Chapter 73

“…No. That’s not how this works.”
Justin froze mid-step, his voice cutting through the air like a blade.

“You think you can just slap your name on the territory after all this? That land’s mine now, considering the idiot who owned it is dead. Keep your hands off it.”

“Are you kidding me?” The leader’s voice rose in disbelief. “You’re seriously going to pull that crap?”

“This isn’t a joke.” Justin’s tone dropped an octave, deadly calm. “You really think you can hold that territory anyway? My land’s right next door.”

The leader’s expression stiffened. He clearly understood the implications—if their territories were that close, any move to claim the land would turn into an all-out war. And neither side had the resources to defend both the new claim and their own base of operations.

“Go ahead and try to take it,” Justin sneered. “But don’t blame me when we come knocking and raze it to the ground. You’ll need every soldier you’ve got, and even then, it won’t be enough.”

The tension thickened. The leader’s jaw flexed, grinding his teeth so hard it seemed they might crack under the pressure. Finally, after what felt like an eternity of silence, his fury boiled over.
“Screw it—kill them all!”

“…Huh?”
His men looked up, startled by the sudden command.

“I said, attack! What the hell are you waiting for?!”

Justin’s expression darkened as the enemy surged forward.
“You should’ve walked away while you had the chance.”

He extended his hand, the air around him crackling with violent energy.
“Cursed Lightning.”

BZZZT.

Purple lightning surged from his fingertips, racing toward the incoming enemies. It wasn’t powerful enough to kill instantly, but the real danger of the spell lay elsewhere—anyone hit by it would be paralyzed, locked in a vulnerable state with no way to defend themselves.

Fifteen targets, all in range. If the spell hit, the battle would be over before it even began.

But then, to his surprise, their leader charged forward.
“Hup!“

CRACK.

Justin blinked as his lightning exploded outward, dissipating harmlessly. A massive silver shield had absorbed the spell, scattering the energy in every direction like shattering glass.

‘A magic-dispersing shield?’ His mind raced. ‘A dungeon reward, maybe?’

Even worse, it seemed the shield had some kind of homing mechanism—every arc of lightning, no matter where it had been aimed, had been drawn in and snuffed out.

Without missing a beat, Justin switched tactics.
“Black Missile!”

BANG.

Another spell streaked toward the enemy leader—only for it to be effortlessly nullified by the shield again. Even high-impact magic was rendered useless.

The enemy leader let out a laugh, confidence returning to his eyes.
“Pathetic. You’re dead now!!”

A flash of white light burst from behind him as a new figure appeared. A shining form with wings—a glowing, spectral horse.

“Pegasus!?” Ethan’s voice cracked with shock.

The ethereal beast soared into the air, its rider—a mage—clutching their staff tightly as they rose high above the battlefield.

‘That’s not a standard summon… Dungeon reward, most likely.’ Justin’s thoughts sharpened as he watched the pegasus circle above.

“Energy Bolt!” the airborne mage shouted.

“Block it!”

BOOM.

Rachel reacted in the nick of time, deflecting the bolt with her shield. The impact rattled her, but she held her ground—barely.

But the real problem wasn’t the damage. It was control of the skies. The mage now had full aerial dominance, and from above, they could rain spells down freely while remaining almost impossible to hit.

“Nathan, can you shoot that thing down?” Justin asked quickly.

“Flying targets? No way! It’s too fast!”

“Of course. What a pain.” Justin’s gaze remained fixed on the enemy mage, irritation flashing in his eyes.

Below, the enemy leader advanced, shield raised. His grin spread as he closed the distance.
“What happened to that confidence of yours? Looks like you’re not as tough as you thought, huh?”

Another Energy Bolt screamed toward them. Rachel deflected it again, but her arms shook from the force. The enemy leader’s smug voice followed, thick with mockery.
“Isn’t this fun? I’ll crush you just like your pathetic little friends!”

That bastard. The rising sense of triumph in the man’s voice made Justin’s blood boil. His team’s expressions had hardened; even they knew the tide had turned against them.

“Brother, what now?” Derek asked, his voice low.

“What else? We end this,” Justin replied coolly.

Without another word, he activated his most potent enhancement.
“Dual Amplification—Cursed Lightning.”

Energy surged around him like a storm waiting to be unleashed. His gaze locked onto the mage above, who was still circling cautiously, unaware of the danger.

“Cursed Lightning.”

CRACK—ZZZZZT.

A searing bolt of violet energy tore through the sky, brighter and faster than anything he’d cast before. The mage barely had time to react.

The lightning hit its mark.

“Aaaaaagh!”

The mage’s agonized screams echoed as the pegasus convulsed in the air, its wings spasming violently.

The bolt wasn’t just faster—it was larger, deadlier, and utterly inescapable. The pegasus’s luminous body shattered like glass, the mage falling through the sky like a broken doll.

The mage, scorched by the lightning, slumped lifelessly against the pegasus’s back.

Is he dead?
It was hard to say from this distance. He was certainly unconscious, but whether he still clung to life remained uncertain. Cursed Lightning wasn’t exactly a lethal spell—it was meant to incapacitate, not kill. However, with the dual amplification enhancing its power, death wasn’t out of the question.

Even with the summoner unconscious, the pegasus remains stable.
The translucent creature, though hit directly by the spell, seemed unaffected. As a mere projection rather than a living being, it likely couldn’t feel pain. Yet, stripped of its rider’s control, it could only drift downward, slowly descending the hillside in a graceful, controlled fall.

“One down,” Justin muttered, watching the fading figure disappear behind the slope.

“You bastard!”
An enraged shout broke his focus. One of the enemy warriors, clearly close to the fallen mage, charged forward, his face twisted with fury.

“I’ll kill you!”

“Hey, you idiot! Get back here! Fall back, I said!”
The leader’s command fell on deaf ears—rage had drowned out reason.

Not that Justin minded. If anything, he welcomed it.

“Dual Amplification—Black Missile.”
With barely a whisper, he raised a finger toward the reckless warrior.

“Black Missile.“

“You think that’ll stop me?!” The warrior raised his shield confidently—only to freeze mid-charge.

THUD.