Chapter 96

Bin hovered in the air, repeatedly releasing streams of lightning. His thin strands of hair were fluttering in the wind. Between the flapping hair, flashes of pure white light flickered and disappeared in an instant, repeating this several times. The seemingly fragile hair had now transformed into lush, voluminous curls.

On the opposite side stood Maltiel, with a chillingly sinister grin that sent shivers down anyone’s spine who dared to catch a glance.

There was about fifty meters of distance between them. Though Maltiel could easily close that gap in a single leap, this cautious Ma rauder chose not to.

The extent of Bin’s ‘Overload’ zone was unknown, and Maltiel wasn’t willing to take the risk.

The boy was operating at a level far beyond the normal reflex speed of any living being. Even if Maltiel struck with his fastest punch, it would merely graze the boy’s skin, leaving no fatal mark.

Still, it was possible that the poison could infiltrate through Bin’s open wounds, causing significant damage…

‘Time is not on my side.’

The battle had already lasted two minutes.

The Sword Saint would have spotted the lightning in the sky and be rushing toward this direction by now.

It wouldn’t be surprising if a chilling blade was about to pierce through Maltiel’s neck at any moment.

‘What’s needed is a decisive strike.’

Time was on Bin’s side.

The longer the fight dragged on, the more certain Maltiel’s defeat would become. Against this monster, the only thing to do was a bold and risky move that could end everything in one blow.

“This is my last gamble, boy.”

Maltiel finished preparing, gathering pitch-black light at the tip of his fingers. There was neither reason nor time to spare the meager 30% of magic power remaining in his body.

The boy’s eyes momentarily shone with a bluish light as he prepared to unleash another massive bolt of lightning to counter the dark beam Maltiel was about to launch at him.

The situation resembled two tanks on a thin sheet of ice, facing off with their cannons, precarious and fraught with danger.

“Beeeein!”

This moment of tension was disrupted by the desperate cry of an Orc.

Maltiel reflexively turned his sight towards the direction of the voice.

‘This artifact is irksome.’

His train of thought was momentarily shaken. Maltiel was still unaware of the exact effects of Rex’s artifact, what sort of recoil it possessed, or what restrictions it held.

The monster was once again facing the unknown.

His eyes flickered with uncertainty in that instant.

“Let it rip.”

The boy didn’t miss the brief opportunity created by Maltiel’s confrontation with the unknown.

His robe fluttered as a small current of electricity first struck Maltiel’s chest. Then, in the next moment, a massive surge of power, amounting to billions of volts, shot through in the form of a brilliant flash.

A dazzling light descended onto the battlefield.

‘Keen reflexes.’

Maltiel was a Grand Marshal who had survived by facing countless types of opponents over the last thirty years. Among his adversaries were veteran warlords, creatures that defied common sense, and also promising geniuses like the boy with white hair who suddenly gained fame.

Maltiel observed that despite his many physical shortcomings, Bin’s lack of judgment was not one of them. His thoughts were quick, and his decisions were swift.

Bin had grown much stronger than the first time they met. Starting from summoning spirits and harnessing their power, the terrifying might and perfection of his lightning magic had soared, and more importantly, he had shown creativity by using ‘biological current’ to address his weak points.

Considering his age and current growth trend, it was clear that within three years—possibly even two—he would be a threat on par with a Sword Saint.

The boy was growing frighteningly every moment, even during the heat of battle.

‘That’s why I believed you wouldn’t miss this gap.’

Maltiel’s slight waver in expression was a level of instability that only top-tier warriors could detect.

A waver so subtle that by the time a normal soldier or even a skilled warrior noticed it as an opening, it would already be gone.

‘Right now, you must be in a highly alerted state. The movements of the enemy should be more visible to you, and even faint tremors must seem like large gaps to you.’

Maltiel started running straight towards the light emitted from the boy’s hands.

‘It’s not your fault. All geniuses inevitably succumb to such arrogance at one point or another. The sense of achievement from ascending to a higher level can momentarily lead to a sense of omnipotence, as if all truths of nature have been deciphered.’

Maltiel’s torso was pierced by the massive light.

The immense heat generated by the light instantly vaporized the blood in his arm and wings. The blood vessels swelled, and small explosions began erupting all over his body. The scattered flesh and muscles touched by the electricity immediately turned into black ash.

‘There’s only one reason for my defeat. The disparity in experience between you and me.’

Even as the bright light ravaged Maltiel’s upper body and head, his lower body continued to sprint. In less than a second, he crossed the 50-meter gap and was poised beside the boy, before the light faded from the battleground.

New flesh and muscles were regenerating instantly from his legs.

Maltiel prioritized the repair of his right arm and chest, and at the tips of his thin, dirty fingers, dark light gathered.

“It’s over.”

With half his face still intact, Maltiel grinned unpleasantly.

A late thunderclap echoed in the distance, behind him.

*

Just about 0.5 seconds before Bin unleashed a massive amount of lightning.

Rex, the Orc with a gaping hole in his abdomen as his flesh rotted away, raised his bone horn and let out a large shout.

This was clearly an odd situation.

Instead of opting for a quieter and more effective surprise attack, Rex seemed to be advertising his intent by making a ruckus and shouting ‘I am coming for backup’.

Rex was a veteran with vast battlefield experience. He wasn’t someone who would make such basic mistakes out of a sense of self-pity over his weakness.

“Beeeein!”

Thus, it was reasonable to infer that there was a hidden meaning behind his desperate and loud bellow.

Clack, clack!

The corroded screws and parts inside Rex’s artificial arm tumbled out like seeds from a broken basket.

There were two hidden intentions behind Rex’s shout.

The first was to confuse the enemy.

By shouting rather than blowing into the horn, Rex aimed to make Maltiel, the type of enemy who carefully and rationally plans and judges every move, to deduce that ‘for some reason, Rex is in a situation where he cannot summon the Bone Legion.’

After all, if Rex could summon the Bone Legion, why would he shout and wave the horn instead of simply blowing into it?

Pweeeeee-

A loud ringing sound reached Maltiel’s ears as Rex charged towards him. Immediately after, lightning erupted from the boy’s fingertips, obliterating Maltiel’s upper body without leaving any traces behind.

The blinding flash engulfed his eyes. Any living creature would instinctively squint and avert its gaze, but Rex did not.

Watching with wide-open eyes, Rex observed Maltiel not fleeing from the light, but charging straight into it.

The second reason was to calm down the young and talented mage whose emotions were heightened by the battle.

Since receiving his generalship, Rex had never referred to Bin by anything other than his rank. The fact that he addressed the boy by his first name was not merely coincidental.

‘Remain calm. We’re in a favorable situation.’

From Rex’s perspective, the current Bin appeared as if he had reached the pinnacle of his power. With a magnitude of electricity that could easily incinerate the Grand Marshal, he pressured Maltil and even pushed him to the brink of death.

However, this opportunity disappeared due to the sacrifice of High Marshall Sammael, and Maltiel recovered his strength.

Given Bin’s relatively short combat experience, it wasn’t surprising for him to feel some impatience at this stage.

Therefore, there was a need to calm down the possibly excited young genius.

“It’s over.”

Black light emanated from Maltiel’s leg that broke through the white light, generating flesh and bone. It formed a black arm and half a face, and without hesitation, Maltiel coagulated the dark light in his hand.

Uncertain whether his shout had reached the boy, all Rex could do now was place his faith in his general as he placed the bone horn to his lips.

Kooooong!

Amid the belated thunder, Rex’s horn vibration stretched through the air toward where the boy and Maltiel stood.

A faint crack appeared beneath Maltiel’s feet. Countless finger bones began climbing up his body.

This sudden change caught the logical Grand Marshal off guard.

The dark light was still concentrated in Maltiel’s hands.

‘He only pretended not to be able to use the horn, or else he fulfilled its usage condition later. Either way, it doesn’t matter.’

There was absolutely no reason for Maltiel to halt his attack now.

Even though the bones rising from beneath his feet might momentarily bind him, his fingertips still aimed directly at the boy’s chest and were about to unleash their magic.

If only the boy were dead, what happened to himself would be irrelevant.

‘To grab the ankle would’ve been better than creating a shield.’

Maltiel, smirking inwardly at his own jest, unhesitatingly released the magic from his fingertips.

A dark light enveloped the battlefield.