TSM 9
[T/L: RevengerScans1]
[Read More Chapters Here: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]
Mephistopheles.
In ancient times, he was the greatest demon king, but due to being sealed away for centuries, even those who remember him are disappearing.
He was in quite a distorted state of mind.
『Surely I told you not to address me in such a manner?』
"Well then, how about just calling you Pheles?"
『Didn't I say not to? My name, bestowed by the Great Demon God, carries profound and sacred meanings with each letter…』
"Ugh."
『You cursed bastard!』
Mephistopheles.
From the way Elric, shortened to 'Mephisto,' addressed him, it seemed like flames could erupt from his eyes at any moment.
He was the one who had subjugated all the demons in his lifetime, plunging the world into danger and chaos. He even waged war against the last remaining Dragon King.
Yet, to receive such treatment from a mere human was enough to stoke his anger to the boiling point.
As much as he wanted to strike Elric down with lightning right then and there, he simply couldn't. He no longer had the physical capability to do so.
『Of all people, to be caught by this bastard...!』
When Mephisto first regained consciousness, he felt as if everything he had waited for over a thousand years had crumbled to dust. Not only that, but he had also unwittingly surrendered all his magic to Elric. All that remained was a fragment of his magic, torn apart along with his physical body.
He could barely maintain his memories and identity from the past; he could no longer be called a Demon King.
To put it bluntly, his subordinate had significantly weakened.
That expression seems appropriate.
"Isn't even your subordinate out of your league? Just a floating spirit who doesn't even know its own purpose."
『You...!』
"Oh, perhaps I overestimated even that, let's just call you a simple evil spirit."
『...!』
Mephisto raged, spewing curses, but Elric simply plugged his ears and ignored him.
However, contrary to such an attitude.
In reality, Elric was somewhat surprised inwardly.
"Mephisto... It just dawned on me. Could he be one of the four guardians who ruled among the ancient magicians?"
Now it was simply an era relegated to myth and legend. Back then, during the ancient times when the gods directly ruled the world, there were four guardians among the magicians who symbolized darkness.
There were almost no records or tales about them, each bearing names like 'Original Sin,' 'Apocalypse,' 'Madness,' and 'Heresy' .
However, Elric could recall belatedly from an old family book he had chanced upon that 'Original Sin' was mentioned as another name for 'Mephistopheles.'
Back then, he had dismissed it as mere gossip...
‘I never thought I'd actually encounter that being. It wasn't just a simple legend, was it?’
Elric was overwhelmed.
‘Then what exactly is this?’
His curiosity about the Magical formula only grew stronger on its own.
It appeared to be nothing more than an old necklace with no apparent features.
How such a strong power was contained within it, and what other powers it might conceal, he couldn't even begin to guess.
"Of all things... why does it have to be Melvinger again among so many vessels...!"
Then Elric snapped back to attention at Mephisto's muttered words.
"Mephisto."
『What!』
"Do you know about our family?"
『Hmph! Why should I, the king, bother answering your questions?』
Despite Mephisto's clearly petulant demeanor, he let out a snort.
‘He definitely knows something.’
Elric could instantly discern the meaning behind it.
‘Does this make sense? That our family has existed for so long?’
Elric was well aware that the Melvingers had been engaged in wars with demons for a very long time.
But he hadn't imagined that it had extended for as long as Mephisto seemed to imply.
Especially considering the strong resentment evident in his words, there seemed to have been considerable enmity.
‘Come to think of it…’
In a fleeting moment, a voice he had heard in his dreams surfaced in his mind.
A voice presumed to have been left behind by one of his ancestors.
-Our legacy, may it be fully inherited by the descendants of distant future.
-We are originally...
-Right here, in accordance with the predetermined succession, we shall swallow the first demon.
The ancestor had spoken as if Mephisto, or more precisely, someone among the demon kings or demons, had ‘naturally’ extended their influence to their descendants.
The history of the family's opposition to demons must have had a meaning so deep that even Elric found it difficult to comprehend.
And perhaps...
Could the Magical Amulet be the culmination of all the history of such a family?
‘A magical tool that devours demons... no, demon kings.’
Elric tapped the Magical Amulet with his fingertip.
‘If I were to encounter other demons, could I devour them just like now?’
His ancestors had clearly mentioned the ‘first’.
Did that mean there would be a second, a third, and beyond?
In that moment of intense contemplation.
Elric's eyes gleamed with determination.
* * *
‘But before I can fully understand the true purpose of the Magical Amulet, I need to train my body first.’
Elric looked down at his trembling hands.
Despite only releasing a small amount of mana, he felt dizzy.
It meant his body was still not accustomed to manifesting magic.
But there was no other choice.
He had been suddenly given a seemingly capable body, but he had never properly used magic before.
Training was necessary.
‘Let's go.’
After finishing his thoughts, Elric quickly packed his belongings.
Then, as Sean had previously instructed, he used the secret passage hidden behind the fireplace to escape from the hospital.
It was originally prepared for nobles who needed to be prepared for sudden assassination threats.
Thanks to that, even Sean's guards didn't notice a thing.
"Phew!"
Elric took a deep breath of the refreshing outside air as soon as he could.
This seemed to alleviate some of the tension.
『What's with the sighing? Running around like a mouse in its burrow! How can you, bearing my power, show such a disgraceful sight...!』
Mephisto, clearly not pleased with Elric's demeanor, continued to taunt him from the side.
But Elric, who had already made some judgments about him, responded very calmly.
"You impudent old spirit."
『How dare you address the king in such a manner...!』
"Shut up, you're being too noisy."
『...!"』
Despite Mephisto's continued raging, Elric simply responded with indifference, knowing that paying attention to him would only lead to madness.
‘This looks like a good spot.’
Elric climbed up the slope and found a clearing far off the beaten path.
There were no signs of human activity here, aside from traces left by passing animals.
It seemed like the perfect place to focus on training without external disturbances.
Elric adjusted his sitting position and closed his eyes in contemplation.
Then, he focused on sharpening all of his senses.
Was it because he had already experienced it once before?
Elric could immerse himself in the trance in an instant.
Sensory information flooded through him like a painting.
-Auditory.
He heard the sound of the wind flowing along the mountain path from afar.
It seemed like he could hear the sound of a squirrel running through the grass with an acorn in its hand.
-Touch.
He felt the soft touch of the gentle breeze on his fingertips.
-Olfactory.
The scent of flowers carried by the wind was particularly strong.
There was the refreshing scent of mint, and the rich fragrance of camellia flowers, as if someone had cultivated them.
It was a feeling of clarity washing over his mind.
No, it was truly becoming clearer.
-Taste.
The sweetness of fruits mixed in the wind lingered in his mouth.
His hunger had subsided quickly, and his thirst vanished soon after.
-Vision.
As the accumulated sensory information gradually built up, a new space formed in Elric's mind.
This space, centered around Elric, revealed everything within a radius of 100 meters in intricate detail.
Things that wouldn't have been visible to the naked eye.
From the beetle fluttering its wings on a leaf to the pinecone falling from a tree, even the earthworm revealing its face to the sun to bask in its warmth...
All of these things were illuminated from an omniscient perspective.
The expansion of senses and augmentation of cognition became essential foundational conditions for spellcasting.
In that regard, it was almost safe to say that, aside from magicians of a level above, few could match Elric in these two areas.
But
‘What I seek here is the Nexus.’
Elric delved even deeper into the cognitive realm, where he could uncover the Nexus hidden within the depths of the world.
A world intricately woven with thick and thin threads like a spider's web.
However, amidst it all, there was something else he sought.
‘I found it.’
He chose fire, one of the four primary elements, and brought his fingertips close to it.
At that moment...
Tssss...
As a portion of mana leaked from the Dragon Heart, it flowed into his fingertips and merged with the outcome.
And then...
“【Ignite】.”
With Elric's utterance, the flames surged massively.
Whoosh!
Was it about 1 meter?
No, perhaps around 2 meters?
The intensity of the blaze was so fierce that even Elric, the caster, was startled, his eyes widening in surprise.
Surely, what he had cast was nothing more than a beginner-level 1-circle spell, commonly classified as 'Flower of Fire'.
‘Could this be as powerful as 'Pillar of Fire'...?’
To unleash the potency of a beginner-level 3-circle spell with only the equivalent of a 1-circle spell's mana input was remarkable.
Furthermore, Elric succeeded in casting the spell with just the visualization of ‘igniting fire’,without any elaborate spellcasting techniques.
It was common sense by conventional standards.
‘According to the original system of magic... one should capture the mana stream, extract mana from it, process it into mana through integration with circles, complete the spell by deciphering it through formulas…’
But Elric completely omitted the basic process known as ‘Spell Formation’.
As if all of that were unnecessary.
‘The purity and density of mana contained within the Dragon Heart are so pristine... I gave it a try, and it worked.’
Elric's thoughts raced.
‘I can now quickly unfold magic with much less mana. Not to mention the level of perfection...!’
With this, Elric gained an advantage that others didn't possess.
‘Who would've thought what I learned in the dragon's nest would be so helpful.’
Elric trembled with joy.
The dragon magic he glimpsed in the dragon's nest. Through it, the newly rearranged magical knowledge was shining brightly.
And then.
『To think I'd witness something like that again in a thousand years...! Ohh!』
As Mephisto looked at Elric, magicians of old adversaries seemed to flicker in his mind, causing him to shudder in the opposite sense of the word, while also being somewhat surprised.
‘A mere human reproducing dragon magic? Even if it's Melvinger, it's absurd...!’
TSM 9
[T/L: RevengerScans1]
[Read More Chapters Here: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]
Mephistopheles.
In ancient times, he was the greatest demon king, but due to being sealed away for centuries, even those who remember him are disappearing.
He was in quite a distorted state of mind.
『Surely I told you not to address me in such a manner?』
"Well then, how about just calling you Pheles?"
『Didn't I say not to? My name, bestowed by the Great Demon God, carries profound and sacred meanings with each letter…』
"Ugh."
『You cursed bastard!』
Mephistopheles.
From the way Elric, shortened to 'Mephisto,' addressed him, it seemed like flames could erupt from his eyes at any moment.
He was the one who had subjugated all the demons in his lifetime, plunging the world into danger and chaos. He even waged war against the last remaining Dragon King.
Yet, to receive such treatment from a mere human was enough to stoke his anger to the boiling point.
As much as he wanted to strike Elric down with lightning right then and there, he simply couldn't. He no longer had the physical capability to do so.
『Of all people, to be caught by this bastard...!』
When Mephisto first regained consciousness, he felt as if everything he had waited for over a thousand years had crumbled to dust. Not only that, but he had also unwittingly surrendered all his magic to Elric. All that remained was a fragment of his magic, torn apart along with his physical body.
He could barely maintain his memories and identity from the past; he could no longer be called a Demon King.
To put it bluntly, his subordinate had significantly weakened.
That expression seems appropriate.
"Isn't even your subordinate out of your league? Just a floating spirit who doesn't even know its own purpose."
『You...!』
"Oh, perhaps I overestimated even that, let's just call you a simple evil spirit."
『...!』
Mephisto raged, spewing curses, but Elric simply plugged his ears and ignored him.
However, contrary to such an attitude.
In reality, Elric was somewhat surprised inwardly.
"Mephisto... It just dawned on me. Could he be one of the four guardians who ruled among the ancient magicians?"
Now it was simply an era relegated to myth and legend. Back then, during the ancient times when the gods directly ruled the world, there were four guardians among the magicians who symbolized darkness.
There were almost no records or tales about them, each bearing names like 'Original Sin,' 'Apocalypse,' 'Madness,' and 'Heresy' .
However, Elric could recall belatedly from an old family book he had chanced upon that 'Original Sin' was mentioned as another name for 'Mephistopheles.'
Back then, he had dismissed it as mere gossip...
‘I never thought I'd actually encounter that being. It wasn't just a simple legend, was it?’
Elric was overwhelmed.
‘Then what exactly is this?’
His curiosity about the Magical formula only grew stronger on its own.
It appeared to be nothing more than an old necklace with no apparent features.
How such a strong power was contained within it, and what other powers it might conceal, he couldn't even begin to guess.
"Of all things... why does it have to be Melvinger again among so many vessels...!"
Then Elric snapped back to attention at Mephisto's muttered words.
"Mephisto."
『What!』
"Do you know about our family?"
『Hmph! Why should I, the king, bother answering your questions?』
Despite Mephisto's clearly petulant demeanor, he let out a snort.
‘He definitely knows something.’
Elric could instantly discern the meaning behind it.
‘Does this make sense? That our family has existed for so long?’
Elric was well aware that the Melvingers had been engaged in wars with demons for a very long time.
But he hadn't imagined that it had extended for as long as Mephisto seemed to imply.
Especially considering the strong resentment evident in his words, there seemed to have been considerable enmity.
‘Come to think of it…’
In a fleeting moment, a voice he had heard in his dreams surfaced in his mind.
A voice presumed to have been left behind by one of his ancestors.
-Our legacy, may it be fully inherited by the descendants of distant future.
-We are originally...
-Right here, in accordance with the predetermined succession, we shall swallow the first demon.
The ancestor had spoken as if Mephisto, or more precisely, someone among the demon kings or demons, had ‘naturally’ extended their influence to their descendants.
The history of the family's opposition to demons must have had a meaning so deep that even Elric found it difficult to comprehend.
And perhaps...
Could the Magical Amulet be the culmination of all the history of such a family?
‘A magical tool that devours demons... no, demon kings.’
Elric tapped the Magical Amulet with his fingertip.
‘If I were to encounter other demons, could I devour them just like now?’
His ancestors had clearly mentioned the ‘first’.
Did that mean there would be a second, a third, and beyond?
In that moment of intense contemplation.
Elric's eyes gleamed with determination.
* * *
‘But before I can fully understand the true purpose of the Magical Amulet, I need to train my body first.’
Elric looked down at his trembling hands.
Despite only releasing a small amount of mana, he felt dizzy.
It meant his body was still not accustomed to manifesting magic.
But there was no other choice.
He had been suddenly given a seemingly capable body, but he had never properly used magic before.
Training was necessary.
‘Let's go.’
After finishing his thoughts, Elric quickly packed his belongings.
Then, as Sean had previously instructed, he used the secret passage hidden behind the fireplace to escape from the hospital.
It was originally prepared for nobles who needed to be prepared for sudden assassination threats.
Thanks to that, even Sean's guards didn't notice a thing.
"Phew!"
Elric took a deep breath of the refreshing outside air as soon as he could.
This seemed to alleviate some of the tension.
『What's with the sighing? Running around like a mouse in its burrow! How can you, bearing my power, show such a disgraceful sight...!』
Mephisto, clearly not pleased with Elric's demeanor, continued to taunt him from the side.
But Elric, who had already made some judgments about him, responded very calmly.
"You impudent old spirit."
『How dare you address the king in such a manner...!』
"Shut up, you're being too noisy."
『...!"』
Despite Mephisto's continued raging, Elric simply responded with indifference, knowing that paying attention to him would only lead to madness.
‘This looks like a good spot.’
Elric climbed up the slope and found a clearing far off the beaten path.
There were no signs of human activity here, aside from traces left by passing animals.
It seemed like the perfect place to focus on training without external disturbances.
Elric adjusted his sitting position and closed his eyes in contemplation.
Then, he focused on sharpening all of his senses.
Was it because he had already experienced it once before?
Elric could immerse himself in the trance in an instant.
Sensory information flooded through him like a painting.
-Auditory.
He heard the sound of the wind flowing along the mountain path from afar.
It seemed like he could hear the sound of a squirrel running through the grass with an acorn in its hand.
-Touch.
He felt the soft touch of the gentle breeze on his fingertips.
-Olfactory.
The scent of flowers carried by the wind was particularly strong.
There was the refreshing scent of mint, and the rich fragrance of camellia flowers, as if someone had cultivated them.
It was a feeling of clarity washing over his mind.
No, it was truly becoming clearer.
-Taste.
The sweetness of fruits mixed in the wind lingered in his mouth.
His hunger had subsided quickly, and his thirst vanished soon after.
-Vision.
As the accumulated sensory information gradually built up, a new space formed in Elric's mind.
This space, centered around Elric, revealed everything within a radius of 100 meters in intricate detail.
Things that wouldn't have been visible to the naked eye.
From the beetle fluttering its wings on a leaf to the pinecone falling from a tree, even the earthworm revealing its face to the sun to bask in its warmth...
All of these things were illuminated from an omniscient perspective.
The expansion of senses and augmentation of cognition became essential foundational conditions for spellcasting.
In that regard, it was almost safe to say that, aside from magicians of a level above, few could match Elric in these two areas.
But
‘What I seek here is the Nexus.’
Elric delved even deeper into the cognitive realm, where he could uncover the Nexus hidden within the depths of the world.
A world intricately woven with thick and thin threads like a spider's web.
However, amidst it all, there was something else he sought.
‘I found it.’
He chose fire, one of the four primary elements, and brought his fingertips close to it.
At that moment...
Tssss...
As a portion of mana leaked from the Dragon Heart, it flowed into his fingertips and merged with the outcome.
And then...
“【Ignite】.”
With Elric's utterance, the flames surged massively.
Whoosh!
Was it about 1 meter?
No, perhaps around 2 meters?
The intensity of the blaze was so fierce that even Elric, the caster, was startled, his eyes widening in surprise.
Surely, what he had cast was nothing more than a beginner-level 1-circle spell, commonly classified as 'Flower of Fire'.
‘Could this be as powerful as 'Pillar of Fire'...?’
To unleash the potency of a beginner-level 3-circle spell with only the equivalent of a 1-circle spell's mana input was remarkable.
Furthermore, Elric succeeded in casting the spell with just the visualization of ‘igniting fire’,without any elaborate spellcasting techniques.
It was common sense by conventional standards.
‘According to the original system of magic... one should capture the mana stream, extract mana from it, process it into mana through integration with circles, complete the spell by deciphering it through formulas…’
But Elric completely omitted the basic process known as ‘Spell Formation’.
As if all of that were unnecessary.
‘The purity and density of mana contained within the Dragon Heart are so pristine... I gave it a try, and it worked.’
Elric's thoughts raced.
‘I can now quickly unfold magic with much less mana. Not to mention the level of perfection...!’
With this, Elric gained an advantage that others didn't possess.
‘Who would've thought what I learned in the dragon's nest would be so helpful.’
Elric trembled with joy.
The dragon magic he glimpsed in the dragon's nest. Through it, the newly rearranged magical knowledge was shining brightly.
And then.
『To think I'd witness something like that again in a thousand years...! Ohh!』
As Mephisto looked at Elric, magicians of old adversaries seemed to flicker in his mind, causing him to shudder in the opposite sense of the word, while also being somewhat surprised.
‘A mere human reproducing dragon magic? Even if it's Melvinger, it's absurd...!’
