Chapter 1121: Resonance (9)
“Pandemonium’s [The Gate] Assault Operation.”
The knight nation of Kabahim, located in the northwest of the continent.
An operation where Pandemonium itself moves to open [The Gate] located beneath Kabahim’s royal palace.
I had heard the explanation from Hylaea, and I knew The Clown would participate.
Participating in the assault operation to investigate the power that opens [The Gate] was a given.
Lennok, swiping down his phone screen, opened his mouth.
“There’s still time until the operation begins. I don’t think I need to join immediately.”
How much time was left was already all in the message.
Hylaea’s message had arrived a week ago via a secure channel.
She asked for a reply within half a month, so about eight days left?
Davi, having calculated the schedule, replied immediately.
“[Even so, considering the remaining schedule, it might be difficult to make it on time?]”
“……”
While he could join Pandemonium immediately, now that he was back in Vulcan, Lennok also had a lot of work to do.
Of course, he needed to secure an alibi in advance to move under Victor’s identity without arousing suspicion.
Lennok would need more thorough consultation regarding the achievements and losses from the magic he had gained this time.
Lennok also needed to intervene in the work and research of the Magic Tower and the university, at least to set a minimum direction.
Above all, the after-effects from drinking the Elixir in Kundara were still severe.
Without minimal safety measures, it wouldn’t be strange for his condition to deteriorate to an unmanageable level.
“[It seems tighter than expected, what should we do?]”
“It’s simple.”
Saying so, Lennok immediately picked up his phone and replied to Hylaea.
“[There’s no time, so delay the schedule. Or I’ll move alone.]”
“[……]”
Lennok’s reply, indistinguishable as an order or a threat.
Lennok put his phone away, leaving the Cybernetic Spirit staring blankly as if dumbfounded.
“That’s the best part about moving under this identity.”
Rather than explaining the situation in detail, a brazen notification would be more convincing for his Victor identity.
If he boldly states it and it doesn’t work, he can just join during the operation.
More importantly, there was something else he needed to attend to, even if it wasn’t Pandemonium’s schedule.
“[Van. Please contact me as soon as you return to Vulcan. There’s something I want to discuss.]”
Jenny’s message was the first thing he saw when he turned on his phone.
If Jenny, who knew how Lennok operated, contacted him, it was clearly the first item he needed to address.
“……I guess I should go right away.”
Lennok, a wry smile on his face, rose to his feet, leaving the messy laboratory behind.
Mega-city Vulcan, District 49.
A bustling commercial district where the item trading business was established around the Adamant Thunder Magic Tower.
A bustling street with sellers and buyers flocking from both legitimate and illicit spheres.
Screech!!
Lennok dismounted his bike outside the District 49 commercial area and began to walk, leaning on his staff.
Lennok, staring at Davi’s fidgeting movements inside his coat, asked.
“What have you been so intently focused on watching since earlier?”
“[Oh, this?]”
Davi, clinging to the inside of Lennok’s coat, flinched slightly as if poked.
Davi, flicking her bushy tail and awkwardly scratching her head, said.
“[The reactions on the Deep Web are just too interesting… I’ll stop looking now.]”
“……Surely it’s about this recent event?”
“[Of course. The video records the cult secured were immediately leaked to the Deep Web too.]”
Davi said excitedly.
“[There are dozens of pages of organisms’ futile attempts to analyze Master’s magic and abilities. Just reading those would keep me full for three days-]”
“……”
The video records of Maleon’s Galaxy Dragon Star Cluster Domain, secured by the cult on the Central Front.
It would be strange if the shadowy networks of the Deep Web hadn’t secured that data.
It was a combat record of two spellcasters, standing at the threshold of Level 9, wielding their spellcraft with all their might.
It was easy to guess how intense the reaction would be on the Deep Web, which was obsessed with ranking the superiority and inferiority of superhumans, even without looking.
“[I could probably summarize it nicely in about 20 minutes, would you like to check it?]”
“Sure. But only after I’ve finished the overdue work at the Magic Tower.”
But Lennok turned his gaze away instead of looking at his phone, as Davi suggested.
“It seems the Deep Web wasn’t the only one that heard about the Kundara incident.”
“[……Ah.]”
Hweeeoooohh…!!!
Not long after Lennok arrived in District 49, the sounds of chatter gradually diminished all around.
A silence rarely felt on a street where the thriving item business meant it was never quiet, 24/7.
Lennok was not unaware that, in the silence, more and more gazes were turning towards him.
“It’s real, he really came back……”
“He’s completely insane. After causing such a mess on the Western Front, alone?”
Emotions and whispers that they tried to ignore but couldn’t hide.
On the way to the Magic Tower. A subtle sense of unease felt throughout the bustling street, thousands of meters long.
“I didn’t think he’d fail to temper his nature even in the Central regions. Does he not even consider who his opponent is?”
“I understand. Considering his level of insanity, he was a wizard who should have been operating in the Central regions, not just the city.”
“Now even those Central folks will understand what it’s like to live with a bomb at your side.”
Whispers echoed, hushed in the surroundings.
No one in Vulcan was unaware of what had happened on the Western Front.
The details of Kundara’s downfall and collapse had spread across the entire continent.
People whispered, watching Lennok walk with an impassive face.
“For someone who came back after crushing Kundara, he looks fine?”
“Maybe the rumors circulating on the Deep Web are true.”
“That bullshit about him only picking off high-level superhumans?”
“Bullshit? If there’s a problem with how one climbed the ranks, it’s entirely plausible.”
A blood-soaked wizard who shattered Outer Tribulation City and massacred the druids of the Western Front.
Yet, even knowing Lennok had returned, people didn’t flee or scream in panic.
The item business in District 49 had already grown too large to shut down because of Adamant Thunder’s notoriety.
The quick-witted already suspected that Lennok didn’t fight around his Magic Tower.
Since Lennok stopped being a freelancer, the killing of low-level superhumans had drastically decreased.
On the Deep Web, various hypotheses were being put forth, connecting that period with Lennok’s magical attainment to deduce his behavioral patterns.
“If he’s mad enough that he only finds satisfaction in filling his ‘killing intent,’ then it’s not impossible.”
“I heard he’s surprisingly reasonable if you talk to him directly. Maybe this is a chance to propose a collaboration……”
“Fuck, you’re going to trust the bullshit spouted anonymously by Deep Web idiots and gamble on it?”
“[There are a lot of noisy organisms, should I quiet them down?]”
“No. It’s fine.”
The Cybernetic Spirit in his arms was more unpredictable than the onlookers chattering everywhere.
Ignoring the sounds around him, Lennok took out his phone just as he reached a street where the Magic Tower was visible.
KABOOM!!!
From across the street, a deafening roar erupted simultaneously with a pillar of red flame.
Intense heat and violent vibrations, as if a terrorist attack had occurred beyond the commercial district.
CRASH!!!
At the same time, an armored vehicle, having smashed through the guardrail on the opposite side, began to speed furiously.
A brutish sight, as if it were smashing through several buildings head-on to escape.
However, the people busy with item trading in District 49 weren’t particularly surprised.
“Here we go again. Is it terrorism or arson this time?”
“The Corpse Disposal Unit is moving. Looks like a murderous robbery.”
“The armored vehicle is heavily armed. It’s quite serious.”
Such crimes were not uncommon in Vulcan’s underworld, but there was a strange reaction implying these incidents had become frequent recently.
Lennok, having eavesdropped on the passersby’s conversation, immediately understood the reason.
“As expected, is it because of that damn Satellite City?”
“The increased influx of transient populations from outside recently has led to a noticeable rise in disturbances.”
“Most of them are opportunists drawn by the smell of money. How would they know about what goes on here?”
“Leave them be. They won’t even make it out of District 49 before they’re riddled with holes-”
The faces of the casually whispering people suddenly changed dramatically.
Screech!!
VROOOM!!!
Because the fleeing armored vehicle suddenly swerved sharply and began to race towards them.
The heavy vehicle accelerated with full force, spitting sparks across the asphalt.
The faces of the people who saw Lennok standing on the wide avenue where the armored vehicle was accelerating quickly turned pale.
“Th-this, goddammit!!!”
“Are these bastards really blind……!!”
“We’re fucked, run before you get caught!!!”
The quick-witted mercenaries and freelancers were already fleeing without looking back.
Merchants and customers, belatedly sensing the chilling atmosphere, cursed and hastily gathered their belongings.
DUH-DUH-DUH-DUH!!!
The armored vehicle’s massive body sped at an incredible pace, knocking other blocking vehicles away like toys.
But Lennok, instead of raising his mana, slightly bowed his head and spoke.
“Davi.”
Hiss-
Instead of a reply, multiple voices began to simultaneously echo in Lennok’s ear.
“-FUCK, FUCK, FUCK!! I told you not to do it!!”
“-Forget it, just run first and then think!!”
“-The road’s clear over there, step on it!!!”
“-Get that bastard in the coat out of the way!!!”
RAT-A-TAT-TAT!!!
Someone, poking their head out of the armored vehicle, began firing a gun wildly at Lennok.
Terrible marksmanship, scattering bullets haphazardly while holding a submachine gun with both hands.
“-FUCK, it’s not hitting!!”
“-Just ram him!”
“……”
So, they just tried to escape this way because the path was cleared by passersby moving away from Lennok?
He had intended to stop the vehicle for interrogation, but listening to their comms, it didn’t seem worth it.
“[Should I blow it up?]”
“No, too late.”
Before he finished speaking, the armored vehicle slammed directly into Lennok’s body at incredible speed.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The impact force unleashed by a vehicle weighing tens of tons accelerating.
A force strong enough to completely obliterate ordinary alloy steel plates or barricades.
With an intense shockwave, the asphalt ground shattered, then melted and squelched from the subsequent heat.
But Lennok, without even properly looking back at the sight, raised his gaze.
“The sky is quite cloudy today.”
SCREEECH!!!!
Right in front of Lennok, an armored vehicle with its front end crumpled stood still.
The vehicle wouldn’t budge even with the engine revving, as if blocked by an invisible barrier.
The robbers’ yelling voices echoed harshly.
“-W-what is this!! What kind of bastard is this?!!!!”
“-No, surely not……!!!”
Ignoring the voices screaming as if they had realized something, Lennok lightly stepped forward.
WHAM!!
Simultaneously, a shockwave erupted from beneath the armored vehicle, flipping its heavy body into the air.
The sight of the robbers, meeting Lennok’s gaze through the front windshield of the vehicle.
Looking up at them, Lennok raised his hand towards the sky.
“I still can’t quite get a feel for it, so there’s no choice.”
CRACKLE, CRACKLE……!!!
Lennok, aiming a finger wreathed in blue lightning, muttered as he looked around.
“Get out of the way.”
[Eccentric Thunder]
CRACKLE-ZAP!!
The moment the lightning blooming from Lennok’s fingertip completed its magical incantation.
The stinging bolt of electricity amplified dozens of times over on the spot and exploded.
A rampage that vastly exceeded the allowed output Lennok had set, simultaneous with the magic’s incantation.
The Eccentric Thunder, transformed into a dark-blue lightning bolt, evaporated the armored vehicle in an instant and surged upwards.
It streaked across the overcast sky, scattering dark-blue lightning across the mega-city’s airspace.
CRACKLE-BOOOOM!!!!
“A-AHHHH!!!”
“Help, help me……!!!”
The lightning that bloomed from Lennok’s finger rotated, dyeing the sky of District 49 with light.
The fleeing people, their faces pale with terror from the dark-blue light that seared their eyes, turned their gaze away.
Some collapsed, trembling, others hastily called someone, and some pulled out their dead cameras.
But Lennok was frowning, looking at the lingering afterglow of the magic he had unleashed.
“The lower limit of the output is completely uncontrollable……”
Eccentric Thunder was a spellcraft among Lennok’s lightning magic, specialized not in firepower, but in penetration.
If Property Transformation isn’t used to boost its output, it’s a magic extremely focused on anti-personnel combat.
Originally, it should have merely penetrated the armored vehicle and its occupants before exploding.
Yet, its power had grown to the point where it evaporated the armored vehicle and momentarily disrupted meteorological observations.
Lennok, a wry smile on his face, slowly withdrew his hand.
“At this rate, lightning magic will be unusable for a while. If I use it within the city, I won’t be able to distinguish friend from foe.”
As the peak of his spellcraft output surged, its lower limit had also risen to an incredibly high ceiling.
The problem lay in his inability to control that lower limit according to his own will.
Even though he deliberately limited the incantation to use Eccentric Thunder to reduce its destructive range, the reactions around him were already-
“To kill a mere robber, he’s just indiscriminately firing high-level magic of that output……!!”
“I-it’s crazy…… He’s completely mad……”
“I knew those rumors were bullshit. He’s just completely lost it.”
“[Unbelievable, Master.]”
Davi muttered from inside Lennok’s coat, as if in admiration.
“[Such an efficient technique to subdue organisms and make them look up to you…! I want to learn that trick quickly!]”
“……”
The moment Lennok, with a small sigh, shook his head and turned to leave.
THUMP!!
From the direction of the Magic Tower, an intense magical resonance spread across the entire street.
Beneath the sky flickering with lightning, people recoiled as dozens of superhumans emerged.
“Tower Lord.”
A woman with rich red hair stood at the forefront, looking at Lennok.
The woman, a thick cigar in her mouth, approached Lennok and bowed respectfully.
“We’ve been waiting. Let’s go together.”
“Tatiana.”
Tatiana Chiglet, the former Flame Pillar of Blaiver Magic Tower, the Witch of Conflagration.
So, a fire-elemental Saint Wizard affiliated with Lennok’s Magic Tower had come to meet him here.
Tatiana, bowing to Lennok, whispered softly in a voice only the two of them could hear.
“Honestly, I still can’t figure you out. What are you doing here?”
“……”
“Let’s go to the Tower. Everyone’s waiting.”
As Tatiana gestured, the superhumans affiliated with the Magic Tower lined up around Lennok.
A broad-shouldered, eagle-headed giant walked out and stood beside Lennok, as if guarding him.
Felix, shouldering a massive hammer, nodded at Lennok.
“Van.”
“Felix.”
Lennok’s eyes gleamed as he observed the red mana emanating from the eagle-headed giant’s entire body.
“It seems your training with Peshia yielded results.”
“I thought you’d recognize it immediately.”
Felix smiled and gestured with his head.
“Let’s discuss the details back at the Tower. If we stay here, the situation will become uncontrollable.”
“……”
“I don’t like saying this, but you’ve become that kind of person.”
“……I see.”
Lennok easily understood what Felix wanted to say.
A wizard of District 49. Grand titles like ‘Master of the Magic Tower’ aren’t what’s important.
What’s important is that due to this incident, Adamant Thunder’s existence isn’t confined to Vulcan; he’s being wary across the entire continent.
And through him, Lennok’s notoriety and influence in Vulcan were once again spiraling out of control.
Even at this moment, as he walked, countless fragments of emotions poured down his back.
Fear and terror. Caution and bewilderment. And reverence comparable to it.
Fearing an incomprehensible opponent, being terrified, and unwittingly coming to venerate them.
“……”
Lennok made sure to remember the reactions of those people.
The fact that it might be part of another ending that had once found Lennok.
Lennok, turning without hesitation, followed Felix towards the Magic Tower.
THUMP!!
As the Tower’s door opened, those waiting simultaneously bowed their heads.
“Tower Lord.”
“We heard the news from the Western Front.”
“Are you well?”
“Yakson is waiting and has made time for you. If there’s any problem……”
“Later.”
Lennok shook his head and spoke.
“First, I’ll go meet Jenny. Where is she?”
“The top-floor conference room.”
Tatiana, casually extinguishing the cigar she held against her palm, said in a languid tone.
“Let’s go straight there. Everyone who needed to come should be here by now.”
Guided by Tatiana, Lennok immediately headed for the top-floor stairway of the Tower.
BURST!!
The moment he opened the conference room door and stepped inside, dozens of eyes simultaneously turned.
As soon as they confirmed Lennok’s face, everyone seated in the conference room rose to their feet simultaneously.
“Van!!”
“Hey, what the hell did you do on the Central Front……!!”
Weian and Dylan jumped up and shouted, but quickly averted their gaze, suddenly becoming aware of their surroundings.
Other mercenaries and superhumans who had been glad to see Lennok awkwardly halted their movements.
“……”
At the innermost screen of the conference room, Jenny stood with a glum expression, arms crossed.
“Right, I knew this would happen.”
Jenny, looking at Lennok, sighed deeply and said.
“You probably escaped on your own, just like in Machina. Otherwise, there’s no way the rumors wouldn’t have spread.”
“Fortunately, things were resolved smoothly with Kundara.”
Lennok spoke.
“Thank you for worrying. I apologize for not contacting you sooner.”
“I don’t know what you mean by ‘things were resolved smoothly’.”
Mila, sitting with her foot propped on a chair, asked with a bewildered expression.
“Th-that is, usually… can you actually ‘talk’ with the culprit who destroyed your city?”
“……”
“As for that part, we’ll have to hear it directly from him.”
Jenny shook her head and summarized the meeting notes.
“Anyway, since Van is back, the rescue operation is canceled as planned. We’ll only keep the Magic Tower defense operation and incinerate the rest. As discussed beforehand, please dispose of all related data.”
“Defense operation?”
Lennok surveyed the conference room, and only then did he understand what had happened here.
An operational map of Vulcan’s undeveloped district displayed on the screen. Dozens of arrows densely crisscrossed the map.
Each arrow had the names of Lennok’s known colleagues attached to it, along with models of temporarily formed makeshift front lines.
It looked as if they were distributing the Tower’s forces to occupy the vicinity of Vulcan’s undeveloped district.
As if sensing Lennok’s question, Tatiana, who was standing behind him, replied.
“While buying up all available information on the Central Front after hearing about you, we also obtained information here.”
Rubbing her forehead with a tired expression, she smiled faintly and turned her gaze towards Lennok.
“Separate from the Kundara incident, we detected very suspicious movements from the Central regions.”
“Suspicious movements, you say……”
So the matter Jenny wanted to discuss in her message wasn’t Kundara, but this?
“Adamant Thunder. Magic Tower. District 49. These three keywords are being actively exchanged in the war mercenary communities.”
Jenny’s eyes, looking at the screen, turned cold.
“Van. I’m sorry to say this as soon as you’re back, but the Central regions are targeting your Magic Tower. In the worst case, we might have to prepare for war.”