Summoned with an SSS-Rank Portal Skill

Chapter 122 - 122: The Dark Mage is Here

William knew he had to tell Lincoln what had happened, but he decided to omit Ben's identity as a summoned hero. It wasn't something he felt comfortable revealing, as it could also expose his own secret.

Instead, he simply said he had encountered a man pursuing a fugitive and explained what he knew about Malkor—that he was a dark mage planning to perform a ritual with Ron.

Professor Lincoln listened intently, his concern for Ron evident. However, he felt a glimmer of hope knowing they had someone else on their side.

"And you trust this... Ben?" Lincoln inquired, a hint of skepticism in his voice.

William nodded firmly. "Yes, I do. For now, we need to continue

Without his flying mount, escape seemed impossible. There was one option left, but William was reluctant to resort to it.

"Trying to scare me, young one?" Malkor sneered, his lips curling into a cruel smile. "Some unforeseen circumstances arose, and I find myself needing another participant for my ritual. Luckily, I stumbled upon another student here in the encampment."

The situation was growing increasingly dire. William backed away, but there was nowhere to run.

Asura's voice echoed in his mind. "I can help you unleash the full demonic power within you. There's a chance you might die or suffer permanent damage, but it's better than the 100% chance of death if you face this guy alone!"

It was a tempting offer, and William didn't dismiss it. If he could hold out for a while, perhaps even injure Malkor slightly until Lincoln returned to the camp, it might just work.

But before he could make a decision, a figure appeared to his rescue. Ben descended from the sky, landing between William and Malkor.

For the first time, fear flickered across Malkor's face. "You?" he sputtered, his voice laced with disbelief. "How did you find me here?"

"Did you really think you could hide forever?" Ben chuckled, a confident glint in his eyes. "It was only a matter of time before I found you."

The two knew each other well, and Malkor was acutely aware of Ben's superior power. His confident demeanor evaporated, replaced by a desperate urge to flee. He backpedaled, frantically searching for an escape route.

But Ben wasn't about to let Malkor escape. He had been on the island for a while, lying in wait, hoping for the right moment to find Malkor and either kill him or bring him back as a prisoner.

This was the opportunity he had been waiting for. He hadn't expected Malkor to leave his hideout so soon and seek another student to sacrifice in his macabre dark magic ritual.

Malkor acted quickly, conjuring a smokescreen of dark energy—the same energy he had used to knock Lincoln and William from their flying mounts.

Under its cover, Malkor fled into the forest. William, seeing Ben standing motionless, exclaimed, "Are you going to let him get away?"

Ben chuckled. "Don't worry. He's already trapped in my illusion magic. He'll be back shortly."

And as if on cue, Malkor reappeared from the forest after about thirty seconds.

"What the devil?" Malkor exclaimed in confusion. "I was running in the opposite direction!"

Why was he back where he started? Malkor quickly realized he had fallen victim to one of Ben's many mysterious magic spells.

"These blasted illusions!" Malkor roared, hurling a ball of black fire towards William and Ben. "Why don't you fight fairly?"

The ball of black fire flew over toward them. William thought of running, but Ben acted first. He would soon show Malkor the reason he was one of the summoned heroes.