Chapter 153: Raid (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 153: Raid (4)
Alon knew nothing about the Essence of the Golden Mane Tribe.
It was only natural.
In the game Psychedelia, the Essence of the Golden Mane Tribe wasn't an item used in such a way; it was merely an artifact that increased a player’s critical hit rate.
The reason he could still offer advice to Seolrang was that he had seen it.
He had witnessed the mana array of the essence Seolrang held beginning to twist abnormally, eventually climbing up her body in a non-linear arrangement.
Normally, it would have been impossible for Alon to see such a thing.
The same went for any other mage.
Even a Magic Tower Master who had reached the 8th Tier would be no exception.
While it was usually possible to perceive an opponent's mana, one could not see exactly how that mana moved.
But now, Alon could.
It had likely started after his battle with Duke Comallon. He had become able to see an opponent's mana array, albeit very faintly.
However, he hadn't truly recognized that fact until recently.
Or rather, he hadn't thought much of it.
Even if he could see the arrays faintly, they weren't detailed, and that level of perception wasn't particularly helpful for magical research or combat.
But at this very moment, Seolrang’s mana array was incredibly vivid.
He didn't know why, but it was as if he had undergone an awakening.
That was why Alon could give Seolrang that advice.
And so, Seolrang ascended to the 6th Stage.
Crackle—!
Alon stared at her, dazed.
Drenched in golden light, Seolrang looked down at the Apostle of Pride.
Her appearance was so majestic that even Alon let out a low breath of admiration.
The moment she moved to strike with her fist once more—
"Ha—!"
Seolgak moved.
Zap, crackle—!
Emitting black lightning distinct from Seolrang’s, he retreated with a grimace.
In the moment Seolrang awakened, he had failed to respond in time and had been struck, causing his right arm to vanish completely.
"Urgh—!"
Seolgak barely managed to clutch his gushing arm.
Grit—!
Yet, rather than crying out in pain, his face was filled with fury.
"…Fine, I’ll admit it. You got me, little sister. But—"
Crackle—!
"—nothing will change."
He draped the black lightning around himself like a cloak and lunged at Seolrang.
The black thunder began to strike.
* * *
Rumble—!!!
Seolgak, diving toward Seolrang from the skies above the Colony while raining down black thunder, struck her body with a speed so great that even Seolrang couldn't momentarily perceive it.
Unable to react to a speed that far transcended human limits, Seolrang allowed the attack to land.
However, contrary to the situation, Seolgak’s expression stiffened.
He realized that in that split second, Seolrang had raised her hand to offset the impact.
Seolgak gnashed his teeth, his mind racing with desperation.
The only chance I have is now.
He knew.
He knew exactly what the Thunder God Transformation meant to the Golden Mane Tribe.
He also knew that even though he had received power from That Person, it was a realm he could never reach.
His stomach churned.
What welled up within him was inferiority.
And fear.
Because he was the one who had craved that realm more than anyone else.
Because he was the one who had sacrificed his entire family without hesitation and had intended to sacrifice even his younger sister as a Divine Vessel for That Person, he already knew.
Now that Seolrang had reached that realm, he could never win.
Therefore.
Before she adapts to the Thunder God Transformation—I must kill her…!
Seolgak’s eyes turned bloodshot as he unleashed his mana.
The excessive mana he had received from That Person instantly began to consume his flesh, granting him a strength he could never have attained on his own.
But unearned strength always came with a price.
The excessive power, far beyond his capacity, began to not just consume but collapse Seolgak’s body.
Even so, he used his ability without hesitation.
The power bestowed upon him by the Great Sin of Pride allowed him to look down upon most of the world's strong, but even this was not enough to reach that golden god.
It merely bought him a little more time.
Somehow, before you adapt, I will kill you—!
Enveloped in the mana of Pride, Seolgak—who, unlike Seolrang, had become black mana itself—shot forward.
And with that as the signal.
Black thunder and golden thunder began to pour down across the entire Colony.
Ink-black lightning struck, shaking the world.
Golden lightning struck, engraving the heavens and earth.
Amidst that chaotic scene.
"Preparation is complete."
Alon murmured quietly, looking up at the sky.
* * *
In truth, it was impossible for Alon to participate in this battle.
Seolgak was desperately pushing his output to the point of destroying his own body to kill Seolrang, and Seolrang was blocking his attacks. There was no way Alon could keep up with their speed.
Indeed.
To him, the current battle looked like nothing more than a natural disaster where golden and black lightning struck accompanied by deafening thunder.
In other words, he lacked the ability to enter the world they perceived.
However, Alon could calmly observe the current situation.
It was thanks to the mana residue they left behind as they fought.
The lingering scent of mana from their clash allowed Alon, a mage, to gain many insights.
It was because he had recently focused his efforts on magical research.
Specifically, his exploration of mana arrays based on Hand Seals had been a great help.
He couldn't perfectly grasp how the situation was unfolding just by looking at the mana residue, but he could still glean a few pieces of information.
Two facts were most certain.
The Apostle of Pride is overexerting himself to deal with Seolrang, and Seolrang hasn't perfectly adapted to her awakening yet.
Alon looked into the air.
He still couldn't see them properly.
There were only traces of mana from which he could infer their constant appearance and dispersal.
After catching his breath for a moment,
"Whew—"
Alon formed a Hand Seal.
As mentioned, Alon could not join this fight.
It was impossible.
For the old him, at least.
Alon looked up at the sky once more.
Amidst the dizzying mana residue of the two Golden Mane Tribe members, Alon’s own mana had spread out before anyone noticed.
His mana, which hadn't even been manifested yet, floated in the air in an invisible state.
Mana normally had to go through the process of manifestation.
However, Alon was able to break that common sense and pull almost all the mana out of his Mana Hole, leaving only the bare minimum, thanks to his recent research with Penia.
The transformation of mana arrays according to the structure of Hand Seals.
And a byproduct obtained while searching for new types of mana molecules through combinations of Hand Seals.
This allowed him to fix his mana in the air while maintaining control over it in a molecular state without manifesting it as a spell.
Having taken sufficient time, Alon was able to scatter his mana throughout the area where the battle was taking place.
Of course, because his mana wasn't abundant, the density was inevitably low.
But for now, that was enough.
After all, what Alon intended to do wasn't to finish Seolgak—
"Expansion."
—it was merely to create a brief opening for Seolrang.
Vroom—!!!
As Alon whispered, the molecular mana he had scattered began to swell all at once.
In that instant.
"!"
Alon could see it.
Seolrang, who had been pulled out of the rhythm of battle by the suddenly expanding mana in the air.
"What—!"
And Seolgak, who was launching a strike at her.
Seeing the scene, Alon didn't waste a moment before uttering the next Phrase.
"One Point"
The expanding mana instantly clung to Seolgak.
However.
Boom—!
Alon’s magic, which he had prepared for several minutes with bated breath, was turned to naught by a single, annoyed kick from Seolgak.
A single strike of falling black thunder obliterated all the mana he had expanded.
A situation that felt terribly futile to Alon, occurring in less than two seconds.
But Alon let a crooked smile slip behind his expressionless face.
Two seconds.
To him, two seconds was a time barely enough to manifest a spell.
But to Seolrang, two seconds was—
"!"
—more than enough time to finish Seolgak.
Alon did not take his eyes off the sky.
There stood Seolgak, looking up even higher with a look of horror.
"Clang—clang——"
And then, it fell.
"—Thunder Dragon Descent."
A golden dragon was there.
KABOOOOM—!!!
The world was dyed white.
* * *
Immediately after.
An impossibly wide and deep crater was formed.
And in the center of the crater stood Seolrang.
With her Thunder God Transformation deactivated, she looked down silently. At her feet lay the Apostle of Pride, Seolgak.
A massive hole had been torn through his heart.
"How… foolish…"
Even though his heart was pierced and he could no longer sustain life, he glared at Seolrang with wide eyes.
"You will… regret this, sister. You will surely regret it. This day, when you threw away the power prepared for you by your own hand… you will surely come to regret it!"
Seolgak struggled in his final moments.
But Seolrang simply raised her leg with an expressionless face.
"I don't need any of that."
Crunch—!
As if he wasn't worth listening to anymore, she crushed his head.
"Because I've already gotten what I wanted."
Seolrang watched as Seolgak turned to dust and vanished, as if he had never existed in the first place.
"Ah, Mentor—!"
She soon turned her gaze to find Alon and tried to run toward him.
Thud—!
She collapsed right then and there.
Alon rushed over to check on Seolrang’s condition.
"Huh? I can't put any strength into my body."
Alon let out a small sigh of relief at Seolrang’s nonchalant words despite her collapse.
"It's likely because you overexerted yourself."
"Is that so, Mentor?"
"Yes."
Seolrang nodded briefly with an "I see," then whispered quietly.
"Thank you, Mentor."
"…Suddenly?"
"Yeah. You're the one who told me, right? How to use the Thunder God Transformation. Thanks to that, I was able to kill him."
Thank you, she said.
Alon remained silent for a moment before speaking.
"Seolrang."
"Yeah, Mentor?"
"…Are you alright?"
"Huh? About what?"
"…You treasure your family, don't you?"
At Alon’s question, Seolrang smiled.
It was a bitter smile, one Alon had never seen before.
However.
"…That's right, Mentor. My family is precious to me."
"…."
"But you know?"
This time, a bright smile lit up Seolrang’s face.
"I have absolutely no intention of losing something even more precious. I'm not a fool."
"…."
At Seolrang’s firm words, Alon realized something in spite of himself.
That he, no different from Seolgak, had been judging and perceiving her as he pleased.
Just as Seolgak had perceived Seolrang as that immature and weak child from ten years ago.
Alon had also continued to think of Seolrang as one of the Five Great Sins from Psychedelia.
Even though they had built memories and continued to meet in their own way until now, he had looked at her with his own prejudices.
Not as the Seolrang who showed him such a lively smile and had become the first Babayaga of the Colony.
But as an entity from a game who could become one of the Five Great Sins at any moment.
But now, he finally realized.
Seolrang was no longer one of the Five Great Sins from the game, nor was she someone Alon had to carefully manage.
She cherished her family as much as her own life, but she was someone who could choose something else without hesitation if necessary.
…Perhaps she had grown to be even more wonderful and resolute than Alon himself.
"I see."
Feeling much lighter, Alon looked at her with an involuntary smirk.
"Mentor… you could smile like that?"
"…."
Seolrang looked up at Alon with a face more surprised than ever before.
It was faint, but it was a smile that resonated with the heart.
* * *
A short time passed.
Immediately after hearing that Line had dealt with the Scolpirion, Seolrang, who was resting against a piece of ruin to receive help, spoke up.
"Mentor."
"Yes?"
"Do that for me again."
"That?"
"The ear-pressing thing."
"…Why?"
"It felt good for some reason, that."
As Seolrang burst into a giggle, Alon obediently and gently pressed down on her ears.
Closing her eyes slowly, Seolrang spoke.
"Mentor."
"What is it?"
"Thank you for worrying about me."
"…Isn't it only natural to worry?"
"Is it?"
"Yes."
At Alon’s answer.
"…I see."
A small smile played on Seolrang’s lips.
It was an afternoon where the setting sun could be seen sinking beyond the horizon, past the broken walls of the Colony.