Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 938

The lightning that erupted from the heart of the city spread out endlessly, turning the night sky a brilliant blue.

It had no direction, no form, merely the power to repel compressed thoughts, and the aftershocks alone were enough to swallow a small city.

A cataclysmic spell that tore open the dark sky, pouring down light, and ushering in the dawn.

“That is…”

Even Gyeolbaek, who had been mentally prepared, couldn’t hide his shock and held his breath.

The morning scene opened by a shooting star that had fallen in the middle of the city.

He, too, realized that the magic and thoughts that fell from the sky and then surged again were the epitome of power, compressed into particles, fused, and then released.

The fact that it appeared in the form of a shooting star, a wish upon the night sky, was possible because it was originally an unattainable destination.

Bending the mind and will, he briefly constructed an impossible miracle in reality.

Even without deploying a domain [a localized area where a mage’s power is amplified], the mage’s mental image took precedence over the physical laws of reality.

And even the recoil of the miracle he had obtained was used to amplify the power, a divine artifact that burned the incarnation of the end.

The great mage who commanded the lightning of the distant sky was wielding even his own enlightenment as a tool, looking beyond.

While Claude was silent with a complex expression, recalling that fact, Paysha also murmured quietly.

“I almost died from that magic once…”

“…”

“I would have died if he hadn’t held back at the end.”

Blood flowed from between her fingernails, but Paysha bit her lip, unable to control her anger.

Just seeing the brilliance of that lightning still made her whole body tremble as if in a fit.

A magic that had imprinted the fear of death on her, who had never been afraid of dying.

Paysha’s expression twisted like a demon as she belatedly realized what her emotions were.

“Damn it, still…!!”

The last battle where her whole body was crushed and burned by the lightning wielded by Gyeonryeo.

She should have died there instead.

If she had died fighting the mage there, she wouldn’t have had to feel this miserable.

She wouldn’t have had to struggle so pathetically, becoming a tool of the mage who had toyed with her.

Thinking that, she could only feel murderous intent towards herself for living so wretchedly and tasting defeat.

“…It’s the first time I’ve seen Lord Grisban so dejected.”

Gyeolbaek looked at her with a strange expression at Paysha’s intense reaction, which he had never seen before.

“As expected, a mad dog-”

Thwack!!

Paysha, with a murderous look, kicked Gyeolbaek in the stomach and stood up.

“You old geezer with dementia, you’re asking to die.”

“M-my wound… it’s opened…”

While Gyeolbaek was taking a deep breath with a pale face, Paysha slapped her own cheek and looked around.

Her senses were so broken that she couldn’t even feel pain properly. She had to stimulate herself like this to stay conscious.

Desperately ignoring the flashing lightning behind her, Paysha asked.

“I know we’re heading out of the city. Where were you planning to go?”

“…The direction where Lord Ollinik and Lord Kiria were in charge of the ritual.”

Gyeolbaek answered, leaning heavily on his spear as he stood up.

“After all, no one else returned during the battle with Anathema. We need to check what’s going on outside.”

“You’re so naive. Do you really believe that the others didn’t come to help us because they had unavoidable circumstances?”

Paysha openly mocked Gyeolbaek’s words.

“Those traitors aren’t heroes. They’re just vermin who try to take advantage of every situation and get their own way.”

“…”

“It’s the same as during the civil war. They glossed over important matters and eventually handed victory to Lord Bajur. Were you on their side and still haven’t realized that?”

“…Of course, I know.”

Gyeolbaek’s eyes momentarily sank deeply.

“They might have wanted the Six Apostles and the Tower Lord to destroy each other, using some excuse. In fact, that possibility is quite high.”

“…”

“But if that’s the case, isn’t it our duty to inform the Tower Lord of this fact?”

“Ha! That’s absurd. You were barking about being a watchdog, and now you’ve become a real dog.”

Paysha scoffed and turned her back.

“Stop talking nonsense. I can’t take it anymore, so go on your own-”

KWA-AAANG!!!

At that moment, a ground-shaking roar echoed from the desert beyond.

White sand exploded like a fountain, reflecting the morning sun and flashing, and a huge metallic sphere soared into the air.

The complexly shaped metallic sphere, assembled from hundreds of thousands of parts, was so enormous that its mere presence was comparable to a high-rise building.

KIIIIIIING!!!

The metallic sphere, which had risen like the sun over the desert, spun violently in the air, scattering magical power.

Extreme Bias: Golden Chain

Full Wheel Golden Sphere, First Form

Sand Iron Manipulation: Golden Cherry Blossom

KU-GWA-GWA-GWA-GWA!!!!

Following the rotation of the metallic sphere, countless iron sands rose from beneath the desert sand, transforming into a black storm.

Sweeping across an area of several hundred meters outside the city like a tidal wave, it pulled out all metallic substances and wielded them.

[KIEEEEK!!!]

Following the rising iron sand, a giant centipede was dragged out from under the desert, wailing madly.

Its grotesque appearance was covered with human eyeballs, and blood vessels protruded from its chitinous skin.

The giant centipede tried to swallow the metallic sphere with its mouth, from which acidic liquid dripped.

KA-GA-GAK!!!

The centipede’s head was torn off by the iron sand that surged with the rotation of the metallic sphere, scattering green fluid.

Even after its head was crushed, the monster continued to convulse, grabbing the sphere and regenerating in real-time.

The desert shook violently as the monster and the sphere, each tens of meters in size, collided, and sand erupted from all directions.

KU-UU-UUUNG!!

Paysha, feeling the ground shake from the aftermath of the battle as soon as they exited the city, muttered.

“That is…”

A divine artifact that controlled the battlefield on a local scale by mixing iron sand with the desert sand.

By pushing the bias of metal to its extreme, it had the power to transform the desert environment itself into its own battlefield.

“…It’s Lord Ollinik.”

The head of the Gisu Divine Palace. The giant of the light. The hero of the civil war.

Ollinik of the Thunder, was engaged in battle, fully deploying the Golden Chain technique that manipulated metal.

The metallic sphere, the Full Wheel Golden Sphere, with a diameter of tens of meters, was a power that was no different from Ollinik’s signature move on the battlefield.

Claude, realizing this, looked at the metallic sphere with a strange expression.

“The Full Wheel Golden Sphere… that artifact seems to be much more complete than it was during the civil war.”

“That’s a pathetic observation. Were you on the same side and didn’t even know the strength of your allies?”

“…Even if we were bound by the Gold Restriction Edict [a law that limits the use of certain powers], we weren’t exactly on the same side.”

Gyeolbaek smiled wryly at Paysha’s mockery.

“The Gisu Divine Palace is a powerful force even in the light, and Lord Ollinik is also a skilled mage who is good at hiding himself. Especially, what exists inside the Full Wheel Golden Sphere, which he has been using since the civil war-”

At that moment, the iron sand surrounding the Full Wheel Golden Sphere rose sharply, transforming into a giant awl.

Becoming a rotating drill, the iron sand carrying the weight of the sphere crushed the convulsing centipede and ground its long body to pieces.

[KEEEK!!!]

The centipede thrashed, its dozens of legs trembling, but the metallic sphere surrounded by iron sand descended, burying the centipede under the desert and grinding it to pieces.

It landed near the ruins on the outskirts of the city where Gyeolbaek and Paysha were standing.

KU-UU-UUUNG!!

The centipede’s bodily fluids exploded and scattered, creating huge acidic puddles everywhere.

However, the Full Wheel Golden Sphere, covered in acid that could melt metal in an instant, stood unscathed.

On top of the sphere that had instantly ground the centipede to death, a lean man with a head made of a sphere stood with his hands behind his back.

[I thought I heard a familiar voice, and it was indeed you.]

He raised his hand with a welcoming gesture, having found Gyeolbaek and Paysha in the middle of the ruined city.

[It’s so nice to see you again after a whole night. At least you’re much better than this disgusting monster.]

“You good-for-nothing piece of scrap metal.”

Paysha spat out a string of curses at Ollinik’s nonchalant greeting.

“It’s been a while since Anathema manifested and went berserk, what the hell were you doing all this time?!!”

[No, are you saying that after seeing what I was doing just now?]

Ollinik shrugged his shoulders with a troubled look, despite Paysha’s curses.

[It’s not that I didn’t want to see a high-nosed noble lady fall from grace, but I had my own circumstances.]

“What kind of bullshit excuse is that…!!”

KUEEEEEE!!

At that moment, the screams of the centipede that had been ground under the metallic sphere echoed, and the desert shook again.

The centipede, which had clearly had more than half of its body crushed and killed, had already finished regenerating and was starting to convulse under the Full Wheel Golden Sphere.

[Oh dear, already again…!!]

Ollinik shrugged and rotated the metallic sphere again, causing the sand to explode and quickly carry the centipede away.

“Wait, that regeneration power is…”

Gyeolbaek, who had been silently watching from behind, frowned.

Even though its body had been completely ground to death, the grotesque recovery power that allowed it to regenerate itself from the fragments of its flesh.

He realized that this life force, which felt bizarre and unrealistic, was different from that of a demonic beast or a long-lived species.

The unpleasant and eerie sense of déjà vu, where the regeneration of its existence was more prominent than the strength of its body, was clearly-

“…An Apostle? Is it really an Apostle?”

“It is an Apostle, Azlan.”

Fwaat!!

A silver-haired woman, drawing a white blade, landed next to Azlan.

She wore silver armor that emitted a cold aura, and a white frost halo floated behind her.

With her appearance, a chilling cold descended on the surroundings, and the hot desert air turned cool.

Chwaak!

The woman flicked her hand, shaking off the bodily fluids on her blade, and the armor she was wearing disintegrated and disappeared.

Kiria, who glanced with a cold, icy gaze, asked.

“You’re alive. I thought you might have died during the battle with the Six Apostles.”

“…Lord Kiria.”

Did they already hear about the battle that took place in the city?

If so, it was safe to assume that the Habaek [a messenger or scout], who had been sent out before the battle, had properly conveyed the situation here.

But even so, there were still unanswered questions.

Kiria, as if guessing, turned her cold gaze towards Ollinik, who was fighting in front of them.

“You must be wondering why we were stuck here.”

“Is that even a question, you traitor?”

Paysha spat out a string of curses as if she had been waiting for this.

“What the hell were you doing, playing around with that monster?!! You were probably hoping to see us die in there, right?!!”

“I have no intention of seeking understanding from a lunatic. I have a lot to say even without making excuses.”

“Bullshit…!!”

“We noticed Anathema’s betrayal right after the ritual ended, but the Order held us back.”

Kiria said without batting an eye.

“They deployed a sanctuary outside the city and used the Apostles to prevent us from entering the city.”

“Using the Apostles… could it be?”

Gyeolbaek, who had been looking at the giant centipede fighting Ollinik with a troubled expression, suddenly had a glint in his eyes.

He realized that the centipede, which was madly ramming its head into the metallic sphere, had no intelligence.

“As you’ve noticed, it’s not an Apostle with normal judgment.”

Kiria nodded with a blank face.

“The enemy is using Apostles who have fallen into madness and become beasts as bait to fight us. It was him who effectively tied our hands.”

“That’s… isn’t that impossible?”

Gyeolbaek asked, looking as if he couldn’t easily believe it.

“If the Order had a way to strategically use the insane Apostles, they wouldn’t have waited until the Holy War to try it.”

Claude, a guardian of the Turyeon Gate [a significant location or structure] and a participant in the Holy War, also knew what an Apostle was.

A monster that received power as an incarnation of the end, but also shared the dreams of the outer gods, and had their minds devoured.

Their end was to become one with the outer sea and go mad, unable to endure reality.

Even the Order, which boasted such a powerful force, had lost many excellent warriors because they could not stop the madness of their Apostles.

They were uncontrollable monsters who would be too busy trying to devour each other if they were gathered in the same place.

“There are more than six Apostles who have fallen into madness and become beasts that I know of. If there was such a person, why didn’t they do it earlier-”

“That’s because I have just finished my succession and come out into the world.”

The moment a raspy voice echoed above Gyeolbaek’s head.

Sarak!

A beast like a leopard, covered in shaggy fur, fell onto the desert.

The huge beast, twisting its half-frozen body, landed lightly on the sand without a sound.

KIIIIING!!

The third eye embedded in the leopard’s forehead flashed, and a strange light flickered, stopping the sandstorm and turning it to stone.

On top of the leopard’s head, which was scattering petrification rays, someone was riding with a staff.

A woman with a dangerous, edgy impression. White hair and bronze skin.

Contrary to her slender physique, she was wearing the Order’s robes, which felt luxurious and abundant.

She looked at the humans with torn eyes and chuckled.

“The power of God isn’t something that’s given conveniently whenever it’s needed. Miracles don’t happen unless a proper mission is fulfilled.”

“…”

Her raspy, grating voice, as if her throat was hoarse, sharply pierced everyone’s ears.

“But under the grand scheme of things, everything is meant to go according to His will. The authority given to me is also perfectly suited for that purpose.”

“…You are.”

The one who had revealed herself as a member of the Order, looking down on the humans, including Gyeolbaek, from the moment she appeared.

Gyeolbaek, sensing that this woman was the one Kiria had mentioned, asked.

“What god do you serve as an Apostle within the Order? Were you the one who helped Anathema awaken?”

“I explained it once, but you still don’t understand. Do I look like an Apostle to you?”

The woman’s sharp eyes curved into a smile.

“If you were a priest serving me, I would have ripped your tongue out right here.”

“…”

“Azlan.”

The woman sneered, and Kiria answered calmly.

“That’s not it. In the first place, she is…”

“I thought you’d be quick-witted since you survived fighting Anathema, but I wasted my time.”

The woman said, nervously sweeping back her white hair that had been cut to her shoulders.

“Why did the previous Naidri [a title or position within the Order] leave these bugs alone? I can’t understand it no matter how much I think about it.”

“…Could it be.”

Gyeolbaek’s expression hardened at the name Naidri, and the woman opened her mouth with a satisfied look.

“My name is Ureka Naidri.”

PA-BA-BA-BAT!!!

At that moment, the desert shook beneath Ureka’s feet, and three more giant monsters appeared.

A tentacled crayfish. A boar with half its face cut off. A knight with human faces sewn onto its armor.

Even the giant centipede that was madly fighting Ollinik bowed its head as if obeying her words.

She stepped on the monsters and beasts that were filled with indescribable grotesqueness and said.

“I am the high priestess who has inherited the name of Naidri, following in the footsteps of that woman, Seina.”

“…”

“What was holding us back wasn’t an Apostle, but the Order’s new priestess.”

While Gyeolbaek was silent, Kiria explained calmly.