Chapter 924: The Summit (7)
The Eight Trigrams Formation that had been above Peshia Grisbern’s head naturally transferred to Lennok the moment he appeared.
The complex Eight Trigrams Formation, split into eight branches, slowly rotated, emitting a brilliant light.
Hwoooooong!!
The blind man’s expression stiffened slightly as he faced the glowing formation hovering above Lennok’s head.
“There was a rumor that Deadrise’s assault unit clashed with Adamant Thunder and was annihilated, wasn’t there?”
The blind man, toying with his scabbard, asked.
“Since Peshia is alive, it’s clear you didn’t kill her, so how did the formation transfer to you?”
“It’s a matter of where one sets the standard for death.”
Lennok chuckled, looking up at the formation hovering above his head.
“I can guess how it was determined.”
During his battle with Peshia Grisbern, Lennok had captured her by nearly killing her.
Peshia’s body, struck by the Charm of Earth’s Embrace, had been so ravaged that it entered an arbitrary state of suspended animation, pushed beyond its limits.
If that itself was tantamount to Peshia dying once, then it wasn’t strange for the formation to transfer to Lennok.
However, what captivated Lennok’s attention more than ownership was the formation’s ability itself.
‘This power is literally closer to an innate ability than a spellcraft.’
Lennok himself sometimes struggled to control innate abilities that relied heavily on inherent talent or environmental factors.
While his perfected intuition was helpful, his aptitude for handling such powers was, strictly speaking, a different matter entirely.
‘The organic circulation of mana. The auxiliary support for ki was impressive, but what was most helpful was…’
Lennok’s eyes calmly settled as he dropped his Targeted Resistance and directly experienced the formation’s effects on his body.
‘The recovery of mental strength that formed the basis of innate abilities. A power responsible for the harmony and circulation of will-thought. He never imagined such an ability existed.’
Just by circulating the formation, the recovery of mental strength and the augmentation of will-thought were felt so strongly as to be palpable.
Peshia’s explosive display of physical strength using the formation must also have been an attempt through will-thought augmentation.
Even without properly utilizing the innate ability, its mere existence possessed inherent will-thought recovery capabilities.
Was this the result of cultivating and refining innate bloodline, talent, and aptitude over several generations?
It was unbelievably convenient and precise for an innate ability, feeling more like a meticulously adjusted masterpiece that had undergone a long period of refinement.
“I thought as much while observing the hearing, but you truly are an unfathomable individual.”
The blind man, looking at Lennok lost in thought, asked as if he couldn’t comprehend.
“Even though you once took Peshia’s life, are you now trying to save that child, quite the opposite?”
“What does that matter?”
“…”
The blind man shrugged, seemingly at a loss for words, and gripped his scabbard.
“That’s right. For me, the only important thing is to retrieve the formation and bring peace to that child. Do you intend to interfere?”
“Perhaps.”
Lennok looked down at Peshia, who lay collapsed beneath the runway, his face expressionless.
Peshia, sensing his gaze, flinched and then glared at Lennok with fierce eyes.
Only then did Lennok, holding a cigarette in his hand, chuckle and say,
“She seems quite full of will to live.”
“One cannot unilaterally determine how great and strong the hardships and pain of life are.”
Click!
The blind man, Habaek, raising his scabbard at an angle, spoke.
“I am Habaek of the Sihyegeomjong. Your name?”
“Why ask if you already know?”
“Haha, typical of a wizard. You don’t even want to go through the simple pleasantries…!!”
Habaek, the blind man, forced a wry smile and drew his sword.
The moment the blade was revealed, it unleashed a fierce vibration, and a dozen or so bifurcated sword-arcs rained down from above.
Drrrrrrrk!!
A chilling sword strike that not only sliced the runway to pieces but pulverized it on the spot.
But Lennok didn’t even look at the sword strikes pouring down on him; he simply raised his hand.
His fingertip pointed not at the falling slashes, but at the blade that, in that brief moment, aimed for Peshia’s life.
Lightning-type Unique Magic: Property Transformation — Confirmation Bias [Thunder Hollow Sight]
Crrrraaaackle!!!
At that moment, the lightning that surged from Lennok’s fingertip expanded explosively, transforming into a vast cradle of thunderbolts.
The lightning, spread wide in all directions, received and deflected the sword strikes falling from every side.
Claaaaang!!
An unpleasant metallic clanging and snapping sound echoed repeatedly, and Habaek, who had approached Lennok’s very nose, swung the blade in his hand without hesitation.
Hwoooooong!!
He didn’t control the irregular trajectory of the vibrating blade, simply swung and cut with its tremor.
The blade, its power maximized through ultra-vibration, crushed and tore apart Lennok’s shield.
In the instant Habaek’s blade, its trajectory reversed as he lowered his stance with a single staggering step, surged into Lennok’s embrace as if being sucked in.
Lennok extended his hand directly towards the blade.
Vanguard Resonance: Harmonics [Lightning Convergence]
A clash of blade and spell.
The attacks, projected by assembling will-thought and mana, intersected, vertically erupting a powerful shockwave.
Habaek and Lennok’s shadows mingled and crossed, colored by lightning and sword-arc.
The hard asphalt of the runway rippled like water and then shattered into pieces.
Thwoooom!!!
“Urgh!!”
A violent tremor that felt as if Peshia’s entire brain was shaking as she lay collapsed.
Unable to endure the unpleasant sensation of her semicircular canals being paralyzed, she involuntarily vomited.
Wiping away the stomach acid, Peshia laboriously lifted her gaze and opened her eyes wide, as if to tear them open.
“…!!!”
Whoosh!!
Lennok was stopping Habaek’s fiercely vibrating blade with the lightning contained in his fingertips.
“…I’ve heard much about your skill in combat, but this is beyond that.”
Habaek said, looking at the sword halted, enveloped in dazzling lightning.
“Did you cancel out the impact by clashing the blade with the same frequency of vibration?”
The clash between Habaek’s sword, which emitted a peculiar vibration from the moment it was drawn, and the lightning magic, which also vibrated through intense resonance.
Immediately after, the forces emitted by the two interlocked like a key, halting on the spot.
Habaek had recognized that Lennok had neutralized the impact with magic, but he couldn’t immediately grasp how it was possible.
Lennok slowly released the sword-wielding hand and stepped back, saying,
“The sword’s vibration frequency changed depending on the intensity of your will-thought. It seemed to be more for understanding the surrounding terrain than for power.”
“…”
“I simply thought I could stop it if the sword’s vibration was covering unseen blind spots.”
The purpose of the unusually vibrating blade was to serve as equipment replacing Habaek’s sense of sight.
Perhaps the sword itself was a very special artifact.
Lennok, realizing this, forcibly halted the blade’s vibration, temporarily stopping Habaek’s movements.
“That’s an idea no sane person could have. Predicting the changing vibrations of a sword in the middle of combat, and not even creating distance with the intention of canceling it out just before the clash…”
Habaek hesitated, unable to speak, then let out a wry smile and stepped back.
“If you made even the slightest mistake, your organs would be pierced and your insides ruptured. Wasn’t that too reckless a gamble to attempt with an injured body?”
“I have no intention of killing a participant right before the summit.”
Lennok retorted, leaning on his staff.
“Isn’t it enough to just confirm who stands above whom for now?”
“…”
When a swordsman who had reached Level 8 attacked without even using their Miniature Universe, who would think they were giving it their all?
There was no reason to take reckless risks when the purpose of the summit had not yet been achieved.
Lennok had known from the start that Habaek had no intention of a life-or-death battle here.
Habaek, momentarily speechless, couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
“Yes, on that point, I concede. I’d heard you were mad for battle, but I never imagined you were someone who enjoyed such reckless tightrope walking.”
Click.
Habaek muttered as he sheathed his blade.
“I’ve met many prodigies, but a wizard as insane as you will probably never appear again. For now, I’ll be satisfied with this.”
The blind man, with his scabbard fastened to his waist, turned away without reluctance.
He lifted his face with sunken eyes towards the night sky and spoke as if he could see time itself.
“It’s time. As you said, don’t be late if you want to attend the summit.”
“…”
With those words, Habaek’s presence vanished in an instant.
Only then did Lennok lean on his staff and turn his gaze towards the fallen Peshia.
Peshia, her face covered in blood, struggled to wipe it away and stumbled to her feet.
She looked at Lennok, her eyes wide and bloodshot.
“…Ad-Adamant Thunder.”
“Long time no see, Peshia Grisbern.”
Lennok scoffed.
He knew Olivera Ron Maize’s tastes and ideas had odd aspects that even Lennok found difficult to understand.
But he never imagined she would send a Deadrise general, whom he had captured and handed over, as her delegate for the summit.
No, strictly speaking, it didn’t violate the summit’s procedures or regulations.
Although her hierarchy had fallen due to her battle with Lennok, Peshia Grisbern was, by all accounts, a superhuman who had once experienced transcending hierarchy.
She was by no means so foolish as to lack qualifications to attend the summit or be expelled by a siege barrier.
If anything, Olivera’s cunning in forcing Peshia to attend the summit as her delegate was more astonishing.
“You’ve lost half your face, so I wonder how well you’ve been eating and sleeping. Seems you’ve had it easy in Olivera’s care.”
“You, because of… I…!!!”
Peshia’s body was literally gaunt and emaciated, making it clear at a glance that she was not in good condition.
This was proof that she hadn’t received good treatment even after Lennok had driven her into suspended animation and handed her over to Olivera.
At Lennok’s blatant sarcasm, Peshia gritted her teeth and tried to charge, but then tripped over her own feet and fell.
Thud!
Lennok laughed, looking down at Peshia, who was prostrate at his feet.
“What, do you want to take revenge with that broken body?”
“…!!”
Peshia’s helpless defeat against Habaek was not for any other reason.
Aside from not receiving proper care after being handed over to Olivera, her hierarchy had been shattered when her desperate gamble in the battle with Lennok failed.
Peshia herself must have known that, yet she still charged at Habaek, showing that her nature of throwing herself into battle without restraint remained unchanged, then as now.
“Stop being pathetic and get up. You’re supposed to attend the summit as Olivera’s delegate, aren’t you?”
Lennok said this and pulled a large ampoule from his pocket.
He pressed a button, and a long needle emerged, which he plunged into Peshia’s back as she lay fallen.
Whoosh!!
Peshia’s body convulsed violently as if struck by an electric shock, and an incredibly loud scream burst forth.
“K-Kkkk-aah…!!!”
“It’s my first time using it directly, but the effect is quite good.”
“F-fuck…!! What, what did you…!!!”
It was a pain so intense that even Peshia, who had braved countless life-and-death situations while gaining notoriety on the Central Front, couldn’t endure it.
As Peshia twisted and spasmed, Lennok tossed the empty ampoule in front of her eyes.
Clink!
“Spinal Nerve Stimulant. It’s an item that forcibly stimulates damaged nerves to temporarily improve one’s condition. It’s perfectly suited for your predicament.”
“Sh-shut up…!!! I don’t need it!!”
“To maximize the effect, they say you have to inject it without painkillers to revive the senses. Seeing your state, that seems credible.”
“Haaah, haaah!!!”
True to his words, had the medicine taken effect immediately? Peshia, drenched in cold sweat, slowly pushed herself up with both arms.
“Ughhh!! Arghhh…!!”
Her eyes were bloodshot, and blood streamed from between her gritted teeth.
Had she managed to get up by enduring the excruciating pain gripping her spine in that brief moment?
Lennok secretly admired Peshia’s extraordinary venom, but he felt no pity for her.
She was a superhuman who had attempted to turn Tatiana’s fellow wizards into human sacrifices to create artificial satellites for Deadrise.
Her very nature was cruel, and she was a soldier who treated no one outside of Deadrise as human.
Though they had finished a life-or-death battle and reached a conclusion, Lennok felt no sentiment towards Peshia now, other than viewing her as a useful tool.
“Time is short, let’s move. You have a task to perform on Olivera’s behalf at the summit.”
“Hoo, hoo…”
Peshia, breathing roughly, picked up her spear with trembling hands and muttered,
“Someday, I’ll definitely kill you…”
“To be able to say that even now is a talent, I suppose.”
What the blind man Habaek had said about Peshia wasn’t wrong.
“What deal did you make with Olivera?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“I need to confirm what Geas has been placed. I don’t want my work interfered with.”
“So, I said it’s none of my—”
“Tell me. We need to be on the same page while the summit is in progress.”
At Lennok’s cold gaze, Olivera flinched, then gritted her teeth.
Realizing she involuntarily cowered at just a glance, did she grow even more resentful of that fact?
Peshia bit her lip, bowed her head, and quietly answered,
“…No pre-emptive strike. A binding has been placed that forbids fighting except for self-preservation. My broken hierarchy was put down as collateral.”
“And yet you fought that blind man Habaek just now?”
“That old geezer drew his sword first. He’d secretly wanted to kill me all along.”
A hidden sneer could be heard in Peshia’s voice.
“Unlike Song-ha, he disapproved of me for having no achievement in swordsmanship. He never cared about the formation in the first place; he just used it as an excuse.”
“He was Ethan Bajour’s swordsmanship master, wasn’t he…”
The founding of the mega-city Vulcan. The massive civil war fought for its existence.
Before that war-like conflict, did superhumans from the ‘light’ and ‘dark’ periodically interact and get to know each other?
No, back then, the very concepts of ‘light’ and ‘dark’ probably didn’t even exist.
Lennok thought so and immediately began walking towards the center of Etanoc.
Peshia, despite her fierce threats, couldn’t attack Lennok and meekly followed him.
Kwoooong!!
At that moment, a thunderous roar, as if a heart had plummeted, echoed, and the sky of the satellite city began to change color.
The dark, star-filled night sky soon distorted into a colorless, grayish hue.
The colors, spreading like paint across the sky, instantly formed a hemispherical dome.
Peshia’s expression changed slightly at the sight.
“That’s the Siege Barrier Olivera mentioned. Once it’s complete, entry to the ritual hall will be impossible.”
“A Siege Barrier, is it…”
Habaek had vanished unusually hastily; it seemed the time had already struck midnight.
“It’s a barrier much stronger when constructed internally rather than externally, and it’s a spell formation directly designed by 8-level Peak-level Sorcerers. Once it’s completed, forcibly entering will be difficult.”
Peshia’s face twisted into a crooked sneer as she looked at the Siege Barrier.
“It wouldn’t be bad to spite that woman by not attending the summit.”
“…That’s ridiculous. Are you saying penalties don’t matter to you now?”
If Olivera had made attendance at the summit a condition, the penalty for violating it would surely be considerable.
Peshia, however, seemed more pleased that things weren’t going Olivera’s way.
“Don’t worry, you won’t fail to enter the ritual hall.”
“Who said I was worried—”
“If it’s a barrier so clearly visible, interfering with its construction for a moment isn’t difficult.”
“…What?”
Ignoring Peshia’s retort, Lennok channeled his mana, and the formation rotating behind his back began to flash with intense light.
Hwoooooong!!!
With the formation aiding in the recovery and augmentation of will-thought and supporting mental strength, reckless actions that heavily consumed will-thought were now permissible.
And when it came to the strength and interference of will, Lennok was aware that he possessed aspects that surpassed even Ascendants.
The moment he slowly rotated his hand, outstretched towards the sky.
Creak-creak-creak…!!
Along with an unpleasant creaking sound, as if from a gate’s hinge, the hemispherical barrier abruptly halted.
A bizarre sight: the Siege Barrier, which was completing its construction, was forcibly stopped as if time itself had been rewound.
Lennok looked at it and lowered his hand.
“Done. Let’s go.”
“…You’re showing off your power crudely. Did you just shove your will-thought into it to forcibly delay the barrier’s construction?”
“More accurately, I adjusted the barrier’s properties to push back its completion time.”
Lennok answered Peshia’s bewildered question and resumed walking.
“This only interferes with the construction, so I can’t stop it for long. It would be possible if I were to completely dismantle the barrier, though.”
“…”
Peshia, instead of scoffing at Lennok’s casual explanation, pressed her lips together with a complicated expression.
As a general of Deadrise, she was not a superhuman with limited insight or experience.
Rather, it was because she had realized just how absurdly unreasonable what Lennok had just done was.
Walking below the Siege Barrier, which had halted just before closing, Lennok immediately headed towards the underground ritual hall.
A spiraling ramp leading underground, located near the plaza in the center of Etanoc.
“Good interior design.”
“There’s nothing praiseworthy about the aesthetics. What are you looking at?”
“Can you not see this delicate design structure that prioritizes the user? You have no discernment.”
“…?”
Lennok descended the ramp with Peshia, who was uncharacteristically bewildered.
Grotesque monsters, no longer human in form, were carved into the ramp walls.
As they descended further, the ramp widened, and the content of the carved murals grew more bizarre.
Human figures gradually appeared in the murals, which were initially filled with monsters that had shed their human forms.
The monsters devoured humans, flayed human skin, and offered their bodies as sacrifices on altars.
The entire grotesque human sacrifice ritual was depicted without any reservation.
It was clear that this place was formerly an abandoned ritual hall used for human sacrifices.
Peshia even let out a low snort, seemingly disgusted.
Thud!!
The end of the mural that continued along the ramp.
Grotesque monsters knelt, repeatedly worshipping towards the end of the mural.
Turning his gaze towards the direction where the monsters bowed their heads, the grand spectacle of the ritual hall was revealed.
Whoosh!!
The center of the ritual hall was raised, processed into a massive altar.
Each time the central altar rotated, peculiar statues emerged one by one from all directions.
Kwoooong!!
Superhumans stood atop those bizarre statues, looking down at the altar from all sides.
Some wore strange, unreadable smiles.
Some had expressionless or hostile gazes.
Some paid no mind to Lennok, engrossed in snacking.
Far from fearing or being overwhelmed by Lennok, some openly observed or scrutinized him.
This was unspoken proof that everyone gathered here had reached a similar realm as Lennok.
“…”
Peshia scowled with a displeased expression, feeling like a spectacle, and the other attendees gradually turned their gazes.
[You’re late, Adamant Thunder.]
Olinic, seated on a statue to the left of the altar, leisurely raised his hand and spoke.
[But you were lucky. There was a problem with the Siege Barrier, which delayed its construction. If the barrier had been completed, you wouldn’t have been able to enter in the first place—]
“I stopped the barrier.”
Lennok replied.
“The barrier was closing as I tried to enter the summit, so I briefly held it in place.”
[…Hmm?]
Olinic cocked his head, momentarily failing to grasp his words, and the other superhumans’ gazes sharpened in an instant.
Lennok, explaining it casually, snapped his fingers.
“I acquired a useful innate ability on the way here. If you want a demonstration—”
Flash!!
Lennok, with a colossal formation floating like a halo behind his back, looked up at the attendees.
As the other attendees’ complexions subtly shifted at the appearance of the formation.
A gigantic divine idol surged from beneath Lennok’s feet, instantly rising above the other participants.
A monstrous demonic idol, boasting a size one dimension greater than the peculiar statues existing in the ritual hall.
Kwoooong!!!
In the instant others realized it was the result of Lennok forcibly adjusting the ritual hall’s terrain using the formation’s will-thought enhancement.
Lennok nodded with a satisfied smile.
“Now the eye-level is about right. My neck was starting to hurt from looking up.”
“…”
Ignoring the sharp gazes from all directions, Lennok nodded and said,
“Then, shall we begin the summit now?”