You Devil!

Josh wasn’t joking. Even if he only used Ice element magic, he could kill these people in an instant.

Of course, it couldn’t compare to when Josh used Void Magic. As Josh continued to explore and hone it, Void Magic’s terrifying power had become increasingly apparent. In particular, his use of Void Origin had reached an exceptionally wondrous level—he could silently blend Void Origin into any magic he wished to use.

Once ordinary magic combined with Void Origin, it wasn’t merely an evolution. It could practically be called a sublimation.

This not only preserved the magical and elemental properties of elemental magic, but also added the properties of the Void. Such stacking was far more than simple addition.

That was only in terms of offense. As for defense, Josh couldn’t even be bothered to mention it. In a world without restrictions like this, he simply used Void Shield. Who was he putting on an act for?

Josh had once relied on Void Shield and Seraph to withstand the attack of someone at least Rank Nine, even if only for one second!

Watching the group steadily approach as if nothing were happening, Josh didn’t make a single move.

Although O’Connor and the others were somewhat nervous, seeing that the "strange people" beside them didn’t seem concerned at all, they gradually relaxed. Of course, they still remained ready to run at any moment.

Soon, under the command of a large man in black, the group came to a stop. The big man jumped down from his horse and walked toward Josh and the others alone. As he walked, he removed the cloth covering his face, revealing a bearded face marked with strange tattoos.

Josh recognized him at a glance. This man was Ade-Bay, one of the leaders of this group, and the group itself had a rather interesting name—the Guardian.

By sheer coincidence, it was the same name as Josh’s Magic Cinema. Their duties, however, were quite different. Generation after generation, they had to remain in this godforsaken place to keep outsiders from entering and accidentally awakening the thousand-year-slumbering dead soul.

As for how these people had discovered them, Josh didn’t even need to guess. Most likely, someone had spotted their group riding a giant dragon.

That was only natural. Josh had never intended to hide anything, and with Hosdena’s massive size, it would have been stranger if they hadn’t been discovered.

After walking over, Ade-Bay looked around curiously, as though searching for something, but he found nothing. His face was now full of confusion.

Josh naturally understood the look on his face, so he directly asked, "Are you looking for that stupid dragon?"

"Stupid dragon?"

Ade-Bay gave Josh a strange look. It seemed as though he’d choked on something before finally replying, "If you mean that giant dragon that looked to be fifty meters long, then yes."

"Watch your wording, little fellow. It’s he, not it. We call him a stupid dragon, but that doesn’t mean he has low status among us. Strictly speaking, he’s not an animal either."

"Little fellow?"

Ade-Bay’s expression became even stranger. I look older than you, don’t I?

As for whether a dragon should be called he or it, Ade-Bay didn’t care that much. What concerned him was the powerful sense of danger he felt from the people standing before him. However, he neither voiced nor revealed that feeling, and still appeared perfectly calm.

"All right, let’s not discuss that giant dragon. I want to ask why you’ve come here. Don’t you know what this place is?"

"Of course I do. Hamunaptra, the City of the Dead. Isn’t there just a mummy locked inside? What’s the big deal?"

Josh spread his hands indifferently. He even knew how that mummy had come to be—from the beginning and course of the story to even the method used to create him.

And he knew perfectly well what kind of impact that mummy could have.

"It’s not as simple as just a mummy. He is—" Ade-Bay clearly thought Josh only had a superficial understanding, so he couldn’t help trying to explain.

Honestly, if they had been anyone else, the Guardians would have shot them all dead long ago. Who would bother wasting words on them?

But they had clearly seen these people swaggering through the desert on that enormous dragon, which was why Ade-Bay had been so polite. Unfortunately, Josh couldn’t be bothered to listen and directly cut him off. "I know. A High Priest from three thousand years ago. His name was Imhotep."

"How extraordinary. I even know why he was locked in this place. Note that I said locked away, not buried."

Josh shrugged. That thing really had been imprisoned here, because he was someone who had been cursed to death.

Although the curse was quite remarkable and seemed rather powerful, Josh had no interest in studying it. His purpose was very simple.

"Then since you understand, you should know that he can be resurrected, right?"

"Of course. If he died because of a curse, then being resurrected because of one isn’t such a big deal, is it? Besides, I really do need him alive to help me solve some problems."

Josh spread his hands, but after he said that, he noticed Ade-Bay’s expression turn exceptionally ugly.

And because Josh had never lowered his voice, the Guardians who had come with Ade-Bay and were standing closer could clearly hear what he said.

At once, every man who heard Josh raised his weapon. Like a domino effect, the people behind them raised their weapons as well, even though they had no idea what had happened.

That movement immediately terrified O’Connor and the others. Jonathan even wanted to distance himself from Josh and the others right away, but O’Connor stopped him.

Because O’Connor noticed that even with several hundred people aiming guns at Josh and his group, they showed no reaction at all. Their expressions remained unchanged.

There were only two possibilities. Either they didn’t understand how dangerous firearms were, or they simply didn’t care.

Under such circumstances, O’Connor could only gamble, and the only option he could bet on was the second.

There was nowhere to escape in this damn place. They were thoroughly surrounded, so all he could do was hope that Josh truly didn’t care about those things.

Fortunately, his luck was good. He had made the right bet.

"The last person who pointed a gun at me… I don’t even know whether his bones are still around. I suggest you put those things down. I have a good temper, but that doesn’t mean I can tolerate others offending me."

Josh’s expression hadn’t changed much, though it wasn’t entirely unchanged.

He seemed to be recalling something. If he remembered correctly, the last people who had aimed guns at him were in Jurassic World, and two of those unlucky fools had indeed died.

"I don’t care who you are! But let me tell you, don’t even dream of it! Your idea is extremely dangerous! You will unleash a demon! A demon that will destroy Egypt and destroy the entire world!"

"So you want to kill us? Do you think you can do it?"

Seeing the mixture of anger and agitation on Ade-Bay’s face, Josh smiled unconcernedly.

Suddenly, everyone felt as though the place had grown colder. Freezing cold—damn it, this was the desert! Desert nights could be very cold, but it was noon. How could it possibly be cold?

But they quickly realized something was wrong. The cold showed no sign of fading, as if proving it wasn’t an illusion at all. Snowflakes actually began to drift down from the clear sky!

Quite a few of the black-clad men caught some of the white flakes in their hands. The icy sensation and increasingly cold weather seemed to tell them: yes, it was snowing here, in the scorching heat of noon, in the heart of the desert!

"Th-this is really snow? It’s snowing? How is that possible?"

The black-clad men stared blankly at the steadily falling snowflakes. No matter how hard they thought, they couldn’t understand what could cause such extreme, abnormal weather in a place like this.

No, this wasn’t a natural phenomenon at all. It was as though someone were controlling it!

O’Connor and the others were comparatively calm. The three of them had guessed that this was most likely the work of the man named Josh.

But their hearts were still filled with shock. Was something like this—turning extreme weather into something even more extreme—really something a human could do?

Josh continued to watch everything calmly. This was indeed his doing, and he seemed dissatisfied with the result. It was too hot here, causing many snowflakes to melt as soon as they fell. This wasn’t the effect Josh wanted.

So Josh unhesitatingly increased his mana output. This magic, mixing natural elements with Void element, instantly turned the area into a disaster zone ravaged by a blizzard!

The snow filling the sky brought abnormal cold, causing many of the black-clad men to become so frozen that they couldn’t even lift their weapons!

In such scorching weather, no one wore much. These men wore only a single layer of clothing and cloth masks to keep sand out of their mouths and noses. Those things offered no protection against the cold, and the sudden drop in temperature immediately robbed them of their ability to fight!

"What a bunch of pushovers. You wanted to kill me with this?"

Josh raised his right hand slightly, and the snowflakes seemed to receive an order as they frantically gathered together. In the blink of an eye, a gigantic ice bird appeared before the black-clad men!

What was more, the ice bird seemed alive, continuously flapping its wings and making the area even colder.

"If you weren’t merely fulfilling your duty, and if your families hadn’t had to remain here generation after generation for that duty, which I find quite admirable, do you think any of you would still be alive?"

Ade-Bay stared at Josh, who seemed like a god, his expression exceptionally ugly. Now he finally understood why this man didn’t care about them at all. No wonder he had dared to ask whether Ade-Bay could do it. No wonder he dared to release that legendary demon!

"So… you’re a demon too! Heavens!"

Josh’s expression froze. He even lost control of his mana for a moment, causing the ice bird to explode. But he quickly steadied himself. "What the hell are you talking about? How could I be a demon? I’m a mage! Understand, idiot? A mage!"

"A mage? One of those from the legends…"

"Yes, one of those legendary mages!"

Ade-Bay’s expression was somewhat strange. A mage? A mage who rode a giant dragon?

But he quickly accepted it. After all, there was a mummy beneath this City of the Dead that could be resurrected. What was so strange about a mage?

Still, he asked curiously, "But… why do you want to release that demon? Even if you can defeat him, there’s no need to do this, is there?"

Josh replied as though it were obvious, "Because I want to learn his magic."

"Learn… that demon’s magic?"

"Yeah. Why else would I want him resurrected?"

Hearing Josh’s explanation, Ade-Bay’s face suddenly filled with despair. "Learning a demon’s magic… you really are a demon!"

"…"