A fierce wind rushed in.
A cloaked man appeared behind Momonga, the sharp blade in his hand wrapped in a blue-green glow.
He was one of Zurrernorn's Twelve Executives.
He specialized in controlling wind to support his fighting.
His speed was astonishing, and he was known as Swift Wind.
As a terrorist organization, Zurrernorn was made up mostly of magic casters who lived side by side with death, but it also had some warriors among its ranks.
Clementine had once been one of them.
Incidentally, Swift Wind did not like Clementine.
Leaving aside strength for the moment, her title alone, [Windstride], always made him feel like he was being compared to her and coming out inferior.
That feeling only became worse after they had sparred before.
Her speed really had been just a little faster than his, which made it all the more humiliating.
"Die!"
The sharp blade thrust straight at Momonga's head, the only part not covered by his armor.
He had used this move to kill countless Orichalcum-class adventurers and had even badly wounded an Adamantite-class adventurer.
Faced with that attack, Momonga did not try to take it head-on. Instead, he chose to evade.
He tilted his head slightly and narrowly avoided it.
He was not like Naohara and Herohero.
Those two had melee classes such as [Sword Saint] and [Martial Monk]. Even without consciously doing anything, they would naturally gain the instinctive skills needed for combat.
As a pure magic caster, Momonga knew very well that his close combat ability was actually terrible.
[Perfect Warrior]
Although this spell could turn his stats into those of a normal level one hundred warrior, it did not grant him any combat experience.
Against lower-level opponents, he could still rely on the difference in level to crush them.
But if he ever faced an opponent of the same level and was forced into melee combat, that would become a real problem.
Although the chances of someone breaking through his magical defenses were low, it was always better to take precautions.
That line of thought gave Momonga the idea of honing his own combat techniques.
The members of Zurrernorn were undoubtedly good candidates for that.
Their levels were low, but their fighting skills far surpassed his.
Of course, if he only wanted to train his technique, there was no real need to activate [Perfect Warrior] and equip [World Champion Armor].
With his own base stats alone, he could still overpower them through sheer force. Even if the members of Zurrernorn fought until they dropped, they would never be able to injure him.
But because of the "Great One" mentioned earlier, Momonga still took precautions in case the other party tried to launch a sneak attack.
At the same time, this also served as a small trap to lure the enemy out.
He had chosen to dodge in part because he did not want the attack to trigger his passive effects and instantly be nullified.
Under [Perfect Warrior], he could not actively use magic, but his passive abilities were unaffected.
No matter how one looked at it, he had already prepared his plan.
After all, being cautious was never a mistake.
After dodging the blade aimed at his head, Momonga jumped back, trying to widen the distance.
But a bolt of lightning that had clearly been prepared in advance was already right in front of him.
It was a fifth-tier spell.
Barring bonuses from certain special classes, a person normally had to reach level thirty-two to learn it.
In other words, it belonged to the realm of heroes.
In this world, only a tiny number of extraordinarily gifted magic casters could use magic of that level.
That alone was enough to earn them the respect of every nation.
The reason Zurrernorn had managed to preserve its strength and avoid being wiped out, despite being hated by the surrounding countries, was precisely because it had several members who had reached the realm of heroes.
This time, Momonga did not choose to dodge.
Instead, a thin film spread over his body and took the attack defensively.
Martial Art [Immovable Fortress]
This was a martial art that nullified the defensive power of a weapon and the force of the attack it received.
However, its timing had to be executed with extreme precision. It did not necessarily have to be used through a sword or shield. It could also be activated through the hands or armor.
Martial arts were not magic.
That meant they were not affected by [Perfect Warrior].
By actively using a martial art to block the attack, Momonga could avoid triggering his passive defenses, train his abilities, and mislead his enemies all at once.
At the same time, there was nothing strange about someone mastering both magic and martial arts.
It also silently explained why a magic caster like him would abandon the advantage of spellcasting and choose to fight in close combat.
"Martial arts… a warrior who has mastered both magic and martial arts."
Seeing their magic attack nullified, the members of Zurrernorn narrowed their eyes.
[Immovable Fortress]
This martial art was the superior version of [Fortress]. Among defensive martial arts, it stood at the very top.
The fact that he could successfully use such a technique spoke for itself.
"Is he planning to wear us down with martial arts first and then switch back to magic later?"
"If he can do that, his strength may not be inferior to the alliance leader."
"The Sorcerer King… perhaps Mage-Warrior King would be a more fitting title."
They had expected an easy victory, but the opponent had revealed an unexpected trump card.
The members of Zurrernorn exchanged glances. Their expressions became serious, yet their excitement only grew stronger.
Hunting a powerful enemy.
Especially someone of such high status who could use both magic and martial arts. What could be more thrilling than that?
Looking at the group before him, now filled with fighting spirit, Momonga nodded inwardly.
Come on. Use everything you have.
Only then can I learn your techniques openly.
...
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
While Momonga was fighting the members of Zurrernorn, Khajiit also faced his own opponent.
"Khajiit, my most outstanding student. You have disappointed me."
An old man in black robes walked toward Khajiit. His crimson eyes stared at his former student as he spoke in a hoarse voice.
He truly felt some regret.
After all, completing a half-finished Death Spiral, gathering negative energy, sealing it inside himself, and transforming into a powerful Undead.
Khajiit's success was nothing short of a miracle.
His excuse for becoming an Undead had been that he succeeded by relying on the incomplete Death Spiral and a stroke of luck.
After all, E-Rantel had not been massacred.
A Lich.
One of the most suitable Undead forms for a magic caster.
"Teacher, stop pretending."
"You think I cannot sense it? Your greedy and disgusting desires are practically overflowing."
"If my current strength did not make it inconvenient for you to act, you would have already dragged me onto your experiment table."
Khajiit looked at his former teacher and let out a cold laugh.
If the man truly cared about him, then given his personality he would at least have pleaded for him.
Instead of doing nothing like he was now.
Khajiit understood very clearly that ever since he returned to Zurrernorn and successfully transformed into a Lich, this teacher of his had already begun thinking about studying him.
Within this criminal organization, the so-called teacher and student relationship was nothing more than a joke.
"And if you truly trusted me, you would not have hidden information about that great one from me all this time."
Khajiit continued.
"As a magic caster, being curious about the unknown is natural. I simply did not expect you to misunderstand things so severely."
"As for that great one, not only you but even among the Twelve Executives only two or three know anything vague about it."
"And you, my student, are still too young as an Undead. I originally planned to tell you in another hundred years."
"But that is no longer necessary. As a traitor, you will die here."
"Out of respect for our past relationship as teacher and student, I will leave your corpse intact."
The old man shook his head as if feeling somewhat helpless.
He then raised his withered arm. A brilliant magic circle rapidly formed as black magic gathered and prepared to erupt.
"Heh. So you finally cannot hold back anymore."
"Then let me personally end this part of the past."
Khajiit shook his head.
Those words sounded nice.
Leaving his corpse intact. Was that not simply an excuse to study his body afterward?
Without hesitation, he raised the Orb of Death in his hand and poured magic into it. Dark purple light began to shine from the sphere.
Momonga-sama must have his own careful plans.
And as a subordinate, if his lord had not stopped him, that meant he was giving silent permission.
This was a trial.
A trial prepared for him by Momonga-sama and Naohara-sama.
A trial meant to overcome his past.
[Summon Undead ×2]
"Appear, Abomination!"
"Rise, Skeletal Dragon Lord!"
Magic and negative energy gathered together as a magic circle appeared in the air. With a thunderous roar, two massive figures emerged from within it.