Memorize Chapter 261

It was a bit premature, but it was a decisive move. I could tell from the clash just moments ago that I held the upper hand over Marvolo.

Regardless, the opponent had revealed their hidden card first. Everything had gone according to plan so far, but it felt like walking on thin ice. One tiny mistake from either side, and it’d be game over.

‘Speaking of which, the clan members…’

I was about to turn my head, worried they might be rattled by the sudden turn of events.

Ping!

A faint sound of air being sliced rang out. I immediately raised my Nil Sword, deflecting a small magical arrow that came shooting toward me.

“Whoa, whoa, don’t turn your head, friend.”

“Who the hell said I’m your friend?”

“Hoho! If you’re someone who wields power beyond the norm, you’d know. You’d understand how much of a burden it is to fully unleash this kind of strength. I’m bearing that burden to show it off, so don’t get distracted. Keep all your focus on me, like you’ve been doing.”

“Fucking lunatic.”

Despite my curse, Marvolo cackled, his face beaming with genuine glee. The more he unleashed his power, the more his initial gentle demeanor rapidly shifted. Soft one moment, sharp the next. Joyful, then furious. He was the textbook definition of a madman.

‘Then again, it’s hard to believe he’s stayed sane after nearly 300 years.’

I decided to stop that train of thought there. Behind Marvolo, who was floating in the air, the space rippled like waves on a shore. Soon, a brilliant light flickered from the staff in his right hand, and a glowing orb floated up, pulsating with energy. But that wasn’t the end.

“This kind of overwhelming quantity isn’t really my style…”

Each time his staff waved, countless magic circles responded. Like solving an equation, every time he arranged a new array, the ripples grew larger, trembling in unison.

“But it seems like the only way to take you down. Alright… here we go.”

Flash! Voom!

The moment Marvolo finished speaking, the rippling air began spitting out glowing orbs one by one. In an instant, those orbs multiplied into dozens—no, hundreds—until they filled the sky so densely I could barely see beyond them. It was an overwhelming number. He glanced up at the sky with a satisfied grin and said:

“Ancient magic—amplified, duplicated, split. What do you think? Can you block this?”

“…”

“No answer, huh? I wouldn’t try dodging if I were you. Otherwise, these orbs of light might just crash into those comrades of yours fighting so hard back there. Heh heh!”

With a chilling laugh, Marvolo swung his staff down toward me with force. And with that as the signal, hundreds of flickering lights rained down from all directions, zeroing in on my position.

‘This takes me back.’

They descended. Slowly at first, then picking up speed as they passed through magic circles floating in the air. It was a deluge. Like a sudden downpour or a meteor shower plummeting in flames. Countless droplets of light hurtled toward me at blinding speed.

Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!

I took a deep breath to steady myself. Planting both feet firmly on the ground, I gripped my Nil Sword in my right hand and the Sun-Moon Divine Sword in my left. I had to predict their trajectories and deflect every single one. No, honestly, deflecting them all was impossible. I’d block as many as I could and rely on my anti-magic resistance for the rest.

“Hoho!”

Ignoring the old man’s obnoxious laughter, I crouched slightly. The moment the lights closed in, I widened my eyes and swung both blades with all my might.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Brandishing the Nil Sword and the Sun-Moon Divine Sword like a windmill, I blocked the incoming lights. Dozens of sword flashes gleamed around me, forming an intricate barrier of steel. The more my blades flashed, the more explosions echoed, but only for a moment. Occasionally, I felt faint vibrations in my body, and the Glory of Sun grew unnaturally hot. That was proof that a few missed orbs were striking my anti-magic resistance.

“Possessed! Truly possessed! What a magnificent sight.”

Another mocking voice came, but I had no time to care. If even one orb broke through my final defense, the Blessing of the War, and hit me directly, my body would falter. That would throw off my swordplay, leaving openings. My grip on the Sun-Moon Divine Sword occasionally trembled with intense vibrations. The shocks coursing through my body felt like they were rattling my arms and head. But I gritted my teeth and endured.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

How much time had passed? As Marvolo said, it felt like I was dancing in a trance. Just as the onslaught seemed to slow slightly, I felt a subtle sense of unease.

‘This guy’s gone quiet?’

In the brief moment of respite, I glanced up and locked eyes with Marvolo, who was staring at me. With a disturbingly delighted, psychotic smile, he was muttering incantations nonstop. That meant he was preparing a follow-up attack.

“You and I both knew this wouldn’t end so easily, didn’t we?”

“…”

“Heh heh heh heh! That was just to buy time. The real deal is this…!”

The barrage of orbs had lessened but hadn’t stopped. Yet Marvolo had already finished his incantation, aiming his staff, Ordo, at me. In that instant, I felt two opposing forces rising from either side.

Magic circles. That’s all I could discern. One side radiated freezing cold, as if it could freeze my entire body, while the other burned with searing heat.

“This spell was quite taxing, even for me. Summoning and unification. Now, let’s see you take this and end up groveling on the ground, begging for your life.”

Snap!

With Marvolo’s smug voice, the magic circles surged toward me from both sides. They moved so fast that, in the blink of an eye, they were already piercing through my anti-magic resistance.

‘This… is dangerous.’

The moment I realized it, I didn’t hesitate. I unleashed the Hwajung in my heart, stomping the ground with force. As the earth trembled, a massive roar echoed, and sparks flashed before my eyes.

*

Boom! Kwooooo!

“It’s over. Hoho. Hmm, was that a bit too much?”

A massive explosion erupted with a deafening roar. Marvolo gazed at the scene with a pleased expression, then clicked his tongue. It would be troublesome if such a fine specimen died, especially after he’d finally found one after so long. But soon, he shook his head and muttered:

“No, no. To pierce that monstrous resistance, it had to be at least this much.”

The magic Marvolo had unleashed forcibly combined opposing forces, harnessing the resulting explosive power. Moreover, the energies he summoned this time were from another world, nonexistent in this one. Each force was immensely powerful on its own, and combining them amplified their might to an unimaginable degree.

Stretching his aching body, Marvolo grumbled:

“Ugh, my body’s been feeling off lately, and I overdid it. Time to check the results and dispel—”

At the spot where Kim Su-Hyeon had stood, thick black smoke billowed upward. Marvolo muttered lightly and waved Ordo once. Or rather, he was about to.

Whoosh! Crackle!

The sound of flames roaring made Marvolo tilt his head slightly. By his calculations, the two forces should have annihilated each other upon collision. Yet, the sound of burning flames suggested he’d miscalculated. For the first time in ages, a bitter expression crossed the great mage’s face as he realized a slight error in his long-dormant abilities.

“Age really is catching up to me… Huh?”

That’s when it happened.

Whoosh! Crackle!

A single sword, burning brightly, pierced through the thick smoke. More followed, swiftly revealing themselves and shooting toward Marvolo like lightning.

Faced with dozens of blazing swords filling the air, Marvolo’s eyes widened instinctively. His experience didn’t fail him, though. With seasoned reflexes, he raised Ordo, and dozens of magic circles stacked up in response. Marvolo let out a sigh of relief. But as he tried to assess the situation by glancing downward—

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

“Ugh…”

Seeing the flaming swords embedded in his body, Marvolo let out a groan. His face turned blankly forward. The layered magic circles had melted cleanly, riddled with holes. A single thought flashed through his mind as, against his will, the ground drew closer.

“No way…”

Thud!

“Arghhh!”

The flames piercing his body ravaged him like an internal explosion. As the pain finally hit, Marvolo screamed in agony, rolling on the ground. He tried to muster his magic to extinguish the flames, but for some reason, they wouldn’t die out. Worse, the more magic he poured in, the more the flames consumed it.

“Ha, fuck.”

And then, from the smoke-filled center of the explosion, a man slowly emerged. It was Kim Su-Hyeon. Holding a sword in each hand, he walked forward with a frustrated expression. He wasn’t unscathed—his clothes were torn and singed, clear evidence he’d taken some damage.

“This bastard really knows how to piss me off. I was genuinely caught off guard. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d see the Sixth Flame of Hell and the Eternal Snow here. You damn dog.”

Gone was his earlier calm tone, replaced by a growl brimming with rage. Normally, Marvolo would’ve reveled in finally provoking him, but there was no room for that now. For the first time in ages, the great mage felt the chilling fear of death.

“H-How did you… Gah! No, how did you even survive that…?”

“Survive? I showed my trump card.”

“You bastard! Urgh, you were hiding that kind of power…!”

“You already knew. I told you I used it to tear through the barrier.”

Enduring the pain tearing his insides apart, Marvolo barely managed to stand. His abilities were still intact. His pride as a great mage, forged over centuries, wouldn’t let him accept death so easily. With that resolve, he shakily aimed Ordo. But—

“Put that down.”

Whoosh! Crackle!

As Kim Su-Hyeon spoke coldly, dozens of bright flames surged toward Marvolo again. Gritting his teeth, Marvolo summoned his magic.

Voom! Boom!

The flames clashed with Ordo’s magic circles. Dozens of circles rose in an instant, only to melt just as quickly. Marvolo, eyes wide open, could do nothing but let the blazing swords pierce him.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

“Argh! Arghhh!”

With flaming swords impaled all over his body, Marvolo somehow stayed upright. Clutching Ordo with his remaining hand, he wailed like a child. Kim Su-Hyeon, watching silently, suddenly shifted into a stance and lightly kicked off the ground.

Thump!

Instinctively, Marvolo staggered back a step, then another. His mind screamed to dodge, his reason urged him to flee, but his body wouldn’t obey. The newly embedded swords burned brighter, scorching his entire being. All Marvolo could do was grit his teeth and, with superhuman willpower, raise Ordo.

In an instant, Kim Su-Hyeon closed the distance. Before Ordo’s light could flash, he struck it with the flat of his blade.

“Guh!”

With a thwack, Ordo spun wildly into the air, and Marvolo’s body soared upward.

Crash! Thud!

“Cough!”

Rolling across the ground, Marvolo vomited a bucket’s worth of blood. Kim Su-Hyeon approached him slowly, step by step, limping slightly.

Step. Step.

The moment Marvolo heard the approaching footsteps, fear finally gripped his eyes.