Chapter 365: End of the Labyrinth (4)

Fwoooom!

The power contained within the idol was so immense that the Evil God Statue’s limbs cracked and its body crumbled.

The idol, which had lain dormant for a long time in the Ascendant’s labyrinth, had its durability worn down to its limit.

“…!!”

Only then did the others, realizing exactly what Jawoon Audis intended by his actions, gape.

It wasn’t easy to get ahead of everyone else on this vast bridge.

The immense width of the bridge made it difficult to block off any one side, and the superhumans gathered here were by no means easy to deal with.

That’s why Jawoon Audis, partnering with the level 8 superhuman Ballak O’Edon, had deliberately planned to take the lead.

If Ballak O’Edon pretended to block the path and provoked Maiya into a fight, the repercussions of the monsters’ battle alone would make it difficult to cross the bridge.

During that time, he subtly released the gravity field installed in the area, opening a path for Jawoon Audis, who then used the Evil God Statue’s help to push ahead.

Only then did Maiya, realizing the full extent of the plot, glare at Ballak O’Edon with a cold gaze.

“You’ve been in league with that gem sorcerer from the start. Someone who claims to be beyond Hierarchy, surrendering the vanguard to that bastard without any pride?”

“Isn’t that a bit rich coming from you, Milady?”

Ballak O’Edon, dusting off his sleeves, replied with a smile.

“You weren’t exactly here by choice anyway, were you?”

“…”

“Knowing your personality, Milady, you wouldn’t have come all the way to this distant northern continent just because you coveted an Ascendant’s artifact. Nor do I think you’re desperate enough to seek answers from an Ascendant now…”

Ballak O’Edon sneered.

“He told me that if I helped him take the lead in the labyrinth, he’d find the artifact’s location and tell me separately.”

Whoosh!

With those words, a purple light erupted from Ballak O’Edon’s body, shooting up a massive pillar of light.

An enormous vortex of gravitational pull revolved around him. In the violent storm, powerful enough to change Maiya’s expression, Ballak O’Edon continued.

“If I can just get that information, it doesn’t matter if the labyrinth collapses or not.”

“You crazy bastard… that gem sorcerer is half-devoured by grudges!! Do you really think he’ll keep his promise even after he enters The Cradle?!”

“If I can claim all of the Ascendant’s legacy, it’s certainly a gamble worth taking.”

Ballak O’Edon slowly took his stance and replied.

His demeanor was completely different from just moments ago, when he was scrambling to fend off Maiya’s attacks, now displaying a serious air.

“Though Jindun was known for his frugal nature in life, artifacts he used after challenging ascension would surely remain. The Vanguard needs such symbolic items.”

“You… you’ve changed.”

Maiya muttered.

“You, who only cared about yourself, are now talking about dedicating yourself to a group?”

“We are all human.”

Ballak O’Edon replied.

By then, an unfathomable weight had settled in his eyes.

“I realized too late that for humans to be human, to live as people, they must dedicate themselves to a goal greater than themselves.”

“…”

“All of this is atonement for my foolishness.”

“Hah, your mouth is practically a sage’s.”

Maiya gritted her teeth and took a step forward.

“If only you had thought that way, even a little, before the Ascension Gate!!!”

Clang!

Amidst the shattering fragments of magic, Ballak O’Edon cried out.

“It’s too late! Once Jawoon Audis passes through the gate, there’ll be no further business in this labyrinth…?!”

Ballak O’Edon, triumphantly shouting and turning his head towards the gate, suddenly stopped speaking.

“Wait, what… is that?”

“What?”

Maiya, also turning her head to follow Ballak O’Edon’s gaze, unconsciously parted her lips slightly.

The sight of Jawoon Audis flying at incredible speed above the bridge, using the Evil God Statue’s throw.

Immediately behind him, an arrow of an alien color was chasing Jawoon Audis.

Swoosh!

The faces of the two people riding on that arrow felt especially familiar to Maiya.

“Evelyn…?”

[Hmm, this is unexpected.]

The furball, Doctor, who had been rolling around below the empty ballista, sighed.

[95 points. A notion that goes beyond daring to outright radical. But… it’s incredibly effective.]

They tied themselves and Evelyn’s body to an arrow shot from atop the ballista and fired it.

The ballista’s arrow, precisely timing the moment the gravity field weakened, shot forth at supersonic speed, catching up to Jawoon Audis.

Kwoosh!

The power that drew the ballista’s string was the result of combining Lennok’s aiming support magic, Evelyn Marcia’s Divine Bow, and the monster bike’s engine power.

The throwing force thus generated vastly surpassed that of the Evil God Statue used by Jawoon Audis.

Thanks to this, even though Lennok and Evelyn Marcia started two breaths later than Jawoon Audis, they were, conversely, outstripping his speed.

“Ugh…!”

Lennok, clinging to the armored spear shaft launched from the ballista, gagged but still drew up his magic.

He continuously layered common spells like “Air Resistance Reduction,” “Throw Acceleration,” and “Friction Reduction” to maintain as much of the initial throwing force as possible.

And Evelyn Marcia, having gracefully landed atop the armored spear shaft, was glaring at Jawoon Audis with sharp eyes.

Jawoon Audis, who had been flying towards the gate at a terrifying speed using the robe on his back as a glider, glanced behind him and contorted his face like a demon.

“Annoying bastards… how long do you plan to follow me?!”

“Well, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Evelyn Marcia replied slyly, rummaging through her waist pouch.

“You were the one who approached us first, proposing a deal. We just want to finish what we started back then.”

“Hah, damn it…”

Jawoon Audis, letting out a hollow laugh, grabbed more than five dazzling gems between his fingers and replied.

“So, what’s your answer?”

“Negotiations failed.”

Creeaaak!

Evelyn Marcia, having notched an arrow to her shortbow and pulled the string taut with all her might, smirked.

“It’s the Agents’ policy not to negotiate with terrorists.”

There was no reply.

Only the gems Jawoon Audis scattered, gleaming brilliantly, caused tremendous explosions.

Boom!

Evelyn Marcia, breaking through the multi-colored gem dust without hesitation, released the string.

The arrow, leaving her hand, transformed into a streak of light, drawing a sharp trajectory.

Swoosh!

An aimed shot that instantly curved downwards towards Jawoon Audis’s underside, targeting his back.

A polygonal barrier created by shattering gems tried to envelop and protect Jawoon Audis’s body, but it was insufficient.

A drum-like sound accompanied a shockwave, and Evelyn Marcia’s arrow, having pierced the barrier, went straight through Jawoon Audis’s body.

Thwack!

Jawoon Audis’s body was torn apart, scattering blood. But immediately after, the corpse blurred and vanished.

Evelyn Marcia’s expression faltered slightly as she realized she’d been deceived by an illusion, and Lennok, who had been gagging while clinging to the arrow shaft, shouted.

“Further ahead!”

“…!!”

So, exploding the gems and scattering the dust everywhere was itself intended to deceive Evelyn Marcia’s senses.

Jawoon Audis, who reappeared perfectly fine dozens of meters away, scoffed at her.

“Archers eventually rely on their sight at the last moment. If I can just blind your eyes, it’s my victory. There’s not much left now!”

Swoosh!

The bridge, which had seemed endless leading to the massive gate connecting heaven and earth, was now surprisingly close to the gate.

The forms of the three people, shot forth at near-sonic speed, were rapidly closing that distance.

“…”

Evelyn Marcia’s eyes grew cold.

Currently, Lennok was short on magic just maintaining the speed of this massive armored arrow.

Intercepting and bringing down the leading Jawoon Audis was solely her responsibility.

With her own Divine Bow already modified and used as a ballista, all she had left were a few arrows and the shortbow strapped to her forearm.

Even though she clearly recognized that all conditions were overwhelmingly unfavorable, Evelyn Marcia calmed her mind instead of panicking.

Jawoon Audis was wrong. What was important for an archer wasn’t eyesight, but the composure to remain unshaken in any situation.

The process of aiming at a target and drawing the bowstring was a form of spiritual discipline, akin to cultivation.

Only those who understood the essence that one can only become unshaken after acknowledging shakiness could firmly notch their arrows even when a blade was at their throat.

Evelyn Marcia’s waist rotated firmly as she pulled out four arrows at once from her waist pouch.

Creeaaak…!!!

The shortbow’s stave bent steeply to the point of breaking, and veins bulged between her forearms, brushing her impassive face.

With four arrows notched between her pale fingers, she fired them.

Crack!

Simultaneously with the shortbow strapped to her forearm shattering, four streaks of pitch-black light cut through the air.

“It’s useless…!”

Jawoon Audis, gritting his teeth and twisting his body in mid-air, crossed his arms and scattered a dozen or more gems into the air.

Boom!

Two explosions, three layers of barriers, a boost adding propulsion, and the summoning of armor to protect Jawoon Audis’s body.

Even the appearance of a golem, formed on the bridge using those fragments as material.

The true essence of a gem sorcerer, crossing various systems without discrimination, as long as gems are the medium.

A myriad of diverse spells, traversing various attributes and systems at the cost of rarity and capital, unfolded to disrupt Evelyn Marcia’s concentration.

Even if five arrows drew elegant and precise trajectories, it would be impossible to break through this many barriers in such a short time.

‘If I just enter the gate first, it’s a sure victory. I just have to hold out until then!’

This was, in effect, Evelyn Marcia’s last chance.

To make even that single move futile, he forcibly expended more than half of the remaining gems in his possession.

The moment Jawoon Audis thought that, hunched his body, and tried to accelerate even further.

The four streaks of light, fired together in one direction, began to rotate in different directions.

Whirrr!

From four directions, they drew different trajectories, precisely targeting only one point on the barrier.

The four elongated, bending streaks of light, with a time delay, shattered the gem spells’ explosions and barriers like paper, and squeezed through the gaps in the armor.

Smash!

“…!!!”

An absurdly precise shot, manipulating the direction of already-fired arrows. Jawoon Audis’s face began to turn deathly pale under that lethal concentrated attack.

An unbelievable archery skill that precisely chipped away at one spot of what he thought was an impenetrable barrier.

And to possess this level of accuracy and penetrating power simultaneously while flying through the air at tremendous speed, was it even possible?

“Damn it…!!! Just a little more!!”

Jawoon Audis, pulling out spare gems from his pocket, quickly deployed gem shields, desperately trying to block Evelyn Marcia’s arrows.

Crunch!

The last arrow finally shattered with all its force against the successively deployed solid gem barriers.

Joy filled Jawoon Audis’s face as he confirmed the shattered arrow shafts rapidly dispersed and disappeared.

“It’s over… Hahaha!!”

He had unmistakably confirmed that Evelyn Marcia’s shortbow shattered the moment she fired those four arrows, so what was there to fear?

The moment Jawoon Audis, erupting in maniacal laughter, flapped his robe enchanted with flight magic and tried to accelerate forward.

“Not yet.”

Whoosh!

In that time, the armored spear shaft, having caught up to Jawoon Audis’s speed, instantly closed the distance between Evelyn Marcia and Jawoon Audis.

Lennok, who had been exerting himself to add acceleration while clinging to the spear shaft, had finally succeeded in closing the distance Jawoon Audis had initially opened.

Click!

The Divine Bow was gone, the shortbow shattered, but arrows still remained. If even one arrow remained clutched in his bare hand, it was enough.

He scattered it as if enchanted, with the sensation of the arrow shaft held in a reverse grip passing through his fingers.

The arrow shaft, imbued to its limit with Miniature Universe’s Inertial Deviation, left Evelyn Marcia’s hand and slowly rose.

It expertly slid through the fragments of arrows that had shattered and scattered while heading towards Jawoon Audis, achieving quad acceleration.

The pitch-black streak of light, tracing four reflection angles, pierced Jawoon Audis’s left shoulder and went beyond.

Thud!

Precisely the same spot Evelyn Marcia had pierced when they first encountered him inside the labyrinth.

Jawoon Audis’s face contorted like a demon as he instantly realized that the seam of his robe, which maintained its buoyancy, had been precisely destroyed.

Jawoon Audis, losing the robe’s flight ability and beginning to plummet rapidly from the air, let out a roar.

“Marciaaaaaa!!!”

“Alright!”

Evelyn Marcia, cheering with clenched fists, then carefully pulled Lennok, who was on the verge of fainting behind her, onto the spear shaft.

Lennok, trembling with a nauseated expression, managed a difficult smile.

“You… worked hard.”

“Heh heh, it was nothing.”

As Evelyn Marcia gave an awkward laugh, Lennok pulled an ampoule from his pocket, injected it into his shoulder, and sighed.

“Hoo… with his flight spell broken, it’ll be hard for him to catch us. Attempting to fly again purely with magic is just too inefficient.”

Even Jawoon Audis, who possesses diverse gem spells, had to borrow the Evil God Statue’s boost and his robe’s gliding ability to fly at such speed.

That’s how difficult it was for a human to fly unassisted in the spell system of this world.

More precisely, it wasn’t impossible, but high-speed flight suitable for a superhuman had an unbelievably poor mana efficiency.

Because to fly at near-sonic speeds and negate the associated side effects and resistance, there were countless factors to account for.

“We’ll probably be the first ones inside.”

Lennok, turning to Evelyn Marcia, collected his breath and nodded.

Amidst the brutal struggle of various superhumans, Lennok’s judgment, precisely aiming for a momentary opening, was not mistaken.

If he didn’t possess the secret strategy to breach the labyrinth, then his best bet was to closely observe the one who did obtain that serendipitous opportunity and catch up to them at the very end.

Lennok had not forgotten, from beginning to end, that Jawoon Audis possessed an informational advantage in this labyrinth that others lacked, and he had done his utmost to exploit it.

Because he hadn’t forgotten the most crucial thing, he was able to make a wise decision without faltering even amidst the clash between Ballak O’Edon and Maiya.

In that process, he had gambled by dismantling not only Evelyn Marcia’s Divine Bow but also Lennok’s bike, but at this point, could one say it was a mistake?

The moment Evelyn Marcia too was about to nod with a bright expression.

[No, not yet.]

A leisurely baritone resonated in both their ears.

[There’s still one more chance on this side.]

“…!!”

On top of the armored spear shaft, which was accelerating relentlessly.

Lennok and Evelyn Marcia’s gazes simultaneously turned towards the bridge they had passed.

In that view, already thousands of meters away, Evelyn Marcia’s excellent eyesight accurately identified the furball that had spoken to them.

Maiya, clutching the limp furball and holding a dagger, looked towards them.

Thrust!

She then plunged that dagger directly into the furball’s heart.