Dark Magus Returns

Chapter 1687: A Disruptor (Part 2)

When Raze’s blade met the resistance of the unseen mage’s defense, he knew instantly, based on the sheer density of the mana, that it could only be one individual.

Even before that, from the surgical precision of the attacks, it seemed like there was only one person involved in this massacre. Would Idore really send out a single mage to take on dozens of Guild leaders and the Dark Magus himself? No. Unless that person was someone Idore trusted above all others.

And once Raze had deduced that identity, he threw himself into the fray with a ferocity that bordered on suicidal. There was only one reason for this level of desperation.

Trubin was the man who had killed Raze’s wife, Sabrina. Even if the order had come from Idore’s lips, the hand that had drawn the blood belonged to Trubin. A long time ago, in his previous life, Raze had never been given the chance to settle the score. Trubin was a shadow that never left Idore’s side, making it impossible to strike one without being annihilated by the other.

But now, by some twist of fate or overconfidence, Trubin was on his own.

This was why the rage boiling inside Raze was uncontrollable. The rational strategist in his mind had been silenced by the grieving widower. He needed to act, regardless of whether this was the tactically sound moment to fight a Grand Magus-level threat.

Immediately, Raze’s body underwent a violent transformation. He encased his left hand in a howling vortex of wind. From his back, a single, jagged black wing erupted, and his legs were suddenly wreathed in crackling, violet lightning.

Because he had just deployed the Third Formation of the Dark Edge Sword Arts without the support of the Eternal Night Formation, his Qi was draining at an alarming rate. The only saving grace was that his Demonic Qi was currently acting as a siphon, absorbing the ambient fear and energy from the panicked mages around him.

Still, he couldn’t keep this up. His Qi reserves were far lower than his Mana pool, and the strain of maintaining such high-level Pagna techniques alongside Grand Magic was tearing at his muscles. But he didn’t care. He needed speed. He needed to be faster than a shadow.

The wind roared behind him, the Dusk Wing propelled him forward, and the lightning in his feet, combined with his Demonic assassination techniques, allowed him to practically teleport.

He swung his sword in a lethal arc aimed at where Trubin’s head should be. Instead of a kill, the collision produced a massive eruption of flame sparks that twirled in every direction, lighting up the black mist for a split second.

"Trubin! Stop hiding and fight me directly!" Raze shouted, his voice distorted by rage as he slammed his palm toward the ground.

He unleashed a dual-element burst of wind and dark magic. The collision of energies created a vacuum effect, instantly snuffing out the tornado of flames Trubin had used as a shield.

Right after that, Raze tracked a ripple in the dark mist. He stomped his foot, sending a Dark Pulse through the earth. He lunged forward, throwing a fist with the speed of a bullet. It hit something, hard, but it wasn’t Trubin. It was another guest mage who had been in the path. Raze didn’t even pause to check on the man he had just maimed; his eyes were darting, searching for the void.

That makes no sense, Raze thought, his heart cold. The dark magic moved as if someone were there, but my strike went right through it. Was Trubin just too fast? But if he moved, I should have seen the displacement in the mist...

"ARGHHH!"

The scream broke his concentration. Another head rolled.

Raze spun, slashing at the air where the scream had originated, but his blade met nothing but empty mist. A bolt of lightning hissed at his flank; Raze snapped his sword up, his blade vibrating as it absorbed and deflected the electrical discharge.

When he stopped, the screams multiplied. People were dying all over the battlefield at an impossible speed. The only ones who remained safe were those clustered around Song and Raze’s personal Pagna warriors, who had formed a defensive circle. A few lucky Guild leaders managed to scramble back into the elevated teahouse, but most were left in the open to be harvested.

"It seems you are quite confused," a voice whispered, swirling around Raze’s head like a physical weight. "You trusted your own magic far too much, Dark Magus."

In the black mist, several silhouettes appeared simultaneously. The dark magic Raze had summoned began to warp, forming several dark figures that looked exactly like the Nightmare Veil’s beasts, but Raze wasn’t the one controlling them.

Then, just as quickly as they appeared, the shadows dispersed. It was as if an equal and opposite force had neutralized Raze’s spell.

"I have done what I came to do. I was told not to kill you today," the voice said, the sound trailing off as if the speaker were drifting miles away. "But with how you fight now... I doubt you can even reach the gates of the Noble Guild, let alone reach me and Idore."

The mist began to settle, leaving Raze standing alone in a field of corpses. The River Moon Guild never could have imagined that this would be the result of the entire meeting and they felt partly to blame.

For Raze, his mind was racing with a terrifying thought.

How was he able to do that? How was he able to simply wipe away my Dark Magic? It wasn’t just a counter-spell... it was as if he was able to... control it.

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