Chapter 7: Counterattack

“Oh, you’re awake?”

Mann’s head throbbed painfully. After forcing himself to sit up, he realized he was in an unfamiliar space.

“Is this… a failure CG? Am I dead?”

Hearing this, the god almost lost composure.

“If that’s what you want to believe, then I’m sorry to disappoint you.”

The god leaned on one hand, speaking carelessly.

“But then again, your mana was severely overdrawn just now. If you hadn’t replenished it in time, even if you didn’t die, you’d most likely end up crippled.”

“Then what’s the situation now?”

The god rolled their eyes impatiently at Mann.

“Someone secretly transferred mana to you just now. Barring any accidents, you should wake up soon.”

“Mana transfer?”

“Don’t ask me. I can’t observe the outside through your body. But judging by the nature of the mana, they’re probably a Divine Emissary, just like you.”

‘Wait, mana transfer… and a Divine Emissary…’

‘That would be none other than the Second Imperial Princess of the Empire, Sophien, wouldn’t it? She came herself? Is the protagonist that free?’

“……”

Seeing Mann suddenly jump up, the god was at a loss for words.

“Anyway, her mana link with you hasn’t been cut off. In other words, the mana cost for you to use your abilities will be borne by her.”

“So she doesn’t plan to show herself and just wants to evaluate my abilities?” Mann rested his chin on one hand and slowly nodded.

‘Truly a terrifyingly rational woman, just like in the original story.’

“She’s saying she has me under her control, right? But that’s fine. One of the goals of this trip was to join her faction anyway. I’ll just take this as an invitation and follow along.”

“What you think has nothing to do with me.” The god’s expression turned irritable, clearly growing impatient.

“It’s time for you to go back!”

As Mann’s vision went dark, his consciousness returned to his body.

He snapped his eyes open, gasping for air.

Looking around, Mann confirmed the surrounding environment was safe. He was currently in a temporary camp.

“Phew… I’m finally alive!”

Having just stepped one foot into hell, Mann now felt reborn. He took deep breaths, celebrating the beauty of life.

His entire body was brimming with mana, without a trace of fatigue.

Just as Mann started to get up, he noticed Mei sleeping soundly while holding onto his arm.

Feeling the softness around his arm and seeing the tear stains on her face, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of pity.

“Rest well, Mei.”

He gently moved Mei’s arm aside and quietly walked out of the tent.

Mei slowly opened her eyes, a faint, imperceptible loneliness flickering across her face.

“Young Master Mann… you idiot!”

She murmured softly, then closed her eyes again.

On the plain, Durov was gradually losing ground in his fight against Wus.

“Even though you, Sir, are a Paladin with high magic resistance, you are no match for me.”

Wus’s words were not without truth. The armor on Durov’s body was now tattered, and in several severely wounded places, blood slowly seeped through the armor.

“Nonsense! Your attacks are nothing but a tickle to me!”

Durov panted heavily, but his mouth didn’t back down.

“On the other hand, you’ve been dodging all along. Are you that afraid of me?”

“Heh heh…”

Wus only let out a cold laugh and said nothing.

He stopped his movements and stood still in front of Durov. Without dodging or avoiding, he let the massive spiked hammer come crashing down.

“Got him!”

Durov thought so, but unfortunately, the hammer stopped just half an inch from Wus’s head, unable to push any further.

“Now it’s my turn.”

Wus said coldly.

Durov’s armor was suddenly ripped away. Wus, standing in front of him, was like a black hole—high-density mana held Durov firmly in place, making him unable to break free.

“Though stripping your armor took some effort, it’s quite surprising that you had no idea about my intentions.”

“Cunning bastard! Let me go!”

Durov struggled fiercely, but it was all in vain.

“Everything comes at a cost, Sir Paladin.”

The surrounding mana began to heat up. Surging mana recklessly cut through Durov’s body.

Blood splattered in all directions, but due to the scorching mana, the blood turned to ash before it could fly far.

“This is the punishment from the Supreme God. Remember it with your flesh! Engrave this fear into your soul! Only then can you atone for your sins.”

Wus knelt on the ground, raising his hands high. His head tilted back, as if sharing some masterpiece with the Evil God.

Durov, on the other hand, was already powerless to resist. The searing pain combined with the endless cutting of his flesh was more than even the battle-hardened Durov could bear. His screams rose and fell in waves.

Just as his consciousness grew hazy, the brutal execution abruptly stopped.

Coming to his senses, he realized Mann was standing in front of him, and most of his injuries had healed.

“Sir Durov, can you still fight?”

Mann didn’t turn around, staring intently at Wus.

“No problem! It’s just that my mana is bottomed out. I can only serve as your shield!”

With that, Durov stepped in front of Mann, his giant hammer gradually transforming into a massive shield.

Mann placed one hand on his shoulder and gently shook his head.

“So it’s Lord Mann. I was wondering why he suddenly disappeared.”

Wus slowly turned around, looking at the two with disdain.

“But is your mana sufficient? That strange ability can only be used two or three times at most, right?”

“You don’t need to worry about that!”

“Oh?”

In an instant, several bolts of swift thunder shot toward Mann and Durov.

With the crackling of electricity, the lightning bolts intertwined.

But Mann and Durov were no longer where they stood.

“Hah!”

Durov swung his giant hammer with full force at Wus’s head, while Mann, on the side, charged a dagger at his heart.

Yet Wus remained unfazed. The corners of his mouth curled up in a silent mockery of his opponents.

At the same time, the surrounding temperature rose sharply.

Then, a pillar of fire rose around him, spinning rapidly.

Mann immediately changed his attack direction, striking Durov’s hammer instead.

The next moment, the two abruptly appeared behind Wus.

Almost before they could react, countless massive ice spikes came hurtling toward them again.

“Lord Mann!”

“Quick, grab me!”

The next moment, the two reappeared on Wus’s side.

But this time, they weren’t so lucky.

Chains materialized out of thin air, binding them tightly.

“Your ability is to retrogress objects to a past location, right? So I just need to predict your position and set traps in advance.”

Looking at the bound Mann, Wus wore a smug expression.

“Hmm, better safe than sorry. I’ll use my fastest attack.”

Around him, countless particles of dust were swept up.

Seeing this, Durov spoke anxiously:

“Lord Mann, what is he doing? What do we do now?”

“It seems like he’s concentrating some kind of attack. Break free quickly!”

“Damn it! Aaah!”

Durov strained with all his might and finally broke free of the mana chains. He immediately charged toward Mann, but unfortunately, the enemy’s attack had already finished charging.

Just as he touched Mann, a sharp pain shot through his torso.

Looking down, he saw that his and Mann’s bodies were neatly cut in half.

Then, a violent tremor struck beneath his feet. When he looked at his body again, it was already restored to its original state, and the two were positioned at a safe distance away from Wus.

“If the chain magic hadn’t been canceled at the last moment, we would have died!”

Durov said, shuddering at the thought.

“No, that’s precisely his weakness!”

Mann stated firmly.

“He didn’t need to cancel the chain magic. In other words, the price he pays for freely switching magic attributes is that he cannot use multiple types of magic at the same time!”

Durov stared blankly at Mann, amazed that he could calmly analyze the opponent’s abilities even in this situation.

“Watch out! He’s coming again!”

Almost simultaneously, Mann teleported Durov to a safe location once more.

“You’re so annoying! Can’t you just die already, Mann Matthews?”

No sooner had Wus said that than Mann and Durov rushed in front of him. A heavy blow struck Wus’s chest, and a crisp sound of breaking bones followed.

“Looks like even you have a brief vacuum period when casting spells continuously, huh?”

Mann taunted Wus, who was sent flying backward.

“Bring out whatever tricks you have left! After all, you’re about to die.”