Chapter 269
Kugugugugu!
In the midst of the battlefield.
At the moment when Cardinal Gamigin’s nest revealed its massive form and opened its mouth towards the airships.
The noise of battle relentlessly echoed throughout the world, but the screams of war were unheard within the defensively shielded Academia.
Kaboom—!
Kuwagagagak—!
However, due to the clash between the two entities, Academia was filled with a thunderous roar.
Gooos—
A display of magical prowess beyond its prime.
The mana of Gulemashia filled the sacred church, showcasing what a magician could achieve.
Floating objects in the air obeyed only his command, raining down upon Cardinal Gamigin like cannon fire.
Each time, Gamigin met them head-on, destroying everything in his path.
“Hahahahaha!”
An unpleasant smoke spread with Gamigin’s laughter.
The deadly toxin within that smoke melted every object it touched.
Even those that came in contact with him crumpled down like ice cream melting in the sun.
The shadowy black fingertips of Gamigin reached into that smoke, stretching towards Gulemashia.
The toxic substance seemed ready to kill with just a slight brush, combined with his horrifying powers at the end.
Zun—
Gulemashia used Warp Magic to avoid contact with him.
Now at a distance once more, Gulemashia stroked his long beard, assessing the situation.
“Hohhoho… As expected, the usual composition of ordinary objects doesn’t work on you.”
For most beings, merely hearing that laughter could paralyze them in fear.
However, the pinnacle of magicians, Gulemashia faced his final prey like a hunter with a sharp gaze.
His demeanor was starkly different from when he usually smiled gently at the students.
Gulemashia was not the Chancellor of Academia at this moment.
He was a hero aiming to subdue Altife.
Tap—!
Gulemashia tapped his staff on the ground.
To be precise, he tapped the air, but it sounded as if he hit something solid.
Immediately, a thin aura shield formed around the floating objects, protecting them from Gamigin’s poison.
Gulemashia could also utilize the advanced form of the Protector.
“Hahaha! Well now, for a so-called hero who is worshipped, this is precisely what you ought to be able to do—!!”
Inside the grand church.
In the sanctuary of the Daran Church.
The dazzling magics of Chancellor Gulemashia adorned the space.
Cardinal Gamigin grinned as if he truly appreciated the fantastical and beautifully artistic scene before him, reminiscent of a fairy tale.
Five transcendental achievements were simultaneously at play on this battlefield.
Mana total, element, warp, psychokinesis, aura.
Yet, the Grand Magus Gulemashia seemed unfazed by any chaos, his intelligent eyes shining brightly.
They were deep, as if resembling an endless well, instilling a sense of unknown fear.
『That day we encountered each other comes to mind… Gulemashia.』
Gamigin reminisced while gazing into Gulemashia’s eyes.
The last time they fought.
A tale that was already over a century old. The day Cardinal Gamigin single-handedly invaded the capital city and reduced it to ashes.
The heroes dispatched at that time were annihilated by Gamigin.
The only survivor who managed to extend his life was the promising young magician Gulemashia.
『If not for your warp magic, I could have captured you. But now, a century later, seeing you, I feel fortunate that I couldn’t back then.』
Gamigin revealed his red teeth and flicked his tongue.
Gulemashia remained silent, not uttering a word.
To a third party, it might seem like a tacit understanding to avoid being played by the enemy’s tongue.
But Gamigin, having witnessed countless sacrifices over thousands of years, knew.
『Ah, indeed.』
Gazing into Gamigin’s molten red eyes, Gulemashia’s pupils appeared to distort like a small hill.
『You cannot ‘remember’ that day anymore.』
The eater of memories, Cardinal Gamigin.
Thus, despite his infamous reputation as a war maniac, no one wished to fight him.
No one even wanted to be near him, nor linger in the places he had passed.
For fear that his powers might activate.
It was all too terrifying.
Boom—!
In response, Gulemashia moved the cube of steel covered in aura, pressing Gamigin from all sides.
Gamigin, instead of evading, erupted with purple mana and met it head-on.
As a result, the objects being moved by psychokinesis could not withstand the pressure from both sides.
They crumpled like empty cans.
Gamigin’s ominous eyes were entirely aimed at Gulemashia, seemingly ready to rush in and snap his neck at any moment.
Hooom—!
Immediately, Gulemashia conjured ten black spheres around Gamigin.
These spheres were concentrated with maximum elemental magic, tiny black holes capable of tearing everything apart.
Gulemashia’s first unique spell.
Even if the opponent were the extremely solid Altife, it possessed the power to consume anything in a frenzy.
However.
The opponent was a war maniac, and a combat lunatic.
A monster intoxicated by the singular entertainment of fighting.
『Kahahahahaha—!』
Gamigin, seemingly unconcerned about what might happen to his body, neither dodged nor flinched, instead charging straight forward.
Thus, the black forms comprising his body began to vanish in droves.
The guy doesn’t stop charging.
“The extent of damage is minimal.”
Gulemashia frowned at the body of the guy who, despite properly clashing with his Unique Spell, didn’t lose momentum.
Even after using all ten spheres, this is the result.
If it were other monsters, one would have been enough to lead to destruction.
Is it just cutting flesh for Gamigin?
Zuuung—!
Gulemashia kept using Warp and Telekinesis Magic without stopping.
Gamigin, wanting just a single touch, chased after him.
In that very brief moment, countless spells clashed.
Each collision shook not only the Church but the entire floating city as if it were going to collapse.
This was barely maintained by the immense power of the Mana Stone embedded in the Academia.
“You sure are nimble when it comes to running away!”
Most creatures die immediately upon making contact with Gamigin, unable to withstand the poison.
Sometimes there are those who endure, but they too suffer unimaginable damage.
However, what Gulemashia was avoiding wasn’t such physical harm.
“It seems you don’t want to lose your knowledge… But how long can you hold on?”
Oblivion.
The moment Gamigin’s power activated, all information branded in the brains of creatures in that space began to vanish as if erased with an eraser.
Yet, the ‘contact’ of the body could accelerate that oblivion.
Even if one protects themselves with their body as a Protector like other Archbishops, that cannot be prevented.
The Cardinal’s power conducts like electricity flowing through copper, no matter how thick the Mana is.
In the end, as time passes, it’s Gamigin who gains the advantage.
A monster that feeds on memory.
If this continues, Gulemashia will end up a cold corpse…
“…Hoho. Gamigin. You followed me like a magnet, and now it’s complete.”
On the floor of the Church and in the sky.
A spell connected by previously invisible points and lines.
Another Unique Spell that required quite a long preparation was drawn, emitting pure white light.
Noticing that, Gamigin raised his mouth in a grin longer than before and welcomed that spell.
“Kahaha—! To achieve such calculations while engaging in high-speed combat! A genius remains a genius even as a toothless old man!”
Gulemashia wasn’t just thoughtlessly using Warp Magic.
This brilliant genius was furiously battling while calculating all coordinate values and magical equations to write up a spell.
Thus, a wide-area spell was manifested.
Gulemashia’s fourth Unique Spell
Hundred Evils.
“Originally, this wasn’t a spell meant for such a narrow space… and not for just one enemy, so it took time to modify it.”
The improved version.
One Point Hundred Evils.
All the evils of the world concentrated into a single point.
“GAMIGIN. This is to kill you.”
Yet paradoxically, what embodies that evil is the extreme of divine magic that deserves to be praised.
This was the spell that Gulemashia achieved after overcoming trials for five long months.
Designated as a forbidden spell due to its danger and the sin of sacrilege, it was Gulemashia’s masterpiece.
It was a masterpiece.
“Khahahaha—!!”
Gamigin chuckled with a grin.
He unleashed his full power to take it all in.
He could feel it in his gut.
There was no point in trying to dodge.
It was all due to Gulemashia’s doing.
So, he surrendered to the bursting pleasure and simply fought back!
After all, feeling this level of tension after a long time was quite enjoyable. This was the thrill of the battlefield, the pinnacle of combat!
The two beings at the peak of their own existence clashed once more.
White light and black smoke intertwined, erupting in an explosion.
* * *
In the dusty remains of the Academia’s church.
No… the ruins of what was once a church.
The grand building was shattered as if it had taken a bombardment.
Among the Academy’s structures, fortified by multi-layered magic, the church was particularly sturdy, yet it was completely devastated by the clash of the two supreme beings.
“Cough… Guhhh…!!”
Gulemashia, spitting blood from that one spot.
His elegantly grown white beard was stained red with debris.
“Ahem, urghhh.”
Each breath he exhaled echoed with a rusty sound in his throat.
After spitting out the remaining blood, Gulemashia grabbed onto a nearby stone that comprised the building’s wall to steady himself.
The staff he leaned on couldn’t withstand the force of a point-blank divine strike and splintered—like a lightning-struck branch.
Even a relic that was deemed exceptional could not endure the maximum power drawn from his prime.
“…It seems I lacked strength.”
Gulemashia raised his aged brows slightly and witnessed the scene before him.
Thump, thump.
A bright red heart beat powerfully.
Strangely, there was no defense like bone or flesh wrapped around his center.
Instead, something that resembled black branches connected throughout the heart.
Finally, from those branches emerged a form that could be considered a body.
“It was an astonishing level of power.”
It was Gamigin, now taking on an even more devilish form.
The appearance of that monster was starkly different from just moments ago.
Long horns grew back from both sides of his head.
What was once the height of an adult man had now surpassed that by at least a full head.
Most importantly, the heart, which had been hidden from view, thudded prominently at the center of his upper body.
“If it weren’t for this form, I couldn’t endure it.”
Cardinal Gamigin.
The release of his powers.
A proper battle mode of Gamigin, which was said to have rarely been seen in the world.
“And it was such tremendous magic that it had to be ‘erased.’”
Gamigin’s chilling eyes turned towards Gulemashia.
Gulemashia silently faced him, feeling the extreme pain in his right hand, overshadowed by poison.
He clearly used a unique spell on that Altife.
Surely, he would have invested a long time researching and preparing that spell.
But he couldn’t remember anymore.
Not just the incantation, he had completely forgotten what kind of magic it was.
Gamigin laughed at the sight of him.
“What’s next to erase?”
