The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage-Chapter 331
The aura radiating from Hindel was nothing like the Hindel Seong had met before.
Under the crushing gravity, Seong couldn’t even lift his head as he faced him.
He could still escape—at least for now.
But the very fact that he could escape felt like a trap.
And more than that—
He could feel it clearly.
If he moved even a little—
He’d be cut down.
Seong’s body trembled at the realization.
He now understood why Hindel had become like this.
His only sibling had been slain by a cursed sword.
Of course, that alone wouldn’t have pushed him this far.
But perhaps that’s when it began—his slow descent into corruption.
Because he knew this, Seong didn’t dare move.
He was certain he’d die the instant he did.
And that would mean mission failure.
Also—
For now, it doesn’t seem like he’s noticed.
But Helena’s barrier was bound to be discovered soon.
So—
He needed to think fast.
He’d been caught with the aura of darkness.
He needed a cover—an excuse.
Countless thoughts raced through his mind.
It had been 300 years since Will made his name as the Lord of the Dead.
That meant Hindel had lived for over 300 years as well.
If the mine incident happened 300 years ago—and if the Despair Gorge event had also occurred around the same time...
Seong’s eyes sharpened. He released his dark aura and revealed his energy deliberately.
Hindel, who had been preparing to fight, twitched slightly, his expression distorting.
He’d thought it was just dark energy.
But this wasn’t ordinary darkness.
There was no way Hindel wouldn’t recognize it.
“...Galaxy Sword Dance?”
“...Yes. That’s correct.”
“...So you’re the one who’s been impersonating my disciple.”
Even his tone was nothing like the Hindel Seong remembered.
But Seong didn’t care. He calmly replied, completely unaffected.
“...Shamefully, yes.”
As Seong said that, Hindel seemed to relax his power, as though it had been expected.
The suffocating gravity lifted, and the knights all gasped for air, nearly choking. The horses, too, were still alive.
But none of them dared say a word to Hindel.
He was a Hero.
At least for now, it felt like the danger had passed.
However—
BOOOOOM—!!!
The pressure returned.
Seong’s face twisted.
So he still meant to kill him?
Even if he was corrupted, he was still Hindel.
That was exactly why Seong had revealed the Galaxy Sword Dance.
Was it pointless...?
Seong remained in place, his heart sinking.
Then Hindel flared his aura in a burst of irritation, releasing it into the sky.
The lightless stars surged upward in a violent storm.
The dark light of the galaxy pierced the heavens and split space itself.
CRAAAACKKK—!!!
Faced with such an overwhelming display—worthy of being called a Transcendent—Seong could only admire it silently.
What level would he have to reach to even imitate that?
He couldn’t even guess.
Seeing the corrupted version of the Galaxy Sword Dance made Seong scowl.
It was further proof of just how broken Hindel had become.
And as he was resigning himself to being discovered—
Hindel muttered irritably,
“Damn it.”
Then he said,
“Get out of my sight. Now.”
The moment he heard those words, Seong knew it was his chance. He stepped using the Galaxy Sword Dance’s footwork, gathering the powers of Radiance and Galaxy, and vanished from the spot as though teleporting.
And since he’d already sensed his retainers distancing themselves from the Transcendent’s domain, Seong quickly joined them elsewhere.
But strangely—
Even as he moved away, he could still see the scene he had just left, as though it were still happening before him.
An event scene?
It felt like the classic kind of event cutscene as he watched the image unfold.
Then—
The unstable Hindel turned and snapped at the knights.
“Forget that guy from earlier.”
“G-Ghk, ugh... Yes, understood...”
As the Knight Commander coughed and stammered, Hindel turned sharply.
And then—
“...Helena. I only need to kill her.”
He muttered the words to himself so that no one else could hear.
And with that, he cut through space again and disappeared.
Only Seong, who had heard that sorrowful voice, watched the vision fade with a somber expression.
Though filled with fury, Seong couldn’t help but acknowledge—
Hindel was still Hindel.
Even corrupted, he had chosen not to harm the innocent.
Rieskan Kingdom must have pushed him toward corruption.
But he was still a Hero.
Seong sighed bitterly.
Surely, a Transcendent could sense Helena’s barrier—
But perhaps he was so anxious, so unstable, that he hadn’t noticed?
Or maybe—
He saw the children and let it go.
A strange weight filled Seong’s chest.
Still, seeing that Hindel had disappeared, he cloaked himself again.
This time, even more thoroughly than before, and returned to the children.
Will and Barbaros, still tense, gulped visibly.
“Th-That aura just now...”
“I-It was overwhelming...”
As they asked, Seong replied with a bitter tone.
“That was Hero Hindel.”
Their eyes widened as though this was a disaster.
But they also sensed the aura had vanished, so they asked what had happened.
“B-But why...”
“D-Didn’t he notice this place?”
Could a Transcendent really have missed something so close?
Even Seong found it hard to believe.
That left only one possibility.
“He must’ve sensed the children here... and just left.”
Perhaps he had originally come because he sensed Seong—the Overlord.
But when Seong revealed the Galaxy Sword Dance—
It must have thrown him into confusion.
That’s likely why he told him to leave.
Seong followed the chain of logic to its end.
“Hoo...”
“What happens next...”
“We’ll see.”
They were all visibly nervous.
But with determination to do what they could, they continued their discussion.
“Let’s keep a close watch.”
“For now, he left.”
“And judging by the knights withdrawing, it doesn’t seem like they plan to stay in Parra Village either.”
Hearing that, everyone nodded in agreement.
But the tension didn’t ease easily.
Time passed slowly as they stayed on high alert.
2.
Space tore open, and not far from Parra Village, something appeared at the lord’s castle in a nearby city.
A dark and gloomy starlight aura formed in the air—
—and sliced space apart.
———
The torn space revealed a rift as though it meant nothing.
And from within it, Hindel emerged.
His face twisted, his displeasure plain to see.
Waiting in the castle, a knight looked up at him and asked,
“What’s wrong?”
A knight who seemed quite familiar with Hindel.
A member of the Rieskan royal family—and a man known as the Sword Saint.
Gjordren von Rieskan.
Now Hindel’s comrade.
When he asked that question, Hindel shook his head.
“No, nothing happened.”
Even to his comrade, Hindel spoke coldly.
It was as if he was actively trying not to grow close.
But Gjordren didn’t care in the slightest.
On the contrary—
He looked at Hindel as though he’d done well.
“That’s good to hear.”
“...I’ll rest for a while.”
Gjordren looked slightly disappointed at that.
As if wondering why he’d bother resting now.
But it was a familiar reaction.
So Hindel said nothing in return.
He merely looked at Gjordren.
When their eyes met, Gjordren cleared his throat and said,
“Hrm. I said I’d help you with your revenge, didn’t I? But since we’re mobilizing so many from our kingdom, shouldn’t you cooperate a little more?”
“...”
At that, Hindel clenched his fists tightly.
Crack.
He was gripping so hard his knuckles went white and his bones groaned.
But Gjordren didn’t care.
He continued,
“We’ve made your tragedy known across ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) the kingdom, rallied support from countless Towers and other nations. Isn’t it unfair if you’re the only one resting while everyone’s helping?”
Classic gaslighting.
Hindel knew exactly what it was.
But there was some truth to it.
Gjordren had used the power of the Rieskan Kingdom to rally mages and armies from across the continent.
Still—
“I’m the one who’ll kill the Demon King, aren’t I?”
The sharp words made Gjordren flinch.
Hindel’s aura surged suddenly, pressing down on him—but Gjordren, too, was a Transcendent.
A Sword Saint of his era.
Even so, compared to Hindel—who was said to have surpassed even Transcendents—he couldn’t match up.
He flinched—
But held his ground and replied.
“I’m helping you avenge your sister. And...”
“...”
As he was about to continue, Hindel’s fury burst outward.
Still, Gjordren didn’t stop speaking.
“Shouldn’t you also avenge Sage Plang, who died to the same demonic force as your sister?”
“...”
Hindel shut his eyes tightly.
A rage rose in him—a desire to tear Gjordren apart for his manipulative words.
But...
He was too tired. Too broken.
He no longer had the strength to think, to uphold justice...
His will was worn down to dust.
...Is this really right?
At times like this, he missed his old friend—the one who never acted like a sage, who joked around constantly.
And his sister, who had always cheered him on from her hospital bed.
But both of them were long gone.
He’d come too far to go back.
Maybe—
Maybe I just want to give up.
As if speaking to those now far away, Hindel murmured,
Then bowed his head heavily.
He stopped thinking.
He just wanted to rest.
So—
Hindel nodded.
“...Fine. Understood.”
He gave his answer and tore space apart once again, moving on.
Searching for traces of Helena elsewhere.
As Hindel vanished,
Gjordren muttered with clear disapproval.
“Hrm. Maybe we shouldn’t have touched the sage...”
As if replying,
A voice echoed from the empty space around him.
—No, the sage had figured out too much.
“There was a risk.”
—Yes. The sage had to be eliminated.
“But now... Hindel’s so broken, can he even kill Helena?”
Gjordren voiced his concern.
That ominous voice spoke, trying to reassure Gjorden.
—Don’t worry. Even if that’s the case, he’s the man who saw the end of the Galactic Sword Dance. Even if he has fallen.
“Hmph. Yeah, you’re right. There’s a reason he’s called the greatest hero of all time.”
—Exactly. Don’t worry too much.
With that, the eerie voice disappeared.
Gjorden nodded in response and stood up as well.
He couldn’t leave everything to Hindel. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎
It was time for him to move too.
“Let’s see where that bitch is hiding.”
