The Great Mage Returns After 4000 Years-Chapter Season 2 654

Translator: Alpha0210

There was no mistake in the decision to run away.

Even so, he wasn’t in a normal enough condition to use One Step Through Time and Space, so even though he was running at a fairly high speed, the two Knights were chasing him without difficulty.

“Ugh.”

A groan escaped from him before he realized it.

Of course, their speed wasn’t fast enough to catch up to Residue immediately, but

Thump.

‘This isn’t good.’

Was his heartbeat always this loud?

Residue felt his body slowly overheating. At first, he thought it was just a side effect of pushing his body too hard, but it was something different.

Thump thump thump.

The pounding of his heart wasn’t normal.

Naturally, his breathing also grew insanely rapid. Sweat poured from him as if he had been caught in the rain, and eventually, he collapsed on the spot.

‘Giant!’

He screamed inwardly while clutching his chest.

What the hell did that bastard do to this body?

In the meantime, the Blue Knight had run up to him.

“Wait……”

He said that reflexively, but the Blue Knight didn’t even pretend to listen. Wearing a wide grin, she swung her sword.

Residue gritted his teeth and extended his hands to meet her.

Clang!

The lightning current coiling around his right arm forcibly stopped the Blue Knight’s blade. Sparks flew rapidly from the point of impact.

As his eyes moved through the flickering light, the Blue Knight’s lips twisted.

Spurt.

A searing pain flared up in his side.

Something had pierced his body.

Though he hadn’t realized or reacted in time, it didn’t take long to figure out what kind of attack it was or who had fired it.

A short distance away, the Red Knight was aiming her sword at him. A faint smoke was rising from the tip of the blade, which had turned a reddish hue.

‘…He was calm enough to snipe?’

Residue had thought she was agitated and would try to fight at close range.

…Jumping to conclusions like that was the kind of mistake the Lightning God wouldn’t have made.

It was clear that the condition of the body could affect the mind. That had its pros and cons. Sometimes one could display power beyond their potential, but other times, one could suffer a disaster from such absurd judgment errors.

In the meantime, the Blue Knight's fierce assault continued. Since the tide had already turned, he had no choice but to defend in a reactive stance.

How should one describe the Blue Knight’s fighting style? “Indescribable” would be most accurate. Despite possessing innate combat instincts, she occasionally mixed in attacks so sloppy they were disappointing.

Such attacks might not catch the opponent off guard and would fail in the moment, but when seen as part of the overall flow of battle, they made it difficult to read her offensive rhythm.

For example, Residue could usually observe about ten of an opponent’s attack patterns and then deduce their general combat style, any techniques they hadn’t yet shown, their attitude in the fight, thoughts, and whether or not they had a trump card. But against the Blue Knight, there was nothing he could clearly grasp.

The higher the level of battle, the more the second half hinges on how precisely one can predict and counter the opponent’s moves. But against this woman, no master of psychological warfare would ever gain the upper hand.

‘This isn’t the time to be analyzing things…….’

Was the thundering of his heart messing with his head too? He kept doing things that were unlike him.

Anyway.

To sum up the situation, Pale was stronger than Residue, had more techniques, and had more stamina remaining.

These were the most crucial elements in a fight, and it was despairing that Residue didn’t have a single advantage. To make matters worse, the other side even had rear support.

Perhaps the Red Knight had learned how to coordinate by now, as she was throwing in support attacks that didn’t interfere with Pale’s offensive. Not a single one of her attacks was wasted, and with each flash of red light, another hole opened in Residue’s body.

Even while being driven so relentlessly, the only reason he hadn’t taken a decisive blow was purely because Residue was still one step faster than them.

However, merely dodging attacks won’t lead to victory forever.

Thump!

Once again, a pulse was felt.

This shock was so intense it made his head spin. His vision turned blood red in an instant, and his entire body was paralyzed.

‘Damn it….’

Even while collapsing to his knees, Residue tried to respond somehow, but the pain made it difficult to gather his thunder current.

In that moment, the Red Knight’s projectile and the Blue Knight’s blade simultaneously flew toward his vital points.

Clang!

They didn’t hit.

The two Knights’ attacks were deflected by a projectile that flew in from somewhere. They showed brief expressions of surprise, then looked toward a location far from here.

The six statues.

The giant golem soldiers protecting the Top Universe… a group of Absolutes controlling them had fired an external force.

“Retreat now!”

A loud shout rang out.

Was it Perus? Or Gamzard? His ears were ringing so badly he couldn’t tell.

Without fully identifying the owner of the voice, Residue stepped back. Wiping off the sweat pouring from him, he clutched his chest.

The pulsation could no longer be felt.

Somehow, he had the certainty that the pain just now was the last.

And only now was Residue able to understand exactly what had happened to his body.

‘The Sun God’s heart has become mine.’

To be more precise… perhaps it would be better to say it had merged with him.

He felt as if the now much stronger heart had firmly taken root inside his rib cage.

“Huuuu……”

As he took a deep breath, he could vividly feel the blood vessels extending throughout his body and the hot blood coursing through them. It felt comforting, as if warm steam were enveloping his entire body.

Not bad at all.

As his heart strengthened, his internal organs and capillaries had also become incomparably sturdier than before.

“Are you alright?”

In the meantime, Perus approached.

It seemed he had been the owner of the voice.

“I’m feeling a bit better now.”

“Please hold on just a little longer. We’re currently driving the Four Knights back. They don’t seem to be in perfect condition, so we should be able to finish them soon.”

Perus spoke in an oddly excited tone.

Is this what an Absolute is like, after all?

Though they once joined hands, it seemed he still held an instinctive aversion to the Four Knights.

Boom… boom……

In the meantime, the external force fired from the golem soldiers violently struck the bodies of the two Knights. Amidst the deafening bombardment that made his ears ring, Residue stood up, shaking off his body.

“That won’t buy us more than just a little time.”

“Excuse me? But……”

“Open your eyes and look closely. Did those bastards look like they were actually taking damage from that external force?”

Even though they had discarded their armor, the basic defensive power of those two was already on another level. They easily dodged most of the golem soldiers’ attacks, and even the few that hit only left minor scratches.

Realizing this, Perus’s expression hardened.

“……”

“If you had poured your full strength into those shots, you might have landed effective hits… but you lot already exhausted most of your external force when you shattered the Sun God’s heart. With only the leftover remnants, all you can do is briefly slow those bastards down.”

“Then what should we do…….”

Around that time, the golem soldiers’ attacks ceased.

Perus flinched.

“Why? There should still be some external force left……”

“When you pull a bowstring like that repeatedly, it’ll eventually snap. Not to mention, that first strike was like launching a rock, it must’ve placed considerable strain on the statues.”

Craack……

As soon as Residue finished speaking, cracks appeared on the six statues.

“If you attack any more, the golem soldiers will become unusable. We can’t throw away something that valuable already. Call off the attack.”

“What about you?”

“My condition’s mostly recovered now, so I’ll head back.”

“You’ll struggle on your own.”

That was clearly not a comment from Gamzard.

It was a voice coming from a bit farther away.

Crash!

The moment Residue tried to turn around, something shot past his cheek like a bullet.

It was extremely dark, murky, and sharp. In other words, it was a thorn, and the thorn, as if it were the embodiment of ominousness itself, pierced straight through the bodies of the two Knights who had just caught their breath after the Absolute's bombardment ended.

…On closer inspection, it hadn’t pierced them.

“Do you need a little help, perhaps?”

A voice laced with mockery rang out.

When he turned around, Kran was walking toward him.

Of course, the one moving that body right now was an entirely different being.

“I can help you.”

“What’s gotten into you?”

Residue asked with a suspicious look.

This bastard was a Ruler who would fall ill if he went even a single day without scheming or plotting, so there was no doubt some calculation hidden in this suggestion he was making.

The Black Thorn Demon King burst out laughing cheerfully.

“Isn’t it a common enemy?”

“A common enemy.”

“They are the Four Knights. Beings positioned entirely opposite of us Rulers. That alone is enough reason to be hostile. And enough reason for you and me to join forces.”

Residue bared his teeth and laughed in return.

“‘Us Rulers’? Do I look like a Ruler to you?”

“At the very least, you’re a derivative of one. Residue. Let me say this, I find your existence quite fascinating. And it's hard not to, given the circumstances.”

Residue suddenly wondered, just how long had this bastard been observing him?

In the meantime, the Demon King’s voice dropped slightly.

“The dragon that fell by its own hand, the giant who took his own life. Half of the Rulers who had maintained their place since the ancient times fell from their thrones. Compared to them, even as a remnant, you are far closer to a Ruler.”

Even as he spoke, the Demon King kept firing thorns to block the Knights.

…He wasn’t going all out. Since there was no risk involved anyway, he was simply maintaining the situation until this side accepted his offer.

It was such a Demon King-like thought process that it made one sigh.

“You don’t seem like someone who would offer help for nothing. What do you want from me?”

“As expected, you're quick.”

The Demon King smiled.

“You must have obtained the Sun God’s heart. Accordingly, you would’ve also absorbed the giant’s external force. Give that power to me.”

“Sorry, but that power has completely merged with this body. It can’t be separated anymore.”

“I’m not asking for all of it. Just a very small portion will do.”

Residue blinked as he looked at the Demon King.

What kind of scheme was this bastard trying to pull now?

“You don’t have time to be acting composed. If you don’t agree, I won’t descend into this body.”

Looking again, it wasn’t that the thorns had pierced the Knights’ bodies. They had only grazed their skin.

In other words, they were in an uninjured state, and they were easily brushing aside the flying thorns while closing the distance.

“…So there’s no choice.”

Residue let out a sigh.

“I accept. But I’ll give you the giant’s external force after the Four Knights are dealt with.”

“Haha. What a blatant lie. You plan to change your mind when the time comes, don’t you?”

“Hey, Demon King. Didn’t you say you considered me a Ruler? Rulers don’t lie.”

“I’ve already finished analyzing that too. You’re several times more shameless than the Lightning God. Depending on the situation, you’ll lie, threaten, even blackmail without hesitation.”

“……”

“Hand it over now. Otherwise, there’s no deal.”

As expected, he was devious, despicable, just a downright wicked bastard.

The giant, the dragon, none of them were any different. Seeing it again now, there wasn't a single Ruler he liked. Even the Lightning God, when viewed from the position of a third party, was the same.

Clicking his tongue, Residue reached out his hand.

“Keep your promise.”

“Of course. I am a Ruler, after all.”

The Demon King smiled faintly and grasped his hand.

Residue suddenly spoke.

“Demon King, if we combine our strength, couldn't we subdue the Four Knights?”

“That’s unnecessary. Two of the Four Knights have sustained serious injuries. An opportunity like this won’t come again. Those two will die here today, without fail.”

“Why? You saw the Destruction too, didn’t you? Even those fools who charge in without grasping the situation possess power equal to a Ruler. Meaning they could still be of use in what’s to come.”

“I don’t agree with the idea that they are on the same level as us. They lack dignity. Like you said, they're just fools. A fight against the Destruction? They’d only get in the way.”

“……”

“The correct move is to kill them here and find a way to absorb the power they leave behind.”

“I see.”

This was just like the Demon King.

Residue nodded and said,

“No.”

“What do you mean, no?”

“Those bastards must not die here.”

Crackle!

Immediately, the thunder current extended from his palm and wrapped around the Demon King's entire body. The Demon King tried to react too late, but the being here was not his true body. That meant a delay in reaction speed was inevitable.

“……”

The Demon King opened his mouth wide and coughed out pitch-black breath. In the final moment, his eyes were filled with disbelief, staring at Residue. A gaze that didn’t understand at all why he had done this.

There was no obligation to explain. And no time.

Residue briefly looked into those eyes, then waved his hand. Just like the “Second Destruction” in the past, annoyingly smug.

Thud.

The Demon King's-

No, Kran’s body collapsed powerlessly to the ground.

Looking down at that figure, Residue let out a short laugh.

“Half the Rulers are gone, and now you want to reduce the Four Knights to that state too? If that brilliant mind of yours brought you to that conclusion, that’s just laughable.” 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

“…Huh.”

Perus had been observing the entire conversation and situation, and so could only look at Residue with a stunned expression.

“You’ve refused the Demon King’s help……”

“It ended up that way. No matter how long we talked, we wouldn’t find common ground.”

“…So then, should we all just die now?”

Perus spoke in a half-resigned tone.

Up ahead, the two Knights were approaching.

“You go recover the ones who collapsed nearby.”

“…Huh?”

“Yang In-hyun with the Everlasting Plum Sword, the little brat with the hat, that green-haired idiot girl, and this charred lump here. Their wounds are pretty serious, so patch them up too.”

He said this while nudging Kran with the tip of his foot.

“What about you?”

“I'll run as far away as possible. Anyway, in those bastards’ eyes, I’m the only one they’ll be looking at.”

There was no time left to explain further. With those final words, Residue dashed out again.

Glancing back, he saw the two Knights were indeed charging toward him, not sparing even a glance at Perus.

Thump.

His heart beat, and blood flowed without obstruction. From the crown of his head to the tips of his toes, he could feel every nerve, every sense come vividly alive.

Proof that his condition had recovered to a certain extent.

He still couldn’t use One Step Through Time and Space yet...

But that didn’t mean all options were gone.

Residue could feel that the end of this long battle was near.

*****

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