The Great Mage Returns After 4000 Years

Book 2: Chapter 340

…After the Demigods disappeared, Snow devoted herself to training like crazy.

This was because she realised how powerless she was.

Did she work harder than anyone else? Did she overcome her limits?

She didn’t know anything like that.

However, one thing she could be certain of was the fact that she was more desperate than anyone else.

So Snow became strong. She became strong enough to overcome her past weakness.

But she had no more enemies left.

She never had a chance to push herself to the limit, to use all of her rage and resentment to push herself even further.

At that time, she’d felt so dissatisfied that it felt like she would explode.

Now, finally. She had met someone who could detonate that urge.

[You will die here.]

“Maybe. However, you should keep something in mind. If you don’t kill me here today, I will go beyond my limits once again and become even stronger.”

[…hmmm.]

Just as Diablo shook his head as if he couldn’t understand what she was saying, the Death Knight disappeared.

Clang!????n????????ea????. ????????????

…She managed to react in time.

Fortunately, she hadn’t let her guard down.

The two swords grinded against each other, with neither side retreating.

Snow’s smile widened as a cold chill rolled down her spine.

They were equal in strength. No, actually, she was being pushed back slightly. Snow easily accepted this fact.

But that was fine.

After all, Snow’s physical ability wasn’t her only weapon.

Crack…

White fog began to rise up from her body. The extreme cold that exuded from her body quickly began to freeze the ankle deep water beneath their feet.

The Death Knight tried to pull its feet out, but it was a step too slow. The frozen ground bound its ankles.

While this was happening, Snow broke the engagement and pulled back a bit before unleashing a series of attacks on the trapped Death Knight, while it was off balance.

Clang clang clang!

Ten strikes landed in an instant.

All of them were hits that not even an undead would be able to ignore, but none of them landed.

Snow narrowed her eyes.

The temperature of the surroundings rapidly fell after she released her cold aura.

Within this area, everyone but Snow would have their movements inhibited.

‘I know the effect against undead is fairly limited, but…’

She couldn’t believe that the Death Knight was able to defend itself perfectly despite that.

…It was stable.

A perfect stance and perfect swordsmanship.

It was monotonous and basic, but it was terrifying. She couldn’t find any openings to take advantage of. It was like she was facing an iron wall that blocks everything in sight.

Swoosh!

And at times, the iron wall would take the shape of a sharp spear.

The sound of the air being cut was terrifying.

They were all straight line attacks without any tricks, but it felt as though dozens of contradictory sword techniques were being used at the same time.

It was unpredictable. No matter where she moved, this inescapable sword would reach her.

That’s why she had no choice but to block it.

Clang!

“…”

Jurk-

Blood spilled from the corner of Snow’s lips. The shock of that attack reached her internal organs.

Her opponent’s intentions were clear. The Death Knight intended to force Snow to continually block his attacks in order to accumulate blunt force trauma to her internal organs. This wasn’t good. Her body was already reaching its limit.

If she were to continue receiving such trauma while in this state…

Ten times? Twenty times?

How long would her body be able to last?

Clang! Clang!

Before she knew it, the initiative had already been grasped by her opponent.

Ignoring her rising doubts and spasming muscles, Snow tried to force the offensive.

Crack!

But she was blocked before she could even properly begin.

Biting her lip, she tried again.

Clang!

And failed again.

‘…this Queen’s movements.’

Were being read.

And with very high probability too.

Five out of ten of her attacks were blocked before they could even be properly unleashed. And the more they fought, the higher the ratio became.

Six, seven, eight…

‘Impossible.’

What the hell was this monster?

It was being absorbed. It was only at that moment that Snow realised.

The path she’d walked, her life, her experience. It was all being copied at a terrifying rate.

“Kuk.”

She couldn’t help the groan that slipped out. The more they fought, the more she realised.

…This guy was extremely dangerous.

He could not be allowed to leave this forest.

Ivan? Iris?

No. Even they could not stop this Knight of Death. (TL: Yes, different from Death Knight)

‘This Queen has to do it.’

She had to risk her life.

Even if she had to settle for mutual destruction. She had to stop this monster.

“Cough.”

She coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Snow didn’t even bother to wipe the gushing blood. Her hair, which was always neatly arranged, began to scatter as a wind began to blow.

Whoosh!

The wind was heavy.

Just as Snow’s eyes began to fill with blue light.

Puk.

“…ah.”

She let out a soft cry.

Snow slowly lowered her head and looked down.

There, she saw what appeared to be a skeletal arm sticking out of her stomach.

[It’s nothing special.]

Diablo’s dry voice resounded.

[It’s just a simple application of the Blink spell… I moved my arm into your body. As you can see, I haven’t yet perfected the spell. After all, I can’t recall my arm.]

As he said that, Diablo waved the stump that remained of his arm, and after a while, the bones that had disappeared, soon regenerated.

[It’s not much when compared to the Black Witch’s ability to control space, but it seems to be quite useful for launching surprise attacks…]

“…”

Snow didn’t have the chance to listen to everything he said.

Her eyes had returned to the Knight in front of her.

Clang!

In a flash, the Death Knight’s sword collided with Deukid. Snow was no longer able to put any strength in her wrist.

‘I… let go of my sword…?’

Snow looked at the sword soaring into the air with a blank expression.

The Knight of Death leaped upwards.

Then it caught Deukid, which was soaring through the air.

‘—Ah.’

When she saw this scene, Snow’s heart began to pound in her chest.

Her opponent was an undead, a resurrected dead being with a suppressed ego who only followed Diablo’s commands. But when this being grasped the sword, it almost instinctively took a stance.

That was all it did, but it was enough to make Snow’s heart shake. She was deeply moved.

No. The admiration and awe that she felt at that moment far surpassed being ‘moved’.

She had feelings that one should never have for an enemy.

And those feelings…

Puk-

Didn’t disappear even as Deukid pierced her body.

She could clearly feel the cool sensation of her muscles and organs being torn.

“…”

But she didn’t scream.

The wound was by no means shallow. She could feel her strength leaving her as her vitality was greedily sucked out through the blade.

“Cough…”

[…amazing. To think that you could remain conscious after being stabbed by my ‘Heart Knight’.]

Snow didn’t respond to Diablo’s words.

To be precise, she couldn’t easily answer.

Jurk, blood continuously streamed from her mouth.

“…without a doubt… this guy… this Death Knight is…”

[…]

If Diablo had facial muscles, there would probably have been a deep smile on his face at that moment.

He clapped his boney hands together.

His finger bones clashed against each other, creating the most terrible applause in the world.

[White Supreme… I pay my respects to your achievements. There is currently no individual stronger than you on the continent. Whether it’s the Grand Master Ivan, the Black Witch Iris, the Wandering Golem Anastasia, the last Demigod Elliah… or me, the Immortal King. Even among all of the strongest beings, you alone deserve to be called the strongest.]

“…”

[It is because I acknowledged that fact that I considered you to be my greatest enemy. I decided to take the most difficult and important step first by killing you. And this has proven it… There is no longer anyone who can oppose me.]

Snow was beginning to lose consciousness.

Nevertheless, her eyes remained fixed on the Knight of Death. The Knight was looking down at Deukid in his hand, the flames in his eye sockets shining brightly.

This undead Knight in devilish armour was holding the best sword in the world.

…Contradictingly, the two seemed to be a perfect fit.

[With this, the final piece has been placed…]

Diablo let out a laugh, and the entire forest rumbled.

[Rejoice, my Knight! There are no longer any living beings in this world capable of stopping you!]

“…”

Snow watched this scene with blurred vision,

She forcibly twisted her lips into a smile.

Then, she spoke the name of the undead before her.

“…Sword King Lucid.”

[…]

“I always wanted to have a sword fight with you.”

…It had been her childhood dream.

It wasn’t just Snow. It was a dream that everyone who used a sword should have had at some point.

Clang.

Lucid walked toward Snow without a response. The sound of his metal armour clashing filled the cave.

Snow could only behold this scene through her blurry vision. Should she call him the Heart Knight now? Perhaps she should call him the Demon Sword since he was sucking all of the vitality from her body.

She couldn’t even move a finger now.

A bitter smile spread across her lips.

“It’s unfortunate.”

[…]

“I didn’t want to fight you like-”

Puk.

Her words were cut short as Lucid stabbed her with his sword once again.

“…”

Snow, who had been twitching from time to time, finally stopped moving.

And thick blood mixed with the dark water below.

(TL: Although I guessed who the Death Knight was, it’s still messed up. But then again, Necromancers always like to raise past heroes from the dead.)