Chapter 1217

Perkuntra, racing alongside Lee Han, muttered.

The mage's condition is strange. Far too passive.

"Could the professor be setting a trap?"

It doesn't seem that way. Against an enemy driven into desperation, there would be no reason to deliberately choose a method that takes so long.

'Hm. That's true.'

Lee Han agreed inwardly.

In fact, as Professor Voladi's disciple, he could sense it himself from what he had learned.

Professor Voladi's combat philosophy was fundamentally about attacking proactively and seizing the initiative. Defending like that was not the professor's style.

Just looking at the recent escape made that obvious enough. The moment everyone else let their guard down, the professor had promptly escaped...

'Right. This isn't the time to criticize Professor Voladi.'

Lee Han focused.

Originally, he had intended to drive the lightning spear into the enemy the moment it exposed an opening.

But if things were going this badly on the professors' side, it seemed he would have to join in and stop it himself.

The great magic Professor Garcia was casting, disrupting and interfering with the enemy's time, absolutely could not be allowed to stop.

"Can we handle the avatar?"

To some extent. But the longer it drags on, the more dangerous it becomes.

Perkuntra answered coldly.

It had already been summoned for a long time, and its contractor was in an extremely overstrained condition as well.

Against a thought-form rampaging in madness like that, the longer the battle continued, the more dangerous it would become.

Yet Lee Han nodded without hesitation.

"That's enough. Let's go!"

With a roar of thunder, Lee Han rode Perkuntra and charged toward the avatar.

***

'Something's wrong with Voladi!'

Of all the professors, Professor Kirmin was the first to notice the sense of incongruity.

Professor Garcia was sweating profusely while concentrating on magic, so that was only natural.

Normally, there was a set method for dealing with a powerful enemy like this avatar.

Professor Kirmin would confuse the enemy, and Professor Voladi would deal damage with magic possessing penetration and striking power.

But right now, instead of damaging the avatar, Professor Voladi was concentrating entirely on defense and evasion. It was almost as though the professor were deliberately avoiding attacking.

Boom!!!

"Wardanaz!"

When the disciple who had been relatively far from the center of the battlefield joined the fight, Professor Kirmin quickly glanced at the other two professors during that brief instant.

Fortunately, Professor Garcia was too focused on the spell to notice, while Professor Voladi was occupied with the avatar up front and could not do anything about it.

Given the circumstances, Professor Kirmin decided to abandon a professor's conscience and accept the disciple's combat power.

"Good timing. It looks like Voladi may have been injured! Judging from how difficult it is to attack..."

"I'll attack instead. Please draw the enemy's attention!"

"Hey!!"

The moment Lee Han took off on Perkuntra again, Professor Kirmin recoiled in horror.

Naturally, Professor Kirmin was supposed to attack while the disciple drew attention from behind, yet Lee Han was trying to reverse those roles.

He had even taken off again immediately without giving Professor Kirmin time to stop him!

'That bastard! He only learned the worst things from his teacher!'

Curses boiled all the way up Professor Kirmin's throat, but there was no way to stop the disciple when he was already moments from colliding with the enemy. Doing so now would only cause an even greater disaster.

Professor Kirmin gritted their teeth and supported the disciple. Illusions appeared one after another along the direction Lee Han was moving, confusing the evil god's avatar.

What is this?!

Ordinary illusion magic that relied on the five senses could not deceive a thought-form like an evil god.

These illusions were powerful ones, each carrying a small fragment of a soul and possessing power of its own. When illusions like these suddenly appeared, the inexperienced evil god had no choice but to be confused for a moment.

And that moment was enough. Perkuntra let out a roar and smashed a blow into the evil god's flank.

Pour on whatever attacks you can before it comes to its senses!

Perkuntra knew well.

Unlike ordinary enemies with physical bodies, beings like this would not die easily from being cut or stabbed a few times.

Like grinding a gigantic rock down into sand, they had to keep wearing it away by pouring intent into every attack.

"Get out of there!"

Professor Voladi shouted at the disciple in the loudest and firmest voice Lee Han had heard all day.

"This is not your place to intervene!"

Lee Han displayed the skill expected of a mage who had been contracted with a spirit for a long time.

Without giving the spirit a command or speaking to it, he successfully communicated through thought alone.

Rumble!

Thunder exploded and drowned out Professor Voladi's voice. Lee Han shamelessly shouted.

"Sorry! It's too loud! I can't hear you!"

'He's my contractor, but he really is unbelievable.'

Thinking that, Perkuntra swung its thunder maul. The evil god's avatar, struck yet again, roared and made its eyes glow red.

Hundreds of eyes burst into bloom across its body like bubbles popping, flashing open one after another. It was an eerie sight, almost as though the creature had suddenly regained its senses.

Be careful! Its mind has returned!

The endless pain inflicted despite all the chains and magic had clearly sharpened the evil god's consciousness.

Before Perkuntra had even finished shouting, the evil god spoke.

You dare attack me when you serve me. Insolent!

"Still going on about that? If you're so upset, you shouldn't have given it to me!"

Lee Han snorted mockingly.

All he had done was put on an act to get the key, and the evil god was still clinging to it like this.

The other Imperial Orders had generously blessed Lee Han even after he had taken their divine magic one after another, yet this evil god was remarkably petty.

"...It's not talking about you, Wardanaz!"

Professor Kirmin shouted in shock.

The evil god was speaking to Professor Voladi!

"What kind of insane nonsense... If there's one person in the Empire I'd trust least to believe in something like that, it's Professor Bagreg."

Then why does the mage hesitate to attack me?

Lee Han stopped bothering to answer.

The enemy was saying things stupider than Gainando after getting caught by the Skull Principal while stealing food from the kitchen.

Did Gainando think the Skull Principal had spared him simply because the principal walked past?

Obviously, the principal had moved on because there was some much larger and more sinister plan in mind.

Answer honestly. When you wandered in search of revenge, did you not desire power? Can you swear that you never thought of sacrificing your enemy to me when you killed them and taking power in return!?

The evil god had been split apart and weakened, yet its mind was becoming more threatening instead.

The battle to the death against powerful enemies, brief though it had been, was teaching this evil god and making it grow.

If left alone, this evil god might eventually become an existence comparable to the great demons whose infamy had shaken the continent in ancient times. It already possessed sufficient potential. All it needed was for its mind to mature.

Realizing that, Professor Kirmin felt a chill run down their spine.

They had only thought about overwhelming the enemy with force. A situation like this had never even occurred to them.

'It's persuasive...'

Professor Kirmin checked their friend's expression. Professor Voladi remained expressionless, but Professor Kirmin could tell there was considerable shock beneath it.

Voladi had clearly considered it to some extent!

It wasn't impossible.

What had happened among the western vampire houses had been truly horrific, and the friend who had sought revenge had not been in their right mind for quite some time, until the Skull Principal finally caught and confined them.

Professor Voladi must have wanted power regardless of the means. Could it really be said that the temptation of an evil god had never been felt, not even slightly, back then?

Perhaps that thought was why Voladi was reluctant to attack the enemy recklessly.

If the friend's explosive desire for revenge instead gave strength to the enemy...

"You're talking nonsense. I went to the fortress and checked your register! All sorts of people were written in it, but Professor Voladi's name wasn't there!"

"!?"

Professor Kirmin's eyes widened at Lee Han's shout.

"Is that true?"

"Yes! If the professor had been a follower in the first place, that thing would've done something earlier. It did nothing until the situation got this bad, and now all it can do is wag its tongue. Isn't it obvious what's going on?!"

Well said!

Perkuntra praised its contractor and silenced the evil god. The eyes blooming across the evil god's body were swept away all at once by a tidal wave of lightning.

Foiled by Lee Han yet again, the evil god let out a terrifying roar of rage.

Professor Kirmin used the brief respite to clutch their chest and breathe a sigh of relief.

What a relief. Without Wardanaz's confirmation, something terrible might have happened.

If the friend had once again coldly finished all the calculations alone and then rationally committed suicide...

"Good job checking, Wardanaz. To think you found a register like that. When you ignored us and entered the fortress, I wanted to swear I'd really lock you in the punishment room!"

An artifact like a register containing an evil god's power would not be easy to find.

Sanguros was confused and inexperienced, but a more calculating being would never have allowed something like a register containing the true names of its followers to be exposed.

"Shh. I didn't see anything like that."

"...What?"

Professor Kirmin froze.

"I was too busy destroying magic. I didn't have time to look for artifacts like that."

"...You said you saw it!?"

"I mean, if there had been one, that's what it would've said. No matter what Professor Voladi is like, do you really think the professor would have believed in an evil god?"

"......"

Professor Kirmin was simply speechless. The demon and spirit helping Lee Han were equally speechless.

What the hell is wrong with this bastard, seriously??

"The fact that it can't argue back means it was a trick from the start. And even if Professor Voladi did believe for a little while, wasn't that ages ago? Getting angry about it now won't give this thing any power. Even Imperial law would take circumstances like that into consideration."

"...Either way, well done!"

Professor Kirmin vowed to take what had just been heard to the grave.

There seemed to be no particular need to tell the friend about this.

It's coming that way!

-It's coming!

Perkuntra warned that the evil god it had been restraining had broken free. Mahuda also shouted that the enemy was approaching.

Lee Han nodded.

While exchanging words with the creature earlier, he had already been preparing for this situation. He had discussed it with Perkuntra and Mahuda even before coming here.

Sooner or later, the creature would certainly become enraged and charge at him.

'I didn't expect it to come because I argued it into a corner, though.'

Just as exceptional and highly trained foresight mages could see what lay ahead without deliberately casting magic, Lee Han could clearly feel certain of the future that was about to arrive.

The creature would charge straight at him.

And Lee Han would throw every spell he could use into a counterattack and stab it right back!

"It's com... You!!!"

Professor Kirmin recoiled in horror and tried to stop Lee Han when he suddenly shot forward.

If the two of them split apart now, wasn't it painfully obvious which one the evil god would pursue?!

Above Lee Han's head, now that he had joined Perkuntra, a plain and austere crown appeared.

<Microcosm, Basilios>.

The evil god's movements visibly slowed the moment it entered the spell's range. This was a form of stopping fundamentally different from Professor Garcia's manipulation of time.

As Mahuda poured all the strength remaining in its body into Lee Han's arm, a single outer garment appeared behind him.

<Microcosm, Euangelion>.

Confronted with endlessly dividing space, the evil god momentarily lost its way and wandered. The waves of malice it unleashed could not find their destination and drifted forever.

Finally, Lee Han's vision turned red once more. Even though his sight had been sealed, he could clearly see the enemy's soul blazing crimson.

<Microcosm, Dunamis>!

Prepare the lightning spear!

-Even if his arm breaks, it can't be helped. Protect only the vital organs!

Normally, because the Lightning Spear of Subduing Demons and Annihilating Evil was cast through the combined power of Perkuntra and Mahuda, they paid a certain amount of attention to the burden placed on their contractor.

No matter how powerful a spell was, they could not allow it to kill the contractor.

But the mage's ability, amplified through Dunamis, had effectively removed those restraints.

Before worrying about how much destructive power the spell might unleash, the Spirit King first worried whether its contractor would survive.

There was the burden of the spell itself, and on top of that, how much backlash would come crashing down from that wicked microcosm?

The spirit within the staff was already screaming.

"!"

Lee Han's gaze wavered for an instant. Unconsciously, he had caught a glimpse of an image from the future.

The mage immediately changed his choice.

Instead of the lightning spear that had been forming, a single tiny droplet of water appeared.

The Spirit King lost all dignity and burst into profanity.

You said you were only going to use <Microcosm, Dunamis> once!