Chapter 456: Proof of Existence (44)
Chapter 456: Proof of Existence (44)
Light and heat dance.
The incandescent world allowed no sound. Only a sharp ringing filled my deafened ears.
Occasional bursts of light overwhelmed my retinas. The acrid scent of burning pierced through my nose and reached deep into my mind.
It was a space where sight, hearing, and smell were all rendered meaningless.
Even my sense of touch failed to function properly under the stinging heat. Nevertheless, three people, including myself, were navigating this bleached world.
It was because common sense does not apply to martial artists who have reached such heights.
They were the kind of people who could sense footsteps in places beyond their sight just by the vibrations shaking the earth. An intuition belonging to a realm beyond the five senses was driving my body of its own accord.
The Archmage, showing his true strength, was indeed formidable.
His offensive was relentless. The storm of lightning, pouring down without allowing even a moment’s respite, was already half-destroying the room.
However, his opponent was an equal monster.
“Foolish...”
Grind, grind.
A blood-red whip danced in time with the sound of the girl gnashing her teeth.
The blood-red light, writhing like a snake, became a straight beam of light and swept across the area.
In an instant, dozens of lightning spheres exploded simultaneously. Spears of lightning that had been filling the air one by one were fired in succession, but the result was the same as the blood-red whip cut through the world horizontally once more.
That unfathomable mana, easily shattering highly condensed magic.
It could only be described as the power of the Evil God. It was a level of violence difficult for the current me to even imagine.
Perhaps it would be different if I reached the level of a ‘High Expert.’
While I held my breath and watched for an opening, the girl muttered with even deeper rage.
“Foolish, foolish, foolish... I told you, there is no such thing as salvation!”
With a scream, the blood-red sun floating in the air began to howl.
Wooooooo!
And centered around that sun, blood-red tentacles—hundreds of flesh chunks—began to move grotesquely.
Even at a glance, it was an ominous sign.
Naturally, I wasn't the only one who sensed this.
“Nephew-in-law!”
I immediately attempted to leap in sync with Sir Reynold’s call. The blood-red tentacles were already splitting into countless fine lines.
The silver aura, which had been clustered like solid crystals, unfurled.
The silver boundary, spreading like mist, immediately pierced through the blood-red threads. Snap, snap. Countless threads snapped, unable to withstand their own tension.
Even so, I was at my limit.
It was impossible to deal with every single thread from the start. Even when my body was in normal condition, hadn't I barely managed to clear them after two consecutive aura bursts?
Sensing my limit, a warning burst from my lips.
“Sir Reynold, watch out—urk!”
But before I could finish my sentence, a bundle of blood-red threads struck my side.
There was no way my body, currently maneuvering through the air, had the strength left to deflect it.
I was slammed straight into the wall with a thud and slid down. It was an impact so intense my consciousness flickered for a moment.
It hurt. Terribly.
I almost screamed without thinking.
I didn't know what the girl had done to my body, but my entire nervous system was still on edge. Because of that, while I could scrutinize the situation in the room minutely, my sense of pain was also heightened.
The pain was at least several times worse than normal.
Normally, I should have lost consciousness, but my brain, awakened by the excitement of battle, did not easily let go of its grip on reality. This was why I had to endure a level of pain I had never felt before in my life.
My hands trembled regardless of my will.
It was because I was afraid of the pain. It was a sensation I hadn't felt in a very long time.
I thought I had moved past this stage long ago.
Of course, Sir Reynold wasn't unscathed either.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions rang out in succession. The blood-red threads stretched in all directions, piercing the spheres of condensing mana and beginning to dye the magic blood-red.
The explosion occurred immediately after.
It was clear that Sir Reynold hadn't intended for this. He, too, was rolling across the ground, desperately trying to escape the blast radius.
But the explosion was far too wide. No one could be completely free from its aftermath.
With a sharp groan, the middle-aged man’s body hit the wall. Since it was close to where I was, I staggered to my feet and quickly joined Sir Reynold’s side.
Swish. The blood-red lines that had filled the surroundings spread to both sides like curtains.
In the center stood the girl with jet-black hair. With the blood-red sun as her spotlight, she stood with her eyes closed, quietly composed.
One hand forward, the other behind her back.
Her arms forming a strange cross and her feet slightly overlapping made her look as if she were in a starting pose for a dance. The moment the girl opened her eyes again, the blood-red sun began to vibrate once more.
With a low, humming tremor, the girl opened her golden eyes wide and whispered.
“How much more despair will it take for you to understand...? How much more do you have to break?!”
Sir Reynold let out a groan and rubbed his lower back.
Even an Archmage couldn't hide the passage of time; he looked visibly exhausted.
“Is the ‘Thunder God of the Battlefield’ allowed to act like that?”
“Thunder God, my foot... I only use that pretentious nickname so I can get better commissions.”
Though he cracked a joke as if it were nothing, both of our foreheads were drenched in cold sweat.
It was because we were acutely realizing that our opponent was no easy foe.
The girl’s chanting continued.
“If you desire it so much, fine... you fools!”
That cry sounded like a long song.
To a high-pitched melody, the blood-red sun spat out an even louder resonance. And then, blood-red threads began to pour down like arrows.
They were aimed at the crowns of the charred monsters. The faceless monsters, pierced by the blood-red threads, tore their narrow eyes open and emitted a ghastly, malevolent light.
Gurgle, keck, urgh!
As if in agony, the faceless monsters clutched their throats and stood up one by one.
Hideous screams erupted all at once.
Kieeeeeeeek!
And the screams, which had begun to subside, gradually started to form a jaunty rhythm.
Aaaagh! Keck! Groooar!
Thump, thump. A horrific dance track performed by the howling voices to the beat of a merry drum.
Only then did the girl close her eyes with a satisfied smile.
The way she even tilted her head suggested she quite liked this gruesome tune.
Seeing this, Sir Reynold’s assessment was blunt.
“I’m asking just in case... did your sister happen to have any mental issues?”
“That woman is not my sister. No, she is my sister, but...”
I let out a long sigh and shook my head.
There was no time to explain the complicated circumstances.
“Just think of her as a high-ranking executive of the Dark Cult.”
“And the safety of Elsie and the others?”
At that question, my eyes naturally drifted behind the girl. There, the three women remained suspended, their hands and feet bound.
I had already heard the reason why she wouldn't touch Celine or Ria, and due to the ‘contract,’ Elsie should be safe for now as well.
“It’s guaranteed.”
“Good, then...”
Having shed his greatest worry, Sir Reynold’s gaze turned serious. Zap. For a moment, an electric charge flickered around his eyes.
It was an amazing level of mastery, no matter how many times I saw it.
The process of converting the mana existing in nature was so natural. It was as if he were claiming that this, too, was part of the natural order, just like the wind blowing or water flowing.
Sir Reynold himself didn't seem to care whether I was impressed or not. He was merely observing the surroundings, looking for an opportunity.
“...We’ll have to figure out a way to guarantee our own safety.”
“Is there a way?”
“If I’m given enough time.”
It was an obvious statement.
A mage was an existence even more sensitive to time than a swordsman. The longer the incantation, the more sophisticated the spell they could use, allowing them to project maximum firepower.
But right now, Sir Reynold wasn't being given the time to chant.
The opponent wasn't a fool either. She would have no intention of facing the full power of someone who held the title of ‘Archmage.’
Our party lacked the strength to overcome the girl’s interference.
To be precise, my strength was severely lacking.
Even now, my arms were trembling from the lingering traces of pain. If my body were normal, it might be different, but right now, the only role I could perform was providing occasional interference.
As my expression darkened, a heavy hand patted my back.
“There are still moves left... First, I’ll buy time.”
“Pardon?”
It was the exact opposite of the usual strategy.