Chapter 551: Jealousy is My Power (51)
Chapter 551: Jealousy is My Power (51)
A groan.
The implications of such a sound could vary wildly depending on the context. However, regardless of its meaning, there was only one course of action to take when faced with such a variable.
First, identify the source.
I scanned my surroundings with a puzzled expression. Not far away, a small fissure was visible in the air.
I remained silent for a moment, watching this sudden anomaly.
Crack.
The fissure widened, and a slender arm suddenly thrust out. After a few more ragged gasps, the rift in the air shattered completely, revealing the upper body of an exhausted girl.
And that was it.
The woman, having managed to pull her upper body through, seemed to have used up every ounce of her strength; she slumped over, completely spent. She appeared so drained that she hadn't even realized I was standing right in front of her.
After a brief silence, I recognized the familiar figure and ventured a cautious question.
"Um, Great Witch...?"
At my voice, the woman, who had been panting heavily, laboriously lifted her head. Only then did she notice my presence. She let out a sigh of relief as if she had been saved.
"O-oh... it's you."
But unlike the Great Witch, who seemed glad to see me, I couldn't help but maintain a bewildered expression.
My gaze drifted behind her. In the heart of the barrier where the fierce battle raged, the Sword Duke was literally unleashing natural disasters.
The sky was shattering, space was splitting, and the ground, crushed by countless slashes, was being blown into the air.
Earthquakes, tsunamis, storms.
Behold the skill that conjured all those calamities with a single blade.
It made the title of 'The Continent's Greatest Swordsman' feel almost insufficient.
On the other hand...
My eyes returned to the Great Witch.
The image reflected on my golden retinas was merely that of a frail girl gasping for breath.
I had no choice but to ask out of pure curiosity.
"...What exactly are you doing?"
Even for the Great Witch, she wasn't entirely lacking in social awareness.
She subtly avoided my gaze, her face flushing slightly.
Perhaps in an attempt to salvage the last of her pride, she cleared her throat, trying her best to maintain an air of dignity.
"Ahem, cough... Well, I was... a bit short on strength..."
"But you're a Master, aren't you?"
That short retort was the finishing blow.
The Great Witch's face turned beet red, and she finally raised her voice.
"I-I'm telling you, this wouldn't happen if I had my main body back!!"
It was a truly pathetic-sounding plea.
The Great Witch spent a good while flailing about and protesting her unfair treatment.
Her argument could be summarized in one sentence.
As she had said time and again, if she regained the power of her main body, a barrier like this would be no problem at all.
Despite her protests, the look of disbelief in my eyes didn't entirely vanish. For one thing, the sight of her flailing while stuck in a spatial rift was more 'adorable' than 'dignified.'
She is kind of cute like this.
It wasn't exactly the kind of sentiment one should have toward an elder who had lived hundreds of years longer than me. However, the Great Witch didn't seem to imagine I was harboring such disrespectful thoughts.
If she had, there was no way she would be clinging to me with such a tearful face.
"W-what are you staring at? Help me this instant!"
Feeling the weak grip of the hands clutching my waist and hearing her whimpering plea, I let out a low hum.
To be honest, I did want to observe this fragile side of the Great Witch a bit longer. But we were in the middle of a war, and I wasn't foolish enough to ruin things by prioritizing my petty desires.
That was why I asked without further hesitation.
"How should I help you?"
"P-pull me... I'm exhausted."
The Great Witch was already drained.
Since she had been flailing her limbs and shouting on top of that, it was only natural she looked even more spent. Without a word, I decided to pull on the slumped Great Witch.
I spent a few seconds grunting as I tugged on her arms.
Crack.
The sound of the fissure widening echoed. Then, like a cork popping out of a bottle, the Great Witch's body floated into the air.
Naturally, I had to catch her, holding her in my arms.
The woman's body in my arms was incredibly petite. Her breath, coming in hot gasps from her flushed face, carried a strangely sweet scent.
"Phew... I can finally breathe."
Hearing her sigh of relief, I took a peek at the hole she had just emerged from.
If her lower body had been stuck, there had to be a reason. For instance, perhaps there was a part of her that got caught because the hole was too narrow.
I inadvertently let out an exclamation.
"Your hips are wider than I thought—ack!"
Of course, my surprised observation was never finished.
Thwack.
The sound of a smoking pipe appearing out of nowhere and punishing my forehead rang out. Since I was holding the Great Witch, I could neither dodge nor soothe the aching spot.
"Hmph," she snorted, hopping down onto the ground immediately after.
The woman crossed her arms and bit down on her smoking pipe. Now that she had regained her usual composure, it was obvious where her gaze would turn.
Toward the place where the Vampire and the Sword Duke were locked in a fierce struggle.
There, blood and slashes performed an eternal dance.
Witnessing this, the Great Witch's gaze instantly deepened.
"Hmm, the completion of this barrier is beyond my expectations... To think that sword-crazy fool still hasn't settled the score."
"What exactly did the Vampire do?"
My question was a valid one.
As I mentioned before, no matter how powerful a Vampire was, they shouldn't be a match for a Master unless they were in their main body. Therefore, as the Vampire had confessed, this barrier had to have a special function.
Just what kind of trickery was at play?
The Great Witch exhaled a cloud of smoke and parted her lips.
"Didn't I tell you? The Five Elements are deeply connected to 'Connections' (Yeon)... Theoretically, if one can control the Five Elements of an area, they can twist those connections and manipulate causality."
The Great Witch's voice was calm as she answered, but I could only look at her with an even more incredulous expression.
"That's actually possible?"
"Yes, only within this barrier... It's a kind of deception. However, the target of the deception is the world itself. Come to think of it, isn't a Master's mental imagery the same? Overwhelming the real world with a mental world... This barrier makes such a miracle possible, albeit on a limited scale."
The Great Witch had no reason to lie to me.
So, I remained silent, my brow furrowed.
A power that dealt with 'causality' was dangerous.
Even the Sword Duke would have met his end quickly if his mental imagery hadn't been so strong. To put it bluntly, who could withstand it if a simple gesture was granted the result of 'death'?
That left only one conclusion.
"Is there a way to destroy this barrier?"
"You could die."
At that blunt answer, I immediately changed my tune.
"......Then is there a way to escape this barrier?"
"Don't feel like sacrificing your life?"
"I'm feeling particularly sentimental about my family today."
I had people precious to me as well.
I couldn't exactly leave my wife, who had gone to the Holy Kingdom, all alone, could I?
At my firm, almost shameless answer, the Great Witch burst into a chuckle. She looked as if she had expected as much.
"There is a way... though it depends on what you do."
"What about you, Great Witch?"
"I've exhausted my strength. And I have a separate role to play."
There was no room to argue with such an honest confession.
I had no choice but to nod and express my agreement.
"Then what should I do?"
When I asked with renewed determination, the Great Witch wore a casual smile.
"Pierce through space."
"......Pardon?"
She was making an absurd demand.
It was a proposal I couldn't understand.
To 'pierce' space—that was practically an impossible condition.
Since ancient times, time and space have been regarded as complex concepts. Furthermore, this 'spacetime' was the background upon which we stood, not an object that could be manipulated.
Imagine a character in a novel tearing the pages while you're reading.
The situation itself is ridiculous, but the consequences of such an act would be disastrous. There was a risk that the character's very existence would cease to be valid.
You can't call someone a 'character' if they aren't even in the book, can you?
Therefore, only a tiny handful of beings could manipulate 'space.' Only absolute beings like the 'Vampire,' who could prepare large-scale magic through long preparation, or the 'Sword Duke,' who could twist reality itself, could lay a hand on space.
The Great Witch was no exception.
While entering the Vampire's barrier, the Great Witch had previously punched a hole in the air. This was entirely because she was the pinnacle of magic who had mastered all truths.
And yet, she was suddenly entrusting such a heavy responsibility to me.
I couldn't help but be flabbergasted.
"No, what do you mean by—!"
"Didn't I already tell you the trick? Just do as I say."
With that, her small palm patted my arm.
I swallowed the protest rising in my throat. It wasn't that I didn't have an inkling of what the Great Witch was trying to say.
Yes, I did remember.
At least, I remembered what I had heard when we were entering the barrier.