Chapter 569: Vestiges of Memory (2)
The moment he recognized the opponent’s identity, the figure of Purity in the distance blurred.
It was obvious that such a distance held no significance in superhuman combat.
Felix was the first to move. Even with his battered body, he somehow gripped his hammer, squeezing out mana to block Lennok’s path.
Immediately after, Purity’s fist, bursting forth as if shattering space, struck Felix’s hammer with a bare hand.
BOOM!!
“Ugh…!!”
With a strange screeching sound of the hammer’s surface crumpling, Felix’s massive body was pushed straight back.
Even then, Felix, who somehow pulled Lennok into an embrace with his other arm, absorbing the impact, cried out.
“Azlan…!!”
“…!!”
The pure white glow in his eyes, shining through his white hair, wavered aimlessly, then stared fixedly at Lennok like a beast.
Lennok shook his head, looking at Krod.
“It’s no use. He’s already halfway across the line.”
“Damn it…!!”
CRASH!!!
Even though he was merely clawing at the air with bare hands, without a spear, the mana waves extending from his fingertips swept through the surroundings, turning into a storm.
Ilya, stepping forward in Felix’s stead, holding a spear, directly thrust through the storm, dispersing the impact.
WHOOSH!!
“How can he wield such power with bare hands…!!”
“Fighting Madrich Onnion must have driven his madness to the bone. It seems he fought until the past timeline was on the verge of collapsing…”
Lennok’s words faded, swallowed by the white mana, and a massive pillar of light shot up from where Felix had been standing.
BOOOM!!!!
Felix, quickly scooping Lennok up and retreating, urgently asked.
“Van, is there a way?!”
“Well…”
Lennok said, shaking the chain of the pocket watch he held.
“Krod Azlan’s complete descent into madness wasn’t just because of his battle with Onnion, but also because he believed he had no hope left once he returned to reality.”
SMASH!!
The moment a white flash narrowly grazed Lennok’s neck.
Lennok leaped from Felix’s shoulder and lowered his hand.
CLICK!!
Lennok, pulling on the chain to retrieve the old pocket watch, muttered while connecting dozens of mana threads to his body, keeping himself upright.
“Then I’ll have to make him realize there’s still a way.”
“…What?”
There was no answer.
FLASH!!
Lennok’s figure flickered right through the slash Purity unleashed.
Lennok, closing the distance in an instant, stood before the staggering monster, slightly lowering his stance.
Through his disheveled white hair, dull white eyes could be glimpsed.
His eyes were bloodshot, veins bulging, and the lenses were stained redder than his pupils—a bizarre sight.
Purity’s face, upon recognizing Lennok’s, twisted like a demon, and his left forearm, which had been swaying like a ghost, vanished from the spot.
WHOOSH!!
A surge of power, almost instinctual, that bypassed space itself, effortlessly aiming to slice through flesh and muscle to seize the heart.
But Lennok paid it no mind, manipulating the mana threads to twist his body like a puppet.
“To maintain such combat prowess even after completely losing his reason—that must be the power of Tou-in, wouldn’t you say?”
CREAK!!
Purity’s hand grazed past the back of Lennok’s neck, who had twisted his shoulders and neck in opposite directions, slightly disrupting his balance.
The burst of light from his fist erupting behind Lennok traced a dazzling wave of light across the horizon.
BOOM!!
Purity’s hand, descending through the heated air, churned through the space like the scythe of a grim reaper collecting lives.
The pure white crescent moon distorted in every direction with each disjointed breath.
Even though he had lost his reason, it was a killing blow unleashed with full power by an 8-level physical ability user.
It was not a realm that could be evaded merely by seeing and reacting.
A skill impossible without reacting as if knowing the first strike would be delivered in that direction from the beginning, inputting the movements preemptively.
Yet, Lennok, despite his pale complexion and dripping sweat, manipulated his body as if performing a tightrope walk, repeatedly dodging by a hair’s breadth.
Lennok, having closed in right before Purity’s nose with a single evasive movement, quietly whispered.
“I believe that giving me Tou-in’s Secret Arts in advance was for this very moment.”
A monster that has lost its reason and been consumed by Tou-in’s Mind Imprint is bound to follow movements purely akin to the original forms of the Secret Arts, without application or variation.
Lennok, having memorized Tou-in’s Secret Arts entirely, forcibly drew out the moment when Purity would most honestly follow the movements carved into the wooden statue.
CLICK!!
The moment Lennok dabbed a drop of his blood onto the back of the pocket watch, the glass face opened, and the second hand extended far forward.
Without even checking the hour hand of the watch, which he had already set, Lennok forcefully plunged that hand into Purity’s temple.
THUD!!
One of the two gifts Kaiser left Lennok when he chose to self-annihilate.
Among them, the pocket watch, existing as a tangible artifact, stirred Purity’s mind in Kaiser’s stead.
WHIRR!!!
Krod’s two pupils spun as if about to flip over in their sockets, then the blood vessels that had bulged between his eyes miraculously began to recede.
“…”
In the quiet silence, Purity’s breathing gradually softened.
His hunched back slowly straightened, his aura calmly settled, and the focus returned to his hazy eyes.
Purity’s lips slowly parted.
“I knew your success would be my failure.”
“…”
“It was clear from the start that you had no intention of letting me confront my past self. Yet, I cooperated with the operation because I thought you would eventually bring about my end…”
Purity, looking down at Lennok with a complicated gaze, sighed and slowly took Lennok’s hand.
HISS!!
Purity slowly pulled out the pocket watch’s second hand, which had pierced his temple, and said.
“In the end, you demand I continue.”
“You thought I’d kill you? How could I?”
Lennok chuckled, wiped the second hand of the pocket watch, and re-calibrated the artifact.
“Killing an 8-level protector of the Turyeonmun would be hard to deal with afterwards. You’re different from Madrich Onnion.”
“…”
“Under any other circumstances than this, I wouldn’t have laid a hand on you myself.”
Madrich Onnion, who had left public office and was practically a recluse, was a different case from Purity, who was clearly a Turyeonmun protector.
No matter what happened during the operation, if Lennok had directly killed Purity, the truth would not have been hidden, nor would its repercussions have easily subsided.
If it hadn’t been for the pocket watch Kaiser left behind, Lennok would have just left Purity here and entrusted the clean-up to others.
He had absolutely no intention of granting Purity’s wish directly.
“Van!!!”
Felix, approaching Lennok with a startled expression, stared at the two with a dumbfounded look.
“What was that just now…?”
“An artifact left by Kaiser Bajour.”
Lennok replied. “It’s a medium that allows him to adjust the Mind Imprint of his innate mana, which he was born with.”
Kaiser had left this pocket watch without any explanation, but Lennok understood its power the moment he saw it.
Kaiser’s Domain, Taeyeokswageopyeop, which used Defying Heaven’s mana as its power source to reverse time.
His existence had now completely vanished, but his Mind Imprint remained, still a single divergence point within Lennok.
Before he completely vanished, Kaiser had encapsulated the method to control the Domain’s abilities within this pocket watch, gifting it to Lennok.
Kaiser’s legacy, which had not vanished but remained in the past timeline.
His will to save the world, undiminished even after decades.
His existence had completely vanished, but the Taeyeokswageopyeop Mind Imprint and this artifact still remained with Lennok.
“Ultimately, if Krod himself hadn’t sought out his past self, this wouldn’t have been possible either.”
Just now, Lennok had forcibly imprinted the reversing Mind Imprint via the pocket watch, completely restoring Purity’s past physical and mental condition.
More precisely, should I say he forcibly ‘rolled back’ Purity to the condition he was in when he first faced and remembered his past self?
It felt like forcibly overwriting overloaded computer memory with undamaged data from long ago.
Purity’s madness, transcending Hierarchy through Tou-in, wouldn’t completely disappear, but at least he had been granted enough time for a reprieve.
“Thank him. It’s as good as him saving you.”
As Lennok said that, shaking the pocket watch, Purity’s expression became complicated.
“Lord Kaiser… So that’s it. He was a man whose thoughts were unfathomable even back then.”
“…”
“I never thought he would give me a second chance. I just considered him a passing acquaintance…”
Seeing Purity slump down exhaustedly, Lennok finally slowly retreated, catching his breath.
The time Lennok focused on plunging the second hand into the mad Purity’s temple was barely 20 seconds.
Yet, in that brief interval, Lennok’s entire body was drenched in sweat, protesting with extreme fatigue.
Attempting direct combat with an 8-level physical ability user by pouring in his remaining mana was akin to a suicidal act.
Even brief exposure to that killing intent had thrown his body into an extreme state of tension.
His remaining mana was now at rock bottom, and merely staying conscious was pushing him to his limit.
If he hadn’t forcibly manipulated his body with mana threads, he wouldn’t have been able to even briefly contend with Purity.
Felix silently watched Lennok, then heavily slammed his hammer down in front of the collapsed Purity.
THUD!!
Felix, gazing coldly at Purity from behind his hammer, spoke without turning to Lennok.
“Van, I’ll take responsibility for Krod Azlan and personally keep watch over him. You should rest somewhere a bit farther away.”
“…No.”
Lennok wiped his sweat, pulled out a potion from his pocket, and drank it, replying.
“The Dissociation Phenomenon itself has vanished, but the job isn’t completely over. We need to explore the Sealed Zone and confirm that the Exposure Phenomenon has entirely disappeared.”
“…”
“Decades ago, Kaiser actually conducted spacetime anchoring research in this district and failed. So, there’s a high probability that traces or clues related to it remain.”
“I will help.”
Ilya helped Lennok to his feet, replying.
“Felix, please watch over Azlan here to ensure he doesn’t act erratically. We will survey the remaining facilities of the Particle Power Plant and collect the necessary findings.”
“I’m counting on you.”
Felix, even as he said that, never took his eyes off Purity.
Regardless of Lennok’s words, it was a resolve to not allow any further unilateral or erratic behavior from Purity.
Ilya glanced back at Felix, then carefully helped Lennok and turned toward the power plant.
“Cough, cough…!!”
“Van, are you alright?”
Not only had he escaped the past timeline, but his body, having briefly contended with Purity, was now protesting with extreme fatigue.
Instead of answering, Lennok pulled out another potion he had made earlier and poured it directly into his mouth.
Ilya looked at him with an expression of admiration.
“How can you drink that awful potion so easily…?”
“I’m not particularly bothered by taste. Especially not in situations like this.”
Lennok’s poor physical capabilities even affected his dull sense of taste.
Especially in his current state, with his entire body aching from fatigue, there were times he could barely even taste what was on his tongue.
But Ilya, unaware of these circumstances, instead nodded with a look of understanding.
“A wizard’s mental fortitude truly is impressive. There are things to learn from it.”
“…Do people usually admire mental fortitude for things like that?”
Lennok, retorting incredulously, tossed the potion bottle aside and changed the subject.
“No need to support me. Let’s split up and investigate the remaining facilities of the power plant.”
“But it would be too dangerous to encounter an enemy in your current condition. It would be better to move together…”
“The fact that the anomalies in the Sealed Zone have vanished must have reached the city government by now.”
“…”
Lennok looked at the silent Ilya and said.
“Before they make their move, we need to secure the research data and materials remaining in the power plant. You understand what I mean, don’t you?”
The Central Council, which is extremely sensitive about the city’s secrets, couldn’t possibly be unaware of what happened in District 25.
The moment they confirm the dissociated spacetime area has vanished, they’ll send officials to retrieve all remaining traces and secrets from this location.
Any confidential documents or data that fall into the Council’s hands will never see the light of day again.
Lennok intended to quickly seize all the fruits of this incident before it became a wasted effort.
Ilya, perhaps also displeased at the thought of the results of their arduous success being taken away, her eyes subtly changed.
“…I understand. I’ll go through all the auxiliary facilities starting from the back entrance, and Van, please take charge of the power plant’s main building.”
“…”
Ilya’s figure vanished instantly without waiting for an answer.
It seemed Lennok’s words had truly stimulated Ilya’s competitive spirit.
Only then did Lennok pull out his staff from his pocket and hobble back towards the power plant.
“It’s completely ruined, isn’t it….”
There was almost nothing left intact of the power plant building, which had been practically new in the past timeline.
Barbed wire swayed sparsely in the acrid, cement-laden wind, and broken steel frames dangled precariously from inside shattered walls.
The main entrance of the power plant had completely collapsed, making it impossible to find a way inside.
Lennok pondered for a moment, then rummaged in his sleeve and pulled out another shotgun.
BOOM!!
Each time he pulled the trigger, explosions, their recoil nullified by magic-assisted shooting, cleared away the collapsed debris and opened a path.
Lennok, emptying his magazine with satisfaction whenever he encountered ruins or iron doors blocking his path, easily found the corridor leading underground.
“Was the power room in that direction?”
In the original history, since Lennok hadn’t intervened, Kaiser would have completed his spacetime anchoring research in the power room as well.
If so, the power room would most likely be where the most research materials and traces remained.
BANG!
The moment he unhesitatingly blasted open the power room door and stormed inside, Lennok instinctively frowned deeply.
“…”
Instead of the tangled pipes and wires he remembered, the entire room was a hideous scene of melted, fused, and solidified matter.
It looked as if the entire space had been shattered by some overwhelming heat source, with nothing remaining in its original form.
‘The spacetime anchoring research originally failed, I recall.’
So, did the anchoring device run wild during the failure, sweeping through the entire power room and vanishing?
Lennok thought this, then, staff and shotgun in hand, slowly walked among the collapsed debris of the power room.
Amidst the strange, solidified iron forms melted by the heat, Lennok, using mana sense, detected a familiar presence and immediately extended mana threads.
SHING!!
Dozens of mana threads wriggled like living things, forcibly digging through the debris and pulling out an object that still retained its original form.
CLANK!!
With a heavy metallic screech, the shape of a piece of equipment emerged before his eyes.
Lennok’s expression subtly stiffened as he realized what kind of equipment it was.
“This is….”
Massive Iron-Plated Wings, crafted from hundreds of steel feathers.
A flight device customized to split apart, capable of storing various firearms internally.
Gileon’s wings lay discarded here, drenched in dark red blood.
“Gileon’s blood… It seems he was quite severely injured during the research in the original history.”
Davi, peeking out from Lennok’s pocket, immediately dabbed a paw lightly on the bloodstain, rubbing it, and said.
[The blood reaction is identical to the substance Master called a serum.]
“…What?”
[All the bloodstains on this piece of scrap metal are Kaiser Bajour’s own.]