Chapter 229: Reversal (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 229: Reversal (5)
Crack!
Another layer of Bone Armor was torn off, revealing Clown's face, which was full of bewilderment. In my experience, this expression was no different than a signal that a long fight was coming to an end. However, the moment I was about to bring down my mace with all my might, a cool breeze blew toward me from somewhere to the side.
Whip!
[Erwen Fornacci di Tersia has exceeded her damage threshold. Elementalization has deactivated.]
My body grew lighter before I could even register the change. In no time, my rock-like skin was back to its original state. My hearing was on a hair trigger like an alert animal.
Slump.
I heard something drop to the ground behind me.
"Erwen!" An urgent cry from Daria quickly followed. That was enough to infer what was going on. Erwen had been hit, so Elemental Barbarian Mode had ended. But if that was the case, what had hit her? Before I could even turn my head in the direction of that first gust of wind, I caught sight of the answer.
"Haha, Mr. Necrapeto. You're looking in a bad way." He was an elderly man with the appearance of an archetypical wizard: lush gray hair, a white beard, and kind-looking features.
Fallen Scholar.
He was here.
Already? How? What happened to Kyle?
The moment I was faced with that fact, numerous questions popped into my mind.
Slide.
I tried my best to rid myself of them and moved my arm. It was an unconscious decision made in the blink of an eye.
If not now... I won't have any other opportunities.
Elemental Barbarian Mode was now over. Since I could no longer block poison damage, if I let this opportunity pass me by, I'd have to face both Clown and this old man at the same time.
"You're in a hurry."
God damn it.
The strength left my left arm and my mace fell to the ground.
Boom!
A red light penetrated my wrist.
I'm actually going to lose my mind. What kind of crazy hit...?
There had been no casting time needed. That meant that to Fallen Scholar, the spell he'd used just now was no different from a basic attack spell like Magic Arrow. And a regular hit of that caliber had pierced my body when Elemental Barbarian mode was over and my Mana Resistance was back?
No, think later.
I once again shook off my questions, because they weren't what I needed to focus on right now. Dropped the mace? Just fuck him up with a shield. If I didn't have that, I'd channel my K-Barbarian spirit and chew him up with my gums if I had to.
Smack.
The moment I dropped the mace, I struck Clown's face with my shield. Since one hit didn't do it, once more.
Smack!
Since twice didn't put me at ease, one more time.
Voom!
I was just about to slam it down a third time.
"What an interesting fellow." I froze. It felt as if something invisible was pressing down on my whole body with tremendous force.
"You said it yourself. I'm in a hurry."
The only thing I could move was my eyes, which I shifted to the side. Fallen Scholar had his own eyes fixed on me. His face was expressionless by default, but it also seemed amused for some reason, as if he'd just discovered something that had piqued his curiosity.
"What is your name?"
So, you're curious about me.
"You can't be an unnamed adventurer considering what you've done to Mr. Necrapeto." There was no malice in his tone.
Just then, Melter Fend's voice sounded from the message stone. "Is that man already...!?" Fallen Scholar frowned, displeased with the interruption. "Just wait. I'll be there s—"
The message stone attached to my waist exploded.
Pop!
I mean, what kind of wizard was this guy? It wasn't like he'd waved a wand or anything—there wasn't even the usual hand movement that accompanied using mana. Just what was this old man's rank? The only thing I'd been told was that he'd been rank three before he was banished.
"Are you not going to answer me?"
"Bjorn, son of Yandel." I decided to respond for now. Since Fend would lead the main team here as soon as possible, I figured I should stall with conversation until then.
"Nickname?"
"Little Balkan."
"Hmm, this is my first time hearing it. So what rank are you?"
"...I recently got promoted to rank five."
"Rank five, huh? I'm getting more interested." Fallen Scholar looked at me with a twinkle in his eyes and moved his hand as if to manipulate mana.
Shaaa!
Colorful light rose from the ground. Oh, I knew this spell; it was the unique rank-five spell Memory of the Earth, a spell that replayed anything that happened in a specified area for the caster.
He even uses the specialty magic of completely unrelated schools with ease.
Memory of the Earth was a spell unique to the Earthrin school. According to my research, Fallen Scholar had been affiliated with a school pursuing a completely different type of magic before being banished.
"Pffft." Fallen Scholar let out a light chuckle, apparently watching the replay. "I see now that you are an even more interesting fellow than I thought. To think you would say something like that to Mr. Necrapeto."
"Something like that," huh? I didn't know if he was talking about my comment on his looks or the "how small" remark, but it didn't matter either way.
"What happened to Kyle?" It seemed the other side was interested in conversation, so I decided to also sate my own curiosity.
To my surprise, he answered obligingly. "That fellow is still alive. He's not the kind of person who should die here."
"...You mean you kept him alive on purpose?"
"He has achieved many things through revenge. If he abandons even his human emotions, he will likely be able to reach an even higher realm."
His words were eloquent and well-pronounced, befitting a wizard, but I had no idea what I was hearing. How was that a reason not to kill him? If your opponent had great potential, wasn't that more reason to kill them? I didn't say any of that out loud, but it seemed my confusion was written all over my face.
"Individual or group, friend or foe—what does it matter?" Fallen Scholar said. "As a person who wants to see the limits of magic, I am just curious what kind of magic that man will create if he does manage to reach that level."
"You said it yourself. I'm in a hurry."
The only thing I could move was my eyes, which I shifted to the side. Fallen Scholar had his own eyes fixed on me. His face was expressionless by default, but it also seemed amused for some reason, as if he'd just discovered something that had piqued his curiosity.
"What is your name?"
So, you're curious about me.
"You can't be an unnamed adventurer considering what you've done to Mr. Necrapeto." There was no malice in his tone.
Just then, Melter Fend's voice sounded from the message stone. "Is that man already...!?" Fallen Scholar frowned, displeased with the interruption. "Just wait. I'll be there s—"
The message stone attached to my waist exploded.
Pop!
I mean, what kind of wizard was this guy? It wasn't like he'd waved a wand or anything—there wasn't even the usual hand movement that accompanied using mana. Just what was this old man's rank? The only thing I'd been told was that he'd been rank three before he was banished.
"Are you not going to answer me?"
"Bjorn, son of Yandel." I decided to respond for now. Since Fend would lead the main team here as soon as possible, I figured I should stall with conversation until then.
"Nickname?"
"Little Balkan."
"Hmm, this is my first time hearing it. So what rank are you?"
"...I recently got promoted to rank five."
"Rank five, huh? I'm getting more interested." Fallen Scholar looked at me with a twinkle in his eyes and moved his hand as if to manipulate mana.
Shaaa!
Colorful light rose from the ground. Oh, I knew this spell; it was the unique rank-five spell Memory of the Earth, a spell that replayed anything that happened in a specified area for the caster.
He even uses the specialty magic of completely unrelated schools with ease.
Memory of the Earth was a spell unique to the Earthrin school. According to my research, Fallen Scholar had been affiliated with a school pursuing a completely different type of magic before being banished.
"Pffft." Fallen Scholar let out a light chuckle, apparently watching the replay. "I see now that you are an even more interesting fellow than I thought. To think you would say something like that to Mr. Necrapeto."
"Something like that," huh? I didn't know if he was talking about my comment on his looks or the "how small" remark, but it didn't matter either way.
"What happened to Kyle?" It seemed the other side was interested in conversation, so I decided to also sate my own curiosity.
To my surprise, he answered obligingly. "That fellow is still alive. He's not the kind of person who should die here."
"...You mean you kept him alive on purpose?"
"He has achieved many things through revenge. If he abandons even his human emotions, he will likely be able to reach an even higher realm."
His words were eloquent and well-pronounced, befitting a wizard, but I had no idea what I was hearing. How was that a reason not to kill him? If your opponent had great potential, wasn't that more reason to kill them? I didn't say any of that out loud, but it seemed my confusion was written all over my face.
"Individual or group, friend or foe—what does it matter?" Fallen Scholar said. "As a person who wants to see the limits of magic, I am just curious what kind of magic that man will create if he does manage to reach that level."
"Even if that magic can kill you?"
"Don't worry. Rising to the top means discarding any and all unnecessary things over and over again. By then, he will have no human emotions left."
I just gave up on trying to understand him. People called this old man inhuman and driven mad by magic, and they were right. His way of thinking was totally different. But because of that, anticipation stirred inside of me, a faint hope that that peculiar way of thinking might spare my life today.
"Now, let's end our conversation here. I have slightly overdone it today." I noticed only then that there were bloodstains on Fallen Scholar's beard. It seemed he'd tried to wipe them off but the traces remained.
That means this bastard isn't in his usual condition either.
Whatever the outcome, this was a positive.
Just as I was thinking this, Fallen Scholar spoke up as if to bid me goodbye. "Thanks to you, I've had fun for the first time in a long time. I still have need of Mr. Necrapeto, so I'll be taking him with me."
Still half-unconscious from being beaten with my shield, Clown's body floated up into the air. I was forced to watch because my own body wouldn't budge. It left me with mixed feelings. I really just needed a little more time. Was this really how this was going to end? Well, if he was going to let us go, this was still a good deal for us...
"So, die."
Yeah, of course not.
Slide.
Fallen Scholar extended his hand toward me, and an ominous red mana formed around it. I let go of any and all regrets. This was nothing new at this point. It was always like this.
"Behelahhh!" I had to fight if I wanted to live.
[You have cast Giantization.]
Squeezing out the last of my strength, my warrior's body once again increased in size.
Crunch, crunch, chhh.
When I put strength into my feet, I heard the invisible mana covering my body cracking. I pretty much expected this. "Wizard" was practically a synonym for "efficient," right? Since his body wasn't in peak condition, I was sure he'd only used minimal mana on me.
Dash.
My body was finally freed. I kicked off the ground and ran.
"Yandel! I see Yandel!"
But I did not go to the place in the distance where my allies were running over from, but toward the enemy.
Leap!
"Hmm." Fallen Scholar gave me a curious look. He must have been wondering why I wasn't running away even though he'd released Crowd Control, but that was just the way it seemed from his point of view.
How long can I last with ten minutes' worth of MP? Twenty seconds, and that's if I'm generous.
After that, Giantization would deactivate, which was why this was the best I could do for now.
Leap!
I closed in on Clown, whose body was being dragged away. My reason for doing so was simple. The old man who seemed disinterested in anything other than magic had just said it himself.
"I still have need of Mr. Necrapeto, so I'll be taking him with me."
He still needed Clown. This meant that if I stuck close to Clown, he couldn't use magic. That was probably why he'd tried to drag Clown toward him in the first place.
"Even if that magic can kill you?"
"Don't worry. Rising to the top means discarding any and all unnecessary things over and over again. By then, he will have no human emotions left."
I just gave up on trying to understand him. People called this old man inhuman and driven mad by magic, and they were right. His way of thinking was totally different. But because of that, anticipation stirred inside of me, a faint hope that that peculiar way of thinking might spare my life today.
"Now, let's end our conversation here. I have slightly overdone it today." I noticed only then that there were bloodstains on Fallen Scholar's beard. It seemed he'd tried to wipe them off but the traces remained.
That means this bastard isn't in his usual condition either.
Whatever the outcome, this was a positive.
Just as I was thinking this, Fallen Scholar spoke up as if to bid me goodbye. "Thanks to you, I've had fun for the first time in a long time. I still have need of Mr. Necrapeto, so I'll be taking him with me."
Still half-unconscious from being beaten with my shield, Clown's body floated up into the air. I was forced to watch because my own body wouldn't budge. It left me with mixed feelings. I really just needed a little more time. Was this really how this was going to end? Well, if he was going to let us go, this was still a good deal for us...
"So, die."
Yeah, of course not.
Slide.
Fallen Scholar extended his hand toward me, and an ominous red mana formed around it. I let go of any and all regrets. This was nothing new at this point. It was always like this.
"Behelahhh!" I had to fight if I wanted to live.
[You have cast Giantization.]
Squeezing out the last of my strength, my warrior's body once again increased in size.
Crunch, crunch, chhh.
When I put strength into my feet, I heard the invisible mana covering my body cracking. I pretty much expected this. "Wizard" was practically a synonym for "efficient," right? Since his body wasn't in peak condition, I was sure he'd only used minimal mana on me.
Dash.
My body was finally freed. I kicked off the ground and ran.
"Yandel! I see Yandel!"
But I did not go to the place in the distance where my allies were running over from, but toward the enemy.
Leap!
"Hmm." Fallen Scholar gave me a curious look. He must have been wondering why I wasn't running away even though he'd released Crowd Control, but that was just the way it seemed from his point of view.
How long can I last with ten minutes' worth of MP? Twenty seconds, and that's if I'm generous.
After that, Giantization would deactivate, which was why this was the best I could do for now.
Leap!
I closed in on Clown, whose body was being dragged away. My reason for doing so was simple. The old man who seemed disinterested in anything other than magic had just said it himself.
"I still have need of Mr. Necrapeto, so I'll be taking him with me."
He still needed Clown. This meant that if I stuck close to Clown, he couldn't use magic. That was probably why he'd tried to drag Clown toward him in the first place.
"You are wise." The crimson spell in Fallen Scholar's hand was still there, but it didn't fire at me. "It'd be a waste of mana to just throw it away." His open palm changed directions, aimed not at me, but at my comrades.
Flash!
There was a flash of light, and a red orb shot out from his palm.
"Barhatun Wiar." Dozens of stone walls appeared in its path, courtesy of Raven. No wonder she'd been so quiet up to now; she had been secretly preparing a spell. But it didn't mean much.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The red orb flew at them at high speeds, destroying the stone walls all too easily.
"Get down!" Just as I did earlier, Mr. Bear covered everyone with his body and even summoned Iron Bear on top of that.
Kwaaang!
The orb exploded in mid-air, right at the midpoint between me and my comrades in the distance, expelling thousands of individual jets of flame. No, to be more precise, it exploded right where Erwen had collapsed after Elementalization ended, as if she had been his target from the start.
"No!"
Poppp!
Like fireworks made with CGI, countless sparks flew out and explosions followed one after another.
Whooom!
A strong gust slapped against my skin. Even in the midst of all this chaos, Fallen Scholar's expression remained unchanged, and when he spoke, his voice was calm. "That young lady was born with the most destiny after you."
I couldn't understand what he was talking about, but one thing was for sure. He really had been aiming for Erwen.
Grit.
My jaw hurt. It felt like someone had hit me on the back of the head with a huge, blunt weapon. Was Erwen really dead?
Thump!
Blood pooled in my heart and paralyzed all reason. The more it did, the more just one thought filled my mind: What do I have to do to protect the rest?
I at least have to kill this bastard.
I extended my hand toward Clown's head, trusting that my soon-to-arrive allies would take care of Fallen Scholar somehow.
Smack!
My shield came down on Clown's face again, but it seemed he was still conscious. "Pooh!" Clown spewed the blood pooled in his mouth onto my face.
Chhh!
There was a sizzling sound. I felt no pain, but even with my dulled senses I could feel something continue to flow down my skin. I somehow managed to open my eyes, but my vision was blurry.
Hydra Venom.
His passive skill had a similar effect to that of Acid Fluid, but there was a huge difference in terms of performance. The suicide soldier zombies had probably been modified using his own blood. Of course, none of that mattered. I reached my hand out beyond the darkness in my vision.
Squeeze.
Luckily, I grabbed his hair. Okay, with this, I wouldn't miss it.
Grit.
Instead of using my recently stabbed left arm, which had no strength left in it, I bit him like an animal.
"Aaah!" I could feel soft cartilage. Was this his ear?
Spit.
Spitting it out, I lowered my chin some more. What I wanted was his neck. If I chewed off the blood vessels leading to his brain, even this asshole wouldn't be able to survive.
"You really are a beast." There was disgust lining every word.
Slice!
Something sharp cut through my right arm. In truth, this was my first time feeling pain in a long time. Maybe that was why the corners of my mouth turned up.
"I think I know why barbarians are called savages now. Each one of you is positively unhinged. Are you not afraid of death?" the Fallen Scholar asked.
This guy knew nothing about barbarians. They weren't fearless beings. They just learned how to overcome fear and move on because there was no other choice. They could only laugh and choose the sole option available to them. Some called them savages for that, but these were people who fought with themselves every day. They called them warriors.
[Your Soul Power is insufficient. Giantization has deactivated.]
Giantization ended just in time.
Choke!
With nothing to hold on to, my body was pushed back. It rolled round and round. Maybe it was because I'd been in many dogfights, but standing up without being able to see in front of me was no problem. The problem was the lack of direction.
"Impressive."
There you are.
Dash.
I charged in the direction of the voice.
Stab!
Something stabbed me through the stomach, but in that moment, a warm energy embraced me.
Shaaa!
It was divine power.
"Yandel! Protect Yandel!" I could hear Teterud the dwarf, who I'd sent to help Melter Fend earlier. He was quite close.
"Belbev Ruingenes!" I could also hear Kyle's voice, amplified by magic and filled with anger. He was shouting the Fallen Scholar's real name.
Bang!
Something exploded in front of me. Did he step back to avoid it?
"So that fellow managed to get over here. If I knew this would happen, I wouldn't have made conversation." Fallen Scholar's voice moved a little further away. "You know something? I wasn't being overconfident. It's just that for the first time in a long time, I miscalculated. I thought I had enough time." His voice was still calm. "Well, I've been miscalculating from the moment you first appeared. Because I thought no one would get up to the second floor." The bastard's voice grew fainter and more distant. "Congratulations. On being the sole victor."
After that, I did not hear the voice again. From that point on, my blurry vision blackened. I couldn't even sense the dim light of the labyrinth through my retinas anymore. It felt like I was all alone in the universe.
Tap.
Just then, I felt someone approach me and I reflexively swung my severed arm.
Tap.
My blow was stopped mid-swing, but there was no counterattack like I'd been fearing.
"It's me." I heard the voice of Teterud. "My friend... it's all over..."
Ah.
"So... rest now."
Ahh... What about Erwen...?
I had to ask, but my voice wouldn't come out.
Slump.
Today was such a long day, and that was the last bit of it that I remembered.
"You are wise." The crimson spell in Fallen Scholar's hand was still there, but it didn't fire at me. "It'd be a waste of mana to just throw it away." His open palm changed directions, aimed not at me, but at my comrades.
Flash!
There was a flash of light, and a red orb shot out from his palm.
"Barhatun Wiar." Dozens of stone walls appeared in its path, courtesy of Raven. No wonder she'd been so quiet up to now; she had been secretly preparing a spell. But it didn't mean much.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The red orb flew at them at high speeds, destroying the stone walls all too easily.
"Get down!" Just as I did earlier, Mr. Bear covered everyone with his body and even summoned Iron Bear on top of that.
Kwaaang!
The orb exploded in mid-air, right at the midpoint between me and my comrades in the distance, expelling thousands of individual jets of flame. No, to be more precise, it exploded right where Erwen had collapsed after Elementalization ended, as if she had been his target from the start.
"No!"
Poppp!
Like fireworks made with CGI, countless sparks flew out and explosions followed one after another.
Whooom!
A strong gust slapped against my skin. Even in the midst of all this chaos, Fallen Scholar's expression remained unchanged, and when he spoke, his voice was calm. "That young lady was born with the most destiny after you."
I couldn't understand what he was talking about, but one thing was for sure. He really had been aiming for Erwen.
Grit.
My jaw hurt. It felt like someone had hit me on the back of the head with a huge, blunt weapon. Was Erwen really dead?
Thump!
Blood pooled in my heart and paralyzed all reason. The more it did, the more just one thought filled my mind: What do I have to do to protect the rest?
I at least have to kill this bastard.
I extended my hand toward Clown's head, trusting that my soon-to-arrive allies would take care of Fallen Scholar somehow.
Smack!
My shield came down on Clown's face again, but it seemed he was still conscious. "Pooh!" Clown spewed the blood pooled in his mouth onto my face.
Chhh!
There was a sizzling sound. I felt no pain, but even with my dulled senses I could feel something continue to flow down my skin. I somehow managed to open my eyes, but my vision was blurry.
Hydra Venom.
His passive skill had a similar effect to that of Acid Fluid, but there was a huge difference in terms of performance. The suicide soldier zombies had probably been modified using his own blood. Of course, none of that mattered. I reached my hand out beyond the darkness in my vision.
Squeeze.
Luckily, I grabbed his hair. Okay, with this, I wouldn't miss it.
Grit.
Instead of using my recently stabbed left arm, which had no strength left in it, I bit him like an animal.
"Aaah!" I could feel soft cartilage. Was this his ear?
Spit.
Spitting it out, I lowered my chin some more. What I wanted was his neck. If I chewed off the blood vessels leading to his brain, even this asshole wouldn't be able to survive.
"You really are a beast." There was disgust lining every word.
Slice!
Something sharp cut through my right arm. In truth, this was my first time feeling pain in a long time. Maybe that was why the corners of my mouth turned up.
"I think I know why barbarians are called savages now. Each one of you is positively unhinged. Are you not afraid of death?" the Fallen Scholar asked.
This guy knew nothing about barbarians. They weren't fearless beings. They just learned how to overcome fear and move on because there was no other choice. They could only laugh and choose the sole option available to them. Some called them savages for that, but these were people who fought with themselves every day. They called them warriors.
[Your Soul Power is insufficient. Giantization has deactivated.]
Giantization ended just in time.
Choke!
With nothing to hold on to, my body was pushed back. It rolled round and round. Maybe it was because I'd been in many dogfights, but standing up without being able to see in front of me was no problem. The problem was the lack of direction.
"Impressive."
There you are.
Dash.
I charged in the direction of the voice.
Stab!
Something stabbed me through the stomach, but in that moment, a warm energy embraced me.
Shaaa!
It was divine power.
"Yandel! Protect Yandel!" I could hear Teterud the dwarf, who I'd sent to help Melter Fend earlier. He was quite close.
"Belbev Ruingenes!" I could also hear Kyle's voice, amplified by magic and filled with anger. He was shouting the Fallen Scholar's real name.
Bang!
Something exploded in front of me. Did he step back to avoid it?
"So that fellow managed to get over here. If I knew this would happen, I wouldn't have made conversation." Fallen Scholar's voice moved a little further away. "You know something? I wasn't being overconfident. It's just that for the first time in a long time, I miscalculated. I thought I had enough time." His voice was still calm. "Well, I've been miscalculating from the moment you first appeared. Because I thought no one would get up to the second floor." The bastard's voice grew fainter and more distant. "Congratulations. On being the sole victor."
After that, I did not hear the voice again. From that point on, my blurry vision blackened. I couldn't even sense the dim light of the labyrinth through my retinas anymore. It felt like I was all alone in the universe.
Tap.
Just then, I felt someone approach me and I reflexively swung my severed arm.
Tap.
My blow was stopped mid-swing, but there was no counterattack like I'd been fearing.
"It's me." I heard the voice of Teterud. "My friend... it's all over..."
Ah.
"So... rest now."
Ahh... What about Erwen...?
I had to ask, but my voice wouldn't come out.
Slump.
Today was such a long day, and that was the last bit of it that I remembered.