Dark Magus Returns

Chapter 1677: A Strange Tactic

Natty felt a sudden, violent jolt of pure shock course through her veins the moment her eyes landed on the man with the distinctive white hair. She froze in place, her breath catching in her throat for a terrifying moment. Although she had fully expected Song to be entertaining visitors given the current situation, she had never, in her wildest dreams, expected to see the Dark Magus himself standing right there in front of her.

She had every right to be afraid. The fear that gripped her was primal and entirely justified.

Even though Natty was considered one of the absolute best in the past, and despite the fact that she had been strengthening her powers even further after joining the ranks of the Noble Guild, she knew exactly where she stood in the hierarchy of power. She was currently staring at an individual who was a legend in his own right—a monster who had been able to best three Grand Magi. He hadn’t just defeated them; he had taken out their entire guilds and dismantled their supporting powers single-handedly.

Only a complete fool would think they would be able to fight such a person and live to tell the tale.

Natty tried to compose herself, masking her trembling hands. "When I saw the drinks set out, I expected you to have some strange visitors, perhaps some rogue cultivators or mercenaries," Natty claimed, her voice steadying as she spoke. "But the fact that the Dark Magus is here himself, and has clearly talked to you, implies something far more significant. It would appear you have already made some type of deal with him? You should have just said so in the first place instead of playing these games."

"We made no such deal," Raze quickly stated, his voice cutting through the air with a cold authority. He stepped forward, his presence dominating the room. "That is precisely why the Guild Master had no reason to say such a thing to you. As for why I have gotten involved in this mess, it is simply because I can’t just stand by and watch you slaughter all of these people. If the Guild Leader dies here, then this whole region will be affected as well, and the balance of power will shift in a way that benefits no one."

Raze’s eyes narrowed, his gaze piercing through Natty. "If the Noble Guild pushes further, and tries to mess with the North, then Idore will have a tougher fight on his hands than he can ever imagine! That is not a threat; it is a promise."

Since the others in the vicinity had seen Raze come out to fight, the atmosphere on the battlefield shifted instantly. All of them had broken out of their stupor and were quick to deal with the other Noble Guild members who were still fighting against the struggling mages from the River Moon Guild. The arrival of the Dark Magus had turned the tide of morale.

Kelly, Londo, and Alen immediately assessed the situation. They realized their role wasn’t on the front lines right now. They had gone to try and treat some of the wounded who were scattered across the ground, applying medical aid where it was needed most.

Meanwhile, the heavy hitters took the offensive. In particular, Liam and B had gone straight for the two powerful Guild members instead. They could move significantly faster than the others due to them using Qi rather than relying solely on mana or physical stamina. They burst forward with explosive speed, tearing up the ground beneath them as they headed right for their targets.

The moment the Noble Guild members saw this approach, however, their reaction was instantaneous. They started to move and shift backwards, retreating tactically. As they moved, they manipulated the ground with their earth magic, causing the terrain to ripple and shift to impede the attackers. Simultaneously, they started to hurl massive, scorching fireballs right at the two of them.

B didn’t bother to dodge. She smashed her fist directly through the incoming attacks, scattering the flames with the sheer force of her blow.

Liam, on the other hand, relied on his agility. He avoided the flames, moving rapidly from side to side in a blur of motion. But as he moved away from one exploding fireball, a jagged pillar of stone burst up from underneath him. It was a trap. He had to stomp down hard with his feet, crushing the stone back into the earth before it could do major damage to his legs.

The enemy mages were keeping their distance perfectly. They were constantly on the move, never staying in one spot for more than a second. They were casting quick spells and using multiple different elements as quickly as possible. It was proving just how talented they were, but there was something more to it than just raw talent or mana capacity.

"These guys..." Liam gritted his teeth as he sliced through another wave of attacks, trying to charge forward quicker than before to close the gap. "I think I know what it is. It’s almost as if they know exactly how to fight against Pagna warriors!"

That was also the odd feeling that B felt as she plowed forward. When Mages fought, keeping their distance was the norm as they often fought from long range. However, usually, mages were used to fighting against other mages.

It meant their fighting styles could also combine with just blocking spells and attacks with minimal movement. There were some rare mages that fought with movement like magic swordsmen, but even then, it wasn’t the same as fighting a Pagna warrior. They usually couldn’t account for the heavy impact of the sword itself or the specific nuances of what Qi could do to a human body.

These opponents were different.

Two large fists made from solid earth suddenly came from either side, aiming to crash into Liam and crush him between them like a vice. He reacted on instinct, quickly slashing one of them up with his blade, reducing it to rubble. He then moved out of the way as the stone fingers clasped shut on empty air. Using his feet, he kicked off the remaining earth fist, crushing it to pieces with a Qi-infused strike, and used the momentum to propel himself forward.

He had reached the other mage finally.

With his sword raised high, he went to slash them right across the stomach to end the fight. But when the blade hit, he didn’t feel the soft giving of flesh. Instead, he felt a strong, jarring resistance that vibrated up his arm, and a loud clang

Having cut through the fabric of the mage’s robe, he looked closely at the exposed skin.

"Metal?" Liam thought, raising an eyebrow in genuine confusion.

Before he could process this, the mage electrified the whole area around them. The shockwave hit Liam’s body instantly, paralyzing his muscles for a few crucial moments. He couldn’t move. That’s when a metallic fist slammed right into his face with the force of a sledgehammer. Simultaneously, flames erupted from the mage’s other hand as high-level fire magic was displayed at point-blank range.

The combination of the metal punch and the explosion hit Liam harder than he thought possible. It sent him flying back, skidding across the ground.

He shook his head, groggy. Part of his cheek was severely burnt, the skin charred and raw. However, the nano-robots in his system were already doing their best to heal his face, knitting the flesh back together. He looked ahead at his opponent, spitting out a wad of blood.

"What the heck... is his whole body made of metal?" Liam said, wiping his mouth. "I don’t use my all-cutting sword because I wanted to improve my sword skills, and this is what I get? Seriously? We have people who can heal instantly, and now we have metal people? What the heck are we going to have next?"

****

For updates for MWS and future works, please follow me on my social media below.

*Instagram: Jksmanga

*Patreon: jksmanga

When news of MVS, MWS, or any other series comes out, you will be able to see it there first, and you can reach out to me. If I’m not too busy, I tend to reply.