Chapter 182: Evolution (6)

[Fire Storm]

A raging mass of flames washed over the homunculus.

*Booom*

Desir’s concentrated spell held unimaginable power.

The fire devoured everything. All of the parts of the citadel that the flames licked began to melt. All it took was an instant for these molten parts to begin to lose their shape.

The homunculus was no exception. Its body blazed like a torch amongst these intense flames. She was burnt to ashes before even getting the chance to scream.

A few moments later, the flame storm began to clear. The homunculus began to regenerate from its horrendous burns.

*Drip*

*Drop*

However, the restored limbs did not return to perfect condition. She did not have enough mana to properly harness the power of causality. The homunculus glared at Desir, as her grotesque body swayed slightly.

She barely managed to open her now trembling lips.

“D-Did you really figure out… my ability?”

The ability to alter the present by returning five seconds into the past.

It was a lethal move, capable of turning the strongest warriors of mankind into harmless puppies. This ability allowed a homunculus to manipulate causality beyond themselves, and onto the very world itself.

However, the ability had been analysed and exploited by just a few young students.

This was the absurd reality that the homunculus found itself facing.

If she had found herself possessing just a little bit less mana, she would have died as a result of that attack.

No, she was still on the verge of death.

If she allowed Desir to cast more spells, she would have no choice but to die.

As Desir took a slight step forward, the homunculus subconsciously took a step back. She was terrified of him.

It was the first time she had felt something like this, the first time she had felt fear since she had first gained consciousness.

She concentrated on Desir’s actions.

An awkward silence extended. Neither side did anything. The homunculus no longer had the ability to restore herself.

This was a golden opportunity for Desir. But Desir didn’t move.

The homunculus opened her eyes, as if realizing something. Her terrified eyes slowly began to steady, as she recovered her initial composure.

“You’re almost out of mana too, aren’t you?”

The homunculus had thoroughly exhausted all of her mana, so it was no longer possible to manipulate causality, but it looked like Desir was also no better. Since he wasn’t attacking, he likely didn’t even have enough mana to invoke even First or Second-Circle spells.

“Hahahaha. This is hilarious.”

The homunculus laughed raucously. Desir was now nothing but a weak human, incomparable to a homunculus built to fight.

Her body was powerful, even without mana or access to her abilities. No matter how worn out her body was, it was more than enough to squash a hapless magician; no, a human unable to invoke spells could not even be referred to as a magician.

This was the chance to demonstrate the overwhelming superiority of a homunculus.

Initially faced with despair, she had regained her spirit.

‘Everything you’ve done ended up being in vain.’

The homunculus began to approach Desir slowly.

Desir’s facial expression did not change in the slightest, even though the moment of his demise was clear. He just continued to observe her.

It was as if he was waiting for something.

After the homunculus narrowed the distance considerably, Desir finally opened his mouth.

“It seems like I have no other option.”

Unable to understand what he was saying, the homunculus furrowed her brows. Desir took something out of his bosom.

It was a complex looking piece of equipment.

The moment Desir took it out, waves of the dense mana gushed out, spreading everywhere.

*Wave*

The source of the waves of mana was the power source for the Aurora System.

In his hands were four Third-Class mana stones.

The homunculus was dazed for a moment.

“Oh… ”

She was transfixed in place, eyes wide open, staring at Desir and the spell formations that appeared in front of him.

“Hahahahaha!”

The near-insane laughter soon turned into that of a madman’s. The homunculus gave up on approaching Desir. She didn’t move at all.

She had completely lost her fighting spirit.

“Truly, that was perfect. I’ve been completely beaten.”

Desir knew better than anyone about his biggest problem, the limit of his mana pool. For this very reason, he came prepared.

It may not be a solution to fix his fundamental problem, but he could use such a solution to overcome his limits, albeit at great expense and only in an emergency.

The Aurora System was a shield designed to prevent a lethal blow, as well as a tool that can be used as a weapon in case of emergency; as a backup mana source for Desir.

[Lightning Vortex]

Several spheres of lightning shot towards the homunculus.

The leg of the homunculus, already in a half-wrecked condition, could not withstand the shock. It was destroyed and her body then collapsed onto the floor.

[Burst Fire]

Dozens of fireballs surged at the homunculus. After successive attacks, she was no longer capable of moving.

That was it.

Desir approached the homunculus, unsteadily lowering himself onto the floor, to confirm that homunculus was completely incapacitated.

*Sigh*

He felt a surge of exhaustion wash over him, now that the battle was over. The homunculus managed to move her mouth, expressing her doubt at the situation she found herself in.

“You’re not going to kill me?”

“No.”

“How come? I tried to kill your party members, your friends. Why don’t you want to kill me?”

“Oh, yes. I’d like to kill you right now, if I could. Even if you were simply following someone’s orders, what you’ve done is monstrous.”

The homunculus took the lives of countless soldiers. They were all equally valuable resources required in clearing the Shadow Labyrinth, even though their individual contribution may be unequal.

Desir’s plan had been badly screwed up by her. Most importantly, the homunculus had harmed his party members, his treasured colleagues. She had inflicted wounds great enough that they could have easily died.

But Desir was not swayed by his emotions. He couldn’t afford to miss out on such a powerful tool just to assuage his immediate feelings.

He had committed to doing anything within his power to achieve his goal of saving the world.

“But you’re worth using.”

“… What?”

“You are not allowed to die, even if you want to.”

The homunculus momentarily met Desir’s eyes.

Deep black eyes, like an abyss void entirely of light.

The homunculus felt an eerie sensation and involuntarily shuddered.

Desir turned away from her. Countless footsteps echoed from the stairway.

“This way!”

Romantica’s shrill voice could be heard, laced with despair and mourning.

Shortly after, the Eastern Guerrilla Force rushed in. They immediately hurried over to assist Desir, Pram, and Adjest.

Only then, could Desir finally relax, now that the war was finally over.

* * *

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The criminal group, the Outsiders, had used a biological weapon called a homunculus to wage a fierce war against the Allied Forces, made up of most of the countries spanning the continent.

The Outsiders had put up a surprisingly strong resistance, considering the fact that this had occurred during peaceful times, where the allied nations had relatively little incentive to work together.

However, their resistance did not last long after the barbarians had joined the Allied Forces.

In the end, the Outsiders used the homunculus as bait to attract the coalition forces to the central front, while aiming for the eastern front’s supply route.

The Hebrion Empire’s Imperial Army, which was in charge of the eastern front, had limited forces to utilise, after sending most of them to the central front.

But even in such a favorable situation, the Outsiders failed to capitalize. Someone saw through their meticulous plans and foiled them.

It was Desir Arman of Hebrion Academy. His timely reinforcement of the troops guarding the supply route, as well as his fighting prowess, signaled the annihilation of the Outsider’s deployed forces. He single-handedly protected the supply route.

This battle would be referred to as the The Bloody Battle of Mahayu, and it was the first real battle in which the Starling Party had gained the attention of the world at large.

When even their secret operation failed to deliver any results, the Outsiders found themselves cornered.

The allies pushed their advantage, and the Outsiders were forced to continue retreating while taking losses. The cornered Outsiders managed to cause considerable damage though, when they used the homunculus to launch long-range, wide-area effect attacks. With no choice but to bring the fight to them, the allies sent two elite forces to invade behind enemy lines and eliminate the homunculus.

One of these elite guerrilla units was built around Desir Arman of the Starling Party. The Eastern Guerrilla Force, led by him, penetrated the enemy lines while taking minimal damage. They managed to stop the homunculus’s ranged attacks, and even attained the spectacular achievement of defeating the homunculus in what turned out to be a fierce battle.

The reason why the Outsiders were even able to put up this much of a fight with inferior forces was purely due to the overwhelming might of their homunculus.

The Outsiders were helplessly routed by the Allied Forces after their morale plummeted to rock bottom, seeing their homunculus defeated. This brought about an end to the long war.

With the continent now in a state of peace, one topic was on the tip of everyone’s tongue. There was no one who did not know his name, and everyone praised him.

Des1r Arman, the Hero of Victory.

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