195. Botan
Botan’s fortress wasn’t built for defense. It looked more like a fang reaching towards the sky, forged from a desire to show off and dominate. The gallery was adorned with the decaying skulls of dead warriors hanging on poles, and crows flew between them.
The path leading to the fortress was littered with demon corpses. Steel and rocks were scattered chaotically, forming an arched bridge over flowing lava.
-Kugugugung…….
Occasional tremors of unknown origin shook the ground. Fernandez, supported by Kirhas, slowly walked towards the fortress.
-Are you okay?
‘What?’
-Pain.
Dark Mages are quite familiar with pain. Blood, souls, and flesh are the preferred offerings for demons, and the easiest way to obtain these is through self-harm.
The numerous tattoos covering Faijashi’s body weren’t just for their magical significance. They also served to cover the countless scars from self-inflicted wounds.
For him to mention pain was, paradoxically, almost a joke. A jest to lighten Fernandez’s sharpened and sensitive nerves. So, Fernandez decided to play along. He chuckled.
‘If I were to list the three best things about obtaining Diemonica’s body, it would be less need for sleep, faster recovery, and strong endurance. Even if both arms were crushed, I could endure it.’
-That’s a relief. Ah, right. Those Diemonica guys were strangely tough. No matter how much you tore them apart, they kept coming back.
Faijashi shivered as he spoke. Fernandez laughed at his exaggerated gesture, feeling a bit more clear-headed.
-Ouch.
But that didn’t mean the pain was gone. Losing a body part you’ve used your whole life brings more than just nerve pain. Every instinctive attempt to move his arm, every step, brought waves of pain crashing over him.
Still, it was bearable. Fernandez steadied his breathing. Strength was gradually returning to his steps. It was a monstrous recovery.
“Your Excellency. I’m here.”
Every time Fernandez controlled his breathing, Kirhas whispered in his ear. She repeated it softly but firmly, as if trying to transfer her energy. Surprisingly, it helped. Fernandez nodded slightly.
Then, he pushed her away.
“Huh, Your Excellency?”
“I can walk alone. Kirhas. I need to walk alone.”
-Swish.
He pulled out the greatsword from his back with his left arm. The sharp sound of friction was chilling. Kirhas, flustered, looked straight ahead.
-Kugugugung…….
The gate to Botan’s fortress slowly opened. A massive steel gate, streaked with red rust like oil paint, creaked open in sync with their approach. Kirhas narrowed her eyes sharply at the sight.
“Your Excellency, don’t stray from my side.”
“Haha, Kirhas……. Don’t you stray from me.”
Kirhas spoke with a sense of solemnity. She believed Fernandez losing the use of one arm was entirely her fault.
“How arrogant, Botan.”
Beyond the massive gate, across a long garden, at the end of the corridor. A man stood before an altar made of brass and steel.
An old man with a long spear slung over his shoulder looked down at them with a sly smile.
[Arrogance, you say……. Well, isn’t it natural?]
The old man spoke in a low voice. Like a snake slithering, his voice reached them across the distance without needing to be loud.
A hot wind blew. The rain had stopped.
[Asgard is my domain, and you are mere intruders. Mortals. Arrogance, arrogance. I am the king of the Aesir, the ruler of victory, war, warriors, magic, and mystery. Among all Aesir, none are older or greater than I.]
-Creeeak……. Thud.
As Fernandez and Kirhas stepped into the corridor, the gate behind them closed. Rusty hinges twisted, locking themselves, and iron bars descended to block the entrance.
“Your Excellency. We’re trapped.”
“Am I?”
Fernandez deftly spun the greatsword in his left hand. He quickly assessed his condition. Far from perfect, facing a mage who had fully established his domain and a god who had reached the pinnacle of divinity.
-I’ve never killed a god before.
‘This will be a good opportunity.’
A familiar presence emanated from Botan. The stench of sticky hellish magic……. The experience of a Dark Mage and Diemonica’s sense of smell combined to detect the unmistakable stench of corruption.
And corruption, in any case, leads to the same result. Self-destruction. No matter how much power or secrets one gains, the power from hellish magic is merely a debt, with one’s soul as collateral.
“How many of your kin have you killed?”
[Countless.]
“How many souls have you sacrificed?”
[Too many to count.]
Their conversation intertwined like a poetic exchange. They slowly approached each other, no hostility in their gaze, only familiarity.
[You feel familiar to me. You…… have learned the secrets of hell. I see an indelible sin in the depths of your soul.]
Botan’s single eye gleamed wickedly. A three-eyed crow flapped down onto his shoulder.
“Once.”
[If you once sought this power, this knowledge, you should know. You stand no chance. But I hold your soul in high regard. The great serpent is also quite interested in you. Now……. Tame the woman by your side and kneel before me.]
-Whoosh…….
For a moment, Fernandez’s heart raced violently. A sticky, hot wind tangled his hair. His vision turned red, and his grip on the greatsword tightened.
He gritted his teeth. It’s magic. A type of mental magic. The decorations and structure of this fortress and corridor formed a kind of barrier, and within it, Botan was suppressing their minds with mere words.
“Ugh.”
“Stay focused, Kirhas.”
Kirhas’s eyes were turning red. Botan hadn’t cast his magic solely on Fernandez. Kirhas bared her teeth, growling as she glared at Botan.
[Now, kill. Accept your fate.]
The whispers grew stronger. It felt as if the earth itself was shaking. Fernandez instinctively knew it wasn’t a physical vibration. Botan was engraving his words deep into their souls, into the realm of instinct.
“Shut up!”
-Clang!
Suddenly, Kirhas drew her sword and growled. Her bloodshot eyes fiercely stared ahead. Botan smirked at her.
[You have a strong will, child. Now, mortal. I will break the precarious boundary of your soul. Take my hand, kiss it. Submit to the authority of the Aesir. I shall grant you a fragment of true power, the wisdom of Rune Glyphs.]
“I’ve already learned it.”
[What?]
Fernandez pushed the trembling Kirhas aside. His wounded body felt dizzy, and the arm holding the greatsword felt distant. It was hard. He sighed. He was tired. He needed rest. And the temptation, promising power and peace, was strong.
But. He was more accustomed to tempting others than being tempted himself.
It was close. Promises backed by power, notes guaranteeing authority, contracts ensuring safety… At the end of it all, there was always him, and the other party was merely in a position to stamp his contract.
So, it’s fine. If it’s just mental magic. Madness and temptation are even familiar. This was the tactic of a Dark Mage, and he had mastered such tactics.
“Do you remember the Celestial War, Asir?”
[I was born beyond that era, from the ancient and primordial visions.]
“Then you must know the elf named Malerun.”
[That young god-slayer who claimed to be a master of a thousand magics. He was a clever child, enough to slay his own god and steal divinity.]
-Fwoosh.
Fernandez stretched out his left hand holding the sword. The bandages wrapped around his forearm burned and fell off layer by layer. Beneath them, skin covered in tattoos was revealed.
Malen Glyphs. A new system of magic Malerun had compiled by studying the northern Rune Glyphs. The foundation of its understanding lay in the Rune Glyphs. Even if it was divine magic, it was about the structure of magic with fixed causality.
-Crackle.
Like attracts like. The countless magic schools scattered across the world. Among them, seventy-five schools of spells containing the secrets of demons and hell. Within those, fifteen core factions…
A school that gathered all the spells, rituals, and ceremonies of all those schools and distilled them into their essence. [Enso Thaumaturgy].
As the bandages turned to ash and fell away, the tattoos emitted black smoke, one sentence at a time. Simultaneously, a halo ignited above Fernandez’s head.
[A mage…? Ha, you dare oppose the Asir of Magic with magic?]
Even as Botan sneered, Fernandez remained unresponsive. He simply took a step forward. Clank, the sword hilt made a cold sound.
As a practitioner of Enso Thaumaturgy, in his later years, when he could finally boast of founding a school, he was already unmatched in the realm of magical combat.
Fernandez raised his arm, from which black smoke was rising, and glared at Botan.
“Did you really think you were wise? Did you think the power you gained was truly yours? The power in your grasp can vanish as easily as it was gained. Have you ever thought about what you had to give up to obtain that power?”
[Every choice comes with an opportunity cost. I gained power beyond comparison. This magic, this world, obeys me!]
-Rumble!
As Botan shouted and swung his spear, the atmosphere shook, and a sudden dark green lightning bolt struck down above Fernandez. The powerful lightning momentarily covered the surroundings, obscuring vision. Botan glared through it and shouted.
[Arrogant fool, how dare you lecture me! Realize your weakness and die in misery!]
“Please do so.”
-Fwoosh.
From where the lightning disappeared, Fernandez walked out unscathed. He stepped forward, changing stances with each step, closing in on Botan.
[Die! Die!]
-Boom! Crash!
Lightning struck, steel spikes shot out, black chains coiled around from all sides, and green mist poured down. Throughout all these attacks, Botan neither formed seals nor chanted spells.
This fortress was his domain, and the magic in the air obeyed his every word. The control over hellish magic granted by Sadarkelisa heated his heart, granting him an overwhelming sense of omnipotence.
I am invincible. Botan laughed as he unleashed dozens of attack spells in an instant. My choice was not wrong!
But, from where the attacks vanished, Fernandez took another step forward.
[How…?]
“Magic, by nature, should be mysterious, eerie, and of such a high level that it is beyond the reach of ordinary reason. You have cast yourself down from divinity. The power you gained is not ascension but merely a shadow created by burning away your divinity.”
His hand spun in the air, forming a seal. An extremely precise magic wedge struck and nullified another spell forming in the air. Against every attack, the magic wedge embedded itself almost instantaneously as the spells were completed.
The spells shattered, and hellish magic scattered brilliantly. Like pouring rain, the remnants of the destroyed spells cascaded down over their heads.
Through it all, Fernandez walked slowly. As Botan shouted and formed spells, Fernandez simultaneously tore through the gaps and destroyed the magic. One more step forward. Now, the distance between them was close enough for a skilled warrior to reach.
“For the crimes of fratricide, abandonment of divinity, collusion with demons, murder and slaughter for personal gain, arson and neglect, threats and deceit, and disrupting the order of the Material World, I begin the heresy trial. Botan.”
[A mere mage! By what right do you judge a god! I am the king of the northern giants, the judge, the law itself!]
“A god!”
Fernandez shouted, gripping his greatsword.
“A god is not merely a title for those who rule! A god is the beacon and the example for the faithful. You are no longer a god, but a fallen remnant! You abandoned divinity for power, and in doing so, became weaker. Botan!”
[Shut up!]
-Swish!
Botan swung his spear in an instant, thrusting forward. Fernandez twisted his left arm, deflecting the attack. The heavy force momentarily vibrated his arm. The excessive use of Rune Glyph spells had burned out the nerves in his left arm.
Close combat was more challenging than magic combat. Like Fernandez, Botan was both a mage and a warrior, and though the level of his spells had fallen due to his weakened divinity, the physical strength granted by his corruption was not to be underestimated.
Botan swung his spear with the force to tear apart mountains and destroy city walls. Clang! With a clear sound, the greatsword was raised. The strength was insufficient. One arm was not enough. Fernandez, feeling his limp right arm, gritted his teeth.
-Swish!
[You can’t even muster half the strength of your words! Good. The play is over now!]
Botan screamed and thrust his spear. It was too late to dodge. Better to brace for the strike—
“Your Excellency.”
At that moment, Kirhas jumped in, grabbing his right arm. She deflected the incoming spear with precision and stood before him.
[Insignificant vermin dare!]
Botan began forming another spell. While Fernandez might be a challenge, this beastman girl could easily be neutralized with simple mental magic. His spell formed quickly, weaving magic in the air.
-Crack!
But, in between the connections of magic, between the syllables and phrases, wedges embedded themselves, shattering the magic. Hellish magic scattered in a rainbow of colors—
“Be my shield, Kirhas.”
“Your Excellency shall be the shield. I will handle the sword.”
At her bold words, Fernandez chuckled. He placed the greatsword behind Kirhas and quickly reached for the sword belt. Clank, the sound of metal friction as his arm rose over Kirhas’s shoulder.
Intricate gears interlocked and turned. The dwarves who once sealed a Great Demon. The essence of their magical engineering was in his grasp. Over it, he layered spells. [Construction], [Destruction], [Severance], [Beacon]!
-Clang!
Botan’s spear was deflected by Kirhas’s sword, the rough force shaking her body, but she did not retreat. She bit her bleeding lip, enduring somehow.
So, as her master, he had to respond. Clank. A bullet loaded into the chamber, gears turned, and the hammer was cocked. His finger slid smoothly into the trigger guard.
The connection between him and hell. The terminal with Sadarkelisa, gained by abandoning divinity. Tearing that link would suffice. Fernandez slowly held his breath in the corridor surging with hellish magic and aimed.
As Botan raised his spear, ready to throw—
“May the Temple of the Gods bless us. You bastard. I sentence you to death!”
-Bang!
The hand on Kirhas’s shoulder erupted with a deafening blast, and Botan’s head exploded.
![[TS] Obsessed Gamer: The Ultimate Return](https://i3.wp.com/novelhitam.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/TS-Obsessed-Gamer-The-Ultimate-Return2.png?resize=85,105 "[TS] Obsessed Gamer: The Ultimate Return")
