Chapter 134
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 135
Chapter Title: Vermilion Heaven Soul Stain
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In the early days when the Hero's Tower and the Myriad Demons' Mire first appeared.
Back when various techniques hadn't yet been systematized, barriers were treated as highly defensive arts.
Not only did they require long preparation times, but exerting proper influence demanded far too many prior setups.
Thus, unless storming an enemy's stronghold, there was no need to prepare countermeasures against barriers. What shattered this common sense was the Vermilion Bird, hunted during the "Four Divine Beasts Subjugation Battle."
────!
To slay the endlessly regenerating Vermilion Bird, they ripped out its heart entirely. At that moment, in a final spasm of defiance, the barrier "Vermilion Heaven Soul Stain" engulfed the subjugation force.
Its activation took a mere 10 seconds. Yet the B-rank heroes assisting turned to charred husks, while A-rank heroes suffered permanent memory loss and mental disorders.
Even that was only because S-rank heroes swiftly extracted the heart and killed the Vermilion Bird. Had it lasted longer, no one could guarantee they wouldn't have been utterly annihilated by that perilous power.
From then on, wariness and fear of barriers firmly took root among heroes.
Whoosh!
That very barrier now transcended eras, unfurling once more over Borsippa.
The sky dyed crimson sent everyone into shocked panic, followed by its effects erupting across the entire area.
Sizzle! Boom!
"W-what is this?"
"What's happening all of a sudden...!"
Innumerable facilities and devices scattered throughout Borsippa. Those meant to activate against invasions twisted internally, exploding and shutting down one after another.
Chaos swept through every corner amid the abrupt crisis, but professors and active heroes quickly grasped the situation.
"Mana! The ambient mana is being forcibly converted to fire-attribute mana!"
"Grab only equipment compatible with fire-attribute mana and shut down power to everything else!"
The pure mana permeating the air was entirely supplanted by fire-attribute mana.
At a glance, one might wonder what the issue was, but in modern times, this proved devastatingly lethal.
To put it simply, it was like all electricity turning into petroleum. Even if both were fuels, their differing properties inevitably caused problems.
Boom!!
What might have ended as minor explosions intertwined with the airborne fire-attribute mana, ballooning into massive blazes several times over. Chaos spread in an instant.
"B-Babel..."
"This can't be..."
Smoke and flames billowed from all directions.
The sight clearly showed Babel under attack, plunging people into shock. Yet the perpetrators behind this incident wore grim expressions.
'The scale's smaller than planned.'
'They must've installed attribute-conversion devices in every key facility. What a waste of money...'
In an outer city, buildings would have exploded wholesale, creating pandemonium. But Babel showed no signs of escalating beyond mere fires.
Facilities capable of massive blasts had universal mana-conversion safeguards, and fire suppression systems activated immediately to halt the spread.
'Damn it... What the hell are those Dawn bastards thinking?'
'Activating it so prematurely.'
Originally, they should have amplified the Vermilion Bird's power to its maximum before unleashing it. The ringleaders, flustered by the far swifter and sloppier execution, looked up.
"Tch..."
Charles, who had made the call, also scowled at the crimson sky with dissatisfaction.
'This buys a little time... but it's deviated too far from the plan.'
A far clumsier power than the original Vermilion Heaven Soul Stain, incomparable in scope. Moreover, control of the Vermilion Bird had been handed to "Offerings" far too quickly.
'Now that lunatic Flame Blade Hunter's in command.'
His skills were undeniable, but swayed by vengeance, he could spawn variables at any moment.
Deciding to wrap things up swiftly and withdraw, Charles eyed Louise warily.
"Lucky you learned word magic. Even without limbs, it won't hinder you much..."
Humm!
Green mana flowed from the black cube.
Corroding surrounding mana to assimilate it as his own. Louise narrowed her eyes at the sight, scanning the area.
'Hati's fine... but word magic's trickier now.'
The ambient mana wasn't just converted to fire-attribute; it was infused with the Vermilion Bird's mental image.
Not unusable outright, but both power and speed would suffer.
Facing the worsening battlefield, Louise assumed a stance and glanced at the impaled Vermilion Bird in the sky.
'Is that thing okay?'
Somehow fused with it, might it be affected by that stake?
As Louise fretted over Lee Se-hun amid the baffling situation.
"Will you pass your class daydreaming like that?"
Charles, preparations complete, cloaked his body in green mana and thrust his hand forward.
"Lava Shell."
Boom!!
Lava shells erupted from the red magic circle.
A mid-tier spell in itself, but wielded by Charles, an Elemental Faculty professor, it rivaled a volcano's endless barrage—not just in power.
Grazed anywhere, it didn't merely burn; it melted bones to nothing. Against this horrific onslaught, Louise swiftly unleashed her prepared word magic.
【Gale Cape】
A single gust wrapped around Louise like a cloak. She soared into the air, dodging the lava barrage from all sides.
Whoosh!
Louise threaded perilously between the lava.
Charles frowned at her choice to evade rather than confront head-on.
"A mage darting about so frivolously. That's why I said never stoop to vulgar Martial Combat Faculty arts..."
A true mage pierced distant futures, controlling the world. Scoffing at Louise's ignorance of fundamentals, Charles slowly extended both hands.
"This will be a harsh lesson."
Sizzle!
Part of the floor-covering lava steamed and solidified instantly. Charles stomped lightly, infusing it with mana.
Humm!
A magic circle formed from hardened lava.
It sucked in ambient mana, emitting light in a flash. Louise fired her spell immediately.
【Gust Lance】
Boom!!
A wind spear shot faster than the circle could activate, neutralizing it instantly.
But as if that response meant nothing, three new magic circles formed around Charles.
Rumble!
Lightning crashed from above, a flaming guillotine dropped to block ahead, and silent wind blades sliced toward her limbs.
Magic bombardment poured relentlessly, as if anticipating Louise's reactions from the start.
'Down to bones, and he's not even pausing to breathe...!'
One lapse in movement, and she'd lose limbs before countering.
As Charles's spells tightened their noose, Louise gritted her teeth, refining her prepared strike.
'Not yet... still not enough...'
No guarantee of a second chance; she needed to end it in one blow.
That required honing the strike, but at this rate, pursuit would down her first.
'Something usable...'
Best not to rely on outside help.
Thus, Louise scanned debris and expo entries while maneuvering.
Most rendered inert by the barrier. Frantically searching for anything viable, her eyes flashed at.
"...!"
A pristine white golem sprawled on the floor.
'Don't overthink. Treat word magic—and its mental image—as your "doppelgangers."'
Advice from Lee Se-hun earlier.
As if awaiting this moment, it struck her mind.
Whirr!
She unleashed the word magic she'd saved for now.
【Spell Break】
Bang!
Incoming spells from all directions tore apart. Charles's eyes widened at the unforeseen power.
'What...'
Not one or two, but every spell in range shattered.
His meticulously layered flow collapsed instantly, but prepared for this, Charles transitioned seamlessly.
Humm!!
Countless magic circles etched into his gaunt bones.
Self-inscribed before becoming a puppet, they activated in unison, boiling surrounding elements simultaneously.
Spells once requiring circles and processing now triggered with a gesture.
At the cost of further shortening his scant lifespan—but Charles didn't care.
'All for true magic...!'
For the greater cause, life was expendable.
As Charles, shedding fear, swung his full power to crush Louise.
"Suuuuuuck..."
Louise inhaled deeply and bellowed her word magic with all her might.
【Golem Operation】
Bang!
A single pulse rippled across the expo hall.
Charles halted his readied wide-area spell, deeming it such—but sensing no effect, he frowned puzzled.
'This...?'
What ploy was this?
Beyond his knowledge, he hesitated to act rashly.
Whoosh—
Pristine white forms dropped from expo corners toward the center.
Boom!!!
Heavy thuds echoed as they landed. Amid rising smoke, Charles stared in shock.
"Automata...?"
Golems newly crafted at Marionette Factory.
Why were barrier-crippled machines moving now?
As bafflement gripped him, a possibility dawned.
"No way..."
If true, they couldn't be left alone. Charles belatedly surged mana—but
【Set─】
Louise's word magic preceded him.
Whiiiir!
Assembled automata. Identical magic circles lit at their mouths, resonating and exuding oppressive pressure toward Charles.
Dozens standing, yet feeling like a single gaze. At this unbelievable sight, Charles's eyes turned to Louise.
'That many golems... controlled with one spell?'
An abnormal effect impossible with standard magic.
Sensing the threat, Charles willed movement—but his body froze.
Louise's rage and killing intent poured through the automata in unison. Transmuted beyond mere emotion into intangible force, it cowed him.
'What...'
Babel's professor, Dawn's branch chief—paralyzed in fear before a mere cadet.
His eyes bulged at the absurdity.
【Assimilation】
The prepared word magic lashed the hall through the automata's mouths.
Crack!
Barrier-forced mana reverted to original forms, assimilating to a new master.
Humm
Boiling elements around Charles fizzled like foam; his body's circles dimmed.
'Urk... guh...'
Body rusted immobile.
Mana-driven sans blood or muscle, no resistance possible.
Overwhelmed by helplessness, Charles tremblingly watched Louise approach.
'Forcible mana assimilation...'
Beyond mere restraint, it stripped all mana usage rights.
A mage's nemesis, shattering futures Charles had foreseen, now upon him.
"Die."
Blue eyes flashing, Louise poured fury and hatred into her word magic.
【Revenge Bite】
Crunch!!
Intangible fangs mercilessly shredded Charles's frame; custom bones crumpled grotesquely, snapping one by one despite durability.
────!
A grotesque wail—scream or metal screech indistinguishable.
Puppets normally severed all nerves, feeling no pain. But Charles's case differed.
Rushed construction left crude finishing; Louise's magic delved soul-deep with vengeful mental image, inflicting unfelt agony.
Body devoured from fingertips up. Brain ablaze though absent. Charles forgot grand causes for the first time.
'You puppet trash...!'
His willingness to discard life stemmed from knowing no pain followed.
Unforeseen defeat, unforeseen torment. Charles thrashed wildly before both. Soon, Louise's magic halted.
Humm
Bones encasing him retained only the ribcage's shape; the inner black cube cracked, green mana leaking profusely.
A state where death could come any instant. Louise caught her breath at the sight.
"Hoo... hoo..."
Consecutive word magic had her gasping, but Martial Combat training steadied it quickly.
Regaining composure, she loosened the binding mana slightly.
"Last words?"
"Heh... heh heh..."
Vocal functions ruined, his laughter droned metallically.
"Fine word magic, befitting a voice's chosen... Excellent... truly excellent..."
Facing encroaching death, Charles recalled his cause, ignoring dread.
He had forged the gem before him into a cornerstone for His revival. Louise gazed coldly down, stating flatly.
"Whoever 'He' or that bastard is, listen well."
Squish
Foot on the black cube, she leaned in, staring down.
Shadowed face, piercing blue eyes aglow. Vivid malice burrowed in, spelling out fates deliberately.
"I'll kill every last one of you Dawn scum."
Not mere resolve, but proclamation of inevitability. Suddenly, Charles recalled something.
True mages foresaw distant futures. What future, then, did this prodigy behold?
"Ah... aah..."
Ominous visions flooded his mind; for the first time, Charles felt true worry and fear.
Crunch!
Louise stomped the black cube with full force.
Unlike standard puppets, Charles couldn't transfer—dying pinned. Witnessing it, Louise felt catharsis mingled with regret.
'Too quick a death?'
More suffering would have been ideal, but she shook it off. Wasting time on such filth for venting?
'Plenty more left anyway.'
Whatever "chosen one," for ruining her life, she'd slaughter every Dawn affiliate.
Resolve reaffirmed, Louise surveyed.
Humm
'Expo hall's freed from the barrier by my magic... but outside's still crimson.'
Red sky beyond the shattered ceiling. Likely the barrier core lay outside the venue.
'Gotta smash that birdcage-looking thing...'
Follow the light source for answers, but leaving the hall unsecured nagged her.
Undecided, she yelled at the sky-impaled Vermilion Bird.
"Hey! How long you gonna hang there!!!"
"Hanging where?"
"Eek?!"
Sudden voice from behind made her shriek and leap back. Lee Se-hun looked exasperated at her reaction.
"Why so jumpy?"
"You snuck up! More importantly, what happened with the Vermilion Bird?"
Alternating glances, Lee Se-hun nodded.
"Was like that earlier. No point now, so I released it temporarily."
"Revived" but merely an engine draining power nonstop—controlling it was pointless.
At his explanation, Louise reexamined the bird.
"Then smash the whole thing?"
"Tough. Durability's intact from S-rank days. Mana feed's shared elsewhere now; can't without cutting Borsippa-wide mana."
"Hmm..."
Key devices still operational despite outages.
Shutting all would dwarf killing the bird in fallout chaos.
Frowning at the bind, Louise asked.
"So how?"
"Wait."
"Wait?"
"Handled separately over there."
The red birdcage centered on the Vermilion Bird. As Lee Se-hun eyed the light pillars.
Crack!
One pillar shattered abruptly. Louise looked up astonished.
"Moves well."
The Mad Dog began hunting his prey.