novelraw Chapter 917: Demon!
Chapter 917: Demon!
Chapter 917
"And why is that? You may wonder; well, I have finished off every single person in this town. Men, women, civilians, kids and even your men. They are all gone, Bale."
It was as if thunder had struck Bale; his hands slipped from the armrests of his throne, hanging limp.
His mouth hung open in silent horror after absorbing the mage’s declaration.
Even the officials remaining in the room cast nervous, frantic glances among one another, consumed by deep worry at what the youth had just proclaimed.
Had—had he truly eliminated hundreds of people in a single day?
How?
Now, Bale’s so-called strongest mage lay before them, his head having rolled out of a portal the intruder had just conjured.
The entire situation was terrifying and surreal at the same time.
There was no escape.
They knew it, and so they remained rooted in place by a primal fear that even the slightest movement on their part would result in a swift end.
In fact, they held their breaths silently, fearing that a single exhale might bring their demise sooner than expected.
Bale slowly rose from his throne, his eyes wide and bloodshot.
"You... you... how dare you?!" Bale screamed in a fit of pure, unadulterated rage.
Flames burst around his arms, crackling with fury as they licked at his skin.
He glared in the direction of the mage standing a short distance away, who met his gaze with absolute, frigid eyes.
The Supreme Magus maintained a death stare as he watched Bale angrily descend the steps of the raised platform where the throne sat.
"What did those innocent townspeople do to you? Why would you do something like that?! You have completely ruined me!" Bale kept shouting with every heavy step he took.
His teeth gnashed repeatedly as the overwhelming anger began to consume his reason.
"I made this promise a while back." Grey twirled his hand, causing his active element to switch from lightning to swirling flames.
He stared at the crackling heat for a moment before looking up again.
"Anyone who dares harm those close to me, I will wipe them out along with whatever they hold dear. Loved ones or not, I will destroy them. In your case, you held your town dear."
"...."
There was a heavy pause as Bale clenched his jaws, the fire gathering around his hands growing and burning with newfound intensity.
"I WILL KILL YOU!" Bale thundered, exploding from his position with full force.
Flames spewed from his hands and feet like a rocket, propelling him forward.
He closed the distance with desperate, violent speed.
"This hall witnessed the beginning of our story," Grey began as the man reached him in a heartbeat.
Swinging his hands forward, Bale unleashed a massive blast of fire that roared outward at the mage.
Grey smoothly twirled his body, dodging the searing wave which crashed into the floor with a loud explosion.
A Ki sword manifested in Grey’s grip, which he hauled toward Bale’s exposed flank.
Before the blade could connect, the man spun around and leaped away just in time, allowing the mage’s weapon to strike the empty air with a low, resonant clang.
"... This same hall will witness your end!" Bale shouted as more than fifty fireballs crackled into existence.
With a violent swing of his hand, the projectiles hurtled in Grey’s direction with blazing speed.
"Wrong," Grey uttered, his voice devoid of any urgency whatsoever.
Swinging his sword through the air, a massive crescent of Ki burst outward, crashing into the center of the volley and detonating half of the fireballs mid-flight.
Then, with a casual leap, he vaulted high into the air, allowing the remaining spheres of flame to hammer into the spot he had occupied a moment prior.
The impact scorched the marble flooring, causing the liquid on the ground to sizzle and steam.
Landing back amidst the crimson pool, Grey rushed forward with deadly momentum.
Bale, consumed by desperation, began swinging his arms continuously, launching fireball after fireball at the approaching warrior mage.
Each attack was avoided by the Supreme Magus with such fluid ease that it appeared as if the flames themselves were hesitant to touch or singe his robes.
The projectiles crashed inches away from him, causing the moisture on the floor to evaporate rapidly.
Soon enough, a thick mist began to swirl around the mage, shielding his form from Bale’s view.
The fireballs kept striking the ground, feeding the growing fog until it blanketed the area.
Then, with a sudden lunge, Grey burst through the shroud, instantly closing the distance between himself and the town lord.
Bale’s eyes lit up in horror as he saw the mist flaring out from Grey’s nostrils like the breath of a dragon.
Grey swung his blade toward the man’s head with lethal velocity.
Flames blazed around Bale’s heels, vaulting him to the side just in time; Grey’s sword struck the ground where the town lord had stood a heartbeat before.
The blade cleaved the floor apart, kicking up jagged chunks of marble into the air.
Whistle! Whistle! Whistle—!
A dozen fire arrows shot forward with lightning speed toward Grey’s position.
With a casual motion, the mage began swatting and batting the arrows away with the fluid grace of a master swordsman.
He cleaved through the projectiles and knocked them aside, yet the barrage continued unabated.
Deciding to end the exchange, he took a single step forward, instantly vanishing from sight and reappearing directly behind Bale.
Every hair on the man’s body rose in warning.
He tried to leap forward, but a searing, white-hot sensation shot through his lower body, causing him to stumble and fall to the ground with a heavy thud.
Looking down toward the source of the agony, Bale’s eyes widened.
He saw Grey crouching nearby, holding something in his hand.
It was a... a foot.
Ba-thump!
Staring downward, Bale’s vision blurred as he realized his limb ended in a stump.
The air was filled with a spray of red, further adding to the deepening pool on the floor.
Looking up, he stared into Grey’s eyes.
A hint of panic flashed across the man’s face.
Grey didn’t look like a friend or a rival anymore.
He looked like a demon.