Training-Addicted Mage In A Progression Fantasy-Chapter 37: Invasion of Widia (3)

The square-jawed man stepped out from the shadows.

In front of him stood a man with long black hair, lazily twirling a silver broom in his hands.

The long-haired man glanced over at the newcomer and let out a soft chuckle.

“How embarrassing, Jatul.”“...You wouldn’t have done any better.”“Please, not a chance.”

Jatul pulled back the hood covering his head and spoke with irritation.

“Did you think one little brat could reduce me to this?”“What are you talking about?”“...Forget it.”

Instead of explaining, Jatul shook his head and sighed.Even if he wanted to, he didn’t even have the confidence to do so.

A young Arcane Mage casting Ninefold Incantations in succession, pulling endless Scrolls from his Subspace, and wielding a Wooden Sword with strange abilities?

He knew he couldn’t make it sound credible.

Still, he’s no more than an Early Arcane.

No matter how talented, the boy couldn’t possibly stand a chance against a Mystic-grade Mage.

“Seems like you’ll be missing the next Round Table Meeting, Jatul.”“Someone has to handle the paperwork and reports while the rest of you only think about killing.”“And slip in your own agenda while you’re at it? Think I haven’t noticed?”“Well... you’ll just have to tolerate it for now.”

With that, the long-haired man shifted the broom between his legs.

“So, where am I headed?”“...They’ve split up into separate groups. I’ve only confirmed two, but there could be more.”“Everyone knows they’re heading to Meira anyway, the fools.”“Ah, it looks like they’ve already figured out Berford’s betrayal.”

Clicking his tongue, the long-haired man shook his head.

“With Laidra dead, they’re already too late. Ha! I can only imagine what his face looked like when Berford stabbed him in the back. I’ll have to ask the Boss later.”

With that, he mounted his broom, preparing to leave.

“Where are you going? We could easily ambush them on their way to Meira.”“That’s no fun at all.”“Are you planning to chase them down?”“Our Zippy needs some action too.”

Zippy was the nickname for the silver broom the long-haired man rode.Jatul barely managed to suppress his disdain.

“Well, it is an A-grade movement Artifact. Catching them won’t be difficult...”“Don’t talk about it like it’s just some ordinary object.”“Tch, just go. How many are you taking with you?”“A hundred Arcane Mages should be enough. If they want to split up, we’ll pick them off one by one.”“Even thinning their numbers would help the forces guarding Meira. Just don’t overdo it...”

Before Jatul could finish, the long-haired man had already disappeared on his broom.

“Lusting after men...”

As Jatul grumbled, clenching his square jaw, another figure emerged from the shadows.

“This should be interesting.”

A short-haired woman with heavy eye makeup opened her fan wide, covering her mouth.

“I want to join in.”“Do you also have a habit of eavesdropping?”“You knew I was here the whole time.”“Yes, that’s true, but—“

Before he could finish, the woman slipped back into the shadows.

“That bitch...”

Fortunately, no one else appeared before Jatul after that.

***

Three hundred students trailed behind Deck.Among them were Leon and Ria, while Rowen followed closely behind Maelyn.

After covering a considerable distance, Deck quickly landed nearby.

He pulled out a Black Brooch, channeled his Magic Power into it, and touched it to each of the 300 students.

This process was designed to detect any item bearing the same Spell Formula as the tracked brooch.

The Black Brooch resonated with a buzzing sound twice when it touched certain individuals.

Without hesitation, Deck killed those whose bodies triggered the vibration.Searching their belongings, he found a Black Brooch as expected.

Deck’s blue sleeves fluttered as he took off again with the remaining group.

“Hurry to Meira—“

Before Deck could finish, a massive flock of crows darkened the sky, heading straight for his group.

It was clear they weren’t real crows; each bird was infused with Magic Power.

“Already?”

Deck gritted his teeth and pulled out a Staff from his Subspace.

White mist poured from the tip of the Staff.

In an instant, the flock of crows rushing at Deck and the others was encased in ice.

The frozen crows plummeted to the ground, no longer able to pursue the group.

However, when the ice shattered, smaller crows emerged from the fragments, multiplying and surging toward them.

“Everyone, intercept!”

At Deck’s command, the group unleashed their Magic against the swarm of miniature crows.

Boom— Boom—

The small crows were destroyed upon impact with the spells.

But there were far too many.

Realizing the threat, Deck cast a large-scale defensive spell.

Thud— Thud— Thud—

The miniature crows hurled themselves at the barrier that now encompassed the group, their numbers stretching into the hundreds.

Between maintaining Levitation Magic, freezing the enemies, and sustaining the barrier, Deck’s Magic Power rapidly dwindled.

Moreover, each crow had the strength of an Early Arcane Mage.This would have been impossible unless the caster was at least Mystic-grade.

“Hahaha! Struggling all alone, are we?”

The long-haired man hovered nearby on his silver broom, a grin stretching across his face.His large frame perched on the delicate broom looked oddly mismatched.

Several Black Mages followed closely behind him.

“No matter how hard you try, you’re just rats in a trap, you fools! Hahahahaha!”“...”

Deck’s Scanning Magic couldn’t determine the man’s Realm.

Deck himself was an Intermediate Mystic, which meant this opponent had to be an Advanced Mystic at the very least.

Just how many Mystic-grade Mages do they have...?

The sheer number of high-ranking Mages was baffling.Yet in the heat of battle, lingering on such questions would only lead to hesitation.

With hundreds under his Levitation Magic, Deck began a rapid descent to the ground.

“I can see right through your thoughts, I can see it all!”“Everyone scatter! Run away!”

The moment they landed, Deck shouted his command.It was a decision he made despite knowing there was no way he could face an Advanced Mystic alone.

Die alone or die together.

If those were his options, there was only one choice left.

To somehow hold the enemy back.

“Freeze!”

Though he couldn’t use Grand Magic, as he had yet to reach Advanced Mystic, he unleashed his most refined Arcane Magic.

The ground in front of Deck turned to ice, and towering pillars of frost erupted from it.

Biting cold radiated from each of those pillars.

The Black Mages hovering with Levitation Magic had their paths blocked, their movements slowing.

“What’s freezing?”

The long-haired man on the broom within range smirked as he looked at the scene.

***

Those quick to assess the danger wasted no time in gathering their nearby comrades and immediately taking to the skies.

Leon was one of them.

He gathered around 20 Ordinary Disciples and Academy Apprentice students, including Ria, and led them in a different direction.

Wearing his Golden Wings, Leon wrapped the Ordinary Disciples in his Levitation Magic.

They couldn’t fly for long on their own and had little Magic Power, so they needed Leon’s help.

“Wh-What do you think will happen...?”

One of the Academy students asked Leon.

But Leon didn’t know the answer either.

He hadn’t expected so many high-ranking Mages giving chase.

Did they manufacture and implant artificial Cores in their hearts?

That was the only plausible explanation for how so many Mages of such advanced Realms could exist.

Wait.

Leon furrowed his brow.He realized that a group had already caught up with them not long after they had scattered.

Deck...

It seemed he hadn’t been able to hold out for long, even after using Arcane Magic with all his remaining Magic Power.

However, the number of pursuers wasn’t that overwhelming.It seemed the Black Mages following the long-haired man had divided their forces to chase the scattered groups.

Is the silver broom chasing the others? Or maybe Deck is desperately blocking that one off alone...

There were no Mystic-grade Mages among those pursuing Leon’s group.Their speed of pursuit wasn’t particularly fast either.

If we keep moving at this pace, we might avoid being caught.

But the real issue was that while they might evade capture now, they couldn’t predict when or where more enemies would appear.Leon could hide inside the Magic Orb and somehow manage, but the others couldn’t.

Heading straight to Meira is risky.

Their movements were already being read thoroughly.Even if they could no longer use Tracking Magic, it was easy enough to predict that all the scattered groups were converging on Meira.

It seemed wiser to change course and make it harder for the enemy to anticipate their next move.

He briefly considered splitting off on his own, as Arpina or Deck had done, but quickly dismissed the idea.If another enemy appeared after he left, these people would die without even being able to resist.

To change direction, we’ll need to deal with those tailing us first.

Changing course while being tracked would accomplish nothing.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

Leon maintained his speed to check if there were any more pursuers, but as more and more people started complaining about Magic Power depletion, he made up his mind.

We’ll take them all out before we move forward.