The Dark Mage Of The Magus World-Chapter 129 - 130: Perilous Pursuit

Hutson sprinted through the dense underbrush, his every sense focused on the crimson hand looming above, ready to strike at any moment. He held his breath, timing his next Flash with precision—too early, and Malcolm would simply adjust the attack’s trajectory. Too late, and he’d be crushed.

From above, Malcolm observed his prey with mild amusement.

"Not bad. He’s faster than I expected."

Lifting his hand, Malcolm traced several glowing runes in the air, his lips moving in a whispered incantation.

"Crimson Bind."

The moment the words left his mouth, a towering wall of blood-red energy erupted before Hutson, sealing his escape route. His eyes darted around—the entire area was now enclosed, trapped beneath a massive scarlet dome.

A chuckle echoed from above.

"Got you, little insect."

Hutson clenched his fists, launching a full-powered punch at the blood wall. The entire barrier shuddered, but it held firm, unyielding beneath the force of his strike.

Malcolm raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You’re stronger than I thought."

His curiosity deepened. Hutson had already displayed impressive agility and reaction speed. Now, raw strength.

The crimson hand above finally solidified, descending once more.

Hutson’s body tensed. Flash had to be timed perfectly.

AI chip monitored the blood hand’s trajectory, calculating its approach down to the millisecond. Just before it struck—he vanished.

With a flicker of displaced air, Hutson reappeared several meters away.

The blood hand crashed into the earth, splitting the ground with a deafening impact.

Malcolm’s eyes gleamed with intrigue.

"That wasn’t luck."

He stroked his chin, musing aloud.

"Dodging once is chance. But twice, with such perfect precision? Now, that is interesting."

A sorcerer apprentice avoiding two consecutive strikes from a fully ranked sorcerer? Unheard of.

But Malcolm was not one to waste time marveling.

Extending his fingers, he conjured something new—a massive bone spear crackling with ominous energy.

Then, in an instant, it vanished.

Hutson barely had time to process before AI chip registered an overwhelming magical fluctuation.

No direction. No warning. Only a single, terrifying realization—the attack was already upon him.

He didn’t hesitate. Flash.

A thunderous crack split the air.

Where he had stood, the bone spear had impaled the earth, embedding itself deep into the shattered rock.

Malcolm let out a breath, his smile widening.

"Oh, you’re definitely hiding something."

He studied Hutson with predatory intent.

"No ordinary third-tier apprentice could still be using spells after this long. Your mana reserves should have been long exhausted."

A pause. Then, his eyes narrowed.

"And more than that... you sense my attacks before they come. Is that a talent of yours?"

His fingers twitched.

"Let’s see how many more times you can do it."

Another blood hand coalesced above.

Hutson felt his heart sink. His mana had reached its limit—only enough for one last Flash.

He had two options:

Drink a mana-restoring potion.Try to dodge Malcolm’s next strike without magic.

Neither was viable.

There was no time. Every attack landed within a fraction of a second. Drinking a potion mid-battle was impossible.

The blood hand struck.

Hutson activated his final Flash, vanishing one last time.

But as he reappeared, he was already pulling a Stabilizing Mind Elixir from his satchel, desperately trying to consume it—

Too slow.

A third blood hand came down before he could drink.

Shatter.

His Absolute Defense crumbled, and the impact sent him crashing to the ground.

Pain exploded through his ribs—cracked. Maybe broken.

Blood filled his mouth as he forced himself up—

Too late.

Another blood hand followed immediately, smashing into his body.

This time, his bones shattered. His vision blurred as pain wracked his body, his internal organs groaning under the force.

If not for the enhancement spells reinforcing his physique, he would have died instantly.

Malcolm landed lightly nearby, tilting his head.

"You’re still alive?"

Even he was genuinely surprised.

A typical third-tier apprentice would have been crushed into paste by now. Yet, Hutson endured.

Malcolm crossed his arms, considering.

"Perhaps I should keep your body intact after all. You might be worth studying."

Hutson lay motionless, pain radiating from every nerve in his body.

This was it.

There was no mana left to fight. No potions he could drink in time. No reinforcements arriving fast enough.

Death was inevitable.

Then—

The ground shook.

A deep, guttural rumble echoed through the battlefield.

Malcolm frowned, his senses sharpening.

All around them, trees began to sprout violently from the earth, their roots surging upward like living tendrils, tearing through the crimson barriers Malcolm had erected.

Beneath Hutson, the ground trembled. Something was moving below.

With what little strength he had, Hutson forced his eyes open.

AI chip’s sensor readings flickered in his mind.

Something was coming.

From beneath the earth, a giant root system surged toward him—like a hunter closing in on its prey.

Hutson lay motionless, his body broken and drained of all strength.

He had no idea what this massive root was or whether it meant salvation or doom. Was it an enemy? A hidden predator? Or... something else?

Yet, in his current state, he had no choice.

The twisting root tendril erupted from beneath the earth, unfurling with an eerie, unnatural grace. At its tip, a bud-shaped flower quivered, then bloomed in an instant—engulfing him.

Before he could react, the root contracted violently, dragging him downward into the earth.

Darkness swallowed him whole.

Inside the plant’s embrace, the petal-like chamber was thick with a viscous, gel-like fluid. It coated his skin, seeping into his wounds.

A strange sensation coursed through his body.

"...This isn’t just fluid. It’s healing me."

The substance worked instantly, stopping his bleeding and accelerating his body’s recovery.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye.

Above, Malcolm lashed out. His blood hand slammed into the ground, fingers clawing for his prey—but it was too late.

The only thing left was a gaping hole, plunging into the earth’s depths.

Malcolm’s expression darkened.

Then, a new voice cut through the silence.

"Malcolm. Are you trying to start a war?"

High above, standing upon the outstretched branch of a colossal tree, was Barty—his robes billowing in the wind, eyes sharp and unreadable.

Beside him stood Felid, his face tense as he took in the scene below.

A vine curled toward them, carrying a single blossom at its tip.

The flower quivered—then spat out a figure.

Hutson.

Soaked in translucent healing fluid, his wounds still raw, he collapsed onto the ground, unable to move.

"Hutson!" Felid rushed to his side, swiftly pulling out a vial of Whitefresh Elixir and carefully pouring it over his battered body. The healing magic surged through him, dulling the pain, stabilizing his injuries.

Malcolm’s eyes burned with fury as he gazed at Hutson, his voice low and seething.

"He was involved in my brother’s death. Hand him over."

Barty’s lips curled into a cold smile.

"And what if he was?" His tone was utterly indifferent. "Let’s say he did kill your brother. So what?"

A slow step forward.

"You want him?" Barty’s voice grew sharper. "Then come take him—if you think you can. But be prepared... because if you do, you’d better be ready to start a war."

There was no hesitation in his words. No fear.

Malcolm’s expression twisted into something vicious, furious... but restrained.

If he had been at full strength, this would have been a different battle.

But he wasn’t. His wounds from his last confrontation had yet to fully heal. Barty knew it. And so did he.

More than that—this was Moonlight Grove’s territory. If he started a battle here, reinforcements would come swiftly.

And if they arrived... he wouldn’t be leaving alive.

Malcolm’s fingers twitched as his eyes flicked once more to Hutson’s collapsed form.

His voice dropped into a dangerous whisper.

"You’d best never leave Moonlight Grove, insect."