The Great Mage Returns After 4000 Years (Web Novel KR)

Editors: Ana_Banana, Sei

The fight lasted for an extremely long time.

Kaz had suffered through long fights before. He had even grown used to fighting on an almost daily basis.

With his experience, he knew that in a long fight, the most important things were concentration and composure.

In all honesty, whenever Kaz fought, he still had room to plan and think. This was the case even in fights when both sides were being pushed to the extreme.

But for him, those situations couldn’t be called ‘crises’.

Not like this.

For the first time in his life, Kaz fought with every ounce of his concentration without even the slightest leeway.

Fwoosh!

A Dragon Breath shot out of Kaz’s mouth. This attack was so powerful that even small islands would be instantly obliterated.

Taht.

But his opponent simply swatted it away like it was nothing. One of his most powerful attacks was treated like an annoying fly.

[What the hell are you, you crazy bitch…!]

“Something that surpasses your understanding.”

She replied in a flat tone. Beneath the hood of her robe, her hair, which seemed to be a different color whenever he managed to see it, flowed like a halo around her head. He wondered if the color of her hair changed depending on the direction in which the light was refracted.

But that wasn’t the only weird thing.

Even during their fight, her intonation and manner of speech changed from time to time, and every time they did, her attack style also changed.

It was like fighting a large number of beings at the same time instead of just one, and it was driving him insane.

[You… crazy bitch…!]

Kaz let out a loud roar. It was so powerful that it forced all of the living beings on the island to tremble in fear, but the woman continued to rush to him without any signs of flinching.

He hurried to defend himself, and the fight continued.

Kaz never had any chance of winning.

And as expected, he lost.

It was a complete and utter defeat.

By the time the fight had ended, the entire island had become a wasteland. He didn’t even know how long they had been fighting.

Kaz coughed out a mouthful of blood onto the ground of the now devastated lands which had once been lush and beautiful.

[Cough…!]

“…”

“Wh..y?”

Doubts had begun to appear around halfway through the fight. He was certain that it had been going on for far too long. Compared to Kaz, who was covered in dust and injuries, the woman didn’t even have a single smudge on her clothing.

The difference between them was obvious.

[If you wanted to kill me, it wouldn’t take this long. Why did you… Why are you sparing me?]

“Because you have potential.”

The woman’s temperament seemed to change once again.

…Crazy bitch. Kaz suppressed the swear words that appeared in his heart and struggled back to his feet.

[What the hell are you talking about?]

The veil over the woman’s face fluttered in the wind. This time, the hair that was revealed appeared green.

What the hell did she look like?

Kaz couldn’t help but feel curious about the face behind that veil. At the same time, he was skeptical.

Even after fighting so desperately, he still hadn’t been able to remove at least that thin piece of fabric in front of her face.

“Your innate ferocity. It would be a waste to kill you when you have something like that.”

[…]

“To become a superior being, you need dignity. Until that happens, I will not let you leave this island.”

After hearing those last few words, Kaz’s consciousness faded. And when he opened his eyes again, he realised immediately.

His very existence had been bound to the land beneath him, the island that would later be known as Death Island.

He had become a being incapable of leaving the island on his own.

* * *

As you accumulate combat experience, you gain the ability to sense certain things.

For example, whether your opponent had the will and means to continue fighting.

This was something that could easily be inferred from facial expressions, bodily movements, and attitude.

Kaz grinned fiercely.

That attack just now was definitely their trump card.

Seeing that it had also failed, they should be feeling desperate now.

‘—no.’

That guy was different.

Unlike Sedi, who was frowning at the front, the man behind her showed no signs of giving up.

This caused a glint to appear in Kaz’s eyes.

This guy was really interesting.

He was much weaker than Sedi, and he was completely exhausted with no more energy at his disposal. He had a lot of interesting tricks, but none of them worked on him.

This was something that all of them were aware of. And yet, this man still burned with fighting spirit without backing down in the slightest.

Perhaps he was used to being in such desperate situations.

Otherwise…

[Do you still have other means left?]

“…”

[For me, fighting has become rather boring. Except for one, everyone that I have faced lost without much suspense. I had high hopes for you guys… but I guess this was to be expected. Should I say the problem is me? I suppose my unreasonable strength is the one thing I always fail to factor in.]

…Kaz could use demonic energy.

Lukas felt that he had finally peeked slightly into the secret that was Kaz’s absolute defense.

No matter how strong his scales were, it was strange that he could so casually accept the punches of Sedi, someone who was at the very peak of mortality. But now, it was revealed that Kaz could also use demonic energy.

So in truth, it was just that he was a bad matchup for Sedi.

It was like throwing a fireball at a monster made of fire.

‘Other means?’

He didn’t have any. Well, in all honesty, he did have a few left.

Lukas’ gaze drifted to the staff in his left hand.

[Staff of the Distant Night Sky]

The only staff in this world, created for him personally by Nekdu.

The possibility of a bumpy path lay with this staff.

‘…however.’

To do that, he would have to get closer to Kaz. Close enough that he would be able to reach out and touch him.

But how?

Should he just walk up to him?

Kaz was conceited and made no effort to defend himself. It was clear that he didn’t think Lukas was much of an enemy, so he probably wouldn’t consider Lukas a threat and allow him to approach him.

…But that was only a possibility. There was no guarantee, and the risk was high.

Compared to the power Kaz currently had, Lukas was no better than an insect.

With just a slight swing of his hand, Lukas’ entire body would become a mist of blood. It was a tragic thought for an Absolute, but it was the truth. So rather than rage at the ridiculousness of the situation, it was better to accept it.

‘It doesn’t matter if he attacks me.’

However, the attack couldn’t be so strong as to kill him in a single hit.

Since that was the case, there was only one thing he could do.

“Dragon King Kaz.”

Provocation.

Lukas’ lips twisted into a sneer.

“You are not a true Absolute.”

[…]

Kaz tilted his head to the side.

[Absolute? I don’t think I understand the exact meaning behind your use of that word.]

“So you don’t even know that. I guess I’ll have to explain it to you. Absolutes are miraculous beings that are so rare it’s hard for even a single one to appear in a universe.”

[Sounds interesting. Hard to find even a single one in an entire universe… If that is the case then Dragon King Kaz is the only one suitable for it.]

“No. You’re not even close to that level.”

Kaz’s eyebrow twitched slightly when he heard this, then he spoke in a flat tone.

“Don’t be ridiculous. You inferior being. You’re not even as good as my toenail. Are you trying to say you are superior to me?”

“Do you think I am inferior to you? Sedi and I are true Absolutes who have stepped into that level that you have yet to reach. We have only been weakened because of the circumstances now, but at our peak, it wouldn’t take more than a thought to completely erase you.”

Kaz’s sneer disappeared, his face becoming completely expressionless. This was proof that Lukas’ provocation was working.

This was a tense moment. It was a gamble. It was possible that Kaz would lose all reasoning and kill him with one blow.

So Lukas intended to keep him as rational as possible.

“This weak man in front of you, and Sedi, who you are trying to claim as your own, are real Absolutes. That’s why we find you so ridiculous. I can’t believe that you would proclaim yourself to be strong when you haven’t even fully escaped the bonds of the flesh. It’s still too soon for you.”

[Stop talking.]

His voice changed.

Sedi’s eyes twitched slightly.

She couldn’t understand why Lukas was provoking Kaz to such an extent.

Of course, the fact that her last attack didn’t work wasn’t enough to make Sedi give up. Instead, she simply felt that they had to find another avenue.

However, provoking Kaz at this moment was like suicide. It was like asking for directions to the nether road.

“F-, father.”

Ignoring Sedi’s call, Lukas continued.

“You are bound to this island. You were probably chained up after being brutally beaten by someone.”

[…]

Kaz’s expression became solemn.