Episode 76
“When did you reach the level of a 4-star wall?”

As the others murmured in surprise, Yulian let out a low sigh.

Then, without holding any arrow, he drew back an invisible bowstring with empty hands.

From the hand gripping the string, a black sword blossomed.

It was an intangible technique using the black sword.

Next came the ‘Black Sword Transformation,’ a mastery at the 4-star level that allowed him to wield the black sword freely.

The black sword split into sixteen blades, and sixteen intangible arrows shot forth into the air.

Yulian’s black swords struck every single one of the dividing blades without missing a single one.

Jupien’s eyes widened as he watched his own sword shatter into pieces.

“Sorry, little brother.”

Yulian whispered softly, so no one else could hear.

“It’s not just you who can’t afford to lose.”

His words scattered into the void, their meaning unclear.

Yulian’s gaze darkened, and Jupien, cursed with exhaustion, slowly collapsed.

The duel was over.

“Woooah!!”

As the healers took Jupien away, the crowd erupted in cheers.

Both Yulian, who had displayed exceptional skill, and Jupien, who had shown a fighting spirit beyond his abilities, deserved the applause.

But Chris couldn’t watch their duel with ease.

It was because of Yulian.

‘That last move… that’s not the skill of a 4-star.’

He was certain.

Yulian had been hiding his true strength.

‘He’s definitely at least 5-star. I need to be more cautious.’

Chris’s thoughts grew heavy.

He knew he would inevitably clash with Yulian and had to prepare.

But that was a problem for later.

“Christian, Maysak. Step up.”

Finally, it was Chris’s turn.

The arena fell silent.

The crowd swallowed nervously.

It was well known in the Dark Mage faction that Maysak and Christian were rivals.

Before the fight even began, a tense atmosphere filled the misty battlefield.

Yet few expected Christian to win.

In fact, no one did.

It was only natural.

‘It was reckless. No matter how talented Christian is, challenging Maysak, a 4-star, was foolish.’

Many acknowledged Christian’s talent by now.

But it was still too much.

The consensus among the crowd was that he should have held back a little.

Many predicted a disaster.

‘A duel between mages is a life-or-death battle where taking the opponent’s life is allowed. Considering Maysak’s ruthless skills, Christian is likely to be killed or crippled right here.’

Their worries were not unfounded.

Maysak growled at Christian like a wild beast.

“This time, I’m grateful to you. How dare you challenge me without knowing your place? I can finally crush you without holding back.”

Chris smirked.

“Oh yeah? We’ll see who ends up crippled. By the way, did you get your mom’s permission to come up here? What will she do if you get hurt? She might cry.”

“You little—!”

Boom!!

The air in front of Chris exploded violently.

It was the destructive dark magic, ‘Compressed Explosion.’

The sudden vacuum created a fierce gale that tossed Chris’s body wildly.

“I’ll kill you!!”

A dazzling barrage of destructive dark magic followed.

Dark flames filled with murderous intent engulfed Christian.

Christian tried to dodge, but invisible ropes bound him tightly.

“W-what?!”

“Danger?!”

Destructive dark magic resembled the elemental magic of the Union but was different.

Union elemental magic harnessed the forces of nature directly.

But destructive dark magic was laced with curses.

The flame spell Maysak had just cast, ‘The Pyre,’ included a powerful binding effect that made evasion impossible.

It was a horrific dark magic that forced the victim to burn painfully as if nailed to a stake.

Flames roared, completely engulfing Christian’s body, and he couldn’t even scream.

Maysak smiled triumphantly.

“To think you’d be so arrogant with such pathetic skill. I’ll cripple you so badly you’ll beg for death.”

Crackle.

Electricity sparked from Maysak’s hand.

He wielded a lightning spear with cutting power strong enough to slice through anything it touched.

“Hah!”

Crackling, the lightning spear surged toward Christian.

With a sharp slice, Christian’s legs were severed. The electricity seared the wounds, crushing the severed ends.

Even the healers of the Uiseon family wouldn’t be able to reattach them.

“Not done yet. This time, I’ll shred your arms to pieces.”

Maysak’s eyes gleamed cruelly, like a child tearing apart an ant’s limbs.

He gathered destructive winds in his hand.

‘Blade Whirlwind.’

A destructive dark magic that shredded the opponent’s body with spinning blades of wind.

More often used for torture than combat, it was a sadistic dark magic imbued with a curse that amplified pain.

As Maysak raised a cruel smile, imagining Christian’s screams, a whisper echoed in his ear.

“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

“…!!”

Maysak’s eyes snapped open.

‘What?’

It was a voice he should never have heard.

But he couldn’t think further.

Bam!!

His head snapped back as if hit by a hammer.

Chris’s fist, wrapped in magic, struck him squarely in the face.

Blood immediately flowed from his broken nose.

“4-star and you’re fooled by such a cheap illusion? What a fool.”

Chris said coldly.

“Ready to get hit? Don’t cry because it hurts. Your mom would be upset.”

And then.

Hell broke loose.

---

A deathly silence fell over the misty battlefield.

Bam! Thud! Thud!

An unrelenting beating was underway.

Christian was beating Maysak like a wild dog.

Maysak screamed.

“You bastard? Gah! How dare you?! Aaah!”

“Shut up. Why are you whining so much?”

Bam! Bam!

Maysak’s face was unrecognizable.

His nose was crushed, cheekbones broken, and most of his teeth were gone.

“How… how is this possible?”

“Unbelievable.”

The crowd murmured.

Maysak was clearly stronger.

His destructive dark magic was worthy of a 4-star. Christian was at best 3-star.

Yet Maysak was losing—utterly and completely.

It was incomprehensible.

Some experienced mages quickly understood the situation.

‘Christian has perfectly identified and exploited Maysak’s weakness.’

‘That’s why Maysak can’t get a grip.’

Maysak’s weakness was simple.

His abilities were heavily skewed toward destructive dark magic.

Influenced by his mother, he had neglected other areas of study.

He hadn’t even diligently learned the dark magic and swordsmanship that defined the Dark Mage faction.

So, despite being a prince of the Dark Mage faction, Maysak’s traits were more like those of a destructive dark mage.

‘The way to fight a dark mage is simple: get in close and beat them mercilessly so they can’t cast spells.’

Chris thought as he threw punch after punch.

Blood splattered and screams echoed.

‘He’s not even a proper dark mage.’

If Maysak had been a true dark mage, he wouldn’t have been so easily overwhelmed.

Dark mages always prepare countermeasures against close-range attacks.

But Maysak had none.

More importantly, he lacked real combat experience.

‘Sheltered by his mother, he probably only fought formal duels with sycophants. He’s never faced real danger.’

The result was this.

Bam!

A one-sided beating.

“Ugh, ugh. You bastard.”

Bam!

Every time Maysak tried to do something, Christian’s fists smashed him down.

It was a one-sided duel.

In mage duels, the fight only ends when one side is completely incapacitated or admits defeat. At this point, the outcome was clear.

‘…I didn’t expect him to be this pathetic.’

Christian was troubled.

He had planned to showcase his brilliance to everyone through this competition.

But Maysak was so weak that Christian’s own talents weren’t shining.

Finally, Christian stopped punching.

“…??”

Maysak blinked in surprise as the relentless assault ceased.

Christian shrugged.

“Your mom’s watching, so I feel bad just beating you up. I’ll give you a chance.”

“…What?”

“See? Your mom’s crying right now. She’s so sad. Don’t just lie there like a cripple—try to put up a fight.”

“You bastard…!!”

Maysak ground his teeth.

“I will… I will… kill you!”

Flames of fierce magic began to boil up.

But it wasn’t dark magic.

It was the red magic of the Destruction Mage faction.

Maysak reached into his robe and pulled out a magical artifact shaped like a twin-headed phoenix.

It was a red magic amplifier used by the direct descendants of the Destruction Mage faction!

“W-what…?!”

Those watching gasped in shock.

This wasn’t just a duel—it was a competition arena.

A place where the princes of the Dark Magic faction showcased their achievements.

And yet, here he was, using a destructive magic artifact?

An absolutely unforgivable act. But Myisak had already lost all reason.

“Die!!”

Whoooosh!!

A thick darkness descended.

Crack. Crack.

The stone floor of the arena, touched by the darkness, crumbled into dust as if crushed under immense pressure.

It was a five-star destructive black magic: the Requiem of Ruin.

“What?!”

The warriors in the arena jumped to their feet at the sight.

“How could Prince Myisak wield a five-star destructive black magic?”

“That’s not his own power! He’s borrowing the artifact’s strength!”

The magic artifact Myisak had pulled out didn’t just amplify his red magic—it contained a built-in five-star destructive black magic.

“That’s against the competition rules. We have to stop him!”

The warriors murmured anxiously.

Merian, standing beside Lord Noga, frowned and rose from her seat.

“Myisak has crossed the line. I will intervene.”

But then—

“No, stay back.”

“My lord? But—”

Merian’s eyes widened.

Five-star black magic was on par with the ‘Black Steel Technique’ in power.

Granted, this time it was forcibly unleashed through an artifact, so it wouldn’t match the full might of a true five-star black magician. Still, to block that spell without injury would require at least the strength of the Black Steel Technique.

“Look at his eyes.”

“!!”

Christiang, facing the approaching darkness of destruction, surprisingly shone with a fierce light in his gaze.

Not fear.

But defiance.

As if determined to stand firm and win.

“In the worst case, I’ll step in. So stay back. Besides, aren’t you curious?”

Lord Noga smirked.

“What ridiculous stunt will that reckless brat pull this time?”