Angry, Persily returned to her residence. After she and Black Attendant arrived in the imperial capital of the Star Empire, their first stop had been the magical beast Jores family to help the gorgon Yuren increase her power. Ever since then, Persily had been living in a villa provided by the beast clan.
She had just come back from the Random Name Magic Association, where she had suffered a humiliating rejection right in front of Green. On the way home she had gone on a shopping spree in the commercial district, buying huge quantities of clothes and jewellery. These were things she had never cared about before, but now, burning with the desire to take bitter revenge on Green, she had swept through every kind of ornament on sale and spent more than a thousand gold coins. Carrying armfuls of bags up to the villa gate, she felt an indescribable smug satisfaction.
Once she dolled herself up properly, she would definitely make Green fall for her all over again, make him utterly unable to resist her, and then she would brutally reject him. She could not wait to see the despair and heartbreak on his face!
At this happy thought, Persily could not help humming a little tune. Although she was a Phase King Archmage standing at the very pinnacle of magic, Persily had received special upbringing since childhood and was mature and steady in most ways, yet in certain respects she was actually very childish.
Carrying her purchases, she was just about to head to her room when a male figure suddenly entered her field of vision. Her body trembled slightly, and an irritated expression appeared on her face.
It was a handsome man with golden hair and white robes. He was smiling as he chatted with Black Attendant, whose own face wore a somewhat fawning look.
When he noticed Persily returning, the golden-haired man immediately came forward with a beaming smile. “Persily, you’re back. I heard you got into some trouble here, so I rushed all night from the Sacred Heart Kingdom to find you. I only arrived this morning, but you had already gone out. What have you been doing?”
“…”
Looking at this golden-haired man, a wave of instinctive disgust rose in Persily’s mind.
His name was Krian. He held a very high position in the Magic Association because his father was the renowned Bell-Ringing Phase King Archmage. This was the son of a Phase King Archmage!
In fact, before Persily had been confirmed as the successor to the Heavenly Maiden Phase Archmage’s grimoire, Krian had also been one of the candidates. Although his aptitude was outstanding, he had ultimately lost to Persily and only inherited a Phase Attendant grimoire. That did not, however, detract from his exceptional talent and power. His current rank in the Association was Phase Attendant, yet both his personal strength and his father’s influence gave him an extraordinarily exalted status.
The deferential attitude that Black Attendant, another Phase Attendant, showed him was proof enough.
At the same time, the reason Persily felt a certain resistance towards Krian was that the old fossils of the Magic Association had long ago decided that the continuation of her bloodline was of great importance. The husband they had arranged for her was none other than Krian. Once Persily was a little older, they would hold the wedding. It was practically impossible to change.
“Persily, why have you bought so many things? Oh, I know, you must have heard I was coming, so you specially bought these new clothes to dress up nicely and show me the most beautiful version of yourself, right? You really think of everything. But I love everything about you. Even if you wore rags, my love for you would still burn just as fiercely.” Krian came to her side and spoke in an exaggerated tone full of narcissism.
Even if the Magic Association were not forcing her to marry him, Persily utterly detested that extreme narcissistic personality of his.
She walked around Krian, handed her bags to Black Attendant, then looked at Krian and gave a slight smile. “Stand still. Yes, just like that. Hands still, keep the pose.”
“What are you going to do?” Krian struck a pose while grinning from ear to ear. “Are you finally going to give me a passionate hug, Persily? You’re so forward. Come on then, I’m ready…”
The next instant, Persily summoned her grimoire and released an ice spell. Krian was instantly frozen solid into an ice sculpture.
Persily turned, took her things back from the stunned Black Attendant, muttered “annoying fellow” under her breath, and went straight to her room.
Black Attendant hurried anxiously to Krian’s side.
Cracks appeared in the ice sculpture, electric sparks flashed within, and with a crash Krian broke free by himself. He too was a powerful archmage. A huge orange-covered grimoire floated beside him. It was not as enormous as a Phase King grimoire, but it was on par with Black Attendant’s Phase Attendant grimoire and far surpassed ordinary grimoires in power.
Krian was covered in frost and shivering uncontrollably, yet his face still wore a constant smile. “Ha… Persily really is shy… her love for me runs so deep she has to hide it…”
“No, Krian, you’re wrong,” Black Attendant said, sweating a little.
“How am I wrong?” Krian asked, puzzled.
Black Attendant glanced towards Persily’s room, a cold glint in his eyes, then said, “The young lady may already have someone in her heart.”
“Of course she does.” Krian pointed proudly at himself. “It’s me, obviously.”
“…”
Black Attendant rolled his eyes at Krian. The entire Magic Association could see how much Persily despised Krian; only Krian himself could interpret mockery, insults, and rotten eggs as signs of affection… He shook his head. “Although the young lady never talks to me about her personal matters and has not mentioned her experiences in the secret realm world, I can feel that she already met someone she likes there, perhaps even a lover.”
Krian’s expression changed dramatically. “Who dared to deceive Persily’s feelings!?”
…Where did the word “deceive” come from?
Still, Black Attendant followed Krian’s train of thought and continued. “I don’t know who, but… I believe only one person has the qualification and ability to win the young lady’s heart.”
“Who?” Krian demanded furiously.
“The All-Around Archmage, Ye Chui,” Black Attendant said coldly, his eyes narrowing as he spoke the name.
“That fellow who has been making waves recently? Even in the Sacred Heart Kingdom I heard his name!” Krian’s brows shot up and he gave a cold snort. “Actually, the reason I came this time was precisely because of him. A person like that must be eliminated… No time to waste, I’ll go kill him right now!”
Hearing this, joy surged in Black Attendant’s heart, though he feigned alarm. “If Ye Chui dies, the young lady will be heartbroken…”
“Then he absolutely must die! Tell me where he is, I’m going to kill him now!” Krian’s killing intent had been perfectly ignited by Black Attendant, and he pressed urgently for the location.
Thus Black Attendant, pretending great reluctance, gave him the address of the Random Name Magic Association, offered a few insincere attempts to dissuade him (in reality fanning the flames), and Krian immediately set off, leaving the villa.
As one of the foremost young experts in the Magic Association, Krian was narcissistic and arrogant, yet everyone acknowledged he had the capital to be so! Black Attendant very much wanted Ye Chui dead, but after suffering repeated defeats at Ye Chui’s hands he knew he was no match on his own. Persily’s current ambiguous attitude towards Ye Chui’s side only made things worse. Krian’s arrival could not have been more perfect; he would use Krian to kill Ye Chui!
Though Krian was only just over twenty, his strength far surpassed Black Attendant’s.
His realm was higher, and most importantly, the magical attribute he had awakened was the most mysterious and unpredictable of all archmages: magnetic magic.
It was the advanced form of lightning magic: magnetism!
A terrifying magic capable of fighting a thousand enemies single-handedly. This time Ye Chui was surely doomed!
…
Krian left the villa, his face filled with arrogant, narcissistic confidence, and began walking towards the Random Name Magic Association.
He crossed a main street where a group of swordsmen happened to be passing. They belonged to a mercenary band that had just finished exterminating ferocious beasts outside the city. Tired but cheerful, they were discussing heading to a nearby tavern for drinks. When Krian passed them, they stared in surprise at the enormous orange-covered grimoire floating before him.
They had never seen a grimoire that huge. While they were still marvelling, the swordsmen cried out in shock because the longswords at their waists and on their backs suddenly moved of their own accord, unsheathed themselves, and floated in front of them as if alive, then began following Krian down the street.
It was not just them. Shouts of alarm rose continuously from nearby taverns and shops. All kinds of weapons flew out of buildings and joined the procession behind Krian.
From every direction, shortswords, longswords, greatswords, and heavy swords appeared, gathering densely around him like a flock of birds.
As Krian walked, the weapons followed. More and more curious or frightened onlookers trailed behind, whispering about who this person could be. By the time they reached the Random Name Magic Association, everyone understood: he had come for Ye Chui.
The iron gates of the association were tightly shut. Krian walked up, extended his hand, and pushed gently forward without touching the gates. With a tremendous boom, an invisible force smashed the gates inward, sending them flying into the courtyard.
Krian stepped inside, sneering coldly.
At that moment, a dense cloud of weapons floated behind him like a dark storm cloud. He entered the small front courtyard. The first to notice him was Green, who was training in the yard. Hearing the commotion, Green immediately grabbed his brick and rushed out. Seeing Krian and the swarm of swords behind him, Green’s expression grew grave.
“Who are you?” Green asked warily.
“An insect has no right to ask my name.” Krian smiled icily, flicked his right hand lightly, and one of the floating longswords shot forward with terrifying speed, straight at Green’s heart!
…
Ye Chui, who had been resting peacefully beside the swimming pool at the rear of the castle, suddenly changed expression. Sensing something wrong, he leapt up from his deckchair.
“What’s wrong?” Resha, still dripping wet, had only just sat down on the wooden chair beside him to enjoy a fruit juice prepared by the undead butler Danjini. Seeing Ye Chui’s reaction, she asked quickly.
“Someone’s come to cause trouble.” Ye Chui spoke hurriedly, then his body dissolved into a swarm of bats that flapped rapidly over the castle.
By now the sky in front of the castle had turned black, completely obscured by the hovering swords like a dark cloud. Ye Chui also noticed that in front of an ornamental rockery in the garden, Green’s body had been pinned to the rock by a longsword. The blade had pierced clean through Green’s left shoulder and embedded half a foot into the rock. Green looked to be in excruciating pain, blood pouring out, as he struggled desperately to pull the sword free.
Moments earlier the sword had been aimed at his heart; he had managed to deflect it with his brick, yet it had still pierced his shoulder.
Ye Chui’s bat swarm re-coalesced beside Green. His face coldly turned towards Krian.
“Very good. So you’re Ye Chui?” Krian looked at Ye Chui with contempt. “I’ve come to kill you!”
