Chapter 1009: Conjunction Spell Master (Part 10)
The colossal, fiery flower formed a complete encirclement around the Long-lived Being, its eight directions entirely encompassed.
KWOOOOOOOSH!!!!
Each of its six petals stretched for dozens of meters.
From the outside, the immense, closed fiery blossom would have looked like a gigantic fire sphere hundreds of meters in size.
Only then did the Conjunction Spell Master realize what Lennok had done, turning his gaze with a stoic expression.
“So that’s it. You deployed a Domain to prevent the expansion of my own Domain?”
Beyond his nonchalant gaze, revealed by the pushed-back mask, a faint, undeniable wonder was present, which even the Conjunction Spell Master himself couldn’t hide.
“But even for an Archwizard’s Domain, this size and scale… its very existence is akin to a strategic weapon.”
“……”
“The Domain itself is constructed as a barrier to expand its scale, functioning strictly as a ‘confining’ entity. And you enhance its power by adding conditions and restrictions, is that it…?”
The Domain, achieved upon completing the seven stages of self-transformation, is a divine technique that materializes the caster’s inner world, reshaping reality.
However, a Domain itself is not a barrier, nor a technique to sever or isolate space.
Upon seeing Lennok’s Domain, the Conjunction Spell Master immediately saw that it borrowed principles from Barrier Spellcraft, and was thus inferring its capabilities.
“The fiery flower Domain that marked the end of the decisive battle between Cheonbeon and Adamant Thunder. I’ve heard of it.”
Having completed his assessment in an instant, the Conjunction Spell Master turned his cold gaze back to Lennok.
“But it was ultimately an ability that lost the Domain confrontation against Adamant Thunder. Do you intend to unleash a conceptual space that has already been broken once upon me?”
The fragrance of the celestial flower from the sky spreads for ten thousand miles.
Celestial Flower's Myriad-League Fragrance is the pinnacle of pyrokinesis-attribute Domains, its power increasing proportionally to the time it has been deployed, a miracle that powerfully manifests the inner world of a pyrokinesis-attribute wizard, whose core tenets are preheating and expansion.
However, because it requires time to fully bloom, it poses no threat immediately after deployment.
It is self-evident that the power achieved through such restrictions is overwhelmingly superior to other Domains.
Yet, in the battle against Adamant Thunder, it ultimately failed to demonstrate its full power and was defeated.
The Conjunction Spell Master was now overtly pointing out that very fact to Lennok.
“If you understand that my Domain is a type of Barrier Spellcraft, you should know this.”
But Lennok, pointing to the sky where the Domain unfolded, spoke.
“This is a barrier to prevent your Life Domain from spreading throughout Gateway City. The moment your Domain begins to proliferate like cell division, the flames of Celestial Flower's Myriad-League Fragrance will incinerate the Long-lived Being’s body.”
“You mean to confine my Domain here and restrict its time…?”
The size of Celestial Flower's Myriad-League Fragrance was so immense that even the Conjunction Spell Master was momentarily surprised.
However, when a Domain is deployed on such a scale, its operation naturally takes time.
Especially for Celestial Flower's Myriad-League Fragrance, which relies on preheating for activation, the required preheating time would be drastically extended.
The very purpose of deploying the Domain was to limit the battlefield and prevent its damage from leaking out.
“By the time things have escalated this far, the other residents of Gateway City would have started noticing something amiss.”
Lennok, pointing at the Celestial Flower's Myriad-League Fragrance with its petals closed, smiled.
“The Gateway Search Party would have begun evacuating citizens out of the city.”
“……”
“Don’t you think it’s meaningful either way, if it serves to stop your paltry plans?”
“A problem that can only be solved by killing the caster or destroying the Domain itself… intriguing.”
The Conjunction Spell Master laughed, slowly spreading his arms.
CRACKLE CRACKLE CRACKLE!!
Simultaneously, the walls of the operating theater split open from all sides, and Chimeras of all grotesque forms burst out.
[Kuaaaagh…!!]
[Gurgle, gurgle…!!]
Muscular giants with牛 heads. Enormous胖 figures with pig heads.
The Chimeras, large in physique and wielding armaments, looked as if they were改造 humans or beast-kin superhumans.
“But to deploy a Domain that offers no immediate combat advantage, and then try to fight me, is nothing short of arrogance.”
The Conjunction Spell Master, standing behind these Chimera warriors, stared coldly at Lennok.
“No matter how much mana you possess, to waste such power defending Gateway City… you are utterly foolish.”
“……”
“Not going to answer? Very well.”
The Conjunction Spell Master, who lightly gestured towards the floor, adjusted his partially slipped surgical cap and gathered his mana.
“From now on, let’s go all out.”
CRACK!!
The floor of the operating theater where Lennok and the Chimeras stood split open, instantly swallowing them all.
Lennok and the Conjunction Spell Master plunged into the depths of the flesh-and-blood operating theater.
The moment Lennok, now wreathed in flames, and the Conjunction Spell Master’s hands met in mid-air.
The Chimera warriors, running vertically up the walls, all simultaneously rushed towards Lennok.
[Kieeeek!!]
[Hwaaaah!!]
Blades formed from modified arms, teeth, and spears glowed with distinct magical energy.
These combat-type Chimera warriors expertly used mana for physical enhancement, relentlessly pursuing Lennok.
KWAAAGHAAAAANG!!!!
Sharp slashes and heavy blunt weapons carved out ominous trajectories, smashing against the inner walls of the Life Domain.
Flesh burst, blood spurted from all sides, and viscous fluids gushed out.
During their descent into the Domain, the Chimeras landed dozens of powerful blows in mere moments.
But Lennok, too, swiftly twisted his body amidst the relentless, murderous trajectories.
He swung the remaining Stopping Wheel Barrier like a shield to block attacks, and for those he couldn’t avoid, he ignited flames for aerial maneuvers.
He infused his will-thought into the countless flames blossoming in mid-air, making them resonate simultaneously.
[Red Fortification]
[Wave-Fire Resonance]
POW-POW-POW-POW-POW!!!!
Following Lennok’s descending form, countless fiery afterimages spread vertically, incinerating the Chimera warriors.
Amidst the monsters’ pained shrieks, a colossal, snake-like Chimera appeared and rammed Lennok as if to pierce him.
SWISH!!
The impact sent Lennok’s body sharply sideways, throwing him down a vast corridor.
A dark corridor filled with damp moisture. Unable to withstand the impact, he stumbled, feeling a stinging pain spread across his back.
CHIIIIK!!
Lennok, unconsciously pressing one hand to the floor, grimaced as intense acidity pierced the barrier.
“Gastric acid?”
The Life Domain had become a living Long-lived Being. Esophagus and stomach interiors were forming in real-time within it.
The moment he realized that all the liquid splashing under his feet was an acidic solution capable of instantly dissolving a human.
[Reverse Gravity]
WOOOOSH!!!
Once again, reverse gravity was applied throughout the space, and the acidic solution beneath his feet sprang upwards.
Just as he was igniting flames to evaporate the gastric acid, a hammer-wielding Chimera slammed into Lennok’s stomach.
KWAANG!!
Concentrating mana in his abdomen, he absorbed the blow, and in the moment he was pushed back, he crushed the Chimera’s head.
As Lennok was driven back, eerie ice mirrors appeared all around, glowing intensely.
[Frost-Piercing Winter Mirror]
CRACKLEEE!!
“……!!!”
The ice mirrors resonated, emitting an intense chill powerful enough to freeze the entire space.
Its power was so immense that the gastric acid and blood splattering everywhere froze in mid-air.
Realizing the formidable power of the spellcraft, Lennok looked up, glaring into the depths of the cavern.
“Chimeras crafted from powerful superhumans. As expected, you had more in reserve.”
“Chimeras above Level 5 are difficult to create, and they die quickly, making them hard to preserve for long. Most of them were kept in cryostasis, in a state of suspended animation….”
CRUNCH!!
The Conjunction Spell Master, crushing the Chimera he held in one hand, stepped forward and said.
“Your spellcraft resistance so vastly exceeds my expectations that I realized this method was the best way to create an opening.”
“……”
CRACKLEEEE!!!
With the sound of flesh opening and closing, dozens of Chimeras floated above the Conjunction Spell Master’s head.
These were hideous masses of flesh, with no remnants of their human forms, retaining only the limbs and mouths for chanting spells, like beast-kin.
The Conjunction Spell Master snapped his fingers, looking down at Lennok, and the Chimeras, hands pressed together, simultaneously began to chant.
And above the frozen corridor, dozens of magical energies began to rage from all directions.
KIIIIIIING!!!!
CRACKLE!!
“To erode your nerves and mental strength until you hit rock bottom, this is ultimately the best method.”
The Conjunction Spell Master said, hands clasped, amidst the glowing magical radiance from all sides.
“Let’s see how long you can truly endure alone, while maintaining a Domain.”
KWAAAGHAAAA!!!
Amidst the splashing gastric acid rain, the Chimeras charged forward, disregarding their own deaths.
“Ha…”
Lennok let out a wry laugh, gripping the neck of a fallen pig-headed Chimera, and stood up.
SQUELCH!!
He stepped on the sticky gastric acid solution, looking up at the acid rain falling from above and the Chimera corpses.
At this very moment, spells were being chanted, and Chimera warriors charged forward, breathing down his neck.
Beyond them, the Conjunction Spell Master watched Lennok, preparing new spells.
He was discarding powerful Chimeras that even Lennok couldn’t ignore, like consumables for a single battle.
He waited for cracks to appear in Lennok’s previously impenetrable consciousness and Domain.
This was the combat style of a spellcaster who commanded countless Chimeras, despite being a powerful superhuman himself.
“……”
How could he ignore the endlessly surging Chimeras and kill the Conjunction Spell Master?
The answer was already set.
“……Wait.”
“Activation initiated.”
The Conjunction Spell Master’s face hardened as he sensed the precursor, and Lennok, hands pressed together, chanted the incantation.
WHOOSH!!
Behind Lennok, who had bowed his head, a blazing celestial body surged upwards, rotating.
Six Mana Cores rotated like a halo behind Lennok’s head, emitting mana.
Pyrokinesis-attribute Unique Magic
Property Transformation Amplification Secret Art
Crimson Star System: Solar Zenith
This was an amplification-type secret art that processed six Sparks into Mana Cores, boosting their output.
It was the activation of the Crimson Star System, which he had carefully conserved even after numerous battles since stepping onto the Central Front.
“Mana…!!!!”
Even the Conjunction Spell Master could not conceal his momentary shock as mana erupted explosively, surging like a sea.
The amount of mana emitted by the six resonating Mana Cores was, for a moment, enough to fill half the Domain, overflowing this corridor.
WHOOSH-WHOOSH-WHOOSH!!
The moment boundless, immeasurable power infused the body of the pyrokinesis-attribute wizard, whose preheating was complete.
“Here I come.”
Lennok, his red eyes flashing, spread his hands and leaned forward.
Second Celestial Body: Chuckung
[Crimson Arrival]
[Flying Azure]
KWAAAAAAAHK!!!
The moment he stepped forward, fiery breath surged from his joints and muscles throughout his body.
It propelled Lennok’s body forward, as if accelerating him.
PAAANG!!
Following Lennok’s form, which vanished with invisible speed, the Chimera spellcasters completed their incantations.
And a torrential rain of countless spells fiercely poured down into the dark cavern.
[Curse Imposition: Weakening]
[Disruption Duration: Sure-hit]
[Speed Imposition: Deceleration]
[Ice Sculpture]
[Earth-Trigram Eruption]
[Magnetic Heavy Lock]
[Repelling Horns]
[Divine Weight]
…
DU-DU-DU-DU-DU-DU!!!!
Offensive magic of flame, ice, gravity, and earth attributes. All kinds of curses and mental attacks, including weakening and disruption.
All types of debuffs, augmenting the Chimeras and suppressing Lennok, converged and poured down.
A spell bombardment whose power and attributes varied so wildly that it was difficult to distinguish each incoming spell.
But Lennok’s form, wreathed in flames, became a living sea of fire, incinerating everything.
KWAAAGHAAAAANG!!!!
[Kueeeek!!]
[Kill me, kill me…!!!!]
He tore through the Chimera warriors, who roared savagely, cursed, and spewed their grudges.
CRACK!
The moment he seized a Chimera’s weapon with his bare hands, the blade evaporated in Lennok’s grasp.
The fiery energy shimmering in his hand surpassed its limits, becoming mana concentration capable of burning and erasing matter.
WHOOSH!!
He turned his back to them, whirling and exploding with flames.
As Lennok accelerated, sliding forward, dozens of different flames exploded, brilliantly illuminating the dark cavern.
POW-POW-POW-POW-POW!!!
Sharp ice pillars shot up from beneath his feet, and a wooden golem fell from above, pressing down on Lennok.
A vortex of flames raged, and a fiery fist surged from behind Lennok, blocking the wooden golem.
[KIIYAAAH!!]
The piercing melody of curses. The weakening curse pressing down on his shoulders. The acid rain melting his skin, penetrating the barrier.
But Lennok’s breath became the heat of hell, and his gestures transformed into fiery wings, erasing all those bindings and ill thoughts.
WHOOSH!!
When he stepped on an axe blade striking his shin, the thick blade melted into molten metal right there.
He grabbed the Chimera warriors falling from above with his bare hands, adding flames, and tore them apart.
KWAAAGHAAAAANG!!!!!
The flame wizard single-handedly trampled and burned thousands of Chimeras, galloping through the Life Domain.
He wore six celestial bodies on his person, wielding infinite Tribulation Flames along their orbits.
“Astonishing…!!!”
The Conjunction Spell Master, also gathering mana in response to the intense surge of flames, stepped forward.
Seizing and extinguishing the exploding flames with one hand, the Conjunction Spell Master accurately clasped Lennok’s hand in mid-air.
Lennok, who had soared while activating the Crimson Star System, and the Conjunction Spell Master’s forms traversed the colossal Life Domain diagonally.
They sped through the main operating room, patient rooms, dissection rooms, and organ storage rooms at supersonic speed.
They tore and burned through dozens of inner walls located between them, becoming entangled.
CRASH!!!
Leaping dozens of meters across the Domain as they fought, they finally reached near the organ storage room.
A horrific scene lay beneath their feet: broken glass and dismembered organs scattered everywhere.
[OHHHHOHHH!!!!]
A colossal gorilla Chimera that burst out from one side of the Domain, clenched its fists and slammed into Lennok.
The gorilla Chimera died immediately with the attack. It was a blow whose power was maximized at the cost of its own life.
KWAANG!!
Lennok’s body reeled from the impact, momentarily losing balance and staggering.
The Conjunction Spell Master, covering the surging flames with one hand as if embracing them, his eyes flashing, shouted.
“Cheonbeon. Was this why your epithet was so ominous and sinister!!!”
A flame that trampled and burned everything it faced.
If the divine power shown against Adamant Thunder in Vulcan was like this, it made sense why Evan Martinez’s epithet had spread so widely on the Central Front.
“An amplification secret art that transcends laws. Mana without end. And a divine sense that controls that output…!!!”
SQUEEZE…!!
The Conjunction Spell Master, gripping Lennok’s hand tightly, said.
“Even if Gateway City were to burn entirely, acquiring you alone would be worth any loss.”
“……”
“It would take time, but the Domain can always be rebuilt. But ‘material’ like you will never appear again.”
The Archwizard’s power completely incinerated and evaporated the endlessly surging Chimeras from the Life Domain.
But even amidst that, the Conjunction Spell Master did not miss the fact that Lennok’s mana was being rapidly depleted.
Pyrokinesis magic, which increases in power with preheating, is an elemental magic specialized for widespread saturation.
However, each time it completes its preheating, amplifies its power, and expands its range, the mana consumption is also extreme.
The large amount of mana consumed during the process of extracting the Veil Fragment. The mana and will-thought sacrificed during continuous battles with the Conjunction Spell Master.
No matter how powerful the Crimson Star System amplification secret art was, he couldn’t possibly use such an ability for long in conjunction with a Domain.
And at this very moment, the Conjunction Spell Master instinctively sensed that Lennok’s reserves were completely exhausted.
As proof, the Conjunction Spell Master felt no recoil from Lennok’s spells now that they were in contact.
“Has your talent finally fully bloomed before me?”
“……No.”
At that moment, an immense heat began to emanate from Lennok’s clasped fist.
Heat so intense it could instantly burn and evaporate the Conjunction Spell Master’s arm that gripped Lennok’s hand.
WHOOSH!!!
There was no time to react.
In front of the Conjunction Spell Master, whose arm had vanished, Lennok slowly opened the hand that had been clenching a fist.
The moment he realized that an intensely compressed Mana Core was rotating within Lennok’s burning, distorted hand.
“Compression release.”
Crimson Star System: Solar Zenith
[Six Divine Burns]
It was a secret art that borrowed the principle of Lennok’s favored zero-range saturation spell, Forged Flame.
A divine technique that compressed the six Mana Cores forming the Crimson Star System to a size that could fit in his hand.
He had hidden it in his fist until the very end, imbued it with his remaining mana, and thrust it into the Conjunction Spell Master’s body.
WHOOSH!!!
There was no reply.
The moment the flames of Six Divine Burns grazed the Conjunction Spell Master’s head, the right half of his face was completely obliterated.
At the last moment, the Conjunction Spell Master had somehow managed to turn his head, but even that reaction was a step too late, only deflecting the direct hit.
KWAAAAAAAANG!!!!
Six Divine Burns, unleashed from his fingertips, pierced through half of the Conjunction Spell Master’s body and extended dozens of meters behind him.
The vast operating room corridor and ceiling split diagonally, burning and vanishing, momentarily revealing the hazy sky above.
From the excruciating pain of being split in half, the Long-lived Being trapped within the barrier let out a mad shriek and tremor.
[AAAAAAAH!!!]
“Kh, ah…”
WHOOSH-WHOOSH-WHOOSH!!!
The Conjunction Spell Master, engulfed in flames, staggered and slowly retreated.
He managed to maintain his balance somehow, but he would soon lose strength and fall backward.
The moment Lennok looked down at him, slowly preparing to withdraw his mana.
CREAK!!
The Conjunction Spell Master, who had lost half his head, put strength into his legs and stood upright.
“……No.”
“……!!!!”
The Conjunction Spell Master, with only half his head remaining, slowly raised his gaze.
“I didn’t evade it.”
Above the Conjunction Spell Master’s head, where his surgical cap had fallen off. The inside of his skull, where his right cerebrum should have been, was completely empty.
It hadn’t burned away and vanished due to Lennok’s flames.
Even as half of his face was entirely obliterated, the right hemisphere of his brain had been absent from the very beginning.
“Surely…!!!!”
Could he have used the emptiness inside his right skull, gambling everything by sacrificing half his body to win?
A mad idea of not trying to completely evade, but instead giving up the right side of his body from the start, ensuring the survival of the remaining half.
But at that moment, what filled Lennok’s mind was the very reason why the Conjunction Spell Master had ‘excised’ his right brain beforehand.
The absent right brain in the Conjunction Spell Master’s head.
Zelih’s left brain, found in the operating room, and Zelih’s right brain, which had been nowhere to be seen.
All the mysteries he had passed through in this Life Domain connected into one, piercing Lennok’s mind at that moment.
CRACKLEEEE!!
The floor of the organ storage room split open, and a grayish-white ‘right brain’, split in half, popped out.
The moment he realized that this was Mikal Zelih’s right brain, which he hadn’t found until now.
“Zelih’s brain, not a Chimera…!!!”
“Do you know what principle takes precedence in all the experiments and research I conduct?”
The Conjunction Spell Master laughed, seizing Zelih’s right brain.
“It’s that even I myself cannot be an exception to those rules.”
SQUELCH!!
He gripped the right brain and brought it to the empty right side of his own head.
The Conjunction Spell Master, who ‘conjoined’ Zelih’s right brain with his own left brain, spoke.
“Conjunction Spellcraft, activate.”