Chapter 162
Episode 55: The Remnants of the Dark Magic Council (3)
It was as if a whirlpool was swallowing the sea itself.
The Reversal Stream relentlessly drained the magical energy from both the academy cadets and the dark magic council wizards. Dozens of magical energy bands, drawn by the sphere’s gravity, filled the once pitch-black cave with a blinding light.
Kiiing, kiiing—! Kiiiiiing…! The piercing noise generated by the Reversal Stream echoed and amplified against the cave walls.
In the chaos that erupted within the cave, only four wizards remained standing.
Jin, the one who had unleashed the Reversal Stream, and Enya, who was pressed closely beside him.
Then there was the fake Otern, who was now coughing up a thick line of blood from his lips, and a trembling dark magic council wizard.
‘So this is the guy—the one who created this cave.’
Unlike Otern, who was barely standing, this wizard muttered incantations, conjured a protective shield, and struggled to calm his own magical energy.
‘He must be around an 8-star rank.’
Without the Reversal Stream, and especially without the ultimate Reversal Stream, Jin wouldn’t have been able to detect even the slightest trace of his energy. This wizard’s pure magical power was a full rank above Jin’s.
“Austin, put up a shield. The orcs will snap out of it soon.”
Maintaining the Reversal Stream while casting simultaneously was still beyond Jin’s capacity.
“Y-yes!”
Since it was Enya’s first real battle, she wasn’t yet adept at responding to the situation. Even though Jin had been holding the Reversal Stream for over ten seconds, she was still unsure of what to do.
But Jin didn’t see her as clumsy.
‘Actually, she’s impressive. This is her first real fight, and I didn’t even warn her beforehand, yet she’s keeping her head straight.’
Most sixteen-year-old aspiring wizards would have panicked by now. Seeing Enya calmly conjure a shield made Jin feel proud.
“Focus your strongest offensive magic on that guy.”
“You mean the wizard in the black robe, not Otern?”
Jin nodded, a bead of transparent sweat forming on his forehead.
The Reversal Stream was a spell that required 9-star magic to sustain. Jin, currently at 7-star, couldn’t maintain its full power or keep it active for long.
“Ku, kuhaaaak…!”
The fake Otern, unable to withstand the backlash, collapsed to the ground, frothing at the mouth. But the 8-star wizard seemed to regain some composure, steadying his breath.
Ssssh!
A sharp gust of wind magic burst from Enya’s hand. A 4-star Wind Blade spell, it produced a fierce tearing sound but was no match for the wizard’s protective shield.
As the Wind Blade fizzled against the shield, the wizard glared at the orcs.
“Get up and shoot your arrows!”
Fortunately, the wizard was still in the early stages of the backlash. That meant he couldn’t unleash his devastating 8-star offensive magic just yet.
‘But once the Reversal Stream fades, he’ll start hurling mid-level spells nonstop.’
If possible, they had to finish this without losing more magical energy after the Reversal Stream ended. According to Otern, another enemy outside the cave would soon arrive.
“Kaak!”
The orcs staggered to their feet and drew their bows. More than half collapsed while trying, but a few arrows were loosed toward the two.
The arrows thudded against Enya’s shield with dull sounds.
“Brother, what should I do? If I borrow Olta’s power, I think I can take out some of the orcs. But I can’t break through the 8-star wizard’s shield on my own…”
“Save Olta’s power for now. Just block a few more arrows.”
“Yes!”
A faint smile spread across the 8-star wizard’s lips.
He could feel the energy of the Reversal Stream hanging in the air weakening. He knew exactly how quickly Jin’s magic was draining.
So he allowed himself to believe time was on his side.
‘He must be sure my magic will outlast his, and that victory will be mine.’
If Jin didn’t end the Reversal Stream soon, he risked falling into the backlash himself. The wizard’s confidence wasn’t unfounded.
“You landed a solid hit. You must be Kidad’s secret disciple, huh?”
The 8-star wizard shouted at Jin. The Reversal Stream sphere had shrunk drastically, allowing him to regain some strength.
“Does a dying man really need to know that?”
“Don’t talk nonsense. I almost got caught off guard by your Reversal Stream, but I already figured out you’re only 7-star. I’m Rolt Jo! You’ve probably heard the name.”
Rolt Jo.
He was known as the younger brother of ‘Cold Jo,’ the greatest rival of Andrei Zipple in his lifetime. Jin’s eyes gleamed with interest upon hearing the name.
“I’ve heard rumors that Cold Jo’s half-brother mastered earth magic. I didn’t know his name was Rolt Jo.”
“Let’s get straight to the point. Join the Dark Magic Council, Kidad Hall’s disciple.”
“And if I refuse?”
“I’ll end your life the moment your magic runs out. Isn’t that obvious? From the moment you cast the Reversal Stream while I was off guard and still failed to take me down, you never had a chance.”
Jin remained silent, and Rolt ordered the orcs to cease their attack.
“Kidad Hall, your master, maintained good relations with us while alive, so I’m showing mercy. Not much time left until the Reversal Stream fades completely. And your magic is nearly depleted. What will you do?”
“By your logic, I have no choice. Join or die.”
“That’s why I said mercy.”
Jin sighed and looked at Rolt.
“Rolt Jo. Where do you rank in the Dark Magic Council?”
“Wondering about your treatment? Let’s just say I’m in the top ten. Setting aside my ties with Kidad Hall, your skill and potential are tempting. If you join, you’ll immediately become my deputy and serve as an officer.”
Top ten? Jin’s brow furrowed slightly.
“So there are at least nine others as skilled as you in the Dark Magic Council? I thought they were just a bunch of troublemakers relying on old reputations. This is more interesting than I expected.”
Though he spoke casually, Jin was secretly surprised. If Rolt’s words were true, the Dark Magic Council was no mere ‘remnant faction.’
“Of course, your admission depends on you correcting that insolent attitude. You’re young, but you’ve already achieved so much—it’s understandable your pride is sky-high.”
“But aren’t you curious why I came here? Hiding as a mere academy wizard’s pawn?”
“That’ll come out during your re-education. Though it’s obvious—you wanted to test the Reversal Stream magic. Kidad must have boasted that with the Reversal Scroll, all wizards would bow before you.”
Jin smiled wryly and nodded.
“Fine. I’ll join the Dark Magic Council. But on one condition.”
“A condition?”
“Beat me. I can’t serve under someone weaker than me.”
“Hahaha, you’re the real deal. Still got the guts to bluff? No wonder Kidad took you as a disciple…”
“You’ve been mistaken from the start. I’m no disciple of Kidad. Come to think of it, you haven’t even heard my name yet. The Reversal Scroll was just compensation for killing him and taking it.”
“…What?”
Whoooosh…!
The Reversal Stream, which had shrunk to the size of a human head, suddenly darkened.
The sphere rapidly expanded again, blackening the ceiling.
The spiritual energy was reinforcing the fading Reversal Stream.
And spiritual energy, compared to the same amount of aura or magic, was at least two ranks stronger. With 5-star spiritual energy added, the Reversal Stream was effectively back to 7-star power.
“You… ugh!”
Pfft!
Rolt reflexively covered his mouth and spat blood. Just a minute ago, Jin’s magic alone had forced him into the early stages of backlash.
Back then, Rolt’s 8-star power had kept the backlash from fully taking hold.
But now, things were different. He was certain Jin’s magic was depleted, yet he had to endure a second Reversal Stream while still reeling from the first.
Even a wizard of Rolt’s caliber couldn’t handle that without full preparation.
“Damn…!”
A name flashed through Rolt’s mind—the unfamiliar name etched on the wall of the late Kidad’s lab.
‘Jin… Gray!? No way. And that dark power!’
Spiritual energy.
The dark, potent force all wizards longed for. Despair flickered in Rolt’s trembling eyes.
‘So the contractor of Solderet that Kinzelro’s been searching for is this guy! Not only did he unleash the Reversal Stream, but he’s also wielding spiritual energy…!’
His chaotic thoughts refused to settle. The orcs, gripped by instinctive fear, stumbled backward. Rolt realized he had made a fatal, irreparable mistake.
“You said you almost got caught off guard once, yet you let it happen again?”
“Graaah! Aaargh!”
Sssshhh…
Jin drew out Bradamante, hidden beneath his robe, and a gleam of black light shimmered along its pure white blade.
“N-no, oooom!”
Whoosh—gush, gush, gush!
The backflow erupted violently.
Jin withdrew the reverse flow spell as he saw blood spurting from every orifice on Rolt’s face. Then, he strode forward without hesitation.
“Kidad Hall showed a similar reaction. Honestly, I’d love to keep you alive just to ask you a thousand questions—about the scale of the Dark Mage Council, their base of operations, their true goals.”
“Cough, gag!”
“But that’s something we can figure out using the fake Otern, who’s still knocked out. Besides, it looks like we’re about to face that ‘someone’ you said prefers live prey.”
Screech! Thud!
Jin swung his Bradamante lightly, snapping Rolt’s neck. The orcs who had been retreating suddenly broke into a full run, fleeing in panic.
“I’ll take care of those!” Enya shouted, swinging her staff and firing a barrage of ice spikes. The orc group was far beyond what a four-star mage should handle, but shooting at their backs as they fled was an easy task.
Orcs struck by the ice spikes collapsed one by one among the unconscious Dark Mage Council wizards.
“Good job, Austin.”
“Thank you, brother!”
“But now, you need to do even better. Something huge just entered the cave…”
Thud, thud, thud! Heavy footsteps echoed from the path they had just come from.
They had just finished their fight with Rolt.
Something humanoid appeared before the two of them. This time, even Jin found it hard to hide his surprise.
‘White Wolf tribe…?’
He had returned to the cave after a brief ‘game’ with the mages the fake Otern had left outside.