The Great Mage Returns After 4000 Years

Season 2 Chapter 574

Season 2 Chapter 574

Translator: Alpha0210

In fact, there is a clear strategy to tackle this.

It would be over if one could unleash a powerful area attack capable of killing millions of worms at once. With a force so strong that even dispersing it would be useless, then that loathsome swarm of insects would be annihilated.

‘Easier said than done.’

In other words, it means that he have to unleash a force at least hundreds of times more powerful than what he just outputted.

The lightning bolts he scattered just now weren’t, of course, Residue’s maximum output, but they weren’t light attacks either. It’s impossible to deliver an attack that far surpasses that.

…If he could use ‘Thunder’, he wouldn’t have to worry about this crap.

That equal and terrifying power of destruction would completely annihilate the insect horde, leaving not even a speck of ash behind.

But Residue had already decided not to regret the loss of weapons he no longer possessed.

Instead, he thought of Lukas.

How that guy dealt with crises.

‘He analyzed the opponent’s characteristics, simulated all possible scenarios using the means he had.’

If that were all, it wouldn’t be anything special, but the scale of Lukas’ simulations was exceptional.

He could simultaneously process hundreds of thoughts in a moment, perform complex calculations, and consider the opponent’s movements, the battlefield situation, and even the third and fourth elements that didn’t exist in the field.

Should he try to emulate that first?

At this moment, the characteristics the death worms have shown, the means he could choose based on that, his response methods, and the unique battlefield of the floating aircraft interior…

‘…Hm. There’s more leeway than I thought.’

This isn’t particularly because Residue’s brain is exceptional.

It’s because he left out the magic that took up the largest portion of Lukas’ calculations. Residue once again applauded his decision not to choose Magicology.

But even though he abandoned Magicology, he needed to make Lukas’ fighting style his own.

He would have to somehow manage with the power he had chosen as his main force.

‘If I attack the whole area, the power gets divided into millions of parts, rendering it ineffective. If I concentrate the power on one point, it only kills one worm, minimizing the damage…’

Residue imprinted the characteristics of the death worms in his mind and applied the remaining means at his disposal one by one.

Now. Let the simulation begin.

First method.

Arrange the worms in a line and pierce through them with concentrated power. The power will decrease with each worm pierced, but it would be much more efficient than spreading the attack widely.

—Rejected, there’s insufficient means to force the worms into a line. Moreover, the number of worms that can be killed at once with this method is at most a few dozen. Considering their swarming numbers, it fundamentally requires an astronomical amount of time.

Second method.

Make the killed worms into minions and use their corpses. If the combat power of each worm is similar, it might be possible to have them clash and eliminate each other. Among the powers Residue focused on, necromancy is included, so this isn’t an impossible skill.

—Rejected. The worms themselves are not extraordinary. They are just shells, containers. If the core essence of the ‘death worm’ is empty, the displayed strength and durability will also vanish.

Third method.

How about freezing them all completely? In a frozen state, that ability might not activate. Freeze them and then smash them with maximum physical power to trigger a chain reaction of destruction…

This too is rejected. The very idea of thinking freezing can neutralize their ability is overly optimistic. Besides, freezing requires sufficient time and preparation. If the groundwork had been laid in advance, maybe, but in a direct confrontation like this, the chances of success are nearly nonexistent.

Even after considering and discarding dozens of countermeasures,

Among those, even the more promising ones left Residue skeptical. How many of these would actually work in real combat?

‘It’s somewhat different…’

Considering all the emerging possibilities isn’t like Lukas. He knew how to use his time efficiently.

Don’t cram every improbable possibility into your head. That would be endless.

‘…I need to exploit the opponent’s characteristics.’

Dispersing force could be said to be its main characteristic.

If so, there might be something that could work.

There weren’t any better ideas.

“…Kukukuk.”

Laughter leaked out.

Residue found this situation so amusing that he couldn’t stand it.

He didn’t hold back and burst into wild laughter.

Because there might not be another chance to do this, he laughed even louder.

*

The death worms saw their opponent spread his hands. Not knowing his intention, the worm swarm momentarily halted its movement. Then, they sent a few hundred worms forward, as if to scout.

Swish, the hundreds of worms were instantly shattered to pieces.

The death worms’ vigilance heightened.

‘Is this one also capable of moving in [that timeframe]?’

A timeframe perceptible to only a select few among the Twelve Void Lords.

A world that seems to have stopped, like dividing a millisecond into billions of parts…

Yes.

If one could move freely in that timeframe, cutting down a few hundred worms would be nothing.

But.

‘He can’t use it freely.’

If he could enter that timeframe without any risk, he wouldn’t be racking his brains to find the optimal means. The man before him had been contemplating since the first encounter. He had been pondering how to fight.

Interesting.

Though it was unexpected, this man succeeded in arousing the death worms’ wariness. In that case, they too should show a certain level of respect.

‘I will kill him with respect.’

Crackle…

As the worms made a grotesque sound and started clustering together,

The man spread his hands. The sudden action caused the swarm to hesitate. A strange sensation was felt. Something was being sucked in by his extended right hand.

Absorbing life force?

No. If it were absorbing direct energy, it would have been noticed immediately. What he was absorbing was clearly something much more insignificant. What could it be?

The death worms couldn’t continue their thoughts. The man had spread both hands, and the absorption was done with his right hand.

So what was he doing with his left hand?

A trick?

Whoosh!

A scorching heat was felt. The death worms stared at the flames rushing towards them.

Fire.

And quite powerful flames that couldn’t be ignored.

‘Planning to burn us all at once?’

Of course, fire is one of the relatively effective ways to attack the death worms, but it wouldn’t achieve a definite effect. That level of firepower is far from sufficient.

In other words,

‘A trick.’

Even if it wasn’t convincing, the opponent was someone who inherited the title of the Beginning Wizard. Such a crude attack couldn’t be his maximum firepower, and it shouldn’t be.

Even considering that, dodging is difficult.

From the start, evasion wasn’t an option for the death worms in battle.

It was always one of two choices.

Concentrate the incoming force or disperse it.

Kieek-

At that moment, some of the worms screamed. They could feel the agony as they twisted their bodies.

Why? The flames hadn’t even touched them yet.

Making strange, almost inaudible sounds, they eventually stopped moving altogether. The wriggling worms had dried up and become brittle. As if all the moisture had been drained from their bodies—

‘…’

Moisture.

What he absorbed was the little bit of moisture?

It grasped the opponent’s intention a step too late.

With one hand, he drained the moisture, and with the other, he spread the flames. This caused the dryness to be mistaken for the effect of the fire.

In their current state,

The worms, drained of moisture, had become the perfect kindling, blazing up fiercely even with a small flame. Although not all the worms were in this state, he could aim his flames at the most effective spots.

The time that had passed at this point was so short it couldn’t even be measured in moments.

Amidst this, the death worms heard their opponent’s mocking words.

“For a worm, you’re overly cautious.”

Then the flames erupted.

*

One thing was clear.

The Apple could no longer be used.

Residue didn’t avert his eyes from the horrific scene unfolding before him.

He simultaneously heard the sound, smelled the scent, and saw the sight of burning.

“─That level of flame cannot burn me.”

Then a cracked voice was heard. It was an unpleasant voice, mixed with the sound of the worm’s carapace cracking.

Residue stood still and nodded slightly.

“I suppose not.”

“But your strategy was excellent.”

As the flames subsided, a man revealed himself.

“You mixed truth and illusion appropriately, expertly used my wariness, and, above all, executed everything extremely quickly.”

“……”

The exposed death worm had the appearance of a head, two legs, and two arms.

Some might say he had taken a human form, but they would be wrong.

Certain alien beings, even those unfamiliar with humans, occasionally took on that appearance due to an instinct imprinted deep within their souls.

The being that first had such a form and characteristics.

─The instinct to resemble a god.

“So tell me. What did you mix into the flames just now?”

Residue replied with a smile.

“Poison.”

“Poison?”

“Yes. But you didn’t notice it and dispersed the flames completely. To reduce damage. That means, without needing to do anything else, the poison was evenly delivered to all the worms.”

On the ground, the worms had turned pitch black and were making squeaking noises as they died.

Though more than 70% were still alive, their overall strength had noticeably weakened.

“…This is not magic.”

The death worm spoke again.

“You did not use magic. They don’t use things like poison.”

“I told you. I am a somewhat special wizard.”

“…The powers you use are halves.”

So he figured it out to that extent?

Halves, the death worm’s interpretation was accurate.

The power Residue had chosen was inherently a half-power.

Demigods.

All the powers they possessed are now Residue’s main strength.

‘Because it suited me.’

A half-god and a half-absolute being.

It can be dismissed as wordplay. But inherent characteristics are not so easily dismissed. As someone who was innately and overwhelmingly absolute, Residue knew this well.

And even more importantly, the attraction.

Residue was more drawn to the power of the demigods than any other. Thus, he could immerse himself more and increase his concentration.

The fact that demigods used various powers was also a good merit. Having many means to choose from can be troublesome, but it allows flexible responses to various situations.

Around that time, the death worm was sweeping the writhing worms on the ground with his hand. Then the worms disappeared as if a hole that absorbed everything had formed in his palm.

“Interesting.”

When all the worms had disappeared, the death worm spoke.

“You certainly seem to be a unique being, different from the previous Beginning Wizard and other wizards. So, I will accept your claim as well.”

“What do you mean?”

“I will tell you my wish.”

He almost felt a bit of tension release.

And unexpectedly, he felt a sense of accomplishment, which pricked his pride a little. It wasn’t an emotion he should feel from being acknowledged by a mere Twelve Void Lord.

But… yes. That must be my current standing. I might have to accept it to some extent.

“Let me ask you something. How do you think exceptional beings are created?”

It was an abrupt question.

“Most people say it’s through trials, experiences, upbringing, effort, and endless contemplation… Growth from those temperings. They say that it’s necessary to go through such forging. But that’s not true. The most exceptional beings are always─”

Residue spoke indifferently.

“─Born that way.”

The death worm’s movement halted.

“They are born absolutely powerful from the beginning. Of course, there are countless who consider themselves such beings, but… I’ll state it clearly. Most of them are frogs floundering in their own delusions.”

“……”

“A being born perfect does not need trials. Effort, environment, destiny, none of it matters. They are born as absolute beings and continue to live as such.”

“The Rulers.”

When the death worm uttered that word, Residue wouldn’t have needed to wear a mask.

Because even he wasn’t as shaken as he had expected.

“Like them, you mean?”

“……”

“You are indeed a peculiar being. Are you truly a wizard?”

Without answering, Residue shrugged, and the death worm asked again.

“I’ve become interested in you. What is your name?”

“Lukas Trowman.”

His mouth felt gritty after saying it himself.

Indeed, this was a rather unfamiliar feeling.

“Alright, Lukas. You have a mindset very similar to mine. An absolute powerhouse must be born with that level of capacity from the start… Then let me ask you another question. How does one give birth to such a perfect being?”

“Hmm?”

That was a question Residue had never particularly pondered.

He had never deeply thought about his own birth process. The exact origin of the being known as the Ruler was something he learned from a conversation between Lukas and Mark.

“Well…”

“It’s simple. It lies in the capabilities of the parents.”

Residue’s expression became complex.

“Exceptional beings mate to produce offspring that maximize their strengths, continuing this over many generations… With particular attention, even just a few centuries of time investment could birth an incredible super organism.”

“I don’t quite understand what you’re saying…”

“And what’s crucial in determining our race’s strength is the superiority of the females over the males.”

The death worm’s voice grew serious.

“In the council, there is a perfect female to whom I’ve proposed mating several times… She is the perfect mate I’ve sought for a long time. If I were to mate with her, I swear the most perfect being would be born.”

The conversation was veering in a direction Residue hadn’t imagined.

“When I meet her, I cannot trust myself to hold back. I would use every means to mate with her. But she is much stronger than I am. Do you understand? That’s why I avoid participating in the council.”

…So this is it?

The wish mentioned by the death worm, one of the Twelve Void Lords, was to seduce a woman, and the reason he didn’t participate in the council was because he feared he wouldn’t be able to control his sexual desires?

Residue almost laughed at the unbelievable backstory.

Of course, the situation wasn’t light enough to be explained so simply─

‘Hmm…’

By slightly changing his perspective, the absurdity became more amusing than frustrating.

And an interesting thought came to him.

‘Maybe I can use this.’

Perhaps encountering the death worm at this moment was a stroke of luck.

Residue smiled broadly and said,

“Then you’re quite fortunate.”

“What do you mean?”

“I know very well how to seduce females. You could say I’m an expert, no, a professional.”

“……”

“Leave it to me. I will make that female your mate.”

But a cold response came back.

“You’re lying.”

“What?”

“Are you underestimating my insight? I see no excellence as a male in you.”

“What do you mean?”

The death worm looked at him with emotionless eyes and said,

“You’ve never once engaged in reproductive activities, have you? Your body gives off such a scent.” (TL: Well, daaamn)

“……”

Lukas.

You idiot.