A Half-Baked Transcendent
“Is... is it over...?”
“Wait!”
Roan clamped a hand over Rowell's mouth.
“Don't say that! That's a dangerous jinx that can undo even a finished job!”
Sure enough, the White Mage's body, which had been wedged into the wall in a bizarre pose, began to emit a sickening, cracking sound.
“Ugh...! Well, I suppose so. Now that I think about it, if he were going to go down that easily, he wouldn't have been waiting for us in the first place.”
“You catch on quick. At least you possess enough intellect to think.”
The White Mage, who had been speaking perfectly fine while wedged in the crevice, fell to the ground with a wet splat.
Then, with a series of wet, grinding crunches, his body reassembled itself in an instant. He dusted himself off and—
“By the way... what fascinating physical capabilities. Tell me, are you interested in evolution?”
He casually struck up a conversation with Roan.
It was almost impossible to believe he had just taken a direct hit.
“Evolution? What's that supposed to mean?”
But Roan was no ordinary man.
This level of abnormality was well within his expectations.
In fact, he asked the question specifically to draw out more information.
“Ah, of course. It might still be an unfamiliar term to the humans of this region.”
Hearing Roan's question, the White Mage spread his arms wide in an exaggerated gesture.
“It means transcending the innate limitations of humanity. To put it more simply... shall we call it transcendence?”
Transcendence.
A word he could never forget.
Every single being who claimed that word had been nothing but trouble.
They were monsters, through and through.
A human whose face was a gaping void like the empty cosmos.
A giant with three heads and a translucent body.
Even a bizarre entity that was nothing but a floating head without a torso.
Compared to those cosmic horrors that defied human comprehension, the man standing before him looked utterly pathetic.
“You probably think I am just another human. But I am not. I have already successfully performed the experiment on my own body.”
His voice trembled.
It wasn't from nervousness.
It was crackling with static, cutting in and out.
As if to declare that another surprise attack wouldn't work, he cast off his white robe.
Like a spreading swamp, pale, sickly human hands began to surge and writhe around the White Mage.
Each hand reached out desperately, as if begging to be saved.
“Ugh...”
Belgard was the first to react.
It was because of the sheer number of victims evident in that grotesque form.
“...The Eye of the Plain.”
Rowell muttered next.
The figure standing alone amidst the swamp of hands bore a striking resemblance to it.
—“You observed well.”
A low, echoing voice filled the chamber.
—“Like a tree standing tall and solitary. A transcendent being looking down upon the rest of humanity. What do you say? I can share this with you. If you desire power, that is.”
It extended a hand, speaking in a bizarre cadence as if offering a sweet temptation.
But Roan's reaction was entirely lukewarm.
“Not really.”
A half-baked imitation.
Nothing more, nothing less.
It lacked the overwhelming pressure unique to true transcendents.
Its appearance might mimic them, but its aura fell laughably short.
To put it simply:
“I just don't want to become a failure.”
A failure.
The White Mage's grand ideal, dismissed in a single word.
To have the culmination of his stolen lives and wasted years described that way sparked an instant, violent rage.
“A true transcendent should possess something overwhelming. You're no different from a monster that happens to speak. You talk big about 'White Magic' and whatever else, but this is the best you could come up with? I just feel sorry for the people who were sacrificed for this garbage.”
—“Insolent human!”
Unable to tolerate Roan's relentless provocation, the creature swung its branch-like arm.
The swamp of pale hands surged forward like a tidal wave, threatening to swallow Roan whole.
“Mr. Roan!”
“Watch out! I can't see anything past those hands!”
A dark void gaped between the writhing fingers.
There was no telling where one would be dragged if caught.
—“It is useless to run. Wherever you go, they will follow. It would be far easier to surrender and become a part of us.”
*Clutch, grab.*
Countless hands gripped the stone walls, rapidly expanding their reach.
The shadow of the void crept closer.
“...I told you. It was definitely a trap.”
“Is now really the time to grumble? Just attack already!”
Jane frantically fired bursts of mana, while Belgard attempted to manifest a holy barrier.
Yet, their resistance was instantly rendered futile.
“...It's not working...”
“It's as if the holy power is just vanishing...”
Despite taking the attacks directly with its bare body, the creature didn't have a single singe mark on it.
—“Did you honestly think that would work? How amusing.”
The creature exuded absolute confidence.
A giant sun, a blazing dragon.
Even if they poured everything they had into it, their opponent remained unscathed.
Even Belgard's barrier was useless.
He had erected it to restrict the creature's movements, but the monster shattered it with a mere flick of its finger.
The very abilities that had once demonstrated overwhelming power now only invited despair.
“...This is impossible.”
A profound sense of helplessness washed over them.
They had faced enemies who could block their attacks, but never one who took absolutely zero damage.
The shock was all the more devastating.
Panic, helplessness, fear, subjugation, crisis, death.
Every negative thought imaginable flooded their minds.
Roan... where is Roan...?
Instinctively, they looked for him.
If it was the man who always averted every crisis...
*Grab!*
As if to snuff out that faint glimmer of hope, a creeping hand from the void clamped tightly around Roan's ankle.
“Ro... Roan!”
“No...!”
Two voices cried out in horror.
Rowell hesitated for a fraction of a second before preparing to spring forward.
Just as they were about to throw themselves into action to do whatever they could, Roan simply shook his leg.
—“Is that the extent of your resistance? Or are you simply unable to move any further? Well, it matters not. I shall make excellent use of that sturdy body of yours.”
A smug sneer.
But what happened next was bizarre enough to wipe that smirk clean off the creature's face.
*Thud, thud.*
With every casual shake of his foot, the hands crawling up his leg snapped and fell away.
It looked as effortless as brushing away harmless insects crawling on one's skin.
—“What...?”
Just three shakes.
With that, Roan shook off every single hand binding him and looked back.
His companions were currently drowning in despair and helplessness.
Roan looked at them and spoke.
“It's fine.”
A single sentence.
That one phrase instantly dissolved the tension gripping them.
“You can do whatever you want. Cast whatever you feel like.”
The next words banished their helplessness.
“Because nothing is getting past me.”
And his final words erased their despair.
Just a few words.
Yet, they completely wiped away the suffocating negativity that had been building up.
But none of that mattered to the White Mage.
All that mattered was the man before him, who had brushed off his attack as if shooing away a fly.
He wanted this man. He had to have him, no matter what.
—“Heh... hehehe... A strength that defies common sense. Magnificent.”
He snapped his fingers.
*Thump.*
*Thump.*
As if waiting for that exact signal, the surrounding walls exploded, and a flood of test subjects poured out.
They felt similar to the failures they had encountered in the passage while retrieving the key.
—“I-I'm saved...!!”
—“We have to run...!”
A few of them fled without looking back, but even excluding them, the horde was like a massive tidal wave.
But.
“Alright, we're going in then. We're trusting you.”
“I'll... try something new as well...!”
They weren't afraid.
Because Roan wouldn't let anything break through.
As long as Roan stood at the vanguard, not a single enemy would ever lay a finger on them.
“Well, I guess I have no choice.”
With Rowell finally adjusting his grip on his sword, the entire party charged into the fray.
Jane began chanting her spell from the very beginning, while Belgard prepared to manifest his power in a way he normally didn't.
While Roan defended every direction, Rowell systematically cut down the enemies crowding around him.
“Tsk...! Was the gap between us really this wide...?”
Though Rowell was already overwhelmingly powerful compared to other adventurers, he still seemed unsatisfied with his own performance.
—“Foolish...! Why do you struggle when it changes nothing!”
Screaming in fury, the creature continued its assault.
A living, breathing swamp.
Grotesque flesh-sculpting magic masquerading as White Magic.
Even direct physical combat.
It unleashed everything in its arsenal, but every single attack was stopped cold by the slender sword before its eyes.
Without a shield or a single piece of armor—blocked by a mere sword!
It was baffling.
It felt like it was being pushed back.
It felt like it had to run.
...Me, a transcendent being, running from a mere human?
A foolish, stubborn pride reared its head.
The thought of fleeing in terror from a single human wounded his vanity.
Absolutely not.
Do not tuck your tail. Hold your head high. Bare your fangs and devour that beautiful strength.
Just as he finished his thoughts, two voices reached his ears.
“Belgard!”
“Y-Yes! It's a bit unfamiliar, but...”
It seemed they had formulated a joint plan in that brief window.
Futile.
The test subjects here possessed exceptionally high defense.
Though they had lost their minds, they could still withstand magic or holy power—
*Rumble...*
—“What...?”
A dumbfounded gasp escaped its lips.
A colossal hammer of holy power was manifesting from the ceiling.
It radiated a sacred aura, exuding an overwhelming, majestic pressure.
“That's plenty.”
Satisfied, Jane finished her chant and raised her fingertips.
Crimson mana surged upward, wrapping itself around the holy hammer.
A massive, blazing weight.
Growing even heavier and more colossal, it cast a shadow over everything in the vicinity.
Intense heat and sacred vibrations.
As both forces rippled outward simultaneously, the test subjects cowered.
What little remained of their instincts was screaming in terror.
—“How...”
They had been using mediocre magic and holy power just moments ago, yet now they unleashed this magnificent, terrifying force.
But the duo didn't even give the creature time to process its shock.
*BOOM!!!*
The combined strike slammed down from the ceiling.
With a shockwave that shook the entire plaza, the wave of test subjects was shattered to pieces and engulfed in a raging inferno.
A sacred light of blazing flames.
It was a manifestation of wrath raining down from the enclosed heavens.
—“Groooaaar...”
The entire labyrinth shuddered as its foundations burned.
The modified, living labyrinth groaned in agony.
“...Ugh!?”
“Tsk...! We're being pushed back!”
“Ah, no...! We have to capture the White Mage!”
At Belgard's shout, Roan quickly turned his head.
“Rowell!”
“W-What is it?!”
“Get ready! We're taking his head!”
Roan pointed at the White Mage.
The creature was utterly bewildered by the counterattack that had begun with Roan's defense.
Its balance was completely broken; if there was ever a time to strike, it was now.
“W-Wait...! You want me to deliver the finishing blow?”
“Of course! Who else?!”
The sentient armor.
Since it grew by consuming strong foes, this was the perfect opportunity to foster Rowell's growth.
“I-I'm not ready yet...”
“Who cares?! We did all the heavy lifting! You've got to do your part too!”
Amidst the shaking labyrinth, Roan forcibly cupped his hands together.
Seeing the signal to step on his hands and leap, Rowell's wavering eyes hardened.
He placed both feet onto Roan's cupped hands, and—
*Whoosh!*
“Hup?!”
His body shot forward faster than a bolt of lightning.
Rowell thrust his sword forward, letting sheer momentum carry him.
—“This is absurd...”
*Slash!*
A flash of pitch-black light cleanly severed the White Mage's head.