Chapter 136
Chapter 136
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 136
Chapter Title: The Five Pillars (13)
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There was no need to get any closer to the scene. Just watching from afar allowed Kadim to grasp the situation in an instant.
'That fireball elder and his minions are blocking the path into the Magic Tower. The ice chunk elder and his crew are struggling desperately to break through...'
It was more or less what he'd expected. Still, the sheer scale of the sabotage operation left him with a flicker of genuine surprise.
――――――― Kwarrr rumble, kwarrr rumble rumble - !!
The swirling black flames exploding in spirals would have already ground half the city to dust if not for the ice storm countering their power. Their antics were like some senile old coot's, but clearly, they hadn't earned their elder titles by throwing tantrums. Kadim stroked his chin with absent admiration.
The typhoon raged and the mages' civil war turned the heavens and earth into a hellscape, yet he remained utterly calm. The reason was simple.
The lantern in his hand.
Just light this 'Lantern that Burns the Darkness,' and all those flashy magical fireworks would vanish like mirages in broad daylight.
"......"
But.
Kadim had no intention of lighting it just yet.
This lantern could only be used once more from now on. He'd decided to save it for when it was absolutely necessary—and this wasn't that time. After all, wasn't Coltran and his men handling things just fine on their own?
Lighting the lantern would disable magic for everyone, including them. Then he'd have to step in and crush the enemy himself. Kadim had zero interest in wasting a precious holy relic on something avoidable and buying himself extra hassle.
A pang of conscience? No reason to feel it.
If anything, Coltran was the one who should feel guilty. He'd gone to great lengths and spent a fortune gathering the 'Five Pillars,' only for that bastard to freeload his way to the lowest floor without lifting a finger. If the man had any shame, he'd at least clear the secret passage himself.
Whoooosh, shwaaaaa...
It wasn't exactly prime sightseeing weather either. Kadim found an abandoned house to shelter from the wind and rain, plopped down inside, cracked open a rum bottle, and watched the battle unfold across the river like it was a fireworks show.
Crashcrashcrashclang - !
Roarrrrrrr - !
Mists of freezing and incineration mingled and rose. The battle stayed evenly matched for quite a while. But as time passed, the scales began to tip one way.
Considering the current weather, Coltran's side should have had an overwhelming advantage. The typhoon's torrential downpour was poison to fire magic and nectar to ice.
Yet Coltran's forces were the ones gradually falling into a defensive slump.
There were several reasons. Persistent headwinds from pressure differences. Oklamud's superior magical prowess. Black flames less affected by moisture than normal fire...
But the biggest factor was that.
The translucent barrier encircling the Magic Tower.
It let flames from inside pass through but blocked incoming projectiles from outside. A fortress granting one-sided attacks to the defenders. Coltran and his men had to rain ice from above or erupt it from below—far less mana-efficient than direct hits.
Soon, Coltran's minions started collapsing one by one as their mana ran dry. Lightning bolts from Oklamud struck the fallen mages without fail. At this rate, the outcome was plain as day.
'...Damn it, what a pain right up to the end.'
He'd planned to sip rum until the path cleared, then saunter in. But now that was off the table. With no choice, Kadim grabbed the 'Lantern that Burns the Darkness' and stood.
At that moment, he noticed an unexpected phenomenon at his waist.
Crackle, crackle -
"......"
His lips stiffened mysteriously, then curved into a savage grin.
Looked like he could exterminate these spell-slingers without even using the lantern.
*
There was no room for mere mortals in a mages' battle. Anyone charging in bare-handed would be dismissed as a lunatic begging for a creative death.
Yet the mages couldn't even think that as the barbarian approached.
A hulking frame defying perspective, jagged muscles like bizarre rock formations, weapons brimming with murderous intent, and hollow eyes... The barbarian strode forward like a triumphant general, exuding such feral killing intent that even mystical ascetics momentarily lost their wits.
"......"
"......"
Oklamud's advancing mages halted. Coltran's defensive mages halted too. Half from shock at the intrusion, half from primal fear.
The battlefield paused by the barbarian's arrival.
In that frozen world, Elder Coltran recovered first.
"Kadim? Wh-when did you get here?"
"...Just now. Planned to join once the path opened, but looked like you lot were about to get wiped out first."
"Th-the key? Did you bring the 'Five Pillars'?"
"Yeah, though at this rate, no point."
"Pff, how embarrassing... I figured Oklamud would pull tricks inside the tower, not block the entrance entirely..."
And next to recover was Elder Oklamud.
"Gasp..."
"Y-yes, Elder!"
Overawed by the elder's bone-crunching fury, his minions sprang into disciplined action. Kadim growled at Coltran, whose face darkened further.
"So, got any brilliant turnaround plan?"
"...Not yet. Our losses are heavy, so I was thinking retreat for now..."
"Can't be helped then."
Kadim calmly gripped the Blood Ghost's hilt and the Thunderstrike's axe handle. Coltran panicked.
"What are you doing? You can't seriously think to face Oklamud with those!"
"That's the idea."
"Don't! He's reckless, but his magic is the real deal! Whatever you've done against mages before, that 'Black Rock Inferno' is impossible! Don't get cocky—fall back!"
No one, not even fellow elders, could handle him bare-handed. Oklamud's mages thought the same.
"...Ha. What a lunatic."
Shock faded, reason returned.
It was ridiculous. How could a metal-swinging brute challenge the laws of the universe? A few fire arrows here, and he'd be roasted before he moved...
Whirrwhirrwhirrwhirrack, crrr-ack!
...or so the frontline mage thought—right before losing his life first.
Whoosh—hum, whoosh, whing, whing, thunk!
The wavy axe blade pulverized a face and returned to its owner. The mage who'd illuminated hellish blossoms collapsed without a head.
Kadim wiped blood flecks from the blade and side-eyed Coltran.
"Mages die the same as anyone when you split their skulls. No exception for that raging elder."
"......"
"I'll crack his head myself. If it looks like he's about to play with fire, throw up a barrier in time, Elder."
The elders' faces rippled with unease at his mad confidence. The enemy reeled from losing a comrade in a blink.
"Wh-what?"
"What the..."
But no time to compose. Steel wings slicing flesh and bone flew again.
Whirrwhirrwhirrwhirrack, prr-ack!
Another face bloomed crimson, then Kadim charged headlong.
"Hrraaaaaah!!"
"...Uh, uhh?"
"Uhhh..."
Lightning-swift dash trampling the gale, blood-red afterimages in split seconds.
Crr-ack!
A vast sword sweep cleaved clustered mages like tofu. The Blood Ghost, tasting blood after ages, thrummed hungrily along the hilt, devouring. Roaring warrior's features etched with blood and rain.
Half the mages froze like statues at their comrades' deaths; the other half snapped awake on adrenaline, faces paler than the storm light, fumbling chants.
Shrr-ack! Whirrwhirrwhirrwhirrack, crrr-ack!
"...Guhk!"
Few completed chants. Kadim prioritized chanters. Scant fire arrows and fireballs fizzled as the warrior sensed and dodged, mere dim lamps.
Dozens of mages toyed with by one barbarian. Oklamud couldn't contain his rage at the absurdity.
―――――― Kwarrrrrrr rumble - !
Black Rock Inferno
Area-wide incineration wave
A black flame tsunami from within the barrier swept like an avalanche, laced with unyielding intent to scorch everything. Unavoidable.
Problem: it didn't spare allies.
"...Uh?"
"E-Elder! We're still h—"
―――――― Kwaaarr rumble rumble - !
No time for shields. Indiscriminate flames cremated advancing mages to nothing. That one blast killed more than Kadim had personally slain, leaving scarcely any outside the barrier.
Regrettably, the target barbarian stood unharmed.
"...What?"
Sizzzzzzz...
Thanks to Coltran's timely ice barrier.
Exhausted, it wasn't perfect—residual heat scorched Kadim's skin and seared his throat.
But to a warrior, that was a mere scratch.
Hummmm -
Activate this 'Hydra Tattoo' to mend even hellfire wounds.
"Hrraaaaaah!"
berserker charged through charred debris, eyes blazing, toward the enemy.
Craaaackle-ack - !
Remaining mages swept away like chaff, no resistance. Oklamud unleashed more spells, but ice barriers neutralized them. Minor damage healed by eerie regeneration. At this rate, that mad barbarian might shatter the barrier and invade.
Oklamud shifted tactics.
The barrier, vital against magic and intrusion, reinforced with every last drop of mana.
Kadim countered by switching weapons.
"Hoo..."
Crackle, crackle - !
Ignited azure lightning on the silvery axe blade. Gripped the dark handle tight. Flexed blood-swollen muscles and tendons, then loosed 'Thunderstrike' at the barrier like a siege cannon.
Instant of impact on translucent surface: flickering blue flash.
Flash - !
――――――――― Kwaaarr, kwarumble - !!!
Barrier Integrity Shattered
Thunderstrike Impact
The barrier shuddered violently, transmitting supernatural force. Mages' eyes reflected stark light—and starker horror.
How could they not? 'Lightning magic' was advanced sorcery, entry-level only after mastering water, fire, wind runes. Overwhelming power, but rare even in the tower due to prerequisites.
Yet a mana-less barbarian wielded such sublime mystery?
Flash - !
――――――――― Kwaaarr, kwarumble - !!!
Not once, but twice in succession. Staring at retinal afterimages, mages murmured in trance-like awe.
"Heavens, how can a mortal wield such mighty mystery..."
"This... rivals even the Tower Lord's magic..."
"H-how, how, how... that filthy barbarian... damn it! Bastard!"
Even Oklamud drowned in awe momentarily but snapped out. Hesitation would doom them.
"Snap out of it! He can't keep that up forever! No matter his tricks, this barrier won't break!"
Oklamud's guess was close to truth.
Thunderstrike's 'lightning' effect: two uses. Depleted, half-day recharge. Two in a row—should be done.
If today were ordinary.
Crackle, crackle...
Axe blade scattered embers. Kadim gripped and waited. Judged the moment, raised it skyward firmly.
Grrrumble, grrr rumble - !
Storm clouds roiled by typhoon— a bolt rose from there...
Flash! Kwarumble rumble rumble - !
...forked wildly downward, striking the axe head dead-on.
Cracklecrackle, cracklecrackle - !!
Earthbound lightning condensed into metal. Silvery blade raged with current, blizzard waves overlaid with savage bolts.
Perfect weather. Kadim grinned ferociously. Hurled recharged 'Thunderstrike' without pause.
―――――― Flash! Kwarumble rumble - !!!
―――――― Flash! Kwarumble rumble rumble - !!!
―――――― Flash! Kwaaarr, kwarumble - !!!
Merciless blue barrage on barrier, endless looping strikes, mages' faces paling to lavender.
"This, this impossible..."
"Gasp, h-haa, hng. What the..."
"E-Elder! Wh-what do we do? The enemy's... summoning endless lightning...!"
"......"
Oklamud, who should strategize, gaped speechlessly. Long-dormant childhood lightning terror crept in all hearts.
―――――――― Crashcrashcrashcrashcrashclang - !
Infinite bolts finally shattered the unbreakable barrier to pieces.