Level Up Inquisitor [EN]: Chapter 90

90. The Knights of the 결사단 (3) [Gyeolsadan: likely refers to a specific knightly order or organization within the game or story.]

KWA-BOOM!

A massive explosion erupted, sending Aile flying backward before he tumbled across the floor.

“Ugh.”

Aile groaned, his appearance a mess as he pushed himself up with his arms.

Checking his condition, his vitality was nearly depleted, matching his battered state.

It was a close call; he was lucky to be alive.

Desperate, Aile quickly retrieved and drank a recovery potion.

However, despite swallowing the entire contents of the bottle, it had no effect.

Normally, a recovery potion should work instantly, but Aile’s health remained unchanged.

[An unidentified wave fills the room!]

[The debuff ‘Recovery Blocked’ nullifies the potion’s effect!]

‘Damn it, is this forbidden magic too?’

Thanks to the Recovery Blocked aura, all healing effects, including potions, were useless.

He had heard that forbidden magic, unlike elemental or dark magic commonly used by Warlords, often defied common sense.

But this was an effect Aile had never encountered before.

‘She just won’t die… it’s absurd.’

Mute, who was at the center of the explosion like Aile, regenerated her wounds and stood up.

Despite being stabbed in the heart and caught in her own magic, her health was full.

‘She can’t be truly invincible… what’s the strategy?’

In situations like this, there are usually a few patterns.

Either she has a critical weakness somewhere on her body, or she needs to be defeated a certain number of times until her health is completely depleted.

Or, something external is supplying her with life force that needs to be destroyed.

‘That must be it.’

Aile’s gaze locked onto one spot.

The black Necrostone atop the altar.

As something capable of freely resurrecting the dead, it was the prime suspect.

Time was of the essence, and with a target identified, he had to move immediately to destroy it.

But Aile suddenly felt a wave of dizziness and grabbed his head.

His health was so low that he should have been in a near-death state.

His life force was so fragile that even a small attack could kill him.

KWA-KWA-KWA!

Mute’s mana spears flew at him once more.

Even in his disoriented state, Aile had to force his body to move.

The magic seemed even stronger than before, tearing up the floor, and to make matters worse, a massive beast leaped from behind, targeting him.

CHWAAK!

A long spear sliced through the beast, leaving a large wound, and the creature, already injured in several places, collapsed, losing its strength.

It was Rhoden, who had shaken off the beasts below and followed after him.

“Aile! Are you alright?”

Rhoden asked, seeing his disheveled state.

But Aile immediately pointed to the top of the altar and shouted.

“We need to target that Necrostone!”

“Necrostone…? Ah, I understand!”

Rhoden looked up and nodded.

Considering Mute’s inability to die, he could roughly grasp the situation.

They both began running towards the top.

“Stop them!”

At Mute’s cry, the beasts charged at them in unison, blocking their path.

However, her reaction only confirmed that targeting the Necrostone was crucial to this strategy.

Aile used Reverse Burst against the massive bear charging from the front, instantly breaking through and passing behind it.

If this continued, they wouldn’t be able to stop them, and the Necrostone would be destroyed.

But Mute licked her bloodied lips and grinned.

“Finally here.”

Sensing countless presences through the detection magic she had set up in advance, she looked up.

The Inquisitors from the Inquisition had entered the dungeon.

“I don’t care if you target the Necrostone or not. The activation is already complete!”

KIIIIIIIIING!

The massive mana gathered on the altar surged violently.

Mute, confirming that all targets were within range, was about to activate the Annihilation Magic Circle.

“I’ll send you all together.”

“Damn, what to do…”

Aile, who was hurrying upwards, stopped.

He was still some distance from the top of the altar, and since the Necrostone was merely a source of mana, a separate mana had already gathered in the magic circle, ready to activate.

Even if he could destroy the Necrostone right now, it would only prevent Mute’s resurrection, not stop the crucial magic circle.

To stop the activation of the magic circle itself, he would first need to smash the Necrostone and then kill Mute, the initiator of the magic circle.

But there wasn’t enough time.

Given the nature of forbidden magic, the casting of this large-scale magic circle wouldn’t take long.

“Aile, go on ahead!”

Rhoden stepped forward and shouted.

“I’ll take care of her. Even if I can’t kill her, I can keep her from casting and buy you time.”

“Wait, it’s too dangerous to go recklessly.”

The opponent was an immortal mage who could unleash wide-area burst damage without casting time.

From the perspective of facing her, she was a terrifying existence.

Especially for a melee class that had to engage up close, even maintaining defense would be difficult.

If she kept spamming the wide-area magic she used against Aile earlier, he would likely be knocked out without being able to withstand it.

“We’ll be wiped out anyway if we can’t stop her. Or, do you not trust my skills?”

Rhoden said with a playful smile.

Pushed into a desperate situation, Aile had no choice but to nod.

“Then… I’m counting on you.”

“Well, honestly, the estimate is tough, so please handle it as quickly as possible.”

“I’ll try.”

As soon as the words were finished, Aile and Rhoden split up and began to move.

Aile headed towards the top of the altar, breaking through the beasts towards the Necrostone, and Rhoden, leaping down with all his might, landed on the floor where Mute was.

KOO-OONG!

Suppressing the tingling sensation in his legs, Rhoden took out a sword from his inventory and threw it.

The sword flew with a whoosh and struck her arm accurately.

The impact staggered Mute, and her health visibly decreased.

Of course, the decrease in health meant nothing to her, as death would not come.

But one thing.

The casting of the large-scale annihilation magic was definitely interrupted by the previous strike.

“Don’t interfere…”

Her enraged gaze locked onto Rhoden.

A considerable amount of mana was gathering in Mute’s staff, and sweat dripped from Rhoden’s forehead.

He could only hope that Aile would resolve the situation as quickly as possible.

* * *

I had felt it from below, but the altar was by no means small.

Compared to the altar in the Village of Destruction, this fanatic’s lair beneath the Abandoned Temple area was just as large.

Aile, with only a sliver of life left, gasped for breath but stubbornly climbed the stairs.

The massive beasts, as tiresome as they were, constantly hindered him, but he dodged their attacks, knocked them off, or directly defeated them as he broke through.

It was a dangerous tightrope walk where he could die at any moment, but there was no time to complain.

KOO-OONG!

Another loud explosion was heard from below.

It was the sound of the magic Mute had fired exploding.

Rhoden, who was buying time against her, was probably dying right now.

‘Not much further now…!’

The end of the stairs began to appear.

He had created a considerable distance between himself and the other beasts that were fiercely chasing behind him.

But without fail, another monster appeared, blocking his path.

“KIEEEEEEK!”

This time, a giant monstrous bird climbed onto the stairs, blocking his path.

As if telling him that he couldn’t pass, it spread its large wings wide and roared.

It was the same creature that had been screaming and blocking his way since earlier, hurting his ears.

“KIEEEEEEEEEEK!”

“Shut up! You can’t even fly, you bastard!”

KWA-AAAA!

Aile instantly slashed the monstrous bird that had opened its mouth wide.

Using the Heroic-grade skill, Flash Cut, which he had been saving until now, the creature split in half and was engulfed in powerful flames.

The monstrous bird lost its balance and staggered, soon falling down the stairs engulfed in white flames.

The creature that fell tangled with three or four giant beasts that were chasing after Aile and tumbled down.

TAK!

Meanwhile, Aile, who had finally reached the top, stood before the Necrostone.

Standing in front of the black stone that emitted an eerie dark energy, Aile switched the weapon he was holding to a greatsword.

Unless the weapon had special attributes, large weapons like greatswords were much more efficient at destroying this type of terrain feature.

KWAANG!

As Aile put his weight into a powerful downward strike, cracks appeared on the Necrostone.

But that wasn’t enough.

The large Necrostone still showed no signs of breaking, and Aile continued to swing the greatsword.

He had to destroy it as quickly as possible before the monsters he had struggled to shake off caught up and interfered.

The cracks etched into the Necrostone grew larger with each strike of the greatsword.

“This is the last one…!”

Aile, gritting his teeth, unleashed his final strike towards the battered black stone.

KWADDEUDEUK!

The greatsword, imbued with flames, pierced deep into the core of the Necrostone.

Then, the Necrostone, which had cracks all over it, shone brightly and shattered, spewing out all the dark mana it had been holding.

The Necrostone, having lost its original form, was completely shattered.

And below, Rhoden was desperately watching that scene.

FOOK!

Rhoden’s spear, which he immediately threw, pierced Mute’s chest.

The sharp spear pierced through her back, and dark red blood poured from her mouth.

“Kkeueuk…….”

THUD!

Mute, impaled by the spear, knelt on the floor.

Her eyes, filled with disbelief and shock, trembled and soon lost their light.

[Level Up!]