it is not a simple attack, but a determination to be annihilated.

At that moment.

Ss …

A sharp thud quickly crept in from behind John. A silent, slashing dagger cut through the air and shot like lightning towards his back.

Defenseless back.

The hyenas’ perfect opportunity to finish John off with a single attack while he is off guard.

But─

Bam!

The dagger stopped moving in midair again just before it reached his back. It floated and wavered in the air as if it had lost track of time, unable to move forward any further.

“An attack from behind?!”

“Can you block attacks you don’t even recognize?”

The hyenas’ eyes were filled with fear. The dagger flew towards John’s back, but regardless of his intention, the thread reacted on its own.

John turned his head and looked at the floating dagger. A hint of cynicism appeared on his lips.

With a slight wave of his hand, the dagger fell limply as if released from thin air.

‘As expected, the combination of Yeongryujin and Manryujigak is fraudulent.’

Perception of the universal.

It means sensing all the currents of the world, fusing the surrounding mana and senses and perfectly transmitting them to the caster’s consciousness.

In short, there are no blind spots in his cognitive scope.

If both the Youngryujin and Manryujitak are activated at the same time, no surprise attack will work.

For him, who had excellent mana affinity and magical power management, the combination of Manryujigak and Yeongryujin was a magic that was no different from a special item.

However, the Manryujigak and Yeongryujin that show this ultimate combination are not mainstream magic among the super magics and are not well known. This is because there are too many requirements to be met.

Of course, this did not apply to Johan, whose magical power and mana affinity were close to the extreme.

“Now it’s my turn.”

John slowly raised his index finger. A sphere flickering like darkness appeared at his fingertips.

Woohoo!!

A sphere of pure magical power and emanation. It is a magic that compresses his absurd magical power into a sphere and strikes it down.

Breaking point.

John’s fingertips aim for the heart of the hyena pack. The moment the compressed mana reaches its limit and trembles sharply, a vibration that distorts even space spreads.

And at that moment, a pitch-black sphere shoots out with explosive momentum as if it were racing. It is a speed that is difficult to keep track of with the naked eye. The unstoppable wave rushes into the center of the hyenas.

“Blood, Damage─”

Kwakwakwakwang!!

A huge explosion erupted with a loud noise from where the hyenas were gathered.

A loud noise spread out as if the earth was roaring, and shock waves swept in all directions.

A cloud of dust rose into the sky, covering the area in darkness.

“Kuaa… … .”

“Ugh… !”

The hyenas groaned as they crawled on the ground. The formation they had formed collapsed in an instant. With just one attack, the balance and order of the pack was completely destroyed.

John smiled and tilted his head. Like the residual heat left at his fingertips, the mana around him slowly dispersed and disappeared.

‘There’s no need to use the spiral wave.’

The most powerful and only offensive magic among the super magics learned by John, Spiral Breaking Heaven.

It’s a powerful spell that can blow away half of a special-grade demon’s body, but there’s no need to use it right now.

Because it is enough to just operate the spheres of absorption and emission that strike with magical power.

‘But, the leader is nowhere to be seen.’

John’s gaze narrowed sharply. The leader who seemed like he would rush in first when they first started talking had disappeared without a trace.

‘Did you run away knowing it wouldn’t work?’

John let out a short sigh. It might not be the case for the Black Knights commanded directly by Cassis, but the hyenas are people who value money and life above all else.

Even though they swore allegiance to the Grand Duke of Lenokhonen, their essence remains unchanged. For those in the afterlife, life is more precious.

But you must not let your guard down until the very end. John tensely tightened his senses. Mana surrounded him, raising his alertness to the limit.

At that moment.

Pfft!

“… !”

Suddenly, a life-threatening aura flew from behind John. The senses and resonating perception sounded an alarm. A trace of a sharp mana-filled sword shot out like lightning.

Ss …

John threw himself forward without hesitation and rolled on the floor.

A curved sword wrapped in red mana cut through the air.

A residual wave of mana barely brushed his back.

“Kuh.”

A sharp voice comes from behind.

“As expected, the mana blade was the weakness.”

The leader hyena looked down at John with a wicked smile on his lips.

His face was relaxed and full of laughter, as if he had already won.

“It looks like he’s avoiding an attack that could have been blocked by just standing still by rolling all the way to the ground.”

The words are laced with a venomous, snake-like venom.

“… … .”

John sat up quietly. A chill settled over his face.

Youngryujin’s weakness is attacks that contain mana, but if the caster’s magic power density is higher than that of the opponent, it can be blocked to some extent.

But – the density displayed by the mana blade that the leader hyena had just swung was not an ordinary density.

‘It’s not special, but it’s first class.’

It would have been possible to block it since there was a difference in skill levels, but Johan had just reached the beginner level and was not yet familiar with using magic.

There was no need to gamble when my life was on the line.

“Is that right? I’m speechless. Hehe.”

The bastard lowered his center of gravity again, probably to jump out and make a surprise attack.

“Well, I guess we’ll have to check if that’s true or not.”

Woohoo!!

Mana swirls around John, creating a powerful gust of wind.

‘There is no need to use the Book of Calamity.’

It’s also difficult for me to use that magic that brings disaster to all directions. It’s annoying when someone finds traces of it.

The leader hyena said with a bitter laugh.

“Noble Nari, I did it because I was told to, so don’t blame me too much. Hehe.”

Fight!

The figure of the leader hyena standing before my eyes disappeared, leaving behind a faint afterimage.

John expanded his senses by pushing his perception to the limit.

‘Where are you?’

Although its exact location could not be detected, it was clear that it was bouncing around to cause confusion.

Under the moonlight, a pitch-black afterimage glides like a ghost, moving between the sky and the ground.

Perhaps he was trying to take advantage of the slowed-down state to cut it down in one go with his Mana Blade.

“The noble lady has too many thoughts!”

At that moment, the leader of the hyenas appeared behind John. John reacted sensually and created a sphere of emanation, a bursting point, from his fingertips.

but.

“…?!”

The leader hyena had already disappeared. What happened? No trace was detected.

John quickly looked around for him. He was nowhere to be seen. His senses were not able to catch him.

‘It’s annoying.’

John clicked his tongue and reclaimed the burst point. This magic, which had strong waves and affected the surrounding area, could not be maintained for long as it would be a burden to the caster if not immediately released.

Ss …

At that moment, a dagger slashed straight ahead, cutting through the air. Yohan accurately recognized the dagger’s trajectory with his sense of urgency, and stopped the blade with his spirit formation.

“Khuh!”

A laughter comes from behind me. My concentration is briefly broken by his cunning movements.

‘this!’

For a split second, John interfered with the mana. The sphere sucking in the surrounding mana began to rotate and pull him towards it.

Shukak!

A red-hot mana blade cut through the air.

‘He is at the level of a first-class civil servant, but his interpersonal combat skills are outstanding.’

John chewed his lips. As expected of a hyena who has been in all kinds of dirty fights, he was skillfully controlling the flow of battle.

“Khaat! I’m on the edge! What should I do?!”

The leader hyena charges with his mana blade activated. The blade sweeps the ground, and red mana flies out like flames.

For a split second, John’s senses were sharp, covered in dust.

“This is my first time doing something like this, but I guess I have to do it.”

A sphere of emanation formed from his fingertips. The rupture point took shape as a storm-like swirl, and soon began to vibrate unstably.

Intense waves envelop all directions and distort space.

“Hahaha, noble Nari! It’s too late to respond!”

The speed of the bastard was too fast. The blade rushed towards John like lightning.

“Do you really think so?”

But John smiled leisurely and aimed at the bursting point shaking in his hand.

Kwakwakwakwa!!

An intense magical power that starts from a single point and shoots out in a cone shape. The extreme shock wave that spreads out mercilessly tears the air apart.

The direction where the leader hyena had been was swallowed up by the explosion of the rupture point, and there was no ruin left, and the only trace left was a pile of blackened ash.

John slowly lowered his hand, looking at the wreckage.

‘It worked really well.’

The sphere of divergence, the bursting point, narrowed the range of explosion to the limit and guided it in a specific direction.

Although it was his first attempt, the result was a great success as his extremely sensitive magical power assisted him.

‘Then let’s check. What happened?’

John slowly looked around the ruined area, shaking off the dirt from his body.

As if a giant wave had swept through, only the remains of destruction remained.

“Coolook… !”

The leader hyena was completely battered and was vomiting blood.

Because the rupture point was completely hit, the entire lower body disappeared without a trace.

“Turn off… … .”

The hyena tried to grab the air with its staggering hands amid the rubble mixed with dirt and blood.

John walked slowly and stood in front of the bastard without saying a word.

His every step weighed heavily on the atmosphere.

“This… … crazy guy… … .”

The hyena gnashed its teeth and spoke with all its might. There was defeat and contempt in its voice, but even that came pouring out along with the blood.

“You won’t tell me who’s behind this, right?”

“Saying the obvious… … .”

“Actually, I already know.”

“… What?”

A tiny bursting point shot out from the tip of the aimed finger. Boom! The head of the leader hyena was blown away.

“… … .”

It would not be strange to see a sight that would make your stomach hurt and you feel like vomiting right away.

This was my first time killing someone, but I didn’t feel anything special about it. It was because they were trying to take my life.

If it were an innocent person, I would have been emotionally shaken, but I felt nothing toward the hyenas who were the foundation of the underworld.

In a battlefield, if you don’t kill, you die. This is a given in this world. John understood the laws of this world well.

After living as a nobleman walking on thin ice for 21 years, you tend to become indifferent.

“Is anyone alive?”

As John turned his head and his blue eyes shone, the surviving hyenas backed away in shock.

“Hi, eek… !”

“It’s a monster… … .”

He slowly walked towards them. John’s expression hardened and he opened his mouth.

“Tell your master, Cassis Lenokhonen, clearly. This trick won’t work no matter how many times you try it.”

His blue eyes glowed with a murderous light.

“If you keep targeting Francia like this, one day, Cassis Lenokhonen, your life will be lost like this.”