The Vastness of Magical Destiny

Chapter 51 - 51 3 Backlash

?Chapter 51: Chapter 3: Backlash Chapter 51: Chapter 3: Backlash The slave warriors, stunned into disbelief, had even forgotten that the battle was not over. They simply stood there with their eyes wide open, watching everything before them that was too incredible to believe, allowing the bandits, desperate after the narrow escape, to run amok, wailing as they fled.

This sudden, massive shock that came like a sky-changing event nearly caused their spirits to crumble. The Half-Beastmen, who had never witnessed such magical power, were so weakened that they no longer had the strength to chase after the fleeing enemy. Even those like Fran and Baoling, who had once witnessed Komer unleash his power, were paralysed by Komer’s final move, the altered “Golden Snake Dance.”

It was the same move that, less than ten days apart, had become so terrifyingly potent that even Ilot and Puber couldn’t help but gaze at Komer, who stood there, pale-faced, with an odd look in their eyes.

Komer himself did not realize how dangerous it was to use his spiritual power to control that last move; the tremendous backlash of magic surged like an angry tide, violently assaulting the fragile mental barrier within his heart.

It was only then that Komer understood why his teacher had warned him not to use high-level magic lightly, especially when his spiritual power was utterly insufficient to control such high-level magic spells requiring immense mental fortitude.

Pain, despair, and joy flickered across Komer’s face as he realized he could no longer withstand the wave after wave of magical backlash. But he could not give up; if he did, he understood he would end up an idiot or a madman, as the magic backlash would shatter his mind into pieces.

In the depths of despair, a chilling coldness began to seep in from the Nameless Crystal close to his body. Starting from his chest and abdomen, it slowly spread to the upper part of his body, and finally reached his head. A greenish vapor rising from his neck, stretching across his entire face, made Komer’s visage terrifyingly distorted as large beads of sweat oozed across his forehead and back.

However, at this moment, Komer could feel the mental dike within slowly become more stable. No matter how much the tsunami-like backlash raged, it could not break through his mental defenses. Komer, with full concentration, integrated the negative spiritual energy from the crystal with his own innate spiritual power.

The boiling backlash finally began to subside. Exhausted, Komer didn’t know how much time had passed when he finally collapsed.

Only when the greenish color slowly faded from Komer’s face did the people around him finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Having learned from the last experience, Ilot and the others knew this was the most dangerous moment for a mage. If one cast magic beyond their capacity, they would inevitably face the backlash of magic power. If they couldn’t resist this backlash, the mage could only turn into an idiot or a madman, or even die on the spot.

While Komer struggled to suppress the magical backlash, Puber, unable to help, had already ordered the few surviving Half-beastman slaves to clean up the Battlefield thoroughly. In addition to the thirty-odd bandits who were burned to a crisp on the spot, another twenty or so had been slain in battle, with only a dozen or so quick-thinking, swift-reacting individuals managing to escape.

While complaining that Komer’s spellcasting was not skilled enough, having destroyed even the bandits’ wealth along with themselves, Puber ordered the Half-beast soldiers to strip the corpses of any valuables. He criticized that such an act of utter wastefulness proved that their Boss was not a qualified Finance Officer.

Unfortunately, it was clear these bandits were not rich pickings. Apart from a few with some Gold Shields, most were poor.

Luckily, these fellows left behind quite a bit in terms of armor and weapons. Not caring about anything else, Puber, soon-to-be territory Finance Officer, started to economize. He ordered the Half-beast soldiers to cut off all the intact armor from the enemies’ corpses, and having collected the weapons and arrows, he packed them onto the horse-drawn carriage. Pulling out a small abacus, Puber was already squatting down to calculate how much loss they could recover from this battle.

What made Puber happiest was the few warhorses the bandits had abandoned in their hasty escape. These were a precious treasure; just the saddles were worth at least thirty Gold Shields, and each warhorse was worth over two hundred Gold Shields.

Since none of the remaining warriors knew how to ride, this surplus stock could be turned directly into cash. Puber flicked a bead on his abacus and added this windfall to the income account.

When Komer regained consciousness from his stupor, the group had already crossed the Darman Pass and officially set foot into the Caucasus territory.

To suppress the immense backlash from the magic, Komer had exhausted all his focus and, in the end, only managed to control the backlash with the support of the magic power emanating from the Strange Crystal Stone. However, this left Komer so fatigued that he couldn’t even move a finger.

Despite the slim chance of their pursuers regrouping for a counterattack, given the distance of over thirty miles, which Fran and Baoling managed to cover in just over three hours with their relentless urging and haste, everyone still hoped to step into their own territory as soon as possible for the sake of safety and caution.

Even though this part of the territory was more desolate and remote compared to the Leon Region, it was, after all, within the confines of Caucasus, an unfamiliar region to the bandits of Leon.

Lying amidst the cargo piled on the horse-drawn carriage, Komer felt a surge of nausea. This was the sensation of spiritual power being overly depleted. He had felt this a few days ago, though the force of it was much more violent this time.

The sky had gradually darkened, and the carriage’s jolting became more violent. Upon entering the Caucasus Region, the condition of the road had significantly deteriorated. It was evident that no one would consider investing in a road without commercial value, particularly in Caucasus, which had long been neglected by any lord and had become a typical semi-barbaric region left to fend for itself. At this rate, it might well turn into a habitation for Barbarians, Beastmen, or even Magical Beasts within a decade.

Riding on a captured warhorse, Puber surveyed the surrounding terrain while sighing continuously. It was no wonder that no one wished to come to such a desolate godforsaken place. Serving as a lord in such a remote area was indeed far less appealing than being a pauper in Cyprus City, where at least there was some sign of life. Here, other than the overgrown shrubs and weeds, there were only sporadic clusters of evergreen and deciduous Tall Tree Forests.

Occasionally, one could spot the exposed fiery red rocks. Puber started with considerable interest inspecting them, hoping to discern some secrets and, through his keen eyes and diligent hands, unearth a large mineral deposit. Unfortunately, every time his conclusion was negative.

Apart from the Green Mountain Stone that could be used as building material, there was valueless volcanic rock everywhere, and while it could be utilized for construction, the transportation costs would likely surpass the value of the stone itself, especially in such a wilderness with difficult access.

Of the twelve slave soldiers, four died in combat. Fortunately, the rest were not seriously injured. Two Long Spear infantrymen and one Swordsmen Shield Soldier lost their lives, proving that in such small-scale melee combat, the survivability of Swordsmen Shield Soldiers was far superior to that of the Long Spear infantry.

The other casualty was a Mortal archer, an unlucky fellow who was struck in the head by an ax thrown by a mounted bandit at the outset of the battle and died instantly, much to Fran’s regret.

Although the archer’s skills were not the best, training an archer was not an easy task unless one encountered a natural-born Half-Elf Archer.

On Fran’s suggestion, Puber begrudgingly awarded each of the remaining eight slave soldiers two Gold Shields for their combat efforts, bringing ecstasy to the Mortals and Half-beast Men soldiers, who had never enjoyed such a special treatment before.

Aside from the reserved Half-Elf Archer who bowed to express his gratitude, the others excitedly knelt on the ground pledging loyalty to Puber, making him feel so delighted that he thought he might be a few pounds lighter.

Naturally, Komer had become like a God in the eyes of these Half-Beast Men and Mortal Soldiers. Their gazes towards the horse-drawn carriage carrying Komer were filled with admiration and reverence. They could perhaps never imagine how a person could create such a terrifying scene; in their minds, only the War God Ares and his messengers could possibly wield such divine power.

Komer’s awakening was a great relief to everyone. Although they all believed Komer could not be so frail, after all, such a broad-scale use of magic was something not even seasoned warriors like Fran and Ilot, who had witnessed mages casting spells in wars against foreign invaders, had often seen. And this was a spell cast solely by Komer, a young man who had just come of age, the perils of which one could only imagine.