Chapter 331: Innate Strength (4)

A single shot erupted from a distance so close they could see each other’s breath.

Yet, the mana, compressed to its limit, did not target Lennok or Felix; instead, it fully enveloped Croken’s entire body and shot hundreds of meters beyond him.

A massive blue light of mana occupied the sky and ground at the point of impact, forming a colossal cubic shape.

KWA-AAAAAANG!!

The recoil alone sent Lennok tumbling across the sandy ground, and Felix staggered, still holding his hammer.

“Ugh…!”

The immense, triangular beam struck Croken’s body thousands of times in the blink of an eye.

While Lennok convulsed, unable to get up, Felix swiftly picked him up and put distance between them.

“Cough!!”

His limbs trembled as he vomited stomach acid.

Having already thrown up once during the Mobile Fortress capture operation, only remnants of mana recovery potions were left in his stomach.

Felix nodded, looking at Lennok’s state.

“Indeed, for someone of your skill and audacity, your body is excessively weak. Was your thoroughness born from that innate weakness?”

“…I’d appreciate it if you kept that a secret.”

Lennok wiped his mouth with his sleeve, grabbed his trembling legs, and stood up.

“It’s not something to go bragging about needlessly.”

“Even if you didn’t say so, I wouldn’t tell anyone.”

Felix smiled and gripped the cylinder on his hammer’s handle again.

“I’m certain of it now. You’re not someone who should die in a place like this. I can’t let it end he—”

Felix’s words were cut short.

Because Croken, who had landed before him like a flash of lightning, immediately kicked Felix in the shoulder.

KWA-AAAAANG!!

There wasn’t even a scream. Along Felix’s trajectory, where he was blown over a hundred meters, only a single heavy warhammer he had dropped remained.

Steam continuously rose from various parts of the giant alligator’s massive body as he slowly lowered his leg.

SHWOOOO…!!!

A massive amount of steam, as if he had become a living steam engine.

His entire body’s metabolism had become so active that all the water in his body was evaporating and escaping.

A normal human wouldn’t have been able to withstand such high temperatures, metabolism, or water evaporation for even a moment.

Could such a thing be possible for a living being, a creature with intelligence like Lennok?

“If you don’t want to die early, stop using the mana of the ‘advent’. It’s not something a half-wit like you can handle.”

“Keugh…!!”

“You’re not lending your hand to a fool like Antares just to throw away your life here, are you?”

Felix seemed half-unconscious from the shock, unable to properly respond.

Croken looked at the faintly twitching Felix, then gripped the handle of the overturned hammer.

“I’ll take this.”

Thud!!

As he slung the warhammer over his scaly shoulder, the relentlessly swirling black mana settled down as if by magic.

As the mana settled into the hammer, the continuously pumping cylinder stopped moving.

He had instantly made the weapon, which Felix struggled to control, his own.

There wasn’t a single scratch on the center of his broad chest.

Crimson Thunder Kill, which Lennok had directly struck Croken’s solar plexus with.

Despite the destructive force that crushed him with compressed, balanced power, he had suffered no significant damage.

Realizing this fact, Lennok faintly bit his lip and slowly distanced himself from Croken.

“Huuuh…”

Sasangroe and Translocation.

Lennok had almost no mana left after using two miracles.

What little mana recovery potion he had left, he’d shared some with Aris.

However, it wasn’t as if there was no method left.

The twenty pills of elixir that Yakson had given Lennok as a treatment for his mana poisoning.

He had already consumed nearly half, with about nine pills remaining, but with these, he could move like an ordinary superhuman for nearly five minutes.

He could do his best to survive until the very end.

‘Can I do it?’

He didn’t think of it as pathetic. Rather, he acknowledged and accepted himself for wanting to survive even in such a moment.

A long time had passed since he had resolved his mind and answers, no longer hesitating at the boundary between life and death, but Lennok had never forgotten that meaning since then.

His hand, reaching for the wooden box inside his coat pocket, no longer trembled.

But Croken gazed down at Lennok, then abruptly withdrew his mana, which had been pressing down on the area.

WHOOSH!!

Like a candle extinguished by a strong wind, the giant’s mana, which had seemed to dominate everything, vanished instantly.

The battle intent disappeared as if it were a lie. The moment Lennok paused at this sudden action.

Croken, with the warhammer on his shoulder, squatted down and met Lennok’s gaze.

“Potential.”

The alligator giant’s long snout curved into a deep grin.

“To be honest, if I hadn’t felt that from you today, I would have killed you before Myeong even noticed…”

Thud!!

The ground vibrated deeply as he stood up.

“No need for that, then. To think you’re already discerning methods to directly manipulate space and domains at that level.”

“…”

“If you understand the meaning of interfering with space-time as a result, you’ll eventually be able to look at the same place as us. Knowing that is enough.”

His bright yellow pupils moved, looking down at Lennok’s face.

“Join Pandemonium, Van.”

“What…?”

“I don’t really care what the leader and that Myeong are plotting. You probably don’t either.”

“…”

“But those guys are far more cunning and foolish than you think.”

Croken’s eyes flashed as his tongue flicked out.

“At least enough to grant you the one wish you desire most.”

Croken Asylus didn’t know what kind of being Lennok was.

He had no interest in the magic he used, his talent, his capacity, his goals, or his entire growth process.

But this old mercenary, who had survived decades on battlefields to become a legend, seemed to know what Lennok truly wanted and desired.

The alligator giant massaged his shoulder as if it ached, then tilted his neck left and right.

“Saw the face of a foolish one… Had an interesting experience after a long time. It was much more enjoyable than I expected, so I’ll stop here.”

Croken, who had been looking at Lennok’s bewildered expression with what seemed like amusement, slowly turned his head.

“You don’t need to decide immediately. But you will remember what I said someday.”

A fierce sandstorm raged, and Croken’s figure, striding across the horizon, gradually disappeared.

Through the intensifying storm, only his heavy voice faintly echoed.

“Even for someone who has seen the end, the answer they can come up with alone is fixed.”

“…”

Half-buried in a pile of sand, utterly battered, Lennok silently stared at the empty space where the monster had vanished.

A commotion that began with Croken’s whim and ended with his whim.

The surrounding landscape was so horrific that it was hard to believe none of this had anything to do with his original goal.

Truly a helpless conclusion. But Lennok did not stop thinking nonetheless.

Felix and Croken’s conversation. The giant’s attitude, which seemed oddly concerned for Felix, and the meaning of the never-ending dream.

Even the series of words he casually threw at Lennok. Not a single piece of information was something to be dismissed lightly.

Crucially, Croken’s atypical response during their final clash.

Lennok distinctly remembered his actions, as if he were deliberately testing the full force of Sasangroe head-on.

‘No matter how robust a body he possesses, it’s impossible to be completely free from the aftermath of Sasangroe.’

It was a point-blank attack, a finishing blow struck precisely at the solar plexus, launched by a Level 7 Archmage who had half-prepared for death.

No matter how tough and solid the alligator giant’s body might be, some trace or aftermath should have remained.

But if, despite all that, Croken’s body still had no wounds when he got back up.

Then that must be the power of the inner world, the Miniature Universe, possessed by that monster.

If the monster had felt something from the move Lennok made during his power struggle with Felix, and brought out a part of his Mind Imprint.

Then Croken’s sudden end to the battle and his various remarks to Lennok also made sense.

What had he seen in the lightning Lennok unleashed in that brief clash?

If he could ascertain his abilities through his past experiences, conversations, and battles… then subduing Croken wouldn’t be entirely impossible.

Lennok had to somehow convince himself of this.

The tragic outcome of this battle, and the terrifyingly vast gap between himself and that monster.

“…Damn it.”

Inside his coat. Lennok, who had removed his hand from the wooden box given by Yakson, slowly fell backward.

Lennok covered his eyes with one hand, closed them, and let go.

The Mobile Fortress capture operation, full of troubles and twists.

Even as he intuitively sensed that the series of events, which began with the Defense Force’s coup, had finally concluded, Lennok couldn’t easily get up from where he lay.

Even though he knew well that there was still much to do and much to clean up.

Just for a moment, Lennok wanted to lie there like this.

Near the Northern Continent. In an unnamed mid-sized city.

Large enough to be free from the domination of an exceptional individual, yet too small to call itself a nation.

In a spacious office of a high-rise building, brightly lit late into the night, a woman squatted, smoking a cigarette.

Each drag caused a faint flicker of light in the dark room.

Click!

As the light switched on, the surrounding scenery came into full view.

Strange parts scattered everywhere, membranes oozing viscous fluid, and mechanical chunks.

She rose expressionlessly, looking at the disgustingly writhing mechanical tentacles.

CRUNCH!!

A single head, still twitching, remained.

Below the neck, no body remained, only dozens of wires that once connected the head and body writhing.

The head spoke with a trembling voice, projecting to her.

[How… did you know?]

“I confirmed that the network backing up your consciousness was damaged.”

Click!

Kneeling before the head, she replied in an indifferent tone.

Her hands began swiftly disassembling the hard metal mechanical parts.

The head, watching itself being disassembled, asked.

[Less than ten minutes have passed since the grand scheme, relying on the Defense Force’s power in Vulcan, was concluded as a failure. Even we didn’t anticipate this extent of damage, so how did you…?]

“I regularly exchange information with Sybrid Echo. I was just preparing in advance, just in case.”

Click!

“I didn’t expect it to go this well, though.”

Having completely opened the part corresponding to a human skull and checked the data chip embedded within, she made a complex expression.

With Gearsight’s consciousness backup network half-destroyed, they were now just ordinary humans with a single life.

If this data chip were disassembled and destroyed, the entity known as Gearsight would vanish into the annals of history.

[Indeed. The malice that began with the failure of the Ascension Gate, is it finally catching up to us here…?]

The head sighed softly, then mocked the woman.

[But your comrades wouldn’t know who you’ve allied yourself with.]

“…”

[I knew you were obsessed with picking up the pieces of the Machine city’s grand failure, but to think you’d bow to Pandemonium. You’re making a deal with the devil to take responsibility, aren’t you?]

“…I don’t think that’s something I should hear from you, who was trying to ally with them until yesterday.”

The woman was right.

The one who lay scattered here, having spread his own body, was the leader of Gearsight himself, the very person who had tried to lead his entire force into Pandemonium.

Why he, once one of the foremost authorities in magic engineering in the Machine city, had fallen so far.

Both of them knew all too well, but neither bothered to speak of it.

The tragedy that occurred in the Machine city back then was merely a byproduct of the madness that commonly erupted as the end of the world approached.

A long time had passed since then, and regret and sorrow were buried in the sands of memory, forgotten.

What remained was duty, responsibility, and an undying hatred.

Despite the sharp retort, the remaining head of Gearsight let out a slow laugh.

[Hahaha… It’s an unacceptable outcome, but I suppose I must accept it. I, too, have walked this far by overcoming countless such absurdities.]

“…”

It was an infinitely unfair world. Money, power, fate, and connections.

He knew that if he had abandoned everything to stand at the apex, his turn might come someday.

A tentacle rising from below his neck swayed as if waving a hand.

[Give my regards to the Doctor.]

CRUNCH!

The woman reached for the data chip in the head and crushed it entirely with a clenched fist.

Behind her, standing blankly and looking at the devastation she had wrought, slow applause echoed.

A man whose expression and impression could not be read stood leaning against the office door, smiling.

“Good work, Maiya. As I heard, a perfect job.”

“…Doctor.”

The woman, called Maiya, turned her head.

“Originally, this friend might have become one of us as well… but things changed with what happened in Vulcan.”

The Doctor said, stepping over the scattered debris filling the office.

“It’s regrettable, but since the analysis of the research and technical data held by Gearsight is mostly complete, there shouldn’t be a big problem.”

“You certainly have a silver tongue. You wouldn’t have called me if the negotiations with them hadn’t fallen through.”

Maiya glared at the Doctor and said.

Just that, and killing intent emanating from her body became invisible thorns, tearing at one side of the office.

“Do you even remember why I joined this organization?”

“My apologies for that.”

Even watching the scene unfold before him, the Doctor smiled suavely.

“I acknowledge your skill, Maiya, but I don’t particularly favor people who confuse purpose and means.”

“…”

“It’s only natural that emotions mixed into important negotiations wouldn’t lead to a good outcome, wouldn’t you agree?”

The Doctor said that, then patted Maiya’s shoulder.

“Well, anyway, you achieved one of your desired goals, and I handled a troublesome task cleanly, so let’s just let it go. It’s not just because of today’s matter that I called you.”

Maiya’s hand twitched as she watched the Doctor casually turn his back and walk unguarded.

With her skill, renowned as the best enforcer even in the Machine city of Machina, where all sorts of strange technologies and mysteries abounded, she might have been able to sever his breath before he even noticed.

But even as a corner of her mind desperately yearned for success, she ultimately followed the Doctor instead of extending her hand.

Because the intuition built from decades of accumulated artistry and experience warned her that this very moment was not the time.

If she were to use deadly force, she might experience something worse than death itself.

Death and the pain leading to it did not frighten her, but Maiya still had work left to do.

“…Oh, really.”

The Doctor, who had walked out into the hallway, let out a soft exclamation as he surveyed the surroundings.

This was because mechanical debris, horribly smashed, filled the high-rise building’s hallways, stairs, and elevators.

Gearsight. There was no trace left of the armed group, including its leader and its numbered subordinates.

To accomplish such extensive sabotage single-handedly, without damaging the building’s exterior or interior walls at all.

Even from the eyes of the Doctor, who knew nothing about close combat, it was not difficult to guess how refined Maiya’s skill was.

“So. Where to next?”

Maiya, walking behind the Doctor along the hallway, asked.

Being more of an assassin than a warrior, unlike other members of Pandemonium, she often took on such dispatch assignments, so it wasn’t awkward.

That was possible because Maiya herself regarded joining Pandemonium as a kind of transaction.

“Not far. It’s on the edge of the Northern Continent highlands.”

The Doctor replied in a cheerful tone.

“An abnormal phenomenon has occurred where the aurora hanging in the Northern Continent highlands’ sky has disappeared. Considering the origin of that aurora, it can be said to be a very important matter.”

“…”

The Doctor mumbled as if it were nothing, but Maiya immediately understood the meaning of his words and stopped walking.

As an enforcer of the Machine city, she also had some knowledge of the abnormal phenomena existing across the continent.

And if it was the origin of the aurora always hanging in the northern highlands—

“…That’s where the Level 9 Transcender Jindun’s Mind Imprint Domain was deployed, isn’t it? That means, then…”

“Yes.”

The Doctor replied.

“The Transcender has moved.”