Idle Mage: Humanity's Strongest Backer-Novel

When was the last time that Labolas felt that he fell into a disadvantageous battle?

The memory he has of it was vague, but he could clearly remember it being awful.

As far as he's aware, it happened back in the day when he was still young and new to his work, back when the Hypogean Race was still in its early development.

He remembered how he almost lost his life back then. How he was so close to being brought down to his knees and begging their enemies to spare his life.

Labolas, the mighty General of the Hypogean Race, would undoubtedly deny this memory ever happening. It's his closely guarded secret that not even the Demon Lords know. And he would choose to die instead of outright admitting it.

He hated that memory so much that he did all he could to make sure that it will never happen again. He repressed these memories deep down until they gradually faded. He dumped an absurd amount of victories in it so that he could rewrite this memory completely.

Unfortunately, his efforts never mattered at all. Even with everything he did to forget about that memory, in the end, it only took one act of carelessness and he's reliving it all over again.

With labored breaths, he instinctually caught himself from falling to the ground for the nth time. He dove to the side to avoid a sharp slice that threatened to split him in half.

He raised a paw and struck the earth, releasing a shockwave strong enough to cause earthquakes.

His eyes sockets were bleeding profusely. The main reason being is that his eyes were no longer there, and this applied to both of his heads.

A pesky woman with a bow shot all of his eyes with deadly accuracy earlier. Rending his eye-lasers useless. And while he could still perform that attack, doing so would riskier since he can't see anymore.

The only reason why he's still alive is due to his ability to keenly sense vibrations around him. This is what he relied on to know what was happening in his surroundings.

Swish!

Labolas once again had to evade, allowing him to dodge yet another terrifying slice that could've cut him in half.

Cursing inwardly, he wondered how the hell this swordswoman was raised. How the hell was she this terrifying with that toy in her hands!? That never made sense to him.

As far as Labolas could recall, his body was impervious to all kinds of weapons. Hell, even if someone were to use the Eclipse Drill against him, at most, all they could give him was a minor wound, which he can heal in a blink of an eye.

'Curse these chains!!' He exclaimed angrily inwardly.

Yes, he knows that these chains were the primary source of his suffering. Ever since these chains latched onto him, they caused him immense suffering and made him lose the strength he accumulated after a long period of service.

He could feel weakness and fatigue burdening his entire being. If it weren't for these chains, he would've already flattened down this puny civilization of lesser beings.

Buzz!

Labolas received feedback from his senses, causing him to retreat a couple of steps back, barely missing an arrow that was aimed at his temples.

That pesky female archer was really getting on his nerves, it's like she could predict his moves at all times and it was aggravating. She's undoubtedly the one that's been making his life miserable ever since this battle started.

His two heads opened their maws and fired a concentrated blast of corruption toward where he thought his enemies were. And because he developed some kind of vendetta against that swordswoman and that female archer, he naturally aimed his attack at them. But...

Boom!

He received yet another feedback from his senses, relaying to him how his attack did absolutely nothing. It was blocked by that foolish guy who was wielding shields in both arms.

Labolas hated this man too. He hated how sturdy and firm he was. This man never failed to protect those two pesky women no matter what kind of attack he did. He will always stand before them to raise his shield and protect them from all manner of harm.

Such a blatant display of camaraderie sickens him.

To Labolas, camaraderie is an act of weakness. It makes breeds reliance and dependence on others, therefore weakening a soldier's mindset and preventing them from getting the expected results. He hated that concept so much that if he saw any of his men showing signs of it, he will kill them with his own hands.

What made this ever more hateful for him was the fact that this concept, which he refused to acknowledge, was working.

These three lesser creatures are showing him what camaraderie does, and he absolutely despises it.

Swoosh!

Labolas attempted to take flight but was immediately shot down by that female archer. Now, there's a gaping hole on his wings and his regenerative ability was somewhat neutralized so that won't heal anytime soon.

Oh, the things he would do just to kill this pesky archer...

Sadly, they're working too perfectly in sync that it's practically impossible for him to hurt them.

'...would've been so fucking nice if Francis lasted just a bit longer. That idiot got himself killed because of his huge mouth.'

Yes, St. Francis has indeed been slain. Bisected cleanly in half by Alice.

The idiot had much to say. Thinking that he could fight this battle with words instead of his fist. He thought that their enemies were dumb and stupid to fall for his trap yet it was he who died miserably in the end.

Francis didn't even know how he died from the expression he had before being sliced in half.

Labolas also hated the fact that this was the last scene he had witnessed before the archer shot him in the eyes.

It's also somewhat embarrassing for him. Just a reminder, Labolas had been struggling to kill Francis for a good while now, yet it only took one simple act of deception and that guy died miserably. Worse, he died not in the hands of Labolas, but in the hands of a lesser creature.

And judging by how this battle was going on, it's also very unlikely that he too would suffer the same fate.

'...I never thought that I would have to use this in here of all places. But I'm all out of options. My Liege, I leave the rest to you.'

Labolas erupted with the very last ounce of his strength. He released enough pressure to force his enemies back.

This gave him enough time to raise his paw and dig his heart out.

He grunted in pain but the feeling was quickly numbed. He also plucked a section of his horns and used it to stab his own heart while chanting a solemn prayer.

This was a ritual to summon his master to deliver punishment to his enemies. This move was a last resort, a final act of defiance since this ritual will kill him if it succeeds.

Labolas never knew that he'd be pushed to use this move but here he was, chanting a heartfelt prayer for his lord to descend into this puny world.

A dense crimson light bathed him. Labolas felt the warmth of his master, protecting him from all manner of harm. Inwardly, he heaved a sigh of relief while continuing his heartfelt prayer. However, he probably shouldn't have felt that way...

Woosh!

Labolas felt a massive distraction, forcing him to open his eyes. And to his horror, he saw a pure and divine brilliance looming over him.

He felt an existential crisis in the face of this brilliance, it's as if he met someone who was completely out of his league.

Seconds later, a thick pillar of white-gold flare encapsulated Labolas. Under its influence, he felt the same pain that these accursed chains brought to him earlier.

The warmth he felt from his master was there for a second and go on the next. He wasn't even given enough time to enjoy it.

The ritual failed, completely neutralized through means that he will never be able to understand.

His last resort amounted to nothing. He dug his own heart for absolutely nothing.

He came here with his head held up high and chest filled with jaded confidence and certainty, yet in the end, it was all for nothing.

Labolas...no.

All of the invading races of this world, completely and utterly, underestimated the abilities of this so-called Lesser Race.

As the gaping hole in his chest continued to spill his foul blood...

As he felt strength slowly leaving his body and every inch of himself breaking down into pieces...

A lone figure resurfaced in the depths of his memories...

It's that guy they met earlier. The one who was hidden behind a White Cloak.

Ironically, in his last moments, he remembered the words that the man told them before pointing them to their permanent resting place...

Smiling ruefully to himself, Labolas thought:

'Ah...we should've really listened to him.'

'We should've stayed where we were...maybe if we did that...we'd still be alive.'

And just like how St. Francis died, Labolas' withering body was split in half by that girl's sword.