Chapter 268: Introduction to Barrier Studies (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 268: Introduction to Barrier Studies (2)
The Zodiac.
It was a secret art that recreated the twelve constellations, the very essence of a Barrierist.
Since he had not yet acquired the 'Lost Language', it was nothing more than a mimicry of their forms, but...
...the majesty of Scorpio, dyeing the sky blue, was more than enough to make one forget it was a lesser imitation.
Rumble!
Rumble!
Countless lights flickered beyond the hexagram.
Like a divine punishment, a blue meteor shower poured from the heavens, utterly devastating the area around the Wailing Witch.
Boom! Crash!
The terrain itself was changing.
Crash! Crunch!
"Kieeeek!"
"Krawww!"
The power was beyond imagination, sweeping up even the nearby monster statues.
And the Wailing Witch, at the very center of the storm, had no choice but to take the full brunt of that firepower with her bare body.
How many minutes did the onslaught continue?
By the time the meteor shower finally subsided, the state of the ruins' interior had changed drastically.
* * *
"Ugh... Aaargh! My, my body! My body...!"
Smoke billowed from her tattered body.
To think she kept her shape after taking that.
She looks like she lives with osteoporosis, but she's surprisingly sturdy.
Right then.
"What's that?"
Jinhyuk's eyes narrowed.
He saw a black liquid bubbling and surging around the witch's body.
...The Black Tears.
"You put on such a proud front, but I guess you had no choice if you wanted to live?"
The moment the final constellation exploded, she must have used the Black Tears to offset the damage.
[The Wailing Witch activates her unique ability, 'Black Tears'!]
Rumbleeee!
The very ability that had plunged the raid team into terror just moments ago was unleashed once more.
"Urgh. To think I would have to use my full power against a mere insect like you. What an absolute disgrace."
It was a horrific ability, capable of causing who-knows-what upon the slightest contact.
Indeed, directly touching the Black Tears was dangerous, even for a veteran.
In the past, I got drenched in that stuff, lost my mind, and charged into a dragon's lair empty-handed.
There was a death record of him taking a hatchling hostage... no, a dragon-hostage, staging a protest, and dying.
There was also a record of him kidnapping a saintess, dressing her up as a witch, and getting burned at the stake.
He had gone through all sorts of crazy experiences trying to deal with the Black Tears.
But the conclusion was always the same.
Back when he played the Tower of Trials, he had used a method other than barriers, but the fundamental root was connected to the same source.
At that moment.
[Demonic Thought Barrier Section 1, 'Black Wave' rises.]
Rumbleeee!
A massive wave began to overflow.
Instantly, the constellations of the Zodiac were dyed black.
"Aaargh!"
"Kaaack!"
Red mouths and stark white teeth sprouted densely across the surface of the barrier, letting out horrific screams.
The mutation was progressing due to the Black Tears.
But it was only for a brief moment.
"Hehehe!"
"Hihihi! Let's eat. Let's devour him."
The screams soon turned into laughter, quickly warping into a ravenous desire for prey.
Furthermore, grotesque-looking eyeballs began to peer out one by one from between the teeth.
Seriously, how incredibly ominous.
There were only a handful of bastards in the entire Tower of Trials who used such disgusting abilities.
The eyeballs all turned toward him at once.
...Here it comes.
The 'Imprint of the Moon' engraved on Jinhyuk's shoulder glowed brightly.
Ancient runic characters swirled, reinforcing his defensive barriers.
"Foolish! Did you not just see? That won't be nearly enough!"
Boom!
A black mist shattered the barriers Jinhyuk had created in a single blow.
The glowing blue barriers were dyed black. New eyes and mouths screamed frantically.
However...
The Wailing Witch, who had been wearing a triumphant smirk, bit her lip slightly.
"...What is this?"
A few of the barriers had not been corrupted.
Although almost all of the defensive barriers were contaminated, a select few still glowed blue, resisting fiercely.
This was impossible.
There was no known way to block the Black Tears.
I must have lost control of one or two because I'm handling so many at once.
Besides, it didn't matter anyway.
Her opponent was already struggling just to defend with everything he had.
Even that pathetic resistance would end after a few more strikes.
...Or so he wants me to think, hoping I'll let my guard down.
The Wailing Witch glanced at Jinhyuk.
That is not the face of someone who has given up. No, if anything, he looks like he's plotting something.
A small variable could lead to a massive outcome.
Moreover, wasn't this the very bastard who had toyed with and destroyed the apostles she had created?
Now that she was pushed into a corner and had even unleashed the Black Tears, she could not afford to be careless.
Even this situation might be part of his design.
Perhaps he plans to steal my barriers again, just like before.
The Black Tears moved three times faster and were three times more complex than ordinary mana, so there was absolutely no way that could happen—but the Wailing Witch intended to prepare for even a one-in-a-million chance.
In that case...
I will crush him with everything I have. I'll catch him off guard and end this in a single blow.
The Wailing Witch gathered her mana bit by bit, slowly enough that Jinhyuk wouldn't notice.
Crash! Bang!
"Kikikiki!"
"Let's eat...! Let's devour him. Devour him!"
Purple eyes and white teeth continued to gnaw away at the barriers Jinhyuk had made.
The blue barriers still precariously protected their master.
Although they were barely keeping him alive by a hair's breadth, they still did not lose their light.
Furthermore...
She could see that the number of unmutated barriers was actually increasing compared to before.
Her prediction was correct.
Something was happening.
Before it was too late... she had to finish him.
...Right...
"Now!"
[Demonic Thought Barrier Section 2, 'Flower of Reverie' activates!]
Beneath Jinhyuk's feet...
Whoosh!
The mana she had been secretly gathering bit by bit bloomed all at once.
The six black petals and the teeth sprouting from within them... were large and sharp enough to swallow their prey whole, even if it were a giant species.
"No matter what you planned, I held the upper hand. This is the end!"
The Flower of Reverie was a mental-type ability that hypnotized the target.
It was an ultimate move boasting the fastest and most powerful effect among the skills that could be cast using the Black Tears.
The phrase 'on a different level' must exist for moments like this.
But at that very moment...
A chilling...
...cold shiver ran down her spine.
Jinhyuk, who should have been deeply hypnotized, was still smiling.
But the reason for the chill wasn't simply because her opponent hadn't fallen under the hypnosis.
Her gaze drifted downward.
Beneath the witch's feet... a massive pupil and stark white teeth were visible.
"T-This is impossible."
Another Flower of Reverie had just finished blooming.
"How could you even do this...? It makes no sense. This is a type of barrier whose structure is impossible to decipher. Besides, you stole mine..."
Mid-sentence, the Wailing Witch realized something.
If he had merely stolen the barrier... why were there two Flowers of Reverie blooming here?
Beneath her opponent's feet, the flower she had created was still pouring out mana to hypnotize him.
To withstand that without a care and create another flower...
...meant he hadn't just stolen it.
"Y-You deciphered the very mana flowing through the Black Tears itself?"
He had completely seen through its entire foundation.
At those words, Jinhyuk shrugged.
"I haven't learned high-level barriers and curses like you have, nor is my proficiency high enough to control them perfectly. Honestly, it's embarrassing to even compare us."
He had only turned this fight in his favor by catching her off guard and exploiting compatibilities and the situation. He could never truly surpass the knowledge the Wailing Witch had accumulated.
Even so, there was one thing.
If there was a single reason he could be certain of victory, it was that he had no fear when it came to seeing and learning new things.
For eleven long years, he had chosen to experiment rather than settle.
Walking paths that others had never trodden and enjoying the process, he naturally came to understand.
The destination at the end of each path, and the shortest route to get there.
"Arrogant bastard. You speak as if you are some kind of genius."
"Oh dear. You completely misunderstood what I said. If I were a genius, I would have succeeded at everything on the first try. Those geniuses are the ones who produce ten results from a single effort. For me, even producing a single result from a single effort was a struggle."
It was just that his efforts were countless.
Enough to produce tens of thousands of results from tens of thousands of efforts.
"It's only because... because you coincidentally, by sheer luck, obtained the Barrierist class that things turned out like this! If your class had been anything else, this would never have happened!"
The Wailing Witch shouted, the veins in her neck bulging.
"I don't know about that..."
Once again, he found it hard to agree with her.
"If I had chosen the class I originally mained, you wouldn't even have been able to look me in the eye."
He had chosen Barrierist out of pure interest, but what if he challenged the tower again with the class he had used to climb it in the past? With all his past mistakes and weaknesses completely patched?
There was no need to waste his breath.
Without even needing to drag the conversation out this long, the witch's head would have been rolling on the ground ages ago.
"You chose a different class before? What does that mean?"
The Wailing Witch asked back, but Jinhyuk did not answer.
Instead, he signaled the end of the battle by lightly gathering his mana.
"Thanks for giving me a novel fight in its own way. I think I've grown a bit more attached to the Barrierist class because of it."
The petals slowly closed toward a single point.
Her vision gradually faded into darkness.
"W-Wait! Hold on! Do you not wish to know the ultimate truth of barriers? If you spare me, I can take you to the Great Witches' Council! I can reveal the truths of this world that you couldn't possibly imagine!"
The Wailing Witch reached out through the petals.
Her withered arm flailed desperately.
"Sorry, but I've already been there, and it wasn't all that impressive."
The mouth of the flower closed completely.
Crunch! Crunch!
"Aaaaaargh!"
Red blood sprayed like a waterfall through the gaps.
Thud.
Only her single arm, which had reached outward, was left behind, rolling on the ground.
* * *
"As expected..."
Step.
It was at that moment that footsteps echoed.
"The Wailing Witch was no match for you after all. I did have a sliver of hope, so this is truly a shame."
Tristan, who should have been dealing with the Dangun Guild, was suddenly standing beside him.
"If you leave your post, won't the remaining statues crumble in an instant? Well, now that the witch is dead, I suppose it's only a matter of time anyway."
"Hehe. The witch is dead, you say?"
Tristan chuckled.
Then, she walked over to the severed arm.
"Witches have quite a tenacious life force, you see. Look closely. Even with only a single arm remaining..."
Stomp.
Tristan stepped firmly on the arm.
And then...
"Aaargh!"
...a sharp scream rang out.
"She can still stay alive like this. Of course, it will take time for her to reconstruct her body, but she can at least preserve her life."
"Y-You damned Demonic Human! Why did you expose me when I was hiding so well?!"
The Wailing Witch shrieked in a frenzy.
She couldn't help but seethe with rage at her ally's incomprehensible behavior.
However, Jinhyuk was equally baffled by Tristan's actions.
"You... why did you betray the witch? You would definitely need her help to survive, wouldn't you?"
"Hmm. To answer that question, I must ask you something first. Jinhyuk, what kind of place do you think this is?"
"I'm not a fan of Zen riddles... Why don't you just answer my question?"
"Just humor me and think about it once."
Tristan smiled brightly.
It was a sinister smile. For a split second, that bright smile felt almost terrifying.
The reason why this woman suddenly betrayed the Wailing Witch... the true nature of the Tomb of the Antichrist, and its conditions.
Clues began to piece themselves together.
"..."
Jinhyuk's expression shifted.
It was a casual question, but the answer to it was anything but light.
"...A Holy Demonic Sanctuary."
This place...
...the Tomb of the Antichrist...
...was a place where demons could be manifested.
"Spot on."
Mana exploded.