The Executed Sage Reincarnates as a Lich and Begins a War of Aggression

Hundreds of beast abilities flooded towards the hero.

But she responded to it with just a single swing of her sword.

It was such a fascinatingly vivid sight that drew one’s attention, the deadly technique cutting it all down at once.

She continued to push forward.

If it were the me from before, I would have been cornered just like this.

However, I’ve achieved an awakening of sorts now.

I activated abilities one after another against her speedy swordsmanship.

As I got away from her sword’s range, I casted a various number of spells.

It feels different, my mind is clear.

I was impressed with the clarity of my head as I bombarded the area ahead.

After my talk with her, all my hesitation and worries completely disappeared.

I had received closure and that allowed me to release all my power.

I was in the state where I could draw out my full potential in the truest sense.

Smoke rose from the targeted location.

She jumped out of it.

She was a little scuffed, but there were no noticeable wounds.

I already expected such a result though.

No problem. I only need to shoot more.

I shot a forbidden spell in the form of chains.

The wave of chains split and multiplied, crawling across the ground in a rush.

She deflected them all with her sword swinging in all directions. 

Sparks flew as the sound of metal clashing on metal constantly reverberated through the air.

A single chain would normally be enough against an army, but the hero crushed them all easily.

Seeing that, I unleashed additional spells.

However, she didn’t stop.

Be it the fire that fell, the lightning that shot up from the ground, or even a blade that could cut space itself, she broke through them all.

The brilliance of her swordsmanship increased with every unreasonable attack thrown at her.

On the other hand, my movements also accelerated without limit.

It was the effect of the forbidden spell that manipulates time.

Even as the surroundings seemed to stop, she still moved at her normal speed.

A large number of my attacks were blocked with just her sword.

—Coming. She’s coming. The hero is coming.

An indescribable joy overcame me.

It was the first time in my life that I ever felt this kind of thing.

Even if I ended up dying here, I would have no regrets.

That was how refreshed I felt.

Needless to say, I had no intention to lose.

I would surpass her here.

I would no longer be the sage who just followed her around.

I would reign over the world as the Demon Lord who defeated the hero.

When she finally arrived before me, she turned quickly and moved to attack.

I defended against it instinctively and, in the meantime, started to turn the situation around with a counter attack.

I kept meeting her head-on despite my body gradually getting crushed.

I’m still too slow. She’s still ahead. I have to surpass her…!

By integrating power I borrowed from various sources, it became my own strength.

I made up for the difference in our skills and struck at her ultimate swordsmanship.

I focused solely on the hero in front of me.

Ignoring the sounds and lights around us, I continued to immerse myself in this battle.

Eventually, my attacks managed to deflect her sword.

It was a momentary gap that one could hardly consider an opening.

The sword spun away and danced high in the sky.

“…gh.”

Her eyes widened in surprise.

I proceeded to stab forward without missing this great opportunity.

She jumped to avoid the attack and grabbed the sword mid-air before slashing downwards.

—This is it.

I was convinced as I saw the hero descend.

I used space magic and transferred a certain object there.

The thing that appeared out of thin air was a rotten arrow.

The shaft was rotten and discolored, seemingly brittle enough that a breeze could break it.

I launched it using magic.

Naturally, she saw the trajectory of the arrow and tilted her sword to deflect.

The arrow ricocheted off the blade.

However, the arrow forcibly corrected its path, gained propulsive force, and accelerated.

The arrow pierced through her heart as if locked onto it.