The Great Mage Returns after 4000 Years – Chapter 148 – Purge (2)
Translator: Seven
Editors: Ana_Banana, Yahiko
Elliah sighed.
She had met various people and experienced countless situations over the years. But Frey was the first human to ever make her so curious.
In the first place, it was incredibly strange that he knew how to reach 9 stars. After all, it wasn’t something that could be explained in a book.
It was something that could only be obtained through countless attempts of trial and error, incredible suffering and luck.
But she didn’t think too deeply about it.
After all, humans were one of the most populous species on the entire continent. So it was entirely possible for him to be a rare genius that was likely to be born every few thousands of years.
However, when she remembered the fight, she couldn’t help but wonder.
After all, experience wasn’t something that one could gain with talent.
‘This guy… when he gets to 9 stars, Lord will face some trouble.’
Even Elliah, who rarely gave high evaluations, couldn’t help but think so.
Except for Lord, the Apocalypses and herself, all the Demigods would surely get beaten up by Frey.
‘Of course, it’ll be difficult on his own…’
In a sense, that part was even more difficult than magic.
Nevertheless, that guy turned out to be really popular.
Elliah couldn’t help but think about the talents beside him.
The Elf Knight, the Magic Warrior and the Archlich.
They were all people with distinct personalities. More than that, they were beings who could be called the peak of all mortals.
However, these three didn’t seem to have any real connection to each other. And it was a well-known fact that powerful individuals would not easily work under someone else.
They needed something that would bind them together. And Elliah knew exactly what that thing was.
‘But I don’t understand where all that rage comes from.’
The anger that Frey had towards the Demigods was so deep and dark that even Elliah was unable to properly measure it.
After all, most mortal races didn’t even have a lifespan surpassing 100 years.
“…Riki.”
What was this man’s identity?
And just how was he able to reach 9 stars in a single day?
* * *
Everyone froze.
That was the only way to properly describe it.
Even those who didn’t understand the true strength of Rezil and the Strow Necklaces were looking at Frey in shock.
It was the same for the Trowman Rings and Beniang, who had just been helped.
No matter how talented Frey was, what he’d said had gone too far.
Rezil was the master of one of the Three Great Circles, and even the masters of the other two circles would not be able to remove him.
But the Circle Rounder of the Trowman Rings, which had only just started flapping its wings again, had asked such a disrespectful question.
‘F-, Frey.’
Beniang stared at Frey with trembling eyes, but he didn’t turn to look at her.
Even at that moment, as he faced Rezil, cold anger was raging in his heart.
The Strow Necklaces. The organisation under the name of his friend had no intention carrying on Schweiser’s will.
Instead, this Rezil guy was taking advantage of Schweiser’s name.
This fact disgusted Frey beyond comparison. He even felt like throwing up at that moment.
Among his friends, the most self-righteous and straightforward one had always been Schweiser.
And now, a sick person like this claimed to be his successor.
‘I’m not a good person.’
The Trowman Rings.
Thinking about all those people who were upright and sincere, Frey couldn’t help but grit his teeth.
Originally, they were more suited to carry on Schweiser’s will than his own will.
‘Lukas Trowman’ was definitely not as good of a person as they believed him to be.
“Huht.”
Rezil smiled.
It only took him a moment to take control of his mind and body.
Then, he calmly opened his mouth.
“You asked for my qualifications. I’d like to reverse that question, Rounder Frey. Do you deserve it?”
Of course he did.
It was Sheryl, not Frey, who almost got up and shouted at the absurdity of his question.
She was the only one there who knew Frey’s true identity.
Altan, Snow and Nora. There were a few who knew of Frey’s strength, but Sheryl was the only one who knew who he truly was.
So she couldn’t understand what this crazy guy was talking about.
‘Rezil Wilsemann! Do you dare to actually compare your qualifications?’
The Great Mage, Lukas Trowman!
None other than the Great Mage, Lukas Trowman! The greatest Wizard in history! The man who laid the foundation and developed the basics for Magical Science! The Demigods’ fiercest rival and a mythical being from the ‘Era of Light’ who led the great team of heroes!
If he didn’t deserve it, who did?
Sheryl immediately wanted to share Frey’s true identity to these ignorant beings, but she couldn’t.
And there was only one reason.
Frey was keeping her mouth closed.
“…”
Frey didn’t say anything.
Rezil furrowed his eyebrows.
He thought he would say something again, but this was even more disrespectful.
It was clear that this man knew well how to impact the will of a skilled Archmage.
“Right. Since you won’t answer. Then it can’t be helped.”
Rezil acted with a slightly impulsive attitude.
He slowly raised his hand to his chest with his palm facing upward.
Motion Magic.
Then, dozens of spells appeared behind Rezil’s back. They were literally ‘dozens of spells’.
This didn’t mean dozens of manifestations of a single spell. Instead, dozens of different spells were cast at the same time. Without chanting a spell or saying a single word!
The Wizards in the room found it hard to believe their eyes.
This was no longer on the level of double or triple casting. Literally, every spell was on a different level.
And the power?
Each of these spells was at least 6 stars. And since Rezil was the caster, it was quite possible that each of these spells was twice as strong as usual.
“Cr-, crazy! Master Rezil! Are you trying to erase this mansion?!”
Gomez shouted in an urgent voice.
With that much magic power, not to mention the mansion, even half of the Jun family’s land would be wiped out.
However, the Wizards present didn’t make a fuss.
Rezil was a 9 star Wizard. For him, concentrating his power on a single point would be easier than flipping his palm.
This would also increase the power of the spells.
‘Now. How are you going to stop this?’
Rezil glared at Frey.
One might say that he was going overboard, but he had a good reason. First of all, it was Frey who had been rude and disrespectful.
Therefore, Rezil had the right to vent his anger.
Dozens of spells were aimed at Frey.
If he was lucky, then he would only lose a few limbs. But that was fine too.
Rezil felt that it would be even better to see him crawl helplessly on the floor.
Then Frey lifted his finger.
Rezil almost laughed at the action.
Motion Magic?
Was he feeling self-conscious?
It seemed he had some pride after all.
Rezil was about to laugh. But suddenly, his expression hardened instead as he felt chills run down his spine.
This was something he hadn’t felt since he’d reached 9 stars.
Emotion? No. This was a primal instinct.
Frey straightened his index finger.
It was a gentle and graceful movement, similar to the first stroke of a master calligrapher using the finest brush.
‘Huh?’
And after that, time seemed to slow down.
It was a strange sensation, as if that single moment had been stretched out. And the ‘moment of the moment’ seemed as though it had been sucked into a black hole in space.
No. Was it the space that was getting sucked in? Or was it him?
“So you’re half, too.”
Following the sound of an indifferent voice, a dark red light fluttered once. Sound disappeared. And no one could hear, as though everyone’s eardrums had been destroyed.
“…”
The first one to realise was Rezil, who had cold sweat running down his face.
‘What… a stupid thing to do…’
He could tell without looking back.
The dozens of spells behind him had already disappeared.
They had completely disappeared.
Just like a wave crashing against a rock would shatter, the red light from Frey’s finger had completely erased Rezil’s magic.
‘What the hell did he just do?’
Did he use a spell?
He could feel the reverberation of the mana, but he couldn’t tell just what Frey had done.
“You won’t see the peak.”
Frey’s voice came again.
Rezil could no longer maintain his composure. His face distorted like a ghost.
“Who are you to say that?”
When those in the room heard this rough voice as if the speaker had swallowed sand, they couldn’t help but flinch.
They looked at Rezil in shock.
Rezil Wilsemann, a man who was known to never lose his composure, was actually showing agitation at Frey’s words.
“In order to reach the peak, you need to have a firm foundation, an unwavering mindset to follow the same path no matter what happens. Beit the Magical Path or the Martial Arts Path.”
“…”
Unbearable humiliation covered the face of Rezil, who had been speechless for a while.
“Are you lecturing me…?”
“Although it’s only half, it can already be considered a miracle that you manage to take a step towards the peak. However, no matter how hard you try, no matter how much you struggle, no matter how long you wait, you will never be able to take that final step.”
“…”
Rezil could no longer refute it.
He couldn’t even open his mouth anymore.
He could feel it. Even in just his voice.
This man standing in front of him was like a vast sea. He was standing on the landscape that Rezil longed to reach but could never see.
He had already reached his ‘end’.
He returned to his senses.
“Kuh…”
Thump.
Rezil collapsed.
The Circle Master of the Strow Necklaces, Rezil Wilsemann, a highly praised 9 star Wizard, collapsed.
‘I can’t believe it, I don’t…’
The surge of uncontrollable jealousy could not be hidden from Rezil’s gaze.
This little shit had reached a higher level than him?
Could he have actually reached 9 stars?
‘This reality… how could I accept it…?!’
Rezil’s eyes became bloodshot.
He was running mad.
The so-called ‘tranquil heart and mind’ of an Archmage disappeared without a trace.
Instead, intense emotions filled his entire being.
Frey narrowed his eyes.
‘Is it jealousy?’
This intense feeling that Rezil was releasing. It was the source that he’d used to dip his toes into the 9 stars level.
‘Kuku…’
Rezil was on the verge of madness.
He’d felt this feeling before.
Rezil Wilsemann’s brother, Cairo Wilsemann, the former Circle Master. The jealousy in his heart was many times darker than that time.
But.
“…”
He could bear it. He was resilient; he would rule.
Because he would be the one to win in the end.
Same with Cairo.
Frey’s appearance was unexpected, but it removed the hesitation he had before.
Rezil got up and said in a hoarse voice.
“Why did you come to this meeting?”
“To fix things.”
“…do that yourself.”
With those words, Rezil returned to his seat and sat down quietly.
The man who had been leading the meeting so far now looked incredibly haggard and humble.
The only good thing was that no one else in the meeting was paying attention to him at that moment.
“…”
“…”
There wasn’t even the sound of clothes rustling.
Frey walked to the center of the hall with a calm gait.
Shepard subconsciously backed away, giving up his spot as the host.
Frey stopped and looked around.
He could feel everyone’s gazes on him. He could feel the gazes of all those who struggled and sacrificed for the Circle.
The Circle.
He still had vivid memories of that time.
How happy he’d felt when he learned of its existence.
But the more he got to know it, the more disappointed he became.
He didn’t want to. This wasn’t what he wanted at all.
Frey wanted them to live up to his expectations.
He hoped that the crazy will that Lukas Trowman and his friends had in the old days had been revived and matured.
But 4,000 years was long. It was too long.
It was enough time for that will to change.
So he had to check.
He was going to do what should have been done much earlier.
“I would like to know.”
He wanted to ask them a mountain of questions, but there was only one simple question that filled Frey’s mind at that moment.
“Why did you join the Circle?”
Only
To beat the Demigods, the Circle had to be completely united. There could no longer be such dispersed power.
If they couldn’t unite, they couldn’t win.
It wasn’t easy.
And Frey didn’t believe he would be able to keep everything.
That was why his decision to cut off the rotten parts remained unchanged. To make a perfect sphere, it was necessary to grind off the rough edges.
…The Circle created in this way would then be perfectly round and beautiful.
With one Circle, surely, they would finally be able to pose a threat to even the gods.