CH 372

Onir soon came to realize his mistake as he observed the magical phenomenon before him. Though the guy appeared to possess the intense power of Lightning Nova, its flexible movements gave off a vibe that it contained spirit inside.

Moreover, Onir couldn’t sense the typical surge of Mana that accompanied the use of ultimate magic. Most notably, the destructive force that was being unleashed with each strike of lightning far surpassed that of Lightning Nova.

The short moment made Onir wonder if the user of such magic was the reincarnation of the King of Lightning, who had passed away a long time ago. Right when the guy’s thunderbolt was sweeping Onir’s soldiers into a handful of ashes, Seong-Il rushed in.

“You fucking asshole! You are now going against me!”

Onir quickly came to a conclusion.

The opponent’s attack strategy was similar to that of a bard's[1], but instead of playing an instrument to produce sound, he projected his voice. Sound waves were powerful, but Onir believed it was not enough to stop him.

He recalled a tactic that could cut through the sound waves and unleashed a series of attacks against Seong-Il. Following that, he reversed the flow of Mana inside his body from bottom to top. Onir’s Mana Blade revealed itself to the world with various colors.

The Mana Blade cut off Seong-Il’s skill at a tilted angle.

Oh? You are stopping me?

Seong-Il put the brakes on the force as he threw himself forward.

Following that, Seong-Il hurled Karail, one of Onir’s subordinates, towards the Mana Blade. He specifically chose Karail due to his impressive physique. Seong-Il assumed that Karail’s shield, which was made from C-class items, would be able to endure for a considerable amount of time.

Seong-Il swung Karail from top to bottom toward the sharp energy that rose obliquely from the blade.

Bang!

The impact generated immense pressure that collided into them. They both resisted getting damage and unleashed another series of attacks against each other while they allowed the pressure of backlash to propel them away from each other, creating some distance.

I didn’t expect that he would use Karail as a weapon. This is too wild.

You canceled your last skill and now attack me instead? Yes, I agree that you are pretty strong.

Seong-Il checked the protective barrier of the weapon he was holding with his right hand. Each time Karail winced in pain, his shield, having lost one layer, briefly glimmered.

“P…please… spare my life…” another person gasped.

It came from another weapon in Seong-Il’s left hand, not from Karail.

Seong-Il’s eyes abruptly turned red as he locked his gaze on Onir, who reciprocated with a similar glare, and they both charged toward each other again.

***

Yeon-Hee and I were of the same mind. We both believed that Seong-Il needed more experience in this world.

Seong-Il and Onir had destroyed the entire town, and the battlefield was moved several times following the destruction. I had already eliminated a large number of Onir’s soldiers, but to be precise, more people were killed in the fight between the two.

Onir had the equivalent power as an Awakened in the challenger section, and he was known as a Sword Master here. However, considering that he hadn’t turned into a Dragorin even if he faced me, he hadn’t succeeded in the bloodline of the Ancient Dragon.

Well… That wasn’t common.

Yeon-Hee interjected, “The direction of a Mana Blade’s strike is not dictated by the user’s physical motion. Instead, it is determined by the flow of Mana established in the prior usage. Therefore, deciding the flow of mana should be the priority, and swinging the sword should be something that comes naturally afterward.”

She paused before continuing, “The flow of Mana is akin to a living organism, and it requires careful examination to determine the optimal approach. Moreover, subdividing the flow of Mana can significantly affect the proficiency of traditional swordsmanship. At least, that’s what Ronsius thinks.”

The situation was already over when I arrived at the tower to find Yeon-Hee. The wizards were all dead, and a corpse that appeared to be Ronsius’s was still bleeding from all the orifices in his body.

“What about Ronsius?” I asked.

She grimaced. “I failed. He knew how to defend his mind. He chose to die rather than be controlled by me. I put lots of effort into him, but it’s fucked up now.”

I consoled her, “I think you have gotten other information, though.”

She frowned. “I…wanted him. I got greedy.”

Yeon-Hee looked at the guy fighting with Seong-Il while continuing to frown. It was hard to describe the fight between the two with the terms ‘power’ and ‘technology.’ Seong-Il had gained tactical experience through battles, but not to the extent of his opponent.

The guy’s skills were delicate despite his threatening appearance. Furthermore, judging by how the strands of Mana Blades burst out and passed through Seong-Il, he knew how to concentrate his power.

“He must be around Level 490, right? Mostly focused on Agility.”

Yeon-Hee was correct. Despite his relatively low level, he had the ability to confront Seong-Il, who was at a significantly higher level of over five hundred. Although there was a wall that couldn’t be crossed between Jonathan, ranked fourth in the world, and Seong-Il, ranked fifth, it was clear that Seong-Il should have been faring better with this guy.

When the two smashed another house, I could see fragments of wood flying over towards me. After burning them into ashes, I listened to Yeon-Hee as she continued, “Using Ronsius’s memories, I followed how wizards are trained.”

As the battle’s wind pressure ruffled her hair, her voice indicated a sense of defeat, lacking the confidence she once exuded when claiming her return as a Grand Wizard.

She grumbled, “We might have been born with an incapability to handle Mana. Every time I try to feel nature’s Mana, I only get headaches instead of a mysterious sensation.”

Seong-Il managed to avoid the opponent’s sword. Then he wielded his weapon at the guy’s ankle and threw him to the ground.

Thud!

A Mana Blade had been aimed at Seong-Il’s neck, forcing him to drop his target at the very last moment. Then, a light scattered over the distant sky as it passed by Seong-Il’s neck.

Yeon-Hee winked at the light that permeated the air with five colors. She was telling me that it was Mana.

“We cannot handle Mana?” I asked.

Yeon-Hee explained, “Mana is the essence that Lord Lacryma breathed into Mother Nature, and prophets can even discern its will. This implies that Mana serves as a tool for the Old One to protect this region and itself. However, I sense that the Old One is currently rejecting us.”

I pointed out, “However, it’s true that the power that makes us superhumans exists inside of our bodies.”

She shrugged. “It’s sad, but that’s it. This must be run by the System that the Old One created during the Stage of Advent.”

“Hmm…”

Find the original at bit.ly/3iBfjkV.

“That was why I wondered if there would be a solution to this problem if I looked into Ronsius’s memory. We can’t follow their ways, but they can find new ways to fight in the future. To do so…”

The Grand Wizards knew how to resist Yeon-Hee, which was to commit suicide.

“We need to find or convert someone into a renegade,” Yeon-Hee finished her sentence

However, the man who was fighting Seong-Il wasn’t a Grand Wizard.

“Then, why is Seong-Il dealing with him?” I asked.

She replied, “There is something to check before I find a renegade. Warriors have a distinct way of manipulating Mana compared to wizards. It’s akin to the way some of us employ magic, as we don’t create and utilize enchanted vessels as wizards do. Instead, it appears to be distributed throughout the body, maybe?”

I admitted, “I honestly can’t grasp what is going on as I don’t know anything about what you saw from Ronsius.”

She nodded. “So I want you to come with me this time. I will open up the way.”

“Wouldn’t the power of Doom Man impact our target’s mental system?”

She shrugged casually. “It’s okay. His mental state will be the only thing that will be devastated.”

“Right now?” I asked.

She shook her head. “No, let’s do it after he gets beaten up a little bit more by Seong-Il. I should have caused physical harm to Ronsius before attacking his mental state. I regret that now. I should have targeted his physical body first. Shit.

***

I came to find Yeon-Hee not only because I was worried about her, but also because I wanted to chase the remaining powers in this world by exploring the memories extracted from Ronsius. I was curious to learn about the individuals who possessed the supposedly sacred objects of Lacryma, and those who safeguarded the cursed artifacts from the New Devil War, like what Caldoran used to do.

“Are you busy? Did you get any new commands?” she asked.

I nodded. “Yes, there is, but there is no time limit.”

I explained the new orders I got and Dragorin. Yeon-Hee replied that she hadn’t seen such memories from Ronsius.

“Its power was equivalent to the Ender section Awakened? The Old One must be very determined…” she mused.

“Why do you think so?”

She explained her thoughts, “The Ancient Dragons aren’t the only ones we should be wary of. There are also transcendent beings such as the King of Lightning and King of the Ocean here.”

“I wanted to hear something like that.”

Yeon-Hee then concluded, “Anyway, I don’t think you should take care of things like Dragorin. I can deal with them.”

I reminded her, “But you should go back to the mainland after finishing this operation.”

She nodded. “That is true. Okay, then. I will explain to you more of what I saw in that guy’s mental world.”

“Yeah, if that’s possible.”

“It will be a good chance for you to learn their language. You will see what I mean, okay?”

I nodded. “Okay.”

Even in the past, the most intense battles between the powerful always took place after their shields had been shattered. Seong-Il’s altercation with his opponent was at its peak.

“Go to hell-!”

Shortly after, I witnessed the guy's entire body being jolted by a loud impact. Although he couldn't overpower Seong-Il's technique, he also failed to anticipate the timing.

As the guy attempted to regain his balance mid-air, Seong-Il relentlessly pursued him and struck him forcefully on the back with his fists. The guy tumbled to the ground and rebounded with elasticity. Seong-Il then seized his ankle and relentlessly battered him on the ground, displaying a resolute determination not to squander the opportunity to emerge victorious.

The guy didn’t even scream as he was trying everything he could to escape from Seong-Il’s vice grip. Nonetheless, he was once again thrown off-balance when Seong-Il slammed him onto the ground. Despite the guy’s usual ability to withstand the force of the wind in his normal state, his condition was now dire.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Seong-Il’s frenzied strikes against him on the ground were becoming increasingly rapid.

Yeon-Hee jumped up and said, “Don’t kill him, Seong-Il.”

Finally, Seong-Il released the guy’s ankle from his hand. Then, he gasped with both hands on his knees after flipping the guy upside down with his foot. With every breath, blood poured out of Seong-Il’s mouth into the guy’s body.

“Noona.” Seong-Il looked up at Yeon-Hee and said as if he was complaining, “Give him to me, Noona… Can’t you make him loyal to me? I want to use him as my main skill.”

Seong-Il vomited more blood and collapsed on the land where the monsters seemed to have gone on a rampage.

“Are you a pervert?” Yeon-Hee asked out of exasperation.

Seong-Il began to giggle. “...Hehe.”

She then relented, “But you have beaten up pretty well. I will try.”

“Thank you, Noona.”

Seong-Il said that multiple times as Mary’s Touch quickly healed his torn muscles. Then, Yeon-Hee opened the guy’s eye with one hand and looked at me.

“Are you ready to go in?” she asked.

Then, she added, “But it’s funny. This guy actually believed that he could defeat you. These guys don’t understand what’s going on here.”

1. A character in a game that uses sonic attacks, melodies that buff allies, and abilities such as the Chorus of War to boost party members’ attack power. ☜