Chapter 1124: Lingering Echoes (12)
Vulcan, District 49 of the mega-city, the drill ground near the back gate of the Adamant Tower.
Two young men stood in the center of the vast drill ground, used only for training.
A blue-haired man with thick eyebrows and a confident smile.
A young man with a sharp, cool, and expressionless face.
CRACKLE!
Each time Thorben rotated his shoulder, vivid blue lightning burst forth.
The azure lightning split and fluttered like small wings along Thorben’s arms.
Lennok silently kneaded his wrist, facing Akendrias.
Fizz, fizz…!!!
Each light massage of his wrist made faint lightning flash between his fingers.
A weak glow, as if it could extinguish at any moment, contrasting with Thorben’s violently exploding lightning.
But Lennok meticulously observed the lightning rising from his fingertips.
As if that alone was more than enough, requiring nothing further.
“According to the Arcane Lightning mages, I heard you’ve been through a lot outside,” Thorben asked leisurely.
“It might be late to ask, but is it really alright for this old man to stand here facing you now?”
“If I said it was alright, that would probably be a lie,” Lennok replied, looking down at his hands.
“But nothing much will change with time. So, I plan to do what I can while I can.”
WOOSH!
Lennok walked forward, lightly shaking his hand, and said, “During this spar, I won’t move much. I won’t use artifacts, and I’ll keep incantations to a minimum. You can fight however you wish.”
“Don’t worry, this old man has always done as he pleased,” Thorben said with a hearty laugh.
“However, we should consider what happens if this battleground cannot withstand the entanglement of this old man’s thunder and your lightning.”
“It’s fine,” Lennok said, gesturing with his eyes. “I’ve already got insurance for that.”
“…Hmph.”
Thorben gave a peculiar smile, and Lennok, who had been kneading his wrist, moved forward simultaneously.
In the vast, wind-swept center of the drill ground. Amidst the quiet calm.
RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE!!!
Three people watched the two wizards approaching each other from hundreds of meters outside the drill ground.
“He shows up after ages, only to do something utterly idiotic. What the hell is this nonsense all of a sudden?”
CRACK!
A raspy voice, disheveled hair. Eyes so sharp they seemed to glint eerily.
Demoness Peshia Grisbern glared at Lennok’s back, clutching a blood-red spear.
“After all the trouble I went through to teach this birdbrain, he’s making me play some damn guard duty.”
“Lord Grisbern, please don’t be so negative.”
Next to Peshia stood a mysterious man with flowing white hair.
His white robe billowed, his wide sleeves folded, presenting a neat posture.
Behind him, a white spear, different from Peshia’s, floated horizontally.
Krod Azlan, the Guardian of Turyeonmun, Purity, opened his mouth with a smile.
“If not us, who could possibly observe this spar from the side? The Tower Lord must have made a fitting selection.”
“Shut up, old man. Why should I work my ass off for that bastard’s Magic Tower?”
Peshia’s mouth twisted into a terrifying, ghost-like grin.
“Are they just going to fight to their heart’s content and leave us to clean up the mess? No matter how I think about it, I feel like I’m going to die from being constantly exploited like this.”
BANG!
Peshia, gripping the blood-red spear shaft, swung her spear at invisible speed.
A sharp shockwave burst forth, slamming into the back of the bird-headed giant standing in front of her.
“Don’t you think so, birdbrain?”
“…Hmm.”
However, Felix didn’t even scream after being hit by the shockwave Peshia unleashed.
Instead, he merely scratched his cheek with a composed expression, his hammer still slung over his shoulder.
“I don’t know. If I can help Van in any way, wouldn’t that be good?”
“Ugh, disgusting loyalty.”
“…Is that really something Lord Grisbern should say?” Krod added, looking exasperatedly at Peshia, who was sticking out her tongue and miming vomiting.
Felix merely shrugged, unperturbed by the remark.
“Van is not the type to thoughtlessly exploit or take advantage of others. If he asks for something, he always repays the favor.”
“So what?”
“This situation today is no different, Demoness,” Felix said, stepping forward with his massive hammer on his shoulder.
“How often does one get the chance to witness a Transcendent’s battle, pushed to the extreme of Level 8, this close?”
“…”
“Either way, I want to use even this opportunity as a stepping stone for growth. So, I ask for your cooperation as well, both of you.”
“Fuck off. Why me?” Peshia grumbled, turning away.
“There’s a limit to positive thinking, you damn bastard. Anyway, all these bastards holed up in this Magic Tower are completely out of their minds.”
“But, I’m still unsure why the Tower Lord asked for our cooperation in this spar,” Krod said, tilting his head as he walked.
“He has a keener sense than any sorcerer I know; he wouldn’t be unable to control his power.”
“He probably just can’t control his excitement when fighting that old geezer. Why think so complicatedly?” Peshia scoffed.
“Crazy wizards or ancient crones, those born with such talent are all just self-absorbed—”
THUD!
At that moment, Peshia’s complexion suddenly changed as she felt Lennok’s magical pressure weighing down on her shoulders.
“What the hell is this…?!!”
The immense magical pressure, overflowing and uncontrollably bursting forth.
It wasn’t just an output or power level suitable for a spar. It was the precursor to a mighty spell that could easily half-destroy the entire domain.
The three, their faces grim, instantly took positions at three points around the drill ground and unleashed their magic.
They infused every cell of their bodies with mana, enhancing their physical abilities, and crouched low, ready to spring into action at any moment.
WHOOOOSH…!!
In the blowing sandstorm, as Lennok and Thorben’s gazes briefly met.
Blue and deep lightning clashed, exploding with a brilliant light that obscured the drill ground from view.
KRA-BOOOOM!!!
“…!!!”
Even Felix, with his enhanced vision, couldn’t instantly track the trajectory due to the sheer speed.
Instead of Felix, Krod, gripping his spear, moved first.
The spear master’s form, accelerating at subsonic speeds, sharply turned at a right angle, striking the scattering lightning.
Simultaneously, fragments of lightning that had been shooting out beyond the drill ground were forcibly redirected downwards, plummeting to the ground.
CRACKLE!
Felix gripped his hammer tightly, watching the exploding lightning streaks.
“The speed…!”
“Lord Felix. Focus on adapting to the Tower Lord’s lightning flash first,” Krod said, landing lightly.
“Lord Grisbern and I have faced the Tower Lord’s lightning before, but you won’t be accustomed to it yet.”
WHIRL!
Krod quickly spun his spear with one hand and turned his gaze.
“Until then, we will intercept all lightning that shoots out beyond the drill ground.”
“Bullshit, if you’re going to hold me back, get lost!”
BANG!
Peshia, enveloped in crimson light, dashed forward, catching up to an accelerating lightning flash from afar, and slammed it down.
She held the blood-red spear in reverse grip, twisting it diagonally downwards to strike.
CRACKLE-CRACKLE-CRACKLE!!!
A rough, powerful motion, like impaling a thrashing fish with a harpoon and pinning it down.
But Peshia’s expression had already twisted into a chilling, ghost-like contortion.
“Hah, it’s not even a spell, just fragments of shattered lightning, and yet such recoil…!”
WHOOSH…!!
Peshia roughly re-gripped the faintly trembling spear shaft and sneered, “Both of them are equally annoying bastards. Are all lightning sorcerers just like these obnoxious pricks?”
The mission assigned to the three was to prevent the aftermath of the spar from spreading beyond the drill ground.
For this, the three most skilled physical superhumans in the Tower had been instructed to intercept all magical fallout.
While it was possible to control magic and mana from spreading outside the Tower’s domain by utilizing it,
It couldn’t prevent the flow of power within the domain from concentrating towards the Magic Tower or other internal facilities.
But they weren’t even taking direct hits from completed spells, and yet the fragments of shattered lightning packed such a punch.
“Damn it…!”
She never thought she could catch up, but somehow it was even further away.
So far ahead, she couldn’t even guess the distance.
As Peshia cursed, angrily swinging her spear to deflect a lightning bolt, at that very moment.
“Demoness!”
BANG!
CRACKLE-CRACKLE!
Azure beams of light, falling from the sky, began to strike the drill ground at incredible speeds from all directions.
Peshia, her expression instantly wiped clean, twisted her upper body as if breaking it, threw herself back, and hurled her spear.
WHOOSH!
The red spear blade accelerated faster than sound, and a moment later, spun to block the scattering lightning flash.
The fractured lightning poured onto the drill ground, raising columns of dust tens of meters high.
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!!!
In the swirling dust storm, two Arch-Wizards scattered different types of lightning.
Watching the two wizards seriously drawing upon their mana, Peshia and Purity moved simultaneously.
“It’s begun. Prepare yourselves!”
“Damn it, seriously…!”
CRACKLE-CRACKLE-CRACKLE-CRACKLE!!!!
Each time the two wizards’ hands intertwined and crossed, thunderbolts descended through the cold air.
Dozens of lightning streaks poured down from the sky like rain, and azure waves surged beneath their feet.
The moment they clenched the air and brought their hands down, all lightning around them obeyed their will and exploded.
Lightning bolts, imbued with different properties and Will-thoughts, clashed dozens of times and fragmented hundreds of times in an instant.
Two spear masters were intercepting all the fragments of lightning that dispersed in every direction with incredible speed.
THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP!!!!
The ground shook as if an earthquake had struck, twisting and raising pillars of sand.
Within it, the forms of the martial artists, exerting their full mana to deflect the lightning scattering outwards.
Azure shockwaves continuously burst forth behind Purity and Demoness, pushing their bodies back as if crushed.
“Gah…!”
FLASH!
A violently descending lightning flash flickered before Felix’s eyes, who was concentrating intensely.
Fragments of lightning, exploding as they spun in place, accelerated towards Felix’s feet.
“Hoo!”
Felix, gripping his hammer, swung with all his might at the passing lightning fragments.
CLANGGGGG!!!
A clear, resonant sound, like being struck by a colossal bell.
Immediately, an intense recoil, choking his breath, pressed down on Felix’s entire body.
“…!!!!”
All his muscles stiffened and went numb; a shock so intense it momentarily stopped his thoughts.
But what filled Felix’s mind was not pain, but the sheer disparity between Lennok and himself.
The last time he fought alongside Lennok was during the clash with Pandemonium members at Anathema’s Temple.
But because he was on Lennok’s side, he had almost never directly received his magic like this.
‘Was he this strong back then…?’
Had he already reached this level even at Anathema’s Temple?
Had Pandemonium fought against such magic and still achieved their objectives and returned alive?
CRACKLE-CRACKLE-CRACKLE!!!
The lightning fragments pressing on the surface of the hammer continued to advance, overcoming Felix’s resistance.
The form of dark blue lightning, aiming to break through the massive hammerhead itself and burst outwards.
CRUNCH!
Felix gritted his beak, his eyes flashing, and channeled his mana.
The moment a ghostly, pale form descended onto the giant’s broad shoulders.
“OOOOOOOH!!!!”
Felix let out a fierce roar, striking the lightning fragments upwards, launching them into the sky.
KRA-BOOOOM!!!
The ground of the drill ground where Felix stood cracked and caved in from the recoil.
Peshia landed on Felix’s shoulder as he knelt, breathing heavily and sweating profusely.
WHOOSH!
“You’re getting used to that ancestral spirit summoning technique, it seems. You have good instincts for a dumb beast.”
Peshia, with a demonic smile, glared at him from his shoulder.
“If the guys I taught were only as good as you, I would have taken them to the legion.”
“Hoo, hoo…!!”
Felix, unable to reply, shook his head, still dripping with sweat.
But Peshia stepped on Felix’s hand with her foot and shook her head.
CRACK!
“Just shut up. This isn’t your place to interfere anymore.”
She raised her intensely shining eyes and looked at the distant, flashing center of the drill ground.
“The crazy wizard and the old geezer don’t seem to be able to control their excitement.”
RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE!!!!
The form of the Revolving Thunder Dragon rising above Thorben’s head.
The vast, rotating orb of lightning behind Lennok’s back.
“KHAHAHAHAHAHAA!!!”
In that storm, Thorben’s maniacal laughter and Lennok’s expressionless face were alternately visible.
Thorben threw his body forward, bursting with mad laughter.
Lennok, forming a mudra, twisted his index and middle fingers and slashed the air.
The moment the two wizards first unleashed their Will-thoughts and cast their spells.
[Revolving Thunder Dragon]
[Constant Lightning]
FLASH!
As the lightning sun rotated, the ground evaporated, resonating with the roar of the Thunder Dragon.
The colossal Revolving Thunder Dragon opened its mouth and bit into the orb of lightning, and Lennok’s magic, exceeding its limits, went rampant and erupted.
It spun at incredible speed, painting the drill ground with dark blue lightning.
KWA-GWA-GWA-GWA-GWA-GWA-GWA!!!!!
The dark blue orb of lightning, Constant Lightning, rotated in place, generating its own gravity.
Everything around it was pulled in, drawing even Felix and Peshia towards the center of the drill ground.
“This is impossible, how can such magic…!”
“Birdbrain, I told you to shut up!”
SCREECH!
Felix, still holding his hammer and enduring despite his astonishment, and Peshia, her hair flying, adopting a stance.
Her eyes glinting, she glared at Purity, who was holding his spear shaft in a reverse grip far across the field.
“Synchronize your timing, old man. Otherwise, both of us are dead!!!”
“I’ve put my life into a single spear; do you think I can’t even match a fleeting moment?”
Without speaking, they already knew what needed to be done.
Lennok’s Constant Lightning, glowing and rotating like a dark blue sun.
They had to intercept that monstrous lightning sun before it completely exploded, suppressing its power to a minimum.
Simultaneously, Peshia and Purity, having finished their assessment, channeled their full mana and activated their Miniature Universes.
A miracle of creating an inner Miniature Universe and rewriting physical laws limited to one’s body.
The two spear masters simultaneously gripped their spear shafts and, as if on cue, stepped forward.
SWISH!
A black-green light, flying in from outside the drill ground, pierced the rapidly rotating orb of lightning at incredible speed.
“Hmm.”
“…Ah?”
CRACK!
A transcendent acceleration whose speed Peshia’s dynamic vision couldn’t even estimate.
No, she hadn’t even noticed that black-green light until just before the impact.
Perfect stealth, chillingly flawless. Yet, a ‘snipe’ piercing this battleground with utmost precision.
“Damn it, what bastard—!!!!”
Far beyond the drill ground, on the rooftop of some unnamed building at the edge of District 49.
The moment Peshia found herself locking eyes with a green-eyed archer holding a black bow larger than herself, she let out a string of curses.
The lightning sun, pierced by the black-green arrow, instantly cracked and then exploded.
“Birdbrain!!!”
The moment Peshia grabbed Felix by the collar and threw herself out of the drill ground.
A dark blue beam of lightning shot up into the sky, rotating in a spiral.
KWA-GWA-GWA-GWA-GWA-GWA-GWA!!!!!
“Agh…!”
Peshia screamed and was thrown back, while Felix and Purity stared blankly upwards.
“Van. What in the world is this…?”
“…The Tower Lord’s magic wasn’t all like this, I believe.”
It was as if a colossal pillar of lightning had pierced and fused the sky and earth.
In the storm of heat, all facilities and topographical features of the drill ground melted without a trace.
From the center of that hell, which pushed even observers to ruin, after the magical light and smoke dissipated.
“Cough…!!!”
Thorben, the Tower Lord, lay flat on his back, covered in dust.
Lennok stood before the weakly coughing Thorben, silently looking down at him.
The battered Thorben grinned and spoke.
“Damn it, it seems this old man has lost again.”
“There’s no helping it when your Domain is sealed,” Lennok replied with an expressionless face.
“You never intended to win against me when you requested this spar, did you?”
Akendrias El Thorben’s Domain, the Thunder God’s Guiding Flower Garden, had the power to forcibly transform all matter within its sphere into lightning.
It was a uniquely powerful Root Mindscape, unlike any Domain Lennok had ever encountered.
Having fought with such a fundamental Mindscape sealed, not only could he not use his Domain, but there must have been issues with his magical operation.
The mere fact that Akendrias could confront Lennok directly, despite such a penalty, proved his transcendent strength.
Moreover, Lennok’s magic was currently running rampant, breaking through its upper limits.
There was no need to explain the immense power of Thorben, who survived facing such magic head-on.
Lennok, too, would not have allowed such a spar if it weren’t for Tower Lord Thorben.
But—
“You understand what’s wrong with me, right?” Lennok said, pulling out and leaning on his staff.
“Even with this much insurance in place, I can’t control the aftermath of my magic.”
“…Hmm.”
“If Evelyn hadn’t been there at the end, it would have been impossible to redirect all the output of Constant Lightning into the sky.”
Evelyn Marcia’s Miniature Universe, Inertia Deflection, was the power to artificially redirect the direction of generated force.
Sudden sharp turns or reversals were impossible, but it could gather and bind the direction of force or twist its trajectory.
In the final moments, with her help, Lennok had launched the rampaging Constant Lightning upwards, preventing its aftermath from affecting the ground.
“So, if you know anything, please advise me.”
Lennok’s gaze towards the Tower Lord subtly changed.
“You wouldn’t possibly say you’d only know if you had directly experienced that magic just now, would you?”
“Of course not, you rascal,” Thorben said with an exasperated expression, getting up with a groan.
“If this old man intended to burn to death by lightning, he wouldn’t be alive and grumbling like this.”
“…”
“But yes, I think I have an idea what the problem is.”
Thorben cupped his chin, lost in thought.
“Although the path was very different from yours, this old man once faced a similar dilemma.”
“A similar dilemma?”
“An unwanted ascension is more like a curse than a blessing.”
Akendrias’s eyes momentarily became calm.
“That remains true even if the target is your magic, not yourself.”
“…What?”
“The reason your magic is trying to escape control is not for any other reason.”
Thorben stood up, brushed off the dust, and calmly stated, “It’s because your lightning is trying to reach the 9th-level hierarchy before you do.”