Chapter 5: Existences Beyond Recognition (I)

Since the coup, the nights in the Saxon Imperial City had been under martial law, with few people daring to stay outside late at night at the risk of being captured by unseen guards and beheaded. The situation seemed stable, but on a quiet and deserted street, two men with different missions and ambitions finally ran into each other. No one could have imagined that a battle in magic history—one that transcended human levels—was about to unfold here. Unfortunately, the only observer was a blind little girl of four or five years old, who didn’t understand what was happening.

“It’s been a long time, former professor of Heliorox Academy, Hode Kendi!” Argus smiled as he patted the girl’s head to get her to leave, greeting the person he had run into as if he were meeting an old friend.

Yet, the gaze of this “old friend” did not seem friendly at all.

“I came here because I sensed fluctuations in magic. I didn’t expect to find you so quickly, Argus!” Professor Hode said calmly, his eyes showing no unusual expression as he stared at Argus. “But you sure are in high spirits. Aren’t you afraid of being assassinated? Or do you have absolute confidence?”

“Hahaha,” Argus grinned and shook his head, pretending to be troubled. “It’s just that things have been too boring lately! You know, I used to be constantly being hunted. Now that I’m free from that, I’m not used to it yet! As for those two guys you mentioned… well, I clearly gave them a chance, but their strength really disappointed me! At least bring some stronger opponents, like…” He raised his head and stared at Professor Hode, laughing. “Like someone like you… Tsk tsk, what a dazzling fire element! Truly worthy of being ‘the number one below the rank of Grand Mage at Heliorox Magic Academy.’ I can feel my blood boiling. Only someone like you can really interest me. Those two guys earlier were too boring!”

“Boring provocation!” Professor Hode snorted lightly.

“Provision, huh?” As if remembering something, Argus smirked playfully and pretended to recall. “I’ve been quite idle lately! Ever since I destroyed Heliorox, life has lost all its fun. I really should have thought more about the future back then!”

“You bastard!” Seeing Argus deliberately bring up the destroyed Rexos, Professor Hode’s anger was fully ignited. He glared at Argus resentfully for a moment before saying through gritted teeth, “As expected, there’s no need to understand what’s in the mind of a guy like you!”
“Oh my, what thoughtfulness!” Argus grinned, then raised his right hand and pointed outside the city, saying mockingly, “Go outside! You don’t want this city to be destroyed because of us, do you? I don’t care… But if those royal magicians find you, I’ll lose the fun I’ve just gained!”
“What an arrogant look on your face, huh!” With a cold snort, Professor Hode vanished from sight in an instant.
“Hey, interesting!” Shaking his head, Argus walked over to the little girl Lily, patted her head gently, and a faint light flashed—both of them disappeared from the dim streets.
Short-distance spatial movement was a very easy task for Professor Hode and Argus; crossing Sassen’s walls to get outside was nothing difficult for them, even with a small burden like Lily.
A few minutes later, Argus and Professor Hode met again on a flat area by a small river outside the city. Perhaps this would be the battlefield where they would fight.
“You found me here so quickly?” Standing by the river, Professor Hode turned around and showed some surprise upon seeing the innocent little girl Lily.
“This joke isn’t funny at all! With such strong magic aura, anyone could find you!” Argus seemed to notice Professor Hode’s expression and said with a smile, “A former professor of Rexos Academy, you surely don’t mind a little kid watching, right?”
“I care about why you’re bringing her along!” Professor Hode replied calmly.
“Yeah, why indeed?” Argus shook his head, mocking himself.
Seeing that the other party refused to answer, Professor Hode stopped pressing further. He untied his cloak and tossed it carelessly on the ground, then said solemnly to Argus, “Argus, this country isn’t a target for your random revenge! For those innocent people, and for the war about to break out, I must stop your foolish actions here!”
“Tch!” Argus sneered disdainfully, bent down to pat Lily’s head, and said in a fierce tone, “Stay right here, don’t move an inch, hear me, kid?”
“Umm…” Out of fear, Lily instinctively shrunk her neck and nodded carefully.

“That’s great!” With a smile, Argus stroked Lily’s head and whispered, “After this is over, I’ll take you to eat delicious cake. You can eat as much as you want. How about that?”
“Mm-hmm!” The innocent little girl immediately forgot what had happened just now and nodded eagerly.
“But you need to stay right here, okay?”
“Mm-hmm!”
After reciting a few spells, Argus snapped his fingers. A purple light appeared from the ground beneath Lily, who was sitting on the ground. Then, four triangular, glass-like structures rose from the ground around her, forming a tower-shaped barrier to protect her. The innocent and naive little girl seemed to sense something as well; she carefully touched the surface of the barrier with her hands out of curiosity.
“Incredible. It doesn’t seem like an ordinary barrier. It gives the impression of creating a space,” Professor Hod said, looking at the barrier with curiosity. “What careful planning! Are you afraid she might get involved? Or are you worried she might affect you during the battle?”
Professor Hod wasn’t joking. After all, in a magician’s battle, it came down to the concentration of mental power and the quality of magic. Especially among magicians of the same level, concentration was even more crucial—any slight distraction could lead to failure.
“Affect me?” To Professor Hod’s surprise, Argus shook his head and corrected him in a calm tone, “I just don’t want to affect her!” He glanced at Professor Hod, saw his puzzled expression, and shrugged. “Don’t worry too much! By the way, you said you wanted to stop me here, right? For some reason—innocent people, countries, wars, right?”
“What’s wrong?”
“Hey, what’s wrong?” Argus covered his forehead and suddenly burst into laughter. His cold eyes were filled with mockery as he sneered, “So indirect. Countries, wars—you just want revenge, right? For Heliorex, which I destroyed before, for that unfortunate great magician…”
“You…”
“Am I wrong?” Argus frowned at Professor Hod and sneered, “Humans are truly foolish and hypocritical creatures. They always try to come up with various reasons for their actions to cover up their true desires. Hod Kendi, isn’t your strongest desire right now to kill me? Why can’t you just admit it honestly? Tch, boring!”

Professor Hode fell silent, lowering his head slightly, clenching his fists before relaxing them again and clenching them once more. After repeating this several times, he finally let out a long sigh and nodded, saying, “You’re right, Argus! The country, war—although I have thought about those too—they’re not the main reasons I came to see you… As for revenge, indeed, I admit it, but it’s not solely because you killed the old dean; there are other reasons! What I can’t stand the most is that the country the dean protected his whole life has been led to destruction by someone like you!”

“Tsk, it seems you’ve already figured out my purpose,” Argus said with an indifferent smile, shaking his head lightly. “It’s a bit more straightforward now, but it’s not the answer I wanted. Just say it’s for revenge—why make things complicated? Ugh! Protected his whole life? Hey! That old guy was indeed admirable, you know. Even in his final moments, he thought of dying alongside me. Ah, how terrifying! The great mage Greth Kaines—his immense power in that field still makes me shudder when I think back. But in the end, he died, and his death meant nothing! Besides those close to him, who will remember him? Those so-called innocent people you mention care only about money, wealth, and status to satisfy their material desires.

You know? A few days ago, a noble invited me to a banquet… It was utterly boring—a bunch of stupid and ignorant fools drinking expensive wine, telling mediocre jokes, and pretending to be graceful in front of women… They did mention the great mage Greth Kaines too—‘I heard he died,’ ‘It’s true,’ ‘What a pity’… Heard that? Just ‘What a pity’…

Protect? Protect this country, or protect those nobles? Stop laughing! Do you know why the royal mages didn’t go to offer support? Do you know why the high-ranking nobles of Sassen allowed those necromancers to occupy Vandomo? Interest! Only interest! Your so-called protection has no value at all!”

“Huh,” Professor Hodde exhaled softly, pulling out four fiery red rings from his pocket and placing them on his index and middle fingers of both hands. Then, he looked at Argus and said calmly, “There’s a huge gap between our views. There’s no need to go on! — Come on, Argus. Consider it my revenge. Anyway, I must complete what the old dean failed to do. So, please die here—even if it means dying together!”
Staring intently at Professor Hodde, Argus shook his head self-mockingly, with a hint of approval, and said, “What a sharp gaze! — It seems you truly understand the situation. But I’m sorry—only I can decide my own life and death! — Let’s end this game quickly. That brat will get impatient!”
“How bold!” Professor Hodde sneered coldly. Slowly, he placed his right hand on the ground, and an eerie red glow emanated from his entire body. Suddenly, the ground beneath them became brightly lit. Within that white light, red energy balls the size of cherries gradually emerged from the ground, filling the entire area.
“This is…” Argus’ expression grew serious as he watched those red energy balls floating in the wind, sensing immense power within them.
“Bears!” The trees around them suddenly caught fire violently. Standing in the sea of flames, Professor Hodde stretched out his hand to control one of the red energy balls and said in a deep voice, “[Barrier: Phantom Flame — Mirage]. I’d like to say that each ball contains energy comparable to that of the sun, but in reality, it’s not that powerful. Still, each ball can definitely be considered a [Flame Flash]…” As he spoke, he pointed with his right hand toward a spot between the two of them. With a loud explosion, the blast from one red energy ball affected more than a dozen other energy balls. The force of those chain reactions even shocked Argus.
Watching those red energy balls reappear from the massive glowing circles on the ground, Argus subconsciously raised his guard and said in a low voice, “Hey, is this really necessary? — Fighting in such an environment—won’t you die too?”
“Shouldn’t I have said that already? — Even if it means dying together, I’ll make sure you die here!”

“Huh,” Argus took a deep breath, staring intently at Professor Hodde, then scratched his head helplessly and said, “As expected, the god of luck isn’t entirely on my side!” With that, he stamped his right foot lightly, and instantly, a deep black pentagram appeared beneath his foot, with a dense aura of darkness spreading out like tentacles.
Under such circumstances, it was impossible not to come into contact with those floating red energy spheres…
“Boom! Boom!”
With Professor Hodde’s soft hum, Argus was instantly engulfed in a series of explosions. The force of the explosions spread to the surrounding energy entities, triggering a chain reaction.
Finally, as the smoke from the explosions dissipated, Argus, still steaming, knelt on one knee, supporting himself with his right hand. He muttered in disbelief, “What… what a joke! Is that guy serious?” Subconsciously, he glanced at the layer of dark energy covering his body, secretly relieved that without its protection, he might have been severely injured already.
“Don’t be careless!” Professor Hodde said calmly as he walked toward Argus.
Frowning at those floating red energy spheres, Argus thought hard about a strategy.
This barrier imposed severe restrictions on him—whether he tried to use magic to attack or teleport to dodge, he couldn’t avoid those red energy spheres. Worse still, if one of them exploded, the resulting force would trigger a chain reaction, detonating the surrounding energy entities. This wasn’t simply a matter of one plus one equaling two.
For now, Argus was at a disadvantage. Though he possessed terrifying demonic powers, his body remained human—at best, slightly stronger than an ordinary person. If severely affected by explosions, it could be life-threatening.
“What are you doing, Argus? Afraid? Too scared to attack?” Professor Hodde stepped closer to Argus, one step at a time.
“Attack?” Glancing at Professor Hodde, who was about a dozen steps away, Argus smiled slightly, stood up, brushed off the dirt on his clothes, and said mockingly, “I get your plan. You want me to attack you, right? In such a confined space, it’s impossible not to touch those things… It’s not just me who can’t attack; you can’t either, can you?”
“Is that so?” Professor Hodde chuckled lightly, shook his head, and raised his right hand toward one of the floating energy spheres.
“Hey, hey, hey…”

Under Argus’s horrified gaze, Professor Hode tapped a finger of his right hand against an energy sphere, causing it to emit a dangerous white light instantly.
“Boom! Boom boom boom!”
The flames that erupted in an instant nearly covered the entire area, forming a towering column of fire.
“Swish!” A dark force suddenly appeared amidst the flames. Within that darkness, Argus was struggling to stand on his feet, looking far more disheveled than before. Even the dark aura protecting him couldn’t fully withstand the force of the explosion or the terrifyingly high temperature of the flames.
“Where’s that guy? Dead?” Argus, panting heavily, looked around. Then his expression froze as he saw Professor Hode standing unharmed where he had been.
Impossible!
How could he not be hurt at all by a force that even he couldn’t withstand?
No matter how strong his affinity for fire elements was, he couldn’t possibly remain unscathed!
Humans… absolutely couldn’t do this!
What was going on?
Looking at Argus, who was filled with doubt, Professor Hode said calmly, “Still not planning to attack? Then…” With that, he raised his right hand, and a wave of fire surged toward Argus like a giant serpent, detonating countless energy spheres along the way.
“Boom boom boom!”
“Damn it!” Suppressing the metallic taste in his throat, Argus forced himself to stand upright, staring in shock at Professor Hode, who stood expressionlessly in the sea of fire.
This kind of restricted combat made him extremely angry.
It’s impossible! Humans can’t reach such a level!
How could just a black magician surpass someone like himself, an apostle? There must be something… Wait, a black magician?
Could it be…?
Argus frowned, staring at Professor Hode with deep surprise, as if making some decision. Suddenly, he raised his hand, pointed at him, and fired a dark red beam…
“Finally deciding to attack?” Watching Argus get swallowed by the flames from the exploding energy spheres, Professor Hode assessed the situation and dodged the beam. But soon, his eyes grew alert, and he vanished in an instant.
For a full minute, the two seemed to have disappeared from this world. Only the energy spheres kept exploding, but neither of them was visible.
Finally, in one explosion, Argus’s body was flung far away. Yet instead of showing any anger, he burst into laughter.

“Hahaha, I told you you humans could never surpass me. So that’s why… No wonder…” Saying this, he forced himself to stand up, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with his left hand, then raised his right hand and sneered at his burned wrist. “This is truly surprising for me… Hmph, hmph, hmph. I remember you used to call me a demon, right? Well now, you certainly don’t deserve to be called human either, Hord Kendi!”
Following Agus’s gaze, he saw Professor Hord standing there with a blank expression. There was a hole in his chest, as if something had pierced through it.
“Ah,” Professor Hord sighed softly and murmured, “I really don’t deserve to be called human either!” As he spoke, a crimson flame burst forth from the hole in his chest. Then, something strange happened—the flames filled the hole, and Professor Hord stood before Agus once again, unharmed.
“No wonder, really no wonder!” Agus laughed heartily, holding his forehead. Then he looked at Professor Hord, licked the blood from his mouth, and said in a solemn tone, “No wonder you weren’t hurt at all. Those flames were you yourself… Something you black magicians have always dreamed of achieving but never succeeded in. You’ve mastered [Elementalization], right?!”
“…”
“You’re even more of a monster now than I am!”
“…”
“But is this really good? Is it worth it?”
“There’s nothing worth or unworthy about it. I’ve long stopped thinking about such things!” With that, Professor Hord raised his hand and pointed in Agus’s direction. Instantly, Agus felt an unprecedented sense of crisis subconsciously.
“Damn it!” Agus didn’t have time to think about those energy entities. At the last moment, he used teleportation magic to dodge.
“Boom! Boom!”
Reappearing in another location, Agus indeed detonated the surrounding energy entities, but he couldn’t care less now—he was shocked by what he saw with his own eyes.
Where he had stood before, in that sea of fire, there appeared a vacuum zone the size of a person. The flames on the edges seemed to be twisted and cut by some force, creating a bizarre scene.
This was the improved version of Flame Flash that Professor Hord had given to Thos, one he had only recently mastered—[Flame Flash: Dual Power].

“Did you dodge it? Your senses are truly sharp! — Then, there’s no way you can escape now!” Saying this, Professor Hod stretched out his hands slightly, his entire body emitting a faint red glow, while the fire elements in the vicinity became abnormally active.
[Great Flame Explosion]!
“Damn it!” Before Argus could even hear his own voice, he saw those dangerous red lights approaching at an astonishing speed.
“Boom!”
Amidst the loud roar, the flames throughout the area enclosed by Professor Hod’s infernal fire barrier seemed to turn into light, presenting a golden-red glow that seemed ready to evaporate everything.
Suddenly, a profound darkness sliced through the light like a sword, then rapidly expanded, engulfing all the flames in endless darkness.
With a loud bang, Professor Hod’s barrier was shattered, along with the four fire-red rings on his hands.
“Ha, haha,” not far from Professor Hod, Argus covered his mouth with the back of his right hand and laughed darkly. “Were those four rings the key to controlling that barrier? Tsk, if I had known, I wouldn’t have gone through such trouble…” As he spoke, he suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood and gasped, “In just a few months, going from being close to a grand mage to surpassing an ordinary one—this is beyond what any human can achieve through sheer effort! Even with exceptional talent, it would take ten, twenty years… cough cough cough. Can you tell me how you did it?”
Looking at Argus, Professor Hod glanced at his own right hand and said in a deep voice, “Over these past six months, I spent half of that time in the [Flame River]!”
“The Flame River?” Argus’s eyes showed shock, followed by loud laughter. “So that’s how it is—in the Flame River! The subspace where the flame demons dwell. I never thought you could endure such an environment, in a world where nothing but fire elements exist! Outstanding, Hod Kendi. You are a admirable dark mage who has broken free from constraints and shattered the laws. You’ve achieved what no one else has!”
“What do you mean? — It’s useless. You must die here!” Dark red tattoos appeared on Professor Hod’s face, hands, and various parts of his body, much darker than before. At the same time, the fire elements in the vicinity became even more active, carrying a sinister and violent aura.

“Hey!” Glancing at Professor Hod’s tattoo, Argus sneered and said in a mocking tone, “I’ve heard of the concept of [Elementalization] promoted by dark magicians, but it doesn’t seem to be like yours! What does that tattoo represent? Control over fire? Restraint? Hey! [Elementalization] is utterly impossible—how could human flesh and blood turn into elements? And how could a body made of elements possess a true physical form? What’s even more ridiculous is that you try to boost your power in such a way; it seems you’re not very smart either! How much longer can you hold on? Your attack just now wasn’t very precise—it seemed like you were deliberately avoiding using magic power. Hey!”
“…”
“Are you afraid that once you lose your magic power, you won’t be able to control the fire element inside you?”
Professor Hod’s expression darkened, as if Argus had hit the nail on the head. After a moment of silence, he repeated, “I’ve already said it—whatever it takes, as long as I can kill you!” With that, he took a deep breath and calmly said to the struggling Argus, “Well then, just as you said—let’s end this game!”
“Ha!” To Professor Hod’s surprise, Argus burst into laughter, stood up again, and shook his head. “So you did hear me. But then you should also understand that only I can decide my own life and death!” As he spoke, a massive wave of darkness enveloped his entire body, more intense than ever before.
Within that endless darkness, an even deeper and purer darkness gradually took shape, forming the silhouette of a giant two-headed monster with a bird’s head and a beast’s body.
Standing at the feet of that monster, Argus raised his right hand to wipe the blood from his forehead, then spread his hand out and said calmly, “Everyone thought they could easily kill me, but facts have proven them wrong! Hod Kendi, I admit I underestimated you earlier, but now it’s you who’s underestimating me! Allow me to introduce the source of my power: the desire and greed that govern everything—[The Ancient Will—Mammon]!”
“The… Ancient Will…” Staring at the massive form of the beast, Professor Hod was momentarily speechless.