The middle-aged man hopped down from the stone pillar, meticulously smoothing his disheveled hair as he walked toward the younger man.
Even in a situation like this, you're worried about being "exquisite"? How proud are you of that hair? And thanks for making me feel like a complete bystander!
Garlan realized that neither of them had noticed him lurking in the brush. The older mage, Reed, had only moved in this direction because he sensed Denken's magical signature during the struggle.
"Truly, many thanks, young man! I'm Reed. And you are?"
"Denken."
Denken's face remained as calm and cold as a winter morning.
I can't believe I'm running into Denken here... Garlan recognized him instantly.
He had only intended to scout a dragon's nest, yet he had stumbled into a chaotic pursuit and an encounter with a "familiar" face. Fate was a strange thing; perhaps that All-Knowing Goddess really was pulling the strings of destiny.
The Denken standing before him wasn't the elderly man who would eventually participate in the First-Class Mage Exam with Frieren; this was a much younger version. That exam was still thirty years away.
Thirty years—a terrifying stretch of time long enough to turn a vibrant youth into a graying man with fading ambitions. But for now, Denken's face was free of deep wrinkles, and his well-groomed brown-yellow hair still held its luster.
Only his deep, sunken eyes—eyes that seemed to have endured significant upheaval or the loss of something irreplaceable—betrayed a maturity and sorrow beyond his years. They were like a bottomless pool, hiding an ambition as predatory as a Bone-Eating Fish.
But shouldn't he be busy with imperial court affairs at this time? Why is he in the Northern Lands?
"From the way you carry yourself," Reed chattered on, "you wouldn't happen to be part of a Magic Corps, would you?"
"No. I have no affiliation with the Northern armies. I am merely passing through," Denken replied. He ignored Reed's rambling, his gaze shifting past him toward the empty distance. "Also... something troublesome is coming. Get ready."
The birds that had been chirping just a moment ago were suddenly silenced, as if someone had pressed a mute button. The entire forest fell into an unnatural, heavy stillness.
Then, it happened.
A surge of immense mana appeared in their perception almost instantaneously. Though still some distance away, Garlan felt a wave of pressure far exceeding that of the three Face-Trees. The newcomer wasn't even trying to hide.
Another monster?
This close to a dragon's territory, there shouldn't be this many wandering monsters. Garlan cursed the guild map again; it was clearly a piece of junk.
SWISH—!
Two brilliant pillars of light tore through the sky like falling stars, streaking toward the two mages. The sheer power of the attack caused Garlan's hand to tremble against his weapon.
He was afraid.
Since his reincarnation, this was the first time Garlan felt a primal, bone-chilling terror. His heightened senses were screaming at him to flee, their internal alarms flashing red.
CRASH! CRASH!
Thanks to Denken's warning, Reed reacted just in time. He manifested a defensive spell, causing massive slabs of rock to erupt from the earth. The stone wall shielded them, absorbing the impact of the light beams, but as the dust settled, deep cracks spider-webbed across the thick barrier.
With just a single, likely probing attack, the defense was already on the verge of collapse.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, human mages."
A figure emerged from the shadows. He was a man with horns, draped in an ornate, gold-trimmed silk robe. His footsteps were light and silent. Though his face bore a kind, gentle smile, it felt utterly devoid of emotion. His hollow, pitch-black pupils made it feel as though one were staring into the eyes of a cold, wooden puppet.
He stopped a short distance away and offered a polite, gentlemanly bow.
"I am the Great Demon Zaras. I am a friendly individual who wishes to become your companion. Please, treat me well."
"Friendly? Your actions lack the sincerity of someone looking to make friends," Denken said. His face remained stoic, but the slight narrowing of his eyes revealed his tension.
This demon was strong. His mana reservoir was vast, causing an instinctive unease to swell in anyone nearby.
Zaras... I've never heard of this demon. Is he an undiscovered Great Demon?
No. Garlan knew better. "Undiscovered" didn't mean unknown; it meant everyone who had ever seen him was dead. There were no survivors to tell the tale.
This just went from a scouting mission to a Hell-tier boss fight. Compared to this guy, a Red Mirror Dragon is a baby in a stroller. Garlan realized that staying to "eat popcorn" was becoming a life-threatening decision.
"The Northern armies have been hunting the remnants of the Demon King's forces," Denken said slowly, stepping forward to shield Reed. "A Magic Corps went missing in the ruins outside Moonfall City. The reinforcements only found a massive crater and lingering mana. That was your doing, wasn't it?"
Reed was breathing heavily, trying to stabilize his ruffled mana. That one impact had nearly shattered his internal flow. Having used forty percent of his mana on the Face-Trees, facing this unknown Great Demon was suicide.
"Well, battle is the fastest way to understand a person, is it not? Their habits, their likes, their fears—all are laid bare in the heat of conflict. It is truly beautiful." Zaras seemed intoxicated by his own words, raising his hands as if conducting a silent orchestra.
"So you killed them all?"
"To kill them is to understand them more deeply. Is that not logical?"
"Demons truly are nothing more than unreasonable beasts."
FLASH—
A blinding beam of light exploded from Denken's staff. He launched the attack mid-sentence—a ruthless, pragmatic move that was very much in character.
Zaras, however, remained unfazed. He stood with his hands behind his back, smiling as he faced the high-caliber spell.
BOOM!
The attack slammed into a massive mana shield in front of Zaras. The sheer density of the demon's mana brought the spell to a dead stop until it dissipated into nothingness. Not a speck of dust on Zaras's robe was disturbed.
"[Judgement Light Magic]!"
Denken didn't pause to think. He immediately pivoted, unleashing a barrage of star-like projectiles from the shield's blind spots. He knew these tricks wouldn't finish the demon, but he had to find a gap. This was likely the second most dangerous opponent he had ever faced.
As for the first? There was no doubt. It was his childhood teacher, the man who turned Weise into the "City of Gold"—the strongest of the Seven Sages of Destruction, Macht of El Dorado.
___
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