Chapter 923: The Summit (6)

A cold wind swept through the dark satellite city. White sand covered the ruins, abandoned and untouched by human hands for a long time. As a city left in the middle of a desert, sand must have flowed in and out with the wind.

Crackle, sizzle!! Lightning, erupting from the Thunder Bird’s body, dyed the sky above the satellite city of Etanoc a vivid blue. The lightning was so intense and vivid that the ruins, shrouded in darkness, momentarily glowed brightly in all directions.

Lennok, who had no intention of hiding his arrival and thus watched idly, saw the Thunder Bird flying above the satellite city begin to writhe uncomfortably.

Screech…!! It was as if flapping its wings in this place felt profoundly unnatural. Its presence began to turn savage, as if it would break free from Lennok’s control and rampage at any moment.

As soon as Lennok saw this, he immediately canceled the summoning spell and unsummoned the familiar.

“Good work.”

Flash!! Though he had summoned it to crush the black wizard’s pride, the Thunder Bird was not a familiar formally contracted with Lennok. Just as he had summoned fire-attribute familiars using the power of the Crimson Star System, it was merely an entity forcibly drawn out using lightning-attribute magic as a medium. The Thunder Bird, which used the sky’s lightning as its feathers to travel, was suitable as a means of transport for showing off to others. However, it was not a familiar organically connected enough to Lennok to pass through the barrier currently spread over the satellite city.

‘I’ll have to contract with a lightning-attribute familiar separately soon.’

Even with Davi, the Guardian Spirit Beast, Myeong’s demonic giant, and Lennok’s Kaleidoscope mind imprint, he had never desperately needed summoning magic. However, in his public identity as Adamant Thunder, it occasionally became necessary. Up until now, he had only used summoning magic in a simplified form, either to augment spells or for temporary use. When he had the time, it wouldn’t be bad to contract with a powerful familiar in advance. Considering Lennok’s current achievements, he could definitely summon a powerful familiar, regardless of the aptitude or luck required for summoning magic.

Thinking so, Lennok unsummoned the Thunder Bird and immediately leaped from above the satellite city.

Whoosh!!! Fierce sandstorms blew, lifting Lennok’s body from below his feet. The wind speed was so intense that it was difficult for Lennok, holding only a staff, to withstand. But Lennok manipulated the airflow and swiftly landed on the rooftop of a high-rise building. He placed one foot on the slanted edge of the rooftop, which seemed on the verge of collapsing, and reached into his sleeve.

Clack!! With the heavy clang of metal, a massive sniper rifle appeared in Lennok’s hand. With a flick of his wrist, he unfolded the bipod and scope, resting his arm on his knee. Lennok then brought his eye to the rifle’s scope and muttered.

“Was it an underground ritual site?”

He could guess the location. The empty plaza in the middle of the downtown area, visible from above the satellite city. It must be that place, where the ruins and sand had been deliberately cleared away. However, Lennok’s reason for observing his surroundings with the rifle instead of immediately expanding his magic sense upon arrival was something else.

If the Director was still near the mega-city, and if he was aiming for something at this summit… He had to find even a trace of him before the summit began to seize an opportunity to meet him.

Whirr! As Lennok brought his eye to the scope, the platinum-colored eye attached to its front moved rapidly. It was the Eye of the Wellspring, the spell-armament of Chogyeon, gifted to Lennok by Lapis. True to its epithet, which metaphorically referred to a spring of wisdom, it was an information-type charm that analyzed everything seen by the user’s gaze and relayed it to them. Lennok could find traces of the Director himself, even without borrowing Olivera’s Mystic Eye. If he was indeed in this satellite city right now—

Thinking so, Lennok quickly scanned the entire city with the rifle’s scope.

‘The city area is excessively wide, wider than I thought.’

Satellite cities were the crowning glory of urban expansion development plans, designed to decentralize Vulcan’s saturated population and enable self-sufficiency. As large satellite cities were designed to accommodate millions, Etanoc also possessed a vast area. Indeed, a satellite city of this size might have been chosen as the venue for a summit of Level 8 superhumans, but that wasn’t the problem.

Rumble…!!! As he surveyed the entire satellite city through the Eye of the Wellspring, he felt strange currents of power from all eight directions. The satellite city was divided into eight directions, with distinctly different powers swirling in each. The density of each power and will-thought was so high that even Lennok found it difficult to gauge their true might without intense concentration. These were almost certainly the presences of the supreme ability users participating in the summit.

‘Five have taken their places. One spot is empty. Two spots are unclaimed, then.’

Lennok, who had instantly grasped the types and numbers of powers across the entire satellite city, thought. ‘They are trying to take control of one axis of the eight directions each. Is there some benefit they must secure before the summit?’

When Etanoc was divided into eight sections like a cake from its center, intense presences were clashing in more than two areas. As the necromancer had warned, were those whose grievances from the civil war remained unresolved clashing as soon as they met?

‘I haven’t found the Director’s presence, but if Level 8 superhumans are fighting right now, it’s worth watching.’

After a moment’s consideration, Lennok lowered the rifle’s muzzle and immediately amplified his magic.

Crackle…!! The moment he took a step onto the slanted building rooftop, lightning flared beneath Lennok’s feet, propelling his body upward. He compressed his constantly active shield magic through layered chanting, minimizing air resistance and recoil, then accelerated.

Thwoom!! With a blurring ripple, Lennok’s body moved explosively, traversing the sand-covered downtown area and closing the distance. Currently, there were two locations in Etanoc where direct combat was occurring. Among them, he sought out the one with a relatively familiar presence first.

A control tower stood, half-buried in sand. He leaped through its broken windows and landed.

Swish!! An airfield located on the outskirts of the satellite city. Abandoned helicopters and planes, rusted on the wide runway. Containers and cargo holds stacked in layers, and a C-shaped airport facility, abandoned mid-construction. Through the damaged airport corridors, two shadows crossed and clashed at incredible speed.

Screeching!!! Along with the eerie sound of metal grinding against metal, flashes of magic light ceaselessly flickered beyond the corridor’s glass windows. Beyond the light-filled corridor, violently contorted shadows indirectly showed just how fierce the battle was.

Boom!!! With an impact like a meteor striking, a tollgate near the airport collapsed. Amidst the utterly shattered debris, a sharp shout echoed.

“Damn it, you goddamn old geezer!!”

A gaunt figure, with an Eight Trigrams Formation split into eight branches hovering above her head, gripped a spear askew and dashed low to the ground. Even traversing the ground on two legs, her speed was extraordinary; Lennok had to amplify his magic just to keep up. Dashing with light, bouncing movements, the gaunt figure flipped her body and instantly collided with the hunched-back opponent across from her.

CRASH!! In its wake, the surrounding ground cratered, emitting powerful shockwaves. All the still-intact glass windows of the airport building shattered completely.

CRASHING!!! Amidst the rain of countless glass shards, a calm voice responded to the woman’s sharp cry.

“It’s surprising enough that you’re alive and kicking, but your foul mouth remains unchanged.”

“Drop dead!!”

Scrape!!! The woman, holding the spear, grabbed the elderly man by his collar and slammed him into a wall, rushing forward. The moment the formation rotated above the woman’s head, her physical strength explosively surged, crushing the man’s resistance. Tearing through the airport corridor, the woman dashed forward, swinging the man as if to grind him to dust, while aiming the spearhead with her other hand. Just as she was about to pierce his neck with invisible speed, the man moved.

“Pathetically slow. Is that all you can manage, even with the Eight Trigrams’ assistance?”

Clack!! A sharp flash flickered from the man’s hand, and the woman was easily repelled backward, almost comically so. The woman, who had shattered the airport wall and slid dozens of meters across the runway, groaned in pain.

“Gah…!!”

“Truly absurd.”

The man approached the woman, who was lying prone on the runway, painfully spitting up blood. A middle-aged man with a neatly trimmed beard, brushing back his heavily graying hair. With his suit shirt sleeves rolled up, he had a classic, almost butler-like demeanor. The unusual thing was that both of the man’s eyes were tightly shut, scarred and disfigured as if they had been gouged out.

Hum!! With one hand, the man, who had just sheathed a blade emitting strange vibrations, asked.

“You haven’t grown at all. What have you been doing all this time?”

“Fuck, none of your damn business…!!!”

“Haha, what language.”

As the man chuckled and twitched his scabbard, blood spurted from the woman’s shoulder.

Slice!! Only after the woman frantically clutched her shoulder, stemming the bleeding, and collapsed forward, did the man nod with satisfaction.

“There, now you look a little more polite.”

‘Incredible swordsmanship.’

Lennok, who had been watching the battle from the control tower, his presence hidden, unconsciously admired. The physical abilities of the spear-wielding woman were incredibly fierce and savage, and though seemingly disordered, they contained profound skill. However, Gileon had not only countered the woman’s attacks without even drawing his sword, but the moment he did draw it, he unilaterally ended the match. The sword itself seemed to be an artifact emitting peculiar vibrations, and he wielded it perfectly despite being blind. He had occasionally seen exceptional swordsmen, like Hina of the Agents or Blood Fiend of Pandemonium, but this was undoubtedly a unique achievement among them.

Thinking so, Lennok gazed intently at the woman’s face, revealed amidst the runway lights. She was gaunt and emaciated, but her eyes glittered vividly, as if possessed by a ghost. Her disheveled hair and haggard face. The formation hovering above her head felt out of place, but it was certainly a familiar sight to Lennok.

‘Olivera…’

[She’s truly a stubborn organic entity, isn’t she?]

Lennok, who had long realized who the ‘proxy’ Olivera mentioned was, gave a wry smile, and even Davi clicked her tongue in disgust. Gileon also showed a complex expression upon seeing her face.

“Peshia. What on earth have you been doing, wandering around all this time?”

Deadrise General. Level 8 Spearmaster. Successor to the Ancestral Spirit. Ghost Princess Peshia Grisbern. The Level 8 superhuman who had been defeated in a duel against Lennok and handed over to Olivera. Olivera hadn’t chosen her proxy from among the board of directors. Instead, she had conspicuously made Peshia Grisbern, whom Lennok had captured and handed over to her through their deal, attend this meeting as her proxy.

“Given your personality, you’d be more likely to snatch someone else’s meal than go hungry.”

Gileon fiddled with his scabbard and asked.

“Did you escape after being locked up in some prison for a few months?”

“Ptui!! None of your damn business, old geezer.”

Peshia spat out a blood-laced glob, glaring with wide eyes as she retorted.

“And what business does a dying blind man like you have coming to a summit like this?”

“Listen, you. I’m the one who taught swordsmanship to that young master you dote on.”

Gileon sighed softly.

“Even Song-ha, that scrawny brat, I raised by beating him. You truly are unreasonable.”

“Shut up. You damn traitor…!!”

Peshia erupted at his calm reply.

“You, who stood against Lord Bajour during the civil war, what nerve do you have to speak like this?!”

“……”

“I never liked you. Your phony hypocrisy grated on me, and I wanted to kill you for it!!”

“It was an era of war, Peshia.”

Gileon calmly spoke, responding to Peshia’s frantic shouts even as she coughed up blood.

“Kaiser and I both knew we couldn’t always be on the same side. Even knowing that, we interacted and simply strived to improve ourselves.”

Gileon looked at the trembling Peshia and offered a wry smile.

“However, it’s surprising that you felt I would eventually stand opposite him. Indeed, among those who followed Kaiser, your intuition was particularly sharp.”

“You son of a bitch…!!”

“But I never imagined you’d reach Level 8 in such a way. I thought you had a violent streak, but to think you’d overcome your limits by being consumed by your killing intent.”

Peshia frothed at Gileon’s answer, which he didn’t bother to deny, but Gileon looked at her with pity.

“For you, of all people, to achieve something noteworthy even among Kaiser’s pawns. The human heart truly is complex and mysterious.”

“……!!”

With a conflicted expression, Gileon slowly raised his scabbard and sighed.

“Does a standard for right and wrong truly not exist in this world? It is regrettable.”

“Die…”

Peshia muttered in a chilling tone.

“Die, die…!! Just die…!!!”

“To express one’s feelings so honestly is also a rare talent.”

Gileon, gripping his sword with one hand, nodded.

“I will miss you greatly.”

A calm exchange, devoid of even a hint of killing intent. But Peshia was certain that the swordsman would utterly kill her with his next strike. Knowing this, instead of bowing her head, she swallowed the blood and glared at Gileon until the very end. Facing her spirit, Gileon finished drawing his sword from its scabbard without a moment’s hesitation. The moment the slash, imbued with intense vibrations, descended like a guillotine upon Peshia’s nape.

[Step Thunder]

Pale lightning surged as if drawn from behind Gileon, colliding with the falling blade.

CLANG!!! With a violent vibration that threatened to deafen, the slash unleashed by Gileon narrowly missed Peshia’s neck. A blade mark, dozens of meters long, deeply gouged the ground next to where Peshia had fallen, slicing the runway diagonally.

Rumble!!

“Gah…!!”

Peshia, who had tumbled down the slanted runway, cried out in pain, but quickly regained her senses and sharply looked up. Even without feeling any premonition, the afterimage of lightning contained a power that was utterly brutal. She already knew who the owner of this thunder and lightning was. From the moment her personal liberty was seized by Olivera, she had imagined and replayed killing him dozens of times—that very…

“Ah, so you’ve finally emerged.”

Gileon, retracting his blade as if it were nothing, chuckled.

“I knew you were watching from somewhere, but I couldn’t pinpoint your location. Truly a perfect cloaking ability.”

Clack. With just a light step of his staff, a heavy sound echoed, like a bullet being loaded. His life-support system rapidly activated, coursing through his body and observing his blood flow. A wizard with an expressionless face, a pitch-black coat draped over his shoulders, and a cigarette in his mouth.

Gileon, facing the cold, youthful face beneath the flowing black hair, nodded.

“It’s good to meet you, Adamant Thunder. This is our first time meeting face-to-face, isn’t it?”

“……”

“It’s shameless to ask so suddenly, but would you yield the task of dealing with Peshia?”

Gileon let out a hearty laugh and said.

“To fulfill the conditions of the Post-Heaven Eight Trigrams Formation surrounding Etanoc, that child must be killed once.”

“Post-Heaven Eight Trigrams Formation?”

“I will explain it at the summit, but it’s a ritual to inherit Anathema’s innate abilities by taking on one of the eight directional pillars. To satisfy the conditions, one must occupy one of the eight directions and obtain the Eight Trigrams. Since Peshia already occupied this pillar, the right to occupy the Eight Trigrams must be taken from her by force…”

Gileon’s voice, as he spoke, slowly slowed down, then completely stopped.

“Did you say killing the wielder of the Eight Trigrams was the condition for gaining occupation rights?”

Lennok said this, slowly turning his gaze upward. Above Lennok’s head, as he stood with an expressionless face, a massive Eight Trigrams Formation, split into eight branches, was rotating and glowing.

“It’s not bad to settle even past debts clearly.”

“……”

“So, what exactly are Anathema’s innate abilities used for?”