Chapter 203

The hidden temple on Mount Cali.

It resembled a fusion of the twin temples from the north and south.

(TLN: let me guess they were hit by dragons)

Usually sealed, it revealed itself only once every ten years.

Because the seal would be broken.

Near the hidden temple, dark mages were secretly lying in wait.

Ten of them in total.

The reason for their ambush was, of course, to surprise any enemies who came here.

Then why weren’t all twenty of them hiding?

There was a reason.

They had set up another trap.

A magic circle.

A binding magic circle that would constrict all living beings within its range with immense pressure, activated by a simple trigger word.

Moreover, it was concealed by a cloaking magic circle, making it impossible to detect in a short amount of time.

This binding magic circle was their true trap and their aim.

That’s why only half of them were hiding.

If there was no one where they were supposed to be, it would definitely raise suspicion.

“Hmm.”

Master Glick, the leader of this mission, was sitting comfortably on the steps at the entrance of the temple, just outside the range of the magic circle.

Limited time.

Only half of the key.

The situation was certainly urgent.

But not a shred of urgency could be felt from Glick.

Because he knew.

That the enemy was in the same situation.

And that the enemy would definitely come here.

On the other hand.

The other dark mages couldn’t hide their nervousness.

Their long-cherished dream and ambition of a thousand years was finally within reach.

It would be strange for them to be calm in a situation where even the slightest miscalculation could make it all go up in smoke.

Glick left his subordinates to their own devices.

If everyone was too calm, the enemy would become suspicious.

So the current state was better.

After some time.

Tap, tap, tap!

The sound of footsteps approaching from the distance could be heard.

Hurried footsteps.

As expected, Glick thought, the enemy was the one who was getting impatient.

“Th-They’re coming!”

One of the dark mages exclaimed in a tense voice.

The other dark mages also tensed up, preparing for battle.

Their opponents were the ones who had cut off contact with the twenty mages at the North Temple… no, they had definitely killed them.

It was only natural for them to be nervous.

Only Glick remained calm.

And finally.

The one who appeared…

“Huh?!”

“Wh-What?!”

The dark mages’ faces were filled with bewilderment and confusion.

“Hmm?”

Even Glick frowned this time.

It couldn’t be helped.

Because only one person had appeared.

A young man with an unpleasant face, who didn’t look like a big shot at all.

It was Max Celtrine.

The dark mages all looked at Glick as if they had made a promise.

They were waiting for his orders.

If he was an unrelated person, they could just kill him and be done with it.

But.

Glick was cautious.

It was the middle of the night.

It wasn’t the time or place for an ordinary person to appear alone.

Therefore, he was certain.

That the person who had just appeared was definitely related to the unknown enemy.

The problem was.

Why did he appear alone?

He couldn’t help but be cautious until he figured that out.

“Who are you?”

Glick asked coldly, his voice amplified by magic.

“Haha, what are you talking about? It’s me, me.”

The opponent replied in a loud voice.

But his words were strange.

Confusion appeared on the faces of the dark mages, and Glick frowned.

“What nonsense are you spouting?”

“Nonsense? Ah… is that it? Are you still acting? Haha, you’re really thorough. But do you really need to keep doing that when you’ve lured them here so well?”

Glick glared at him coldly at the continued absurdity.

“What are you trying to pull?”

“Hey, why are you like this, Glick? It’s okay now. The brothers who carry out God’s will are already all over the place.”

Max replied in a lighthearted tone, devoid of any tension.

But his words were not lighthearted at all to the dark mages.

There were two things.

First, Glick’s name.

It was a name that was completely hidden from the world, shrouded in secrecy.

Only a handful of dark mages knew it.

And that name had come out of the mouth of a suspicious outsider.

Second, the brothers who carry out God’s will.

Words that were hateful to the ears of any dark mage.

Because they referred to the followers of the religious order, their sworn enemies.

And not just any followers, but paladins and inquisitors.

The very people who had taken the lives of countless dark mages.

Those two things had suddenly come out of the mouth of a suspicious outsider?

And in such a strange situation?

The dark mages’ gazes instinctively turned to Glick.

Bewilderment, confusion.

Those were the emotions they were feeling for now, but Max knew that seeds of doubt had been sown in their hearts.

That was the purpose of his words.

What would happen if a group united for a single goal, their bond strong and unwavering, developed cracks?

That group would never be able to exert its full power.

That was Max’s aim.

“Damn it, this filthy spawn of God is trying to play tricks with his forked tongue!”

Knowing this, Glick reacted strongly.

He finally stood up from his seat.

It was a cheap trick that wasn’t even funny, but he knew that if he didn’t nip it in the bud, it could become a problem.

But he couldn’t rashly give the order to attack.

If there were more of them, he would have lured them into the magic circle trap and dealt with them.

But the number “one” was too ambiguous.

It was too few to activate the magic circle, and he was suspicious of any tricks if he ordered a few of his subordinates to attack.

The number itself was causing him a headache.

Therefore, he couldn’t stop Max from speaking again.

“Hahaha, filthy spawn of God. To think you’d even say such a thing with such sincerity, Glick, your acting is truly amazing. Well, that’s how you were able to blend in with them so perfectly for decades, entrusted with such an important mission.”

His tongue continued to wag effortlessly.

What drove Glick crazy was that it was a plausible accusation.

If it had been a completely baseless claim, he would have just laughed it off, but this was on a different level.

“Shut up, dog of the religious order! Did you set up a trap?”

Glick had already practically concluded that the unknown enemy was the religious order.

It was what the opponent himself claimed, but that wasn’t the only reason.

Many things made sense if he thought of it as the religious order.

Knowing about the existence of the secret archive, setting up a trap at the North Temple where half of the key was located – all of it was possible if it was the religious order.

But even if the unknown enemy was the religious order, nothing would change.

They had been lured here according to plan, so he would trap them with the magic circle, wipe them out, obtain the remaining half of the key, and complete the mission.

That was all.

But the situation didn’t go as Glick planned.

“Yes, yes, a dog of the religious order. And so are you, Glick.”

Max replied casually, as if it was nothing.

That smile was utterly repulsive to Glick.

“Enough with the bullshit, if you brought your stinking hounds, unleash them!”

He meant to shut up and come in.

That was the scenario Glick wanted the most.

But.

“Haha, bullshit? You’re the one who leaked false information to the heretic ‘Teacher’ and lured all these heretics here.”

Max said, still smiling.

But this time, the atmosphere changed.

The dark mages became extremely serious.

Their faces hardened.

Because words that should never be spoken had come out of the mouth of a member of the religious order.

Teacher.

The existence of ‘Him’, the current leader and elder of the dark mages, was something that should never be known to the outside world.

Because all dark mages were bound by an unbreakable forbidden magic.

A magic that prevented them from uttering certain words.

And yet, top-secret information had been leaked?

It meant that there was a traitor within their ranks who wasn’t bound by the forbidden magic.

The gazes directed at Glick were more intense than ever before.

The flames of suspicion were clearly starting to burn.

It was driving Glick crazy.

He couldn’t hold back any longer.

No, it was more accurate to say that he couldn’t let this dangerous guy continue any longer.

If even a little more information leaked out here, he would be caught in the middle of their discord.

“Y-You bastard! You’re trying to sow discord until the very end! Kill him! Kill him now!”

Glick shouted with murderous intent.

Two of the dark mages immediately moved at his command.

They were his loyal confidants who had no doubts about him.

They crossed the magic circle and charged towards Max.

Their attack spells were already cast.

But they weren’t the only ones who were ready.

Max had already drawn his Marcus Bow.

An arrow was already nocked.

He was incredibly fast, befitting a student of the best teacher.

“Did you think only you mages could fight from a distance?”

Max smiled confidently.

The reason he chose a bow instead of a sword for close combat was, of course, intentional.

Because he had already figured out that the enemy was waiting with a trap.

He had no intention of playing into their hands.

He was the one who would control the flow of this battle.

“You fanatic bastard!”

“Go to hell, where you belong!”

The dark mages cursed and hurriedly launched their attacks before the arrow could fly.

They judged that once they unleashed their offensive magic, a bow would be useless.

That would be true for an ordinary archer.

An ordinary archer.

But Max wasn’t an ordinary archer.

He was the sole disciple of Hiresia.

Max didn’t even blink as he watched the magic approaching him.

His demeanor might have seemed relaxed, but the reality was different.

The magic was flying towards him as fast as an arrow released from a bowstring.

But even in such a critical situation, Max’s eyes were cold as ice.

The magic reflected in his eyes.

A swirling blade of darkness and a large orb of darkness.

They were approaching at a perfect distance.

Perfect for dealing with.

In times like this.

– Explosive Shot.

Whoosh!

Max’s arrow flew without hesitation at the perfect timing.

Boom!

A large explosion suddenly occurred in the air.

The arrow collided with the incoming magic and exploded.

The power of the magic vanished without a trace due to the explosion.

That was the power of Explosive Shot.

“N-No?!”

“Wh-What?!”

The dark mages froze, their eyes wide with shock.

They seemed to have never imagined that their carefully prepared magic would be blocked so easily.

Max was already preparing his next arrow.

No, he had already released it.

– Focus Shot.

Even the harsh weather with its unpredictable strong winds couldn’t hinder the arrow.

Because it could read everything the moment it was released.

Whoosh!

The perfect arrow rode the wind.

“Huh?!”

A surprised gasp.

But that was all.

Because there was no time to react.

Thud!

“G-Gah…”

The Focus Shot pierced his throat accurately.

Thud!

The dark mage’s body, with a hole in his throat, fell backwards like a rotten tree.

The surviving dark mage, his face contorted with shock, quickly prepared his next spell.

But Max was faster than his short casting speed.

The moment he released the Focus Shot, Max was already nocking another arrow.

Whoosh!

“Ugh?!”

The dark mage gave up on casting and hurriedly dodged.

It was the right decision, as the arrow narrowly missed his neck.

The dark mage quickly tried to regain his composure.

At that moment.

“Two more.”

Max muttered.

His words were neither exaggeration nor bluff.

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

Two more arrows flew through the air.

Incredible rapid fire.

Hiresia’s specialty was being displayed in Max’s hands.

The dark mage’s eyes widened.

The arrows were already upon him.

“Noooooooo!”

Thud!

Thud!

“G-Gah…”

Two arrows pierced his vital points.

Thud!

The dark mage’s body collapsed forward.

The battle was over in the blink of an eye.

The atmosphere froze.

Max broke the frozen atmosphere with a laugh.

“Hahaha, thank you, Glick. Keep sending them two at a time. It makes it so easy to deal with them.”