21st Century Archmage

Sitting in my exclusive training hall under Nerman Castle, a room hundreds of meters large fortified by a defensive magic array, I concentrated while assuming mana breathing position. I was trying my best to recall the feeling of the 7th Circle magic I experienced when I was hit by Wind Storm. I tried to imagine those dense, intricate mana molecules, but it wasn't as easy as I thought.

'I have to cultivate my skills more.'

The Bajran Empire's strength might be fractured, but the Laviter Empire's forces were still whole. They had recklessly barged into Nerman and suffered a blow, but I was sure the top empire of the continent had strength to spare. Also, the magic towers wouldn't stay still either. Of course they wouldn't, when we had committed a mass slaughter of their precious mage Skyknights. They were people who lived and died on pride. It was possible that the Tower Masters of each magic tower would participate in the next invasion.

'I have to break the wall of the 7th Circle.'

The news of the war between the Bajran Empire and the kingdoms kept flying in. There must have been a lot of pent-up resentment, because the kingdoms charged onto empire territory without hesitation. Of course, the Empire didn't take that sitting down, either. I might have dealt them a jaw-breaking blow, but their dormant power was more than enough to fight back against the three, or rather, with Krantz included, the four kingdoms. Bajran lost a considerable amount of territory, but in the last few weeks, the war had reached a stalemate.

In the meantime, I tended to the territory's internal stability. We secured greater food stability by harvesting the spring wheat and focused on the education of Skyknights to make up for our lacking numbers as quickly as possible. Unlike the other empires and kingdoms, we were able to make up for their inadequate skills with the performance of our spears.

But the problem was me. If it weren't for the 7th Circle mage's carelessness, I could have died a miserable death, an absolute humiliation for a disciple of the 8th Circle Archmage Aidal whose name was famous across the continent.

I gritted my teeth and continued to fight with magic.

'It was a bit more dense and intricate. Mana molecules were fusing organically, like a polymer structure.'

The 7th Circle mana molecules were vivid in my mind. I might have reached the 7th Circle when it came to mana quantity, but that was only quantity. Like the difference between a pig iron sword and a steel sword, my 6th Circle magic was incredibly lacking.

'I definitely felt it…'

Despite being in a deadly crisis, the 7th Circle magic had enraptured me with its marvelous might.

Whiiiiir.

When I thought of the 7th Circle, my mana core activated automatically.

'Wind Storm's mana formula is…'

The mana sequence came unbidden as soon as I thought about the formula. Magic was the manifestation of one's will, and those complicated, drawing-like formulas had to be clearly understood in order to manifest them. Like 1 plus 1, formulas upon formulas filled my mind.

For the first time, I was challenging a 7th Circle magic formula, which I hadn't done before for fear that my mana core might collapse.

Without even realizing it, the formulas of Wind Storm clearly came together in my mind. The higher a spell went in circles, the more energy it would draw from other elements. It might be wind magic, but the spell formula could only be completed by organizing earth, water, and fire formulas. As if I were memorizing a spell, the spell formula settled into place and continued assembling itself without my bidding.

Whirr, whirr, whirr.

As the formula neared completion, more and more intricate mana molecules that went beyond my limits mixed in with the mana in my core.

'Urgh!'

When the mana in the mana core at my waist grew insufficient to sustain the spell, the mana residing in my middle and upper dantians rapidly flowed out. It was then that I snapped back to consciousness.

'I-I have to stop it!'

I regained consciousness, but my unconscious will had brought the spell formula to near completion. The magic knowledge Master had planted in my head hurtled forward like a train with broken brakes, resisting my will.

Whirr! Whirr! Whiirr! Whirrrr! Whirrr!

After passing my limits, the overloaded mana made my circles vibrate like they were going to explode.

Snap, snap, snap.

And then, I felt my veins snapping. Once there wasn't enough mana in my mana core, the spell went from drawing not only from my upper and middle danjeons, but also the mana flowing in every vein in my body, propelling it urgently into my core.

'Guh!'

Despite the agonizing pain, my mouth wouldn't open. As uncontrollable mana rampaged in my body, the possibility that my formerly obedient mana core could collapse flashed through my mind.

Bzzzzzzzzzzzt.

It didn't end there. When the yin-attribute mana melted in my mana core grew insufficient, my core began to suck in the surrounding mana.

Whirr, bzzzzzzzzzzt.

'This crazy little!'

It was my body, but it felt like my body was taken over by some other consciousness. Sparks began to fly from my body, which had no airplate on. I'd taken it off, so as to not interfere with my magic training.

Bzzzzzzzzt, bzzzzzzzzzzzzzt.

The mana in the air must have been insufficient, because mana bristling with sparks rushed in from the nearby walls and was sucked towards my body like some scene in a manhwa.

'I-It can't be!'

And at that moment, a certain thought struck me. Right now, a Grade 1 magic crystal was fortifying the castle walls and my mansion with defensive magic so powerful that even 7th Circle magic could not penetrate it. I felt the same mana imprint I'd sensed from that Grade 1 crystal in the mana that was getting sucked towards me. It was an extraordinary phenomenon that even Master's compendium of magic knowledge had no record of. I could only watch blankly, powerless to lift a single finger.

At some point, like the collision and fusion of atoms in a nuclear explosion, my unconscious will completed the construction of the 7th Circle spell formula. With a ringing shock, my entire body fell into a state of resonance.

'Argh! I can't die like this!'

Dismay and bitter chagrin flowed into me like the rising tide. I made it through so much to achieve this paradise. A little more, just a little more, and nobody on the Kallian Continent would be able to make light of me. After that, I was going to dance, party, and make love every day with the women who loved me, but I was dying because of this uncontrolled magic.

'Nghh!'

In my mana core and my surroundings was an enormous amount of mana, fused into a spherical shape. It was brain-dead obvious that if that ball burst, my body would be erased without a single trace.

Flash!

The unconscious will that had completed the spell formula on its own was like a living creature. The thing was finally ready to wreak hell. It was ready to activate the Wind Storm that had been formed in front of me as I watched helplessly with my own two eyes.

'Mommyyy! I'm coming to youuuuuuu!!!!!!!'

I screwed my eyes shut. It was all or nothing, sink or swim. Gathering the last of my strength, I shouted at the mana that was filling my body to bursting point.

"WIND! STORM~!!!!!!!!!"

When I shouted the incantation, my mouth miraculously opened.

ZIIIIIIIIIIING!

As my unconscious and conscious wills fused, a tremendous wave of mana surged in the air.

Flash! Whoooooooooosh!

The wave of blue light stung my eyes. And then, an incredible maelstrom of mana appeared in my line of sight.

Craaaaaash!

It was a big room, but the underground chamber was still closed off on all sides. The next thing I knew, there was a boom so loud I thought my eardrums would burst.

KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

"Argh!"

With a flash of blue light, blades of wind filled the several-hundred-meter-large space.

Fwip fwip fwip!

The bricks protected by a Grade 1 magic crystal were sliced into shards by maelstrom. It felt like, in that moment, there was nothing the 7th Circle Wind Storm could not cut.

Whiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiir!

'Urk!'

I was dumbly watching the 7th Circle Magic I had somehow ended up casting, when suddenly, I felt the pain of my mana core being ripped apart.

Whirrrrr, whirrrrrr, whirrrrrrr!

And then, as if being reformed from the ground up, the circles of my mana core formed into rings one by one.

One, two, three… five, six…

Zing!

'S-Seven!!!!'

There was one unfamiliar circle around my waist.

'The 7th Circle~! The 7th Circle… I finally made it!'

I couldn't believe it. From this unexpected crisis, came a baffling joy.

"Haha, hahahahahahahahahahaha!"

My mouth opened, laughter spilling from me.

I had once again achieved enlightenment. My entire body shook with indescribable happiness.

'Uhahaha! I'm a genius after all!'

Who in the world would have thought that someone not even twenty-years-old could become a 7th Circle mage? Even Master, hailed by the world as a genius of magic, would only come to my feet.

'Heh, just pray you don't get caught by me now. You're all toast!'

Just like the core muscles at a wrestler's waist, the seven rings at my waist were the source of my strength as well. Now, I had nothing to fear. Even at the moment I ascended to the 7th Circle, I had a huge amount of mana that put me on a different level from other 7th Circle mages, so much that, for a moment, I almost wanted to try my hand at fighting one of the dragons that had ruled the continent in ancient times.

"T-That Garvit dares… arghh."

Having suffered a blow from the sudden declaration of war from the kingdoms and the raid by the Nerman's Lord, Poltviran's mad eyes gleamed with hatred. Lumikars had already been sent three times, but Duke Garvit blatantly defied the Emperor's command. Or rather, he just holed up in his territory without a single response.

"Your Majesty, you must send reinforcements immediately. According to the urgent report from Fort Halberk, the Andain Kingdom has sent Skyknights as reinforcements to aid the Kerpe Kingdom army. If Fort Halberk falls, it is merely a two-day distance by wyvern to the capital."

"Your Majesty, you must send soldiers to the territories that refuse to participate and show them Your Majesty's might! It is said that there are already lords fleeing from the battlefield. They must be regulated at once!"

"The Kuviran Kingdom army and the Krantz forces are advancing on the castle of Marquis Pepeon. Without the cooperation of Duke Garvit and the 9th Regiment, it will be difficult to defend the castle!"

For a while, it seemed as if each battlefront had reached a standstill. But as if to show off their teamwork, the kingdoms combined their strength and doubled down on the Empire's defense lines. The Empire had much land to defend, and the kingdom armies took advantage of that to concentrate their forces. They aimed for territories that had dispatched their knights and soldiers to the defense of Bajran elsewhere and committed concentrated massacres at the villages and towns. Faced with those violent attacks, there were lords who fled the battlefield out of fear.

No matter how important the Emperor's command might be, their families and entire fortunes were in their territories. Unable to bear that the enemies were targeting their territories because they were participating in the Emperor's army, some lords took personal action. As the Bajran army fractured, the kingdom armies even resorted to guerilla tactics. Using the quick mobility wyverns afforded them, they flew deep into empire territory to slaughter wyvern flights and soldiers that were still in the middle of assembling.

"Shut up, shut up!!!!!"

Poltviran screamed at the nobles that were buzzing at him like a swarm of bees.

"……"

The Imperial Throne Room immediately fell into pinprick silence. There was no knowing where the Emperor's sparks would fly next. Everyone went stock still, watching carefully for the Emperor's reaction.

"Count Silveron."

"I am at your service, Your Majesty."

"From today onwards, We will appoint you to the rank of marquis, so handle all of the matters regarding the war in Our stead!"

"Ah!"

"T-That's…!"

Among all the dukes that had followed the Emperor into battle for the subjugation of Nerman, the only one who returned alive was Duke Ormere, who had been kept as a prisoner and returned two days ago with a crippled leg. Duke Garvit was shutting himself up in his territory, and Duke Pernike and Duke Jeportyne had lost their lives to the spears of Nerman knights, so none of them could support the Emperor. With all of the Empire's so-called pillars absent, the highest ranking nobles were the marquises. Among them, only the Tower Master of the Imperial Magic Tower and three other marquises were left in the capital.

But to everyone's shock, someone who had been a viscount until very recently was appointed a marquis peerage, and one vested with the authority of the Emperor, the head and executive commander of the war.

"I shall carry out Your Majesty's imperial mandate with my life!"

Silveron had waited and longed for this day. He lowered his head to the ground, accepting the Emperor's decree.

"My head hurts, so I will rest now. All of you, obey Marquis Silveron's commands and faithfully guard the Empire."

"B-By your will."

No one dared to complain in front of the Emperor, who was clutching his throbbing head with a scowl. Every noble gathered in the throne room bowed.

As the Emperor left, guarded by Imperial Knights, the nobles watched him go with complicated gazes.

"Huhuhu…" Once the Emperor was gone, the kneeling Silveron stood up with a smile of satisfaction. "You heard it. From this moment forth, I shall give my commands in the name of one who has been granted the authority by His Majesty the Emperor."

Up until moments ago, Silveron was merely a count with an empty title who had achieved the rank by clinging to the Emperor's power. However, his voice had changed.

"……"

The nobles looked bitterly at Silveron in silence.

"First of all, we will send the surviving wyverns of the 4th Regiment assigned to the Eastern Corps to Fort Halberk. Also…"

As Silveron relished the power the Emperor had given him, his voice booming out with confidence, the nobles in the room directed looks of envy or derision at him.

In that manner, the Bajran court began to crumble from the inside.

Enemies were gnawing away at the Empire's territory outside, but failing to cope with that, the nobles were falling into a new power struggle.