Book 10 Chapter 22
Episode 247
"So you're saying you're going to get revenge for something that happened 300 years ago?"
As Zernix chewed on those words, the eyeballs behind his eyepatch began to grin, as if so delighted by the situation that he didn't know what to do.
"What a strange fellow. Normally, when one feels an overwhelming power gap, etiquette is naturally instilled."
This guy…
He deployed the flames of Hwacheonjigye, but the dimensional barrier wrapped around Zernix's entire body absorbed all the flames.
"Hehehehehe, yes, yes, I get it. This great senior said he would give you a reward for running an errand, didn't he?"
Then, all of a sudden, he pushed the eyepatch that had been covering his two eyes up onto his forehead.
He had expected some problem with his eyes, but his large yet sharp eyes were beautiful and conveyed a sense of noble dignity.
But his pupils… could they be that grotesque? Four irises were clustered together to form the pupils.
"To a commendable junior who dares to challenge this body twice, I shall show something you'll never see anywhere else in your life."
Zernix crossed his hands and formed a mudra.
"I'll show you that a strong one is strong even without such cumbersome powers like Inner Scenery or whatever."
His left eye was gently closed, while his right eye was open. The eyeballs of his eyepatch mimicked the movement.
"Arcane Art (奧義)."
It was a mudra Rain had never seen in his entire life.
It was merely an intertwining of fingers, yet an ancient, sinister darkness was felt. At the same time, Zernix's magic power became so immense that it shook the atmosphere.
So much so that his teeth involuntarily clenched, trembling violently.
"Elemental Deployment (元素-展開)."
What am I seeing right now…? A dreamlike spectacle, something he had only imagined during his Rin days, unfolded before his eyes.
His heart pounded like mad.
Eight rings rose behind Zernix's back and interlocked. The characters emitting a faint light from the center of each ring were all Origin Runes…
Fire.
Water.
Earth.
Wind.
Ice.
Iron.
Poison.
Lightning.
The next moment, Rain couldn't help but widen his eyes.
"Don't just stand there gawking, you punk."
The moment Zernix changed his mudra, the rings of Lightning, Iron, and Water merged into one.
"You'll die before you even get to see everything? Just like 300 years ago."
Then, a torrent of transcendental power gushed forth from that ring.
'What am I seeing right now?'
It was a torrent.
A tsunami of destruction clad in the power of thunder and lightning.
As soon as Hwacheonjigye's gaze touched it, the thunder-water instantly evaporated, but there was a mass of iron hidden within.
[Abuuu!]
Setsunen, by its own will, spewed forth a thunderbolt.
What bounced off the dragon's thunderbolt and shattered the stone statue of the plaza fountain was a wedge of enormous mass.
Electricity crackled on its water-soaked surface.
'What just happened?'
In the face of the sudden transcendent spectacle before his eyes, his breathing involuntarily grew ragged, even though he had suffered no direct harm.
'He's mixing and using three Origin Rune attributes?'
Even Rin could use double casting for regular magic to mix two attributes.
By combining magic spells with good compatibility, their power could be maximized several times over.
For example, Lightning has good compatibility with Water or Iron, and Wind can be used several times more powerfully when mixed with Fire or Poison.
'But that's only for common runes and magic.'
He just combined and used three Origin Runes, which are already difficult enough to use even one of? And that quickly?
"Alright, next attack is coming!"
This time, Ice, Iron, and Poison were combined.
Countless ice spikes, numerous enough to cast a giant shadow over the entire plaza, rained down like a heavy downpour.
What grotesquely gleamed on the surface of those ice shards was deadly poison, and what resided within them, increasing their destructive power and mass, was steel.
"Did you get arrogant just because you gained the power of a dragon? Hahahaha! Someone strong from birth like me is strong even without such power!"
He couldn't even read the attacks with Bell Curius. Dispersing the magic was impossible.
'It's fast, too fast.'
Instantaneously interpreting and correcting an attack combining three Origin Runes was absurd.
'All I can do is defend with Hwacheonjigye.'
The dragon's flames intersected endlessly with the eight-attribute magic, causing violent explosions all over the plaza.
'Magic had a realm like this?'
Countless citizens were caught in the explosions, slaughtered, burned to death, frozen to death, and drowned, but he couldn't protect them.
'How long has it been since I faced an enemy so strong that merely protecting my own body pushed me to my limits?'
Is this the difference in skill?
To be able to wield eight different elemental magic so freely…
That's no longer just double casting. It wouldn't be wrong to call it a new realm: triple casting.
If an archmage couldn't reach the sage's realm but instead attained the ultimate truth of an archmage, would they look like this?
'No.'
As an ice shard he couldn't burn away deeply pierced his side, he coughed up blood and thought that.
'No matter what, there's no way there could be such a difference.'
He thought defeat was imminent, but a warm touch again glowed from his side, soothing the pain.
'…?!'
It was Priest Slayer.
Had it gone out of control?
Zernix was utterly relaxed in the face of something that couldn't be dismissed as a mere strange phenomenon.
"You should cherish your body. Aren't you treating it too roughly, considering it's about to be sold off?"
No, don't be deceived.
There must be an opening. Think about how many times you've crossed the line between life and death.
Find a possibility to win. Don't be overwhelmed. Think rationally.
"Common sense dictates, if you can beat me, who has studied magic for a thousand years, does that make any sense? Then who would bother studying? Everyone would just be thinking about how to curry favor with dragons."
But there wasn't even time to think about it; the attacks were too fast. Too varied, complex, and intricate.
"Cough…!"
As the dragon's flames and the flames of the Origin clashed, sending his body flying from the shockwave, a steel pillar shot up from behind him.
'Oh, no.'
His head slammed into the pillar, a dizzying vertigo assailed him, and the impact stole his thoughts.
'A mistake──!'
To prevent his escape, the ground at his feet rose up, engulfing Rain in a sphere.
[Ah, Abaah!]
Without time to react, a steel wedge pierced straight through the sphere.
KRA-BOOM!
Just before his body was pierced, a sudden burst of light struck the wedge away. Zernix slightly raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, this power…"
It's the power of the guard dog Ellamas used to keep.
How he's using that, hmm.
Bart, who had instantly intruded upon the battlefield, immediately kicked off the ground and charged towards Zernix.
"If you use all eight attributes, even a warrior is nothing special."
However, the ground instantly froze white.
On an icy path where merely maintaining balance was a struggle, he couldn't even get a proper running start.
That should have been the case, but at that moment, arrows shot into the ground extended long vines, creating footholds.
"Rem…!"
As Rain dazedly called out that name, Rem had already landed beside Rain.
"Tsk."
Right, he had that bow.
Zernix clicked his tongue. That eyesore is still bothering him even after 300 years.
The moment the tip of the Dragon Bone Spear lunged forward, the ground Zernix was standing on shot up. The Dragon Bone Spear futilely pierced the ground.
"Tzaaaah!"
No, it wouldn't end in a futile result.
A monstrous strength, beyond human limits, swung the Dragon Bone Spear that had been buried deep in the ground.
The highly elevated ground broke at its waist and collapsed, and Zernix's mouth, who was on top of it, fell open in disbelief.
'What is this? This guy, who was nothing more than a worthless bug when fighting the Dragon Slayer…'
As soon as Zernix entered a state of temporary aerial suspension, the dimension of his trajectory began to waver fluidly.
The moment he perceived that wavering, cracks already began to spread and shatter the dimension.
This power, which had been utterly exasperating even 300 years ago…
The moment he saw Miria wielding Schurpen on the other side of the plaza, the smile vanished from Zernix's lips for the first time.
"Ha, how did these damned specters all revive together to come for revenge for 300 years ago?"
If that's the case, there's no need to drag this out any longer. The games end here.
It is time for molting.
As Zernix thought that, Zernix's body was fully exposed to Rain's sight. Rain's eyes widened.
'The dimensional barrier was broken by the Spacetime Blade.'
Now's the time.
If it's now, I can end this.
And just as he was about to control providence to burn that body with the dragon's flames.
"Wait a moment. It's your body, are you sure you want to burn it like that?"
What did you just say?
Not only Rain's eyes, but also the eyes of the other three widened.
If Zernix had said this alone, not even a momentary flaw would have been visible.
But this voice now…
"Rain, what did you just say?"
"Why are you talking like him?"
Rain hurriedly clutched his throat, which had just uttered words he hadn't even thought of.
'My voice isn't coming out.'
Was he possessed?
No, with Bell Curius, he had definitely been on guard against that. He had never been afflicted by such an anomaly.
Meanwhile, Rain's mouth continued to chatter incessantly with Zernix.
"You're utterly foolish, you know. Hehehe, if I had really intended to kill you, I would've found you and killed you before you grew up. Why do you think I've kept you alive until now? You, who's been causing all sorts of havoc everywhere?"
The blood and vengeful spirits of countless people massacred in the plaza intertwined.
"Four vengeful spirits of the strong!"
When was this activated? Was it originally drawn? Why hadn't he noticed it?
"And even the vengeful spirit of kin to complete the soul transfer!"
A giant magic circle was drawn on the plaza's pavement stones, and the runes and mathematical formulas used for it were all things even Rain couldn't recognize.
"Why do you think I kept you isolated and played with you in this barrier? It was just to hold you back from doing anything foolish until your companions killed off those leftover commanders."
What is he saying?
What is this bastard saying through my body right now?
"Why? Why? You always have to think of the reason. And the reason is, this great senior here was interested in your body from the very beginning. The grand cause of the Black Church? They can go eat dirt."
"…?!"
"A body possessing Bell Curius, a body unmarked by the Black Church's brand, a body to fully enjoy freedom, and it had to be in an un-aged state."
Eventually, the magic circle began to glow with a dreamlike light.
"I don't need a body that has aged unattractively. Because there's no way to make it young again. What I mean is, I've been waiting for you for a thousand years."
The sensation of his consciousness, no, his soul, being forcibly dragged somewhere, into that distant abyss…
"You, get out of Rain's body!"
"Rem, shoot that bastard's body! Don't let him do anything crazy, quickly!"
The emotions and memories experienced while living as Rin and Rain shattered and then re-wove, piercing his mind, and Lyrista's smile, who had visited the magic tower 300 years ago, vividly came to mind.
"If you do that, your precious friend will die immediately in a moment, won't he?"
Lyrista, who had followed him around while he was organizing books, constantly trying to strike up a conversation; when he scoffed a little, dumbfounded, she smiled brightly, saying, "You're finally smiling?"
"One piece of advice. If you want to win, shoot his heart. Then it's your victory."
"Rem, quickly!"
"What do you want me to do?! Who should I shoot?!"
"Aim for Zernix!"
"Wait. What if what he said is true?"
And as his last memory as Rin, sinking into cold ice and saying "promise," his comrades' tears fell onto his face.
…
…
…
…
…
The next moment, the brightness of the light point reached its peak, momentarily blinding everyone within it.
In that light, the Thunder Scent Gauntlets suddenly detached from Rain's body, flew towards Zernix, and equipped onto his hands.
As soon as he was separated from Setsunen, Rain, who seemed about to lose strength and collapse, weakly stood himself up.
And then he looked down at his own hands, clenched and unclenched them, touched his face, and then burst into a booming laughter.
"Heh, heh, heh, hahahahahahaha! It's incredible, yes, this is how the world looks through these eyes!"
The group was completely frozen in place, utterly unable to comprehend what was happening.
Rain?
Does Rain laugh like that? What is this?
The magic power that began to violently erupt from Rain's body was not the dragon's heat. It was a poisonous aura that instantly corroded and consumed everything in the vicinity.
"Finally, finally, I have it. Bell Curius, the body with omnipotent power!"