Chapter 361: Labyrinth Race (3)

“Hahaha, yes… I lost this time.”

Jawoon Audis said that, then raised his middle finger at Lennok.

He couldn’t believe Lennok had seen through the possibility that he’d forcibly hidden the block the moment Jawoon’s presence was detected.

Keeping his distance from the hidden block had been the decisive misstep that led to Lennok snatching it.

He had deliberately tried to distance himself from the block to avoid tipping Lennok off, never imagining that Lennok would instantly notice and counter it.

That wizard, whom Evelyn Marcia doted on, seemed to be far more quick-witted than he’d thought.

“You’d better run away quickly before I catch you. Then both of you—!”

Pffft!!

Seeing Jawoon Audis’s figure translocate directly to the ground, Evelyn Marcia smiled, a rare sight.

“That feels good. Let’s go quickly!”

“The calculations are complete. We’ll depart immediately.”

Lennok immediately, with Evelyn Marcia, lightly stepped on the remaining blocks and opened the gate.

Screeching!!

This was the first gate they had properly passed in this labyrinth.

As light erupted and they stepped into the space beyond, the noise that had filled the cavern vanished completely, and a cold silence greeted Lennok once more.

Whoooooosh……!!

“Here is…”

“It’s excessively desolate for a path leading to the third gate.”

Lennok said that, pulling out a monocular from his pocket and raising it.

An endlessly stretching, enormous arched bridge.

Hundreds, perhaps more, of such colossal bridges extended through the dark void.

Bridges connected in the darkness, centered around a vast backdrop that seemed to form a miniature universe.

The cold wind blowing from beyond the void made him swallow.

“Let’s go.”

Lennok said.

“I think I have a rough idea of which path Maiya chose.”

Lennok’s gaze fell on one of the bridges on the far right as he spoke.

The sight of discarded fur fragments was unusually clear to his eyes.

Thump!!

Jawoon Audis, who had been looking up at Lennok’s disappearing figure beyond the gate, let out a hollow laugh.

“Huh, damn it…”

He spat on the ground, then slowly raised his head to look at the knight standing before him.

Dein’s face held a chilling killing intent. His grip on his sword with both hands showed not a single weakness.

The Watcher, Jiel, and Rapperd, who had been confronting Dein just moments ago, also subtly checked the direction of his killing intent and retreated.

They had only been holding Dein back for the sake of the two who went ahead, and had no intention of getting involved in the feud between the two parties.

For Dein to ignore even the Watchers who were obstructing him and focus solely on Jawoon Audis, it had to be an unusual grudge.

It wouldn’t be bad for the Watchers if the two fought here and both suffered heavy damage.

Woooooong!!!

The four Archmages each spun their magic power, causing the cavern to rumble loudly.

In the midst of that storm, at the center of the fierce battle where everyone else’s gaze was fixed, Jawoon Audis spoke to Dein.

“Hey, aren’t you frustrated?”

“……”

“If you think about it, we were all manipulated by that wizard. If we fight here, it’ll go exactly as that bastard wants, you know?”

Jawoon Audis didn’t wait for a reply, looking around quickly as he spoke.

“See the guys gathered in this labyrinth right now? Besides these guys, where do you think the really good ones are?”

“…They’re probably waiting for their moment after passing through other gates.”

Dein replied in a cold voice.

“What’s important to them isn’t the Ascendant’s life or death, but the artifact itself that he possessed.”

Naturally, they weren’t the only 7-level Archmages gathered in this labyrinth.

Various powerful individuals, having heard rumors from across the continent, must be lurking within the labyrinth, seeking an opportunity.

But why were they observing the situation instead of actively participating in the fierce struggle unfolding in this cavern?

Jawoon Audis, as well as Dein, had already grasped the reason.

“Confirming the Ascendant’s death is something anyone can do… Rather, they’re probably conserving their strength, thinking the true battle for supremacy begins the moment the artifact’s location is found.”

Dein adjusted his grip on his sword and spoke.

“The paths out of the labyrinth are limited. They’re just maintaining enough speed to not fall behind the main group of entrants, waiting for the decisive moment.”

“No, damn it, knowing that, are you going to be this frustrating?”

Jawoon Audis pounded his chest, looking as if he was about to burst with exasperation.

“If you know that, shouldn’t we quickly pass the gate? If you want to even get your hands on an artifact among those monsters, you have to get ahead first, you idiot!”

Others might not have noticed yet, but Jawoon Audis, hiding in the cavern and observing Lennok and Evelyn Marcia’s conversation, had recognized who the truly threatening competitor was.

At first glance, Evelyn Marcia, standing at the core of the party, was merely following Lennok’s instructions.

The actual decision-making and direction-setting were the responsibility of that wizard named Evan Vylun.

If the Divine Bow, a veteran who had experienced all sorts of hardships in the mega-city, entrusted tactical judgment to him, there was no need to even consider how sharp Evan Vylun’s judgment and intuition must be.

While he had navigated easily so far with the help of the voice’s knowledge, he had been overtaken by Lennok due to a moment of carelessness, so it wouldn’t be strange for such a thing to happen again at any time.

But Dein didn’t budge at Jawoon Audis’s persuasion, slowly drawing upon his magic power.

“Breaking through the labyrinth. It’s important. Even more so when I think of my knights who died in this place.”

“Yes, damn it!!”

“But the royal tomb’s legacy you stole is worth more than their deaths.”

Whoosh!!

Dein said that, twisting his shoulder and disappearing from his spot as if fading away.

[Taewhoe Geomryeon]

[Third Style: Battle Perimeter]

[Strong White]

Screeeech!!

A noise like the atmosphere ripping, not just tearing apart.

A white sword-light opened its eyes amidst the shimmering heat haze, as if space itself was bending.

Before Jawoon Audis could react, the dazzling sword-light tore apart his upper body, then his limbs.

Splaaaash!!

Without even looking at Jawoon Audis’s body, which fell scattering blood, Dein extended his blade towards the void beyond and quietly growled.

“I will not listen to a scoundrel who dared to steal the remains of His Majesty, the former King. You shall pay for that sin with your life here and now.”

“Seriously, this is why you shouldn’t make too many unnecessary enemies…”

With those words, the torn corpse vanished like a shimmering heat haze.

Jawoon Audis, emerging from the darkness with a deep sigh, clicked his tongue.

“It’s all my karma, what can I do but accept it.”

Over his gaunt hand, which brushed the inside of his robe, a transparent jewel skull appeared.

Kiiiiiing!!

Just the appearance of the jewel skull froze the surrounding air, beginning to release cold magic power in all directions.

It was an unusual artifact, its bizarre pressure noticed by every super-human currently battling in the cavern.

But in Dein’s eyes, sparks of intense fury flew as he looked at it.

“How dare you…!!”

Fwoooosh!!

The magnificent blue jewel embedded in the left eye of the jewel skull emitted a dazzling radiance, and immediately afterward, erected a gigantic pillar of light around Jawoon Audis’s body.

“I clearly said to stop.”

Kwoooooah!!

Jawoon Audis, drawing magic power amidst the rotation of dozens of light pillars, grinned.

“If you keep coming at me like this, I’ll have no choice but to bring this out.”

“Do you truly believe you’ll be safe after making an entire kingdom your enemy!!”

“It’s just one small city-state, after all.”

Magic power flowing from Jawoon Audis’s body froze coldly, stiffening the air.

Crackkkle!!

Jawoon Audis moved through the rapidly solidifying space, muttering coldly.

“If you’re not going to cooperate, die. Let’s finish this here.”

Vroommm!!

Lennok was driving the bike with Evelyn Marcia riding behind him.

Hundreds of long bridges floated in the dark void.

The two had chosen what appeared to be the path Maiya had taken, and were proceeding straight ahead.

Perhaps the fact that she had dropped fur fragments was a trap, but it didn’t matter much.

If it seemed like a trap, they could always cross to another bridge. There was a gap of a few meters between bridges, but it wasn’t a problem.

Rather, the appearance of a new guest, furiously racing on an adjacent bridge, was clearly much more concerning for Lennok and Evelyn Marcia.

“Kyahahaha!!”

“We caught up, you bastards!”

“Die, die!!”

Two or three bridges over from the one Lennok had chosen, super-humans riding a studded off-road armored vehicle were pointing bazookas, slung over their shoulders, towards them.

It was a mystery how they’d even dragged an armored vehicle this deep into the labyrinth, but what was more surprising was the powerful mass of magic power contained within the gunpowder weapons they used.

Evelyn Marcia, spotting the skull mark on the back of the armored vehicle, nodded.

“It’s the Headro Warlords. They’re a resistance group active even near the mega-city. They’re infamous for rumors that most of their members are addicted to drugs, and it’s probably not entirely untrue.”

“…So, old friends from the same hood, huh.”

As Lennok replied with a somewhat sour expression, those with faces heavily tattooed burst into wild laughter and pulled the triggers.

Missiles launched from the muzzles flew through the air, embedding themselves not only on the bike but also in various parts of the bridge.

Kwoooosh!!

Lennok, gripping the shaking bike tightly, clicked his tongue.

“It was strangely smooth, wasn’t it? Time to get to work.”

“No, even so, isn’t it too strange?”

Evelyn Marcia, her expression instantly turning cold, glared at the armored vehicle and spoke quickly.

“Catching up to us means they broke through the second gate, but it wasn’t Jawoon Audis or other monsters who arrived first, it was these guys.”

“……”

“If those thoughtless guys matched the block order and caught up to us, there must be some secret…!”

Kwoooosh!!

Evelyn Marcia stopped speaking and ducked her head sharply at the continuous barrage of explosions.

Lennok quickly shifted his gaze, replaying Evelyn Marcia’s words in his mind.

He could simply block and deflect the missile explosions with a shield, but the problem lay in the bridge’s extremely fragile durability.

Thud-thud-thud…!!

If the bridge’s durability, which easily swayed even with the bike’s fierce movement, couldn’t withstand firepower like bazookas for long.

Sure enough, the bridge Lennok was racing on began to rapidly collapse behind the bike.

The gangsters in the armored vehicle, watching from several meters away, cheered.

“Success!!”

“A preemptive strike is the best, you bastards!”

“Snipers like you just die!”

“Hurry up and fall to your death!”

Evelyn Marcia, glaring coldly at the sight, pulled an arrow from her back.

“Should we silence them first, then think?”

To Evelyn Marcia’s words, as she unfolded the short bow on her left arm and drew the string, Lennok shook his head.

“No. It’s too late.”

“…What?”

“The bridge is collapsing much faster than I thought.”

Thud-thud-thud!!!

The bridge, unable to withstand the impact behind the bike, was collapsing, rapidly eliminating the space for the bike to run.

Just as a slightly flustered Evelyn Marcia grabbed Lennok’s neck and tried to get off the bike.

“It’s okay.”

Lennok hit the brakes and instead dropped the bike into the collapsing bridge.

Whoooooosh!!

“Kyaaah!!”

As Evelyn Marcia let out a clumsy scream and hugged Lennok’s neck, Lennok instantly extended magic threads upwards.

Splatttter!!

Connecting the falling vehicle and the intact bridge next to it with magic threads. The bike, swinging like a pendulum beneath the bridge, instantly cleared the collapsed section.

Whooshhh!!

The bike, floating long in the void beneath the bridge, balanced itself in mid-air and shot upwards.

Lennok, with magic perception, cleanly calculated the timing and severed the magic threads at the precise moment.

Whooshh!!

The bike, soaring through the air, quickly approached the bridge where the armored vehicle was racing.

The gangsters, realizing the bike’s massive shadow cast over their faces, gaped.

Crrraaaackle!!

The monster bike dropped precisely onto the armored vehicle, crushing and splattering the gangsters inside.

Vroommm!!

Using the completely wrecked armored vehicle as a stepping stone, the bike continued forward.

Evelyn Marcia patted Lennok’s shoulder at the sight of the armored vehicle being crushed in a single maneuver.

“Good job!! Why are you so good at driving!”

“The result of consistent practice.”

[Master, acknowledge the working hours of the electro-brain spirit!]

Lennok ignored Davi’s protesting voice from within his pocket and nonchalantly replied.

“You’re right, Evelyn Marcia, there’s probably a reason why these guys just appeared.”

He pulled the throttle harder once more, and the bike immediately sped forward.

“Let’s put some more distance between us first, then think about it.”

Lennok and Evelyn Marcia drove for about 10 more minutes after destroying the armored vehicle before stopping.

This was the first enemy they had encountered among the bridges of this void.

There must have been a reason they could catch up to Lennok and Evelyn Marcia in such a short time.

“Just before the collision, the armored vehicle’s speed was around 150 km/h.”

Evelyn Marcia said, sitting astride the bridge.

“Even if they were fully accelerating to chase us, it’s excessively slow compared to the bike.”

“…Can you gauge that with the naked eye? An archer’s dynamic vision is truly remarkable.”

To be able to objectively estimate their speed by comparing his own and the armored vehicle’s movements during such a chaotic 3D maneuver.

The strangeness of physical ability users had an entirely different dimension compared to a wizard’s abilities.

Evelyn Marcia gave an awkward laugh and continued.

“We started long before them, we were much faster, and we hardly ever stopped. The very fact that they caught up to us at that speed is strange.”

“It’s not that I have no idea.”

Lennok nodded.

“What if, even when heading towards the same destination, the arrival time differs depending on which bridge you choose?”

“What do you mean?”

Lennok turned his gaze away, leaving Evelyn Marcia, who was tilting her head.

“No need for long explanations. Let’s cross to different bridges and time ourselves.”

Lennok said that, pulling out his mobile phone from his pocket.

“I think the reason free movement between bridges is allowed lies precisely here.”

The two immediately crossed to a bridge a few meters away, waited a minute, and then returned.

“One minute. How long did it take you?”

“…I didn’t even need to time it.”

Evelyn Marcia said, looking blankly at Lennok who had returned to the bridge.

“Because here, not even 10 seconds passed.”

Lennok nodded.

“I see. Let’s try a few more experiments.”

After that, Lennok and Evelyn Marcia focused on timing themselves while crossing several nearby bridges.

Only after timing even the original chosen bridge, which had since been restored, could Lennok finally be certain.

“The bridges in this space exist on different timelines. The difference isn’t constant and is continuously fluctuating. The bridge they chose was moving faster through time than the bridge we chose.”

That’s why the gangsters, despite starting much later than Lennok, succeeded in catching up to the two.

Evelyn Marcia’s face hardened as she realized the true meaning of his words.

“Wait, Van… does that mean…”

“Those gangsters probably weren’t the next ones to pass the gate immediately. A long time has passed since the second gate was breached, and other people might already be running on these bridges.”

Lennok gave a bitter smile and got on the bike.

“I had a hunch, but it really is a matter of luck. Even if we choose a fast timeline bridge right now, there’s no telling when that bridge’s own timeline might slow down…”

Vroooooom!!

He repeatedly pulled the bike’s throttle, making it race across the bridge again.

Evelyn Marcia, familiar with riding behind him, shook her head with a slightly pale face.

“Discontinuity of space and time… Can a being who can overlap and manifest such laws within one space truly be called human?”

Space is fluid, and time is relative.

There is no absolute reference point; one can only measure the gap by comparing oneself to the surroundings.

Jindun had successfully manifested the hypothesis established to understand the world’s fundamental principles, completely within his labyrinth.

That meant Jaigys Ethernor was truly creating an independent otherworld within this labyrinth.

Was challenging Ascension only possible by carving such a monumental task and its laws onto one’s will?

The Ascendant’s labyrinth, astonishing even a 7-level Archmage who had completed Self-transformation and perfected their Hierarchy.

But Lennok slowly shook his head despite Evelyn Marcia’s words.

“Human. To be human and the world, not the world and human, is why they challenge such an absurd feat.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Well…”

Instead of answering, Lennok silently pulled out his monocular and held it over his Mystic Eye.

“That’s precisely why I couldn’t be too careful in choosing a bridge here.”

The scene of hundreds of branching bridges visible through the monocular.

On all those bridges, the illusion that had been guiding Lennok was reflected.

Hundreds of old men’s illusions, each taking a bridge and crossing it, turning back to look at Lennok.

Now, a terrifyingly clear will. But Lennok could feel something there.

“Let’s go all the way. We’re really close to the end of the labyrinth now.”

“By the way, are you sure it’s okay to keep that bike out?”

Evelyn Marcia, climbing onto the passenger seat behind the backrest and leaning against Lennok, asked.

“That’s an item you used under the alias Van. If anyone remembers it, it’ll be hard to maintain your dual identity.”

“Don’t worry about that.”

Click, clack!!

As soon as he finished speaking, the bike’s external parts rotated as if flipping inside out, beginning to form a completely different streamlined curve from its original shape.

Thump!!

“I modified it to include four custom appearances. It’s a prototype, so the capacity isn’t large enough to put many in, but for now, this should be enough.”

“I-I see…”

As Evelyn Marcia scratched her cheek with an embarrassed expression, Lennok turned his head and muttered.

“But you’re not wrong. The identity of Evan Vylun is already too flimsy.”

Lennok yanked the throttle and replied.

“That’s one of the identities I created relatively cheaply, not long after I arrived in this city.”

“……”

“Somehow, through a series of coincidences, I’ve managed to carry that name this far, but honestly, it’s dangerous… It’s time to ask Lapis and Grisha for their understanding and switch it out.”

“It won’t be easy to gain the reputation of having subjugated a drug lord, are you really going to give that up?”

Lennok burst into laughter at Evelyn Marcia’s words.

“That’s an amusing joke. You weren’t serious, were you?”

Neither Lennok nor Evelyn Marcia was the type to cling to visible fame.

Building up achievements under the name Van to quickly raise his profile was merely part of Lennok’s effort to find artifacts or relics related to spatiotemporal magic.

Except for such special circumstances, he didn’t particularly welcome many people recognizing him.

Furthermore, confronting the drug lord was an act performed under the identity of the pyro-mage ‘Byzen,’ who he had disguised as at the time.

Only a few knew that it was the wizard named Evan Vylun who did it, and that fact should not spread further.

But Evelyn Marcia didn’t laugh despite Lennok’s words.

“Will you change the name Van, too?”

“……”

Lennok fell silent.

“If you hide like that… working together like this will end, won’t it?”

Her voice was tinged with deep regret. Evelyn Marcia’s expression, as she turned her head, wasn’t clearly visible.

But Lennok vaguely understood what she was saying.

Evelyn Marcia had also realized that the name Van was an alias.