Manhunt in Progress (1)
My beloved wife, the being more precious than my own life. There could be no peace between me and those who'd dared to touch Shin-nim. At the very least, I'd blow off an arm or a leg. And if they refused? I'd rain down punishment that surpassed even death.
But first.
My reason was hanging by a thread, but I still had work to do. I spread my mana first, erecting a powerful gyeol-gye over the entire area. A barrier that warped space itself. Civilians were expelled outward, leaving only the mages behind.
"You called?!"
I boiled up my mana alongside his, summoning Do-cheol. He must've sensed the dire atmosphere too—his energy was dialed up to max. Proper behavior for a subordinate, I suppose.
"Two people will come out this door soon. Guard them with your life."
"Got it! Not a single hair out of place!"
Do-cheol immediately threw up a shield, and with that, all preparations were complete. I loosened up lightly and got ready for battle.
"If you want to keep your lives, don't resist. I'm dead serious."
"...."
Deep-sea energy was leaking from me in waves. My emotions were running high, making it hard to control my power.
[Rumble...]
Storm clouds gathered in the sky, thunder roared, and a downpour hammered down. Water rose to my ankles. It was rainwater from the clouds, but every drop was seawater.
"...What the hell are you?"
"The husband of the goddess you insulted."
The other mages trembled in fear, but their leader held his ground. Still baring his teeth. Was this bravery or stupidity?
"Nonsense! A goddess wouldn't pair with a human!"
"Hah."
"Don't waver at this fool's lies! Unite our power, and we can take him!"
Now I saw—he was just an idiot. Even stating facts, he wouldn't believe them, blinded by arrogance. But his strength was real; his mages followed his orders and prepared for combat.
[Flames! Incinerate the enemy!]
[Lightning! Strike down!]
[Winds! Rend and tear!]
Dozens of spells lit up the air. Mages who'd forsaken physical enhancement for pure magic. Each one packed bomb-level power, perfectly chained together. Mid-tier Legend ranks would've dropped like flies.
[Groooar...!]
I burst my wrists with mana, spraying out massive blood. The ground stained red as tentacles summoned from a giant magic circle. Overinvestment of energy, sure—but this was the largest I'd ever called.
[Groooaaarrr...!!!]
Each leg dwarfed a small building. Towering tentacles whipped through the sky, smashing or deflecting every incoming spell.
"Barrier...!"
"No time for defense! Scatter!"
"Gaaahhh!"
Now it was our turn to attack. The tentacles—eight legs strong—smashed everything in range. Earth flipped, buildings crumbled. Those who'd half-assed their barriers went down; only the quick escapers survived.
"About half, huh."
True to form for nimble mages. They boosted speed with mana, flew into the sky, teleported—anything to escape the tentacles' reach.
Now I had to chase them. Annoying, but I burst my other wrist too.
"Deep-sea soldiers, come forth and annihilate his enemies."
The Punisher from my fight with the Chaos leader—summoning it again after so long. Two this time. Heavy blood cost, but worth it.
"Catch them all. Kill if they resist."
[Kroooar!!]
[Krawk! Kraaw!]
The pair cleaved through the seawater and sped off. They'd crush those fleeing mages like bugs. Time for me to enjoy the main course.
I approached the leader, who'd fled farthest to a building rooftop.
"How's it feel getting owned by a demon god's minion?"
"...."
"I'd kill myself from the shame."
I tossed a joke at his blank face. Not entirely a joke—I planned to make it real.
"Hahaha!"
"Finally lost it?"
I gave him a moment to consider suicide, and suddenly he burst out laughing. Fear-driven madness? No—wrong. He wasn't driven mad by fear; he was mad from the start.
"Such bravado, minion. I know you're at your limit."
"....."
"No spell that powerful comes free. The cost is your blood—you're hemorrhaging badly."
He rambled on with his analysis. I let it flow in one ear and out the other. He thought he'd figured me out. Made me want to drop a truth bomb.
"Don't try to comprehend a god."
"What'd you say?"
"Nothing."
No obligation to explain, of course. If he wanted to die fighting instead of quietly, fine by me.
"Come at me."
"This'll be easy!"
No more words—we clashed instantly. He deployed mana wildly, drawing dozens of magic circles in the air. Fire, water, wind, earth—every element. They intertwined, covering weaknesses and amplifying strengths.
Unusual magic.
I'd seen single-element specialists plenty, but multi-attribute? First time. A pain to fight—elemental counters meant he could exploit any mage's weakness.
Not me, though.
"Elements that form the world, become one spell upon my hand!"
⟨ Omni-Element Fusion ⟩
[Whoosh! Crackle! Rumble!]
His chant unleashed them all at once. Dozens of spells streaked through the sky. I watched, then subtly interfered with the water and ice ones.
"Waters, heed my will."
First time meddling in someone else's spell. Manipulating ambient water was one thing; hijacking an active cast was another. But it felt doable—and it worked.
"What the—?!"
[Boom!]
Water vaporized fire; ice froze earth. The grand ritual unraveled, exploding massively. Half didn't even reach me before detonating. When the blast cleared, he stared in shock.
"You... a witch?!"
"Who knows."
"Filthy sorcery! You trash!"
Not a witch, but his rage was satisfying. No mercy planned anyway. Time to pay for touching my wife.
"My turn now."
"Ngh!"
I reached for the sky first. Resonating with the storm clouds, the raindrops within. Not easy—trillions of drops—but I projected my will, guiding them naturally.
"Spears of water."
Thousands of water spears formed as I envisioned. Clouds resonated; raindrops coalesced into blades. Then they fell—straight at this rooftop.
"Shield of elements! Block all magic!"
He threw up a skyward barrier—like an umbrella in the rain. Ineffective, of course. Spears pierced it like paper; he barely guarded vitals.
"Urk...!"
One spell, and he was wrecked. Gasping, on the verge of collapse. The gap was absolute, but he'd endured—that was commendable.
"My turn now...!"
"Nah."
"...What?"
Who said turnsies? Game over the moment his defense failed. I didn't cast spells—I commanded water itself.
"W-Wait!"
He'd taken multiple spears—drenched. I willed that water to explode. He tried igniting flames to dry it, but too late.
"Boom~"
[KABOOM!]
Every droplet burst like a micro-bomb. His body shredded, flying like red fireworks. I snatched his spinning head from the air, locked eyes, and cast.
"You... had backup, right?"
That barrier earlier—beyond his level, even if it only held Shin-nim briefly. Someone backed him. He'd died with just a head left, but I needed the puppetmaster for true closure.
"Show me what you saw."
Let's see who messed with me and Shin-nim.