Chapter 454: Ally or Enemy (8)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 454: Ally or Enemy (8)
Magic develops through understanding.
A magic circle is a condensation of all the elements required to manifest a spell.
The role of each line drawn within the circle, the reason for its placement.
With every piece of this puzzle that is understood, the amount of mana required for the spell decreases, while its power, in turn, increases.
The same was true for Meteor.
This grand magic, discovered five years ago in an S-rank dungeon in the UK, was currently considered a spell that could not be cast alone.
The amount of mana it consumed went far beyond simply being ‘a lot.’
Part of this was because Meteor itself was such a large-scale spell, but there was a more significant reason.
The process of understanding it was incomplete.
The Meteor grimoire used new words that had never been seen before.
Because of this, a complete understanding couldn't be achieved, causing the amount of mana consumed to become even more immense.
In fact, the British Royal Family conducted an experiment to see how many mages it would take to cast Meteor in its current state. The conclusion was that it required 33 high-level mages.
It was an abnormal number, even considering the incomplete understanding.
The mages of the Royal Family stated their conclusion firmly.
Meteor was a spell that was never meant to be cast by a single person.
This was met with numerous rebuttals.
Some argued that their own research skills were lacking, resulting in a grossly inadequate understanding.
Others demanded they stop letting the precious spell go to waste and either sell it or donate it elsewhere.
The incensed Royal Family responded by doing something rather drastic.
They shared copies of the Meteor grimoire with every high-level mage and above.
Thanks to them, Kim Do-jin was also able to study the Meteor grimoire with ease from his own home.
And he knew.
He knew that the characters discovered beyond the dungeons all resembled the visible flow of mana.
Because of this, Kim Do-jin, who could read the script like his native tongue—a feat others struggled to achieve even after years of research—could see it.
He could see the meaning behind the esoteric words that hindered a complete understanding of Meteor.
The biggest obstacle among them was none other than the type of magic it was.
There was once a fierce debate about Meteor.
One side claimed it was the ultimate Earth-attribute spell, while the other argued it was the ultimate Fire-attribute spell.
At the time, there was too little information to reach a conclusion, but now, he knew the answer.
“…It was neither?”
Meteor was not an Earth-attribute spell, nor was it a Fire-attribute spell.
The grimoire described it as such:
It was a ‘summoning magic’ that ‘summoned’ a meteor floating in the vastness of space and made it fall.
No one had ever considered Meteor to be a summoning spell.
Well, a small minority had made the claim, but no one had accepted it.
It was understandable. The perception of summoning magic was strongly tied to calling forth an entity to fight in one's place.
But summoning was not such a narrow concept.
To put it bluntly, if you were to call a single chopstick from your house to your current location, wouldn't that also be summoning?
Therefore, summoning a meteor could certainly fall within the category of summoning magic.
Just like now.
「Meteor.」
This spell was certainly a peculiar one.
Using mana to draw the magic circle connected a passage.
A passage linking the high skies of Earth with the distant expanse of space.
Just then, a passing meteor entered the passage and appeared in Earth's atmosphere.
And it fell.
Toward a pre-designated target at a terrifying speed.
“Are you crazy?!”
Angela, having hastily pulled the Holy Knights back, shouted at Kim Do-jin, who was hovering in the air.
“This isn't a problem we can solve just by backing up!”
She had trusted his words and pulled back her forces.
But this was not an issue that could be resolved so simply.
She didn't need to do any complex calculations to know it instinctively.
To know what would happen when a meteor the size of a large van fell from such a dizzying height.
“If that thing falls, we’ll all die too, you know?!”
Death.
For everyone here.
“Are you going to burn the whole house down just to catch one flea, you bastard?! Can’t you hear me!”
“……”
He had to bite his tongue.
There were so many things he wanted to ask.
Like if she had ever seen fleas this big and numerous.
No, more importantly…
“…Why the hell does she know our country’s proverbs so well?”
At this rate, shouldn't her name be Ahn Jeong-sook instead of Angela?
Catching the strong scent of Korea from the foreigner, Kim Do-jin gave a bitter smile and answered her as she screamed her lungs out at him.
“Didn’t you say you’d keep us from dying no matter what?”
“Hey, that was…!”
“Then just keep your word.”
“That son of a… ugh!”
Clang! Clang!
Angela pounded on her armored chest in frustration.
But he wasn't wrong.
‘That bastard, how did he know?’
He hadn't cast the spell with the intention of killing everyone.
He had been certain.
Certain that she could protect all her comrades.
That made it even harder to understand.
‘Where on earth did he get that confidence?’
If it was because of that one thing she’d said before the battle started, then he was a madman.
It would mean he had taken words, obviously meant to boost morale, at face value.
But if that wasn't it…
‘He might be an even scarier bastard than I thought.’
He would be a madman equipped with not only immense talent but also profound cunning.
“Haa… Fine, whatever.”
Although she had shouted in anger, this wasn't bad.
The situation had been spiraling toward the worst-case scenario.
The Paladins—who bore the rather unflattering nickname "Pala-roaches," a portmanteau of Paladin and cockroach, due to their incredible regenerative abilities—were reaching their limit.
If things had continued, someone would have died, or the mission would have failed.
‘If that happened, we could forget about ever wiping out the Church of Light.’
It was obvious that a stirred-up hornet's nest would become even more vigilant afterward.
So, they had to end it this time.
Even if it took every ounce of her strength.
“Hoo…!”
Her energy swelled at a ferocious rate.
It wasn't ordinary mana, but the power of her Divine Authority, a pale brown light bestowed upon her by the Goddess of Patience.
Patience, simply put, means to endure and persevere.
The Goddess of Patience, ‘Patientia,’ had granted her a power befitting that name.
The power of protection, capable of defending herself and, by extension, her allies from any threat.
Without hesitation, she brought forth her ultimate shield.
“Sanctuary of Patience!”
A declaration of a sanctuary, a power only usable by an Apostle who has inherited the deepest part of a goddess's Divine Authority.
The Sanctuary of Patience protects allies from all threats pouring in from the surroundings.
Even if a nuke were to fall before their eyes, those within this place would be safe.
As long as Angela's power held out.
She shouted.
“No one is to leave this area, no matter what!”
At the same time, she focused her gaze.
She watched as the meteor, now just a stone's throw away, began to descend directly upon the church building.
The panicked followers of the Church of Light were visible.
“Wh-what do we do?!”
“Everyone who can cast a barrier, gather up!”
“Block it! Even if we all die, the church must…!”
They weren't trying to save their own lives.
On the contrary, they were prepared to burn their own lives away just to protect a mere church building.
This was due to the ideology instilled by the Cult Leader of the Church of Light.
Prioritize me, your leader, and the Church of Light above all else.
They were puppets moving faithfully according to his will.
The Cult Leader, who had been watching them with a pleased expression, frowned as he looked up at the falling meteor.
“Tsk… what a nasty trick.”
At this rate, a considerable number of his followers would lose their lives.
They were all just pawns on a board, replaceable whenever he wished.
But it felt like a waste to discard them just like this.
“Step back, my brothers.”
Descending from the platform, he pushed past the followers surrounding him and stepped forward.
People often made a mistake.
Brain Washer.
They assumed that while his brainwashing trait was terrifying, his own power must be insignificant.
That was why he pushed his followers to the front while he hid safely in the back.
Whenever he heard such talk, he would smirk.
‘Fools.’
It was a narrow-minded thought that only those who had not reached a certain level could have.
When he had an endless supply of pawns ready to lay down their lives for him at any moment, what reason was there for him to step forward?
That he was hiding behind them?
‘Don’t make me laugh.’
They simply couldn't even break through the pawns they so readily dismissed, and thus never got to see him.
If all of them were defeated or something they couldn't handle occurred, how could he not step in?
Just like right now.
“Damn… I didn’t want to expend my energy.”
He gave a bitter smile and awakened the colossal power dormant within his body.
The Guardians’ prediction was correct.
He was an Apostle, chosen by a god.
The name of the god who chose him was ‘Pigritia.’
The God of Sloth.
The sloth that was one of the Seven Deadly Sins did not simply mean slow and lazy behavior.
It was rejection, and negation.
The duties and tasks rightfully given and imposed upon oneself.
A power to cast off everything that shackled one's life.
“Boundary of Negation.”
The power erupting from his entire body formed a wall between the falling meteor and the church building.
It was, as he said, a boundary.
A boundary that forbade all unnecessary intrusions that sought to harm or restrain him.
RUMBLE…!
The meteor, crashing down with a roar louder than thunder, touched the boundary.
And then, something incredible happened.
The immense force, born from the meteor's weight and falling acceleration, vanished upon contact with the boundary.
As cleanly as if it had never existed in the first place.
THUD!
Robbed of all its power, the meteor was reduced to an ordinary rock and fell pathetically beside the building.
Seeing this, Kim Do-jin was seized by a strange emotion.
It was as if a gift, painstakingly prepared for a loved one, had been coldly rejected.
‘What is this? Why do I feel like I’ve just been dumped?’
It felt like being turned down before he even got to confess.