Chapter 379: Regret and Longing (4)
The man, whose entire face was wrapped in old bandages, perceived something beyond mere sight.
A massive current of magic, flowing vibrantly and majestically as if alive, revolving around a single person.
The sight of a wizard, holding power naturally at the center of that flow, as if receiving all the magic’s affection.
That’s why he couldn’t easily back down.
“…Are you saying this is a temporary power boost due to the environment?”
CRACK!
Ballak, who had forcibly stopped the bleeding and tended to his damaged left forearm, scattered purple waves as he walked out, enveloping Lennok from front and back.
Ballak, Lennok, and the bandaged man.
Although the distance between the three was easily several tens of meters, everyone present understood that the distance was meaningless.
Lennok silently watched them, carefully supporting Evelyn.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been so badly wounded by my own abilities. I suppose I’ve been out of commission for too long.”
Ballak said, nonchalantly touching his broken forearm.
“Before returning to the central front, I need to get my feel back against you. Bandage, are you ready?”
[Usually, in cases like this, as long as you leave the head intact, it can be managed.]
The man, whose eyes glowed crimson through the bandages, spoke in a sinister voice.
[I have an aptitude for making things neither dead nor alive. Create an opening.]
“Don’t… order me around, you ignorant fool!!”
As Ballak roared, purple rings rotated in his hands, and as the superhuman, grasping the essence of psychic power, twisted his hands, the gravity in the entire area inverted.
KWOOOOONG!!
A shock, as if the world had been turned upside down.
At that moment, the debris of the Hanghasa Labyrinth, which had been continuously falling downwards, shot upwards, making one’s hair stand on end.
The man took a step forward towards the wizard, who was losing his balance and stumbling.
Whoosh!!
A ghost-like step, seemingly unaffected by gravity.
With a single movement, the man’s hand instantly reached Lennok’s face, moving towards the wizard’s chest, and the bandages wrapped around his fingertips unwound.
What emerged from between the bandages was human flesh, losing its form and turning transparent.
The moment the man’s hand, transparent enough to see through to the other side, was thrust as if to pierce Lennok’s heart.
A colossal ice mirror, slammed down from directly above, blocked the man’s path.
CLANG!!
[…!!]
In the fleeting moment the man hesitated at the appearance of the unexpected object.
Thud-thud-thud-thud!!
As if on cue, dozens of ice mirrors condensed in the air, instantly occupying the surrounding area and slamming down.
The reflections in the mirrors illuminated other mirrors, showing his own image overlapped dozens of times.
[What is this…?]
“A spirit. And one that has half-ignored harmony with its physical body.”
[…!!]
Lennok’s voice, whispering from among the mirrors.
“They say ghosts usually can’t see their own faces. How about you?”
CRASH!
Instead of answering, the man swung the unwound bandages, shattering all the surrounding mirrors.
[Don’t play tricks…!!]
Amidst the countless shattering ice mirrors, only fragmented reflections of the man himself were visible.
Beyond them, his intact form reappeared.
But the man also knew that what was reflected in the mirrors was not his complete self, but only the bandages wrapped around his body.
Was he desperately shattering the ice mirrors to deny that very fact?
Countless shattered ice fragments accumulated around the bandaged man even before they could melt.
The moment he realized those fragments were encircling him, forming a specific pattern.
The ice fragments began to glow brightly like a massive magic circle, binding and restraining the man.
WHOOSH!!
[Ugh…!!]
“You seem to be using stealth magic through spirit transformation, but if I fix your physical form, you won’t be able to hide.”
Lennok, who had somehow walked up to the man, spoke.
A barrier circle that fixed a being’s presence in space through dozens, hundreds of reflections in mirrors.
Lennok was casually employing Jindun’s barrier magic, which he had mastered in the interim.
“It’s working much better than I expected.”
[What do you dare to know about us…!!]
CRASH!
Instead of listening to an answer, Lennok thrust the lightning he extended from his fingertips directly into the man’s solar plexus.
The magic circle, temporarily drawn with ice fragments, exploded entirely. A massive blizzard scattered amidst the collapsing labyrinth’s void.
Above that blizzard, a colossal gravitational field emerged, beginning to press down on Lennok again.
WHOOSH!!
Perhaps because Lennok had once reversed the wave’s calculations, it was a method that tightened by scattering mental power itself across a wide area.
Its power was so immense that it crushed and distorted all the space near Lennok, which he pushed back with magic, hindering his movements.
CREAKING…!!
Space twisted, and a noise like steel crumpling echoed.
“I clearly see that you’re much smarter than I am.”
Ballak, extending his intact right hand and clenching it towards Lennok, who had slightly bowed his head, chuckled.
“Then, as always, I’ll just have to crush you with force.”
“Hmph…”
Lennok slowly exhaled, then shifted his gaze while carefully supporting Evelyn’s body.
WHOOSH…!!
The pillar of heat that rose from beneath his feet bent greatly, transforming into a wave of dark crimson flames that rotated around Lennok and exploded outwards.
BOOM!
“….!!!!”
The air, instantly heated by super-high-temperature flames, expanded, gradually neutralizing the space distorted by Ballak’s gravitational field.
Lennok, who had diminished the area’s gravitational field with a single backlash, slowly rotated his shoulder and once again unleashed hellish flames.
“How long are you going to put on such a pathetic display against a single exhausted wizard…!”
The Grand Matron, who had been constantly forming hand seals while looking down at the scene, roared with rage.
Sticking her staff into the crown of the giant centipede’s head, she completed the spell she had been preparing, immediately summoning a new familiar.
The staff, embedded in the centipede’s head, split widely to both sides, transforming into the shape of a massive eyeball.
CRACKLE-CRACKLE-CRACKLE-CRACKLE…!!
As that eyeball rose from its place, it revealed bones and flesh, transforming into a colossal one-eyed giant.
[ROOOOAARRRR!!!]
A giant centipede coiled around one arm of the roaring one-eyed giant, and a monstrous bird clung to its back, dropping the giant directly into the center of the labyrinth.
CRASH!
Lennok looked up at the Grand Matron, raising his other hand, which wasn’t supporting Evelyn.
Simultaneously, a hidden, massive scroll bundle floated behind Lennok and unfurled completely.
As the complex barrier circle inscribed within the scroll glowed, light entered the eyes of dozens of Evil God Statues that had been relentlessly shattering amidst the collapsing void.
THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP!!!
The Evil God Statues, digging through the labyrinth’s debris and rising from their broken forms, surrounded Lennok.
Using the Papyrus Argenteus left by Jindun, he had completely seized control of the Evil God Statues, raising them to confront the giant.
The Grand Matron’s lips twitched as she confirmed that the Evil God Statues, which should have been completely collapsed and buried with the labyrinth’s debris, had instead risen.
“…It seems you seized control of the Evil God Statues from that gem sorcerer.”
“…”
‘She doesn’t know what Papyrus Argenteus is.’
Perhaps because it was Jindun’s last relic and key, kept secret from others until the very end.
If they don’t know, there’s no need to reveal more.
As Lennok naturally concealed the scroll again, the Grand Matron, standing on the one-eyed giant’s shoulder, drew forth immense magic power.
“If you came prepared with such resolve, then I, too, have no need to hesitate. I trust you are ready for what’s to come…!!”
“If I had told you about Jindun’s relic, would you have spared my life?”
Despite the Grand Matron’s sharp words, Lennok instead let out a cold laugh.
“It would be fortunate if you didn’t try to take this Feigenbaum’s Eye. Enough idle talk, let’s begin.”
KWOOOOONG!!!
Lennok, gesturing towards the crumbling legion of Evil God Statues with every step, spoke.
“I, too, intend to do my best to survive this labyrinth.”
No more words were needed.
A situation where their desires differed, and what they held conflicted with their intentions.
The man and Ballak, who had barely endured Lennok’s onslaught, fiercely wielded magic towards Lennok.
The radiance of the power simultaneously wielded by the four distorted space in all directions, flashing incessantly.
KWOONG!!
He parried the gravitational field squeezing the collapsing massive void, and kicked away the man who thrust his hand blade at close range.
Against the one-eyed giant stomping overhead, dozens of Evil God Statues threw themselves forward, taking the blows and shattering one after another.
CRACKLE-CRACKLE-CRACKLE-CRACKLE!!!
Even as he used the Evil God Statues as disposable items, sacrificing them after a single charge, Lennok continued to advance slowly, supporting Evelyn’s body.
Every time he waved his ringed hand, intricate magic circles drawn in the air transformed into songs of flame and thunder.
[Flame Induction]
Hot intense flames spread into the collapsing and narrowing void, widening the space again.
[Hundred Flower Filtration]
The moment his unique heat-elemental magic began to achieve its trajectory, the flames flowing from Lennok’s hand became a deep and wide wave like the ocean, sweeping away everything around him.
[Fire Companion Body: Emanating Thought Flame]
When he breathed hot air into the collapsing debris of the Evil God Statues, dozens of Evil God Statues, their bodies ablaze, rose again and clashed with the one-eyed giant.
The endlessly expanding heat, raising the temperature of space, pushed back the force of the gravitational field, seeping between the labyrinth’s fragments.
The subtle presence, hidden among the spirits, made it impossible even to take a step.
KUGUGUGUGUGU!!
At the moment when the rate at which the space expanded due to the four people’s unleashed power surpassed the rate at which the labyrinth collapsed and disappeared.
A halo, turned completely red, greatly rotated and expanded, and the three people who had been concentrating on encircling Lennok and exploiting openings simultaneously retreated.
KWOOOOONG!!
A roar. And then, silence.
Lennok nodded, looking down at the three people, who had different expressions, their mouths shut.
“You’re quick-witted.”
“….!!!!”
The three merely frowned at his blunt words, unable to properly reply.
These monsters, who had reached different pinnacles and transcended the limits of their species, had almost simultaneously intuited it.
That if they had taken even one more step forward at that moment, they might have suffered fatal, near-death injuries.
“Even with the labyrinth’s magic support, how could he…!!”
The Grand Matron let out a shriek of astonishment, and Ballak mumbled as if spitting.
“I suppose I’m getting old. To be outmaneuvered in combat experience by such a young man.”
[It’s a matter of compatibility.]
The bandaged man also calmly gathered his aura and spoke.
[That man expected this outcome from the beginning.]
The three individuals gathered here were all monsters who had reached their peak through a combination of long periods of effort and immeasurable talent.
Naturally, there was no deficiency or error in their experience and combat skills.
Even amidst dwindling power, limited space, and vanishing time, the three did their best to subdue Lennok.
Yet, it was insufficient to achieve the desired outcome.
And Lennok, too, had somewhat intuited from the beginning that the situation would unfold this way.
‘Even if they’ve transcended Hierarchy, they aren’t specialized in direct combat. Moreover, with the void constantly collapsing and narrowing… they must be mindful of the location.’
An 8-level summoner and a psychic. And a spirit ability user close to that level.
While they were monsters who had honed their unique specialties to such an extent that it was difficult to find rivals in their respective fields, their combat ability itself was merely a byproduct of their talent.
They were not individuals who had accumulated power through countless battles with superhumans, like Lennok.
If Dein of the Kavahim Knights had remained here, the story would have been different.
But against two mages more suited to the rear and an assassin-type superhuman, Lennok possessed the skill and experience to predict victory even against all three.
“Neither of us can go all out, so it’s the same situation for both.”
Lennok slowly gathered his magic power and caught his breath.
“Isn’t it about time you accepted that you’ll have to return empty-handed?”
“…Once this labyrinth completely collapses, the supply of residual magic will also cease.”
Ballak said, glaring at Lennok.
“At that point, you won’t be able to be as leisurely as you are now.”
“Well…”
Instead of denying it, Lennok smiled ambiguously.
Even if the labyrinth’s residual magic supply were cut off, it would be possible to replicate a similar state by storing and using magic in the Papyrus Argenteus.
Furthermore, with Lennok’s power, which had greatly increased his maximum magic capacity by absorbing some of Jindun’s magic, he would likely see the end before worrying about a lack of magic.
There was no need to reveal that fact.
What Lennok was truly concerned about was the question of whether he could continue such an intense battle while mindful of Evelyn’s unconscious body.
If they were to use their powers with the intent to kill each other, their Domains and Miniature Universes would clash, and Lennok wasn’t sure if he could completely protect Evelyn amidst that.
It was only natural to protect Evelyn, who had opened the path to Jindun for him, rather than immediately killing the three people before him.
But the stalemate between the four didn’t last long.
This was because the ceiling near the collapsing labyrinth exploded as if bursting open, and something from above crashed down into the void below.
KWOOOOOOOONG!!!!
An immense shock, enough to make all four superhumans standing there stumble simultaneously.
With a sensation of weight as if a mass of several hundred tons had been slammed directly down, Lennok abruptly raised his head.
If a mass of this magnitude had crashed in from outside the labyrinth, its identity was undoubtedly…!!
“All three of you, please stop here and listen to what I have to say.”
Supporting Lennok’s conjecture, a calm girl’s voice echoed from amidst the countless piles of earth that had fallen into the labyrinth.
Only then did Ballak and the Grand Matron, realizing the opponent’s identity, frown simultaneously.
“Lighthouse Keeper…!”
“Was the previous Lighthouse Keeper’s granddaughter still here?”
Lapis, who had perceived Jindun’s death almost simultaneously with other high-level superhumans.
She, the leader of the Eyes of Blue, realizing the final outcome crashing into the labyrinth, immediately led the Floating Island and crashed it directly into the labyrinth’s outer wall.
CRASHHHH!!!
Under the impact of that immense mass, weighing over hundreds of tons, the collapsing labyrinth shattered without any resistance.