The Great Mage Returns after 4000 Years – Chapter 173 – Nornir (5)
Translator: Seven
Editors: Ana_Banana, Yahiko
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Her tone was natural, but her face remained expressionless.
Asura snorted.
“I’m sure that even across the continent, no one has been exposed to divine power as much as you have. Except for the Demigods. I really want to cut your body in half, just once, to see how it looks inside.”
Asura was right. Only he knew just how long Iris had been in contact with Lord.
Even if she had only accepted his divine power for a few hundred years, her body would have reached a state that was no longer human.
“Is that all you wanted to say?”
“That was the main reason. I wanted to see your reaction. But since you’re holding it in, then I have nothing more to say. You’re not the type of woman who’d talk after being threatened.”
“Then the other reason?”
Black smoke flowed out of Asura’s mouth.
“A warning. Don’t mess around in my territory.”
The smoke spread out in all directions, enveloping the entire room and causing the atmosphere to become heavy.
A ruler of the Demon World.
The power of his manifestation was limited, but his overbearing aura was the same.
“I have respect for Lord Lucifer. And since you were my old contractor, I have some good feelings towards you. But that doesn’t mean I’ll let you do as you please in my place.”
It was a warning not to do what she’d done in Barbatos’ Despair Hell in his territory.
Asura meant those words.
He would definitely not allow people to come and go as they pleased in his territory without his permission.
“I know, Asura. You don’t think I’d do something like that, do you?”
“…”
Asura frowned.
He knew Iris well. In a way, he knew even more about her eloquence than her teammate, Frey.
Therefore, he could feel the strangeness in Iris’ words.
“Tch.”
He clicked his tongue.
If this woman decided to hide her thoughts, absolutely no one would be able to read her. Perhaps he had already been caught in her word trap unknowingly.
“I’m leaving.”
After saying those words, Asura disappeared. It seemed he’d already accomplished his goal and he didn’t have any regrets.
Once again, Frey and Iris were left alone in the room.
This time, Frey opened his mouth first.
“Dro had a Dragon Heart.”
“Dro?”
After being puzzled for a moment, Iris realised what he meant and nodded.
“That must be what you call him. Hmm. So what?”
“However, everything but the Dragon Heart was just a shell. Closer to a corpse or a Golem. Either way, I’m sure that it was artificially created. So what the hell did you do to the Dragon Lord’s body?”
The previous look in her eyes came and went in an instant. He couldn’t guess what Iris was thinking.
She smiled and said.
“I have no intention of answering that question. We’re not that close, are we? Frey Blake.”
She called him by his name and said things that put distance between them.
Frey felt that Iris’ attitude was different from before.
She had set up numerous thick, invisible walls with which to separate them.
“There’s only one thing I want to say. Don’t miss the opportunity when it comes.”
“Opportunity?”
“It means you shouldn’t let yourself be swayed by personal affection or past relationships.”
After saying those words in a meaningful tone, Iris stood up.
Then she disappeared without another word. With Lord’s ability to control space.
“…”
Frey sighed and left the room.
Elliah stood outside the door.
She hadn’t been listening to their conversation, but her expression was stiff.
“The situation is not good.”
“What’s the matter?”
“Agni has started moving in earnest. It seems he has made up his mind to conquer Silkid. He’s moving to get rid of the rebel forces as we speak.”
Rebel forces. That meant Ivan.
Frey’s expression became hard as well.
It would be a lie to say he didn’t feel anxious at that moment.
‘Why now…’
The timing wasn’t good at all.
It wasn’t yet time. Snow, Nora, and Beniang were with Ivan now. There was also a large number of Warriors who came from all corners of Silkid.
But it still wasn’t enough to face an Apocalypse.
“Elliah, won’t you help them at all?”
As he asked this, Frey’s voice was more earnest than usual.
Elliah could also see Frey’s sincerity. So unlike before, she shook her head seriously and explained.
“I can’t. My participation alone would be justification for Lord to intervene. Lord already knows that I’ve betrayed him. And if that happened, Agni would no longer turn down Lord’s help.”
“…”
That meant he couldn’t hope for Elliah’s assistance. Lord’s participation in the war would lead to a situation that was many times more desperate than it was now.
Frey grit his teeth.
“Nix, Isaka. You two should head to Ivan.”
“Huh?”
Nix blinked quickly.
In this case, Isaka’s judgement was much faster than Nix, who knew nothing about the world.
“You intend to deal with that Demigod, Norn, on your own?”
“Right.”
Agni’s Apostle, Nix, and Isaka, who had gained powers close to a Demigod. Their power was such that even Frey wasn’t able to completely see through them.
They would be more than enough to reinforce Ivan’s group.
The original plan was for them to help him fight Norn, but the situation was currently too pressing.
‘That doesn’t mean we can put off getting rid of Norn.’
This meant there was only one option left.
Frey had to deal with Norn on his own.
* * *
Silkid’s Great Chief, Tuarik, looked at the back of the man in front of him.
A well trained body and hair reminiscent of a lion’s mane. More powerful than these, however, was his gaze.
‘Great Warrior Ivan.’
The man in front of him was the man who had such a title resting on his shoulders. That’s why he entrusted the future of Silkid to him.
He thought that Ivan might have been able to change the country’s catastrophic end.
‘Is it an illusion?’
Tuarik couldn’t help but wonder.
The Warriors brought by Tuarik and the Warriors who followed Ivan. They added up to a total of 500.
Although this number was not enough to defeat the Demigods, it was still enough to show that they hadn’t given up the fight. In the future, they would travel all over Silkid and gather even more fighters.
Tuarik believed in Silkid’s proud warriors.
Most Warriors would join the Great Warrior with bright smiles on their faces.
Unfortunately, his hopeful predictions ended as mere predictions. There was one thing that Tuarik had overlooked.
They didn’t have enough time.
[Submit.]
Agni looked down at Tuarik as he said those words.
At the same time, two hundred elite Warriors were burned to death. The only good thing was that they died before they could even begin to scream.
At least they didn’t feel any pain.
[And I will spare your lives.]
Agni’s voice was plain.
Tuarik grit his teeth as he said.
“…is this why you spared my life?”
When Agni didn’t respond, Tuarik shouted out more violently.
“Was your real intention to destroy the Warriors who I would go around Silkid to gather!”
[Not really. Great Chief. At that time, I was still hesitating, but I’m not any more.]
He said that as though it explained everything, but they didn’t understand.
They didn’t want to understand.
Just as Tuarik was about to shout again, Ivan took a step forward.
Tuarik paused.
He realised. He had been mistaken.
He didn’t calm down, but the voice he spoke with next was much more stable.
“I’m the Great Chief of Silkid, but I’m not the representative for the Warriors gathered here.”
[Then?]
“This man is our leader. He will decide on your proposal.”
Then Agni’s eyes turned to Ivan. He had not raised an eyebrow even when two hundred warriors had been burned.
Agni nodded slowly.
This showed that he respected Tuarik’s words.
He already knew who this man was. The man who had risen rapidly on the hopes of the Warriors.
[Great Warrior Ivan. Submit.]
Ivan, who was looking at Agni, suddenly folded his arms. His expression remained unchanged.
“I hate you.”
Agni’s expression changed.
His entire body was made of flames, but it was clear that his eyebrows had furrowed.
[Do you think you can win?]
“How could I know if I don’t even try?”
When Ivan said those words, a ripple went through the Warriors behind him. Snow let out a low laugh.
“We at least know one thing. You’re weaker than Riki.”
They knew Riki.
It wasn’t strange. Because all the Demigods knew he was a traitor.
It wouldn’t be surprising for him to have deep relationships with some humans.
But such a statement was offensive to Agni. His body swelled to twice its size in an instant. The heat he gave off even warmed the cool dawn in the desert.
But soon, that heat died down.
[Right.]
“What?”
[I am weaker than Riki.]
As soon as he admitted this, Ivan’s eyes narrowed.
Agni continued in a hazy voice.
[From the day the first brick was laid on this barren land, I watched on.]
This desert was Agni’s territory. On it, countries were built, destroyed, and then rebuilt.
He’d seen this countless times already.
[Those who gathered in the Amakan were naturally strong. But I’m not sure if it was the barren land that made them or called them. So I know. That you all won’t give in easily. But it would have been better if things had gone smoothly.]
Agni let out a laugh.
[I said a lot of unnecessary things. In any case, I welcome this struggle. And you will learn.]
“What will we learn?”
[How strong a Demigod who is weaker than Riki is… when compared to you.]
At that moment, two Demigods appeared in the distance before coming to a stop not too far from Agni.
Ivan frowned.
“So there are more.”
[…no.]
Agni was strangely surprised.
[I didn’t bring any of my subordinates.]
They had all been sent to subjugate the cities that hadn’t yet submitted.
The only Demigod who’d come here was Agni.
Ivan looked at the two who were close to Agni. Because of the divine power that they gave off, he thought they were Demigods, but when he looked closely, he saw that the person on the left was a familiar looking red-haired woman.
“Huh, the girl who wanted to die…”
And the man on the right was also family.
“And an old Frey?”
“…”
Isaka’s expression became unpleasant as he heard those words, but he kept it in as he recalled why he was here.
“We came here to help you, Ivan.”
“Who are you?”
“Reinforcements sent by Frey.”
“Huh. Then what about Frey?”
It was Nix who answered this time. She spoke with confidence.
“He’ll be here soon.”
* * *
The ice around Norn’s body began to melt and crack.
Frey was standing in front of her.
If he broke the ice now, then he could kill Norn. This childish thought appeared in his mind for a little, but he knew it wasn’t ‘true.
Instead, it would only let Norn out ahead of time.
Norn, the true identity of the three Nornir sisters.
Even Elliah didn’t know how strong she was.
He didn’t think she was, but if she happened to be on par with an Apocalypse…
Frey recalled Riki’s crystal that was still in his bag as well as the question Isaka had asked him.
[Are you hesitating about using your divine power?]
“…”
He was hesitating.
But the fact that he still had to add it to his options remained unchanged.
He had to win. Losing here was completely unacceptable.
He’d sent Nix and Isaka to help Ivan, but he didn’t think they would be able to defeat Agni.
To kill him, he also had to be present.
‘I have to win on my own.’
Suddenly.
As if it noticed his thoughts, Frey noticed a sign in the sky.
“That’s…”
Frey’s eyes shined.
Frey noticed something that left a long trail like a meteor. To be precise, it wasn’t a meteor but something that was moving as fast as a meteor.
Bang!
It slammed into the ground with a loud sound. Of course, the actual range of damage wasn’t very wide.
It was small in size in the first place, and it wasn’t like it was descending from orbit.
“Where are you headed like that?”
Frey was unable to stop himself from laughing at the sight of a girl walking towards him, covered in dust.
“I’d detected a trace around here, but it suddenly disappeared…. Thanks to you, I was lost for a really long time.”
Anastasia brushed the dirt from her body.
Then she turned to Frey and asked.
“Am I late?”
“No.”
Crack crack!
At that moment, the ice that surrounded Norn was completely broken.
“You’re right on time.”