Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 379

Kugugugugu!! Even amidst the collapsing fragments of the labyrinth, they were unfazed, having leaped from the floating island to surround them. Jiel, Leppard, Lens, and Sunmyung, along with the red-eyed vampire and the blond boy, all Level 7 Saint-ranked superhumans, each led their Watchers to the front lines. Among them, Lapis, carefully supported by Grisha, slowly descended from the floating island and revealed herself. “I apologize to everyone, but I intend to conclude what happened in this labyrinth here.” Lapis, stepping forward in front of Grisha, looked down at the three with a blank expression and opened her mouth. “Now that the Ascendant’s fate is sealed, it’s inevitable that the Hanghasa Labyrinth won’t last long. Instead of wasting energy in a fruitless melee, I suggest we withdraw first.” Her clear eyes silently scanned Balak, the Matriarch, and the bandaged man once each. “Before that, I would like to ask for the elders’ permission, but would that be alright?” “The young one speaks very eloquently.” Balak gave a wry smile. “You make it sound good, but if we don’t accept your proposal, you’ll become more aggressive, won’t you?” Lapis didn’t answer. She just quietly looked down at Balak and smiled faintly. Instead, the Saint-ranked superhumans surrounding her silently stepped forward. They showed no fear, even knowing their opponent was an Level 8 monster. Considering the fluctuating environment, their diminished condition, and the balance of numbers, they must believe they have a chance of victory. Balak glanced over the Watchers and silently lowered his waist. He picked up the corpse of a warrior who had died at his feet, and as he put a collar he took out from his chest, the corpse floated behind Balak. In a similar manner, he created five new corpses as restraints, then straightened his back and let out a light sigh. “Alright… I’ll step away.” [Ability Awakening Corps. Are you planning to back out now?] At the bandaged man’s words, dripping with black mist, Balak patted his belly and laughed. “Then what should we do, ghost? Should we show each other our domains and microcosms [personal realities] and fight to the death in this place?” [……] “No, no… that’s not a good idea. I have no intention of exhausting my resources in this labyrinth. For the sake of the corps, I need to preserve my strength as long as possible.” Balak, who had roughly splinted his mangled left forearm with a piece of wood he found nearby, slightly bowed his head to Lapis and said. “So, I would appreciate it if you would let us go this time, Lighthouse Keeper. I swear on the name of my corps… I promise to repay you for this someday.” Only then did the bandaged man realize that the situation had become ambiguous, and he also sighed. [Damn it… things are going strangely.] Lenox, as well as the three people who were pushing him in this place, had not given their all. If they each deployed their domains and microcosms and wielded their mental images, it would be possible to have a chance of victory in this place. However, that would likely lead to a pointless war of attrition for the others, as well as for the bandaged man himself. Balak, recognizing that the delicate balance had been broken as soon as the Blue Eye appeared, had chosen to cleanly resolve the situation. There was no need to think about it for long. [Yorta’s Heavenly Demon. Come find me in the Military City with this name.] The bandaged man turned without hesitation and walked into the darkness. [The unfinished story in the labyrinth, let’s continue it in front of our leader.] Even while watching him with their own eyes, they could not stop the sensation of his life force disappearing. Even though they were directly sensing and confirming it, the sublime level of stealth that was gradually disappearing from their sensory range. Lenox was aware that it was not just a technique of hiding one’s presence, but a kind of spiritual art that completely transformed one’s existence in a different way. Lapis, having recognized its true value with the Heavenly Eye, murmured with a slightly hardened face. “Military City Yorta… I heard it’s the only city where grudges remain with Jintun, so it was a being from there.” “Those shady guys always have obvious origins if you look into them.” Balak said, nonchalantly. “It seems they came to collect the price for the failure of the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons [a ritual or event]. I wonder if they were planning to kill the guys who coveted the labyrinth’s relics. But they went back more quietly than I expected…” Balak Oedon, who had been muttering like that, burped. “It’s not like I’m one to talk, having abandoned the Ascension Gate project… but it doesn’t matter. I’m going now.” After saying that, he began to walk, feeling his way in the direction where Dane of the Kabahim Knights had disappeared. He had also made a deal with Zaun Odis just before reaching the final gate, so he was planning to move, at least for now, to find him. With each step he took, a ripple of gravity swirled as if he were walking on a lake. The Level 8 superhuman, who had transcended the hierarchy, disappeared out of the labyrinth, crushing the collapsed rocks without even lifting a finger. Lapis, who had been watching him, turned her head towards the Matriarch, who was the last one left in this place. “Matriarch, what about you?” The Matriarch, standing on the head of the wriggling giant centipede, let out a small sigh. “Child of the Heavenly Eye… you’ve grown so much since I last saw you. You were just a child when I last saw you.” She turned her gaze towards the bronze-skinned shaman who was standing silently behind Lapis. “Grisha. I never thought that you, who had been wandering aimlessly, would settle down there. Do you truly believe that the answer that child speaks of is correct?” “No one can know the right answer, Nora.” Grisha, who had taken off her cloak and draped it over Lapis’s shoulders, replied. She called the Matriarch by her name without hesitation and looked at her with a calm gaze. “We can only decide where to stand. I’ve decided not to regret it.” “……” The Matriarch did not answer. She just stared up at Grisha with a blank face, then quietly waved her hand. With that gesture, the other two summons, except for the centipede, disappeared into the space as if they were fading away. The wonder of freely manipulating the appearance and disappearance of summons comparable to Saint-ranked superhumans. With that simple miracle alone, it was clear that the Matriarch’s power was not inferior to anyone in this place, but it seemed that she had made her own decision. “I came all the way here to confirm the rumor that you had tampered with the relics left by Jintun, but as expected, not everything goes as planned.” After saying that, she looked at Grisha, who was standing behind Lapis, and chuckled. A rare playful smile appeared on the old woman’s face, who had only been making grim expressions until now. “It’s enough to know that my old friend is with a mage of that caliber. I’ll bury what happened in this labyrinth here and withdraw.” “Thank you, Matriarch.” “Take care, Nora.” Grisha said with a wry smile. The Matriarch, who was turning her back, paused. Grisha looked up at the Matriarch’s back and said. “There aren’t many people left that you and I know anymore.” “…Grisha, you’re the strange one. Someone who walks with time like me is normal.” The Matriarch’s answer, as if she had forgotten her dignified tone. She turned to Grisha and chuckled. “Well, I can tell how much you care about that mage.” “Nora…” “I’ll tell my children not to touch the Watchers if possible. Especially a mage named Evan. Tell them to remember that.” Kugugugung!! The giant centipede, which had been wriggling leisurely under her feet, twisted its body once and then began to rummage through the broken labyrinth debris. [Kieeeek!!] The centipede let out a single scream and then dug into the ground, drawing a huge tunnel and disappearing. Lapis, having confirmed that the Matriarch’s presence was rapidly moving away, relaxed her cold, hardened expression and let out a deep sigh. “Haa… I’m so, so glad things worked out…” “You did a great job, Lapis.” Grisha patted her shoulder. Lapis, tightening the coat that Grisha had draped over her, waved her hand towards Lenox, who was approaching. “Evan!” “…You came at a good time, even if you did it on purpose.” Lenox said with a wry smile, supporting Ivelyn with difficulty. “You rushed over as soon as you realized Jintun’s death-” “The story later!!” Grisha, who had cut off the two’s conversation sharply, pulled up her main force. “If you don’t want to be buried under the rocks, let’s escape now…!!” “We’re flying into the sky!” “Captain Grisha, let’s go!” Grisha, who had neatly ignored the Watchers’ sudden cheers, instantly slammed a huge amount of main force into the floating island and raised it again. As the dirt fell like crazy, blocking all sides of the collapsing labyrinth, the floating island soared high into the sky, taking advantage of that brief gap. Whoooosh!! Unlike the soaring figure of the floating island, the labyrinth was collapsing and about to completely collapse. The floating island, which had fearlessly pierced through the endless piles of debris, burst into the open sky with a roar at some point. Kwaaaang!! Lenox silently turned his gaze and looked down at the collapsing landscape of the labyrinth that was quickly moving away. “Hoo…” As soon as he escaped the hot and stuffy labyrinth, the cold and open outside air brushed past his cheeks. The pure white outer wall of the labyrinth, which had maintained its majestic form, was endlessly collapsing and falling into the underground fissures. The shockwave that the collapsing ideological battlefield, having lost its master, was emitting filled the snowfield. Grisha, who had been looking down at the scene with Lenox for a moment, immediately turned her main force and moved the floating island. Shuuuung!! The floating island, having escaped the influence of the Hanghasa Labyrinth, began to rush out of the snowfield. Only then did Lapis, who had finally taken a breather, approach Lenox and say. “I’m glad you’re safe, Evan. I was worried I might be too late…” “No, it was much faster than I thought.” Lenox shook his head with a weak smile. “Either way, I was planning to escape with Ivelyn alone.” “I thought we needed to hurry as much as possible since time flows differently inside the labyrinth.” Lapis nodded. “I had no choice but to use a rather simple and reckless method…” “It’s not reckless, this guy used the same method when he dealt with the drug kingpin in the Autonomous Territory.” Grisha, who was concentrating on controlling the direction of the floating island, retorted. “The floating island is a residence in the Autonomous Territory, not a tactical weapon.” “No, it was excellent.” Lenox, who had interrupted Grisha’s words, nodded his head. “To overwhelm the opponent, it’s good to press them down with sheer size. It seems you’ve learned well.” “Hehe.” “…” The other Watchers looked down at Lapis, who was smiling with a slightly proud expression, with dumbfounded faces. However, Lenox wasn’t just saying empty words, he really thought Lapis’s judgment was very sharp. The dramatic decision to crash the floating island as it was and appear in this place. A move that stopped everyone gathered in this place with the overwhelming amount of impact itself, and on top of that, gathering other Watchers to maximize their power. Could Lapis, who was waiting outside the labyrinth, have chosen a better moment and judgment than this? The fact that she made a decision and moved as soon as she recognized Jintun’s death was proof that her judgment was extremely quick and sharp. A shocking appearance and a blatant show of force. It couldn’t be said that there was no impact on the fact that the Level 8 extreme ability user and the noble from the Military City withdrew without any major conflict. “Is Ivelyn okay?” Jiel, who had boarded the floating island following the other Watchers, asked as she grabbed Lenox. “She lost consciousness for a moment due to overwork, but there are no major external injuries. I gave her a potion that helps with fatigue recovery, so she’ll regain consciousness soon.” After answering that, Lenox carefully laid Ivelyn’s body on a tree stump at the edge of the floating island. Her face was as peaceful as if she were asleep. Only the small breaths that were leaking out of her nose indirectly indicated that Ivelyn was safe. Kuuung!! A rough shockwave that blew away the moment of peace that had come. Everyone turned their gaze at the shock that seemed to be pounding the bottom of the floating island. “The Blue Eye is running away!!” “Catch them, with that size, they must have gotten their hands on the treasure!!” “Shoot the dirt piles and get rid of them!!” Other forces that had been waiting for an opportunity outside the labyrinth began to concentrate their attacks on this side as soon as they saw the floating island. Lenox was about to get up immediately, but Lapis, who was standing behind him, grabbed his shoulder and stopped him. “It’s okay, Evan. You’ve worked hard, so rest a bit.” “Lapis, but…” “I deliberately separated the Watcher forces and divided their roles for this moment.” Lapis said that and looked down at the ground with a calm expression. “It wouldn’t be bad to show how much power we’ve gathered in our Blue Eye this time.” “…” A cold voice that made his spine feel chilly. As if to prove that Lapis’s words were not empty, the Watchers who had jumped off the floating island were pushing down the attacks that were pouring in from all sides with their power and advancing. Kwaaaang!! While protecting the island so that it could maintain its shape until it left the snowfield, they began to break through the forces blocking their path head-on and open the way. The Level 7 Saint-ranked superhumans, whom they had seen once in the labyrinth, were also adding their strength and quickly projecting their power onto the ground. The floating island, which had become a moving aerial fortress, floated low over the snowfield and advanced rapidly. Lenox quietly looked down at the scene, then released Lapis’s hand and got up from his seat. “Evan?” “I thought of a good method. It would be better to try it out.” Lenox looked down at the landscape of the snowfield and slowly began to reach his hand towards the ground. “I’m not as good as Jintun… but I think I can imitate an Ascendant a little in this place.”