Chapter 261

Chapter 261 – I Charge, I Keep Charging. So…

No further discussion was required.

Flash!

Aster initiated the assault.

“You miserable bastard! You never had any intention of throwing your life away!”

“Damn it. Isn’t this amount of sacrifice already pushing it?”

Boom!

A devastating punch crashed directly into Zaipo’s face, causing the cavern to echo with a deep groan. Even so, Zaipo’s defensive shield remained intact. Aster pulled back his arm, preparing to deliver a decisive strike…

“Hey, tsk. Didn’t I warn you? Forget about using the Earth’s Bind or whatever—stop relying so heavily on grappling techniques.”

A sudden surge of fire erupted from the flank.

“Tch.”

The intense heat forced Aster to back away.

Under ordinary circumstances, he could have brushed it off with ease, but the lingering effects of the Earth’s Bind still seemed to hamper his movements.

“…Appreciate it.”

“Don’t mention it. Though it looks like it isn’t completely useless. At the very least, it’s forcing him to stay alert.”

Zaipo gave a nod and began drawing mana straight from his core. Immediately after, the ground beneath them began to tremble.

Rumble—!

Sharp spikes of rock thrust upward from every direction.

Clang! Clang-clang! Clang!

Aster conjured a protective shield but quickly realized it wouldn’t withstand the onslaught, forcing him to deflect the incoming stone projectiles one by one.

His agility was entirely unlike that of a traditional mage, but Coxen and Zaipo didn’t waste time marveling at his skill; instead, they retreated out of the cavern.

They recognized that engaging in close-quarters combat would leave them at a severe disadvantage.

“Where do you think you’re escaping to—”

Aster pursued them immediately.

And with that, the chase commenced.

The pair of Seven Mages maintained their distance, unleashing a barrage of magic to impede Aster’s progress, while Aster shattered every incoming spell as he narrowed the gap between them.

To an outside observer, it appeared as though Aster held the upper hand, but the reality was completely different.

‘Miserable bastards.’

He could have managed both of them simultaneously in a straightforward confrontation. However, by employing these hit-and-run tactics, they were ensuring there was no opportunity for an unexpected turnaround.

They protected themselves with an incredibly frustrating level of wariness, prompting Aster to curse silently under his breath.

Yet, Zaipo and Coxen were equally shaken.

‘…Ugh!’

Just a moment prior, when he had manifested his defensive shield, they had observed it vividly—the magical field was shaking and warping like erratic static.

This indicated that the Earth’s Bind had disrupted his focus so severely that he couldn’t even sustain a stable shield…

‘What sort of freak is he…!’

Even so, they couldn’t simply flee indefinitely.

“It is time to take this seriously.”

Zaipo gave a nod of agreement at Coxen’s prompt.

The earth rose up violently.

All at once, a massive barrier erupted from the side of the mountain, so incredibly vast that it resembled the outer wall of a grand fortress.

“What in the—”

Aster backed away from the sudden, massive manifestation of magic. Yet, the transformations didn’t stop there.

Rumble-rumble-boom! Boom!

The massive structure, which had initially obstructed his advance, tore apart with a shattering sound and began closing in from every angle.

Trapped within a moments-notice perimeter, Aster directed a concussive blow straight at the surrounding barrier.

Boom…!

“It is futile. It will not yield that easily.”

The voice echoed from high atop the stone structure.

Aster shifted his gaze upward, locking eyes with Zaipo who was looking down at him.

“Is that so? Then I suppose my options are limited.”

If the barrier refused to break, he simply wouldn’t waste energy on it. There were far more vulnerable targets available—such as Zaipo’s head.

“Did you honestly believe this could confine me?”

“…What?!”

Zaipo retreated in a panic as the voice of the Tower Lord sounded directly behind him. However, the incoming fist traveled a fraction faster than his reaction.

Boom!

“Gah—!”

A vicious blow to the head sent Zaipo crashing through the air with a cry of pain.

Yet, for some reason…

Aster’s countenance remained grim.

“Cough, hack!”

“You actually managed to deflect that?”

A true member of the Seven Mages indeed. He had successfully deployed a defensive shield in that split second to absorb the brunt of the force.

Granted, he was spitting up blood, meaning the attack had certainly left its mark… but it remained an expensive failure for Aster.

Because…

If he had kept the Blink hidden, it would have been fine—but now that it was revealed, Zaipo would be on high alert for it.

‘I needed to finish him with that single blow… tch.’

No matter, he would conclude it right now.

“…!”

Zaipo’s eyes widened in shock as Aster closed the distance in an instant, prompting him to extend his arm forward.

Sharp rock columns burst from the surface of the structure to intercept Aster’s charge. However, the previous impact had clearly disoriented him—the velocity and intensity of the magic had diminished.

Aster deflected the spell with minimal effort and leaped into the air. Following that…

“Perish.”

A final blow—

Boom!

Aster’s fist smashed into the structure’s flooring, creating a massive crater.

The sheer velocity of the strike caused the entire fortification to tremble violently. Aster stood upright, running a hand through his tangled hair.

“Seriously, you just refuse to stop evading, don’t you?”

The upper section of the wall had collapsed deeply from the resulting shockwave. Zaipo, having narrowly escaped the brunt of it, gritted his teeth in anger.

“You—! That was all an act. The Earth’s Bind never had any effect on you.”

“Oh, so you finally caught on?”

The Earth’s Bind had failed to connect from the very beginning. It was designed to impact the core directly, but his Circle was entirely different from a conventional core.

He had merely simulated the effect to catch both of the Seven Mages off guard.

The unstable shield, the inability to shatter the stone wall—all of it had been an elaborate deception.

“Does uncovering the truth change your current situation, though?”

Crack, crack.

Aster adjusted his neck and let loose the energy he had been holding back.

However…

“Heh, heh… Such overconfidence.”

Zaipo merely smiled in response.

Did he possess some hidden countermeasure?

As Aster tilted his head in suspicion…

Screeech—!

“…!”

A brutal wave of searing heat completely enveloped him. There was no opportunity to erect a shield—it was an attack delivered at point-blank range.

“Are you holding up?”

“…Heh, heh. I allowed my vigilance to drop. A deceitful wretch. That surprise assault certainly complicated things…”

Zaipo offered a strained grin in response to Coxen’s inquiry as the latter closed the distance.

“Tch, the passage of time is taking its toll. Had I been in my prime years…”

Zaipo retrieved a vial from his pouch and drank the fluid with a cynical laugh. The turmoil within his body began to settle rapidly.

He wasn’t restored to perfect condition, but it was sufficient to sustain his involvement in the struggle.

“Waste no time preparing. It is time to demonstrate to this so-called Tower Lord exactly what we are capable of.”

“Understood.”

Zaipo guided his mana to alleviate his internal trauma, subsequently lowering his eyelids. Moments later…

‘Thought Acceleration.’

His elderly intellect experienced a massive surge of magical quickness.

Following that…

‘Limit Release.’

The self-imposed restrictions placed upon his core began to untangle.

Zaipo’s presence altered entirely within a matter of moments.

Creak, creak.

“It has been quite some time since you exerted yourself to this extent.”

“Heh, indeed. A true rarity.”

Zaipo’s weakened physical form and the lingering complications from his past youth-reversal techniques had prevented him from utilizing his absolute capabilities.

However, the Tower Lord had left him with no alternative.

“Coxen, maintain your focus. That cunning adversary may redirect his attention toward you now.”

“Keep yourself alert as well. Have you forgotten? He possesses the capacity to eliminate one of us.”

“Now you are the one lecturing.”

Yet, their exchange was short-lived.

Crackle—

An overwhelming, suffocating aura of malice washed over them.

“This is something we can manage now.”

“And he is thoroughly enraged.”

Regardless of their comments, the pair displayed a level of composure that contrasted sharply with their earlier panic.

They had initially been swept up in the Tower Lord’s momentum, finding themselves struggling to form a proper response. Now, they had extricated themselves from that rhythm.

With Zaipo unleashing his hidden capabilities as well, even a transcendent archmage would find it impossible to completely suppress them.

Still, there was no room for complacency.

“Heh, do not let your guard down. We witnessed him utilize a bizarre maneuver earlier—he could manifest at any spot.”

“…Agreed.”

The pair of Seven Mages focused their readiness.

The magical energy in the atmosphere fluctuated as they formulated their techniques.

With protective barriers primed, the ambient mana was structured to immediately counter the Tower Lord regardless of where he chose to appear.

Furthermore, they prepared specific spells designed to immobilize him entirely.

Utilizing double casting into triple, and even quadruple structures… managing both immense and minor incantations simultaneously bordered on the miraculous.

With their preparations fully realized…

The obscuring debris dissipated, exposing the Tower Lord to view.

His visor was completely ruined, yet the spell obscuring his identity remained operational—leaving his facial features as nothing more than a dark void.

“…Your presence has shifted, hasn’t it?”

The Tower Lord acknowledged Zaipo’s transformation with a low sound of respect.

Zaipo and Coxen exchanged a brief look.

Then…

Rrrumble!

Fierce, howling currents tore through the area, driving intense infernos directly toward the Tower Lord. This was immediately followed by…

Stone lances propagating at a velocity far exceeding their previous deployment.

However, the genuine peril did not reside within the dramatic visual assault.

‘Prepared.’

‘Heh, understood.’

Throughout their brief engagement, they had deciphered the Tower Lord’s combat methodology—they anticipated he would attempt to eliminate the distance shortly.

Whether he utilized that peculiar spatial transition or simply forced his way through the blazing inferno.

However…

“Who are you calling a fool.”

A single beat.

…Every single spell dissolved like ice under heat.

The atmosphere turned utterly motionless in an instant.

“…!”

“…!”

Zaipo and Coxen stared in absolute disbelief at the impossible turn of events. It wasn’t merely the active magic that had vanished—even the spells they were currently preparing were entirely nullified.

The structured arrangements of ambient mana—completely dissolved.

The Tower Lord cracked his knuckles and began walking toward them.

“Enough with the petty magic tricks. Let us settle this with our hands, shall we?”

A sense of hopelessness washed over the countenances of the mages.

…An adversary capable of completely neutralizing the surrounding mana.

There was simply no method to overcome such an opponent.

Observing their despair, Aster forced down the blood rising in his throat.

‘…Damn it all to hell.’

His internal organs were in absolute agony.

Even a weakened powerhouse had its thresholds—the Seven Mages were not to be underestimated.

Pushing his body to the absolute limit of transcendence while harboring severe internal trauma was pure torment.

Yet, what alternative did he have?

‘Securing territory is a brutal endeavor.’

This was, after all, the path he had chosen for himself.

…But what was the reason?

• When you find yourself with a purpose to safeguard, a strength you never previously possessed will come flowing forth.

The words of the Young Patriarch echoed within his mind.

And now, against all expectations, he finally comprehended the sentiment…

‘…To hell with that.’

Absolutely not.

Martyrdom? What a joke.

He persevered solely because he possessed the capability to do so, all for the envisioned paradise of abundance: Arafur. Therefore…

‘Wyvern, take flight already.’

[Friend, I charge. I keep charging.]

The wyvern flapped its wings with immense effort.

Without ceasing, without end.

Fixing his gaze upon it, Aster dismissed his wandering thoughts and advanced toward the two Seven Mages, taking one deliberate step after another.

“Refusing to engage? Very well, I shall initiate the encounter once more.”

Come on, flee. Is it not time to run?

Yet, contrary to his internal yearning…

“Heh, heh… It appears we must wager everything.”

“Tch, I really ought to have stepped away from this life sooner. Even so, consider the reality—there must be a threshold to his power.”

“Heh, perhaps…”

“Or what else?”

The pair of Seven Mages consolidated their determination, their gaze reflecting absolute resolve.

Whoosh—

Aster anchored his faltering focus and swallowed the metallic taste in his mouth. Gulp—his throat twitched.

[I charge. Ke, keep charging. So…]

The wyvern was unable to conclude its thought.

Boom!

Aster launched himself forward and took to the air.