Chapter 252: White Lion (2)
Immediately after, flames erupted from the beast’s joints, accelerating the lion-giant’s massive body and slamming directly into Lennok.
BOOOOM!!
The impact was so immense that if Lennok had taken it head-on, it wouldn’t have been strange for all his internal organs to burst.
But instead of evading, Lennok countered with frigid mana flowing from his hand.
CRACK-CRACK-CRACK!!
A cube of frigid air instantly blocked the White Lion’s attack, shattering into pieces. The fragments of the staggered shield then deflected the weakened impact.
“Those flames just now… they look very familiar.”
Lennok, his purple eyes gleaming amidst hundreds of ice shards scattering through the air, spoke.
Ice-type creation magic.
[Crystal Burst]
CRUMBLE-CRUMBLE-CRUMBLE-BAM!!
Resonating with the mana Lennok clenched, hundreds of scattered ice shards exploded in mid-air.
While the power of each individual shard might not even scratch that sturdy body, it was a different story when hundreds of them converged.
But the White Lion, instead of retreating, let out a mad cackle and began swinging the axe in his hand wildly.
“Kekekekekeke!!!”
He deflected the crystal explosions bursting right in front of him with the side of his double-headed axe, charging forward relentlessly.
A ferocious, relentless attack, as if he had no retreat.
However, the trajectory of the double-headed axe in his thick hand was, even to Lennok, extraordinary.
In an instant, the White Lion reached Lennok’s face again, swinging his axe once more as if to sever Lennok’s waist.
WOOOOSH!!
Flames, erupting like boosters from directly behind the axe, accelerated the massive iron mass.
The pressure felt as if the entire air was being crushed and exploding.
Even amidst the sinister killing intent that stiffened his entire body, Lennok flicked his finger with an indifferent expression.
As lightning flashed in the darkened sky, a brilliant blue bolt struck directly in front of Lennok.
[Thunder Calling]
CRASHHH!!
The lightning bolt, striking from sky to ground, hit the White Lion’s axe blade at the perfect moment.
It traveled down the heavy steel shaft, piercing the beast’s entire body.
“That…!!”
He hadn’t expected Lennok to simply take the hit, but he certainly hadn’t anticipated a counter-attack before his own blow even landed.
A terrible pain, as if all his muscles were burning and shriveling. But the White Lion didn’t stop either.
GRIIIIND!!
The lion-giant, eyes bloodshot, ground his teeth to breaking point and swung his arm.
The massive axe blade, accelerated once more by the booster’s power, tore diagonally upwards through Lennok’s entire body.
CRACKLE-CRACKLE-CRACKLE!!!
Five layers of shields shattered instantly, pulverizing Lennok’s limbs standing beyond them.
Amidst the scattered flesh and muscle, and the remnants of that fragile body, shattered ice fragments swirled.
Hundreds of smooth ice fragments mirrored the White Lion and Lennok’s corpse like mirrors.
The shimmering crystals everywhere were like tiny mirrors reflecting the ebb and flow of the battle.
Among the mirrors reflecting only Lennok’s shattered corpse, one unusually large ice fragment clearly showed Lennok’s unblemished form.
“KAAAHHHH!!”
Only then did the White Lion realize he had fallen for an illusion magic using crystal reflection, and he roared.
But Lennok, with an unperturbed expression, descended through the shimmering light of the ice crystals and swung his arm relentlessly.
Lightning-type unique magic.
Property Change: Dispersion
[Constant Thunder]
CRACKLE-CRACKLE-CRACKLE!!!
A sphere of lightning violently rotating in his hand.
By manipulating six streams of mana simultaneously, he created a single sphere and rotated it, drawing a massive current of lightning.
Lennok’s unique magic, compressed to the extreme in his hand, exploded right before the White Lion’s eyes.
KABOOOOM!!
As brilliant blue lightning filled the night sky, half of the floating stone slab above them exploded.
Intense heat that felt like it was burning his soul, and a flash that seared his eyes.
In terms of instantaneous firepower, the unique magic of Thorburn Magic Tower, which boasted unparalleled destructive power among all elements, engulfed and swept up the White Lion’s entire body.
“KAAAHHAAAAHAHAHAHA!!!”
He roared in pain, yet simultaneously burst into maniacal laughter.
The ecstasy of battle. The laughter of a beast driven mad, addicted to the pleasure of slaughter, echoed in the ash-filled night sky.
BOOM!!
The White Lion, leaping out of the lightning storm, retreated for the first time.
His once luxurious mane was now tattered, a stark contrast to moments ago.
Yet his eyes still glowed with fierce killing intent.
The faint flames subtly covering the lion-giant’s entire body had provided a degree of protection against Lennok’s Constant Thunder.
Lennok gazed at the sight, his brow faintly furrowed.
“Cannibal Lion… I thought it was just a disgusting preference, but there was a reason after all.”
“……”
“Can he just use the mana of the humans he preys on?”
The flame mana the White Lion used was not an inherent ability of the lion-giant.
Rather, it was a structure closer to the unique magic of Blaiver Tower, just as Lennok had sensed before.
While using flames as boosters by injecting them into joints or weapons was one thing, he hadn’t expected him to wrap his entire body in flames to withstand Constant Thunder’s preemptive strike and then retreat.
That level of application couldn’t be achieved simply with the power of artifacts or relics.
It would be impossible unless he had directly taken and used the mana possessed by the Elder Council of the Magic Tower, whom he had preyed upon in this secluded place.
Realizing his ability had been exposed, the White Lion wiped the drool from his mouth and laughed.
“Heh heh… it shouldn’t be surprising, should it?”
“……”
“Taking the prey’s power is the privilege of a predator. And among all predators in the world, I am unequivocally at the very top.”
Lennok snorted at his self-absorbed words.
“I thought only your tastes were disgusting, but your thoughts are no different from a beast’s.”
“What?”
“Do you think power stolen from others is your own? I wonder how your head is still attached after living like that.”
“……”
“Given the extremely demanding condition of cannibalism, it must be a type of ability created by modifying a Geas. And if it’s a method of immediately using the prey’s power, it wouldn’t even be a permanent. What makes you so conceited?”
At Lennok’s words, which unhesitatingly poked at his blind spot, the White Lion was speechless.
The number and types of superhumans Lennok had faced, having navigated countless battlefields, were truly diverse.
Among them, there were strong individuals who had achieved their mastery through legitimate means, but weren’t there also countless superhumans who had forcibly boosted their power through drugs or temporary restrictions?
Although their engagement was brief, Lennok already roughly guessed how the White Lion had obtained his power.
His true level could certainly be called Level 7, but the ability of the Miniature Universe within him was incredibly twisted.
Could an ability that extracts power through cannibalism truly be compared to Antares or Evelyn, who genuinely interfere with fundamental laws?
It would be more accurate to compare him to Girard Ozette, the Cartel executive who manifested his distorted psyche through a unique change in mana properties.
Lennok’s lips twisted into a cold smirk as he looked at the White Lion.
“You call yourself a predator, but your level can’t even touch a Croken’s toe… It’s regrettable, assuming the form of a lion but unable to even catch a crocodile.”
“……”
At Lennok’s incomparably biting provocation, the White Lion bowed his head deeply.
Not because the words were too trivial to warrant a response.
Rather, it was because Lennok’s mockery had struck the lion-giant’s exact weak point.
THUD!
The White Lion, double-headed axe on his shoulder, lowered his stance fully and snarled.
“Gionis. Join in.”
“…I know.”
“Here and now, we can kill that worm. Such an opportunity won’t come easily.”
Although the battle seemed incredibly tense at first glance, the White Lion intuitively sensed the advantage with his natural savagery.
A numerical advantage of two against one. Compared to a wizard vulnerable in close combat, they had a complete front-line and rear-line combination.
Furthermore, it was a super-heated volcanic zone extremely advantageous to a fire mage. Floating stone slabs made the footing unstable.
There were no obstacles, and conversely, the tower with remaining survivors could distract Lennok.
If they were to back out now, with such a favorable situation, it would be nothing short of a disgrace.
Thick drool dripped from between the lion-giant’s teeth, wetting the ground.
“After I gnaw on that arrogant bastard’s limbs, I wonder what kind of expression that old man will make when I bring him just his head… The thought alone excites me.”
“I’m going with a large-scale spell. Get out of the way.”
“Of course… I WILL!!!”
KABOOM!!
With those words, the White Lion pushed off the stone slab beneath his feet as if crushing it, surging forward.
For a moment, the slab seemed to tilt slightly, and the distance between Lennok and the White Lion rapidly closed.
Simultaneously, Gionis began incanting his unique magic.
Heat-type unique magic.
[Chariot Fire Wheel]
[Ignition Arrival]
He harnessed the endless heat rising from the crater below with mana, transforming it into flames.
In an instant, dozens of fire wheels formed in the air, then began to race across the stone slab, drawing massive circles of flame.
Dozen of fire wheels, brightly illuminating the acrid sky, simultaneously rotated, carving away at the stone slab, their burning fragments scattering across the night sky.
And using those scattering fragments as footholds, the White Lion changed direction a dozen times in mid-air, then brought his axe blade down directly onto Lennok’s head.
D-D-D-D!!!
“HAAAAAHHH!!!”
The 3-meter tall colossal body floated freely in the air as if weightless.
The double-headed axe, descending diagonally along the shortest path, flashed in mid-air and split into four trajectories, rushing towards four of Lennok’s vital points.
Even if he managed to see through and withstand that fierce assault, and even succeed in a counter-attack, what would follow was Gionis’s relentless barrage, unleashed with determination.
Dozen of fire wheels rushing towards Lennok split into hundreds of spear-like projectiles in mid-air, rotating in place.
They then slammed down onto the stone slab, painting the sky bright red.
KABOOOOM!!
Remembering how he was pushed back in their previous spar, Gionis was now intentionally choosing and unleashing only high-firepower magic.
Ironically, what made this reckless joint attack possible was the combat prowess of the lion-giant roaring before Lennok.
The White Lion, armed with an innate physique and primordial savagery, and having absorbed the mana of the Elder Council he devoured, would be able to acutely sense Gionis’s magic and synchronize with it.
Could there be a more advantageous environment for two individuals to kill one wizard?
Firepower and pressure sufficient to completely grind a human into dust rained down without a single moment’s respite.
RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE!!!!
A harmony of physical impact and magic.
A fierce assault where even a renowned warrior, not just a wizard, couldn’t be certain of survival if they stood there.
“KAHAAAAHHH!!”
Finally, as he let out a gluttonous roar and slammed his double-headed axe down as if throwing it, the axe blade flared majestically in response.
The stone slab, dozens of meters in radius, tilted halfway in mid-air.
SCREEECH…!!!
As Gionis gripped the tilting slab and regained his balance, the White Lion, having spun wildly in the air, landed directly in front of Gionis.
THUD!!
“Gionis!! What’s taking so long?! I told you to keep unleashing spells!”
Gionis frowned at the monstrous growl that threatened to burst his eardrums.
“Turan, calm down. We need to conserve mana.”
A violent nature that couldn’t tolerate a moment’s delay, loudly shouting with a booming voice.
Secretly hiding such power within the tower, where countless sorcerers’ gazes crisscrossed, was practically impossible.
That’s why Gionis had returned to the Magic Tower himself, adjusted public opinion from within, and brought the White Lion Turan into the tower, disguised as dead.
“What are you talking about, I distinctly felt something in my hand!!”
“It’s not about the battle. We need to save strength to move the Forge.”
Gionis said with a sigh.
“Remember. The reason I’m cooperating with Pandemonium is because you said you could release my Geas. For this operation, listen to me.”
“Heh, what’s the big deal if mana is low?”
Turan cackled, exuding sharp killing intent.
“If it’s a problem, I can just eat a few more wizards from the Magic Tower over there.”
“……”
“Oh? You’re not going to tell me not to eat any more, are you?”
The smile on the lion-giant’s lips deepened.
“You threw dozens of people to me as prey for this very moment, didn’t you? If you feed an animal and tame it, you have to take responsibility.”
“…I know. I don’t regret it.”
Gionis gritted his teeth and lifted his head.
“My time dedicating myself to the Tower is over. From now on, I will live only for myself.”
“Good. That’s more like…”
KABOOM!!
In an instant, Turan’s head, which had been grinning and nodding, was abruptly slammed into the ground.
A colossal ice pillar had fallen from the sky, crushing the White Lion beneath it. Gionis’s jaw dropped as he saw the purple gleam of Lennok’s eyes mirrored on the opposite side of the ice pillar.
“In-insane…”
“Are you two done talking?”
The overlapping shields and ice crystal fragments behind Lennok vanished amidst the ash and dust.
“!!!”
His spar with Gionis.
By acquiring ice magic that directly froze mana, Lennok’s combat style had advanced once again.
Unlike before, when he merely used shields to the extreme to absorb attacks, now he intervened in battle by shaping physical entities with ice magic.
Unlike the Blaiver Magic Tower’s heat magic, which endlessly expanded in scale, the greatest feature of ice-type creation magic lay in manifesting mana as physical substance with extreme efficiency.
He instantly perceived the sequence of the incoming assaults, freezing mana entirely to shape the desired shield.
Instead of simply enduring, he used the shattering fragments as shields, breaking through all incoming attack patterns.
The result of abandoning even counter-attacks and selectively choosing to face the two superhumans’ assaults with his Mystic Eye.
Lennok had succeeded in keeping his body intact amidst that storm of immense firepower.
“You… how…?”
His hair was slightly singed, and blood trickled from a cut on his cheek, but could that even be called an injury?
The mere presence of such minor abrasions was, conversely, proof that Lennok had thoroughly calculated every exchange and minimized damage.
At that very moment, as the bewildered Gionis, unable to comprehend how anyone could withstand such a bombardment of physical force while standing still, opened his trembling lips.
CRASHHH!!
“KAAAHHHH!!”
The ice pillar shattered like glass, and from beneath it, the White Lion stood up.
His two eyes, glaring at Lennok, were bloodshot red.
“You motherf***er!!!! This time, I’ll carve you up from head to toe!!”
“I’m surprised how similar our thoughts are.”
Even amidst the roar that felt like it was tearing his entire body, Lennok chuckled.
“Instead… let’s change the stage.”
“…What?”
No reply came from Lennok.
Instead, an impact erupted from beneath their feet, sweeping away everything in its path.
KABOOOOM!!!
“Ugh!!”
It wasn’t merely an explosion; it was a powerful impact strong enough to momentarily tilt the floating stone slab.
As a dazed Gionis turned his head in confusion, Turan, who immediately noticed the anomaly, shouted.
“Gionis!! Southwest!!”
“!!!!”
The moment those words ended, Gionis’s gaze turned to see a green flash streaking across the night sky.
Outside the crater, a flash flickered near the distant volcanic zone, speeding across the sky faster than sound, and directly struck the stone slab.
KABOOOOM!!
With another echoing shockwave, the stone slab tilted sharply.
Only then, upon seeing Lennok’s smiling face, did Gionis’s complexion turn pale.
“Wait, don’t tell me this is…!!”
“Did you figure it out?”
Lennok smirked and took a step back.
“There’s only one person among us capable of such ultra-long-range shooting.”
“…I made a mistake.”
Gionis muttered with a dark expression.
He had taken into account the risk of Evelyn discovering their location due to the previous battle.
But such rapid support would be utterly impossible without prior arrangement.
The very person who had planned all of this was smiling right before his eyes.
“After agreeing to search the volcanic zone, you were actually waiting for this very moment…!!”
“As you said, if this is the game you set up, then there’s no choice but to shatter the entire board.”
Lennok had already worked with her a few times before and confirmed the true essence of her extraordinary archery.
With the power of archery that could effortlessly cover distances of several kilometers, Evelyn would be able to provide ranged support for Lennok, no matter where she was.
From the beginning, Lennok had only this situation in mind when he suggested Evelyn leave the Magic Tower.
Unlike shooting with firearms, archery using arrows has the characteristic of gaining more power and force the more it rides the wind and the greater the distance.
Add Evelyn’s skill and mana to that, and a single arrow shot from such a long distance would naturally possess the power of a bomb.
WOOOOSH!!
Lennok smiled atop the slowly tilting stone slab.
“This time, let’s settle it on the ground.”