Embracing Magic - E.M Chapter 102 (Part 2)
His ears were still ringing, but he dashed westward. A structure came into view, and he used Fly to lift himself into the air.
As he flew, he sensed movement behind him. Glancing back, he saw a group of about ten mages in robes chasing after him.
‘Not an easy bunch.’
The group consisted of one 6th-circle mage, three 5th-circle mages, and several 4th-circle mages—a formidable lineup.
‘Are they from one of the Four Great Magic Towers?’
The mages following him were all highly skilled.
In the Western Continent, mages above 5th-circle were rare to encounter, even in times of large-scale wars. Yet, they were coming after him in droves. Still, he felt he could manage against them.
‘But the real threat lies elsewhere.’
He had sensed a powerful presence at the entrance—someone whose magical power surpassed his own.
‘At least a 7th-circle mage. I won’t win if I fight.’
Even in a one-on-one, his chances were slim, and the enemy had subordinates. If he got surrounded while fighting a 7th-circle mage, the outcome was obvious.
Of course, he could easily deal with them by summoning his combat dolls, Karis and Jena. It would take only a few minutes to finish the battle.
But he didn’t want to reveal his trump cards just yet.
‘Still, the power of my spells has grown significantly.’
Thinking back, even Thunder Storm had been far stronger than anticipated. The destructive force of Flame Strike and Vacuum Explosion had also exceeded his expectations.
Swoosh!
A spell shot toward him from behind. Rodin erected an Ice Barrier and kept running.
Crack!
The 3rd-circle defense spell shattered under the attack.
Rodin didn’t pay any attention to the destruction behind him. His priority was putting as much distance as possible between himself and the 7th-circle mage.
Bzzt…
Once again, he felt a surge of magic gathering from behind. With so many of them, they seemed to be taking turns casting spells.
“Annoying. Fire Wall.”
Rodin conjured a wall of fire in his wake. If it could slow down his pursuers even slightly, it would be a success.
“Damn it.”
The 6th-circle and 5th-circle mages easily leaped over the fire using Fly. It didn’t delay them for even a moment.
However, the 4th-circle mages couldn’t ignore the Fire Wall.
They countered with water-based spells to extinguish the flames, but that slight delay gave Rodin a bit more distance.
“Gravity, Fire Ring, Ice Ring, Chain Lightning.”
Next, he cast a series of spells, including one that increased gravity. As the enemy passed through, he unleashed a barrage of 4th-circle magic.
Boom, boom, boom!
‘Nice.’
The 4th-circle magic left a minor wound on one of the enemy’s 5th-circle mages. Though it wasn’t a severe injury, it was enough to slow their pursuit.
‘They’ll catch up soon, though.’
Still, he had widened the gap, so it wasn’t a bad move.
He had plenty of magic power left. Although he was a 6th-circle mage, his mana capacity exceeded that of a grand mage. Casting 4th-circle spells continuously didn’t put a dent in his reserves.
“You think you’ll escape?”
“Hmm.”
The 6th-circle mage was relentlessly chasing him, maintaining the distance between them from the beginning.
Rodin didn’t bother looking back. There was no need to reveal his face.
‘But casting 6th-circle spells is still awkward.’
He had come to Moord wasteland shortly after reaching the 6th-circle. He hadn’t had time to become fully accustomed to it yet. Despite being a mage, he had little experience casting 6th-circle spells.
‘But I’ll use it anyway.’
Chanting in runes, Rodin formed hand signs within his sleeves. It didn’t take long to complete the 6th-circle spell.
“Ice Breath.”
A freezing blast shot out behind him. He felt the pursuer hesitate as they encountered the extreme cold.
Even a 6th-circle mage couldn’t ignore a spell of the same level. They couldn’t easily block it and had to stop to cast a defensive spell.
‘Your moving casting is sloppy.’
The enemy couldn’t cast high-level spells while moving. It was either a lack of proficiency in moving casting or poor combat instincts.
‘Got it.’
With one 6th-circle spell, he had gained significant distance. As long as the 7th-circle mage didn’t appear, he wouldn’t get caught.
‘There’s the mountain.’
The mountain provided plenty of places to hide.
The tall, thick trees, scattered rocks, and uneven terrain—all of it favored someone fleeing.
‘Perfect.’
He sped up and entered deep into Mount Sorian, completely evading his pursuers’ sight.
“Hmm, but I need to head west.”
In his haste to escape those guarding the tunnel entrance, he had fled eastward. As he ran, he remembered Mount Sorian and figured he could shake off the pursuers there.
That judgment had been spot on. He had slowed the pursuers with magic and disappeared into the mountain, escaping their notice.
However, the Richmond Marquisate was located west of the Moord wasteland. If he wanted to return home, he would have to change direction.
“Jito, change my clothes. Remember that noble outfit we saw in the magic item shop? Change into that.”
—”Kkueng.”
The gray robe Rodin had been wearing transformed into the luxurious attire of a noble. His hood was down, fully revealing his face.
“I will Limit my magic to 4th-circle only.”
He concealed two of his magic circles using Hide Circle, a spell he had improved in the past. Back when he was a 3rd-circle mage, he had even fooled a 6th-circle chairman with this spell.
“Karis, Jena.”
[We greet the master.]
[We’re glad you’re safe, master.]
Karis was formal and heavy, while Jena was polite but cheerful.
“From now on, call me ‘Young Lord.’ You know why, right?”
[Yes, master.]
[Got it, Young Lord.]
Rodin pulled out the camping gear he needed from his subspace bracelet. He packed everything into the space-expanding backpack he carried, placing it down on the ground. Kicking it a few times to dirty it up a bit, he created the appearance of someone who had been camping for a while.
He had seamlessly transformed into someone prepared for camping. His pursuers would remember him in his robe, so they wouldn’t think of him as the same person now.
“Shall we begin?”
[Where are you heading?]
“I’m not going anywhere. We’re camping here.”
Rodin nonchalantly gathered some branches from the surrounding area. Using magic, he lit a fire, illuminating the area.
There wasn’t a hint of urgency or fear in his movements.
Karis and Jena, being combat dolls without fear, also sat nearby with calm expressions.
Rodin lit the campfire, crawled into his sleeping bag, and lay down. Since there was no camping equipment for Karis and Jena, they stayed seated, keeping watch.
[Young Lord.]
“Shh!”
Rodin suddenly felt someone approaching from deep within the mountain. His body stiffened the moment he sensed them.
‘Damn it. This can’t be. An 8th-circle mage?’