The Dreadful Talent (2)
The Dreadful Talent (2)
Unbelievable.
The necromancer stared at the shadow-woven Domain with trembling eyes, desperately denying reality.
Because if he didn't, he wouldn't be able to endure it.
The despairing certainty that not a single soul could be dragged down with him pierced his chest like a blade.
"No no no no no no no no no—"
His opponent was a Calamity-class Aberration. When he had first discovered the existence of such a monster sealed within the ancient grimoire he had obtained by chance, he had been ecstatic.
His daily life was overrun with mages hunting him down for his crimes. Though he had been lucky enough to survive so far, if he ever encountered a mage of higher rank, his end would be inevitable.
But with this grimoire, he had believed he could bring despair even to those who came to kill him.
Yet this situation was beyond his expectations.
A mage capable of wielding a Domain had come for him?
He had never once imagined that one of those rare existences would drag their weighty presence all the way here just to eliminate a lowly insect like himself.
Amidst his overheated thoughts, the hoarse voice of the old man who had given him the grimoire long ago resurfaced like an auditory hallucination.
'Do not forget. This grimoire contains the sealed existence that once brought chaos to the world. If word of its existence leaks, the Management Bureau will stop at nothing to kill you.'
Hey, old man, weren't you wrong?
If this thing was truly an existence feared even by the Bureau, an Aberration capable of heralding the world's end—then it shouldn't be getting slaughtered so helplessly like this.
Gasping for breath, the necromancer numbly watched as the monstrous king was torn limb from limb beneath the storm of shadows.
[KRRRAAAAAAHHHH!!!]
The maddened king, even amidst the brutal dismemberment that had been ongoing for minutes, maintained a miraculous regeneration rate, its eyes bulging wide.
Those eyes were fixed on Si-woo.
It dragged itself forward, clawing at the blood-soaked ground with regenerated fingers.
Just to get a little closer.
But the darkness composing the Domain had no intention of tolerating such futile resistance.
SKREEEEE—!! SKREEEEE—!!
[KRRRAAAAAAHHHH!!!]
Shadow blades erupted from all directions, dismantling its body without pause. Faster than the king could regenerate. Thoroughly, ensuring their master's satisfaction.
Sway, sway.
The lantern in Si-woo's hand rocked gently from side to side.
The will of Lantern, transmitted to her master.
"Huh? A compliment?"
Sway, sway.
"Not bad."
BUZZZZZZ—!
At Si-woo's acknowledgment, Lantern vibrated intensely, expressing her joy.
As if emboldened by her master's praise, the shadows exuded a grotesque delight, tearing into the king's body with even greater brutality.
[KRRRAAAAAAHHHH!!!]
Though its astonishing regenerative power continuously stitched its flesh back together, it was no match for the hundreds of shadow blades flaying it apart. As the rate of destruction outpaced recovery, the once-massive form of the king was gradually whittled down, losing limbs one by one.
Ha-rin watched the spectacle with gleaming eyes.
'Overwhelming magical firepower. A high-tier Domain.'
A Domain—a secret art only usable by those who have mastered their Unique Magic. As one of the minimum requirements for reaching the 7th Class, the ability to deploy a Domain was a crucial measure of a mage's strength.
There were many mages, and no shortage of talented ones. But no matter how gifted, most would spend their entire lives stuck at the 6th Class.
Yet Si-woo had shattered that cruel statistic and common sense in an instant. A boy she had believed to be of similar age and skill was wielding a magic considered the pinnacle of magecraft with such ease.
"Beautiful..."
Her hazy eyes traced the pure darkness swallowing everything around them.
Her turquoise eyes, shimmering with magic, projected the intricate lattice of spell formations hidden beyond the shadows.
Each one was a dazzling, radiant array beyond her current comprehension.
The constellations of mana, woven together, each held a lethal beauty while maintaining perfect order.
As she lost herself in that wondrous sight, a single question surfaced from the depths of her mind.
Why had he been hiding his strength?
'I want to know.'
A small desire bloomed in Ha-rin's chest.
For the first time in her life, the arrogant young lady who had lived with indifference toward others, believing only in her own nobility, found herself intrigued by another.
And at that very moment, Si-woo was staring at the Aberration with wide eyes.
'Overwhelming.'
The thought that flashed through his mind as he witnessed the merciless violence within the Domain was brief and clear.
The Aberration, which had boasted incredible regeneration, crawled helplessly across the ground. Though it was still restoring its body at a grotesque speed, any limbs it regrew were instantly torn away by the shadows before it could even use them.
'So this is the power of a Domain.'
Si-woo himself had done nothing.
He slowly stroked the lantern in his hand. Lantern, responding to her master's touch, trembled faintly, emitting a pleased resonance.
This Domain was hers.
Though Si-woo barely grasped the concept of Domains, this was anything but ordinary.
If he were to tell others that a magic tool could deploy a Domain, they would surely laugh in his face.
A Domain was the most difficult condition to meet in order to be called an Archmage.
So, logically, how could a mere tool manifest one?
But if that tool was an ancient magic artifact with a will of its own—then it wasn't impossible.
At least in theory.
A treasure of that caliber would be acutely aware of its own worth. Borrowing its power would demand an exorbitant price.
Yet for Si-woo, such restrictions didn't exist.
Lantern demanded no price, no sacrifice.
Only to be loved by him.
BUZZZZZZ—
Lantern, intoxicated by Si-woo's touch, subtly shifted her gaze toward the grimoire floating in the air.
Flutter, flutter—
She blatantly flaunted the fact that she was nestled in her master's palm toward the solitary grimoire. The haughty grimoire, as if disgusted, snapped its pages shut, ignoring Lantern's childish boasting.
Flutter, flutter—
How could you enjoy the touch of such a vulgar human?
Have you abandoned all the dignity of your past?
Yet even as it scolded her, the grimoire's gaze kept flickering toward Si-woo's hand as it affectionately stroked Lantern.
Lantern smirked, mocking the grimoire's hypocrisy.
You enjoyed it too earlier.
I saw you shuddering in his grip.
The grimoire jolted, indignantly denying it.
You lewd wench. Hypocrites like you, pretending to be pure while secretly craving it, are the most pathetic.
Lantern's snickering retort made the grimoire scrunch its pages as if scowling.
Then, as if it no longer wished to engage with Lantern, it slammed its covers shut with a loud snap.
It had officially thrown a tantrum.
But that didn't last long.
"What are you doing? Come here. We're preparing the next attack."
At Si-woo's quiet call, the grimoire flew over and nestled into his other hand as if it had never been upset in the first place.
BUZZZZZZ—
Lantern burst into silent laughter at the sight.
The way the grimoire, which had acted so aloof, now splayed its pages open in Si-woo's grasp was no different from a street harlot.
"Stop trembling and focus. Hold it properly."
Of course, the grimoire found Lantern just as pitiful.
The way she frantically whipped the shadows into shape the moment Si-woo gave an order, all while eyeing his expression—how far had the once-peerless existence fallen?
But Si-woo was oblivious to the fierce and embarrassing battle of pride between the two artifacts.
He was too focused on the monster before him to spare them any attention.
"Load."
At Si-woo's quiet command, the grimoire trembled. A massive, high-density energy gathered before its golden pages.
The Aberration was still alive. Despite being flayed thousands of times within the storm of shadows, it clung to life with beastly instinct, glaring at Si-woo with bloodshot eyes.
But its condition was far from normal. Si-woo judged that now was the time to finish it with a pillar of light.
"Prepare."
He lightly shook the lantern in his other hand, issuing the order.
As Lantern's core pulsed, the shadows drifting within the Domain swiftly formed ranks, cutting off the Aberration's escape.
[KRRRAAAAAAHHHH—!]
The Aberration let out a deafening roar as it beheld the colossal golden energy gathering before Si-woo. Having experienced the attack twice already, it knew full well how deadly it was.
WHOOSH—!
In an instant, the Aberration's body regenerated at an astonishing rate. Even as the shadows continued their assault, it seemed to have been holding back one of its trump cards.
The sight of its wounds vanishing and limbs regrowing was less like regeneration and more like its flesh rewinding time.
[KRRRAAAAAAHHHH!!]
BOOM!
With its body fully restored, the Aberration kicked off the ground as if exploding it, launching itself forward. Having learned that the pillar of light required a brief charging time, it aimed to exploit that split-second opening—spearing toward Si-woo like a bullet to pierce his heart.
But this move had already been anticipated.
"Block."
At Si-woo's command, a massive shadow rose to shield him.
THUD—!
[KRRRAAAAAAHHHH!]
The Aberration, halted by the barrier, swung its arms wildly in a frenzy.
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!
Its razor-sharp claws tore through the shadow's substance, rending it apart. The colossal wall of darkness shielding Si-woo was reduced to tatters in seconds.
Through the gap left by the destroyed barrier, the Aberration's vision locked onto Si-woo's impassive face. Certain of victory, it stretched its elongated arm forward to rip open his abdomen and spill his guts.
But it was too late.
"Fire."
Before its claws could reach him—
A colossal pillar of light engulfed the Aberration.