Chapter 232: A Subsurface War (9)

“Desir!”

A chilly wind blew. The surrounding atmosphere was near freezing temperature due to Adjest’s magic. Adjest had tried to intervene in the battle between Desir and Crow Mask, but something had prevented her.

“No, no, no… Stay right here.”

A sharp daggered stretched out of the darkness, snaking towards Adjest.

*Kang*

Sparks appeared as the dagger scraped down the length of her sword.

Adjest took several steps back.

Before her was a man wearing a pierrot mask, seemingly preoccupied playing with his dagger.

“Let the magicians talk it out with each other.”

“Get out of the way!”

Adjest raised her sword, Center of Ice, and the temperature of the room once again dropped sharply. She flourished her dust-ridden gray hair as it transformed into its signature platinum-silver.

As Adjest had no intention of wasting any time, she struck from the beginning with all of her might.

She drew elegant arcs with her magic sword. Her flurry of attacks were as powerful as they were beautiful.

Pierrot Mask skillfully struck out with his dagger, each of his strikes slightly altering the trajectory of the Center of Ice.

“It’s not my cup of tea to refuse a beautiful woman’s request, but… … ”

He evaded attack after attack from Adjest, making them look like the desperate struggle of a child.

“But I can’t help it! What I really want to see is a death match between two magicians, two clashing idealists! Not the fight of some random.”

He spoke with a sinister sneer.

Adjest frowned.

Every aspect of this person’s personality was plain as day. From the timing of his appearance, to the nature of his skills and the way he spoke. He was a man without a grain of salt.

‘I didn’t expect someone like him to appear at such a critical time… ’

Adjest wasn’t in the right shape to deal with him. She was still half-exhausted from their group battle against Crow Mask.

The man in front of her was clearly a tricky enemy to deal with.

Pierrot Mask.

‘I’ve heard about him from Desir, but even then… ’

Desir had shared some information about him with her on their way here.

But this was far beyond what she had anticipated.

‘I didn’t expect him to be this strong.’

Pierrot Mask’s swordplay was smooth as butter. He cunningly struck the attacks of Adjest, exploiting the flaws in her strikes and moving as if he already knew what she would do. Even though he hadn’t used any aura, he continued to fight her to a draw.

Pierrot Mask took in his surroundings before speaking in a tone of ecstasy.

“Oh, and I really appreciate your hard work. I was able to get in here so easily thanks to you.”

“… What?”

“I’ve been wondering just as much as you guys. No, maybe even more? This whole time, it’s been eating at me… what has Skull Mask been planning down here?!”

Assuming their fight would cause enough damage that he would be able to sneak down, Pierrot Mask had let Desir go without harming him too much. As much as he wanted to watch Desir and Crow Mask fight, solving this mystery would do much more to whet Pierrot Mask’s appetite.

“… !”

Adjest swung her sword without speaking.

The only thing she could think about was joining Desir in his battle against Crow Mask.

*Kang*

Their swords collided and sparks splashed once again. The pure black space brightened up for just a moment.

*Boom*

Spells collided in the duel between Crow Mask and Desir causing a strong wind to blow over Adjest.

‘I can’t waste any more time here… !’

As soon as Adjest tried to make an escape towards Desir.

*Kagaang*

She was forced to cross swords with Pierott once again.

Her sword trembled. Pierrot Mask, who had been cleverly attacking from the shadows until now, had been forced to engage her in a head-on match.

Unexpectedly, it was Adjest who was pushed back in the exchange. The shape of Pierrot Mask was thin and sleek, but she couldn’t quite make out his exact appearance.

“Oh, yeah! You guys have done a lot to help get me in here. I’ll give you a prize!”

As their sword and dagger were locked together, he began to pour his aura into his dagger. The bluish aura brightened the surroundings. A piece of Blankšum that had fallen onto the floor reflected the light, spreading the illumination further.

Only then could Adjest see clearly.

“Ah.”

A sigh of grief.

Numerous coffins were connected, and countless mechanical devices were installed.

An unimaginable collection of advanced techniques had appeared in front of Adjest.

It was a mysterious arrangement of equipment.

The entire basement of this huge tower was made up of such a structure.

And at the center of such a structure.

That’s…

* * *

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Spells continued to be exchanged.

It was Desir’s turn to be pushed back.

Desir thought it was ironic.

Surprisingly, there was a lot in common between Crow Mask and Desir.

Pure black hair and deep black eyes.

They both hailed from Hebrion Academy.

They were both commoners. And they both acted for the sake of the common people.

But their methods could not differ more.

They could never see eye to eye, and there was never a chance that they would adopt similar methods from the start. It was because the environments they grew up in were different. They also had a different end goal.

Icarus dreamed of a world of equality for all people, and Desir dreamed of saving the world.

They could only ever be adversaries, as they had been from the beginning, due to these subtle but meaningful differences. Icarus was willing to cause damage to bring long lasting change, but Desir could not afford to allow such damage in the face of a human extinction event.

“… … !”

For the first time in the fight, one of the magicians had pulled ahead.

The minor advantages Crow Mask had been building lead to a key moment in the battle. For just a moment, Desir’s spell invocation was delayed by half a second.

In such a high level battle, it was a decisive opportunity given to Icarus. He didn’t miss it.

*Boom*

Space magic raged. Desir, who instantly figured out the parameters of the spell, was forced to step back once again.

It was no longer a close match.

Crow Mask had been waiting for such a situation for a long time.

Without giving up his advantage, he began arranging a spell belonging to a higher circle than he had been using so far. This would be enough to seriously wound Desir.

“Against me, someone who has given everything in exchange for reaching their goal, you who didn’t commit as much can’t possibly win.”

His magic was finally ready to be invoked.

This spacial magic would destroy everything within its range, without exception.

No matter how many artifacts Desir had, the remaining amount of mana after such an intense fight will surely be close to zero.

“… … … … ”

Crow Mask’s arms trembled from the exertion, but he reigned them in.

He had just won a fierce battle against Swan.

This fight had totally sapped his remaining strength.

*Whooooong*

Amongst the mighty whirlpool of mana, the eyes of Icarus, which were tracking Desir’s movement, opened wide in surprise.

He saw a face ready for death.

Obviously, Desir must know what kind of spell he had been invoking. He must have been aware that he was not safe if he was caught within its range.

It was tantamount to committing suicide.

‘… a spell?’

A spell formation arranged itself in the unharmed left hand of Desir.

For Desir to commit to this, he must be confident that what he was invoking would hurt Crow Mask somehow, regardless of whether he died or not. Icarus’ expression distorted.

‘Foolish.’

He realized what it was, but he didn’t back down.

The magical formation grew until it was big enough to completely fill his line of sight.

The two magician’s spells crossed through the air.

[Fire Storm]

[Nullify Light]

Their spells completed almost simultaneously.

*Boooom*

The clashing of spells beneath the surface shook the entire town of Pittsburgh. An immeasurable amount of flame burned, swallowing everything around it.

Everything it touched burned to ash, as though the sun itself had descended.

Crow Mask was flung back like a ragdoll. After a long bounce, he flopped, ricocheting off the wall before coming to a sudden stop.

“… urgh.”

A hoarse grunt broke out.

He tried to get up but couldn’t keep his balance.

His hands shook uncontrollably. The intense heat had burnt his hands, back and other exposed skin. His body heaved against the ground as he coughed several mouthfuls of blood. His internal injuries were no less serious than his external ones.

He pulled himself up using the wall as a brace. His mana circles throbbed in pain, as if they were on the verge of collapsing.

‘I… survived.’

Crow Mask had directly expended his mana to survive Desir’s attack. The efficiency of using mana in a spell without calculating it or arranging an array was extremely low, and would result in defeat in any other fight.

But in doing so nonetheless, he had protected himself in exchange for using all of his remaining mana.

It was a method Icarus hated the most. It was not elegant, it was not powerful, and it was the most distant form from the efficiency magicians should strive for. It was desperation personified.

Nevertheless, he used such an undignified method. It was able to save his life somehow.

Of course it was a method that a Fourth-Circle magician could not pull off.

He stared beyond the flames. He had invoked one of his most powerful spells. There was no way it could have missed at that distance.

‘Desir is dead.’

“You’re not the only one who’s prepared to sacrifice everything.”

Icarus stared beyond the flames.

He didn’t recognize him at first.

His figure behind the swaying flame was like a frail shadow.

Desir walked out.

“So am I.”

Crow Mask realized that his spell had finally been inverted by the magician standing in front of him.

‘Were you deciphering the spell ever since seeing me first use it above?’

Soon after, a spell developed before his eyes.

Icarus, who attempted to invoke a spell in response out of habit, soon dropped his hand.

‘Where did it all go wrong? Was it when I was caught up in the errors Desir made intentionally? Was it when I was swayed by that incredible spell and canceled my own to defend against it? Was it when I thought I could beat Desir inside the tower, despite being in this state?’

He thought back, but he couldn’t get an answer easily.

Maybe it was from the very beginning, he thought.

He had begun a glorious revolution, inspired and led by his incredible vision. Ever since it failed, he had tried desperately not to sink into despair.

‘… There is… … still work to be done… ’

Eyes distorted by burns stared at Des1r Arman.

He caught that gaze with a chilling, cold stare.

“Ahh.”

Icarus closed his eyes as if he had come to a realization after seeing his resolve.

“That’s too bad.”

The violent flames swallowed his dry voice before consuming him entirely.

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