The Great Mage Returns After 4000 Years-Chapter Season 2 655

Translator: Alpha0210

While running frantically, Residue turned back once more just in case. It was possible that only one of the two continued the pursuit while the other attempted to take the people in the Fortress City as hostages.

It was a useless worry.

The two of them were racing ahead fiercely as if they were competing with each other. As expected, they were far from having any kind of teamwork. Or perhaps, they simply found the act of taking hostages distasteful? Even if they were just shells, they were still ‘Knights,’ after all.

Despite these idle thoughts, Residue did not stop moving.

He left the Fortress City behind, ran across the surface of a lake, and passed through a meadow scattered with the remnants of Amdal. Before long, the surrounding scenery changed to places he had never seen before in his life.

In truth, the concept of ‘running’ wasn’t familiar to him.

Usually, two prerequisites were necessary in order to run, and both were rather difficult for a Ruler to fulfill.

First, one needed a physical body...

Second, the situation had to be urgent. If the situation wasn’t urgent, there would be no reason to run. Which meant one would only run when chasing or fleeing from someone. Such situations were rare for a Ruler to encounter.

If someone needed chasing, he could just kill them beforehand, and fleeing? That didn’t happen.

‘Why does it feel so liberating?’

Residue recalled the days when he had been the Lightning God.

Even if it had been the best possible decision at the time, would the Lightning God back then have chosen to flee?

He wouldn’t have.

Even if not two of the Four Knights, but two Half Kings were pursuing him, he would have fought head-on.

But now things were different.

It wasn’t that he had a perfect plan, nor was there some elaborate scheme. And yet, he felt no discomfort in turning his back completely and running away.

As he pondered over the reason why,

Residue realized there was something clearly different about his current self compared to the past.

He had come to accept his own weaknesses.

Because he acknowledged his weakness, he could run, and he felt no shame in doing so. In fact, this was more difficult than recognizing the strength of one’s opponent.

It was something the Lightning God never had. Because he had never been defeated. So even now, he might be reigning as a transcendent being of Thunder somewhere on a planet, finding all of this merely amusing.

Residue, who had come to understand defeat and accept weakness.

And the Lightning God, who had never lost even once.

It was impossible to say who was stronger at this moment. If they were to fight now, the Lightning God would likely have the upper hand, but since Residue had awakened the One Step Through Time and Space, the odds were no longer negligible. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Countless other thoughts came and went. At times he moved as if in a daze, simply continuing to run.

Then suddenly.

“……”

Residue blinked.

He wasn’t sure how long he had been running.

At the very least, the surrounding landscape seemed to have changed over fifteen times. Thanks to that, he had a rough grasp of the overall terrain of the area, as well as a general sense of the destination’s location.

The place where Residue was currently sprinting through was a cliffside region, and in the distance, he could see what looked like a tall castle built high up.

Occasionally, monsters that were half-bat, half-human attacked, but of course, they didn’t even touch a hair on Residue. They swooped in violently with wings spread wide, only to collapse in ashes, wrapped in lightning currents.

‘I’m not getting tired?’

Residue suddenly had that thought.

Had the Sun God’s heart affected not just the core but also his muscles and bones? He thought he had been running at maximum speed for quite a while, yet he wasn’t the least bit tired. He wasn’t even short of breath.

If that was the case...

Residue turned his head slightly to glance behind him. The pursuit by the Four Knights was still ongoing. Even Residue was slightly worn out by their persistence, but shaking them off was never the objective to begin with.

In that case, just how long would those bastards continue the chase?

How much hatred did they harbor toward Residue?

He couldn’t know.

So perhaps it was time for a little provocation.

Crack!

With a strong push from the soles of his feet, he leapt forward.

Residue’s body flew ahead with explosive force. Without decreasing his momentum, he maintained his charging force and simply spun his body mid-air.

And with the feeling of handing over a surprise gift, he spread both hands wide.

Pzzzzzzzt!

Lightning currents shot from his palms, taking the form of a dragon. Seventy-seven lightning dragons surged toward the two Knights.

Tap.

Around the same time, Residue landed. Because he had deliberately gathered strength into his thigh, it was closer to a crash than a landing.

Like a falling mountain of rock, the impact shattered the ground. The atmosphere trembled, and fragments of earth flew in all directions. Residue seized them all with lightning currents, then spread them around like a barrier.

Crackle!

By the time the minimal preparations were completed, the lightning dragons had already been torn to shreds by the blades of the two Knights.

Had they judged that Residue had stopped running? The Red Knight halted her sprint, dropped to one knee, and aimed her pistol sword this way. A sniper's stance.

Meanwhile, the Blue Knight closed the distance in an instant.

“Tired of running now?”

"How long has this body been running?"

“Gloomy and dismal, this isn’t a bad place for a grave!”

“Feels like I ran for three whole days and nights…”

Two people who only say whatever they want, rare indeed.

But in the next moment, their attacks were directed precisely at each other and clashed.

It wasn’t hard to predict that a one-on-one battle with the Blue Knight would occur. Even while running, Residue had been thinking about how to fight her again, so it wasn’t difficult to choose a method of engagement.

The moment he extended his hand, relatively small fragments of earth nearby were drawn in. As they approached, they clumped together like clay, squirming, and by the time they reached Residue’s hand, they had taken the form of a fairly smooth club.

At that exact moment, the Blue Knight was right in front of him. She swung the chain wrapped around her left arm like a whip. It was unexpected that she swung a chain instead of a sword after closing the distance, but it wasn’t a bad move.

Instead of swinging the club to deflect it, Residue twisted his body to dodge the chain. Had he unconsciously extended the club, it would’ve been wrapped by the chain and either snatched away or, at worst, broken.

Smack!

He slammed the club into the Blue Knight’s face. But even as her head snapped to the side and her cheek swelled red, this crazy bitch kept her eyes locked on Residue.

“Stop staring. You’re gonna burn a hole in me.”

“I’ll really burn one for you.”

At that moment, Residue felt the earth barrier breaking in succession. The Red Knight had fired her shot. Though Residue was able to easily twist his body and dodge the projectile, his range of movement was limited, and a chain wrapped around his left arm.

Crackle!

Just before the Blue Knight made her move, Residue used the chain as a conductor and sent lightning currents through it. It was a powerful current strong enough to turn even stones into charcoal, yet Pale bared her teeth and smiled even while her whole body was engulfed in lightning.

“Haha.”

It was meant to make her let go of the chain, but instead, the Blue Knight gripped it even harder and pulled with all her strength.

Rather than resist, Residue leaned into the momentum and added force to the flow. It was a move meant to catch her off guard. But the Blue Knight, unfazed in the slightest, calmly extended her sword forward as if she had anticipated it.

“Hm…”

So even a surprise like that can’t throw her off?

From the beginning, her combat style had never been conventional, so she never got flustered by any form of attack.

Once again, Residue was reminded of how strong the Blue Knight was.

He was a step too late to counter, so Residue forcibly twisted his body, narrowly avoiding a fatal hit. As the blade pierced into his left shoulder, all strength drained from him in an instant.

Boom!

The Blue Knight pushed forward with force, driving Residue’s body into a nearby rocky mountain. It was as if she had nailed him in with her sword.

Her left hand was still gripping the chain, and with her right, she clenched her sword hand into a fist and slammed it upward into Residue’s jaw. Crack. He felt the distinct sensation of his jawbone and molars breaking simultaneously.

Of all places, his face.

Was this payback for the first blow to her face? Was that just Residue’s imagination?

“Pff.”

Seeing her sneer with that rotten face, it wasn’t his imagination.

But that attack was just the beginning.

At extreme close range, the Blue Knight began beating Residue using her arms, legs, shoulders, even her forehead. Muscles tore, organs were crushed, bones shattered.

Up to this point, it was according to plan.

…It was going according to plan, but

“You filthy bitch…”

After being pounded like a sandbag for nearly ten seconds, anger surged within him.

Residue began responding to the Blue Knight’s onslaught by swinging his club with his regenerated right arm. With both sides completely neglecting defense and focusing only on offense, their faces were soon covered in blood.

Despite the brutal state they were in, both of them still had enough pride to force twisted smiles at the corners of their mouths, that was the highlight.

“Ha ha. Did you stuff your fists with cotton or something? I could take hits from you all day, and it wouldn’t even tickle.”

“You’ve got a crushed nose bone, are you really in a position to talk?! And what’s with that flimsy club? Do you even have the intention to fight seriously?”

“Historically speaking, a club is the best medicine for taking down a mad dog.”

"...Haha."

"Hahaha."

“Kehahaha─!”

“Ahahaha─!”

The two lunatics burst out in crazed laughter as the battle devolved into a full-on slugfest. Blue flashes and lightning currents lit up the gloomy canyon. With every punch and kick exchanged, chunks of the terrain were carved away.

Partway through, the chain was thrown aside, and even the sword embedded in the shoulder was pulled out, yet neither of them created any distance.

“……”

A little ways off, the Red Knight narrowed her eyes.

Crazy bastards.

After briefly summing them up with that thought, she lowered her pistol sword slightly and pondered.

With the two stuck so tightly together like that, even for her, a sniper shot would be impossible to land.

So what should she do? She didn’t want to just sit back and watch.

She thought for about three more seconds.

Realizing there was no other viable option, the Red Knight once again raised her pistol sword and took aim.

Grrrrrk…

At that moment, Residue also sensed the massive energy gathering at the pistol sword. Apart from the earth barrier he had formed around himself, he had also kept the Red Knight in mind all along.

What is she trying to do? In a situation this close-quarters, not even a so-called god of sniping could land a hit.

Unless she’s planning to take them both out.

…….

…….

…Ah?

“Dodge on your own, Pale.”

The Red Knight’s low murmur reached her ears, and immediately after, her entire field of vision was dyed red.

The Red Knight’s energy shot, fired at maximum output, surged like a massive tidal wave. A wave so tall it could touch the sky. It was so overwhelming that Residue’s body froze on the spot, unable to even consider dodging.

A step later, Pale turned to look behind her and made a dumbfounded face.

Ah. I see now.

To make the Blue Knight panic, she had to deliver this level of backstabbing.

Along with that idle thought.

KWAaaaAAANG!

A scorching storm swept through the entire canyon.

*

The smoke made his eyes sting. His chest felt suffocated as if even his windpipe had been filled with smoke.

“Cough…”

And beyond that, there was no sensation from anywhere else. It felt like everything except the upper half of his torso had perished… Still, was his regenerative power intact? Slowly, as if blood were beginning to circulate in his limbs, sensation returned.

Had it not been for the Giant’s Heart, he might’ve died from that attack.

He had misjudged.

He’d mistakenly thought those two had formed some kind of solid alliance.

No. Even so, they had been cooperating until just a moment ago, would anyone normally fire a full-powered attack under those conditions?

…Either way, he couldn’t just lie here like this. Forcing himself, he rose to his feet. He barely lifted his hips halfway before collapsing again.

‘This is bad.’

His body wouldn’t move the way he wanted it to.

Step.

Just then, through the rising dust, someone’s figure appeared faintly.

“What a fitting state you’re in.”

No need to ask, it was the Blue Knight.

Hah. Strutting around with that same ragged look.

Still, unlike Residue, she didn’t seem to have regenerative abilities, but her basic defense was definitely higher. She looked to be in better condition than him.

“I don’t know what kind of scheme you were cooking up, but in that state, you won’t be able to do anything anymore, will you?”

“…I still have the strength to run.”

“To where?”

After speaking slyly, she stomped on his chest, knocking the wind out of him. Kkuuk. The pressure made his ribs scream.

“No matter where you run, no matter how far you go, I’ll chase you to the ends. Just curious, really, did you truly think you could escape from me?”

“You are slower than this body. Once I get the hang of spatial movement, you won’t even dare to pursue.”

“That’s incorrect.”

Fwaaah!

The dust cleared, revealing the Red Knight.

“Your movement leaves traces. It’s not a smooth traversal through space… You forcibly tear open a gap, then shove your body through that rough opening.”

“……”

Did she figure out the principle of One Step Through Time and Space just by seeing it once?

Residue found the mismatched colors of the Red Knight’s eyes a bit unsettling, and laughed.

Still, he forced a twisted grin onto his lips.

“Then come and chase me, if you can.”

Paaang!

As Residue detonated his final lightning current, Pale’s body was blasted away, and his own body was immediately engulfed in lightning and vanished.

It was a speed incomparable to any previous escape.

At a glance, it might be mistaken for teleportation…

But the Red Knight’s eyes sank.

Just as she had analyzed, it was like digging a tunnel through the ground. They didn’t have the power to dig such a tunnel themselves, but as long as the hole had already been made and hadn’t closed yet, it was possible to force themselves through it and follow.

Even if it took some time, there was no chance of losing Residue.

“Will you pursue?”

“……”

The Blue Knight, Pale, took a step forward without even bothering to answer.

This was likely the enemy’s final act of resistance.

Which meant this tedious chase was finally nearing its end.

Crackle… A sword was drawn toward the twitching lightning current that hadn’t fully disappeared. Space tore apart, revealing the subspace Residue had passed through.

Without hesitation, Pale stepped inside. A step later, the Red Knight followed behind her.

Rumble, rrrrrm…

Inside the subspace, thunder and lightning raged. It wasn’t originally that kind of space, this too was a trace of Residue’s passage. It was as noisy and irritating as the man’s laughter.

Since it was only a passage, the exit soon came into view.

Tap.

Right after emerging, they saw Residue lying on the dead earth, gasping for breath.

His complexion was pale, as if he were on the verge of death. Pale felt a sense of urgency. He mustn’t die on his own. She had to be the one to end that man’s life.

“So this is where you ran to?”

Pale smiled faintly, hiding her true feelings.

Regeneration was a troublesome thing, it took time to kill someone with that power, but it wasn’t limitless.

Judging by his complexion, it seemed like he really was on the brink of death now.

“……”

Unlike Pale, whose expression had brightened, El’s expression stiffened slightly.

She looked around with an uncertain face.

This place couldn’t be…

In the meantime, Pale strode toward Residue. Just as her outstretched blade was about to reach him.

El flinched and shouted in a hurried tone.

“Pale, stop!”

Kaaang!

The blue blade was deflected.

“……!”

Pale’s face twisted. It wasn’t Residue who had blocked her.

Another man stood in front of her.

“Puhaha…”

Residue couldn’t hold back the loud laugh bubbling from his chest.

He had thought long and hard.

How should he deal with two of the Four Knights? What was the best option?

Even with his recovered body, it was impossible to fully subdue both Knights.

If he were prepared to die fighting, he might have been able to take one of them with him to the afterlife, but if killing them had been his goal in the first place, he would’ve cooperated with the Demon God.

An opponent he couldn’t fully shake off. But those two were brimming with the intent to kill him.

How many beings existed who could temper the hostility of such opponents?

Fortunately, even across the entire Three Thousand Worlds, such individuals were extremely rare, and Residue had easily thought of the one most usable in this situation.

It had been half a gamble.

But the fact that this man had protected Residue meant that the gamble had succeeded.

White armor came into view.

A man wrapped in holy light scanned the surrounding figures with a cold gaze.

“So many unwelcome faces. But first…”

The White Knight, Agolet, calmly issued a warning as he looked around.

"Everyone please disarm your weapons on this land."

*****

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