Chapter 369: The Awakener (3)

A continuous barrage of wide-area magic, overturning the entire environment even without a Domain deployed.

There was no time to admire or be surprised by the exceptional firepower assembled and unleashed by a wizard who had completed their Hierarchy.

The moment Jawoon confirmed the appearance of the horn pillar that erupted from the front, he scattered his remaining gems as if emptying them, and unleashed his spellcasting with full power.

“Singing Stone: Spell Resonance Multi-Deployment”

“Ten-Faced Jade: Catalyst Conversion”

“Heavenly River Stone: Spatial Linkage Delamination Bloom”

Dozens of gems scattered in all directions glowed simultaneously, and the light that erupted from them randomly bounced between the gems, undergoing hundreds of diffuse reflections.

The space, eroded to its limit by the brilliance of the gem spells, peeled away like a shell, spinning in a spiral.

Kigigigigik…!!

The air around them heated up from the friction caused by the rapid restoration of the peeled spatial cross-section and then exploded.

“Verdict: Grand Trumpet”

A column of kaleidoscopic light, a mixture of three primary colors, shot down towards Lennok from the center of the cross-shaped light.

Kwaaaaaaaang!!!

Powerful firepower capable of covering an area spanning over a hundred meters and vaporizing everything within it.

This was an ultimate technique of a level 7 Archmage-grade gem spell, created by processing, reflecting, and amplifying the magic contained within the gems hundreds of times, then controlling its direction and power through the spatial delamination occurring in the process.

The three-colored light, rotating in the shape of a colossal cone, erupted as if to connect the sky and ground of the pure white space.

A deadly ultimate technique of three elemental attributes, created solely to erase a single wizard from this place.

The endlessly rotating magical light of three attributes, overloaded to its limit, spun, rendering all barriers and resistances meaningless.

Not even a level 7 Archmage, let alone a monster transcending Hierarchy, could escape it.

It would be near impossible to withstand such a barrage intact, a barrage that even partially incorporated the supreme state of interfering with space as a result.

And from the center of the ceaselessly descending light barrage, Lennok raised his head.

Paaaaaat!!!!

Three essences of magic, rotating in the exact opposite direction to the three-colored rotation descending from the sky.

Lennok poured a fraction of the experience and knowledge he had accumulated throughout his life into this single counterattack.

Creation-type Unique Magic: Applied Alchemy

Triple Refinement

“Flame’s Exhalation: Frozen Star of Salvation”

A pale sphere of ice soared into the sky from his clasped hands.

Inside it, hellfire swirled, held captive and suppressed by violet chains rotating like satellites, maintaining its form.

Charrrrrrrring!!!

It resembled a tiny model, as if a small planet had been created.

But this crystallization of triple magic, formed by refining three elements — freezing, scorching heat, and gravity — easily dodged the pillar of light descending from the sky and moved towards its source.

The center of the giant cross-shaped light created by the peeled space.

The moment Lennok’s magic reached beyond it and stopped rotating, the gravitational pull of the chains binding the flames inside the sphere reversed.

Kwaaaaang!!

The flames contained within the ice sphere shattered its surface, swelled, and began to devour Jawoon’s magic in reverse.

As the violet chains shattered, the fire and ice within danced, destroying and distorting everything while simultaneously pulling in the remnants of that destruction.

From the center of the shattered ‘planet’, a powerful gravitational force spun, pulling in and devouring everything nearby.

Kugugugugugu!!!

The sky, peeled and delaminated, restored itself, and the trumpet of light that had been descending on Lennok was sucked away as if into a void.

As the magical light, which had incessantly flickered and painted other colors into the pure white space, faded, something slowly fell from the sky above.

Kwoong!!

“Damn…!!”

Jawoon stared at Lennok with an expression of disbelief.

As Jawoon, trembling and barely able to stand, tried desperately to put distance between them, Lennok slowly caught his breath and began to walk.

“You hid in the gap created by the peeled space to neutralize my firepower. A good judgment. Your judgments have always been sound from the beginning.”

Lennok looked down at him with cold eyes and said.

“But it was too obvious.”

Jawoon stammered as if he hadn’t fully grasped what had just happened.

“My spell was perfect… The moment it successfully activated, it was as good as over, but how in the world…!!”

It was no wonder Jawoon was confident of victory the moment he activated “Verdict: Grand Trumpet.”

It was an ultimate technique of spatial delamination that pushed the characteristics of gem spells, which traverse various attributes, to their absolute limit.

The Property Transformation of magic. What did it mean to add three attributes to resonance, the simplest yet most difficult of all, and make them rotate?

The idea of controlling the amplification and emission of power to an uncontrollable level, then using the resulting spatial delamination to pinpoint the target.

It was nothing short of a miracle, allowing one to wield a weapon far beyond their own capacity, even for a brief moment.

An ultimate technique of spatial delamination and firepower projection perfected with the knowledge from The Voice. That’s why he instinctively knew the battle was over the moment he fired “Grand Trumpet.”

Yet, this wizard, instead of turning to ash in the center of that firepower, activated his own magic a beat later and utterly crushed Jawoon in a power struggle.

“No matter how many precious gems you acquire, the number of gems you can use is fixed, isn’t it?”

Lennok crouched down towards the fallen Jawoon and smiled.

“Your mana recovery rate probably isn’t significantly different from mine… At best, less than half of the total. So you’d try to end the match before you ran out of cards.”

“……”

“Regardless of your will or mine, this battle was destined to be a short one from the start. That’s why I was prepared too.”

Though it was easy to be swayed by Jawoon’s diverse abilities and onslaught, Lennok remained unshaken in the fundamental nature of him being a gem sorcerer.

No matter how versatile and powerful the force used, the foundation of that power was the existence of rare and special minerals: gems.

If the gem filter couldn’t fully exert this power, wouldn’t he try to end the match before running out of gems?

That’s why Lennok calmly endured Jawoon’s offensive, waiting for the precise moment he would pour out his full power for the last time.

To counterattack and consume that very assault in the fleeting moment he exerted his full strength, thereby completely reversing the tide of battle.

That was also why he used the Triple Refinement magic, which he had never used before, considering it relatively inefficient.

“If you understand that you’re forcibly resonating three attributes to amplify power, you can also figure out the counter. If you rotate three attributes in a completely different direction from your rotation and drive them in, the magical currents will align like a key, and it will become a battle of mana rather than a battle of spell principles…”

Lennok was confident that he would not lose to anyone when it came to mana manipulation or sensitivity.

Jawoon’s expression twisted as he guessed the meaning of Lennok’s unspoken words.

“That… that makes no sense… Such a person, how….”

Was it even possible to analyze the principles and rotation of attribute resonance and create a counter-magic the moment a spell was completed?

A realm of luck that only beings with innate intuition, far surpassing the domains of calculation and experience, could miraculously reach.

This wizard freely traversed such a state by his own will and power.

At this absurd outcome, the result of a talent that felt almost unnatural, Jawoon felt despair, and at the same time, remembered having felt this emotion before.

“…Huh?”

Before he came to the Western Continent and became the leader of Elderbine. Before he met his current partner and gained new power.

The decisive event that made him forget his past, when he led the terrorist organization Falsion and was active in the mega-city of Vulcan.

The image of a certain freelance wizard he encountered at the end of the plan to summon the Avatar of Destruction in league with the black wizard Craig Tillion.

“Van… Evan…?”

A somewhat similar name. A relationship that seemed to indicate familiarity with Evelyn.

Abnormal calmness and strangely accurate judgment.

And as a fellow sorcerer, observing him from the side, an unbelievably overwhelming talent and experience.

Just as all those facts clicked into place in Jawoon’s mind, leading him towards a single answer.

“No.”

Lennok, who had gripped his chin and lifted his head, brought his hand towards his left eye.

Wiiiiiiing!!

“Don’t think.”

As the violet Mystic Eye spun violently, the cracks etched in his pupil faintly expanded.

The moment Jawoon couldn’t tear his gaze away from Lennok’s continuously rotating eye.

Lennok slammed the Mystic Eye’s shared vision into Jawoon’s mind, then immediately began to flood his head with meaningless information.

“Oh… no…”

Even amidst it, Jawoon realized what Lennok was trying to do and shook his head, but Lennok forcefully held his chin and forehead, making him meet his gaze.

“Look into my eyes. Recall your memories.”

“Vaaan, aaahhn… you, this…”

The Mystic Eye’s new ability: shared vision, powerful illusion manifestation, and excessive information injection.

These three techniques were skillfully combined to force the opponent’s memories out of their brain.

Since awakening this ability to forcibly extract information from an opponent’s mind, Lennok had consistently tried to refine and develop this power whenever he had the chance.

Not to use the Mystic Eye’s ability on everyone he met.

But specifically to extract information from individuals like Jawoon, who possessed unique knowledge.

Hadn’t he spared Jawoon in the battle with the grave robber and experimented with the Mystic Eye’s ability, precisely aiming for this?

Even facing Jawoon head-on in a power struggle and crushing his spells, and then meticulously explaining how he outwitted and brought him down—all of it was to weaken his mental resistance and expose him to the Mystic Eye’s power.

To break through the mental resistance of a level 7 Archmage-level ability user, and one who had lived as a top-tier wanted criminal for a long time, wouldn’t such a thorough crushing be necessary?

It was only when he established such an overwhelming difference that Jawoon felt utterly unable to resist Lennok, and only then could the Mystic Eye’s Verdict work, if at all.

But the effort paid off. Jawoon’s gaze, which had never wavered, began to drift erratically, following Lennok’s eyes, then lost focus and blurred.

Lennok didn’t stop there. Through the hand gripping his chin, he directly poured mana into Jawoon’s body, completely crushing any room for resistance.

“I… can’t… move…”

“If you recall memories as I speak, you’ll be able to answer the questions. It won’t take long. Don’t worry.”

Lennok’s low voice was filled with conviction.

Jawoon, as if forgetting the identity of that voice’s owner, only focused blankly on the Mystic Eye’s rotation.

Lennok, who was pouring all his concentration into overturning Jawoon’s mind, felt his eyes throbbing again but ignored it.

This could be a chance to glimpse the secrets of the labyrinth that he had only speculated about until now.

Too much was at stake to give up now just because his body felt odd.

“What was the catalyst for you learning the secrets of the Hanghasa Labyrinth? The identity of the being helping you. Tell me anything that comes to mind about the rumors that your personality seems different.”

“……”

“The labyrinth’s secret passages. The existence of rare gems and artifacts. Didn’t someone help you rapidly grow the Elderbine organization?”

Lennok continued to question Jawoon without giving him a break.

“The existence of the collaborator you’re hiding. The source of your knowledge about the labyrinth. What is its identity?”

And finally, Jawoon’s blank expression gave way, and his lips began to move according to Lennok’s will.

“…A massive gem… discovered while… exploring… an ancient ruin….”

Even if he could somehow resist the Mystic Eye’s ability, he couldn’t endure when Lennok directly poured mana into his body and suppressed his power itself.

Jawoon, forgetting that he was resisting Lennok, began to explain how he came to receive help from The Voice.

A secret he had told no one. But this was the result of Jawoon carefully controlling risks by only moving in situations he could thoroughly handle.

The judgment to cleanly give up a match against an opponent he couldn’t handle.

That judgment, combined with the situation of reaching the end of the labyrinth and the presence of Evan, who had hidden his full power, caused him to fall off the tightrope.

“A black wizard… and an ancient one skilled in knowledge and information gathering. That must be why you know so much about the labyrinth, with excessive detail.”

Lennok’s eyes chilled as he heard information about Jawoon’s collaborator, The Voice.

“If you already knew about the existence of the Changyoseok, you must also know that Jindun is slumbering beyond it.”

“We… made a contract… swearing on each other’s names…”

“What kind of contract?”

“It was about releasing the Changyoseok barrier and opening the path to Jindun.”

Suddenly, Jawoon looked at Lennok and smirked.

His previously unfocused eyes had regained sharp clarity.

He placed a hand on Lennok’s arm, which was gripping his chin, and murmured.

“I never imagined things would turn out like this.”

“…!!!”

Kwaaaang!!

A small explosion, but the firepower contained within it was considerable.

Enough to force Lennok, who had been gripping his face and pouring mana into him, to create distance.

Jawoon stood up amidst the fleeting mist and touched his face, speaking.

“Whew! My senses are all over the place because of the mana you forced into my body. It’s going to take a very long time to adapt to this.”

“Who are you? No… It would be foolish to ask that question after hearing that.”

Lennok narrowed his eyes as he asked, then gave a short laugh and shook his head.

“A black wizard… I wondered who you were aligned with to help him, but you were parasitizing his body all along?”

“Well, that’s not wrong.”

Jawoon, or rather, the man who had been Jawoon, pulled down his shirt sleeve and then abruptly opened his shirt, showing his chest to Lennok.

A large chunk of gem embedded where his heart should have been.

The swirling, pitch-black malevolence within it clearly indicated who had taken over Jawoon’s body.

Jawoon had not only shared The Voice’s knowledge through a contract but had also shared a part of his body with him.

“I had originally intended to remain hidden until the very last moment, but I didn’t think you’d delve so deeply into my partner’s mind.”

The man slowly massaged his arms and fingers as he spoke to Lennok.

As if trying to buy time to adapt to his newly acquired body.

“His subconscious was almost completely broken, so much so that my mind was forcibly brought to the surface of this body. My partner, despite his lack of talent, was a brave friend. How much did you torment him to drive him to this state?”

“I thought it would be a waste to simply let go of the secrets he held.”

Lennok’s eyes flashed, and he once again pulled up his mana.

“If you knew that much about Jindun’s labyrinth, I figured you must have acquired something more than just a simple stroke of luck.”

“An excellent guess.”

“I thought there might be a hidden personality or a partner, but I never imagined you’d emerge so easily…”

Since hearing rumors about Jawoon, Lennok had speculated that the secret to Jawoon’s rapid growth might be a dual personality or the assistance of a spiritual entity.

However, considering Jawoon’s personality and strong convictions, Lennok thought he wouldn’t easily decide to surrender his body to another.

Yet, as soon as Lennok began to prod his mind, the black wizard, his “partner,” unexpectedly emerged from within.

“Hmm, that’s why I told him to keep his distance from you. Things don’t always go as planned. I thought it wouldn’t be strange for the one who killed the Drug Lord to possess secret techniques for manipulating consciousness.”

“Drug Lord, you say…”

Lennok’s eyes chilled at those words.

“I suppose I can get an answer to how you, not Pandemonium, know that fact.”

“……”

“The incident in the Pilenom Autonomous Region was kept secret among all but a few Watchers. Only the outcome, that the Drug Lord was gravely wounded by the sacrifice of the heat-based wizard Byzen, was publicly known.”

Parara-jijijik!!

A vivid flash of lightning sparked in Lennok’s hand.

The first lightning magic he had unleashed since arriving in the Northern Continent. Lennok’s most confident and skilled ultimate technique.

A chilling streak of lightning, seemingly a stark portrayal of his life lived rapidly accelerating through a short span of time, flowed from beneath his coat.

Lennok asked.

“Eyes of Blue, or Pandemonium?”

The man lightly laughed at Lennok’s sharp words.

“I don’t know why you assume I must be aligned with one of them. I have no intention of joining forces with anyone yet.”

“……”

“How I know you fought and defeated the Drug Lord, the answer is simple.”

With those words, the man raised both hands and slowly began to form a hand seal.

“Because I am the one who created the ritual transfer spell he used.”

“…What?”

“And it’s not me, but you, who must meet Jindun first.”

Paaaaaat!!

A familiar sound erupted from deep within Jawoon’s body.

“Passing through this labyrinth is the process of acquiring the legitimate cause and effect to meet the Ascendant… My partner and you accomplished that, not I.”

The man, who had performed the impossibly complex hand seals as if he had used them thousands of times, continued.

“Now that my friend’s consciousness is half-dead, the only people who can meet Jindun are you and that woman.”

“……”

“Anyway, you’re interested in meeting Jindun, not this body, aren’t you? I’ll clear the path for you. Lead the way.”

Before Lennok could respond, the man, who had completed a series of incantations, uttered the final spell.

“Domain Deployment.”

Kugugugu!!!

Immediately after, water surged up to their feet, splashing in all directions, and the ground began to shake violently.