Chapter 91
Chapter 91
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 91
Chapter Title: The Moon's Friend
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In the center of the Colosseum arena, Ixion stood facing Lee Si-woo, tilting his head.
*His atmosphere has changed.*
If Ixion had to sum up his impression of Lee Si-woo from the evaluation matches, it would be a son of a bitch pretending to be polite.
He spoke respectfully and maintained a semblance of courtesy, but Ixion felt his true nature was nothing more than a stray mutt that would bite the second things went south.
But now, he was different.
It was hard to describe, but something had changed.
It wasn't that his aura or presence had shifted.
Yes, if he had to put a word to it, it was eerie.
Like stumbling upon an abandoned house while walking down a forest path.
*His eye color has changed… Why?*
For reasons he couldn't fathom, Ixion found it difficult to look directly into Lee Si-woo's yellow-tinged eyes.
The sweat that had beaded on his skin while facing Hassen had cooled, and a chill wind caressed his body.
But Ixion was a Ranker, a battle-hardened veteran, a victor who had climbed to the top using countless struggles as his stepping stones.
Ixion let out a thunderous roar.
His booming shout startled the mages in the audience, and even Allen.
Only Lee Si-woo remained unfazed, and the battle began.
"Hah!"
Ixion was the first to move.
He started by setting traps—a control technique where spells are sealed in a specific location, set to detonate upon stimulation—within Lee Si-woo's expected range of movement.
Once four 3rd Circle Wind Bomb spells were placed to the north, south, east, and west of Si-woo, a confident Ixion pointed his Spell Breaker at him.
[3rd Circle Elemental Magic: Wind Chain]
A dozen chains of wind shot out from the surface of the Spell Breaker's silver blade, lunging at Lee Si-woo.
Lee Si-woo's skin glowed platinum as he dodged some of the wind chains lashing at him like living whips, nullified others with his own breaker technique, and blocked the rest with his mana shield when all else failed.
Seeing this, Ixion muttered under his breath.
"A 2nd Circle master using a breaker? What kind of madman is this…"
He himself used a breaker with the help of a 9th-grade magic weapon, but this lunatic, Lee Si-woo, was only 2nd Circle.
For such a low-level mage to use a control technique of a 4th Circle mage was an act that completely overturned all the common sense of magic in this world.
But that didn't mean Lee Si-woo was unscathed.
A faint groan escaped from between his clenched teeth.
It seemed that blocking the wind chains he couldn't avoid with his mana shield had cost him a huge chunk of his mana.
Ixion's eyes gleamed.
*So, he's still just a 2nd Circle, no matter how skilled. Even if it was only a portion of the attack, taking a hit from Wind Chains enhanced by a 9th-grade magic weapon must have dealt a significant blow.*
Lee Si-woo's skills were undoubtedly exceptional.
As a multi-rooted mage, his mana capacity was superior, making his mana shield quite sturdy, and his use of various schools of magic gave him decent offensive power.
But that was the extent of it.
As a 2nd Circle mage, his specs were still no match for a 3rd Circle mage.
Maezoro losing to Lee Si-woo was only because that fool was an idiot; it didn't mean that all 3rd Circle mages were inferior to him.
Especially not when the opponent was Ixion.
[1st Circle Dark Magic: Black Mist x 3]
Judging that letting Ixion attack would put him at a disadvantage, Lee Si-woo used Spell Charge and Triple Casting to cast a three-layered Black Mist.
The black mist engulfed both Ixion and Lee Si-woo, robbing them of their sight.
However, Ixion showed no signs of panic.
*Lee Si-woo, your mistake was revealing your crowd control-based combat pattern too early. You fool. If you were planning to fight me, you should have saved it. Who's going to fall for it now that you've shown all your cards?*
Ixion took out a pair of glasses—an artifact—from his inventory ring and put them on.
A smirk played on Ixion's lips as his vision cleared as if the black mist had dissipated, but his smile didn't last long.
Because Lee Si-woo had charged right up to him, as if he had been waiting for the exact moment Ixion was putting on the glasses.
*This bastard… was he aiming for this?!*
Lee Si-woo's Ogre Hammer clashed with Ixion's Spell Breaker.
Sparks flew as steel met steel, and a harsh metallic clang echoed through the arena.
Clang! Clang, clang, clang!
Lee Si-woo and Ixion repeatedly engaged and disengaged, exchanging blows at a ferocious pace.
But the result of the clash was anticlimactic.
Ixion, who had been relying on the superior physical abilities of his centaur race, began to be pushed back helplessly.
No matter how exceptional he was with the blood of a wild stallion, engaging in close combat with Lee Si-woo, whose physical abilities were enhanced by a whopping 80 percent thanks to an elemental stone, was nothing short of suicidal.
*His physique is on a completely different level from the preliminary videos…! Lee Si-woo, is this why you tried to force a close-quarters fight? Tsk, a mistake. I shouldn't have let him get this close.*
Once he started getting pushed back, there was no end to it.
Helplessly retreating from the bulldozing Lee Si-woo, Ixion finally allowed a blow to land.
Thud!
The fiercely vibrating Ogre Hammer slammed down on Ixion's shoulder.
It was a powerful blow, but Ixion, who had judged it to be meaningless as long as his mana shield was intact, felt an unusual vibration from his opponent's hammer and realized his mistake.
Like a true Ranker, he recognized that the vibration was caused by a weapon skill—a stun.
*A mage using a weapon skill?! Dammit! What kind of psycho is this…!*
With the regret that he would never have engaged Si-woo had he known, Ixion deployed his mana shield to its absolute limit.
Knowing he would be defenseless for one second, he poured all his strength into defense.
He froze.
Seeing Ixion stop, as if a video had been paused, a glint flashed in Lee Si-woo's eyes.
[2nd Circle Elemental Magic: Wind Throw x 3]
Struck by the triple-casted Wind Throw, Ixion shot high into the air.
Like a tree caught in a tornado, Ixion was lifted high into the sky before a downdraft sent him plummeting at incredible speed.
[2nd Circle Elemental Magic: Antlion's Pit]
The arena floor turned into a sand pit, greedily swallowing Ixion as he fell.
It was the same combo Lee Si-woo had used in the damage-per-second evaluation match.
However, the combo, which had been a confident trump card, was futilely nullified by Ixion's Spell Breaker.
Freed from the stun, Ixion sliced through the Antlion's Pit in a single strike and burst out.
"Now it's my turn, Lee Si-woo."
A feathered serpent with translucent, fluttering wind-feathers emerged from the silver blade of Ixion's Spell Breaker.
[3rd Circle Elemental Magic: Claw of Quetzalcoatl]
The feathered serpent roared as its claws of wind tore through the air and ground.
Feeling the pressure of a great beast pouncing on him, Lee Si-woo tumbled sideways with all his might.
But, unfortunately, that was where Ixion had set his Wind Bomb traps.
A battle plan that showcased the cunning of a Ranker.
KABOOM!
The moment Lee Si-woo stepped into the trap's radius, a bomb of immense wind pressure engulfed him.
Thrown into the air by the impact, Lee Si-woo crashed to the ground and tumbled gracelessly.
Lee Si-woo gasped for breath as he hastily got up and assumed a combat stance.
His reaction suggested that the last blow had wiped out at least 30 percent of his mana.
Ixion raised his Spell Breaker, his eyes narrowing like an eagle spotting its prey.
[3rd Circle Elemental Magic: Claw of Quetzalcoatl]
The feathered serpent, Quetzalcoatl, roared once more and swiped its claws.
Lee Si-woo held his Ogre Hammer in front of him and focused all his mana into his mana shield.
KRRRRRK!
With a sound like a hacksaw grinding through plastic, Lee Si-woo's mana shield rippled precariously.
The three claws enveloped the mana shield, looking like a dragon's talon squeezing to crush a blue wish-granting orb.
Crack.
With the sound of crumpling metal, Lee Si-woo's mana shield shattered into pieces.
No matter how sturdy the mana shield of Lee Si-woo, a six-rooted mage, was, it was not enough to block a named 3rd Circle spell.
The claws had enough force left after breaking his mana shield to mercilessly shatter his Ogre Hammer and leave a long gash on his chest.
Ixion strode toward Lee Si-woo, who was kneeling, blood pouring from his chest.
"I'll admit it."
Ixion used the tip of his Spell Breaker to forcefully lift Lee Si-woo's chin.
"I guarantee you, of all the 2nd Circle mages I've faced, you were by far the best."
Why was it?
Even though victory was certain, a corner of Ixion's heart felt uneasy.
No, it felt ominous.
Perhaps it was because of those yellow eyes, which showed no hint of resignation despite the clearly hopeless situation.
A grin.
Lee Si-woo smiled, and his full-moon-like eyes curved into the shape of a horizontal crescent.
A sudden surge of extreme anxiety made Ixion try to strike Lee Si-woo's neck with his Spell Breaker, but his arm wouldn't move.
*Why isn't my arm moving…*
Just then, sensing something was wrong, Ixion looked around.
At some point, he had been left alone in a dark forest.
*A vision? Lee Si-woo, you really are persistent. Pulling such tricks even when you're at death's door…*
But something was strange.
A 2nd Circle illusion should have been dispelled by Ixion simply raising his mana, yet no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't escape the forest scenery.
Just then, the frail voice of an old woman tickled Ixion's ear.
Once upon a time.
A child prayed to the moon.
"Mr. Moon, I need a friend."
The moon said to the child.
"Bring me a strand of hair from the child you want as a friend. But remember, you must not touch it with your own hands."
When the child brought the hair, the moon made a doll out of it.
The child prayed to the moon.
"Mr. Moon, I need a friend, not a doll."
The moon said to the child.
"Bring me the blood of the child you want as a friend. But remember, you must not touch it with your own hands."
When the child brought the blood, the moon soaked the doll in it.
And the doll began to move as if it were alive.
The child prayed to the moon.
"Mr. Moon, I want a friend, not a doll."
The moon broke the doll's leg and said to the child.
"Go to the child you want as a friend and ask them. 'Be my friend.' If they say no, then you can break their arm, too."
The child got a friend.
Then one day, the child accidentally broke the doll's neck.
The child said to the moon.
"Mr. Moon, the doll broke, so my friend broke too."
The moon said.
The old woman's story ended there.
Suddenly, the events of yesterday flashed through Ixion's mind.
-I came for a drink.
Schizo had stopped by his quarters and offered to have a drink with him, and Ixion had accepted the cup without much thought.
It was strange for Schizo, with whom he had no prior acquaintance, to act this way, but on the other hand, many people tried to build connections with him, so he hadn't been particularly suspicious.
Besides, it wouldn't hurt to have a connection with a skilled person like Schizo.
But something was odd.
After drinking, his nose started bleeding profusely.
It was something that should never have happened to someone as robust as him, but neither Schizo nor Ixion thought much of it.
No one suspected the drink because of a nosebleed, nor did they harbor any hostility toward the other.
So Schizo had offered him a handkerchief, and he had used it to wipe his nose.
-There's a lot of mane on the floor. Cleaning must be a real hassle for a centaur.
Regret washed over him.
He should have been suspicious. The reason for Schizo's sudden visit.
The reason he offered a drink, the reason he mentioned the mane.
He should have suspected it all, should have refused.
But he was more accustomed to blind faith than suspicion, so he hadn't.
Snap.
With his forelegs broken, Ixion collapsed to his knees with a scream.
His legs, once as strong as a wild stallion's, now felt as fragile as wooden chopsticks.
*This is… I've never heard of or seen anything like this.*
All sorts of schemes were rampant in this world, but he swore he had never heard of a method like this.
A technique that uses an opponent's hair and blood to destroy their body?
If something like this were truly possible, who would bother learning Circle magic?
What he was experiencing was what should truly be called the law of demons—magic.
Snap.
With his remaining hind legs also broken, Ixion slumped to the floor, letting out a sob-like groan.
He was terrified.
Normally, he was a warrior braver than any other, but now, unable to move or struggle of his own will, he was as helpless and incompetent as a puppet on strings.
Crunch.
Both his arms were bent and twisted in grotesque directions.
The old woman whispered in his ear, as if the story wasn't over.
The moon said.
"Here, you have a new friend."
With the bones all over his body shattering, Ixion threw his head back and shrieked.
Through his tear- and snot-streaked eyes, Ixion saw a full moon hanging alone in the starless night sky.
That was the last thing he saw before he lost consciousness.