I Became the Dark Wizard Who Rules Over the Heroines

24 – Tournament-3

“You’re all ready, right?”

The crowd wasn’t huge.

Claire, having awakened as a dark priestess, enjoyed fleeting popularity, but even that had its limits.

Currently, preliminaries of the team tournament must be going on in numerous stadiums, and people probably left to see games of much more renowned and fantastic individuals.

“Uh…I’m still not sure.”

Lillian was glaring at the enemy, no, at Kellin between her and the enemy, not showing the vivacious smile she had when we first met but a face full of discontent.

“That was the woman who served Katarina, wasn’t it? Her skills are… passable, but no matter how you look at it, promoting such a person…”

“It’s necessary for those who want to rise.”

For now, I had instructed Kellin not to achieve her objectives.

However, in order to maintain control, I needed to stay by her side.

“I won’t disappoint you.”

Furthermore, Kellin’s skills were certified.

They weren’t exactly a perfect fit for our party, but enough to compensate for minor weaknesses.

On the other end, a group of young students were glaring at us.

“You can do it, fighting!”

They were young. By the looks of it, they were students nurtured in noble families forbidden from entering the outside world.

“One knight, one spirit master, a priest and a magician… They come from pretty decent families.”

Just by looking at their positions, one could tell their dignity and status.

Dark mages are often chosen by the needy sons of noble families or people who are routinely exposed to dark magic.

Not to mention the dark priest, archery is not a hobby that knights usually have.

It’s a skill that is typically reserved for hunters or mercenaries, and their status at the academy couldn’t be claimed as high.

A Spirit mage also needs a catalyst to gain power.

Unless buried in nature and as a survivor for decades, or if someone’s talent is unrealistically superior, it’s a tough ability to acquire for the impoverished.

“Well, who cares? We’ll be stronger! We’re not fighting with status!”

Claire was smiling confidently. With all the recent duel requests she had poured upon her, Claire seemed to have a good grasp of how powerful she was.

“That’s right.”

She was correct. Any half-witted enemies wouldn’t win against us.

“Let’s go.”

The battle started. The moment the signal of the referee fell, numerous spirits were summoned in the enemy lines.

“Wow, what’s this! There’s a hell lot of them!”

“That’s what spirit masters do.”

Whether it’s black mages dealing with corpses, or spirit mages handling spirits, they had such strengths.

It’s very easy to increase the numbers. If there’s no countermeasure, it’s tough fighting against such a large crowd.

But we had a countermeasure.

“Let’s go as planned. Start, Claire.”

“Got it!”

From Claire’s hand, a huge amount of magic power spewed out.

The power that burst into a mist filled the stadium. A dark shadow was cast on the bright ground.

“Kellin, charge. Go on a rampage.”

“Understood.”

There was a hint of hesitation in her sword, but that wouldn’t be enough to dull the sharpness of her weapon.

Kellin…

A Dark Knight. It’s not much different from a black mage who deals with demons, but instead of sitting backwards and chanting spells, they are the ones who bear swords and face the battle.

They sacrifice a lot, difficult to blend into a normal party, but in return they possess a high level of combat ability.

“Here I go!”

But if that was all, Kellin couldn’t have lasted long.

She had been an escort knight, but she was not the kind of person who could stand alone in battle, sweeping away enemies or providing a stable line for allies to rely on.

Before she was a warrior, she was a maid. Before she was a knight, she was a faithful servant of the noble Katarin, known for his cunning plots.

More apt for assassination than combat, for cunning plans than protection.

And the darkness created by Claire’s magic provided enough cover for her to hide.

“”React, react somehow! Cast the spell-“”

But the situation was flowing more favorably for the enemy than it appeared.

Kellin’s sword was cutting down one spirit after another, but the enemy spirit-master was creating spirits faster than she could destroy them.

Overkill indeed.

I could observe the menacing magic on her sword. If a person were cut by that sword, even if protected by a formidable magic barrier, they would be reduced to a corpse instantly.

However, the spirits created by the enemy spirit-master were not of high quality.

It’s a strategy often chosen by inadequate spirit-masters, overcome quality by quantity.

But for a spirit-master, this strategy was quite effective.

Not all spirit-masters needed to be the strongest, capable of proving their worth anytime, anywhere.

Just by multiplying these lesser spirits, anyone without mana would struggle against them.

They were sufficient against lesser bandits or goblin groups, provided the spirit-master wasn’t caught off guard and put in danger.

…It’s my turn now.

I silently cast my spell.

Dark magic burst from my hand, wrapping around Kellin.

It’s a defensive spell. A pitiful spell that can’t protect against anything but magic.

There weren’t many protective spells a dark magician could cast on others. Moreover, this spell was particularly insignificant.

As a dark magician, one would inevitably submit to stronger magic. Merely blocking one more spell or dodging it doesn’t create any meaningful change.

However, if what needed to be blocked was an ally’s attack, it would be a different story.

“”Let’s do this!””

Claire screamed, unleashing her magic without restraint.

The magic wasn’t so strong as to strain her physically. But it was enough to suppress the enemy in front of her.

Magic fell like bombs. The ground was stained black.

“”Wha, what the hell is this!?””

“”Block it! Try to block it at least!””

The enemy’s priests and clergymen tried desperately to block the impact, but it was too much.

It was slightly lacking, but… it doesn’t matter.

If I had used that spell, I could have pressured the enemies with stronger firepower and faster casting speed.

But it didn’t matter. Not now, at least.

Our party’s firepower was enough to overpower the enemy, and we didn’t need it to be overwhelmingly strong.

This spell was the same. It wasn’t meant for suppressing a small group of enemies, but for massacring a large number on the battlefield.

Among black magic spells, it’s a low lethality spell that applies the same level of pressure to many enemies.

But that also means it is safer.

“”I, I can’t take anymore!””

The spirit-master, who looked the weakest, was the first to kneel.

The spirits are linked to their caster. Even if they could somehow withstand Kellin’s gruesome attack, they couldn’t handle this many spirits being recalled in such a short time.

A barrier spread around her. A barrier that didn’t allow magic in, or the spirit-master’s will out.

This is an artifact given out in advance by the academy. It is an artifact that only activates in moments of life-threatening danger, designed to prevent casualties in the tournament.

Now, she can’t give her all.

“I can’t take it anymore!”

“Then… Ahhhhh!!!”

The enemy knight, gritting his teeth, charged towards us.

It’s a wise choice.

Focusing the attack on Kellin would be unwise. A considerable amount of magic and divine spells had been poured towards her, but she was somehow enduring.

If they do bring Kellin down, they would not have much time left. With the summoner gone, the priest and the wizard falling would just be a matter of time.

“Take this!!!”

Moreover, Kellin had deeply infiltrated the enemy lines.

Once all the remnant spirits fall, her blade would target the priest and the wizard, but that would be a meaningless sword. They are doomed to fall after all.

Even if the enemy knight confronts the formidable destructive power of Kellin’s sword head-on, he could briefly endure, but he won’t be able to change the outcome of defeat.

In that case, a gamble must be taken.

Kellin cannot protect us. The fact that the rearguard was exposed was the same for both the enemy and the allies.

“Lillian?”

“I get it, I’m ready!”

She had not been idling while magic was pouring down.

Cleared the piled-up spirits with arrows, and prevented the enemy wizard from casting spells with relief.

But her real worth became evident in such a dire situation.

“Let’s go!”

She’s an archer skilled enough to enter the academy not by lineage, but by talent.

For such people, hitting a target like the knight in front of them at this distance was no big deal.

“Ha!”

With a short yell, an arrow shot from her bow.

Most of the consecutive shots were blocked by his armor, but there was one arrow that pierced his armor gap.

Always securing a reliable level of containment is a basic role given to the archers.

“It’s over.”

And I was not behind in the speed of casting magic.

The dark arrow that shot out from my hand accurately hit the face of the charging knight.

“Game over!”

There was no one left. The first fight ended safely.