The Indomitable Martial King

Chapter 207

His chest felt heavy. The situation was too hopeless.

Eusus and Stefan were relying on the power of magic tools, and although he felt sorry to say it, Christine was significantly inferior compared to others. She was undoubtedly an outstanding Holy Knight, but not enough to be considered a superhuman.

The only thing he could rely on was…

“Philanence, perhaps?”

Even if it was thanks to Teslon’s guidance, reaching mid-6th Circle at Philanence’s age was no ordinary talent. While not as exceptional as Jade in his previous life, she was certainly enough to be called a genius anywhere.

“But even that’s not enough.”

Compared to those monstrous Four Heavenly Kings and Sword Saint Cyrus, her talent was nothing remarkable.

The Demon King was steadily gathering his subordinates from his past life, strengthening his power. They were all true powerhouses, whose prowess was guaranteed by the future.

If given time, Teslon and his party could undoubtedly grow stronger too. But so would their opponents. The result would inevitably be a crushing victory for the other side. In the past, both sides were in their developmental stages, making them relatively equal. But as time went on, the talent gap would only make things more disadvantageous.

In his bleak mood, Teslon picked up his sword again and summoned his aura.

Wooong!

A yellowish aura formed at the tip of the sword, shining brilliantly.

Teslon murmured softly.

“Calamity Horn.”

Aura waves started to gather at the sword’s tip.

One layer, two layers…

Taaang!

Suddenly, the overwhelming power engulfed his grip, causing Teslon to groan and drop his sword.

“Ugh!”

The sword flew through the air and embedded itself in the ground, trembling. The gathered aura waves soon dissipated. Teslon’s face twisted into a grimace.

“Damn it!”

It was impossible. With this body, it was simply impossible.

No matter how much he struggled and tried, this body could not manifest the skills of Gym Unbreakable. The most he could do was replace Spiral Guard with his sword technique.

Teslon’s true ultimate strike, Calamity Horn, could not be executed with this cursed body!

“Damn it!”

Feeling like his chest was about to explode, Teslon swore into the air. Philanence approached anxiously, trying to calm him down.

“Calm down, Teslon. There’s no need to give up yet, is there? Just a little more time and…”

“Time! That time is not on our side!”

Teslon grabbed his head in frustration. Even now, the Demon King was surely regaining his former power.

As long as he was still at the 9th Circle, it was manageable. Up until then, there were still ways to deal with him.

But once he reached the 10th Circle, that dreadful realm, hell would break loose.

‘Once he enters the 10th Circle, not even the power of the Silver Sage will be able to stop him!’

In his previous life, the Silver Sage was powerless against the Dark Empire because of Repenhardt’s formidable 10th Circle magic.

The magic the Silver Sage feared the most wasn’t ‘Nuclear Burst,’ which could flatten mountains in an instant, or ‘Meteor Fall,’ which could bring down the stars, or even ‘Hell of the World,’ which could summon ten thousand demons from another realm simultaneously.

‘It was that damned AMP Shockwave!’

Once it detonated, this fearsome spell would halt all magic tools regardless of their power level. The Silver Sage was utterly helpless before it. Any powerful ancient artifact became useless with a single blow. Moreover, once that happened, the Demon King would seize the forbidden artifacts. And the Demon King would research those forbidden artifacts to develop new 10th Circle spells!

This was why the Silver Sage in his previous life couldn’t even approach the Demon King. If his identity was exposed, or if the existence of the Silver Sage organization, which monopolized all kinds of ancient artifacts, became known to the Demon King, everything could be taken away in a single blow.

Given such circumstances, all the Silver Sage could do back then was gather genuine powerhouses using his influence as a high-ranking human and push the Demon King with a massive army. Only true experts who did not rely on artifacts could fight against the Demon King.

Of course, that was an incredible feat, but how much blood was shed in the process? That horrific hell could not be allowed to happen again.

Now was the time. There was only an opportunity while artifacts could still be used.

But their skills were not improving. Not Teslon’s nor his companions’…

Seeing Teslon in despair, Philanence’s face crumpled.

“Ugh…”

“I’m sorry. I was just too frustrated.”

Teslon sighed and comforted her. What a sight, making a girl who could be considered his granddaughter cry, even though he had become younger by turning back time.

“It’s okay.”

Philanence wiped her tears and forced a smile. Teslon stood up again.

“Sigh, it can’t be helped. We’ll have to find a way somehow.”

At that moment, a voice called out to him from the other side of the mansion.

“Sage Restin?”

“Huh?”

Teslon turned his head in confusion. It was a voice he had never heard before.

A silver-haired girl, who appeared out of nowhere, was walking towards him.

“I am Guardian Serelein. In the name of the Silver Sage, I request your cooperation.”

* * *

“…Thus, since the assassin has failed, we need a justifiable reason to target him that won’t arouse suspicion among the public. Sage Restin, I have heard that you have a long-standing enmity with the Fist King. For this reason, I seek your cooperation.”

Taking Teslon aside, Serelein calmly explained the situation. Teslon’s face brightened as he listened.

‘Finally, even within the Silver Sage organization, they’re starting to become wary of the Demon King!’

However, the fact that they were still trying to handle it by sending an assassin indicated that they didn’t fully grasp the true terror of the Demon King. Well, given the current information, their approach was understandable.

Serelein glanced at Philanence, then at Eusus, Stefan, and Christine, who were standing some distance away, before asking a question.

“Are those the allies of the Silver Sage that you have chosen, Sage Restin?”

“Yes, they are.”

The Silver Sage had the authority to recruit up to five allies for missions. Although the Silver Allies couldn’t formally belong to the organization, they had the right to know about the existence of the Silver Sage and could assist in the organization’s mission to protect humanity.

“Are they… trustworthy?”

Serelein expressed slight concern.

Eusus, as the heir of the Tenes family, which had been Silver Allies for generations, was not a problem. But the others were different.

The existence of the Silver Sage was a top-secret matter that must never be revealed to the world, and choosing allies required extreme caution. Stefan, being from a noble family, could be trusted to keep the secret due to his honor. Christine, being a Holy Knight of Seiya, was allowed to join due to her status.

However, Philanence, a mage of humble origin, was harder to trust.

“Is there any chance she might speak carelessly about the Silver Sage?”

Teslon glanced at Philanence. She was standing at a distance, curiously peeking at them. Teslon had cast a spell to block surrounding sounds, ensuring their conversation wouldn’t be overheard.

“There is no such possibility. She can be trusted.”

Teslon answered with certainty. He knew better than anyone how deeply Philanence was infatuated with him.

‘If she shows any signs of wavering, I’ll just strip her and press her down.’

Teslon firmly believed that once a woman had given herself to a man, she would devote both body and mind to him. So far, he had refrained due to a vague sense of guilt, but now that his body had become quite robust, he felt fully qualified to embrace her. There would be no problem at all.

It was indeed the pinnacle of a macho mindset. However, Serelein seemed to interpret it differently.

“You, too, are one who has received the name of the Sage. If you have made such a judgment, then I must trust in it.”

Suddenly, Serelein lifted her silver eyes and spoke again.

“Sage Restin, you still haven’t answered my request for cooperation. Are you and your allies willing to help me?”

Teslon wore an ambiguous expression. Even though the Silver Sage had finally reached out, he couldn’t immediately grasp the offered hand. Their current strength was still too weak.

“My heart is earnest, but at this moment… it’s difficult for us to confront Repenhardt and his followers with our current strength.”

“Why not?” Serelein tilted her head in puzzlement. Teslon looked downcast.

“Even with those powerful artifacts, we were defeated. No matter how good the equipment is, if our skills are lacking, we need to improve our abilities for a while.”

Serelein nodded in understanding.

“Ah, I see.”

Then she provided a clear solution.

“Then I’ll just give you stronger equipment.”

“…”

In an instant, Teslon had an epiphany, his mouth agape.

He was a warrior. Despite gaining Repenhardt’s intellect, broadening and deepening his thought processes compared to his previous life, he was fundamentally unable to escape a warrior’s mindset.

Usually, a warrior would blame their lack of skill at this point, not think to ask for better equipment. So, even Teslon, who coveted the forbidden items of the Silver Sage, had never thought of it that way.

On the other hand, Guardian Serelein was the central figure of the Silver Sage, with storerooms filled with all sorts of artifacts.

It was the difference in mindset between a practitioner and an administrator.

“That, that could work. Hmm…”

Serelein spoke quietly to the bewildered Teslon.

“Then, bring your allies and follow me. Let’s see if we can find something useful.”

* * *

In a corridor of white steel, lit by various magical lights.

Teslon and Serelein were moving through the corridor on a round disc. Teslon looked around in awe.

‘Where on earth is this? The power of the Silver Sage truly knows no bounds.’

It was when Teslon gathered his comrades at the mansion.

Once everyone was assembled, Serelein immediately took out a small gem and embedded it in the ground. The gem shone brightly and soon transformed into a large magic circle. Standing on the magic circle, their vision was blinded by light, and when they opened their eyes, they were in a completely unfamiliar place.

Surrounded by walls of pure white steel, it was a large hall that looked like a temple or palace. Others were already waiting for them there, seemingly subordinates of Serelein.

Eusus and the others were led by the subordinates to a room in a corner of the temple.

“They will be given appropriate equipment as well. Sage Restin, this way, please.”

Following Serelein to the opposite side of the temple, they arrived at the steel corridor. Teslon was now floating through the corridor with Serelein on a hovering disc, the Floating Disk.

“Guardian Serelein, are you planning to give me some equipment as well?”

“Of course.”

Teslon, skeptical, continued.

“But I am already an Aura User. I’ve surpassed the stage of relying on magical tools…”

No matter how powerful the auxiliary magic on a magical tool, its limitations made it only as effective as an ordinary Aura User. Aura, or life force, was optimized to the user’s body, providing maximum efficiency. No amount of magical or divine enchantments could surpass the efficiency of one’s own aura.

Therefore, while Teslon considered strengthening his companions with magical tools, he had little expectation for himself.

“I understand that it’s impossible for any magic to surpass the efficiency of an Aura User.”

Unlike in his past life, he was now also a high-ranking mage. He understood such theories well. Could it be that during the Silver Age, they had such advanced magical technology that even this impossibility was overcome?

Serelein nodded in agreement, seeing the anticipation on Teslon’s face.

“You are correct. Even in the Silver Age, magic could not surpass the efficiency of aura.”

Teslon’s expression slightly crumpled. Then what was the point?

Serelein continued.

“That’s why the ancients of the Silver Age sought other methods.”

The Floating Disk passed the end of the corridor, revealing a vast, dark space.

“Magic has its limits in enhancing human power. To transcend these limits, it is impossible with a human body alone.”

The Floating Disk began to descend. As Teslon was startled by the sudden drop, Serelein calmly continued.

“So the ancients of the Silver Age used golems. Golems indeed showed output that exceeded human strength. But this also had its problems.”

The Floating Disk slowly descended into the darkness. Serelein’s clear voice resonated softly within the gloom.

“Though golems were strong, their movements were too simple and sluggish to achieve satisfactory results. So the ancients came up with the idea of having people ride inside the golems.”