Chapter 140

Chapter 140
## Chapter 140

— Crack! Crunch!

In an instant, the mansion was covered in ice, and everyone who had gathered on the battlefield blinked in astonishment.

It was an anomaly that occurred just as they perceived the flow of magic emanating from beyond the main hall.

*This is… war magic!*

Among the various types of combat magic, those that influence the entire battlefield are classified as war magic.

Even those without a deep knowledge of magic could recognize it, and Countess Rodelia, who was a four-star mage, understood it immediately.

That massive freezing spell emanating from inside the mansion was a Large-Scale Spatial Freeze, the same one used by Lord Melverot during the Northern War.

A spell classified as at least four stars, even by the lowest estimate.

In short, that meant there was another four-star mage inside the mansion besides Countess Rodelia.

“Do not panic! Mages often use spells to control the battlefield environment!”

Rodelia swallowed hard and looked back up at the Archlich floating overhead.

Despite the fierce battle, with sword wounds all over its body, the monster continued to raise corpses and block the subjugation squad.

However, with the sudden release of that war magic, a large portion of the monstrous creatures were instantly frozen.

Of course, some members of the squad also fell under the spell and lost mobility, but most were experienced enough to escape its effects on their own.

The enemy’s losses were undoubtedly greater. It was an opportunity.

If left unchecked, it would once again create a ridiculous number of monsters that would slow the squad’s advance.

That brief instant in which the number of monsters decreased drastically was a respite granted by the heavens.

That monster had to be eliminated.

Thus, Countess Rodelia climbed over the frozen railing.

The Archlich, understanding her intention, roared again and attempted to cast a spell, but a pair of arrows flew and embedded themselves in its chest.

— Kaaah!

As the Archlich screamed in pain, an archer with a fierce gaze rose from among the corpses of the monsters.

With her silver hair tied back, she shouted to the mercenaries:

“Now!”

*Slash! Boom!*

With a single blow, Jayden, who had rushed forward, swept away all the goblins and advanced toward the railing.

The wide slash of his sword cleared the path toward the Archlich.

It happened in an instant. That opportunity would not last long.

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The monsters began to attack en masse again, but Ellen, Denise, and the other forces that had joined the battle worked together to contain them.

Wielding the Sacred Blood Sword, Rodelia leaped through the gap and finally reached the Archlich.

*Get out of my way, you damned monster!*

Light emanated from the red runes engraved on the blade, running along its edge, and following the arc of her movement, the sword aimed to split the Archlich in two.

A slash from the left shoulder to the center of the body.

She tried to split it in two with a single blow, but the sword’s progress stopped upon clashing against the Archlich’s resilient structure.

— Kaaah!

The sword stopped near its solar plexus.

Even so, it was a fatal blow. A distorted cry echoed throughout the mansion.

The six-star necromancer, Fina, had affectionately called it “Happy” and had created it with great care.

It was the result of months of work and the power granted directly by her, but before Rodelia’s Sacred Blood Sword, it yielded to a fatal blow.

*Crunch! Boom!*

*Tremble!*

She tried to drive the sword deeper where it had stopped at the height of the solar plexus, but she could not completely subdue the Archlich, which continued to resist.

*Bang!*

Somehow, the sword was repelled, and the Archlich floated back toward the railing of the second-floor lobby of the mansion.

“Ugh, I couldn’t finish it in one blow!”

*Crash! Clang!*

Rodelia rolled across the floor, and her Sacred Blood Sword also fell against the railing.

The Archlich, gravely wounded, tried to destroy the troublesome sword, but the blade forged by Rodelia, a four-star transmutation mage, repelled the touch of the impure being.

*Bang!*

The Archlich, damaged once again by the sacred power, staggered, floated, and collapsed onto the railing.

It tried to summon more demonic creatures, but it seemed to have reached its limit.

It was already cornered.

Although Rodelia was not a specialist in combat magic, with the help of other mages and ranged attackers, it wouldn’t take long to eliminate that practically defenseless creature.

Just as she was about to order an all-out attack…

— Groooh!

A deep sound, like the horn of a massive ship, echoed in the air.

Above the shattered roof, the enormous demon summoned by Grand Duke Beltus came into view.

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That colossal being, which seemed capable of devouring the entire world, began to fade into magical energy.

The soldiers on the battlefield looked up with wide eyes.

The great demon summoned by a five-star summoner was disappearing.

What did that mean?

Someone had defeated Grand Duke Beltus.

A mage of the highest rank, who had reached five-star magic, delved into necromancy and masterfully fused several magical disciplines, but he was defeated.

— Whoosh!

The enormous body visible under the starry sky gradually faded away until it turned into smoke.

“No… it can’t be…”

“Did they capture Grand Duke Beltus…?”

The members of the Beldern Mercenary Corps and Countess Rodelia’s guards stopped fighting, unable to take their eyes off the sky.

When the figure of the demon disappeared completely, the dying Archlich rose once more and began to float.

“Don’t lose your focus! We are still in battle!”

“Y-yes, Your Excellency!”

The soldiers, regaining their composure, raised their swords again.

The Archlich roared, and countless monsters began to rise once more.

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After entrusting the battle to its minions, the Archlich began to retreat into the interior of the mansion.

“What… what is happening?!”

“The Archlich is fleeing! It’s taking refuge inside the mansion!”

Rodelia was stunned by the scene.

The liches sighted in numerous danger zones, starting with the White Labyrinth, never fled.

They were fearless creatures, and their territory was their home.

Fleeing at the prospect of defeat was inconceivable.

There had to be another reason why that Archlich was fleeing the battlefield.

“Dammit! After it! We must finish it completely!”

Rodelia gripped her sacred sword and, dragging her exhausted body, ran down the hallway.

Following the Archlich’s escape route, she found the mansion’s hallways in ruins—clear evidence of the battle between Grand Duke Beltus and Dereck.

The Archlich, flying over the debris, descended through a large hole in the middle of the corridor.

As she descended further and further, it was not difficult to reach the underground wine cellar.

*Crack! Bang! Crack!*

Rodelia, who had followed with the swiftest movements, saw something incredible as she landed and looked forward.

The wine barrels were smashed, and the cellar floor was soaked in wine.

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In the midst of that crimson scene, as if blood were flowing like a river, sat Baron Dereck Lydorf Ravenclaw, panting.

His body was covered in wounds and bloodstains, and his magical energy was almost imperceptible.

He had fought until the last drop. It was rare to see Dereck, who always fought calmly, pushed this far.

And before that broken man, who could no longer even stand on his own, was Grand Duke Beltus, completely frozen and subdued.

*What am I seeing right now?*

Countess Rodelia held her breath.

Baron Dereck Lydorf Ravenclaw, who at most appeared to be a three-star mage, had single-handedly subdued Grand Duke Beltus.

Grand Duke Beltus had already been torn apart by Fina; his magic power was almost exhausted, his body barely under control, driven mad by the power of necromancy.

Of course, even if that were the case, the idea that a five-star mage could be defeated by someone two levels below him was absurd.

The magical hierarchy was such that each promotion represented an unimaginable gap.

In particular, as rank increased, the difference became so extreme that while a one-star mage could occasionally defeat a two-star one, it was almost impossible for a three-star mage to defeat a four-star one.

*Traces of ice magic…*

But if he wasn’t a three-star mage, how should this be interpreted?

A gust of cold air enveloped the exhausted Dereck. It was evident where the immense ice magic that had frozen the entire mansion came from.

Dereck had become a four-star mage.

The implications were enormous. The difference between a three-star mage and a four-star mage was so great that it was often described as the distance between heaven and earth.

From that level onward, the Empire sought to register every individual who reached such a rank, as their power was comparable to that of a weapon of war.

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They were renowned mages, so few they could be counted on the fingers of one hand; even among the most prestigious noble families, a four-star mage was considered their most valuable asset.

In some cases, those who achieved such feats even became the heads of their families.

Therefore, the appearance of a new four-star mage at that moment was like a bomb dropped on the power structure of the southwest of the continent.

At that age, four stars.

It was an incredibly rapid advancement, with few historical precedents—comparable to, or perhaps even superior to, Melverot himself, the lord of the north.

Rodelia swallowed hard and quickly regained her composure.

*Now is not the time to think about that! There must be a reason why the Archlich came here!*

Dereck had already reached his limit following his battle with Grand Duke Beltus.

In fact, he was barely conscious, panting and leaning against the floor.

He had pushed his body to the limit, and if he used four-star magic again, he would feel pain so intense it would be as if his entire body were on fire.

Even Rodelia, who was in perfect condition, was exhausted after casting a single spell of that level.

In his state, using that kind of magic was no longer a matter of skill, but of pure mental willpower.

There was no way he could resist the Archlich’s attack. At that moment, Dereck was completely incapacitated.

From the perspective of Rodelia, loyal to the Empire, she could not allow that young genius, whose name had not yet left a mark on history, to die in that way.

“Monster! Over here!”

With a roar, Rodelia unsheathed the Sacred Blood Sword and confronted the Archlich.

*Whoosh! Whoosh!*

Once again, arrows flew and hit the mark.

They were silver arrows, a special weapon against spectral beings. Pheline, faster than anyone, aimed her bow from the opening of the first-floor hallway.

Shortly after, other members of the subjugation squad followed, and Jayden and Orel, swords in hand, burst into the underground basement.

— Whoosh! Crack!

“Protect Baron Ravenclaw! He must be kept alive!”

Countess Rodelia shouted desperately.

The Archlich was already in critical condition. If they maintained their all-out attack, they could finish it off completely.

However, the Archlich, staggering on the brink of death, gathered the last vestige of its magical power and let out a deafening roar.

— Kyaaa!

The air trembled.

It was a third-class confusion spell: the Shout of Chaos.

The soldiers, caught by the magical vibration spreading in all directions, dropped their weapons and covered their ears.

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The intense disorientation, as if their brains were being shaken, made them scream in pain.

It was the Archlich’s last attempt, using every last drop of its energy.

Taking advantage of that moment, the Archlich flew toward the completely defenseless Dereck.

“No!”

Just as Rodelia, wielding her sword, was about to charge…

— Whoosh!

The Archlich, showing no interest whatsoever in Dereck, passed him by and headed toward Grand Duke Beltus, who lay in a secluded corner.

His lifeless body slumped as the Archlich lifted it with magic.

The end of that greedy nobleman, who had intended to rule the world as lord of the Beltus family, was truly lamentable.

The Archlich drew the lifeless body close, enveloped it in magical power, and, with a roar, cast another spell.

It was the same summoning spell it had used at the beginning of the battle.

But this time, it was not something it summoned; rather, it was being summoned by another.

*Whoosh!*

The Archlich, clutching the body of Grand Duke Beltus, was enveloped by immense magic and disappeared completely.

*Whoosh!*

*Crackle!*

When it was all over, only dust remained.

“It escaped…”

“Dammit! We almost had it!”

“The monsters are disappearing…! Even so… it is our victory!”

The underground cellar had been completely destroyed.

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And now, only one man remained: the one whose talent had finally blossomed.

The floor was soaked in blood and his body covered in wounds.

He could die at any moment from blood loss.

“This is no time to celebrate! Call the healers immediately!”

Rodelia ran through the spilled wine.

The hero of the battlefield, who had fought against the necromancer to the brink of death and finally achieved victory, was dying.

*Thud!*

Dereck, unable to stay on his feet, collapsed into a pool of wine.

*Splash! Splash!*

Hearing the soldiers’ cries for help and the hurried footsteps of the approaching Countess Rodelia, Dereck gradually lost consciousness.

“Lord Dereck! Wait! Hey…! Quick, bring the healers! Dammit…!”

Even Rodelia’s voice faded into the darkness.

How long had it been since the last time he had risked his life in a real duel?

Suddenly, he remembered that day, when he was a trembling boy, and he faced a wild boar.

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That was the moment he first awakened his magical power. Since then, Dereck had begun to understand the mysteries of magic.

In retrospect, nothing had changed.

With that ironic thought, Dereck slowly closed his eyes.

Light from the outside filtered into the dark basement.

Dereck’s bloodied body, lying below, looked like that of a knight who had just finished a holy war.

Biting her lower lip, Rodelia took off her gauntlet and pressed Dereck’s wounds with her bare hands.

Even so, the blood continued to flow. The amount gushing out was alarming.

That man had truly risked his life just to capture the necromancer.

Seeing the endless bleeding, Rodelia Grit her teeth.

She had to save him, whatever the cost.