Water Magician

Editor: Tseirp

At about the same time that Abel started running, the entire Kingdom Army was also on the move.

Thanks to the by the ‘Long-Range Diffusion Mercy of the Goddess’, injuries were healed.

Of course, there were those who died in battle.

Considering they clashed with the substantial soldiers of the Djinn, it was natural.

However, despite the intense battle, especially against the Djinn’s minions, surprisingly few died.

But from there on was their true test.

Among the Djinn’s minions, the substantial soldiers were almost completely wiped out.

And even for the Djinn Garwin, creating substantial soldiers was not easy.

In an instant. And in large numbers.

Throughout the battlefield, ‘phantom soldiers’ were being created.

The Monk squad proved to be surprisingly effective against the phantom soldiers.

That much was clear.

However, with them appearing all over the battlefield, even regular knights had to deal with them.

And for knights without the ‘Holy Blessed Staves’, even a single Phantom Soldier was quite a formidable opponent.

They had a clear shape akin to spirits, but they were vaguely corporeal.

When they attacked the cities or at the start of the war, they were created as mounted troops, but this time they were summoned dismounted.

They wielded sword-like objects in their right hands and small shields in their left.

Both their swords and shields were tangible and could inflict damage upon the knights.

“Target the center! Strike the area around the throat from the center of their bodies! That’s where their magic power is concentrated. Aim there, and they’ll vanish!”

Such instructions spread across the entire battlefield.

When the Monk squad fought, simply touching the Phantom Soldiers with the ‘Holy Blessed Staves’ was enough to make them disappear.

So, their precise weakness wasn’t known, but…

Experienced knights were still present, and it didn’t take long for them to figure out a solution and spread it.

Of course, despite that, they were still numerous and formidable enemies.

In front of the ‘Long-distance Diffusion Mercy of the Goddess’ and the priests protected by the , the Djinn Garwin just stood there, without taking any action.

Faintly smiling.

“Even I have to admit, breaking through absolute magic defense is impossible for me. I accept that. But the problem is how long it can hold up.”

Garwin knew well the strength of absolute magic defense deployed by light-attribute magicians.

At the same time, he knew that only high-level light magicians could use such magic, and it consumed quite a bit of magic power.

Therefore, he decided to do nothing and wait for all the priests to run out of magic power and for the absolute magic defense to collapse.

Once the absolute magical defense was down, the absurd device that healed the entire battlefield could be easily destroyed.

Then he could wipe out the knights with great magic or whatever.

But as long as this recovery device existed, he couldn’t afford to let his guard down.

It would be ideal to kill everyone in one blow since killing tens of thousands of humans one by one would be quite troublesome.

Even with a great magic spell, while death would be instantaneous near the center, many would survive with serious injuries.

Humans are surprisingly tenacious creatures.

Garwin knew that from experience.

As long as there was even a little life left, they would be healed… that’s what this device was for.

That’s why collecting the Fragments of God by killing knights had to be left until the end.

First, he needed to destroy the device.

And in doing so, he would eliminate the priests as well.

If he could deprive them of their means of recovery, no matter how large their numbers, they would crumble.

Garwin remained surprisingly calm.

Clang.

However, some sought to defeat Garwin.

Not the knights who couldn’t reach the main camp due to the phantom soldiers, but those who were originally at the main camp.

For example, the former A-rank swordsman and now King, Abel.

It was Oranj who received Abel’s sword.

“That former commander was quite something for a human, but the King’s sword is impressive too.”

“Thanks, I guess.”

Oranj chuckled, and Abel replied with a grim expression.

Abel understood.

The strength of the high-ranking follower before him.

(He’s not an opponent I can easily defeat…)

But he didn’t despair.

He had accepted the Kingdom’s downfall.

But he left behind the seeds.

Now, all that remained was to give it his all!

“I’ll defeat you and kill Garwin.”

“Think you’re up to the task?”

Abel roared, and Oranj laughed.

And thus, their duel began.

Meanwhile.

Apart from Abel, there were others at the main camp.

Twenty members of the Valkyrie Knights’ Guard led by Imogen.

The rest were on the front lines.

And then, there were the supreme advisor of the Royal Magician Order Ilarion Baraha and the Folklore Officer of the Central Temple in the royal capital, Viscount Rashata Debuo.

Those who had been blown away by the Djinn Garwin and rendered unconscious were a different matter, but they were by no means a weak force.

Ilarion Baraha, for example, was considered the greatest magician in the Kingdom up until three years ago.

Standing before them was Isolde.

Yes, it was Isolde, who had been blasted away by the Vaedra No.1 onboard the Golden Hind, but had somehow regenerated…

“It seems she’s regenerated…”

“The Eastern Djinn can apparently regenerate its high-ranking minions…”

Ilarion muttered, and Rashata responded from his knowledge of the lore.

“In other words, as long as the Djinn itself isn’t defeated, the minions will regenerate. Even if the Djinn itself is riddled with holes from , it can regenerate on its own. It seems we’re at an impasse…”

“But even so…”

“Yes, but even so, there’s no point in withdrawing now. Only to watch our country fall…”

Everyone understood.

If they lost here, the Kingdom would fall.

And if the Kingdom fell, it meant their loved ones might perish.

Ilarion noticed Garwin gripping and loosening his right hand.

And he barely heard something.

“Sooner than I thought…”

Garwin turned around and addressed Ilarion’s group, as well as Abel fighting Oranj.

“Rejoice. I shall reveal my true form to you all.”

At that moment, golden light shot up from Erwin Ortiz’s body towards the sky.

Simultaneously, Erwin Ortiz’s demeanor changed.

The ominous aura from earlier dissipated… instead, he exuded a sense of kindness.

“What’s happening…”

Rashata murmured, but no one could answer.

The first to notice was the magician, Ilarion.

“Something’s coming from above!”

In the next moment, something descended from the sky, causing the ground to erupt.

There stood a man, likely around 190 centimeters tall, with golden hair and tan skin.

When he opened his eyes… they were golden.

His aura was the same as Erwin Ortiz’s just moments ago… ominous.

With a smirk, the imposing figure said;

“I am Garwin, the Djinn, descended.”

“So, that’s your true form, which was sealed away.”

“That’s right, old man. You’ve caught on quickly. I had it hanging around up there.”

Ilarion pointed out, to which Garwin chuckled in acknowledgment.

“So…that Erwin Ortiz over there…”

“Yeah, he’s currently being inhabited by one of my Four Generals, Juke. That’s the kind of minion he is. I’ve been borrowing the body Juke took over. It’s just easier to move around that way.”

“And…so when the seal was released, you moved back to your original body?”

“Well, something like that.”

Garwin replied candidly to Ilarion’s inquiry.

It was a display of overwhelming confidence.

Technically, the seal wasn’t completely lifted yet.

The seal imposed by King Richard was just that strong.

(Still, I’ve recovered to almost ninety percent of my original state. Didn’t kill as many as I thought…but were each of those fallen knights more seasoned than I imagined? That’s a pleasant surprise.)

Garwin chuckled as he assessed his condition.

Above all, he was delighted to be back in his original body and able to move it.

Not being able to move for over 900 years was tough.

Even though he hadn’t been awake for all 900 years, due to alternating between sleep and wakefulness…

“Welcome back, Garwin-sama.”

Isolde said, bowing on one knee to pay her respects.

“Yeah. Isolde, you’ve done well.”

“Your words are too kind.”

Garwin held Isolde in high regard for filling in the gaps in his intellect.

“Isolde, leave here and go to Oranj. That guy’s overindulging.”

“Huh? I don’t think Oranj will lose…”

Isolde tilted her head in confusion at Garwin’s words.

Oranj clearly surpassed the king with his sword skills…

“That king’s sword is based on ‘Ex’.”

“No way! Richard’s…”

Surprised by Garwin’s revelation, Isolde watched the duel between Oranj and Abel.

Abel wielded his usual beloved sword.

It gleamed red as always, but…

“However, that red glow is characteristic of a sword humans call a magic sword…”

“That’s why I said ‘based on’. Well, ‘Ex’ wouldn’t recognize anyone other than Richard as its master, and its power wouldn’t be fully unleashed at that level…. But better safe than sorry.”

“Understood.”

With that, Isolde hurried away.

Witnessing this, none of the Kingdom’s members could move.

They could barely speak, let alone pursue the minions… their legs wouldn’t budge.

Even Ilarion, the most experienced one present, found himself immobilized.

“What’s the matter, old man? Don’t you have any more questions? I’m feeling generous right now. I might just answer them.”

Garwin asked the motionless Ilarion, his face twisted in a grimace.

For the Kingdom’s side, gathering information was crucial…

As for King Abel…

(All I can do is hope he survives…)

Having known Abel since he was a child, Ilarion resigned himself.

Then he asked Garwin a question.

“You… what do you intend to do with the Kingdom?”

“What do I intend to do? Obviously, I’m going to destroy it, right?”

“Why?”

“Why? What a strange question. I’m going to destroy it because I want to. Because I feel like it. Do I need any other reason?”

“Humans… even if they want to, they restrain themselves.”

“Oh, that’s because they’re weak. I get it. I used to be weak until I returned to this body, so I endured it for a long time.”

Garwin chuckled as he spoke.

Then, he stopped laughing and continued.

“But now that there’s no need to endure, I won’t.”

And he grinned again and said.

“Well, you could say it’s also a payback to Richard. If that’s easier for you to accept, then that’s fine too. Interpret it however you like.”

Richard is likely referring to King Richard, the founder of the Kingdom of Knightley.

Who is said to have mastered magic of all attributes and reached the pinnacle of alchemy.

Legend has it that he sealed the Djinn in front of them… but that was just a legend, or so they thought.

However, it seems that wasn’t the case after all.

Naturally, he doesn’t harbor good feelings toward the one who sealed him for over 900 years.

“Well then, enough questions. It’s been a while since I’ve been in my own body. I want to see how much I can move around. Who’s going to be my opponent?”

The Djinn Garwin scanned the area deliberately.

“Of course, we’ll be your opponents.”

Declared Imogen, the leader of the Valkyrie Knights.

And nodding were the vice-captain Camilla, magic commander Mew, and rescue team commander Scarlett.

And fifteen Valkyrie Knights.

Chink.

Garwin lightly took the blow from behind by Abigail, the scout leader of the Valkyrie Knights, with his left forearm.

Without hesitation, his left fist struck Abigail in the abdomen like a backhanded blow.

Abigail was sent flying.

That was the signal for the start of the battle.

“O wind, by your will, be the blade that cuts through my enemies, ”

Due to the ultra-fast incantation, Ilarion’s invisible wind blade was released almost instantly.

However….

“”

The moment Garwin chanted, the Air Slash changed its direction and flew towards Ilarion.

Ilarion barely dodged it.

Almost simultaneously, the Valkyrie Knights surged towards Garwin.

The aim was obvious.

To overwhelm with numbers!

One against fifteen, the odds seemed good…

But what if it’s fifteen against fifteen?

To Ilarion, it seemed like there were fifteen Garwins attacking simultaneously.

He blew away almost at the same time the fifteen Valkyrie Knights.

“Cloning…I believe it’s called?”

“I’ve only heard of it in legends…”

Ilarion muttered, and Rashata replied.

“.”

Scarlett, the recovery team commander, instantly healed the Valkyrie Knights who were blown away with an instant AoE recovery spell.

“Well, not bad.”

Garwin said, nodding as he cracked his neck.

Then he continued.

“Now then, knights of the Kingdom, what will you do? Give up?”

“Who’s giving up?! We’ll be the ones to stop you!”

Imogen retorted Garwin’s provocation head-on.

“Hah. I’ll give you credit for that spirit. Now come at me.”

TLN: Please read my translations at tseirptranslations.com, I did not give permission to any site to host my translations. 

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