My System Just Exploded, And You Ask Me to Become a God?-Chapter 40 --Death of the Three Archmages

"Stop!"

The First Duke Mington’s eyes lit up with surprise as he turned toward the voice.

"Ironchain! You’re finally here!"

"Quick... save me!"

"Ironchain?"

The First Grand Duke Ilan’s expression instantly turned grim.

He looked over and saw a burly middle-aged man standing not far away.

The man was clad in black armor, radiating the powerful aura of an Archmage.

"It’s Grand Duke Ironchain!"

Headmaster Simar cried out in shock.

"He... he actually came too!"

"This... this is the end..."

With the arrival of yet another archmage, the faint glimmer of morale that had just begun to rise collapsed instantly.

At this moment, Ilan Royal Academy was facing a siege from three archmages—it was practically on the brink of destruction.

Even the mighty First Grand Duke Ilan couldn’t hope to take on all three by himself.

Grand Duke Ilan glared fiercely at Ironchain and shouted angrily:

"Ironchain, are you turning against me as well?!"

"No, no, I’d rather not make an enemy out of a brute like you!"

Ironchain’s response brought a slight sigh of relief to the crowd.

But then, his voice turned cold.

"However... I’m here for the Dark Chain lost by our Ironchain Principality.

And it’s currently in your possession."

"As long as you hand over the Dark Chain, I won’t make you my enemy."

But as he said this, Grand Duke Ilan’s face darkened even further.

Was he joking? How could he possibly have the Dark Chain?

To Grand Duke Ilan, Ironchain’s words were nothing but provocation.

He was clearly stirring up trouble on purpose!

"Enough talk. If you want to fight, then let’s fight!

But before that—I’ll slaughter every last student of your Ilan Royal Academy!"

The moment those words fell, despair once again blanketed the faces of the students.

Ironchain didn’t hesitate. He began casting a high-rank spell immediately.

Dark elements gathered in the air, forming a suffocating, overwhelming magical force, once again looming over the academy.

"Die!"

With a furious roar, Ironchain released the spell!

Boom!

A massive wave of magic power crashed down like a torrential waterfall, slamming toward Ilan Royal Academy.

Everyone thought it was over.

But in that critical moment, a faint voice rang out:

"Mana Void Domain."

The voice wasn’t loud, but it echoed clearly in everyone’s ears.

Then, a miraculous scene unfolded.

The high-rank magic that had been crashing down suddenly began to dissipate—rapidly, visibly—

as if it were being swallowed by something unseen.

"Wha... what’s going on?!"

Ironchain’s eyes widened in disbelief.

The high-rank spell he was so proud of... was simply gone?

Hovering in the air, the old woman from the Pyrothian Kingdom was also stunned.

"What... what kind of spell is this?"

"Why can’t I sense any magic elements at all?"

Everyone present was thrown into a state of utter shock.

They had never seen magic so strange and terrifying!

"It’s... it’s a high-rank anti-magic spell!"

Headmaster Simar said with a trembling voice, his eyes filled with emotion.

"This... this is a legendary spell!"

"Only a mage with absolute mastery over elemental control could cast such a thing!"

"Could it be that our academy... has such a terrifying figure hiding among us?"

Even Grand Duke Ilan was stunned.

He stared blankly at the vanishing magical energy, his heart in turmoil.

A high-rank anti-magic spell?

Impossible!

Even he himself couldn’t cast magic of that caliber!

Could it be... there was someone hidden in the academy, someone even stronger than him?

Just as everyone stood frozen in shock, a black figure slowly appeared in the sky.

This figure was cloaked in a wide, dark robe, its face completely obscured.

But everyone could feel a tremendous pressure radiating from him.

It was so intense, they could barely breathe.

"Rogue Thief Kid!"

Headmaster Simar gasped in disbelief.

"He... he’s actually an archmage?!"

"This... this can’t be true..."

"He’s just... just..."

Simar was rambling incoherently.

He couldn’t believe that this man, Joad, was the same Rogue Thief Kid who had once beaten him up.

A swirl of emotions surged in his heart—shock, confusion, and... a faint trace of fear.

"W-who are you... really?"

The old woman from Pyrothian Kingdom asked with a trembling voice, her eyes full of terror.

She could feel the dreadful magical pressure emanating from Joad.

Joad didn’t answer. He simply raised his hand slowly.

Instantly, the old woman felt a deadly threat hanging over her and cried out in panic:

"W-what are you doing?!"

"I’m from the Pyrothian Kingdom!"

"If you kill me, you’ll be declaring war on the entire kingdom!"

Joad still didn’t speak.

He simply snapped his fingers.

In the very next instant, the old woman’s body was torn apart by a terrifying burst of mind power!

...

Gasps echoed throughout the battlefield.

Everyone stared in horror at the black-cloaked figure, their hearts filled with dread.

Instant kill.

An archmage... had been slain in an instant!

This was beyond terrifying.

"That... that was silent casting! Only someone with affinity level 9 can do that!"

"My gods! He... he’s really..."

Someone shouted in disbelief.

"Affinity level 9?!"

"How... how can that be?!"

No one could believe it.

That this man, Joad, actually wielded such monstrous power.

"Run!"

Someone screamed, and the attackers who had been besieging the academy scattered like frightened rats.

They were utterly broken—fighting spirit gone.

Joad let out a cold snort and slowly raised his hand again.

Then clenched it gently.

"Ahhh—no!"

"Spare us—!"

One by one, the fleeing enemies screamed in agony.

An invisible force bound their bodies, rendering them immobile.

Then their bodies began to swell, like balloons being inflated—

Boom! Boom!

With a series of muffled explosions, they all burst into clouds of blood mist.

Hiss...

Everyone watching shuddered in fear once again.

They looked at Joad like he was a devil incarnate.

"You... what do you want?!"

Grand Duke Ironchain asked, his voice trembling.

All his courage had been utterly crushed.

Joad said nothing, simply walked toward him.

Ironchain panicked, shouting in fear:

"No... don’t come any closer!"

"I... I’m the Grand Duke of the Ironchain Principality!"

"You can’t kill me!"

Still, Joad didn’t answer.

He simply snapped his fingers again.

In an instant, all the magic elements in Ironchain’s body vanished without a trace.

Even his Heart of Mana withered into uselessness.

Nearby, the First Duke Mington was already on the verge of death, having been beaten within an inch of his life by Grand Duke Ilan.

Coughing up blood, he glared at Ilan and roared bitterly:

"Why... why even now do you still have backup?!"

"We had three archmages... and yet we still lost!"

Grand Duke Ilan couldn’t be happier.

Even though he had no clue who this "Rogue Thief Kid" truly was, one thing was clear—he was a friend, not a foe.

After all, hadn’t the faculty and students of Ilan Royal Academy been beaten up by this guy plenty of times, yet never truly harmed?

Maybe those beatings were just his way of encouraging them!

In the end, amid Duke Mington’s pained screams, this mighty archmage died at the hands of Grand Duke Ilan.

As for Ironchain, Joad toyed with him like a cat playing with a mouse...

Until finally, he pulled out the Dark Chain.

And with Ironchain’s eyes wide in disbelief, Joad ended his life with ease.