Is There Anything Else?

Is There Anything Else?

At the mention of explosion, I couldn’t hide my smile.

I don’t know what others might think.

But in my opinion, it was like obtaining a ‘means’ to easily deal with the Demon Lord.

‘If I detonate something like that inside the Demon Lord’s body, no matter how much of a Demon Lord they are, they’d take quite a hit.’

Just imagining it is thrilling, so while I’m lost in thought wanting to use that one right away.

Perhaps because my reaction was the opposite of what they expected, the archbishop speaks to me with a bewildered expression.

“… Seems you don’t understand. Look at the size of the mana stones! Not just the Magic Academy but the surrounding area… no, this entire region itself would be completely obliterated, yet you can laugh?”

To those words, I answered as if it was obvious.

“That’s none of my business.”

“……”

Hearing my one statement.

He mutters softly with a somewhat twisted expression.

“You’re… completely insane.”

Isn’t the one who’s more insane the guy who’s parasitizing the magic society and turning it into a massive explosive?

Feeling somewhat wronged, I slowly continued speaking.

“I don’t think I deserve to hear such words.”

“……”

The archbishop seems to have given up on conversing with me, as he doesn’t respond at all.

I let out a hollow laugh at his reaction and decided it was time to get back to the main point.

‘My goal is to capture that guy anyway.’

After beating him to within an inch of his life first.

Deciding to modify him for future use, I drew up even more mana.

The mana rises intensely, as if resonating loudly.

I spoke while unleashing even more intense lightning bolts all around.

“I’ll make you regret being alive.”

“You’re not just arrogant, you’re stupid! Fine, I’ll show you just how conceited you are!”

With those final words, the archbishop simultaneously hatched all the larvae he had planted and shouted at me.

“Welcome to my ultimate, greatest magic of solitude, created by sacrificing tens of thousands of demons, you incomparably stupid inferior being!”

Along with this, what appears to be the main bodies start grabbing and devouring all the surrounding larvae.

I let out a hollow laugh as I watch the ever-growing magical energy.

Then, slowly drawing out my mace, I said.

“Let me tell you one thing. Everyone who spoke similarly to you before has died.”

With those final words, I maximized the power of the point explosion I had previously used on the former Archbishop.

I manifested Lightning Mare while smiling as brightly as possible, the widest smile I’d shown today, and fired it in all directions.

As intense mana and magic power collided simultaneously, everything around began to collapse.

In normal circumstances, one would fight cautiously to prevent the magic stone from bursting.

But frankly, I didn’t care if it exploded, so I recklessly manifested magic and kept bursting it. The Archbishop was pushed back and exclaimed in shock.

“You stupid inferior creature! Didn’t I tell you that using magic like that would make the Magic Association explode?”

“I think you did mention it. But I thought it might be more fun if it exploded.”

“You insane bastard…!”

As I was thinking that I had strangely become the villain.

I shook off that thought, believing it couldn’t possibly be true, and poured out mana even more intensely.

‘Well, I don’t really care if it explodes, to be honest.’

As long as spatial expansion and compression exist.

Even if it exploded, I could store and save it.

In reality, I could clean up the explosion without causing any damage to the surroundings.

‘But there’s no need to tell him that.’

I started to thoroughly torment the Archbishop, using the Magic Association as a hostage.

‘Of course, I can’t kill the Archbishop.’

To determine the limit of what he could withstand without dying, I deliberately lowered the power of Lightning Mare.

Then I gradually increased it, monitoring his condition.

‘How meticulous of me.’

This seems to be more care than I ever showed to Rumi.

While I was letting such foolish thoughts drift through my mind and testing this.

The Archbishop, probably thinking this wasn’t enough, ‘turned his entire body red’ and shouted loudly.

“Go, insects! Show the abilities you were born with in solitude!”

With those words, the surviving insects began to manifest ‘magic used by demons’ and shoot it at me.

Judging by the fact that all the types of magic seem different.

It appears he transferred the abilities used by the sacrificed demons directly into the larvae.

Seeing this, I.

Smiled, thinking I understood why the Heaven God Cult tried to divert attention by sacrificing archmages and others.

‘If this wasn’t discovered now, but later, it would have been insanely troublesome.’

Not only has he ‘not yet fully controlled the mana stones,’ but he’s created an uncountable number of larvae.

And each of those larvae has abilities equivalent to a battle mage or regular knight.

‘If this guy had grown properly.’

Thousands or tens of thousands of troops would have poured out everywhere every day, completely annihilating humans.

‘Moreover, they’re openly absorbing mana stones.’

While the damage is less now as only the magic academy and nearby areas are affected.

After the Archbishop fully controlled the mana stones, defeating him could have led to the destruction of the entire world.

If I were on the human side, it would have been quite a headache.

‘Well, it’s not related to me anyway.’

There’s no need to worry about something that hasn’t even happened yet.

I watched the Archbishop suffering before my eyes while gradually increasing the power.

Suddenly, an interesting thought crossed my mind.

‘Come to think of it, can’t I use something like that too?’

I do have the zombie-making skill I acquired when chasing Luna… or more precisely, the seeds of negation.

I remember using it a little at first and then stopping because the individual abilities were so weak.

‘It’s an unavoidable characteristic of the zombie race, and I left it alone because I didn’t think it was worth investing in.’

Seeing those larvae continuously producing quite decent abilities in front of me makes me a bit envious.

As I’m contemplating whether to try and acquire that magic.

The Archbishop, seemingly unable to endure any more pain, collapses to the ground and stiffens.

It’s too weak to say he’s already dead.

I realize with high probability that ‘something exists’ and am preparing for it.

The larva suddenly hardens into a brown color and then quickly begins to attack me, spreading powerful toxic substances around.

“How pathetic.”

It’s laughable that they even tried to do something with just toxic substances.

‘Of course, it’s impossible to push it away with mana or magic. If a typical high-level magician were facing this, it would have been quite tricky, but…’

It wasn’t too difficult to neutralize it by using spatial compression magic to shrink the toxic substances.

I’m feeling satisfied, thinking that the more I use ancient magic, the more advantageous it is compared to even demonic energy.

The larva, which had transformed into a giant pupa, slowly starts to break its thick shell as if about to metamorphose, releasing massive amounts of demonic energy.

I wonder if an ordinary magician or knight saw this, wouldn’t they think it’s one challenge after another.

I pondered while loosening my shoulders.

‘For research and various uses, it’s necessary to extract as much magical energy as possible from what I currently possess.’

Rather than capturing it in its current state.

Just as I was thinking it would be ideal to increase the power of Lightning Mare to the brink of death.

A giant butterfly emerges from its cocoon, rising while scattering magical powder mixed with illusion magic around.

‘Illusions… they’ve mixed in all sorts of things.’

Although the cavity is large, the surroundings are completely blocked off.

The poison and illusion magic scattered by that butterfly or moth, whatever it is, and on top of that.

‘Countless caterpillars and the magic or swordsmanship they use.’

If I were to fight equally or in a conventional way, it would be beyond troublesome.

It would have been impossible to win.

‘It’s a meaningless thought since we’re not equal anyway.’

As the gap has widened to the point where even making comparisons feels unpleasant, I decided to end this now and opened my mouth.

“Is there anything else?”

At those words, the Archbishop seemed to sense something was off and began rolling its huge eyeballs.

Watching those eyeballs, I manifested Lightning Mare on the Archbishop, maximizing its power just short of killing it.