Chapter 988: Central Front Border Zone (5)
A gigantic crater etched into the middle of a vast prairie, with a massive body steaming at its center.
A monster clothed in rock-thick full plate armor, constantly breathing out mana as it exhaled.
Gray light scattered across the night sky, and steam escaped from between its bushy beard.
Boom!!
With each slow, deep breath it took and each step it lifted, the surrounding air felt unnaturally heavy.
This was because the superhuman’s aura, heavy and rotating, constantly emanated will-thought.
A miraculous technique only possible for an 8th-level physical ability user, capable of seizing and dominating space with their mere presence and will.
The search party’s faces immediately hardened into pallid masks as soon as they saw the man.
“Is that Lieutenant General Roberaid…!!”
“Unbelievable. Why is such a unique eccentric, unrivaled even within the legion, here…!!”
The search party, which had been fighting without falling behind even against the legion’s assault units, was visibly shaken just by facing the Lieutenant General.
But Lennok could, to some extent, empathize with the search party members’ reactions.
The announcement that had echoed just before that man descended from the airship.
Even the desperate movements of the assault unit, trying to distance themselves from the drop zone while burning alive in lava.
It was clear that the leader of Deadrise’s Third Legion, the Legion Commander himself, had arrived on this battlefield.
Lieutenant General Roberaid.
Was this man, who exhaled a heavy pressure as massive as a boulder, truly one of the Legion’s highest-ranking generals?
Click!!
Lennok, raising his Combustion Armament with both hands, spoke.
“Gateway Search Party. I’ll buy you time, retreat to the Gateway.”
“Mister Evan!”
“If you run all night from here, you should reach the Gateway.”
Lennok turned to the astonished members, his face expressionless, and said.
“From here on, you’ll only be in the way. I’ll handle it now.”
“But…!!”
“You exert yourself so much for a search party you’ve only been with for a few days.”
Roberaid, who had stomped forward, his heavy armor creaking, his eyes glinted at Lennok’s words.
“You’re more compassionate than the reports suggested. But that won’t do. A superior must be able to coldly calculate even the lives of their subordinates.”
“Your own actions, appearing on the battlefield as a Legion Commander, don’t seem very cold-headed.”
Hiss!!
Lennok stepped onto the lava lake, clutching his Combustion Armament in one hand, and spoke.
Lennok hadn’t blocked Lieutenant General Roberaid out of goodwill towards the search party, after all.
“I also have business at the first Gateway. I have no intention of letting the search party be annihilated here.”
To enter the Gateway without drawing the suspicion of the Conjunction Spell Master, the cooperation of the search party was indispensable.
Even if he hadn’t spent three days with them, Lennok felt it necessary at this point to prevent the Legion’s intervention and safely send them back to the Gateway.
Facing the steam-emitting armored warrior, Lennok puffed hard on his cigar.
“Isn’t the Legion’s great cause you speak of, ultimately, just a means to an end?”
“Your tongue is sharp. But that question is mistaken.”
Click!!
As Roberaid pulled one hand and drew up mana, the gaps in the armor on his arm opened, emitting light.
It seemed as if the condensed mana and heat within the armor were forcibly expelled, unable to be contained.
Kiiiiiiing…!!
“I don’t believe the Legion is justice. I merely believe the Legion’s methods are the only alternative.”
Roberaid spoke, his face shadowed by the mana light flashing beneath his arm.
“I am here to impose the methods I have chosen upon others. And I am prepared to lead the way in practicing that belief more than anyone.”
“…”
“You are a brilliant individual, so you will understand. On the journey to Ars Nova, vague answers will never reach the very end.”
Crack…!!
At that moment, Roberaid’s massive body sank deep into the ground.
A chilling and oppressive presence, as if greatly increasing his own weight.
As he lowered his stance deeply, veins bulged on the Lieutenant General’s forehead.
“Decide now, Evan Martinez! Will you be the Legion’s spear, or the Legion’s enemy?!”
“My apologies. Extreme dualism isn’t to my taste.”
Lennok smiled.
“Shall we start by draining some of that heat from your head?”
“Hahahahahaha!!!”
CRACK!!
Roberaid, his heavy armor steaming and shaking, laughed maniacally as he clenched his fist and drew up mana.
Lennok immediately sensed the prelude and slammed his Ignition Device vertically into the ground.
“Yi-cheon. Geum-gang. Bu-dong.”
Instantly, three layers of grand barriers unfolded around the Ignition Device, protecting Lennok and soaring upwards.
This was the barrier spellcraft directly inherited from Jindun in the Hanghasa Labyrinth.
A manifestation spellcraft that constructs three types of Stopping Wheel Barriers, specialized in defense and harmony, by uttering incantation words.
The ultimate secret of barriers, now freely deployed by Lennok’s own will, a barrier spellcraft directly inherited from an Ascendant.
The moment the opaque three-layered barriers enveloped and blocked Lennok’s body, Roberaid also moved.
Roberaid’s single punch, his heavy armor creaking as he rotated his shoulder, vanished from sight and directly struck the barrier.
CRAAAASSHHHH!!!!
Shockwaves erupted to either side, tearing across the lava lake and exploding.
The intensely heated air and flames boiled and raged incessantly, soaring skyward and twisting.
RUMBLERUMBLERUMBLE!!!
The ground shook violently as if in an earthquake, intensifying the vibrations, and even the airship floating above swayed.
Such was the incredibly powerful and destructive output, hard to believe it was an attack swung by merely shifting his stance in place.
Even Lennok’s face hardened for a moment at the unrealistic explosive power.
‘What kind of power…!’
It wasn’t a unique technique or ability; it was simply an absurd level of brute strength.
Proof that the physical abilities of Roberaid, Deadrise’s Third Legion Commander, had truly reached a transcendent level.
Screechhhh…!!
Between his tightly clenched steel fists, space twisted, emitting an ear-splitting noise.
The moment Roberaid’s eyebrows twitched, seeing his fist pressed against the barrier as if spacetime had stopped.
Click!!
Lennok activated the Ignition Device and thrust it before Roberaid’s eyes, muttering coldly.
“My turn.”
“No!!”
At that instant, Roberaid drew up even more intense mana, twisting his shoulder.
“It’s not over yet!!”
CRACK!
A brute force technique that twisted the direction of the punch, which had been blocked by the barrier, with pure strength.
But even the recoil exerted on his body was fully absorbed by his heavy armor and converted into a new physical force.
Shockwaves scattered from Roberaid’s shoulder grazed the barrier diagonally, piercing through the Steel Turtle of Fiery Breath, which had been incessantly spewing lava.
KWWAAANG!!!!
[GROOOOOOAAAAARRR!!!]
The Steel Turtle of Fiery Breath’s sturdy shell split in half, and crimson flames poured out like blood from within.
Lava cascaded like a waterfall onto the back of the fire turtle, which collapsed with a tragic scream.
KUGWA-GWA-GWA-GWA!!!
The lava wave instantly swept across the ground, surging towards the positions where Lennok and Roberaid stood.
Lennok, riding atop the flowing lava, glared at the Lieutenant General with cold eyes.
“There’s a limit to how strong you can be. Breaking the Steel Turtle of Fiery Breath’s shell?”
“That turtle. It’s been persistently targeting the airship.”
Roberaid said, slowly rotating his shoulder and exhaling steam.
“You might have intended to hold me off and intercept the airship, but that won’t happen.”
“…”
“With this, your supply of lava, which you used as power, will also become much more difficult than before.”
Did he change his judgment to redirect his remaining power, which had been blocked by the Stopping Wheel Barrier, to target the summoned creature?
Roberaid had seen through Lennok’s summoned Steel Turtle of Fiery Breath, realizing it was not only restraining the airship but also continuously supplying lava to the battlefield.
“A defensive barrier that specifically nullifies physical forces. Its perfection is astonishing, but it can’t be a power usable without any conditions.”
Click!!
Roberaid raised a hand, pointing at the barrier protecting Lennok’s body, and spoke in a deep, heavy voice.
“If it’s a power that forcibly nullifies physical forces, there must be a condition that the caster themselves cannot move from the spot where the barrier is deployed.”
CRACK!
Roberaid slammed one hand into the ground and clenched it, causing cracks to spread from his fingers across the surface.
The Legion Commander, who could create earthquakes by gripping and shaking the ground with only his hand strength, drew up mana and roared.
“Then, I just need to change the environment so you can’t stay put…!!”
KWWAAANG!!
The ground, cracked by his five fingers, completely split apart and collapsed beneath Lennok’s feet.
As Lennok, clutching the Ignition Device, moved, the Stopping Wheel Barrier deactivated.
Roberaid charged forward at an incredible speed, traversing the collapsing ground.
KUGWA-GWA-GWA!!!
Lennok, matching his speed, aimed the muzzle of his Ignition Device and drew up mana.
Fire-attribute unique magic.
Property Transformation: Rebound Summation.
KUOOOOHHHH!!!
The lava burning beneath their feet began to gather and compress before the Ignition Device.
The sphere of hot lava was compressed and densified to its extreme, soon turning into a dark-red orb.
[Hwashimgoe]
[Juntan]
Hundreds of fiery rays burst from within the orb, painting the dark night sky.
DUDUDUDUDUDU!!!
“OOOOOOOHHHH!!!”
Roberaid, taking the machine-gun-like fire bullets with his full plate armor, charged relentlessly.
He parried the surging lava with pieces of airship wreckage and deflected the erupting pillars of fire by tearing and shattering the ground.
“All forces! Follow me!!!”
KWWAAANG!!!
Roberaid, running across the ground and lava, roared as he unleashed dozens of shockwaves beneath his feet.
“As always, I, Roberaid, will lead the way!!!”
“WAAAHHHHHHH!!!”
At the deafening roar that echoed across the battlefield, the assault unit soldiers, who had been slaughtered helplessly by Lennok’s flames, reformed their ranks.
As Lennok turned to look at them, Roberaid’s massive body, descending at supersonic speed, slammed directly into Lennok.
KWWAAANG!!!
As the wave of fire rotated, Lennok’s body spun to the left, as if bounced.
He accelerated using his flame wings as propulsion, gaining distance, but Roberaid did not miss the moment.
[Jurasal]
“CRUSH!!”
KWWAAANG!!!
Lennok’s and Roberaid’s bodies leaped dozens of meters, crossing paths.
Flame wings flickered, increasing speed, and the Ignition Device rotated, continuously spewing flames.
But Roberaid ruthlessly broke through, grabbing and crushing all the incoming fire with both hands.
His heavy armor was scorched, and its joints creaked, yet he endured with a toughness that absorbed every scar.
“That valor, surviving a head-to-head battle with Vulcan’s Adamant Thunder!!”
Hiss!!
Roberaid’s eyes gleamed as he extinguished the burning flames with his bare hands.
“Indeed, if I defeat you, I can gauge what level that great wizard’s power has reached.”
“You seem very curious about Adamant Thunder.”
“Indeed. Unlike me, the Legion Command is moving to designate that mad wizard as Vulcan’s greatest threat.”
RUMBLE!!
Simply by lightly stomping the ground, Lieutenant General Roberaid’s presence seemed to multiply by dozens of times.
As Lennok frowned at the absurd pressure, Roberaid spoke in an endlessly heavy and ponderous voice.
“So, I will defeat you here and make my will known to the Command.”
Hiss-shhh!!
Violent steam erupted from the back of his armor, relentlessly pushing his massive body up onto the crater.
The moment he stepped forward, the ground beneath him sank, unable to bear the weight, and collapsed.
Roberaid’s will-thought explosively burst forth, enveloping his entire body.
Inner World Miniature Universe.
Mind Imprint activation.
[Cheon-dun]
[Twelve-Thousand-Three-Hundred Catty Pull]
A ripple, perpendicular to the ground, instantly expanded dozens of meters.
Roberaid’s body, grown impossibly heavy, twisted and spun, bending gravity and space in place.
Simultaneously with the illusion of space warping and distorting around them, a shockwave unleashed by Roberaid swept across the horizon.
KWWAAANGGGGG!!!!
“……!!”
Lennok’s violently shaking body barely flickered, activating his movements.
Lennok, who had tumbled as if flung through the shockwave, propped himself up with the Ignition Device.
“Huuugh…!!”
As he exhaled a heavy breath and looked up, the heavy armor, pressing down on the ground, shimmered in the distance, approaching.
Thump!!
Remarkable durability, maintaining combat effectiveness even after taking superheated fire magic to the body.
Unrealistic monstrous strength that was almost too much to handle, and keen judgment cultivated through long experience.
But what truly made Roberaid strong was the explosive power with which he combined and unleashed all those abilities in an instant.
An overwhelming assault, pushing his entire body to its limits, relying on his tremendous monstrous strength and comparable durability to unleash it.
That alone was enough to take Lennok’s unleashed spellcraft without suffering any truly effective hits.
It was clear that he was receiving assistance from that steam-emitting heavy armor to exert his full power.
But the speed he achieved by weaponizing his monstrous strength was truly comparable to Croken Asylus.
This was the might of Deadrise’s Legion Commander. The power of a Lieutenant General leading an entire legion.
“You survived my Cheon-dun even after taking it to that extent…!!”
Whoooosh…!!
Roberaid, exhaling steam from between his heavy armor, muttered, unable to conceal his admiration.
The Legion Commander slowly raised his hand, glaring at Lennok with a hardened expression, as if to devour him.
“I wish to place your talent and reputation, even your death, beneath the Legion’s banner…!”
“I don’t quite understand what nonsense you’re spouting. To be honest, I don’t even want to.”
Through the array mechanism installed on his arm, he expelled all the accumulated heat from his body.
The sheer heat alone caused the ground beneath Lennok’s feet to burn and evaporate, emitting acrid smoke.
“However, I do know one thing.”
Thump!!
Lennok set the heavy Ignition Device aside and clasped his hands together, then lowered his arms, speaking.
“Your Miniature Universe. It’s probably an ability to freely control your body weight, isn’t it?”
Hiss!!
As he lightly rubbed his hands together, a sound like flint being struck echoed.
Lennok closed his eyes, gazing at the flames generated by the friction of mana within his hands.
“It’s not a power that arbitrarily changes mass. To be precise… it’s a power that changes the intensity of gravity applied to yourself.”
Roberaid possessed unbelievable monstrous strength and durability, but he wasn’t exceptionally agile.
That was probably because his monstrous strength was, from the start, a result of maximizing his body weight.
“You endure the recoil of increased weight through the heavy armor and expel it in the form of steam. The reason your body seemed so massive was likely because you left space within the heavy armor to absorb impact.”
The Steel Turtle of Fiery Breath that Lennok summoned was a summoned creature with the ability to convert impact applied to it into power and unleash it.
But Roberaid, upon seeing the Steel Turtle of Fiery Breath, immediately launched a preemptive strike and shattered half of its shell.
This was possible because Roberaid’s power and ability were similar in principle to that of the Steel Turtle of Fiery Breath.
Wasn’t it because the steam-emitting heavy armor he wore possessed the ability to convert recoil applied to him into power?
Lennok watched Roberaid steadily approaching from afar and spoke.
“Let’s smash that armor first, then we can talk.”
“Good. Do it if you can.”
Roberaid smirked, clashing his fists together.
Shockwaves surged along his thick steel gauntlets, pushing the blazing flames far away.
“Before I claim both your life and the search party’s on this battlefield!!!”
KWWAAANG!!!
Roberaid, having inflated his body weight hundreds of times over, pushed off the ground, and his solid metallic body shot forward, flying low over the surface.
A body slam that launched a multi-ton mass at subsonic speed, impacting head-on.
Its sheer physical force far surpassed missiles or artillery shells in destructive power.
The repercussions alone tore up the ground and caused it to shake madly, making it impossible to receive the attack with a Stopping Wheel Barrier as before.
But Lennok, knowing that fact, remained focused, his hands clasped together.
Unlimited fire magic was something he could endure due to his durability and fire resistance.
Yet, despite that, the immense stamina that allowed him to maintain combat power and concentration.
Above all, the existence of that incredibly tough armor, which endured even after so much heat was poured onto it without melting.
Indeed, his opponent was a transcendent powerhouse. A monster that couldn’t be taken lightly.
Thinking that far, Lennok softly exhaled and raised a hand.
‘Using the Crimson Star System… that won’t work after all.’
The secret art Evan Martinez had obtained, the Crimson Star System, was an amplifier that used the mana core as raw material.
Once activated, just like in Vulcan, it couldn’t be stopped until it was completely burned out.
If he used the Crimson Star System before even reaching the Gateway, the operation would fail without even being able to enter the Gateway.
More importantly, considering the Conjunction Spell Master, he needed to conserve it here.
What Lennok needed to use now was the new [spark] he had obtained through this incident.
Thinking that far, Lennok brought one hand to his mouth.
SLASH!!
A wound opened between his palms, and blood dripped from his grasp.
The falling drops of blood instantly ignited, transforming into black-green flames.
Lennok aimed the black-green flames climbing up his left hand towards Roberaid and whispered.
“Hellfire Illusion Palace. Initiate.”
Flare…!!
At that moment, something slowly began to open its eyes from within the hellfire that bloomed from his fingertips.