Chapter 240
Episode 76: Broken and Burdened (5)
The flames of pressure spread more fiercely than ever before.
‘This feels disgusting.’
The fact that the living golems engulfed in flames had been innocent civilians until recently, and that the Mingwang brothers had been humiliated—these thoughts had been gnawing at Jin’s mood from the start.
“I know exactly what you’re trying to do—using them as a shield to buy time. Do you think I don’t see through you? A grand mage with no shame at all. Come out, Jo! My desire to capture you is fading fast.”
“Stop, stop! I’ll follow you, so just hold your ground for now!”
Jo raised his staff with both hands in a clear sign of surrender, causing Chukon and Susan’s eyes to widen in shock.
Despite desperately trying to hold back Murakan’s assault, their leader Jo had suddenly declared surrender. What’s more, Jo had been the first to provoke Murakan, calling him ‘truly the Shadow Dragon.’ Now, to flip his stance so abruptly was almost unbelievable.
“Lord Jo, what on earth is this…? Are you really surrendering?”
Susan’s question was met with Jo’s rebuke.
“Hah! You’re hopeless. Can’t you see the power of the Black Dragon? This is an opponent beyond our control. If we keep going like this, annihilation is only a matter of time. Surrender is the only answer!”
“But—”
“No buts! You all should declare your surrender as well, before my mind changes!”
Putting aside pride, dignity, and appearances, Jo wasn’t wrong. Chukon and Susan also painfully realized there was no solution against those monsters.
It was a feeling all three hadn’t experienced in a long time, even after reaching the transcendent level of 9th rank.
“Don’t talk nonsense, Lord Jo! What’s gotten into you? Surrender? Is that really something a leader should say? Do you honestly think that demon will spare our lives if we give up? What foolishness!”
Chukon snapped, turning his head sharply.
“Lord Chukon, what did you just say?”
“It’s the Black Dragon we can’t handle, not that brat. If we capture him as a hostage, we can force the Black Dragon to retreat. No guardian dragon would abandon its contractor to die!”
Chukon was the only one among them who had met Jin before.
So when Jin first appeared, only Chukon felt a strange sense of danger. Beyond his extraordinary skill for his age, Chukon had a bad feeling that the ‘mind games’ would once again tip the situation in Jin’s favor.
When they met on the abandoned island of the Bellado principality, Chukon had thought Jin was just a magic swordsman. He never imagined Jin had ties to Solderet or the Black Dragon.
Magic above 7th rank, swordsmanship beyond 8th, terrifying mental power, and even spiritual energy.
Even a 9th rank mage would naturally want to avoid fighting such an opponent.
‘If Lord Jo surrenders now, there’s no future. We must capture that brat and negotiate with the Black Dragon…!’
From the moment Chukon realized Jin was the contractor, that thought consumed him. If they could just seize that ridiculously powerful brat, victory would be theirs.
“Lord Jo, don’t give up. Capture him!”
“Chukon is right, Lord Jo. No matter how strong he is, he’s still an immature monster. If we combine our strength—or even you alone—you can subdue him, can’t you?”
With Susan joining in, Jo was momentarily speechless, overwhelmed by shame.
Their words were undeniably true.
‘What a disgrace. I was so focused on relying on the captain that I couldn’t even think of the simplest solution to turn this around!’
It wasn’t that Jo was stupid.
‘Chukon’s right. That brat is dangerous. I was just letting his overwhelming presence intimidate me.’
It was a humiliating lapse, born from instinctive fear stronger than that of Chukon or Susan.
“I lost my composure for a moment. Yes, no matter how much the Black Dragon struggles, if we capture the contractor, there’s no choice.”
“We’ll do our best to hold the Black Dragon back. We can’t hold out long, so hurry and capture him.”
Kraaak! Kraak!
The screams of living golems, beastmen, and mages echoed across the battlefield.
The noise drowned out the voices of the 9th rank mages, so Jin and Murakan couldn’t hear what was said.
But Jin sensed some exchange had taken place, and that Jo’s earlier surrender had shifted once again.
Jo’s staff began to glow with magical energy.
Beneath his sly, cruel, and capricious demeanor, Jo was a grand mage long known as Andrei Ziphl’s nemesis.
“Get out of the way, you useless rejects!”
The remaining living golems scattered to either side at Jo’s command.
As the path cleared, Tess exhaled a breath toward Jo, who began casting a spell befitting his title, ‘The Cold.’
Kiiirrrik!
Tess’s breath traced a sharp arc, cracking the ground beneath and sending pillars of ice shooting upward. Unlike ordinary freezing magic, the ice glowed with an ominous purple hue.
Crack!
Though they looked like pillars, they were actually the jaws of an ice golem.
Another golem Jo had created. Its gaping mouth bit into Tess’s breath, and the ground split again, revealing the creature’s full form.
[Grrrraah!]
Slightly smaller than Murakan, it had ten ivory tusks. If there were a purple ice elephant, this would be it.
The tusks were the jaws that had bitten Tess’s breath. The beast tore the breath apart like a predator devouring a snake, then let out a low, unsettling roar.
“Huh.”
Jin couldn’t hide his surprise at the sudden emergence of the golem from the ground. Even Tess’s flames were consumed, forcing Jin to hesitate for a moment.
‘What the hell is that? How could something so absurd be buried underground?’
Murakan looked equally stunned.
“Polluk, restrain Tess’s flames and protect me!”
Unlike the unfinished living golem ‘Myungin’ recently created with the captain’s wisdom and memory, this Polluk was a completed product.
An ice golem resistant to fire.
To make Polluk, they had excavated ancient glaciers to find a white elephant, kidnapped young demons, and used five phoenix hearts and wings.
From the days when they dreamed of surpassing Andrei and defeating Keliak, it had taken nearly twenty years to complete.
In short, it was the masterpiece of Grand Mage Cold Jo—the reason Chukon and Susan, despite also being 9th rank, regarded Jo as a cut above.
As Polluk appeared, the blue flames scattered across the battlefield began to fade.
At the same time, Jo began chanting his signature spell, ‘The Cold Domain.’ Purple ice shards spread from his staff, quickly encircling Jin.
It felt like hundreds of archers were aiming at his entire body.
‘No wonder he was Andrei Ziphl’s nemesis.’
Jin calmly braced himself to shatter the ice.
He glanced toward Chukon and Susan, hoping Jo wouldn’t notice.
If Tess’s flames were ineffective, facing such a monster alone was reckless.
Moreover, Jo had conserved most of his magic by using living golems as shields, while Jin was physically drained from summoning the divine spear and Tess.
‘The Extreme Defense Domain lives up to its name. Its defensive power is incredible.’
Even Murakan, who had regained 40% of his strength and was renowned as a master of defense, couldn’t easily break through the shield.
Murakan also couldn’t recklessly unleash his full power where Jin was.
‘I’ll have to hold back until Murakan finishes off those monsters. I barely understand how Jo’s signature magic works.’
Just as Jin resolved to fight smarter, Murakan’s voice rang out, startling everyone on the battlefield.
[Tch, this guy’s completely lost it. He must be ignorant to do something like this, this worthless pest.]
[You bring out a golem made from a phoenix’s body in front of the lord of fire magic? Trying to restore the Mingwang clan too? You guys sure know how to invite disaster…]
Whoosh!
Murakan ceased his attack and descended toward Jin. Transforming into human form, he cast a spiritual shield enveloping both himself and Jin.
‘This guy’s lost his mind. I shouldn’t interfere recklessly. From now on, he’s going to ignore your contract and force you to use all your power. No matter how much he cares for you, this is something he can’t tolerate.’
A whisper.
“Huh?”
Thud.
Jin staggered, dropping to one knee. As soon as Murakan finished speaking, all his strength drained away.
‘I know he cares about me, so he won’t drain my lifespan… right? He won’t, will he? Damn it, I’ll get the full explanation later.’
His eyes slowly closed. An overwhelming drowsiness consumed his entire body.
Murakan rubbed his forehead in irritation.
The next moment, as Tess let out a roar, the battlefield transformed into a blue hellscape.
Graaaargh!
The roar spread, and at the exact same pace, a blue flame began to spread.
It took less than thirty seconds for the remaining hundreds of living golems to be reduced to nothing but ash, completely vanishing. The beastmen, as well as the mid- and low-level mages, met the same fate.
All members of the Dark Magic Council were wiped out, except for three nine-star mages.
“W-what on earth is this…?”
Jo, barely escaping the flames, sprinted toward Chukon’s protective barrier, glancing back over his shoulder.
He saw Polluck, his masterpiece, being swallowed by Tess’s flames.
It wasn’t just burning or engulfed in fire—it was literally being devoured. Just like the first time Polluck had swallowed Tess’s breath whole.
Jo, Chukon, and Susan all recoiled in shock.
They knew Tess was one of the greatest phoenixes alive, but this was a phenomenon beyond their understanding.
Meanwhile, Murakan exhaled in relief as he watched.
‘Lucky the brat kept his temper in check. I was worried he’d drain the kid’s entire lifespan and wipe out this whole area. Seems he’s surprisingly rational.’
Polluck vanished without a trace. Not even a footprint remained—just blue-tinged ashes that scattered into the air.
Of course, Tess wasn’t satisfied with that alone and turned his sights on the nine-star mages. Murakan worried Tess might lose control and cause an accident.
“W-we should probably head back now, don’t you think? Look, the kid’s passed out. This could get really bad, really fast. I’ll make sure he suffers properly, so just take a deep breath and—hmm? Wait, what’s that…?”
Murakan pointed toward the collapsed outer wall.
There, like a ghost, a pale, human-shaped figure stood atop the rubble.
“Before we leave, check that out for me. Do you know what it is? No? You don’t care? You’re leaving? And you want me to take care of the kid? Ah, alright, alright. Good call. Trust me and get inside quickly.”