Chapter 176: For the Sake of a Story Not Yet Known (7)
Chapter 176: For the Sake of a Story Not Yet Known (7)
“Divine Thunder, lightning, flash—strike in an instant!”
Words imbued with power are like a sentence passed upon the world.
Mana boiled around Yandel, the sky stained black, and the roar of thunder—which should not have been heard from all directions—reverberated through the air.
It was a blatant anomaly.
The sight of him bringing the surrounding mana under his absolute control was clearly beyond the limits of a Lower Mage.
Startled, Melonia hurriedly pointed her finger and fired a blast of magic.
It was a Mana Cannon, its power amplified by mixing the Authority of the Evil God with pure vitality. The beam flew forth, emitting a conspicuous pink light, but… Yandel’s final declaration was a fraction faster.
“…Thunder Calling!”
Though his voice wasn't particularly loud, the activation phrase rang out clearly even amidst the incessant growling of the thunder.
As if waiting for that cue, a bolt of lightning struck down from the blackened heavens.
K-boom!
The world was dyed in the pale blue of lightning.
The pink light Melonia had fired was nowhere to be seen.
“This is impossible…”
Melonia’s jaw dropped as she stared at the spot where the thick bolt of lightning had struck.
Indeed, this was something she could not comprehend within the bounds of her common sense.
Awakening to a higher realm in the middle of a battle? It was rare, but it happened occasionally. In a sense, Yandel’s mental fortitude—remaining unshaken by Melonia’s temptation—was even more impressive than his sudden ascension to an Intermediate Magician.
Thus, to Melonia, who had lived a long time and participated in numerous battlefields, Yandel’s awakening should have been nothing more than an interesting spectacle.
After all, what could someone who had just become an Intermediate Magician possibly do?
He was an Intermediate Magician in name only; he knew nothing of intermediate magic. He was an incomplete mage who didn't even know exactly how much stronger he had become.
A magician who cannot use intermediate magic and cannot draw out their maximum potential is not to be feared.
Above all, Melonia was an Archbishop of Ugly Prosperity. Even if her direct combat power was lower than that of other Archbishops, that was no reason to disparage her. Even without using her charms, a mediocre Intermediate Magician or Aura User could never hope to defeat her alone.
Furthermore, did she not currently command a vast horde of monsters?
…And yet, the scene unfolding before her eyes sent a chill down her spine.
Whether his aim was off or he had done it on purpose, the thick bolt of lightning had fallen directly onto Yandel’s own head.
It was so powerful that the Mana Cannon Melonia had fired earlier was caught in the aftershock and evaporated mid-air.
And the place where the lightning struck—that was even more wondrous.
A crater had been gouged out, leaving only the spot where the caster stood untouched. Within that pit, residual electricity crackled incessantly, and the hundreds of monsters that should have been there were now nothing but handfuls of ash drifting through the air.
A single strike.
With just one blow, hundreds of monsters had been turned to dust.
Even if she had intentionally gathered lower-ranked monsters to control as many as possible, they weren't so weak that they should have been annihilated all at once.
This was not magic that could be used by an incomplete mage who had just stepped into the realm of an Intermediate Magician.
No, even a seasoned Intermediate Magician would need thorough preparation to cast a spell of this magnitude. The only ones capable of displaying such power with their own strength alone were those of the Lindelheit family, who strutted about calling themselves a famous magic family…
“Wait…?”
Melonia belatedly recalled the information about Yandel she had received from the Silent Sect.
Hadn't they said he had the surviving daughter of the Lindelheit family as a slave?
“Could it be? No, but that should be impossible…”
The talent of the Lindelheit family was strictly passed down through blood. Even if one inherited the Lindelheit arcana, it would be useless without the bloodline.
But then, how could she explain the man standing in that crater, with blue lightning streaming from his body?
Melonia could not understand.
*
I can’t control the overflowing mana.
I should have cast Thunder Calling when my mana was at less than half…
For some reason, external mana was being rapidly absorbed into my body along with the pumping of my heart.
Blue sparks jumped from my entire body because I couldn't contain it all. I was probably leaking mana light from my eyes as well.
I didn't know if this was a good phenomenon or not, but the result was satisfying. With a single bolt of lightning, I had cleared out all the annoying Fishermen.
Perhaps due to the residual electricity, the black ash drifted in the air instead of settling on the ground. Beyond that, I saw Melonia’s face, frozen in shock.
She must be surprised. I was surprised too.
I glanced toward where Iona was. She didn't seem to be in immediate danger, but she looked quite pressed. I needed to wrap this up quickly and head over there.
Conscious of the sense of omnipotence still lingering in my hands, I reached out.
It was a posture similar to how Melonia had been firing Mana Cannons at me. In a somewhat arrogant gesture, I pointed at my sole remaining enemy… Melonia.
“You!”
Melonia’s face contorted as she immediately realized I was mimicking her. Then, as if wary of the magic I had just shown, she began firing Mana Cannons in rapid succession.
It seemed she didn't quite know what kind of magic Thunder Calling was.
Staring at the incoming beams, I focused my mind on the heated mana and the blackened sky. Then, pouring in a massive chunk of the mana that had been overflowing since earlier, I shouted.
“Strike, Thunder Calling!”
K-boom!
The incoming beams were intercepted by lightning striking from the sky and were erased instantly.
“What…?”
Seeing Melonia’s hollow expression made me feel refreshed, remembering how she had been snickering at me from above.
Thunder Calling.
It’s a spell that creates dark clouds in the sky and then strikes lightning down from them. It’s a hybrid type, half-stationary and half-active; the initial casting consumes a vast amount of mana and time.
However, once cast, you can strike lightning repeatedly by paying a relatively small amount of mana. It’s a spell optimized for what’s called stationary damage. Of course, Thunder Calling has a few issues.
First, you can’t move while maintaining the spell. Second, the recoil is quite violent.
Zap.
Blue current surged over my finger where the mana was concentrated, making it tremble.
“Ha! I knew it! There’s no way you could use magic like that without paying a price!”
“You’re right.”
The staff I used to cast Thunder Calling initially couldn't withstand the overload and turned to ash along with the Fishermen. In the game, it was a spell that rapidly consumed weapon durability and would be canceled once the durability hit zero…
I guess if I keep trying to use it, my body will break.
But it doesn't matter.
“I still have nine more fingers left.”
I just need to take her down within nine shots.
As I curled my lips into a smirk and raised my middle finger, Melonia glared at me venomously.
“…The Church, we misjudged you. We were so focused on which organization was interfering with the Great Plan that we didn't pay enough attention to the individual named Yandel. You’re quite dangerous yourself.”
“Aha? So that’s why you were trying so hard to capture me alive.”
A mysterious young man suddenly appears and repeatedly smashes their secret plans. Naturally, they wouldn't think it was just luck. As I had expected before, they must have thought there was some organization behind me.
The reason Melonia, of all people, came to deal with me, and the reason she persistently targeted only my limbs even after cornering me… It was all to extract information about that supposed organization.
Of course, no such organization exists! Even if it did, it’s just a fledgling group I started a few months ago!
With a smirk, I aimed my raised middle finger at Melonia.
“Unfortunately, I don’t have time to play. Let’s end this quickly.”
“W-wait! I’ll surrender! Don’t you have things you’re curious about? Or… things you want to try…?”
She suddenly began emitting a sweet fragrance and stroking between her legs, so I immediately blasted her with lightning.
“Strike. Thunder Calling!”
“…Why! Why on earth isn't it working?!”
She shouted in frustration as she quickly dodged. Because of that, I unfortunately only broke her shield and failed to hit Melonia herself.
It was fine. I still had plenty of fingers left.
“Thunder Calling! Thunder Calling! Thunder Calling!”
Boom! K-boom! Crash!
Successive bolts of lightning hammered against Melonia’s shield. She must have focused entirely on defense, as she deployed a deep pink shield so thick I couldn't even see inside.
However, it wasn't enough to withstand consecutive lightning strikes.
The first strike cracked it, the second shattered it, and the third hit her directly.
Melonia fell helplessly, as if she had lost consciousness. Looking at her purple hair sprawled on the ground, I used my last thumb to give her one more jolt, just in case.
“Strike, Thunder Calling!”
“…Aaaaaagh!”
So she really was pretending to be dead. Well, vitality is life force, so her life must be as tenacious as a vampire’s.
I had the perfect weapon for a situation like this.
I severed the link with the dark clouds overhead. Instead, I shoved that mana entirely into the dagger in my left hand.
“Force Hand.”
This was the enhanced version of the Force Grab I had been using. Unlike the previous version, which moved linearly, I could move it as freely as if I were swinging it with an actual hand. Above all, I could imbue it with much greater power.
Swooooosh!
Tearing through the air, the Shining Lion Dagger flew and embedded itself directly into Melonia’s heart.
Flash!
A burst of light erupted. That was the end. How could she survive with a fist-sized hole in her chest?
I gave her one more poke just in case, and seeing no reaction, I was certain she was dead.
After staring at Melonia’s corpse for a moment, I retrieved the dagger.
Now, all the obstacles were cleared. All that remained was to head toward the even greater chaos.
I opened and closed my completely useless right hand and my perfectly fine left hand alternately, gauging my strength.
This should be enough.
Though things had turned out differently than planned, this would be enough to reach Iona.