Episode 1268
Episode 1268
'What?!'
Lee Han, who was rushing back to where Uman was preparing his magic, was greatly startled.
The nearby space was faintly shimmering like a heat haze. It was a phenomenon that occurred when dimensions overlapped and pushed against each other.
Such phenomena occurring on this scale of space and dimensions were difficult for ordinary people to notice. Even wizards wouldn't easily perceive it unless they had sufficient experience in this type of magic.
In that regard, Lee Han naturally possessed conditions that made him several times more perceptive than others.
He had directly visited various dimensions, formed contracts with beings from those dimensions which greatly enhanced his sensitivity and detection abilities, and had been separately training in space-time magic under Professor Garcia.
The Crone was surprised that Lee Han had noticed it faster than she expected.
'You've already noticed, haven't you? Didn't this old woman tell you? It's not normally easy.'
"I sense an alien energy between the spaces. What is this?"
'You noticed even that? That's the divine power of the Prahgal Cult.'
When Lee Han even detected the faintly leaking divine power of the Prahgal Cult from the rift, the Crone grew even more astonished.
Unless it was a holy knight who had long fought against evil god worshippers, it was unexpected for a wizard like Lee Han to be this acutely aware.
'Aha. He stole their Authority...!'
Though it was something that would enrage the cult's evil god worshippers who were still diligently working, it was true that this young wizard from the Wardanaz family had indeed stolen the cult's Authority.
Otherwise, no matter how exceptional a genius he was, he wouldn't have been able to detect their presence so quickly.
As this old woman said, evil god worshippers are hiding among the crowd like mold and poisonous mushrooms. It means those hiding in outer dimensions are also secretly spying. But if we suddenly close the dimension, they won't just sit still, will they?
Even enemies who had been relatively calmly observing would naturally resist when the path into the dimension is suddenly blocked.
Judging by the fact that the intensity wasn't too strong, it seemed the news that Stedal Nago had appeared hadn't reached their ears yet...
...but once they heard, there was no telling through which path they might descend for revenge.
In times like these, it's best to close it quickly and precisely to force the enemy to retreat. Are you ready?
The Crone advised precisely.
When dealing with strong and ferocious evil god worshippers, one must not retreat.
If you block off everything around without giving them a chance to counterattack, they'll give up and retreat.
Of course, if they hear that Stedal Nago was at the festival, they might rage and go berserk later, but by then, we'll probably be back at the magic academy anyway.
'This person... seems to genuinely enjoy teaching me secret arts.'
Lee Han made a complicated expression.
When they first met, the Crone had said things like "I don't like teaching magic to anyone" and "Don't even dream of learning magic from me."
So Lee Han had thought, 'Is this person actually kind-hearted?'...
But as time passed, her words and actions were becoming more and more like Professor Einrogard's.
"Yes... I somehow grasped the basic concepts, but I'm not entirely confident I can execute it properly..."
Stop exaggerating your incompetence! Even the dragon is working hard!
The secret art the Crone had taught Lee Han was a magic formed from the language of another dimension that he didn't yet know.
To best remember this composite magic that began with Anorthosis, Lee Han decided to rename it. Until he became proficient with the language, he planned to call it <The Witch's Dimensional Phase Distortion>.
'At least His Highness Uman is working hard.'
One favorable aspect of the situation was that Uman was struggling fiercely but not backing down.
It was truly marvelous to see him, without borrowing the power of the secret art, violently twisting the dimension using the dragon's unique incantations to guide it.
Thanks to this, the burden on Lee Han, who was assisting with magic, was greatly reduced. He swiftly sent paper birds flying in all directions, meticulously scouting the surroundings.
'First, identify the areas with severe overlapping and distortion, then coordinate with His Highness to push them back. If we succeed, His Highness should be able to close the remaining gaps on his own.'
Now!
As the Crone's signal, as abstract as ever, dropped, Lee Han opened his mouth and began chanting the spell. His mind was filled with the structure of the Secret Art the Crone had just taught him and the sequence of spells that followed.
Under normal circumstances, simply memorizing such an arcane secret wouldn't have allowed him to cast it immediately.
But Lee Han had already experienced similar high-level magics before.
Namely, the Small World Basilios and the Euangelion.
The Thorned Crown, which endlessly split adjacent parallel dimensions to divide and imprison their essence, and the cloak that similarly split adjacent parallel dimensions to endlessly expand space.
The Crone's Secret Art was fundamentally similar.
It involved grasping and twisting the vast expanse of space, guiding the connected dimensions as one desired.
Enemies to be avoided—far away.
Beings to be summoned—closer.
Uman, who had been concentrating, suddenly turned his gaze in surprise as the pressure drastically lessened.
Sure enough, the mage of the Wardanaz family had approached and joined the spellcasting.
'...I must express my gratitude!'
Though embarrassed, Uman could only give a small nod. Frankly, he had been in dire need of assistance.
Lee Han also nodded in response. The current inspector and the future headmaster candidate felt a strong bond between them.
'The Evil God Worshippers are far away!'
With Lee Han's support, the overlapping space that had been resisting began to be pushed back. As the space twisted, the dimensions momentarily revealed themselves.
Aren't those Fire Giants?
The Crone recognized the briefly glimpsed entities and marveled.
When the young Dragon had been working alone, there had been no sign of them, but now that the Wardanaz brat had joined, their guidance became clear—proof that the latter had some connection to them.
Lee Han was deeply curious but couldn't ask, too focused on maintaining the spell.
Those are Frost Giants, Celestials, and why is Garzidahaka here? Good heavens, even a Yaksha! And their king, no less!
"!"
Lee Han, silently listening, felt a sense of dissonance. Even while chanting the spell, he desperately forced himself to speak.
"If the Yaksha King had been connected, I would have known!"
If even for a moment, the Yaksha King had been linked, he would have undoubtedly thrown a few taunting remarks before leaving.
Lee Han was instinctively certain.
That was a lie!
The Crone's eccentric nature had clearly kicked in. Wasn't she the type who delighted in tormenting mages?
You're quite sharp! That's right. The Yaksha King was a lie.
Lee Han let out a sigh of relief.
It seemed the Crone's words had indeed been a lie...
'Wait. What did she just say?'
That the Yaksha King was a lie.
Did that mean the others were true?
'...No. Focus on the spell.'
Hadn't he already made a magical mistake earlier due to lack of focus?
Lee Han steeled his resolve to concentrate on the magic before him. It felt a bit like running away, but there was no choice.
If he heard the truth about the dimensions momentarily connected right now, he might just collapse mentally!
What insolent brats!
The Undead openly displayed his displeasure at the reports coming from the scene and the direct closing of dimensional pathways.
The recent subjugation of the Evil God and its complete annihilation had been a glorious triumph for the Empire, but for the Evil God Cult and its bishop, the Undead, it was anything but pleasant.
Moreover, the Undead had even participated in that battlefield.
Though he had accepted the subjugation due to the Crone's proposal, looking back now, it felt like he had been tricked by a cunning opponent.
The losses had been far too one-sided.
Who would've thought a being like the Crone would strike deals with mortals...?
The Undead continued to spew his thoughts onto the tree trunk. Currently, this Bishop was parasitizing a World Tree he had discovered in a remote dimension to compensate for the damage sustained in the previous battle.
As such, free movement was impossible. Even the fact that his thoughts were being expressed as carvings on the tree made that clear.
Yet, despite this, he couldn't simply remain still—his anger and displeasure were too overwhelming to shake off easily.
Evil God Worshippers, who strengthened themselves by devouring the faith and beliefs within their cult, could not afford to take such emotions lightly. If mishandled, they could become obstacles during their ascension.
Fine. Then...
The Undead moved a branch and retrieved a creature sealed within a spatial vault.
This creature, named Marbellas, had an appearance reminiscent of a slime, but its destructive power was incomparable to one.
Though it lacked intelligence and operated purely on instinct as a void-born creature from beyond dimensions, once it absorbed mana and swelled its body, it boasted strength surpassing even that of large monster beasts. It was the perfect card for this situation.
Let's see if they can stop this too. If their pride gets trampled, that'll be satisfying in its own way!
Having thrown in his pawn, the Bishop no longer paid attention and focused solely on meditation and recovery.
Now was truly the time to cast aside emotions and concentrate on practical gains.
Because of this, the Undead failed to notice.
The reports coming in from worshippers at the festival who had spotted Stedal Nago...
"!?"
Lee Han, who had been certain the matter was successfully concluded, was greatly startled. Even the Crone looked surprised.
From between the already-closed dimensional rifts, something was oozing out, creeping forward!
Who would've thought he had something like that?
"What is that?"
'This old woman doesn't know everything, you know. Must be some creepy monster he picked up from some dark, remote place. Don't give it a chance—burn it right away!'
"This isn't the time for—"
Before he could even finish speaking, Uman moved first. With the instinct befitting a dragon, he sensed that giving the enemy time would put them at a severe disadvantage.
Though he didn't particularly prefer transforming into a dragon in front of so many people, this wasn't the time to worry about that.
A massive Black Dragon manifested in the air, roaring as it tore apart and incinerated the slimy monster crawling out.
-It's a dragon!!!
-He must have come to bless the festival!
Though those who hadn't grasped the situation cheered, Lee Han's expression remained grave. Beside him, Jowurin asked:
"Lee Han! Jowurin shall go and help too!"
"Your Highness, please wait a moment!"
Startled, Lee Han hurriedly stopped Jowurin.
Unlike Uman, Jowurin lacked combat experience—he couldn't just send her into the fray immediately.
"Professor. His Highness—"
Lee Han tried to ask Professor Voladi to assist Uman first.
'Huh? Where did he go?'
But Professor Voladi was nowhere to be seen. Only then did Lee Han realize the professor was already above Uman.
'...He's really fast!'
After catching his breath for a moment, Lee Han finished the Secret Art himself. The more urgent the situation, the more crucial it was to complete the important magic properly. Otherwise, things could spiral out of control.
Subjectively, it didn't feel like it took long, but when he raised his head again, the situation had drastically changed.
"!!!"
The enemy, having somehow squeezed through the gap, was stubbornly enduring Uman's attacks while continuously growing in size.
Though Professor Voladi had stabbed in several seals, the creature's inherently alien nature seemed to halve their effectiveness.
'Crush it with brute force! Have that Gold Dragon hold it from behind while the Black Dragon burns it to ashes!'
The Crone quickly offered advice. Lee Han understood what she meant. Against an opponent immune to complex magic, a straightforward contest of strength might work instead.
"Understood. I'll go right away!"
"Lee Han! Jowurin will—"
The Gold Dragon, believing this was the perfect moment for Jowurin to strike, shouted loudly.
But Lee Han had already vanished. Jowurin's eyes widened as she watched the unfamiliar Black Dragon suddenly soar into the sky.
Huh?!