Wizard: The Emperor of Magic.

Author Note

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Chapter 13

We had left the city behind hours ago.

The skyline had faded into a blur of hills and wild forest, the silence outside broken only by the hum of the engine and the low whispers of wind cutting across the road.

I sat quietly, watching the trees go by, but my thoughts weren't on the scenery.

I could feel it in my bones, in the thin vibrations dancing across the flow of mana in the air.

They were coming.

I leaned slightly toward the passenger seat and spoke, my voice firm but quiet. "Olivia."

She stirred from her thoughts like someone pulled out of a trance.

Her eyes turned toward me—hollow, searching.

There was no anger in them, no warmth either.

Just the kind of confusion that comes when your world's shifting beneath your feet and you don't know where to stand.

It hurt to see her like that.

"We're going to be attacked soon," I said plainly.

She blinked, then narrowed her eyes. "Where is the enemy?"

I studied her for a moment, hesitating—not because I didn't trust her strength, but because of what I was about to ask of her.

Of what I had already decided.

"I don't want you to fight."

Her frown deepened, the muscles in her jaw tightening.

"Do you remember I'm Tier 3—a Golden Knight?" she snapped. "I have the power to protect myself."

"I know you do," I replied gently.

"But even if you have the power to protect yourself, don't. Don't fight them, don't resist them. Let them do what they want—to me. They won't hurt you. They won't even touch you… unless you stand by my side."

I paused, then added, "And if you enter the fight, the Tier 4 hidden mage or knight watching from the shadows will take that as a signal. And if they enter the fight, we both die."

My voice was calm.

Unshaken.

Like I had it all under control.

Because I did.

Olivia stared at me like she was trying to burn a hole through my mask.

Her glare was fierce, but I didn't look at her—I stared ahead, my senses stretching outward, brushing against the mana around us, alert for the slightest flicker of movement.

"I don't care," she muttered. "I'm your wife."

I sighed, quietly regretting I ever told her the truth.

"That's why I don't want you to fight. Even if you hate it. Even if your pride as a knight is challenged. It's my duty—as your husband—to protect you."

There was a moment of silence between us.

The car rumbled softly beneath us, the trees still flashing by.

I spoke again, more quietly this time.

"I have a plan. And that plan will work perfectly… if you stay out of it. If you fight back, if you resist, even for a moment… you'll make enemies that will burn your entire family line from the books of history. I made a promise to Grace. I told her you wouldn't be involved."

I looked at her again. "So don't. Promise me."

She turned away, her eyes distant as she stared out the window. "What if your plan fails?" she asked.

Her voice wasn't angry anymore—just brittle. "What would they do to you?"

The question hung in the air like smoke.

I didn't answer right away.

The silence stretched, long and suffocating.

"It won't fail," I said at last.

Her hand clenched in her lap.

"So you want me to just sit there… and watch them kill you?" she asked bitterly.

"When you still have time. Still have love. Still have care left to give—things you've locked away from me for years? You want me to just let that all go, if that moment comes?"

I turned to her, taking her hand in mine.

It trembled slightly.

"Just put some faith in me," I whispered.

"And I'll win. I promise you, Olivia—I still have all those things to give."

Her grip tightened on my fingers. "If you lose," she said coldly,

"I will entering the fight. You said you want to protect me, right?"

She looked at me, her eyes blazing.

"Then don't lose."

A small smile touched my lips.

I wanted to hold onto that moment longer.

I wanted to say something else.

But the air shifted—mana twisted in the atmosphere like a serpent ready to strike.

Without a word, I reached into the stream of power coursing beneath us.

[Mana Spell: Barrier.]

The moment the spell formed—too fast for normal eyes to follow—a blinding light erupted outside the window.

Then—

BOOM.

The explosion ripped through the world.

Fire, metal, and mana collided in a violent roar.

The car was torn apart mid-motion, shattered by the blast wave as the spell shield barely held.

Everything was engulfed in heat and smoke, the sound of destruction drowning everything else.

And then—nothing but chaos.

Outside.

Smoke coiled into the air like writhing serpents, thick and suffocating, obscuring the forest road where the car once stood.

In the center of the devastation, two figures stood untouched by the flames and chaos, their presence cutting through the smoke like blades.

The first was a towering man—bare-chested, skin black as obsidian, muscles chiseled like stone.

He held a massive spear in one hand, the weapon humming with dark energy.

Long black hair flowed behind him, and his eyes glowed faintly with moving shadows, as if darkness itself was alive within them.

The sheer pressure he exuded was unmistakable—Tier 3, Golden Knight.

Power pulsed from him in waves.

Beside him was a woman—her beauty unmistakable and otherworldly.

Her long, purple hair flowed in waves behind her, dancing with wild wind as if she were the eye of a storm.

Her eyes matched her hair—violet and glowing, framed by flawless, pale skin as smooth as polished ivory.

Her robes clung to her form, made for seduction as much as for sorcery.

She held a slender wand in one hand, its tip shining with condensed mana.

Her aura spiraled violently—a clear sign of a Tier 3 Archmage.

Together, they radiated killing intent like a silent storm.

The land itself seemed to bow under their presence.

The smoke began to clear, and in the center of the wreckage stood three glowing shields, flickering with cracks but still intact—one protecting each of us.

Olivia, the driver, and myself.

I lowered my hand, and the glowing barrier dissolved.

My eyes lifted, locking onto the two enemies before me—and I smiled.

Why?

Because I had already seen what they could do, and more importantly… I had learned.

From the memories I'd absorbed and using [Understanding], I had crafted new spells, untested and dangerous.

And now, I had a perfect opportunity to use them.

I could feel it—the pure, unfiltered danger rolling off them in waves.

The kind of danger that made the soul tremble.

The kind that made a man question if he could live another minute.

And I loved it.

Even when I fought Brook, I never felt this kind of pressure.

This wasn't some mock battle.

This was death—sharp, real, and coming straight for me.

This… this was where the blood of the Silvery family came alive.

We didn't thrive in peace.

We thrived in war.

The killing intent pouring toward me was overwhelming—but it didn't frighten me.

It ignited me.

My blood boiled with excitement.

My hands trembled not from fear, but from anticipation.

Now I understood why my ancestors and Family were all called battle maniacs.

Why none of them ever died in their beds.

This feeling was on another level.

I didn't waste time talking.

I didn't need to.

I raised my hand and cast instantly—

[Mana Spell: Reinforcement]

[Mana Spell: Greater Body Enhancement]

[Mana Spell: Acceleration]

Power flooded my limbs—strength, speed, agility—amplified in an instant.

In a single breath, I became a blur.

With the rush of wind behind me, I dashed forward, straight toward the two figures.

The world warped as I reached their position in less than a second, unleashing my next spell.

[Mana Spell: Mana Burst]

A violent wave of mana erupted outward from my wand, colliding with the dark spear of the knight.

He had already responded, faster than most could blink, swinging his weapon downward as shadows flared around the blade.

The mage leapt backward, creating a spinning barrier of wind with a flick of her wand.

BOOOOM!

The collision of mana and darkness lit up the battlefield like lightning.

I was thrown backward, landing with force, but I was already chanting again.

[Mana Spell: Slashes]

With a single motion, I slashed my wand through the air, unleashing a flurry of cutting waves.

Mana arcs tore through the space between us, aimed directly at the knight.

He didn't dodge.

He moved into a stance.

And then—blur.

His spear moved at superhuman speed, spinning and slicing through every single slash of mana as if they were nothing but paper.

He charged, his steps making craters in the dirt, spear aimed at my side with lethal intent.

[Mana Spell: Barrier]

The spear struck.

My hastily cast barrier absorbed the blow, only for an instant—but that instant saved my life.

The barrier shattered like glass, but I had already moved, leaping backward two meters and casting again.

[Mana Spell: Dragon]

A western-style dragon, forged entirely from radiant mana, formed in the air with a screeching roar.

It surged toward the knight, its jaws glowing, its wings beating with force enough to shake trees.

But the knight only whispered—

"Spear Art: Darkness Embraces."

His voice was soft, like smoke in the wind, yet it rang through the air like thunder.

Darkness coiled around his spear like a cloak, and as he spun, the dragon met it head-on.

At the same time, I felt a shift to my side—the mage had taken position.

With an elegant twist of her body, she released a torrent of magic—a tornado of razors, winds sharpened to cut through stone, flying toward me at breakneck speed.

I raised my wand and roared—

[Mana Spell: Great Falling Spear]

A blue spear of pure mana shimmered into existence, its edges glowing with divine force.

I launched it at the tornado without hesitation.

The two forces collided.

BBBBBOOOOOOOMMMMM!

The explosion engulfed the landscape—trees torn from their roots, the road obliterated, and a crater fifty meters wide carved into the earth.

Wind, dust, and blinding light consumed everything.

And I stood in the middle of it all—laughing inside.

Because this… was exciting