Chapter 214
Chapter 214
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 214
Chapter Title: Properties of Corruption
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Throughout their conversation, Marbas had been searching for an opening in Loan's defense.
Everything seemed to be an opening.
His posture was far too relaxed.
He didn't feel any particular threat.
Strong humans usually exuded a certain weightiness, but Loan gave off a somewhat ethereal feeling.
It was hard to understand why so many races had lost their lives to this young human, or why he was such a constant nuisance.
As a test, he had extended his killing intent along hundreds of paths that could claim Loan's life during their talk.
These paths, woven like a spider's web, essentially meant that death awaited anyone who stepped within his attack range.
Someone with any real skill wouldn't have dared to close the distance without first finding a way out.
'What is this guy?'
But the moment their negotiations broke down, Loan had charged forward without a hint of fear.
It was a well-known fact that Loan used magic and controlled sword fragments with psychokinesis.
It was quite surprising how the sword fragments had rushed in from strange angles, consolidating and reducing the number of attacks Marbas could unleash.
But to then close the distance from *this* direction? Without a sword, no less. A mage!
But bewilderment was just bewilderment.
Separate from his thoughts, Marbas's body reacted on its own.
He unleashed a burst of condensed mana, repelling Sheville.
At the same time, from his seated position, he twisted his body slightly and threw a punch, angling it perfectly to unleash his signature technique.
For him, it was the optimal attack.
However, it wasn't an attack meant to deal damage with a powerful strike.
His specialty lay elsewhere.
A damp, green aura began to rise from the rings on his index, middle, and ring fingers.
Swoooosh—
At that suspicious mist.
Loan felt a mix of unease and curiosity.
He had chosen the thickest, most dangerous line of Marbas's killing intent and was advancing right along it.
He had a feeling he was being baited.
He figured it was the only way to draw out the man's signature move.
Another thing.
He also saw it as a crucial opportunity to gauge the power of an Apostle, said to be the most evolved form of demon.
Just as he'd foreseen, Marbas neutralized Sheville, reduced his attack options, and threw a punch precisely along the path Loan had predicted.
It was faster than he'd thought.
For a moment, he acknowledged Marbas's considerable skill, then, seeing the energy rising from the man's fist, he converted the Narrow Path he had extended into a Domain.
A murky green.
There was something ominous and unnatural about it.
An emission of mana? No, it wasn't that.
The spiraling energy of Convection spreading out from Loan's body pushed back the green aura.
It was a reflexive response.
He had expected as much.
'Hm?'
In an instant, the part of his Domain that touched the green aura melted away, losing the flow it should have maintained.
The Convection that touched the green aura, the very mana composing it, lost its cohesion and even its original light, becoming stained a thick green before dripping to the floor.
It was the first time he'd encountered an attack that affected mana itself, and for a fleeting moment, Loan was taken aback.
Immediately after.
BOOM!
The new Convection Loan summoned clashed with Marbas's fist.
The part of his Convection that met the fist, the very mana at the point of contact, was stained green and transformed. This corrupted mana then collapsed and flowed away, leaving a large void.
Knocked back by the impact, Loan took a moment to ponder the cause.
He carefully observed the final moments of the dissipating mana.
For Loan, who classified and perceived various properties based on the form of their bonds—and the resulting light, shadow, luminance, contrast, saturation, hue, and brightness—this change in the mana was entirely new.
It was different from the properties of mana he usually handled, like water, fire, and earth.
Strictly speaking, it seemed similar to when Sabnock had recently used his whip to cast petrification magic, causing a [Property Transformation] in the mana.
Just then, Marbas's next attack came.
It was a chance to study it further.
Fwoooosh—
A green wind rushed toward the distant Loan.
It was a compressed blast of the mist, fired at high speed.
Loan extended a Convection of similar shape and size to counter Marbas's attack—but upon impact, his Convection was stained, the very nature of the mana changing in an instant as it splattered to the floor.
Riding the momentum, a green wave surged toward Loan.
Loan instantly dodged by extending a Narrow Path to the side, and the wave—unable or perhaps unwilling to change course—crashed into a Versa soldier fighting behind him.
Thanks to that, he was able to observe what would happen if the green aura made direct contact with skin.
Swoooosh—
Just as his Convection had been, the soldier's heavy armor and skin were stained green.
The green that seeped into his skin expanded and spread throughout his body, the pressure building—his flesh bulged from within as if boiling lava were pushing it out, until finally.
Pop!
Unable to withstand it, the soldier's body exploded, scattering green slime, green-tainted flesh, and dark red blood in all directions.
It happened in an instant.
And yet.
"Aaaargh!"
The damage didn't stop with the one who took a direct hit from the mist.
It spread to those who were touched by his flesh and bodily fluids.
Another body exploded, staining the surroundings green. Then another.
The damage spread in a chain reaction.
Was this what it would look like if you could visualize a disease spreading rapidly in a confined space?
Still stunned, Loan glanced at Marbas's face.
He, too, looked surprised.
"You use a curious technique. Is that also magic?"
His tone still held a measure of composure and curiosity.
Marbas was now cloaked in a green aura.
It seemed to be a shield-like manifestation of the mana explosion that had repelled Sheville earlier.
Loan realized it was impossible to close the distance with him.
'This could be my antithesis.'
Until now, he had been able to parry or block an enemy's physical attacks with Convection.
But Marbas's attacks targeted mana itself, and anything that touched the green aura had its properties instantly transformed.
Against such an opponent, the true power of Convection couldn't be brought to bear.
Another thing.
Seeing the green aura gradually expand around him, it seemed likely that breathing in the mana would have adverse effects.
He could purify dark mana within his body, but it was hard to guess what problems would arise if he inhaled that.
He had to consider another method.
Following this split-second judgment, he solidified his Domain and maintained his distance from the man.
Marbas thought the exact opposite of Loan.
"As expected of a clever one. If you're going to keep your distance, then I'll just have to come to you."
At the same time, the man shot forward from his spot.
His figure seemed to stretch forward.
Loan's vision was filled with green.
The contamination of the air accelerated.
Loan stopped his mana breathing, moving his body solely with the mana stored within.
Even so, his four Circles spun faster than usual, almost as if they were running wild.
Each one was already perfectly in sync with Loan's physical organs.
The Circles not only drew in and circulated mana but also guided Loan's body, reason, and mind to their most optimized state.
The amount of mana Loan absorbed and circulated was equivalent to that of a 4th-Circle mage.
Including what was stored in his necklace, he could even attempt large-scale magic on par with a 5th-Circle mage.
But potential alone couldn't land a finishing blow on his opponent.
'What should I do?'
The Circles brilliantly activated Loan's cognitive functions.
Vrrrrrr—
He identified the potential causes through the killing intent the man projected and foresaw the subsequent phenomena and outcomes.
The spells he could use in this situation laid themselves out in his mind like books on a shelf.
Loan picked out the spells that could affect the properties of the green aura, one by one, as if selecting books, bringing them into his conscious awareness.
He directly influenced the mana in the atmosphere to counter the green aura.
First.
Fwoosh—
He met the incoming fist with a net of flames that blossomed from his fingertips.
[Veil of Embers]
KABOOOM— An explosion erupted in the air.
For a moment, he could see the green aura losing its original properties and dissipating within the flames.
But it didn't completely block all of the aura.
Staggering from the impact, Marbas twisted his body and kicked out.
His movements were as fluid and sharp as a martial artist's.
At the same time, the green aura once again swept toward Loan.
Because Loan could perceive even the rotation of mana, because he could count the hundreds of millions of beads shattering and colliding inside a box.
He instantly created countless ice particles, enough to counter every single particle composing the green aura, and made them coalesce.
[Aegis of Frost]
The fine ice crystals lost their properties upon contact with a portion of the green aura, turning into a disgusting slime, but most of them combined to form a solid barrier of ice, enveloping the green aura.
The moment a thick wall of ice formed in the path of Marbas's attack.
CRASH—
A tremendous kick shattered the barrier, sending fragments flying.
At the same time, as if he had been waiting for this.
Loan unleashed the sharp ice fragments upon him.
[Frigid Barrage]
A focused area-of-effect attack on Marbas's body.
Extremely fine ice arrows erupted in a torrent within that confined space.
It didn't completely pierce the green aura, but as the ice shards and the aura tangled together, transforming into a near-liquid substance.
Loan didn't stop there, launching his next attack in quick succession.
Crackle—
A stream of blue electricity sparked to life between his right thumb and index finger.
It then followed the ice particles in the air, rode the water droplets, and traveled with the water vapor—penetrating the moisture-laden green aura.
BOOM— KABOOM—
A chain of explosions erupted within the shield surrounding Marbas.
Marbas's expression twisted as his shield shattered.
Having taken significant damage, he halted his charge and instantly retreated.
However, [Thunderclap] relentlessly pursued him, unleashing a series of violent shockwaves.
To prevent him from retreating further, Loan placed a hand on the ground and cast [Earthen Grasp].
Pillars of earth shot up like a giant's fingers, blocking his escape route and attempting to ensnare him.
Faced with such a relentless onslaught.
"Gaaah!"
KABOOOM— Marbas unleashed a burst of mana, neutralizing the chain explosions and blowing away the barrier of earthen pillars entirely.
"Damn it all!"
His black hair, smoking and standing on end, suggested he had taken considerable internal damage as well.
But his mana reserves were still substantial.
It was a momentary lull, but there was no telling what kind of attack he would unleash next.
'Still, it's a relief that I've figured out the properties of his aura.'
It wouldn't be easy, but a sliver of confidence sprouted in Loan's mind.
Another positive development was.
The storm of Convection created with Sienna as its core had spread wide enough to reach Loan, and it began to subtly push back Marbas's green aura.
Loan took the opportunity to draw in a sufficient amount of mana from the temporarily cleansed atmosphere.
Vwoooom—
His recovery rate was astonishing, even to him.
As Loan, now nearly fully recovered, moved lightly and summoned fire and ice to his fingertips,
Marbas, watching him, wore a somewhat defeated expression before spreading his hands to the side and speaking.
"I wanted to kill you right here... but at this rate, I think I'm going to lose. I can't have that."
Then, he instantly extended his green aura to the side, grabbing a Versa soldier and flinging him into the air.
The soldier's body, suspended in mid-air, was stained green, and soon—it began to bulge and swell all over.