Chapter 411: Master of Military Spirits (1)
Creeaaak…!!
The iron gate in the middle of the old wall creaked open, and two headlights shone from the darkness.
Slowly, a massive bike emerged on rolling wheels.
Though shrouded in darkness and not fully visible, only one person was mounted on the bike.
Amidst a silence thick with tension.
Lennok, who was the first to arrive at the Grimoire Gang headquarters district at the end of the race, silently surveyed his surroundings.
‘How brutal.’
This was a criminal organization that occupied two of the mega-city’s outer districts. It was natural that their organizational power and cruelty were exceptionally high compared to other forces in the underworld.
The seemingly endless barbed wire and the horrific sight of corpses strung up like laundry clearly showed what kind of place the gang was.
Vehicles adorned with spikes and studs stood everywhere, and gang members perched on structures.
Blood-caked concrete floors and someone’s limbs protruding from fly-buzzing trash cans.
Hundreds of gang members, who had personally committed all these atrocities, glared solely at Lennok.
Hundreds of gazes, like ghostly will-o’-the-wisps, filled their eyes, illuminating the darkness as if possessed.
As Lennok stared back at their glowing eyes, someone sitting on a scratched-up truck asked,
“Where are the others?”
[None.]
A chilling voice came from behind the visor.
Lennok replied.
[Just me.]
“…You’re saying you’re the only one who survived to the race’s destination?”
[I heard an interesting story.]
Lennok completely ignored the man on the truck and spoke.
[Something about the gang secretly colluding with other participants and interfering with the race.]
“…”
[It’s true that some unpleasant things happened while confirming that fact.]
Lennok muttered with a sneer, arms crossed.
[They’re probably rolling around in drug powder with glazed eyes by now.]
“This son of a…”
No member present was unaware of what Lennok had done. Aside from causing chaos during the race, he had thoroughly stirred up, blown up, and destroyed the outer districts he passed through, leaving a significant impact.
Just thinking about cleaning up this mess—where he eliminated other competitors and wreaked havoc across various areas—was enough to give the gang a headache.
Amidst all this, Lennok’s nonchalant attitude, as if it were none of his business, was a type the gang members were not accustomed to.
The moment other agitated members began to rise, grabbing their tools one by one.
A thunderous voice boomed from behind them.
“We regret that participants suffered due to baseless rumors about the race.”
Creeeeak…!
The massive iron gate, hidden in darkness, opened, revealing a colossal man who began to look down at Lennok.
His hair was a fiery red, like a blaze. His body was densely covered in tattoos and muscled, radiating a potent, base magical energy.
Clank, clank!!
The blood-soaked greatsword, loosely hanging at his waist, clanged loudly with every step.
No single element of his physique failed to stand out.
The explosive aura emanating from his huge frame. The sight of other members naturally bowing their heads.
Who could doubt that this man was the boss himself, who had led the Grimoire Gang to its current position?
The man, who instantly stood on a dilapidated platform overlooking the other members, spoke.
“We will take responsibility by beheading and displaying the heads of all those who interfered with the participants in this matter.”
[Responsibility, you say.]
At Lennok’s words, the man grinned.
At the same time, he lightly gestured towards the countless rotting corpses hanging on the barbed wire.
“Only then can it be an elegy for the other dropouts we must personally deal with today.”
[…I see.]
After a moment, Lennok, understanding the meaning of his words, let out a disbelieving laugh.
[If no one else enters before sunrise, are you planning to kill all other participants, except me, to silence them?]
The man no longer replied.
He merely watched Lennok intently with a heavy gaze.
Lennok, understanding that silence implied affirmation, subtly shifted his body.
[That’s not a satisfactory answer. Shouldn’t you have something to say to me first?]
“This son of a bitch, how long is he going to keep talking back…!!”
The moment a gang member standing next to Lennok, unable to restrain himself, raised a spiked club.
Bang!!
With a sudden gunshot, the man holding the club’s head vanished instantly.
Thud!!
“…!!”
A headless corpse fell, gushing hot blood. The other members silently held their breath.
It wasn’t merely because Lennok had killed one of their members.
It was because not a single person present had actually seen the moment he drew his gun and shot the man’s head.
[Come to think of it, it was strange.]
Lennok spoke, slowly riding his bike through the suddenly quietened members.
[Not only are city government public goods given as race rewards, but useful artifacts are also gifted to those who rank. Moreover, if this has been happening periodically, rumors should have quietly spread.]
“What are you trying to say?”
[This race isn’t just an event to line up a hundred people and determine their superiority.]
“…”
As he slowly traversed the darkness where not an inch ahead could be seen, only one wizard’s voice continued to echo.
[A night race starting around midnight. Gathering over a hundred people, forcing all participants to pass through checkpoints, and having them return before dawn… A race where rules for cheating, judging, or mid-race eliminations are absent, with only a start and end defined.]
Lennok chuckled.
[Doesn’t it feel like a single spell, completed by participation in a large-scale ritual?]
The gang’s unusually strong emphasis on the process rather than the race’s outcome. A series of circumstances clearly linked to Madrich Onnion. The reason and basis for their somewhat awkwardly fitting actions could be understood by attaching the keyword ‘Military Order’ to it.
All those events, until now, simply made sense under a single hypothesis.
[I know a similar ritual existed long ago. A plan to gather all spirits and ghosts in this world to build a bridge to ascension… It almost feels like a miniature version of that.]
Lennok slowly walked forward until he stopped in front of the man, then spoke.
[Calling it the Hundred Demons’ Night Parade would be quite fitting.]
“…Hoo.”
The man let out a low sigh and quietly looked up at the sky.
“Why did a bastard who knows that much get involved in our business?”
Scratching his head as if annoyed, he slowly stepped out of the darkness, muttering irritably.
Thump!!
At the same time, a massive greatsword dragged out from his other hand.
Cumbersome rings and chains hung from between the blades, and decayed flesh and blood were caked and visible in between.
The man, who hooked the fly-infested greatsword over his shoulder and looked down at Lennok, said,
“If you had spouted that in front of the other participants, we would have had to kill them all too. Even if you hadn’t won this race, it would have been the same. I don’t know whether to call you lucky or foolish.”
[What do you mean?]
“It means the reason our gang holds this race… has finally been properly fulfilled after a very long time.”
Fwoosh!!
With those words, the hollow inside the wall, previously shrouded in darkness, illuminated brightly, revealing its true form.
Intense spotlights hung on the wall columns. A vast amount of light, like those used to illuminate a stadium at night, shone everywhere.
It instantly revealed the figures of hundreds of people surrounding Lennok.
Tens of armored vehicles with iron spikes and studs, and countless gang members perched atop them, looking down at Lennok.
Their equipment and attire varied, but the chilling killing intent emanating from them made Lennok’s neck prickle.
It was clear that while not all hundreds were top-tier superhumans, a considerable number of Commander Wizard-level individuals were mixed in.
The man raising a bloodstained greatsword in front of Lennok and the gaunt sorcerer hanging on the iron wall were even 7-level superhumans.
The Grimoire Gang’s full power satisfied both quantity and quality to an extent that the phrase ‘overwhelming by numbers’ felt insufficient.
The man leading the vanguard of the gang, the boss, spoke.
“It’s been a long time since someone stood out this remarkably in a race. It’s more than enough to become a new Military Order candidate.”
[A new Military Order, you say.]
Lennok chuckled.
He realized that having heard that word from the boss’s mouth, there was no longer any need to confirm anything else.
The reason the Grimoire Gang had irregularly hosted races, offering city government public goods as rewards.
Was it to welcome an outstanding participant as a new Military Order through the Hundred Demons’ Night Parade ritual, mimicking the Ten Thousand Demons’ Night Parade?
The moment Lennok heard directly from the Grimoire boss that all these events had occurred simply to add new power to the Military Order sorcerer they served.
Lennok slowly took off his visor.
“The fact that you say that implies you are one of Madrich’s Military Orders, wouldn’t it?”
“…What?”
“The head of a judicial institution now employing underworld criminals as Military Orders is truly fascinating information.”
Lennok grinned, looking up at the boss’s stiffened face.
“If I capture you and dig into the truth, I might even find out where Madrich Onnion is hiding. Don’t you think so?”
“It’s Van!!”
Someone who had been intently scrutinizing Lennok’s face shrieked.
“I, uh, I saw his face before…!! It’s definitely him, Adamant Thunder is here…!!”
“Adamant Thunder? The one from Sector 49?”
“A blood-crazed wizard participated in this race!”
Despite the shouts from an unknown source, the Grimoire Gang members instantly accepted the fact and sprang into action.
The one who had overwhelmingly crushed other participants and claimed victory in a race involving over a hundred superhumans.
This abnormal result, which had never occurred during the race, conversely convinced them that the opponent was Adamant Thunder.
A madman obsessed with blood and combat. An underworld killer who scatters death wherever he goes. An iron man who leaves no witnesses once he appears.
It was impossible to achieve such a result in the race without a monster possessing that level of fame and power.
If Lennok’s existence was the cause of this incomprehensible outcome, there was no need for further doubt.
The armored vehicles and trucks that had surrounded Lennok started their engines and charged forward.
Simultaneously, dozens of gang members mounted on them erupted with sharp killing intent and magical energy.
“Wizard! We must subdue him before he can cast a spell!!”
“Kill him!! The boss said it’s fine to kill him!!”
“Spread the nets!! Scatter iron spikes and throw bombs!!”
Kwa-gwa-gwa-kwang!!!
Sharp iron nets spread wide between the armored vehicles, and sharp iron thorns were scattered on the ground, impeding movement.
Flaming bombs flew ceaselessly from overhead, spraying thick smoke before erupting in massive explosions, turning into waves of fire.
Then, over a dozen armored vehicles, having charged through the nets, thorns, and inferno they created, instantly rammed into the spot where Lennok had been.
Kwoooooong!!
They ceased all movement as abruptly as they began their assault, falling silent.
Shooooo…!!
“D-did we get him?”
“You crazy bastard!! If you say something so unlucky…!!”
The moment the boss, who had been observing the entire scene from behind with crossed arms, twitched his eyebrow.
Whoosh!!
The spotlights illuminating the plaza went out, plunging the entire area into deep darkness.
“What, turn on the lights!!”
“T-there’s no light…!!”
“Use the car headlights, you idiot!”
Flash!!
When the headlights of the clustered armored vehicles flickered on, what was revealed was a massive chunk of armor plate, standing tall, blocking the hoods of a dozen armored vehicles.
Lennok’s voice echoed from within the fragments of the carapace, which boasted a form so hard and bizarre it was hard to believe it was a living creature’s shell.
“For a gang, you use surprisingly good vehicles.”
“W-what?!”
“If the headlights still work after ramming your head into this, it means it’s a very sturdily designed product.”
Creak!!
With a sound like screws turning somewhere, Lennok spoke again.
“So much so that I’d like to take it apart myself.”
[Vehicle structure analysis complete.]
Davi mumbled from Lennok’s arms, wiggling her front paws.
[35 categories. 433 types of identical parts. All 52,215 individual parts assigned identification numbers.]
Drrrrrrrt!!
All the armored vehicles, which had rammed their heads into the carapace, began to tremble faintly, then their engines died, and they slowly started to sink down.
Drivers, flustered by the inexplicable, strange phenomenon, haphazardly pounded their seats, but once the engines died, they wouldn’t restart.
Instead, an unknown metallic crashing sound echoed within the armored vehicles, growing louder.
[Inverting the design order predicted and implemented by the algorithm. Full vehicle disassembly commencing.]
Chaaarrrrrrk!!
“Aaaaargh!!”
“What are you doing!! Hurry up and break through that, you have to interfere!!”
Kwaaaang!!
Gang members mounted on the vehicles quickly snapped to attention and frantically pounded the carapace cluster, but its surface didn’t even scratch.
Meanwhile, the forms of the vehicles, carrying dozens of people, simply collapsed, their parts meticulously disassembled, shedding the very concept of an armored vehicle.
Thududududu!!!
“Y-you crazy bastard…!!”
“What is he doing…!!”
The hood, engine, car doors, basic frame, and wheel parts sank, while conversely, hundreds, thousands of screws poured out, detaching and floating upwards.
Interior parts like seats, radiators, and gear sticks were disassembled to their limits and crumbled, and the gang members, stripped of their armored vehicle shields, fell to the ground with a sense of futility.
Drrrrrrrrrrk!!
They could only look up with terror-stricken eyes at the thousands upon thousands of screw parts ceaselessly disassembling and floating above them.
The man let out a fierce roar at the sight of the members, whose entire bodies were dominated by a helplessness that understood neither the opponent’s intention nor how to stop it.
“What in the hell are you doing!! Focus on getting that shield away!!”
“B-Boss…!!”
Thump!!
“If you can’t break through it, just push it away with force. Have you forgotten who needs to bow their head now!!”
The boss, who had instantly brought the situation under control with a few words, gripped his greatsword and channeled his magical energy.
“All necessary rituals are complete, so it’s fine to kill him!! Even if he becomes a corpse, processing just the spirit is enough!!”
“Understood!!”
It was true that the Grimoire Gang’s boss had started muttering strange things ever since they partnered with high-ranking city government officials.
But no one complained or questioned it.
As a result, the gang had transformed into an organization occupying two outer districts, and its members had also begun to enjoy commensurate rewards.
All that was required for unchecked pleasure was to periodically host races according to the boss’s words and judge whether the victor was qualified or not.
And when that condition was met, all they had to do was follow the boss to the best of their abilities.
An opaque film had already covered the eyes of the members, who moved as if possessed by the man’s words, without even realizing it.
Just as the members, moving in perfect unison as if they were a single hive mind, were about to push away the carapace and drag out the wizard inside, following the man’s every command.
[Phase Transition (上電理): Electrofield Resonance (電爲共鳴)]
[Magnetic Soul Screen (磁和魄簾)]
[Universal Iron Retraction (鐵回之普)]
The tens of thousands of armored vehicle screw parts, which had been floating silently in the air, uniformly writhed, then vanished from their spot.
Fwoooooosh!!
With a faint, echoing crackle, the chatter of the noisy members, who had been loudly speaking from all directions, abruptly ceased.
“…”
Drop, drop.
Hot blood mercilessly soaked the dirt ground.
Bodies of members, who had been shouting and cursing just moments ago, fell like puppets with cut strings.
Kwoooong!!
Their bodies, faintly convulsing as they lay with their heads driven into the ground, were pierced by hundreds of large and small holes, forming countless dots.
The gang boss, who had been yelling at his members, also realized what had happened and his lips trembled.
“This can’t be…!!”
The armored vehicle parts that had just been disassembled in the air hadn’t simply vanished from their spot.
They had been shot out at a speed too fast for the gang members gathered here to properly perceive, simply piercing hundreds of members scattered in all directions.
Tens of thousands of armored vehicle screw parts were simultaneously disassembled, each part temporarily imbued with a magnetic charge of the same polarity, causing them to repel each other and explode outwards.
While it merely utilized the property of magnetic forces repelling like poles, when electromagnetic force was added with lightning magic, its power would exponentially amplify.
Unrealistic metal manipulation ability that stole the opponent’s means of transport, completely disassembled it, and used it as bullets.
Although the speed wasn’t so fast that superhumans couldn’t react, they couldn’t withstand the area-wide coverage and the unexpected, clever idea.
Even those who survived cried out in agonizing screams, their bodies covered in blood.
“It hurts, it huuurts!!”
“My leg… it won’t move…!! Help me…!!”
Thump!!
A fractured carapace shield fell onto the head of a gang member who was clutching his punctured body and screaming.
Lennok stepped onto the shield, which had become a mere puddle of blood without even a scream, surveyed his surroundings, and frowned.
“Using screws as bullets is less efficient than I thought. I should be careful not to overuse magnetic imbuement.”
Even for Lennok, manipulating tens of thousands of screw parts individually with mana was difficult.
His control extended only to spreading an electric field to imbue magnetism, then repelling and amplifying that magnetism to shoot them in all directions.
Even with Davi’s help for the part disassembly calculation, he couldn’t individually control the direction of repulsion, so the results were not as good as expected.
But the man who had witnessed all that carnage before his eyes could only interpret Lennok’s words in a completely different way.
“How can a human… do such a thing…!!”
Reaching the 7-level Archmage doesn’t mean becoming an incomprehensible monster.
It means doing what you can do even better. Completing the cultivation and Mind Imprint accumulated so far.
Because at the end of Self-transformation that humans could reach, what they encountered was far from fear or ignorance.
But what the man called Adamant Thunder had just shown was not the brute force of a perfected superhuman or brilliant magic.
It was a move that casually pierced through the blind spots of thought that had gone unnoticed, eliminating even the time to think.
Could this, which instantly overturned and crushed the environment and battle situation that had been absolutely advantageous to the gang just moments ago, be called brute force?
A bizarre and overwhelming idea, incomprehensible even to the criminals who had seen all kinds of ugly and dirty things in the underworld.
The moment the man lost his words, looking at the wizard before him as if he had never been bound by the concepts of human and Hierarchy from the start.
Lennok, grabbing a handful of screws and walking forward, chuckled and muttered.
“This time, I’ll do it more cleverly. I’ll need to leave at least your mouth intact to call your master.”