The Crazy Mage Reincarnated into a Fallen Family

I struck the charging man’s head with the bottle while simultaneously throwing Red Dagger at the other man’s stomach.

Thud!

The red dagger, imbued with wind pressure, pierced through his stomach with a tearing sound.

“Aaaagh!”

It all happened in less than a second, in the blink of an eye.

Moose, realizing the situation, glared at me with murderous intent and started forming hand signs.

“You bastard!”

Taylor, with a hardened expression I had never seen before, gave orders.

“Blair, Arin.”

Mana fluctuations emanated from the three of them, backing me up. The other men also glared and drew their weapons.

But once again, I was the fastest.

I punched the cluster of bottles on the table. The bottles shattered mercilessly, and liquor gushed out in all directions.

I leaped onto the table and enveloped my fist in flames.

The first important thing when fighting multiple opponents.

Style. Maintaining your style is always crucial.

‘Wind Barrier.’

I surrounded myself with a Wind Barrier, bent my waist, and slammed my fiery fist onto the table.

The spilled liquor caught fire, and flames erupted instantly.

I stood nonchalantly on the burning table and surveyed my surroundings.

As expected, everyone around me was flustered and didn’t know what to do.

In the midst of the sudden chaos, both our side and the enemy stopped what they were doing and looked at me. It felt like the atmosphere demanded it.

I looked at Moose and raised my middle finger.

The second important thing when fighting multiple opponents.

Trash talk. Taunting the enemy leader is crucial.

“You dog-like Moose, you’re truly insignificant. Tell me, what happens when you don’t hold back when you should? I’m curious, so show me.”

Moose, with a clear killing intent in his eyes, completed his hand signs.

Judging by the form, it seemed he was about to use the water cannon that the Azure Dragon Squad Leader had used before.

However, the mana fluctuation was far weaker.

“…I’ll show you what happens, Water Stream.”

I concentrated mana at the tip of my middle finger.

‘Piercing Wind.’

With a whooshing sound that ripped through the air, a wind bullet shot from my fingertip, splitting the water cannon in half and hurtling towards Moose.

Horror filled Moose’s eyes.

Just as the wind bullet, having split the water cannon, was about to pierce Moose’s shoulder,

A blade-like energy surged from somewhere and deflected the wind bullet’s trajectory.

‘Sword Qi?’

I turned my eyes to look at Celestine.

A thin sword was in her hand, its paper-thin blade vibrating from side to side.

‘A flexible sword?’

Only a flexible sword could have such a supple blade. Due to its nature, it was difficult to release sword Qi compared to ordinary swords.

But for some reason, Celestine seemed more surprised than I was. She had tried to disrupt my magic with sword Qi, but it only managed to alter its course.

“…I said it was a wrong decision, Ruin.”

“Wrong?”

I smirked and kicked off the table, aiming for the demon dog-like guy.

* * *

The blazing flames heated the interior.

Somehow, the situation had escalated into a one-on-one confrontation between Moose and me.

I fired fire spears at Moose with both hands, then concentrated ‘Fire Arm’ on the skin of my right arm.

Hotter, denser.

As Moose’s face turned red and he retreated while forming hand signs, I charged at him and taunted,

“Why aren’t you saying anything, you damn bastard?”

At that moment, another blade imbued with Sword Qi flew towards my waist from the left.

“Dodge, Ruin!”

Taylor cast a spell, trying to obstruct the blade’s path by forming hand signs.

Surprisingly, the blade wriggled as if it were alive, bypassing Taylor’s magic and approaching me.

Swoosh—

I leaped into the air, twisted my waist, and narrowly dodged the blade. The flexible sword’s blade then curved and chased after my waist again. Its tip was as flexible as a snake hunting its prey.

‘This is annoying.’

Falling from mid-air, I kicked off the ground once more and chanted a simplified incantation.

‘Haste.’

I shot forward like a ray of light and slapped Moose across the face.

Smack— With a loud sound, sparks flew from Moose’s left cheek as he was knocked back.

I dashed forward faster than Moose and grabbed him by the collar. He wasn’t even as skilled as a Azure Dragon Squad member.

I pulled him up by his collar and met his eyes.

“Tell me. What happens when you can’t hold back?”

“…”

“You can’t answer, can you?”

I picked up a bottle rolling on the table and smashed it over Moose’s head.

Crack!

Moose clutched his head and replied,

“Ugh, are you messing with Urgon right now?”

“Stop it, Ruin!”

Before I could respond, Taylor shouted from the left.

And a moment later, an even stronger presence dominated the room.

“I told you it would be best to stop.”

It was Celestine.

She pointed the tip of her flexible sword at me.

“I think this is enough. I won’t tolerate any more disrespect. Don’t take it personally. This is for your own good too.”

Everyone stared at Celestine, momentarily overwhelmed by her powerful presence that made it difficult to breathe.

‘A woman from a clan that uses flexible swords.’

I had a rough idea. I just didn’t expect to see her in a place like this.

This was interesting.

Indeed, what a noble sense of justice.

Old memories resurfaced, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

Acting from a position of strength and pretending to help the weak was always somewhat repulsive.

Celestine frowned and looked at me.

“You find this funny?”

“I can’t help but laugh.”

If she thought she could persuade me with just this level of presence, she was mistaken.

“You said this was enough?”

“Of course. Stop this.”

“Why do you get to decide that?”

“……!”

The presence emanating from me instantly erased Celestine’s pressure. Everyone’s gaze shifted from Celestine to me.

A suffocating pressure.

Celestine let out a groan and looked at me with genuine surprise in her eyes.

“…How.”

I picked up another bottle rolling on the table and smashed it over Moose’s head.

“Say it again. Did you say I was messing with Urgon?”

“Ugh, this bastard.”

“That’s not the right answer. You messed with Samael.”

Even after breaking so many bottles, there were still plenty left.

I continued to hit his head with bottles and taunted him. I hadn’t cast any protective magic, so shards of glass pierced my hand, and blood started to flow.

Clang— Shatter— Crash—

“What, did you think it was okay to mess with Samael as you pleased? Did we look like idiots to you? Same here. It doesn’t matter if you’re from Urgon or not. What matters is that you touched Samael.”

Celestine was looking at me with a somewhat complicated expression.

Moose’s slicked-back hair was now covered in blood, and his entire body was drenched in liquor.

I grabbed Moose by the collar and lifted him up. His eyes were still filled with malice.

“…This fucking bastard.”

“Your eyes still look like a dog’s.”

I grabbed another bottle at random and continued to smash it over his head.

A moment later, I grabbed Moose’s collar again with my right hand. I enveloped my left hand in flames and met Moose’s eyes.

“It seems you have no intention of apologizing, so I have no choice. I hope you’ll be reborn in the afterlife. You’re soaked in liquor, so burning to death should be quite enjoyable.”

Suddenly, Moose, who had been staring intently into my eyes, trembled like an aspen leaf and said,

“…Ugh, I apologize.”

“What?”

Thud— Moose fell to his knees.

“…I apologize.”

I patted his head and then slapped him.

“Tell me what you did wrong. Since we’ve already started this, I want to put on a fire show, but I’ll give you a chance. I’ll listen and decide. You might become the star of the fire show, or you might not. I’ll be the one to decide.”

Moose, who had never met anyone like me in his life, opened his mouth with fear in his eyes.

“…I misspoke.”

“Mispoke?”

“I must have lost my mind for a moment. I’ve committed a grave offense against Samael. I said unforgivable things to the two young masters. I deliberately exaggerated to provoke them… I didn’t help them at all in the Demon Realm. I apologize.”

“And?”

“…And I apologize for looking down on Samael. I didn’t mean to insult the clan. I was just…”

“And?”

“…”

“Is that all?”

I pretended to slap Moose, then enveloped my hand in flames. Moose immediately prostrated himself and shouted,

“Ah, I apologize to Lady Arin too! I apologize for insulting your clan. I said things I shouldn’t have.”

I grabbed Moose by the hair and lifted his head. I slapped his liquor-soaked face with a fiery hand.

Suddenly, time seemed to slow down for Moose. He could clearly see the trajectory of the flames flying towards him.

Anticipating a future where he would become a burning roast, Moose screamed.

“Aaaaaaaagh!”

I withdrew the flames the moment my palm touched Moose’s cheek.

Moose, his face covered in tears and snot, let out an incomprehensible sound and then fell silent.

“That’s too bad. You almost became the star of the fire show.”

I gently stroked Moose’s cheek and assessed the situation.

Everyone was speechless.

Moose and his group were frozen in place, unable to process what had happened, and Celestine was staring at me intently with a subdued gaze.

Blair was looking at me with a dumbfounded expression.

Taylor was still glaring at me.

As the tension in the room escalated, I suddenly turned my head and looked out the window.

Meanwhile, the night lake was beautiful. The round lanterns floating in the sky swelled up and exploded simultaneously.

Bang—

The sky flashed, and colorful lights adorned the night lake.

“What a beautiful night.”

I looked out the window, then slowly walked towards the stairs.

“I had a great time. See you at the banquet.”

I turned around at the top of the stairs and waved goodbye. But no one saw me off.

‘Rude bastards.’

Feeling a bit embarrassed, I quickly lowered my hand and ran down the stairs.

* * *

Outside, I walked along the lakeshore. Even though it was late at night, there were still many people taking walks.

I also enjoyed the refreshing scent of the water and felt a sense of liberation.

As the crowd gradually thinned, someone grabbed my shoulder from behind.

“Let’s talk.”

It was a low voice, like a predator growling.

“Sure, let’s talk.”

“Follow me.”

Taylor led me away from the lakeshore and walked endlessly towards the opposite side of the bustling area, stopping at a deserted open space.

I looked around the eerie clearing.

“You picked a good spot for a conversation.”

Taylor stared at me for a while, clenching and unclenching his fists, then suddenly sighed and said,

“Go back to Khaoto.”

“What?”

“We don’t need someone like you who can’t distinguish right from wrong.”

I met Taylor’s eyes.

His gaze was burning.

Good eyes. They were good eyes. But they were also the kind of eyes I disliked.

I knew the festering nature hidden deep within those eyes, filled with conviction.

“You stubborn brat. What if I don’t want to?”

“I’ll make you go by force.”

———