Episode 994
Episode 994
Even so, Lee Han threw the remaining grape he was holding. The psychokinesis spell activated without an incantation traced a dazzling trajectory before striking the grape with precision.
Rolling on the sawdust, Hamster shuddered at the realization that his opponent's control over psychokinesis had improved yet again.
It was far more difficult to meticulously manipulate small, lightweight objects than to roughly control large, heavy ones.
Who would have thought he could hit so accurately while Hamster was zigzagging away at high speed?
-How much did you even practice this spell?
"Stop changing the subject and give me a proper solution."
Lee Han spoke bluntly.
What was the point of diverting the conversation to psychokinesis in such an urgent situation?
Hamster shook off the grape stuck to his back and squeaked indignantly.
-I already told you! You have to sever its lifeline. Do you really think I'd say something like this just to trick a brat like you?
"Yes."
-......
Trembling with anger, Hamster twitched his whiskers before launching into a longer explanation.
-Listen carefully, you immature brat. Thought-forms aren't convenient beings you can command as you please. They're fundamentally entities that oppose the very fabric of this world.
When beings from other dimensions descend into this realm, they must bear an immense burden.
Because the world rejects what was never meant to exist in the first place.
Thought-forms, composed purely of power and information rather than the proper union of flesh and soul that humans should possess, provoke the most violent rejection among such foreign entities.
Even Hamster had only approached this thought-form to extract its secrets before it went berserk—he never once entertained the idea of keeping it alive for millennia.
That was impossible from the start.
-You might not know this, brat, but Gonadaltes' avatars have descended several times before. Have you heard the tale of the Endless Hibernation? An entire territory fell into slumber—
"Ah, you magic criminal. I said stop being noisy and tell me the method!"
Lee Han fired the remaining grapes in rapid succession. Hamster shrieked and tumbled over.
"Are you trying to distract me now? Should I interrogate you the Einrogard way?"
Even Lee Han, who had treated Hamster with the courtesy befitting a scion of a great noble family until now, was growling, which left Hamster utterly shocked.
Whether it was because the grape impacts hurt or not, he felt inexplicably more aggrieved.
-What the—
"You clearly infiltrated to steal secrets. A guy like you wouldn't be unprepared for emergencies. At the very least, you must have prepared some delaying tactics."
-!
Hamster was startled.
He never expected this brat to see right through him.
Of course, Hamster had prepared a method in case the thought-form went berserk...
Though he hadn't anticipated being trapped inside a cage as a hamster...
-...
There is one, but it's literally just a delaying tactic. A way to escape, not to heal or recover... No, not the rock! Not the rock!
As Lee Han picked up a rock, Hamster squeaked in panic.
-And even if I tell you, I can't do it in this body!
Originally, Hamster's plan had been as follows:
He had prepared several enhanced and modified subordinates separately, so that when the world's rejection triggered the thought-form's rampage, the overload could be distributed among them.
Of course, no mere physically enhanced subordinate could withstand a burden even a Grand Mage would struggle with. This was purely a method to buy time.
-In this body, I can't even use that method. All my connections are severed. If that lunatic hadn't turned me into a hamster...
"Withering?"
-What did you say?
"You must have heard of it too. <Gonadaltes' Downfall>. Using that, I could take on the overload—"
-...
Impossible. I knew you were arrogant, but not to this extent. You're not at that level yet!
Hamster was so dumbfounded he forgot about the earlier hits and scoffed.
Even Hamster had heard of Withering. Among ancient magic, there were many bizarre and peculiar spells, but Withering was undoubtedly one of the most unusual.
But that didn't make it a solution.
This was like a novice ferryman attempting to cross a flood-swollen river during a storm.
"Didn't you try to solve it in a similar way?"
-What I prepared was a far more sophisticated high-level spell. There were seventy-eight auxiliary spells alone. And you, brat, think you can substitute all that with just one spell? Even if you succeeded, what about the overload? I know you have a lot of mana, but overconfidence is dangerous!
"There's no need to argue."
"!"
Before they knew it, Intarendals had stepped outside. Both of them turned their heads in surprise.
"Is the Master alright?"
"Yes. He took the prepared elixir."
"...?!"
Hamster noticed first, and Lee Han realized it a moment later.
The situation felt far too unnatural for it to be a medicine meant to improve his condition.
"...By any chance... is the elixir you're referring to poison?"
"As expected of you, Lord Lee Han. That's correct. Master Gonadaltes anticipated and prepared for this situation."
Intarendals spoke calmly, his face unusually tinged with sorrow.
Lee Han was horrified.
"What...! And you claim to be loyal?!"
"Some forms of loyalty involve personally feeding poison to one's master."
-Calm down. This is actually a favorable outcome, kid.
Lee Han flung Hamster against the cage wall with psychokinesis. Hamster tumbled uncontrollably.
Squeak squeak squeak!
"I'll explain everything. Starting with the item entrusted by Master Gonadaltes—"
CRACK!
A shattering sound came from inside.
The workshop was located within a cave, its walls made of solid bedrock.
When the sound of that bedrock splitting like a cracker being crushed echoed, the three of them froze.
"What the...?"
Wait. Could the poison have failed? Did you check the dosage?
Hamster, groaning as he struggled out of the sawdust, threw out the question. The Chamberlain answered indignantly, as if deeply insulted.
"How could there be any mistake when Master Gonadaltes prepared it himself?"
-You damn fool of a Chamberlain...! If you trust the calculations of a deteriorating thought-form and let it pass, what then?!
"!!!"
Lee Han and Intarendals wore expressions as if they'd been struck on the head with a hammer.
Intarendals lashed out at Hamster with a magical whip before hurriedly trying to head inside. But it was already too late.
CRACK!
The inner bedrock tore away, and an unprecedented density of mana began surging out like a storm.
Hamster, forgetting even the pain of being beaten, squeaked frantically.
-Withering! Prepare the Withering, kid! If we don't stop this now, we'll all die!
"It's not too late yet. I can still—!"
At the Chamberlain's words, Hamster exploded in anger.
-It's too late! It's already going berserk! Your half-baked poison accelerated it! We need to reduce the world's corruption itself!
Their opponent was already halfway into a rampage.
In this situation, any clumsy attack would be meaningless unless it could defeat that madman. There was absolutely no way he'd go down easily.
They had to somehow bring him closer to his senses and appeal to his reason. Right now, the only one who could do both was that kid.
"Shut up, slave!"
Squeak!
Ignoring Hamster's words, Intarendals tried to evacuate Lee Han. He couldn't risk the Master's disciple by trusting the words of a mere criminal slave.
But Lee Han was already holding his staff and casting a spell. 'No!' Intarendals, about to scream, froze at the sight before him.
Above the disciple's head, a familiar crown began to materialize.
A crown woven from bronze, copper, and branches.
There was no way Intarendals wouldn't recognize that modest yet beautiful crown.
"Basileios!"
Even at the Chamberlain's shout, Lee Han couldn't hear, his entire focus on the spell.
It wasn't just that he couldn't hear the shouts around him. With all his senses concentrated on the magic, he fell into the illusion that time had stopped and only he and the magic existed in the world. 'A perfect Small World. When did he...!' Intarendals felt ashamed for having thought Lee Han was careless.
If he weren't a true disciple, he wouldn't have been able to inherit that Small World.
The essences imprinted across countless parallel dimensions.
Power was summoned from that concept, exerting strong control over the surroundings. Hamster witnessed dozens of ancient magic circles appearing in an instant—on the ceiling, the floor, the collapsed walls, and even in midair.
As a mage who had prepared something similar, Hamster now understood what the Small World was doing. 'Magic circles to disperse the overload?! In this short span of time?!' Even for a Small World passed down since ancient times, this was beyond expectations. Hamster felt chills run through his stubby body.
But the most astonishing one was the young mage himself.
"He's using such a Small World while absorbing the world's terror, yet he's holding on so steadfastly."
'No. That's not...'
The hamster belatedly noticed Lee Han's condition.
Though his mana remained intact, blood was already flowing from his mouth, nose, and eyes.
Even with infinite mana, a mortal body had its limits.
"Spread it further! Activate more magic circles! Don't absorb it directly—scatter it!"
Though he knew Lee Han couldn't hear, the hamster squeaked frantically.
And even if heard, a response was impossible.
The ancient magic circles were already dispersing the terror to their maximum capacity.
The distortion of space and the swirling maelstrom of mana made that clear. If the mage didn't absorb but only scattered it here, the resulting disaster was unpredictable.
Click!
What saved its master was the Small World.
The small barrel-shaped pendant hanging around Lee Han's neck forcibly opened, spilling its contents into his mouth.
But that wasn't all. The Behemoth-bone necklace, the Morning Star, and other artifacts also diverted the overload. When it flowed into the Bracelet of Ten Thousand Demons, the silent screams of the demons inside erupted like a chorus.
Finally, the Small World coiled up the baby basilisk and hurled it far away. The little creature, who had been straining alongside its master, lashed its tail in fury.
The hamster buried its head in wood shavings and prayed. 'Kid, please!'
If, after this catastrophe, an even crazier thought-form were to appear, he couldn't even imagine what would happen.
"...The conditions for using Basiliskos are strict."
—!!!
At that chillingly familiar voice, the hamster felt like crying.
The Crazy Doppelganger emerged from the ruins, gazing at his entranced disciple with troubled eyes.
"One cannot summon and use it without noble selflessness for others. I never thought even royalty would meet that condition..."
"Master!"
"My apologies, Intarendals. The royal family's mistake has caused harm. But... I can rectify it immediately."
The hamster almost screamed, 'Just kill yourself already!' but clamped his mouth shut.
It seemed unnecessary to provoke someone who would handle it properly.
"There's no need for that."
—?!
"!"
Not just the hamster, but even the Crazy Doppelganger was stunned.
Lee Han had regained consciousness and was speaking.
—H-how!? Wait. What did you drink?
Seeing the unnatural sharpness in the young mage's eyes, the hamster panicked.
Having drunk the Elixir of Wisdom, Lee Han spoke with deep conviction.
"Look. Whether it's the world's terror or a thousand calamities, in the end, they're no different from other magical phenomena. If you fear them and act rashly, doesn't that disqualify you as a mage?"
"Bold words from someone barely holding together after a brief encounter."
The Crazy Doppelganger spoke disdainfully, but Lee Han paid no heed.
"If you're a mage, Master, you should step forward to block it with calculations! Otherwise, what can your disciple learn? If, after all consideration, it can't be stopped, then I won't stop it either. But preparing in secret and failing like this—isn't that just like a thief? Where's the royal dignity you always taught me about?"
—Y-you lunatic! Watch your mouth...!
The hamster was on edge.
Whatever artifact he'd drunk, the abnormal wisdom seemed to have emboldened him.
But the Crazy Doppelganger didn't get angry. Instead, he fell silent.
Silence.
After a long pause, the doppelganger finally spoke.
"...You're right. If I trust my disciple, I shouldn't have hidden my plans. I admit it. This was the royal family's mistake."
"M-Master!"
"I'll try to block the possible terror. Without hiding it from my disciple..."
No.
A familiar telepathy echoed from behind.
As everyone turned, a familiar skull floated in the air, glaring coldly at them.
You thought hard, but that's not the answer.
—Gonadaltes!
The terrified hamster squeaked, but the Skeleton Principal ignored the magic criminal.
His blazing gaze fixed solely on the doppelganger as he declared:
The answer is to seal it away forever.