Chapter 1207: The Price (8)
An overwhelmingly vast Domain spread out, completely enveloping the outermost perimeter of the 2nd Command.
The Southern Vistas of the Green Sea unfolded before their eyes, beginning to alter the world.
Rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble!!!!!
Damp air. Scorching heat. Lush thickets and vines. Gigantic leaves and flora, utterly alien to the Eastern Continent’s ecosystem.
The scenery of a homeland that a single sorcerer had cherished in her heart her entire life.
A magnificent jungle landscape, invading by altering and projecting the spatial coordinates of the stars.
Whoooosh!!!!
An endlessly surging mana, swirling in the heavy air, exuded a acrid scent.
At the center of the Domain, which continued to expand and construct even after its initial deployment, stood the sorcerer.
“…Grisha.”
“After your private meeting with the Marshal, a Pursuit and Kill Order was issued across the entire command.”
Grisha said in a low voice.
“The Command Headquarters facilities were completely incinerated. The Marshal is unconscious. The munitions factory’s production facilities are heavily damaged. Every Legion that participated in the military parade is pursuing you.”
“……”
The sorcerer, standing atop a hill woven from gigantic trees, turned her gaze.
“I have a way. I can buy us some time, if only for a moment.”
“…No. If you intervene here, it will only complicate things.”
Lennok shook his head.
“That man is already ‘complete’. That must be why he’s only just revealed himself.”
“……”
Although they had only fought once, Lennok was already certain.
The reason Song-ha had only moved against Lennok at the very last moment.
The reason he had appeared before Lennok only after meeting Ethan Bajour and ‘confirming’ something.
It was because it was related to the clone-type superhuman ability he used.
Three clones that had split the main body’s intelligence and capabilities to carry out operations across the continent.
The fact that a perfected Transcendent who had reabsorbed all those clones stood before Lennok.
And Lennok could easily guess what kind of being that swordsman, who had recovered his original capabilities, was.
One of only three Captains existing in Deadrise operating across the continent.
Simply comparing their stature, he was a monster equivalent to the Grand Spell Master of the Alliance, or a top-ranking Apostle of the Cult.
Furthermore, at this moment, with Gileon and Baragan absent, he was the only Captain of the Legion and a superhuman balancing the Central Front.
The fact that such a feat was possible showed how transcendent his talent and capabilities were.
“To still be able to speak so coherently after drinking Ethan Bajour’s blood, that’s truly impressive.”
Song-ha said with a bewildered expression.
“You’re drinking the Regressive Talent contained in Bajour’s blood directly. Even Baragan or I would die if we consumed it unprocessed.”
“……”
“It wouldn’t be strange if your entire body’s blood and mana were to reverse flow, overturning your hierarchy and Mental Image… huh?”
At that moment, Song-ha for the first time showed a surprised expression while looking at Lennok.
A realization, as if he had found the answer to a mystery that had remained unsolved until now.
“No way, you intentionally expended mana from the start…!!”
“Without doing so, as you said, I wouldn’t have been able to suppress the reverse flow caused by Ethan Bajour’s blood.”
Lennok, wiping his mouth with one hand, stood up and replied calmly.
The fundamental reason Lennok had completely exhausted and burned away all his remaining mana during his fight with Song-ha.
It was because the rampage of the Incarnation Body was based on the Regressive Talent received from drinking Ethan Bajour’s blood.
The Regressive power that forced blood and mana throughout the body to flow backward was, for anyone not bearing the Bajour name, practically a death curse.
Therefore, in every moment from escaping the military parade to clashing with Song-ha and barely achieving a draw—
He had intentionally exhausted more mana than necessary, blocking the reverse flow of mana itself.
“…While directly clashing swords with me, you calculated the remaining mana and timed the outcome of the fight for this very moment?”
Song-ha tilted his head, as if finding it hard to believe.
“Such calculations shouldn’t even be possible for a human. How could you in a situation where you’re being pursued by the Legion—”
“But it was something I had to do to shake off the backlash.”
Lennok, struggling, lifted his gaze and said.
“You’ve certainly become much sharper than when I first saw you. Have you started to figure things out on your own?”
“…That’s not a compliment, is it?”
Since the Incarnation Body, not Lennok himself, had consumed Ethan Bajour’s blood, Lennok’s own blood did not reverse flow.
Conversely, there was no way to prevent Lennok’s mana from being affected and reversing its flow through the Incarnation Body.
That was why Lennok had summoned Megiddo to draw out more mana than necessary, and furthermore, had entered the battle with Song-ha intending to completely exhaust his mana in a single encounter.
The reason for expanding the range of New Moon beyond what was necessary wasn’t just to counter Song-ha’s Soul Sword; it had another purpose.
Normally, at that point, he would have had to immediately turn the tide by using an Elixir or some other mana recovery method, but—
“Grisha.”
Lennok quietly called to Grisha.
“Nothing changes just because I’ve made an enemy of the Legion. Even if you intervene here, my decision won’t change.”
“……”
“I’ll do it alone. In fact, considering the Eyes of Blue’s position—”
“I know.”
Whoosh!
As Grisha took a step, she descended directly in front of Lennok.
While Lennok realized this and stopped speaking, Grisha looked up at the sky.
“Regardless of Lapis’s wishes, you won’t return to the Eyes of Blue. After all, you weren’t with her because of a mission.”
“……”
“We knew from the beginning that you were with us for other reasons, not because you agreed with the Lighthouse Keeper’s duties.”
Grisha, slowly walking, said.
“So this isn’t for you, but to repay the debt I owe you.”
“…A debt.”
“Just as you were always the same person to Lapis, a benchmark for her no matter where you were.”
Thud!!
Grisha pulled out a heavy totem from inside her worn robe, turned around, and said.
“Then the Eyes of Blue should always treat you the same way.”
“……”
“I’ll handle the Rakshasa. You focus on mana recovery.”
Rakshasa, she said. He didn’t need to ask who that epithet referred to; he already knew.
The white-haired swordsman, standing still with a smiling face, listening to Lennok and Grisha’s conversation.
Beyond that languid presence, casually shaking his head, lay a terrifying demonic aura, lurking like a shadow.
Surely, Grisha also knew well what kind of being the swordsman before her was.
“Grisha, was it? I’ve heard that name before.”
Song-ha said, walking through the jungle that covered everything.
“The closest confidant of the Lighthouse Keeper. A Watcher who has lived for hundreds of years, I heard. And that for a sorcerer of her age, she had extensive connections.”
“It’s an honor that the strongest swordsman of the Western Continent remembers my name.”
Grisha laughed coldly, raising her magical power.
“I thought the Legion’s Captains were too busy with various public and private matters to remember people’s names.”
“Well, I heard you were the one who successfully led the recapture of Paradox Green.”
Song-ha said with a smile.
“The 1st Command had eyed that outer fortress for a long time, trying to get their hands on it, so I heard stories about it until my ears bled.”
“……”
“After the 3rd Apostle crushed it, it fell into the Cult’s hands, and I thought it wouldn’t be recovered for a while, but for the Eyes of Blue to strike first…”
Song-ha, lightly resting his hand on the hilt of his tachi, tilted his head.
“It must mean your sorcery is so excellent that even my dull mind can grasp it. Shall I see your skill?”
“My apologies. I haven’t gone senile enough to fight the Rakshasa of Deadrise one-on-one.”
Grisha, raising her totem, gave a cold smile.
“But this is my Domain. There are plenty of ways to enforce rules without resorting to physical combat.”
“That’s a good stance.”
Song-ha nodded, slowly shaking his hands.
“My stomach’s a bit queasy from using Soul Sword in an unstable state, but it should be fine. Shall we begin?”
CRACK!!!
As the heavy totem struck the ground, Grisha and Song-ha moved simultaneously.
Grisha, accelerating the Southern Vistas of the Green Sea Domain and drawing upon her mana, and Song-ha, drawing his tachi, crossed paths.
Song-ha’s Miniature Universe, unleashed in an instant, diagonally sliced Grisha’s Domain from the very beginning.
[Return: Thin Blade]
CRACKLLEEEEE!!!!!
A bizarre resonance that pierced the eardrums. A terrifying sensation, as if space itself was screaming as it was torn apart.
Song-ha’s slash rounded and distorted space like a glass mirror, shattering the jungle landscape.
A draw of the sword so swift that the moment of its unsheathing remained completely invisible.
Overwhelming destruction, as the visible jungle trees, thickets, flora, and even the horizon were swept away by the blade.
Rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble!!!!
But Grisha did not attempt to directly receive Song-ha’s slash.
She merely flicked her fingers, ‘inverting’ the Domain’s landscape, turning the entire jungle upside down.
Kiiing!!
“…Huh?”
The sky, located at the opposite altitude from where Lennok and Grisha stood on the ground, was sliced.
No, a bizarre phenomenon where the sky and ground visible to Song-ha’s eyes were inverted.
In the instant Song-ha finally realized he was standing upside down on the world.
Grisha, descending before Song-ha at immense speed, whispered.
“Deploying Esoteric Sorcery.”
[Esoteric Gate, Four Fall Taiha]
Kiiiiiiing!!!!
Hundreds of sorcerous characters assembled around Grisha’s hand, forming an oval ring.
“…That is.”
An essence bombardment that breaks down targets to a cellular level for use as a sorcerous catalyst, reaching the pinnacle and fundamental core of sorcery.
In the instant Lennok realized it was clearly a degraded version of the sorcery Pyeonram used, though far inferior to that of an Ascendant themselves.
Song-ha, intuiting the spell’s power, gripped his sword with a chilling expression.
[Return: Hunting Blade]
[Decomposing Cannon]
KWOOOOOSH!!!!
Grisha’s sorcery cannon and Song-ha’s Miniature Universe collided, diverging in different directions.
The sorcery that disintegrated slashes at a cellular level, and the sword light that shattered sorcerous characters as if hunting them, intersected.
The jungle landscape inverted once more on the spot, and the scenery of sky and ground returned to normal.
Kiiing-!!!
“This is…!!”
The landscape of the Southern Vistas of the Green Sea incessantly crumbled and inverted, accelerating Grisha and Song-ha’s movements.
With each instance, the jungle’s terrain and environment constantly changed, repeatedly widening and narrowing the distance between them.
A surreal sight, as Grisha seemed to be balancing offense and defense with Song-ha, even if only for a moment.
Immediately after Lennok realized why that was possible and lifted his gaze.
“Ah, that’s definitely a bit annoying.”
CRACKLLEEEE!!!
Song-ha’s slash cut the Southern Vistas of the Green Sea’s landscape from sky to ground, violently shaking the Domain.
Song-ha, who had shaken the jungle’s ground and caused fissures with a single slash, scratched his head and tilted it.
“Southern Vistas of the Green Sea, was it? You’re adjusting the distance by modifying the spatiotemporal coordinates of this jungle in real-time. You never intended to clash swords with me directly from the start.”
It went without saying that Grisha could not compare to Song-ha in a one-on-one battle.
Yet, Grisha precariously maintained a standoff with Song-ha within her Domain.
A wondrous technique that, rather than directly countering Song-ha’s sword energy, meticulously avoided and deflected collisions even while confronting him.
The reason it was possible was purely—
“Are you deploying a Domain again within your Domain to completely rewrite its internal information? I’ve never seen a sorcerer handle a Domain like that before.”
“Fitting for a Captain, your understanding of Domains is remarkably high.”
Grisha gave a bitter smile, her complexion pale.
Blood dripped steadily from her wrists, where her hands were pressed together.
Whenever Grisha had to directly confront Song-ha’s power, she redeployed her Domain.
Completely modifying the spatiotemporal coordinates and direction within the Domain to reshape the battlefield and revert the situation.
That was why the sky and ground Song-ha experienced kept flipping, and the distance and direction between the two kept changing.
Because she continuously overlaid Domains within her Domain, the Southern Vistas of the Green Sea did not collapse even when Song-ha sliced space with his attacks.
A wondrous technique that continuously reset the engagements occurring within the Domain to their starting point, for as long as Grisha’s will allowed.
However, despite meticulously avoiding direct hits, blood was already dripping from Grisha’s body.
“Certainly, if you do that, you can revert the situation every time it becomes unfavorable, but—”
Song-ha asked with an admiring expression.
“Every time you do that, you’d have to redeploy your Domain. How much mana do you naturally possess to be able to do something like that?”
“……”
Since she redeployed the Domain every time she modified its internal coordinates, the mana consumed in that process must have been truly enormous.
Even Song-ha, who had seen all sorts of monsters while active on the Central Front, was astounded by her vast mana capacity.
“How many times did you use the Domain just now? Seven? Eight? To deploy a Domain consecutively that many times without your head exploding. At this rate, you might have more mana than Baragan.”
“Because my Root Mindscape, unlike other sorcerers’, is not specialized for combat.”
Grisha said in a subdued voice.
Red blood began to seep through the sharply cut, worn robe.
Despite meticulously avoiding direct clashes, Song-ha’s slashes cut and clawed at her physical body, reaching beyond space.
Watching the blood drip at her feet, she murmured.
“I… am not inherently a person useful for combat. What I desire is always closer to a vague longing.”
“……”
Not all high-level sorcerers who built up their hierarchy awakened a Domain useful for combat.
The Southern Vistas of the Green Sea was the scenery of Grisha’s homeland. The memory of the jungle she had yearned for her entire life.
Because she unfolded her Root Mindscape, her Domain merely depicted the scenery of her homeland. Despite its overwhelming scale, it did not possess combat-specialized abilities.
“Bound by memories and ties to the past, I will live that way until the moment I die. Even being with Lapis was ultimately at Grandma Madria’s request.”
Grisha, slowly rising, said.
“But even so, there are things I can do. Even if it’s not an ability specialized for combat, something only a foolish sorcerer obsessed with the past can achieve—”
Grisha glared at Song-ha, murmuring.
“This is one of the few methods I’ve acquired that way.”
“I see.”
Clank!!
Song-ha, gripping his tachi, said.
“Then I just need to cut it down before you redeploy the Domain.”
“……”
“The totem you’ve embedded in the Domain. That’s the reference point for adjusting coordinates when you modify the Domain’s internal information, isn’t it?”
Song-ha said with a chilling gaze.
“If I cut that down, you won’t be able to avoid combat with these tricks. Next time, you’ll have to confront my spellcraft directly.”
“Indeed, you seem a bit sharper than the rumors suggested…”
Grisha laughed.
“But it seems your intelligence hasn’t been ‘integrated’ yet, has it?”
“…What?”
“You weren’t the only one who could move while the Domain’s internal coordinates were being modified.”
Another person who had entered the Southern Vistas of the Green Sea with Song-ha.
The wizard who hadn’t revealed himself even while Grisha was burning through her mana to confront Song-ha.
The one who had just clashed with Song-ha himself, risking their lives—
“Ah, Martinez!”
Beyond the endlessly stretching jungle.
Song-ha, who had instantly spotted Lennok at the far outer reaches of the Southern Vistas of the Green Sea, whirled his body around.
“You despicable wretches!! You tricked me!!!”
“He completely hid his presence, yet you found him with pure eyesight? Truly monstrous.”
Grisha gave a wry smile and flicked her fingers.
“But it’s already too late.”
WHOOOSH!!!!
The magnificent jungle landscape shattered, revealing the real command headquarters, engulfed in surging flames.
Unbeknownst to them, Lennok had already passed the hangar and was approaching the foothills of the distant mountain range.
While Grisha was overlapping Domain deployments and altering Domain coordinates, Lennok’s standing position coordinates were also changed.
She had released the Domain and dropped Lennok far from the engagement zone.
The technique of overlapping Domains to modify internal spatial coordinates—was it not for confronting Song-ha, but for Lennok?
Song-ha, realizing this fact, gripped his tachi, drew upon his mana, and forcefully twisted his body with all his might.
“It’s not too late yet…!!!”
KWOOOOOSH!!
A silver-white radiance exploded, enveloping Song-ha’s body in vast sword energy, and covering the sky, it drew an immense slash.
Shockwaves diagonally struck and traversed the sky, just as they were about to be swung as a single beam of light.
“No.”
Grisha murmured weakly.
“Time’s up.”
“…Huh?”
Song-ha’s expression, upon confirming ‘someone’, changed to one of shock for the first time.
“Evan!!!”
KWOOOSH!!!
Before Lennok, who had descended at the foothills of the mountain range, could move, a familiar face appeared right beside him with a roar.
“…Pio?”
A Level 7 Mutant Sorcerer who worked for the Eyes of Blue. A Watcher who operated with his twin brother, Geo.
As Lennok paused and turned his gaze, Geo, with the same face, walked out from behind Pio.
“Evan. I know you’re seriously injured. For now, focus on recovery.”
Geo, leading other Watchers and standing as if to block Lennok’s path, signaled to Pio.
“We’ll try to break through the encirclement from this side first.”
“Encirclement—”
Lennok, who had carelessly replied, almost simultaneously sensed a presence through his mana detection and turned his gaze.
Kiiing-
KA-GA-GA-GAK!!!
Space above the mountain range split as if being carved away, and someone was rapidly descending.
A bizarre phenomenon, as if space itself was being forcibly peeled away, allowing movement through it.
Clank!!
Heavy Iron-Plated Wings swayed ponderously, cleaving space and appearing from beyond.
A presence so heavy that even Lennok flinched for a moment. Somehow, the steel feathers looked vaguely familiar.
[1st Command’s Direct Ghost Squadron Gespenst.]
A woman with an ice-cold expression, clad in Iron-Plated Wings, looked down at Lennok with a frigid gaze.
[Received Captain Miloze’s orders and arrived at the 2nd Command. We will now commence the operation.]
ROOOOOAR!!!
House-sized elephants and rhinos galloped between the mountain ranges, roaring ferociously.
Gigantic serpents and manta rays swam in the sky, and above them, the majestic form of the Water God Phoenix cast its shadow.
The summoned beast army led by 8th Legion Commander Townsend. Behind them, the shimmering silhouette of the aerial fortress, Primo Alert, flickered like a shadow.
The 3rd Command, Primo Alert, vast enough to cover the entire mountain range, rose above Lennok’s head, occupying the airspace.
KWOOOOOSH!!!!
The rumbling of tanks vibrated the ground, and the contrails of fighter jets drew wide arcs.
Amidst the Legion’s tank divisions racing from all directions, the figures of generals in their command vehicles were visible.
4th Legion Commander Mirva Neosoto who arrived first. 7th Legion Commander Deimus who enveloped the flank. The 2nd Legion Commander blocking the rear.
Even 6th Legion Commander Atiya, landing with an annoyed expression as she pulled vines from her head, and 3rd Legion Commander Robert Loveride, supported and pale-faced.
In an instant, the entire Legion recovered its strength and rebuilt its front line, forming the center of an approaching encirclement.
THUD!!!
“Martinez.”
Deimus, pressing down a colossal mobile fortress, blocked the path leading into the mountain range and said in a calm tone.
“Your decisions and actions regarding this matter are regrettable in many ways.”
“……”
“There will be much discussion regarding your treatment… but ultimately, it’s right for the Marshal to decide personally. You’ll have to come with us.”
“…I see.”
He had summoned Megiddo to draw the Legion’s bombardment, and despite Euphoria Aosel and Grisha’s interference, they had responded all the way here.
Even the Watchers who had remained at the military parade to divert the Legion’s attention for Lennok were now caught in the encirclement.
But even so, Lennok still had a few options he could attempt here.
What Lennok was contemplating was how much he needed to ‘draw out’ them from here, considering his schedule after the military parade.
Now that the reverse flow caused by Ethan Bajour’s blood was temporarily resolved, there was no longer any reason to hesitate.
The moment Lennok thought so and reached into his pocket.
“Evan.”
Grisha, approaching with the support of other Watchers, called Lennok.
Lennok turned his gaze, a slightly surprised expression on his face.
“Grisha. How….”
How Grisha, who had just been confronting Song-ha, was now here.
Had Grisha not only tied Song-ha’s hands but broken through him and arrived here?
No, Song-ha couldn’t possibly be unaware of this situation, so why hadn’t he arrived yet—
“I’ve bought enough time.”
But Grisha did not answer Lennok’s question, instead speaking in a low voice.
“I’m glad I can finally repay… a little of the debt I owe you.”
“…What are you talking about?”
“As you heard, I’ll probably just be a foolish sorcerer bound by past ties and lingering regrets until the day I die.”
Grisha slowly lifted her gaze.
Even after the situation had escalated, her expression remained utterly calm. In fact, she looked conflicted.
“But precisely because of that, there are ties I know, and things I can do.”
“……”
“If I use that opportunity for you today… then it will have meaning.”
“Grisha. What are you—”
[Aha.]
At that moment, Lennok froze as a mental transmission reached him from in front of him.
[So you were ■■ Evan ■■■■■.]
“……”
A woman with an ordinary appearance, seemingly without any distinguishing features.
A woman with brown hair and a kind impression was, somehow, standing before Lennok, looking up at him.
[Rumor says ■■ ■■■■ gentle ■■. Heavenly Sight’s granddaughter might ■■■■.]
“…You are.”
Even though they had seen the moment the woman walked forward, no one had noticed her.
Transcendental perception manipulation, so potent that not only the Legion’s generals and Eyes of Blue Watchers, but even Song-ha himself had momentarily missed her presence.
The fact that the woman before him was casually wielding a distortion of perception, something only seen from an Ascendant.
The moment Lennok, realizing this, inadvertently lowered his gaze and looked into the woman’s eyes.
Lennok could see a grotesque Mosaic densely covering the woman’s pupils.
“No way…”
Mirva Neosoto murmured, her face frozen in a pale expression.
“…Zero Seat Ophelia Ionix Zaedark. Why are you here?”
A colossal faction vying for a corner of the Central Front, the Ability Awakening Warband, where innate ability users gathered.
Their revered leader, the Great Connector, renowned as the most powerful psychic in continental history.
Zero Seat, Ophelia Ionix Zaedark, stood before Lennok.
[I didn’t expect ■■ ■■■ to happen while I was ■■■■■ Evan.]
The woman, wearing a languid smile, slowly turned and looked at the Legion Commanders.
[Since I’ve received Grisha’s ■■, shall I bring this situation to a close now?]