How a Reincarnated Warlock Lives – Chapter 102

Chapter 102: Pudicitia Catacomb (2)

There are those in the world who are so accustomed to invading that they are not quite used to being attacked first.

Closest to us, Hesterica and Delphaud in the center of the continent are like that, and far away, the Cravassia Empire is like that.

And the seven, no, five Catacombs are also one of those groups.

Of course, it’s not that the Sanctuary and the Catacombs, which can be considered the leaders of both sides, haven’t been attacked even once during the long years.

Hesterica, where the Inquisition is located, was once burned down by a great Black Mage backed by the power of a Great Demon, and some of the Catacombs were also exposed to the harsh judgment of an Archangel who descended to the earth, revealing their rotten darkness.

But never have the symbols of the Archangels or the Great Demons been destroyed, and even the attacks that did occur are all stories from more than five hundred years ago.

After the Archangels and Great Demons stopped responding to their followers, both sides continued a meaningless war of attrition.

Because attacking the opponent’s base without the backing they believed in meant risking their own lives.

Therefore, it was not strange that the sentries of the Pudicitia Catacomb discovered the sudden invaders somewhat late.

In fact, it couldn’t be said that it was too late.

The sentry, yawning and looking into the distance, hurriedly activated the alarm magic as soon as he saw something huge in his sight.

But considering the speed of the opponent, it was definitely not a quick response.

“……!”

A monster, whose appearance was beyond description, started running at a terrifying speed. Overwhelmed by the momentum of the Magical Beast that was growing larger and larger before his eyes, the sentry froze in place.

Captured by the fear that filled his mind, the sentry didn’t even notice the barrier protecting the entrance to the Catacomb being lifted.

At the same time, the Catacomb’s barrier, mixed with concealment, confusion, and protection spells, disappeared as if by someone’s hand.

Kwaaaang─!

With a tremendous roar, the entrance to the Catacomb, revealed in the middle of the rocky mountain, was completely smashed.

🔹🔹🔹

Except for the difficulty of summoning them, the Magical Beasts of hell are relatively easy to handle compared to demons.

Demons are those who, in exchange for handing over power, cleverly deceive their opponents and always try to take unfair advantage beyond the contract.

I knew that fact better than anyone.

I had already experienced enough of the mental battles with them in my previous life. The contract with the Great Demon brought me tremendous power, but at the same time, it was also a shackle that bound me.

Of course, there was no other choice at that time.

But now it’s different.

Kwaaaang!

The entrance to the Catacomb was smashed, and debris, including rocks and steel, scattered in all directions. The bright light mercilessly illuminated the interior of the Catacomb, which had been cleverly built by digging into the rocky mountain.

Krrr.

The Magical Beast, with a head shaped like a siege ram, let out a low growl as if satisfied with the destructive scene it had created.

It’s a somewhat familiar sight. Except that the side being invaded is the opposite of the past.

Koooong!

Forty-nine Magical Beasts that rushed through the open entrance began to attack any living creatures they could see.

There was no disciplined unity like well-trained soldiers. Each Magical Beast had a different appearance and characteristics.

Trampling, crushing, cutting in half, swallowing.

There were differences in the methods, but the result was the same: the definite death of the opponent.

I was on top of the Magical Beast at the very back, covered in something like iron armor, looking down at the scene of the massacre.

Although the number of Magical Beasts I am leading now is only about half of what it used to be, it was more than enough to push a single Catacomb into crisis.

“Stop them, stop them!”

“Inform the High Priest-nim, quickly!”

Of course, the opponents weren’t just going to stand there and take it.

The protection magic cast by those who hurriedly formed a formation blocked the charge of the Magical Beasts, and attack spells containing powerful Demonic Energy began to fly from all directions. And at the same time, the Catacomb’s mechanisms that sprung up from everywhere hindered the movement of the Magical Beasts.

Despite the sudden surprise attack, they counterattacked in a fairly sharp and systematic way, proving that they were Black Mages of the Catacomb.

A formation for anti-Magical Beast warfare unfolded in the wide plaza.

Perhaps if the opponents were only Magical Beasts, it might have been a fairly effective response.

But.

“Trample them.”

Following my command, the Magical Beasts with ranged attack abilities began to attack the Black Mages in the rear, ignoring the front.

“Ac, Acid!”

“Kuaaaak─!”

As the green mucus spewed out by the Magical Beast with a long neck engulfed the Black Mages, another huge defensive spell disappeared in an instant.

At the same time, urgent cries were heard from everywhere.

“Attack their legs, attack their legs!”

“The magic isn’t working!”

Some of the forty-nine Magical Beasts I summoned are now almost forgotten. Naturally, they couldn’t know the correct way to respond.

For example, the Bienuroglobe, with its obese body and thin legs, might seem to have weak legs at first glance, but its body is mostly made up of air sacs.

Pususuk.

The Bienuroglobe, attacked in the legs, spewed out poisonous gas and quickly lifted its large body into the air.

On the other side, the Bienutan, which has superior resistance to Demonic Energy, was literally crushing the opponent’s formation by withstanding all of the Black Mages’ spells.

Although the charge formation of the Magical Beasts didn’t seem to have much order, it was an arrangement I had made in anticipation of the Black Mages’ counterattack.

The Catacomb’s formation was collapsing moment by moment.

Battle using Magical Beasts is one of my specialties that had destroyed countless Holy Knights and driven cities to ruin in the past.

This was a clear demonstration of how effectively a person who knows Black Mages, Magical Beasts, and Catacombs better than anyone else can attack such a place.

Krrr!

Thousands of Beastmen warriors, riding on modified giant wolves, who had belatedly finished their charge preparations and rushed out from inside the Catacomb, came into view, but the battle in the plaza was already rapidly tilting in our favor.

The Wolf Riders of the Pudicitia Catacomb exert superior power when dealing with enemies weaker or of similar strength, but they couldn’t inflict much damage against large Magical Beasts.

The vast plaza inside the rocky mountain. The power of the Pudicitia Catacomb, which had driven many cities to despair, was slowly crumbling. At that moment.

Kuaaaaaaaa!

One of the Magical Beasts, which had been excitedly beating up Black Mages while wielding its four arms, let out a bewildered scream and began to slowly disperse.

“……!”

At the same time, I felt a powerful Mental Interference. As a result, several Magical Beasts were instantly unsummoned and disappeared.

There was no need to wonder who was making this gamble.

“……”

I raised my head and looked towards the inside of the rocky mountain, where a powerful will was emanating, and smiled faintly. Finally.

Is it the High Priest’s appearance?

“How brave.”

He was challenging me to take back control of the summoning circle.

A confrontation based not on magical power or spells, but on the pure mental strength of the caster. In a way, it’s a fight that can be called the essence of a battle between magic scholars.

“I accept.”

I had no intention of avoiding his arrogant and daring challenge.

The Black Mage Astrid Elliger had never lost such a battle.

🔹🔹🔹

Arvelthusa first realized the identity of the attacker before the leading Magical Beast forcibly broke through the entrance to the Catacomb.

“How dare you……!”

Arvelthusa jumped to her feet with an enraged expression. Her red tail stiffened with fury.

It was a natural reaction. She was the High Priest of the Catacomb.

Her usual languid and bored appearance had already vanished without a trace. In other words, it meant that the current situation was that serious.

Her vision, filled with powerful Demonic Energy, began to scan the outside, beyond the thick walls of the rocky mountain.

Beurehatan, Bienuroglobe, Karihajabeu, Bienutan……

Each one was a Magical Beast that could rival a group of high-ranking Black Mages. Their total number was forty-nine.

It was an absurdly large number to be summoned by one person.

“……Ha.”

She instinctively realized that the opponent had stolen her magic. On this earth, the only thing that could handle even a fraction of that scale was her magic circle created using the Hell Summoning Stone.

The fact that she had to keep sending Magical Beasts to the Great Forest, and thus couldn’t leave the entrance open, and instead installed it deep inside the Beastmen village, was the cause of this situation.

“……”

No. In fact, this was a situation that was difficult to anticipate in advance. Aside from herself, who is the most proficient in that area, who else could touch the Magical Beast Summoning Circle?

The High Priests of the other four places, who were foolishly caught off guard? Or the Tower Master of the Magic Tower who delved into the summoning system?

They were all impossible guesses. Handling a summoning circle wasn’t something that could be done with just the amount of magical power.

Indeed, nothing had happened for the past hundred years.

I don’t know who the damn bastard is. But one thing is for sure, probably dozens, maybe even more assistant mages were attached.

Arvelthusa bared her fangs and snarled fiercely.

“……Insolent bastard!”

First, reclaiming the summoning circle is the priority.

Finding out the identity of those bastards can be done later.

Ssooo.

A red mist rose around her body as she closed her eyes and focused her mind.

Passsst. The High Priest’s vision pierced through the thick dark clouds summoned by the strange wavelengths emitted by the summoning circle, which was being dominated by the opponent’s will.

“……”

From the sky down. And through the black clouds dropping thick raindrops, down below. Through the hard rock walls of the cave, to the summoning circle located deep inside.

With her eyes closed, she could see the magic circle emitting unstable Demonic Energy in a distorted state.

“……!”

A surprisingly effective transformation. It was a method she hadn’t thought of.

Of course, due to the excessive transformation, it wouldn’t last long as it was collapsing on its own, but given the time and situation, she would have liked to sit in front of it and study it.

But unfortunately, now was not the time. The focused Arvelthusa began to pour her mind into the summoning circle controlled by the opponent.

No matter how many assistants there were, in the end, it was the mental system of one person that handled the summoning circle. Whoever this brazen thief was, they wouldn’t be able to defeat her, the High Priest of the Catacomb, in a one-on-one confrontation.

Goooo.

The summoning circle began to vibrate unstably as their mental powers intertwined. As a result, several Magical Beasts were unsummoned and disappeared, but Arvelthusa didn’t stop.

She wasn’t going to be satisfied with just driving away the Magical Beasts. She would turn this damn thief into a living corpse and absorb all of their secrets and knowledge.

“……?”

But soon, Arvelthusa felt that something was wrong.

Her red mist, which symbolized her mental system and had been swirling as if to devour everything, was floundering in the void of her mindscape, unable to find its bearings.

The symbol of the opponent, which should have been visible by now, was nowhere to be seen.

In the empty void, only a giant wall of flames stood like a backdrop.

Ah.

After staring for a long time at the curtain of flames, so vast that its end couldn’t be seen, she finally realized.

“……!”

That the level of the opponent’s profound mental system was not something she could dare to challenge.

“What is this─”

Her words couldn’t continue.

Cough, blood gushed from her eyes, ears, mouth, and nose like water.

‘That was an amusing little trick.’

At the same time, in the mental space that hadn’t yet been severed, flames that seemed to burn everything began to devour Arvelthusa’s red mist in an instant.

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