The Great Mage Returns After 4000 Years-Chapter 608Book 2

Had there ever been a time when sixty-nine Lords gathered in one place?

No.

At least, as far as Residue, the former Lightning God knew, such an event had never happened. There were only a few universes capable of encompassing such beings. At most, a similar number might gather when the [Council of Absolutes] convened to discuss an agenda with universal implications in a 'top universe'. But historically, even that had never occurred.

And now, Residue was witnessing a scene perhaps rarer than the full attendance of the Council.

This city,

A small city that could barely accommodate a million people, was densely packed with Absolutes, gathered close enough to be taken in at a glance.

Their gazes were fixed on Residue as if locked in place. Residue, too, took in their appearances.

Symetra had stated that the total number of Lords gathered here was sixty-nine, but the count Residue had confirmed was fifty.

So were the remaining nineteen hiding? Or was the number sixty-nine a lie to begin with? If so, were more of them concealed, or had the number been inflated as mere bluffing…?

…There were quite a few familiar faces.

For beings at the level of Lords, it was only natural that Residue, in his days as the Lightning God, had taken note of them at least once.

However, among them, there were some he was seeing for the first time. They might have merely altered their appearances… but who knew? It wasn’t a good sign. Residue had no way of discerning the powers of those whose faces he did not recognize.

“Phew…”

Symetra slowly exhaled. It wasn’t a sigh but a deep breath.

At the same time, one of her knees bent. Her eyelids gradually lowered over her eyes, and soon, a radiance akin to moonlight began to emanate from her body.

A stream of light extended from the crown of her head toward the Absolutes. As if accustomed to it, they accepted the connection.

"……."

It was undoubtedly one of Symetra’s powers, 'Shared Perception'. Normally, this was an ability she used only on the divine beasts she raised.

Residue was surprised twice, once upon seeing Symetra use it on the Absolutes, and once more at how they accepted it without hesitation. He then realized her role in this battle.

Symetra would not personally take part in the fight. Instead, she would focus entirely on grasping the battle’s progress and directing it.

At that moment, the presence of half of the fifty Absolutes disappeared. Just as Residue was about to pinpoint their locations precisely, the remaining half amplified their presence even further.

Kwaaaah!

At least ten Absolutes charged toward Residue. Their force was so immense that it was difficult to perceive with the naked eye.

They had abandoned their physical forms, clashing against Residue as transcendental entities. But that was not all. Their charge was also highly coordinated. A dozen or so Absolutes filled Residue’s field of vision, advancing shoulder to shoulder like a well-organized cavalry unit.

An unimaginable spectacle was unfolding before him.

Yet, without changing his expression, Residue extended his sole remaining hand. He stepped back slightly, taking in the sight of the Absolutes. …There were exactly eleven, six of whom he recognized.

'Puppet, Storm, Seawater, Filth, Whip, Glass.'

From Residue’s palm erupted substances or concepts that could be considered the natural adversaries of the six identified Absolutes. These elements intertwined without interfering with each other’s presence and then shot toward the Absolutes.

Residue’s power clashed with the transcendental entities.

"……!"

The next moment, Residue withdrew his outstretched hand. The carefully selected combination of powers had shattered and dissipated, as futile as wind crashing against a rock.

Did it have no effect? No, that wasn’t it.

"Shared Transcendence…?"

"That is correct."

Symetra’s cold voice rang out. There was even a hint of laughter mixed in.

Kwaang!

Residue violently collided with a Transcendental Being. In reality, from his perspective, it was no different from being struck. This was power on an entirely different level than an ordinary body slam. Their very forms were the physical manifestations of powerful powers, and the moment he allowed contact, the numerous concepts they governed tore apart both his mind and body like rags.

Residue’s body shot into the air. His eyes rolled back, and he spat out a mouthful of blood. He had, of course, lost consciousness, and his state made it seem as though he would die at any moment. But the Absolutes' assault did not end.

The eleven Transcendental Beings quickly reformed their formation, making a wide arc before launching themselves at Residue once more.

Those waiting in optimal positions unleashed long-range attacks, and the Absolutes who had been in hiding finally revealed themselves, reaching for Residue’s vital points. Their coordinated attack unfolded as if they were a single entity.

Residue shot something toward the sky. No, not into empty air.

An Absolute specializing in concealment, one who governed the concept of hiding, felt his heart sink. He barely managed to twist his body in time to evade the attack.

"As expected, you are remarkable! Do you still have more tricks up your sleeve?"

The Lord of concealment twisted his mouth.

Residue did not respond. Instead, he clenched his outstretched hand tightly and muttered,

"Scatter."

"……!"

A massive explosion erupted from behind.

The Absolutes did not react with shock or confusion. Even in the face of unexpected developments and great commotion, they moved exactly as planned. They merely glanced at the source of the explosion with a flicker of their eyes.

It was a rain of weapons.

From the site of the explosion, a torrential downpour of weapons poured forth. There were too many to count, weapons of all kinds, each brimming with undeniable power.

They were not something that could simply be ignored and pushed through. This was undoubtedly one of Residue’s trump cards.

The Absolutes had no choice but to divert their paths to avoid the rain of weapons. The long-range attacks they had been launching were also mostly intercepted by the ominous metal weapons.

At that moment, Residue opened his eyes.

Papat!

A spear and a small sword, falling from the sky, landed in his hands. Residue kicked against the air and cut the throat of the nearest Lord. Kwajik! As the Lord's head fell, the weapon shattered as well. It was an expected outcome, he had swung it recklessly without considering durability.

It didn’t matter. Wasn't there an endless rain of weapons falling around him?

Amid the downpour of steel and rain mixed together like a torrential storm, Residue fought on, covered in blood.

Even though these were weapons of his own creation, they were not safe for him. If he was cut by one, he too would be wounded.

And yet, Residue evaded every single weapon falling around him by the slimmest of margins. Not only that, but he also used them as stepping stones, kicked them to strike his enemies, or timed his movements perfectly to use them as shields against enemy attacks.

"……."

Symetra stared at the sight, speechless.

What… kind of combat style is this?

Even she, who had lived an eternity that to mortals would seem endless, could not help but be taken aback by the battle unfolding before her eyes.

At the same time, she felt a shudder run through her.

His opponents were no mere rabble.

They were Lords. Lords.

Beings who had saved at least dozens of universes and managed no less than five.

Even the youngest among them had lived for tens of thousands of years.

And yet, against these dozens of Lords, this man, fighting with such weak and unimpressive powers, was holding his own, if not surpassing them.

…Her last shred of doubt disappeared.

This man was truly once a Ruler.

Puhwaak!

Another Lord's head was severed. That made five now. Even though dozens had launched a perfect encirclement attack, five Lords had already lost their lives.

─And that was the best result Residue could achieve.

…The rain of weapons, which had seemed like it would pour endlessly, finally ceased. With that, the restrictions on the Absolutes' movements began to disappear.

But they did not act hastily. Nor did they show any signs of panic at the loss of another Lord.

As planned, according to the operation.

They slowly tightened the pressure, pushing him further into a corner.

"……."

Residue gasped for breath, his breathing rough as if he would collapse at any moment. His entire body was so drenched in his own blood that from a distance, he might have looked like nothing more than a mass of flesh.

There were no more weapons left. Only what he held in his hands. As he attempted to swing his mace, his arm suddenly lost all strength. He felt it, the sensation of decay, as his forearm turned pitch black.

'─Lord of Curses.'

The moment Residue realized the cause, a Lord who had approached right in front of him drove a fist into his abdomen.

"Kuheok…!"

The full force of the 'Lord of Strength' was contained in that blow, twisting his organs as if wringing them out. Residue coughed violently, as if he were about to vomit out his intestines.

With trembling hands, he grasped the wrist buried in his abdomen. The moment he glared at his opponent, his vision suddenly blurred on one side. His left eyeball began to melt, oozing like pus.

'Lord of Dissolution…'

His knees lost all strength. Residue collapsed on the spot.

"Is it over?"

"No. Don't let your guard down. It's not strange for him to still have a few tricks left."

"……."

Residue looked up at them and smiled faintly.

Yes. You’re exactly right.

He didn't have many tricks left.

But at least, he had one.

Gugugugk!

The space around Residue began to distort. The Absolutes, sensing an ominous premonition, stiffened and instinctively stepped back.

"Fall back!"

"If you get caught in it, you might die!"

The twisted space soon formed into a swirling vortex, as if something was pulling it inward. Residue’s body disappeared beyond that space.

By the time the distortion ended, he was no longer there.

"He vanished…"

"How?"

"Did he die?"

"No. I don’t think so."

A quiet ripple of unease spread among the Absolutes.

One of them turned to look at Symetra. She was the one most capable of grasping the situation accurately.

"Symetra, what just happened?"

"...Spatial control."

Symetra muttered in a surprised voice. Had he really hidden such power? It was astonishing… but that was all. Soon, she smiled faintly.

"But it’s incomplete. Given how unstable it was, just using it must have put an immense burden on him. Also, he hasn’t escaped far. He’s still in this city. I've already marked him, so there’s no need to rush."

"His location?"

"I’ll share it with you."

Symetra looked up at the sky and murmured,

"As I said, don’t kill him. There’s still much left to be done."

*

Splash, splash-

Residue ran through the rain-drenched streets. His consciousness was fading. Had he lost too much blood? …If he passed out now, the result would be unlike anything before. He instinctively felt that losing consciousness now meant losing his life.

And yet, if he thought about it,

This situation wasn’t necessarily bad for him.

Death, which he had long desired, was now within reach.

…Then why am I running away?

Why am I like this?

What am I doing?

What meaning does this action have?

Without understanding himself, he just kept running.

His breath was caught in his throat. Even the robe clinging to his body felt heavy. He could even feel the weight of the rain pouring down on him.

…Heavy.

Every raindrop, unbearably heavy.

Visit frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓ for the b𝘦st novel reading experience.

Kwajik-

At that moment, a searing pain shot through his ankle, accompanied by an eerie sensation of emptiness. A pickaxe-like weapon had flown in from somewhere, cleanly severing his ankle.

Residue stumbled, unable to take his next step.

Thud! He crashed face-first into a puddle formed by the rainwater.

"Kuugh…"

Residue choked on the muddy water, coughing violently. His legs had no strength left. Relying on his blurred vision, he clawed forward with his hands, dragged himself with his knees, and forced his body to move.

Thud.

Something stabbed into his back.

A dagger? An arrow? Or something else?

He couldn’t tell.

Before he could even check what had pierced him, the head he had been barely holding up was forcibly shoved back into the muddy water.

It wasn’t because he had lost strength. A powerful grip suddenly seized the back of his head. Someone had grabbed a fistful of Residue’s hair and shoved him into the puddle once more.

Residue thrashed desperately, unable even to catch his breath.

"Enough."

A cold voice rang out, and only then was Residue allowed to lift his head.

"Ah. Now… you're finally ready to talk."

"……."

Residue looked up at the woman, Symetra's face, with one eye closed. Through the pouring rain, her mask-like face came into view.

And it wasn’t just her.

Absolutes surrounded him from all sides.

"…Kuhk."

Residue coughed up a mixture of rainwater, mud, and blood.

And then-

"Puhuh."

A sound, like air escaping, leaked out.

"Pfft, puhah. Ah. Excuse me. But… this is just too…."

It was Symetra.

She seemed to be trying to suppress her laughter, but in the end, she couldn’t hold back and burst out laughing.

A near-maniacal laugh echoed beyond the rain.

"Hahaha… Ahahahaha…"

Her laughter spread like wildfire.

The Absolutes surrounding Residue also broke into twisted grins, laughing loudly as they looked down at him.

"This is amusing. Truly amusing. What is this? What are you? What is that pathetic state of yours? Hahaha…"

"……."

"You were once a Ruler. A being who stood above all things. And now, look at you. Face down in the mud, drinking it in, only to cough it back up… Hahaha… Pathetic."

Kwa-jik.

A foot stomped down on his head. Residue coughed violently as he was shoved into the mud once again.

His hair was grabbed once more, lifting his head back up. It was as if they were repeatedly waterboarding him.

Symetra leaned in close, staring directly at Residue. They were so near that their breaths could reach each other. In a whisper, she murmured,

"Beg for your life."

"……."

"Go on, plead for mercy. Say, 'Please, spare me.' The more pathetic your face, the better. Surely you don’t want to die? If you did, you wouldn’t have run so desperately."

Yes. That’s exactly my question, too.

Residue muttered inwardly.

"Didn't you hear me? If you refuse to beg, will you do something else? How about kneeling and slamming your forehead into the ground in apology? Tell us how sorry you are for daring to resist. Or perhaps, you’d rather drink up all this mud? Think carefully, former Ruler. The more miserable you appear, the more effective it will be."

"...rain."

"What?"

"The rain."

Residue’s voice was cracked and dry.

"All this time, constantly. More than your laughter, more than your mockery, this damn rain has been irritating me."

Symetra's expression hardened.

"I never took you for someone so talkative. If you have more to say, then by all means, keep talking. In fact, I welcome it. Your nonsense drowns out the sound of the rain, after all. I suppose even useless garbage has its uses."

"……."

"You seem unnaturally obsessed with humiliating and defiling this body. Your intentions are so transparent. Do you think this kind of petty torment will erase the fear of a Ruler? That’s the kind of thought only a worm would have. It’s so ridiculous I can’t even bring myself to speak."

"…We’ll see about that."

Symetra’s voice was cold.

"This will certainly be an interesting experiment, breaking the mind of a former Ruler."

"……."

Residue looked up at them with lifeless eyes.

And so, in the rain-drenched streets,

The cruelest and most relentless beating began.

*****

For more chapters visit - /tgmalpha