The Book Eating Magician Chapter 276:

Chapter 276 – General War (3)

Still, it was unreasonable to confront an army from the front . 10 people were easy, and 100 wasn’t difficult . However, once it went over a 1,000 people, a lot of magic power would be consumed . Once it became 10,000 people, it would leave time for him to be surrounded by the elite enemy forces .

Theodore rapidly approached the soldiers while figuring out the most effective way to capture the great shields .

‘First, I need a trick . ’

His red robes and brilliant appearance attracted attention to ensure the safety of his unit . So, after achieving his purpose, there was no more need to be eye-catching .  Theodore’s body overflowed with strong magic power .

“In the name of Aiolos…!”

An old and forgotten deity… The name itself had the same effect as summoning magic . Of course, it couldn’t be manifested by name alone, but it was enough to awake the divinity in Theodore’s body .

The divine nature of the wind god, deeply immersed in Theodore’s soul, responded to his call .

―What do you want?

Then for a moment, Theodore’s wind affinity and magic comprehension rose to the extremes . If Theodore shared a little bit of the divine vision, he could produce magic beyond the ultimate magic .

The climate magic that Theodore chose was from the Book of Clouds .  It was a spell that White Tower Master Heathcliff had used on a previous battlefield, which had caused a ‘storm . ’

“Go crazy, Maelstrom…!”

As magic power flowed from him, Theodore was convinced that the climate magic was successful .  Simultaneously, the airflow around Theodore gradually moved in circles, and after a few times, the acceleration was enough to cause dust to rise from the ground .  The distant clouds in the sky also spiraled as a whirlwind connected the sky and earth .

Huuuuuuong!

At first, it was just difficult to open one’s eyes, but it soon became hard for people to keep their feet on the ground as well .  Even the knights wearing full plate armor weren’t able to endure it, while the horses that were several times heavier than a person also fell . How could this be a spell used by a magician?

“Waaaaahhhhh!”

“Lower your bodies! Don’t confront the wind head-on…uwacck!”

“S-Sir Bradley!”

Theodore’s magic wasn’t over yet, but the storm was already causing even the knights to be swept away .

‘It is quite spectacular in many ways… but it isn’t enough . ’

Theodore had reproduced it on a plausible scale, but the power of the Maelstrom he cast was far less than Heathcliff’s .  Originally, the wind’s rotation would tear at flesh and crush bones . Additionally, Theodore didn’t originally intend to use this magic for killing .  It was just a gimmick to hide him .

‘Invisibility . ’ As he chanted a spell, Theodore’s appearance disappeared .

It was transparency magic which deceived the enemies’ vision . Then he removed his eye-catching red robes and placed them in his inventory .  From here on out, he had to move secretly and quickly .

As the soldiers were scattered by the storm, Theodore flew 5 meters above the ground .  His goal was the nearest titanium shield .  The shield’s large size meant it easily entered his line of sight . When Theodore saw the dark blue shield which was 240 meters away to the east, he flew past the confused soldiers .

If he tried to break through with force, it would take at least 10 minutes .  However, the Andras formation had fallen into chaos due to the whirlwind, and they were now in no position to capture a transparent magician .

“…Good . ”

Theodore settled down slightly on the surface of the great shield . He frowned when he felt the faint feeling of mana scattering .  As expected, this metal was the natural enemy of magicians .  It was difficult to break with direct magical interference . If it wasn’t for the inventory, Theodore might’ve withdrawn at this point .

Theodore whispered inwardly, ‘Then please, Gluttony . ’

–Um .

The tongue protruded from the palm of Theodore’s left hand and touched the surface .

 

[’Titanium Shield’ has been housed in Inventory M1 . ]

 

The giant shield that was ~20–30 meters wide disappeared from where it was covering the soldiers’ heads .  The soldiers became anxious as they realized that the solid shield had suddenly disappeared .

“T-The shield disappeared…?”

“No way! My palm was just resting on it!”

“Find it! If there is no shield, we will now…!”

It was truly chaotic .

Someone looked around to find the lost shield, while another person stared at his palms in confusion . However, no one knew what had happened to the great shield, and Theodore moved to the next target without any resistance .

This time, it was a big shield around 180 meters to the southeast .

“What…?”

“The shield has disappeared again?”

By the time he seized four of them, Andras didn’t remain stupid any longer . The scattered knights surrounded the remaining shields, causing Theodore to become increasingly burdened .  He floated in the air as he worried about the eight fortified shields .

‘What should I do now?’

Should he seize a few more or step away here?

‘If possible, I’d like to take one or two more…’

Before Theodore could abandon this lingering thought, he fell into trouble .

Kiiing-! He heard an unpleasant ringing sound .  It was a noise that gave him a headache, like something was scraping the inside of his skull .  Once he realized that the cause was his super sensitivity, Theodore felt something piercing in front of his eyes .

Ping-

One second later, there was something penetrating the spot on the ground where Theodore would’ve been standing .  He might’ve thought it was a blindly fired arrow .  However, Theodore felt through Mitra that the arrow had penetrated the rocks hundreds of meters underground .

‘A person who can shoot an arrow like this…!’

‘Bow master,’ these words came to Theodore’s mind as a rain of arrows came from a few kilometers away .

It was like lightning .

A sound was left behind as there was a blue flash . The speed and penetrating power were higher than those of Magic Bullet . He would be turned into a rag if he tried to stop the arrows’ paths .

To make matters worse, Theodore’s super sensitivity was giving him a paralyzing feeling .  This meant the supersonic arrow’s speed exceeded his foresight!

Pajijik .

Theodore’s body quickly turned into lightning and zigzagged .  Nevertheless, there were a few scratches which tore at his skin, and a few strands of his hair were cut off . The arrows contained a killing power which could pierce even the scales of dragons .  Theodore didn’t understand since the shots seemed to be fired in advance .

‘Don’t tell me the person has the power of foresight?’

It was said that the power of seeing the future, foresight, would collide every time two users saw the future simultaneously . Was it because the future became favorable to each person that an image couldn’t be drawn?

As such, Theodore’s super sensitivity was giving him a headache because it clashed with the opponent’s foresight .  The rain of arrows, with one arrow per second, lasted for 15 seconds .  Then the rain of arrows suddenly stopped heading toward Theodore . His transparency had long been unraveled, but none of the knights could reach him from where he was in the sky .

“…10 seconds . ”

Theodore’s garments were covered with blood as he guessed the limits of his opponent’s foresight .

It was exactly 10 seconds from the moment of the first attack .

This was when the sense of numbness from his super sensitivity disappeared . Judging by the power of the arrows, his opponent hadn’t restrained his strength . The bow master’s arrows could only overcome Theodore for 10 seconds .

‘It is up to here . ’

After the one-sided assault finished, Theodore reassessed the situation with a calm gaze .  He hadn’t taken more shields, but at least he revealed the presence of an enemy bow master . An unseen master was a powerful strategy and hidden card .  It would’ve been a good judgment if Theodore was killed, but now it was just an irreversible error .

“Well, next time, let’s stick together,” Theodore ridiculed the opponent before heading toward the Meltor camp .

Arrows flew after a while, but Theodore was already close to Meltor’s camp and he jumped through the space with the power of Umbra .  The threatening arrows lost their meaning once the distance was more than doubled . The opposing side knew this fact, so they stopped after a few more arrows .

The result could somewhat be called Theodore’s judgment .

‘From now on, I need to move more carefully . ’

The unidentified bow master, with an ability related to ‘foresight,’ could kill a skilled warrior with one blow .

A supersonic shot which could strike accurately over a few kilometers… It was a foul ability that didn’t give anyone a chance to respond unless they possessed foresight like Theodore or a strong defense like Veronica . If the target had been the rest of his group instead of Theodore, half of them would’ve been wiped out even with Orta’s protection .

Then at that moment…

“―What?” Theodore stood firmly and looked into the distance, confirming what looked like a volcanic eruption .

As a large amount of magic power stirred, it was on such a great scale that didn’t compare to tactics magic or great magic .  The peak of humanity, the one who reached a higher realm… 

The dragon’s blood and eight circles corresponded to each other, while the hot magic power pressed down on the entire plains .  Before long, ‘she’ appeared in Theodore’s field of view .  Behind her, there were four pairs of wings made of fire as the strength of an 8th circle magician distorted the space .

The Red Tower Master, Veronica, dominated the entire area .

[I command the great one-eyed king . ] Her voice resounded through the plains as she, the strongest magician currently in existence, chanted a spell .

It was an arrogance that no one could interfere with .

The arrows shot at her melted in the air, so Theodore knew that defense was unnecessary . The enormous heat itself was a shield and spear . The opponent had to be an absolute being like Veronica to break her defense .

[On behalf of the four rulers, give me magic power . Open your eye, and make everything that you see turn into ashes . See what you want, and kill what you want . Burn to the ends of the horizon, returning all life back to the earth . ]

Theodore listened to it and realized the identity of the magic, “Surely this isn’t… . ?”

Among the few 8th circle magics which remained in modern times, Veronica was casting an ancient annihilation magic which nobody could use . It was a destructive magic that was forbidden to use in places other than the battlefield because it borrowed the name of an evil **** .

If Theodore remembered correctly, its name was…

[Open your eyes and burn them . ]

It seemed to tear apart the sky and the earth .

[―Death Gazer . ]

The eyes of death appeared .  No one could see anything . No, it was more accurate to say that they couldn’t look . Veronica’s 8th circle magic, ‘Death Gazer,’ wasn’t a spell which could be seen with the human eyes .  Gluttony said it was a high-density infrared .

“No way…”

There weren’t any spectacular explosions or loud noises . However, Theodore couldn’t help shivering .  This was just from a glimpse of the magic which appeared before Veronica .

“…Is it dead?”

The entire plains subsided into a fearful silence . Veronica’s magic, ‘Death Gazer,’ was fired in a certain direction .  The figures who remained in its path didn’t look human anymore .

From head to toe, the humans had been turned into ashes . Death appeared everywhere it passed . From the beginning of the spell to where it ended, maybe 10,000 people were turned to ashes .

It was the death magic which borrowed the name of Balor .

“…Hi, hiiiii?!”

“R-Run away! How can we win against such a thing??”

“Monster! Monster!”

The soldiers of both camps retreated from Veronica, regardless of whether they were enemies . This power proved to be a subject of fear for both enemies and allies alike .  There was only one adversary who could face her—the empire’s 1st Sword, Crowd von Russell .

A little while ago, Veronica had aimed at the rear of the imperial army where Prince Fermut’s headquarters was located . Beyond the army that had been turned into ashes, the barrack remained in a strange shape .

It was an attack which had burned 10,000 troops and tried to end this war . Yet this magic which had killed so many others couldn’t surpass the sword of a man .  Holding the sword which had killed Death Gazer, the swordsman who was called the strongest in the empire walked into the middle of the plains .

“You still want to get the jump on me, Witch . ”

“You are still trying to disrupt my work . ”

They chatted like old friends who were meeting after a long time, despite having the tremendous strength to kill at any time .  The distance between these two people, who had absolute strength, was exactly 100 meters .

Veronica and Crowd faced each other at a distance they could cross in an instant .  They clashed shortly after that .

 

*     *     *

Later, an officer who recorded the battlefield said, 「 The battle on Karul Plains was nothing but an appetizer until the two absolutes were revealed . 」

The clash between the strongest people of the two powers, Veronica and Crowd, had continued for nearly an hour .  The sky was torn, and the earth was crying out .  Meltor and Andras had been forced to hide until the fight between the two absolutes was over . It was a struggle to move due to the aftermath of the fight .

Regardless of whether they were happy or unhappy about it, they were forced to stay still .  The two absolutes had caused terrifying changes to the entire plains, before turning their backs on each other .

Did they judge that nothing would change if they kept fighting? For those who were already a few steps beyond being human, strategic analysis had no meaning . In any case, the battle on the Karul Plains was over .  One officer called it ‘being lowered . ’ Due to the two absolutes competing for strength, the ground was so badly damaged that it was no longer suitable for continuing a war .

From this point on, the unification war entered its next stage .  The two sides retreated from Karul Plains, cleaned up the disorganized army, and divided the army units again .  The holy kingdom, Lairon, and the kingdom of elves, Elvenheim, were originally expected in a fortnight, but the reinforcements coming from far away joined the rear camps early .

It was the start of a full-scale war where all the military power of the Northern Continent was concentrated .