Chapter 380: Simps Never...
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 380: Simps Never...
In this moment, within the vast underground space, the flames lining the walls for illumination had all been extinguished by the surging turbulence.
Darkness, however, did not descend completely. On the contrary, under the influence of countless surging mana tides, the entire space seemed to be encased in a fine glass vessel, stained with the iridescent colors of glazed glass.
It was breathtakingly beautiful, yet it carried a sense of desolate lethality.
"Quick! Fill the gaps! Don't let these damn things break through!"
"The left! The defensive line on the left has collapsed! Where are the martial artists? Can you meatheads actually do your jobs for once?"
"Shut up, you weaklings! You just hide in the back and fling spells! I don't have four arms, I'm doing the best I can!"
Amidst the chaos and clamor, blood sprayed.
After several rounds of magical bombardment, the massive swarm of Demon Hounds finally launched an overwhelming physical assault.
The sight of the dense, charging pack of Demon Hounds brought to mind the skin-crawling insect swarms described in certain fantasy chronicles.
Even though those gathered here were the elite geniuses cherished by their respective factions, the sheer weight of numbers forced them into a desperate, struggling defense.
"This can't go on!"
Seviel hacked off a Demon Hound's head with a single stroke, her face slightly pale.
Not only could these Demon Hounds use magic, but the most terrifying part was that even though they had been transformed into living creatures by the power of a deity, their bodies still retained the characteristics of metal.
Her hands were already numb from the impact.
Her magic sword had even developed microscopic cracks.
At this rate, they wouldn't last another minute, let alone three.
"It feels like these Demon Hounds were specifically designed to counter martial artists!"
Seviel bit her lip in frustration.
The hard metal bodies of the Demon Hounds were like iron nuts to martial artists who specialized in close-quarters combat. No matter how strong one's body was, clashing head-on against a pile of metal always left one feeling a bit... soft.
In comparison, the long-range mages appeared much more composed and effective.
Thinking of this, Seviel couldn't help but tremble with a cold fury. Why was there something specifically designed to target martial artists even in a dump like this? What was wrong with being a martial artist? Couldn't martial artists get any respect?
Even brute martial artists had basic human rights!
However...
An image of a blond figure flashed through Seviel's mind...
He was also a martial artist, and he was so handsome. Even though he was an enemy, and even though she had to submit to him, he was just so handsome that maybe martial artists were actually...
"Ow..."
As Seviel was lost in thought, a cry of pain from beside her snapped her back to reality.
She turned to see a man whose face was even paler than hers, despite her careful skincare. He seemed to have been caught in the shockwave of a nearby attack and had collapsed onto his backside.
"A mage?"
Seviel frowned and barked, "What are you doing? Why aren't you helping?"
She had only stepped back to recover because of the recoil from her attacks, but mages didn't suffer from recoil. And while the Demon Hounds' assault was terrifying, there was no way he had run out of mana this quickly.
Being in this position... was he trying to flee?
"I... I can't. There's nothing I can do."
The man sat on the ground with a miserable expression, waving his hands dismissively. "My magic... it has no effect on those monsters."
"No effect?"
Seviel blinked, only then noticing the badge on the man's chest.
"The Illusion School?"
"Yes."
The man—Ellag—nodded with a bitter smile. "If they were ordinary magical beasts, it would be fine. But they don't have even the most basic sentience. They operate entirely on a fixed program. My illusions are completely useless."
"I see."
Seviel realized the situation, then curled her lip in disdain.
"Even if your magic doesn't work, I don't believe you don't have some kind of trump card. As a mage from the Tower of Origins, you didn't prepare any backup plans?"
"I... of course I do, but..."
Ellag's expression turned sour as he lowered his head despondently.
"But... it's no use. We're finished. This was a trap from the start. We're just going to be trapped here until we die. Instead of suffering, I might as well just tear my scroll and teleport out.
"Yes... I should just teleport out."
"You!"
Seviel's eyes widened. "You coward! You're giving up without even trying? And you call yourself a genius of the Tower of Origins?"
"Heh... what kind of genius am I? I was defeated in the field I'm best at, and now I'm useless in a situation like this. I can only watch as my companions are forced to teleport away. What kind of genius is that?"
Thinking of his companion who had been ambushed by a Demon Hound while trying to protect him, Ellag's eyes reddened.
His once-powerful self-confidence had been shattered by the recent string of events.
"You guy..."
Seviel spat on the ground in contempt. "So what if you were defeated? So what if your companions were eliminated? You think you're the only one who's gone through that?"
Look at her—she was in the same boat. Her companions were all gone, leaving her alone.
Not only that, she had to humiliatingly follow behind the enemy of her academy and her country!
If it weren't for that man being so handsome... no, wait. If it weren't for the fact that she was unwilling to give up, why would she endure such humiliation?
But she had never given up. One day, she would defeat that big-chested woman and get the frequency for his Voice Transmission Stone... no, wait! She would reclaim the honor of her academy and country!
At this thought, a surge of pride rose in Seviel's heart. she couldn't help but shout at the man before her:
"Are you really okay with this? After everything you've been through, after all the pain you've suffered to finally make it here, are you really okay with just giving up like this?"
"Okay with it..."
Ellag was stunned for a moment, his expression becoming complicated.
"Yeah... am I okay with it?"
"I am the hope for the revival of the Illusion School. I am my teacher's most talented, most prideful student."
"And most importantly, I sacrificed so much to get here."
"I... I..."
He seemed to remember something. His eyes squeezed shut, and his body began to tremble.
To keep moving forward, he had even been forced to do that.
So, how could he give up?
Ellag opened his eyes, a burning light igniting within them.
"You're right. I can't give up!"
"You've figured it out?" Seviel's eyes lit up.
"Yes, I've figured it out. I can't give up. I still have my ultimate move!"
"An ultimate move?"
"Yes, my final trump card!"
Ellag scrambled to his feet and pulled something from his robes.
"The ultimate move my Goddess gave to me!"
Goddess?
Which Goddess? Is he a believer too?
Seviel's heart skipped a beat as she looked expectantly at the object in Ellag's hand.
Then, her face froze.
"This... your Goddess gave this to you?" she asked, her neck turning stiffly as she realized this "Goddess" was not the deity she was thinking of.
"Of course!"
Ellag nodded vigorously, his voice thick with emotion. "This is what she gave me after my 174th confession, in my quest to escape bachelorhood! She must have been moved by my persistence. This represents our love!"
"I was thinking that if I performed brilliantly in this trial, I'd go back and marry her!"
"But I have no choice. Even if it represents our love, I have to use it now. Forgive me, my Goddess!"
With that, Ellag tossed the object high into the air.
Seviel watched numbly as the item left Ellag's hand, and she couldn't help but... curse.
"Are you fucking... are you really sure that's her 'love' for you?"
She recognized that thing, of course.
A Heart of Destruction.
A famous alchemical item sold on the black market. It was incredibly powerful and easy to use, making it extremely precious. Very few people could afford one, let alone give it away as a gift.
However, it was also at the top of the contraband list in almost every country.
The reason was simple: its name. Once activated, it brought total destruction to everything in the vicinity.
Indiscriminately.
Because of this, it was also known as a "user-killer." Its most common use was for someone in a hopeless situation to take their enemies down with them.
And the "Goddess" he spoke of had given him such a thing... the meaning was self-evident.
Damn it, simps really do die miserable deaths.
Seviel closed her eyes. Then, a violent explosion swept through the area.
...
A few seconds later, Seviel, who had barely managed to avoid being taken out in one shot, crawled painfully out of the dust and smoke. She looked at the blond figure not far away. Before her surge of pride could find an outlet, she burst into tears.
"Mr. Muen, it's all up to you now."
...
"Alright, that's enough."
Feeling the gale winds whipped up by the explosion behind him, Muen watched the scene of several people jointly suppressing the Prisoner. He casually snapped his pocket watch shut and smiled.
"It's time for me to step in."