Seol could feel Bornuils skin-piercing bloodlust.

How is that possible?

Seol had only felt bloodlust like that from monsters and demons, never humans.

Libra is being mind controlled? No, more importantly who is he then?

The evil taking the form of Bornuil answered the question.

My name is Ur. Have you heard of me before?

Frannan shook his head.

I havent.

"I see Exactly how much time has passed?"

Tell me Who and where are you from?

Bornuils mouth opened wide, as if it was trying to split apart.

I am the root.

The root?

Both Seol and Frannan turned pale upon hearing those words.

Bornuil sensed that his opponents understood the implications behind those words.

Yes, those trees inside of you. They all stemmed from me.

Seol couldnt hide his shock at all.

Hes talking about the skill trees!

The skill trees.

Each tree had its unique shape and color, and one could make their efforts bear fruit by literally making the tree bear fruit.

So the skill trees werent just born on their own?

Then how? How was Seol, who prided himself on his knowledge of Pandea, so clueless?

The man named Ur continued.

I am the flame that was gifted to the humans and the first wizard.

The first wizard? What do you mean by wizard?

Do you not know of wizardry?

I know about magic.

Hmmm so an imitation is the best you are capable of, I see.

Bwahaha Look, we neither care nor want to know whether youre the first wizard or not. The only thing Im curious about right now is why did you steal poor Bornuils body?

Ur gave Frannan a straightforward answer.

"I woke up from a long, deep sleep. I sensed my chains had grown loose, and not too long after, my consciousness settled here."

So you have been sleeping all this time Then why did you take Libras body? Is it to get revenge on the ones who imprisoned you?

It is. However, after reading through this individuals memories, I was utterly shocked.

Bornuils memories?

Yes, do any of you know the name Cron?

The expedition partys expressions stiffened.

Cron? Ive never heard of that name before.

Is that so then it truly was this persons memories. Is Cron dead?

Look, regardless of whoever or whatever this Cron is, does that really matter when theyre likely gone?

Revenge was my greatest motivator, but it wasnt my only motivator.

Then what motivates you now?

Fascination, answered Ur.

Fascination?

"I will reenter this world and learn all its new knowledge."

...And then?

Ur finally revealed his true colors.

Use that knowledge to rule over all life.

...Thats insane.

I simply will because I have the ability to do so.

All of a sudden, a different voice flowed out of Bornuilnot Ur's, but Bornuil's.

Frannan, did you bring this many people to find me?

Bornuil? Are you alright?

Dont worry about me. More importantly you must stop him here.

A new, comforting voice emerged from Bornuil, addressing the expedition party.

He is evil, completely wicked to his core. I only managed to catch a glimpse into his heart, but it was just endless darkness.

"Even in your final moments, you continue to give us homework."

...If youre the one here, Frannan, and not another Aspect Magician, then there is still hope.

......

After all, youre the only Aspect Magician who has devoted himself to magic as much as me, Frannan.

Frannan closed his eyes.

He recalled a memory of Bornuils teachings.

- Balance exists everywhere in all of the Libra Towers teachings. It is essential to recognize that.

"O Libra, I shall think of these as our final words. Do you... have any advice?"

Go all out from the start. Like a magician.

Smile

Frannan laughed.

Bornuil, seeing that, continued.

Then now, I want you to give it your all to kill me.

...Gladly. I will grant you your wish.

Fwip!

Bornuils voice vanished like a spark, and Ur reappeared once more.

How annoying Let me offer you a proposal.

A proposal?

"Is there anyone among you who wishes to welcome a brand new world with me?"

A few options then entered Seols vision. They were troublesome options, more so than his usual selection.

[[You stand at the crossroads between life and death! In the heart of Alcatron, a demonic dungeon, you've encountered Ur, an individual who claims to be the first wizard. He has proposed that you follow him. How do you respond?]

1. Accept Urs proposal.

2. Change the conditions.

3. Convince Ur.

4. [Dangers: Death] Face Ur.

]

Seol looked back at the expedition party.

......

Their tense faces made Seols heart pound faster.

Clatter

Seol, the Steel Lion, and Frannan stood at the vanguard.

I dont have time to explain everything, so Ill transfer it directly into your heads, said Frannan.

Snap!

[Frannan used Quick Lessons.]

[Your intent is delivered to your target.]

Crackle!

With a bolt of lightning, Frannan's intent was conveyed to everyone in the expedition party.

Especially you, disciple. You have an important role. Ill take care of whatever happens here, so conserve as much power as you can.

Frannans plan was delivered directly into Seols head.

I understand, said Seol while nodding his head.

* * *

Translator - goguma

Proofreader - Karane

* * *

Frannan smiled, as if he felt he could trust in Seol, then took another step forward.

"Hey, you, the first-ever whatever the fuck. Do you know what demonic spirits are?"

"Scraps of demonic energy and wicked intent combined together. They're just trash, aren't they?"

Seol then heard a sound from his lantern.

[Toot.]

......

Frannan then responded to Ur.

Yeah, I thought so too at first.

...At first? Are you claiming that you hold a different opinion now?

"Everything exists for a reason, including demonic spirits. A long time ago, I had a big fight with Bornuil because of the demonic spirit research I was conducting."

Interesting. And?

"Bornuil didnt approve of my research. Demonic spirits are dangerous, after all. Yet, he couldnt deny their power. Nonetheless, I informed him that I intended to stop my research there, scoffed Frannan.

He then pulled out a pair of gloves from his inventory.

That was a lie, obviously. I continued my research. And now, its finally complete. Hey, Bornuil, I dont know if youre listening right now, but

Frannan flashed Ur his palms.

There was a closed eye at the center of each of his palms.

Say hello to Teeth Grinder and Snorer.

What are those demonic spirits actually going to do?

After completing these two fellas, Im

Frannan had a strange smile on his face.

stronger than Bornuil.

......

"This spell can activate once I clap my hands after explaining its principles to my opponent. Simple, right?"

Frannan turned back, looked at the expedition party members, then gestured with his head.

Ffft!

Fwoosh!

In an instant, the expedition party surrounded Ur in a circle.

Thanks to Frannans Quick Lessons, everyone in the expedition party moved in a coordinated manner, as if they all shared the same mind.

"These two really hate being woken up from their sleep. They just sleep around all day, but when they wake up... they end up despising the first person they see, to the point of wanting to kill them."

...And?

"The target of their hatred becomes exposed to the eyes of others. Not just to me, Teeth Grinder, and Snorer, but to everyone else as well. The longer the target is seen, the more their mana decreases. And then, the moment the targets mana equals mine..."

Ur glared at Frannan.

the target dies. Now Its morning, Teeth Grinder and Snorer! Lets get to work, you lazy bastards!

Clap!

With Frannans clap, the two eyes on his palms opened.

[Who was it?]

[Who was it?]

The eyes then looked at Ur.

[Was it you?]

[Was it you?]

For now, Ill go with his plan.

As Koko wasnt capable of intricate movements, Seol let Koko do whatever he pleased while he followed Frannans plans.

Frannans plan was quite simple.

Keep your eyes on Ur.

It was a more concise order than to fight Ur and kill him.

Hum

[Ur:Bornuil used Seal Divine Power.]

[Divine Power cannot be used within this spells distance.]

According to the information that Frannan gave them, Bornuils specialty was in spells that controlled space. He was especially good at spells that allowed him to suppress and restrain anything that could be dangerous.

Frannan said that no one will be able to do anything once the battle drags on. I guess first was Chameli and the pilgrims.

Ur waved his hand.

[Ur:Bornuil used Mire.]

[Movement speed is reduced by 50% within this spells distance.]

Frannan then casted a spell to resist this.

Hargh!

Hum

[Frannan used Magic Circle: Crush Magic.]

[Nullify the low-level spell cast by the target.]

Faaade

Five minutes left! Dont take your eyes off him!

Yes, sir!

Ur scoffed as he casted another spell.

[Ur:Bornuil used Sandstorm.]

[Targets have reduced vision and take damage over time within this spells distance.]

Fwoooooosh!

A sandstorm suddenly appeared in the center of the battlefield.

Ur planned to prepare another spell while avoiding their gazes.

A good idea, but!

Frannan prepared another spell.

[Frannan used High-Rank Magic Circle: Copy Magic.]

[Copy the mid-level spell cast by the target.]

Fwooooosh!

Frannan summoned a sandstorm as well, which collided with the one Ur had conjured.

WOOOOOOSH!

No one in the vicinity could keep their eyes open as the fierce winds raged on.

Urgh I cant keep my eyes

Sir Frannan!

Its alright! Ive kept my eye on him the entire time!

Ur laughed after hearing that.

Are you sure its alright when I should be the one thankful to you?

Suddenly, Koko appeared, charging in toward Ur. Koko must have sensed an opening with his wild instinct.

Graaaaar!

No, Koko!

Words then flowed out of Urs mouth, but they clearly werent normal words. It was a spell.

[You, fly away.]

Humm!

This feeling

- This is a magic word. I felt it use up a bit of my mana just now.

Seol felt a similar sensation to the magic words used to activate the lights in Alcatron.

However, this felt entirely different from before. These were much more explosive than the ones they used previously.

Fwoooooosh!

Whimper!

Even Koko, a Transcendent-rank monster, could do nothing as he was blown away.

Koko clearly suffered damage too, judging by how he weakly rolled on the floor after the initial blow.

That monster

Drip

However, it wasnt as if Ur was completely fine. He wiped his nose as he spoke once more.

"...I suppose this old body has its limits. Maybe I can manage one more? Well, regardless, its fine."

Ur smiled from ear to ear.

I now see the trick up your sleeve. Hah!

Ur shot off missiles of magic from his hands.

Bam! Bam!

Crumble

Something sticky fell from the ceiling after being struck by Urs magic missiles.

"A creation... Since when have you been hiding this? Who's behind this?!"

Hahaha! It looks like he caught on, Snowman! Try hiding it a bit better!

Seol gritted his teeth.

Frannans original plan was for the expedition party to keep their eyes on Ur, but his interference made it more challenging than they had anticipated.

As a result, Seol secretly summoned his crows to keep track of Ur instead of relying on the expedition party to complete Frannans spell.

Realizing this, Frannan conjured another sandstorm to hinder Ur from spotting Seols crows, or at least to delay it as much as possible.

After all of this, Frannan laughed. Thanks to Seol, they had been able to buy a lot of time.

There's only one minute left now. Youll die in a minute if you cant avoid our eyes!

Thanks for the reminder.

Hum

[Ur:Bornuil used Seal Summons.]

[Summons cannot be used within this spells distance.]

[Passive: Flesh and Blood activates.]

[Summons tied by Lineage cannot be prevented from being summoned.]

Flap flap flap!

The crows that Seol summoned continued to fly around Ur, keeping their eyes on him. As they did, Urs face turned pale.

Hm I guess youre decent. How annoying

Hum.

[Ur:Bornuil used Bombing Run.]

[Inflict damage on all entities identical to the initial target struck by this spell.]

Fwooosh!

Bam!

Crumble

As one crow was struck down by Urs spell, the rest of the crows immediately crumbled away.

Ahhhh! shouted Seol, writhing in pain.

There you were! Ill kill you first!

[Ur:Bornuil used Spinning Stake.]

[Deal damage to a target. Any excess damage is used to pierce through and damage another target.]

Fwoooosh!

A spear made of rocks materialized in the air before hurtling toward Seol.

Suddenly, multiple members of the expedition party around Seol leaped in, attempting to block the attack.

Block ittttt!

Krghhhhhh

Craaaaackle

Roughly ten people stepped in simultaneously to protect Seol. The rock spear was unable to pierce through them all.

...That is precisely what I despise about humans. Though it is their strength

Ur laughed eerily.

it, too, is their weakness.

What is he saying?

"I enjoyed the show, magician. However, humans are unable to transcend because of the faith we place in each other."

...What?

"I've already seen through your spell. If those demonic spirits attack me... this frail, old body clearly wont be able to endure it. However, you probably arent able to use it immediately again if it gets canceled, right?"

How did you know?

Because I am a wizard. Now, stop your pointless resistance.

Ur then uttered a magic word.

It was a spell that would render the expedition partys efforts futile.

[All of you, close your eyes.]

N-No!

If we close our eyes

However, there was none among them who could resist that spell. Not even Seol.

Damn it then Ill have no choice but to

The only option left for Seol then would be to face Ur head-on.

...Why?

However, as everyone opened their eyes a moment later... they saw a strange sight.

Crunch! Crack!

Crunch

Two demonic spirits had escaped from Frannans hands and sunk their teeth into Urs body.

"What compels you to go this far?" inquired Ur.

Seol immediately turned his eyes to Frannan.

How did the spell activate?

Everyone had to have closed their eyes from Urs magic words, including Frannan. But for some reason... the spell still fully activated.

Seol quickly realized why.

Oh my god

Frannans eye floated in the air, detached from his body, while blood flowed from the closed eye socket.

Because I am a magician. My creed is to go all out from the start.

...I see. So you didnt trust in the other humans.

I did trust in them. I just trusted in myself more.

...I see.

Snap! Crack!

Snorer and Teeth Grinder tore through Urs body.

"Even robbery can qualify as high-level if it's done this well, don't you think?"