Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 1151

Showdown (19)

Following Aron Byger, the monarch of Cabahim, Lennok faced the [Back Door] at the old castle outside the royal capital.

A shortcut to open the interdimensional sanctuary on the opposite side and peek into its deepest part.

However, the sanctuary’s appearance that he encountered within was different from what Lennok had expected.

Koo-ooo!!!

A massive black circle rotated beneath a shattered sky. Below it, black tears flowed endlessly.

The black liquid, falling like tears, painted over the shattered sanctuary, defiling and corrupting it.

The form of a colossal knight leaned against a black throne that had sprung up in the center. Even the black sphere rotating inside his armor, as if replacing his heart.

“That is….”

He knew it.

That colossal knight was the remnant of the ‘dead god’ that Lennok had encountered in the conscious world after acquiring the Ice Artisan.

But back then, that knight was clearly standing on a frozen snow mountain, guarding a massive tombstone.

The black halo that unfolded before his eyes, and the shape of the throne that was plunged into its center, were a sight that Lennok was seeing for the first time.

In the instant that Lennok was lost for words at the sight of the sanctuary, which was both unexpected and yet strongly familiar.

“Authority Mandala.”

Aron, who had stepped out to the side, said as he drew up his magic power.

“A false sanctuary symbolizing eternal circulation and innocent change. A miracle that contains the single essence that never changes even as it endlessly transforms.”

“……”

“It is proof that he, who possessed a more destructive origin than any transcender, tried to create and produce something.”

His double pupils were staring, as if entranced, at the slowly rotating black halo.

“There, lies the remnant of his great failure, where he tried to forge the next by even changing his own origin.”

The undisguised feeling of awe was contained in Aron’s low voice.

It seemed that he held the Ascender, Bangung, in very high regard, judging by this one statement.

However, Lennok could not immediately respond to Aron’s words, who seemed entranced by Bangung’s Authority, and remained silent.

It was not because he did not understand what it meant the moment he heard the explanation about the Mandala.

It was because he immediately understood what it was implying.

The single essence that does not change even amidst innocent change.

Was it a delusion that the power that Bangung tried to realize as a false sanctuary looked surprisingly similar to Lennok’s Kaleidoscope?

If an Ascender, who took a failed future as his origin, had ultimately tried to ‘create’ instead of destroying something.

Lennok-

“The [Door] that exists in the royal capital’s underground is a miracle created by human hands, one of less than ten [Doors] left in the world. Therefore, the Mandala is no different from a power that allows one to glimpse its origin.”

Aron’s expression, as he looked at the shattered sanctuary, turned cold.

“Even the fact that the death of an Outer God is contained within is just one of those miracles. Therefore, I-”

Aron took a step forward towards the Authority Mandala beyond the [Door].

“I will take the arrangement left behind by the great Ascender and even overturn the already decided fate and ending.”

“……No.”

Lennok mumbled blankly.

“That’s not an arrangement….”

The moment he faced the scenery of the Authority Mandala and heard Aron’s explanation, Lennok knew.

The remains of the ‘dead god’ stored in the center of the Mandala. The black sphere that was in place as if replacing its heart.

That thing, which rotated like a black hole, sucking in sight, light, and will, was the core that made up the Authority Mandala.

It was the will itself that Bangung had left behind to completely preserve the remains of the ‘dead god’ in this world.

A failed work of a manipulator who, while different in form, ability, and direction, ultimately pursued the same thing as Lennok.

He could understand it even without an explanation.

That was the essence of the manipulation technique that Bangung had left behind. A ‘domain’ that a transcender who had reached the pinnacle of the special trait system had bent his technique and left behind in reality.

If he could obtain the Mandala and understand its construction principle, Lennok might be able to use his Authority and manipulation technique.

Rather than certainty, it was a vague intuition. Rather than belief, it was an ambiguous instinct. But-

Kugugugugu……!!!

When Lennok looked at it, ‘it’ also looked at Lennok.

When he looked beyond the [Door], he was also being looked at from beyond the [Door].

He could tell.

Just like when he drank the elixir of ascension in Kundara and obtained the corrupted branching point.

Just like when he opened the [Door] to send the soul of the Seonjong to a failed future, he was close.

If he turned around, he was always watching Lennok from a distance that seemed within reach.

Like this, as if he would come to Lennok and be caught right away if he reached out his hand-

Woo-woo-woong!!!!

The moment Lennok unconsciously reached out his hand, the darkness located in the center of the Mandala began to fluctuate and resonate, trembling.

The sphere that rotated as if replacing the heart of the dead god explosively amplified the darkness within, covering the domain.

The expansion of darkness that began in the center of the Mandala fiercely backflowed and overflowed as if it would cross the [Door].

Kwagwagwagwa!!!

“……!!”

A massive wave of darkness explosively overflowing from beyond the [Door].

A bizarre shape as if the Authority Mandala was trying to reverse the door to ‘return’ to Lennok.

In the face of that intense flood of darkness, Lennok’s face hardened, and the knights who were watching grabbed their swords in surprise.

Aron, with an expressionless face, grabbed the violently fluctuating [Door] with one hand.

Kwaaaang!!!!

The moment he grabbed the spatial rift of the door with his bare hands, a powerful shockwave erupted, shaking the lobby of the old castle.

The recoil that fiercely struck Aron’s entire body quickly scratched his body and extended backward.

Due to the impact, the old castle walls and floor shook, emitting a roar as if they would collapse at any moment.

“Your Majesty!!”

“It’s dangerous, so……!!”

“No. Everyone step back.”

The knights who had drawn up their magic power immediately stepped forward, but Aron calmly raised his hand to stop them.

“I will do it myself here.”

Kwajik!!

At the same time as he applied force, the shape of the [Door] held in Aron’s hand distorted as if it would break.

However, Aron did not care and grabbed the fiercely fluctuating door and pressed it down.

The moment the magic power that exploded from Aron’s entire body covered the surroundings and pressed down on the space.

In front of Lennok’s eyes, the spatial rift of the door forcibly closed, causing a violent explosion.

Kwagwagwagwa!!!!

“Kuh……!!”

The amount of light was so intense that the field of vision turned white.

The recoil was enough to sweep through the lobby, forcing even the restless knights to draw up their magic power and endure.

Those who were watching the explosion that erupted from the center of the old castle either fell to the ground or planted their weapons into the ground and held their ground.

Debris fell from the collapsed ceiling of the old castle, and the inner walls of the corridor shook and collapsed like dominoes.

“That’s it for here.”

However, Aron stood calmly in the center of the raging storm, looking at the place where the door had been with an expressionless face.

Aron, who massaged his neck with one hand and turned around nonchalantly, looked at the knights who had been pushed back from all directions and said.

“It was successful to peek into the sanctuary without awakening the dead god by using a shortcut to open the back door, but it is not yet possible to enter it.”

“…….”

“Perhaps we will have to repeat trial and error like this and find out what the problem is.”

“That’s an extremely violent magic power operation.”

Lennok, who had finally realized what Aron had done, muttered as if dumbfounded.

“Did you forcibly press down and close the rift of the [Door]? Just how much innate magic power do you have…….”

What Aron had just shown was an art of overlaying will onto magic power and converting it into real physical force.

Through that, Aron grabbed the space of the rampaging [Back Door] and forcibly pressed it down to stabilize it.

How much magic power would be needed to do such a thing by imbuing magic power with thought without using a technique or image?

“Well. It may not be as irrational as you think.”

However, even after hearing Lennok’s words, Aron turned around with a strange smile.

“All the power and fuel of the country are no different from the royal family’s property. As the monarch of Cabahim, I am simply enjoying what I rightfully deserve.”

“……What?”

The moment he heard those words, Lennok understood the meaning of what Aron had mentioned and hardened his face.

Aron’s destructive magic power operation, which had been impressive from outside the old castle. The strange aftertaste of impurities mixed in between.

It was because he could immediately understand what Aron was trying to imply through the words he had explained.

‘Could it be that he is not purely using his own magic power or thought, but drawing power from all over Cabahim?’

If Aron, as the monarch of Cabahim, was drawing on the country’s magic power and fuel, then its limit would far exceed the level allowed to a single superhuman.

If there was no limit to the magic power of an 8-level superhuman, especially one with dual talents, then Aron’s power within the kingdom should be considered virtually on par with a demigod.

Kugugugugu!!!

Aron’s magic power density was so strong that the air seemed to become heavy enough to make it difficult to breathe just by standing next to him.

Even though it was clear that he was drawing on an enormous amount of magic power and thought, the bottom of Aron’s inner self was not easily visible.

However, even with the storm of magic power and thought endlessly overflowing from his body, Aron shook his head as if it was nothing.

“I thought it would be enough to draw on the fuel of the royal capital, but it consumes much more magic power than I thought. If I repeat trial and error like this, I will definitely run out of magic power.”

Clank!!

As Aron said that and snapped his fingers, the knights who had been waiting nearby began to move.

The knights who had been guarding from all directions changed their positions and adjusted their positions as if surrounding the entire old castle.

Several dozen knights stood on either side of Aron, stopping as if making way for him.

Aron, who turned around without any regrets, looked at Lennok and nodded.

“I will adjust the output and return to draw more magic power. You should also take a rest.”

“You already had a plan in place in case the plan failed.”

Lennok asked as he watched the knights moving busily.

“From the beginning, you didn’t think it would succeed?”

“The fact that we glimpsed the sanctuary on the first attempt is nothing short of a miracle.”

Aron said slowly as he looked at Lennok.

“Even if I were to guide you, I had already assumed the possibility that you would not be able to recognize the [Back Door] or have difficulty controlling it.”

“…….”

“But far from having difficulty controlling it, you immediately understood the concept and even approached the Mandala… The bloodline of Bangung is truly a monster-like talent.”

Aron, who had climbed to the top of the stairs, looked down at Lennok with a gentle gaze.

“Indeed, choosing you was definitely not a wrong decision in this matter. Please continue to do well as you are now.”

Even though he had explained the plan to Lennok, it seemed that Aron himself had not assumed that it would succeed in one go.

Rather, the fact that they had glimpsed the sanctuary on the first attempt seemed to be a satisfactory result for Aron.

“Oh, great bloodline.”

The knights who had approached Lennok, leaving Aron who was disappearing to the upper part of the old castle, carefully opened their mouths.

“We have cleaned a room inside the old castle that has not collapsed. Please rest there for today.”

“…….”

“While you are resting, the 6th Knight Order will assist you.”

The knight who had taken off his helmet bowed politely to Lennok.

Perhaps it was because they had watched what Lennok was preparing inside the old castle with Aron.

The attitude of the knights who were guiding Lennok to the room inside the old castle was truly courteous.

Click!!

A dark room with an old carpet. Even the simple meal prepared on the bed and table inside.

However, Lennok felt his sensitivity react as soon as he entered the room and chuckled.

‘Dabi.’

[Yeah, it looks like they’re watching, right?]

From a distant place where it was impossible to even perceive with the five senses, someone was detecting Lennok’s presence.

It was not mixed with murderous intent, but on the contrary, it was not the kind of gaze that was trying to protect or escort Lennok.

Having thought that far, Lennok took something out of his pocket and dropped it onto the bed.

Thud!!

A Chebien doll with the physique of an adult male. A substitute that he had received before starting the operation.

He pushed the doll into the bed inside the room, decorated its face with magic, and infused it with magic power.

It would be difficult to detect any abnormalities by just sensing Lennok’s presence from the outside.

Lennok, who took Dabi out of his pocket and laid it on the bed, whispered quietly.

‘React if they call from outside. Can you do it?’

[I’ve done it before. No problem.]

To be precise, that was why he was worried, but Lennok did not show it and got up.

The moment he brought his hand to his face while looking at the fox spirit lying on its back and waving its front paws.

Whoosh!!

The camouflage magic that had been covering his entire body was dismantled, and the obsidian mask and shadow robe appeared.

Lennok’s presence completely disappeared from inside the thick robe, and his magic power itself became infinitely cold.

‘About half of my magic power remains. There should be almost no problem using the manipulation technique.’

He deeply pressed down the black robe, adjusted his mask, and quickly checked his condition.

Even while pulling out a magic thread and wrapping it around his wrist, and checking the socket on his waist, Lennok’s expression was coldly calm.

‘It’s a good time to investigate the secret that Aron is hiding.’

Even though he had succeeded in opening the door and glimpsing the remains of the dead god, Aron was not surprised or angry that he could not enter the sanctuary.

As if Lennok’s entry into the sanctuary itself was bound to fail.

As if it was ‘decided’ that he could not enter the sanctuary right now.

Lennok did not miss that subtle yet unmissable sense of incongruity.

‘There must be some other condition needed to enter the sanctuary. Aron knows that, but he’s hiding it from me.’

As the clown had mentioned, it had become clear that Aron was hiding something and trying to push forward with this plan.

If so, he had to find out what Aron was hiding about the [Door] here.

Lennok thought that and quickly organized the situation.

‘At this point, there are three goals.’

First. To investigate the [Door], understand its principle, and find a way to control Lennok’s rampaging electric magic.

Second. To check if it is possible to recover Bangung’s Authority Mandala, which exists beyond the [Door].

Third. To succeed in the Pandemonium [Door] capture operation and steal the remains of the dead god.

‘The rotation time of the knights patrolling the inside of the old castle is approximately 25 minutes.’

Tap!!

He placed his foot inside the narrow window frame and loosened his body while administering stimulants and painkillers.

‘In the meantime, I will aim to explore the old castle and find the secret that Aron is hiding.’

He had been prepared for things not to go smoothly the moment the apostle of the cult had intervened from Tokerphuz.

In the end, there were facts that Lennok could only find out by directly checking and digging into them.

Pat!!

At the same time as he leaned his body forward, he used blink to jump through space.

He hung a magic thread on the wall and rotated as if bouncing off, accelerating along the shadows inside the old castle.

Lennok, who had climbed onto the wall in one go, turned his gaze towards the knight who was guarding in the pouring rain.

Swaeak!!

Blink before the knight, who had sensed a presence, could turn his gaze.

He perfectly surpassed the sharp senses of a physical ability user and headed towards the spire near the outer edge of the castle.

Swaaaaaaa!!!

He leaned against the sharp ornament at the end of the spire, hanging a magic thread, and looked down at the desolate scenery of the old castle in the darkness.

The rain flowed down his robe and obscured his vision, but Lennok did not care and took out his golden eyes.

Click.

The artifact that Lapis Palsier had given him as a gift when he was removed from the Blue Eye, the Eye of Heavenly Grace.

The moment he held the relic, which functioned as the thirteenth lighthouse, and slowly raised it.

The Eye of Heavenly Grace spun in Lennok’s hand and turned towards the wide courtyard inside the old castle.

“…….”

In the muddy courtyard, there was nothing to be seen except for discarded trash or rotten wood debris.

If so, what the eye was pointing to was not the ground that could be seen with the naked eye, but below it.

The underground of the old castle, the existence of which Aron had never mentioned to Lennok.

Paat!!

Lennok’s figure, which had been hanging on the spire, disappeared as if erased from the air.

Lennok, who had teleported inside the castle, hung upside down on the ceiling and flew using a magic thread.

At the same time as he activated magic detection, he confirmed the existence of the stairs leading to the underground and changed direction.

Kagak……!!

Each time he repeatedly used blink, a faint popping sound erupted in the air, jumping through space.

He used the technique, aiming for the perfect moment when he would not be caught by the senses of the knights patrolling inside the castle.

Immediately after, he completely erased his presence and killed the aftertaste of magic power, leaving no trace.

He broke through the increasingly strict security as he headed inside the old castle, and the moment he reached the underground staircase without stepping on the stairs.

Koo-oong!!!

Lennok stopped in his tracks, facing the rusty bars that blocked and sealed the way from all directions.

“…….”

A corridor that was full of rust and damp with sticky moisture, like a huge sewer.

Bars were densely embedded in every passage that ran through it, blocking the way.

‘A prison?’

An ominous and ominous atmosphere, like a prison for imprisoning criminals, not an old castle or fortress.

Inside the bars, there were bone fragments or rotten flesh that were presumed to be human.

Leaving behind the sound of weeping coming from the dark corridor, Lennok moved his steps.

“……This is.”

Beyond the bars embedded between the corridors, there were still living humans.

People who had fallen down covered in blood and were leaking waste, as if they had been whipped all over their bodies.

Only then could Lennok be sure that the old castle was being used as a prison to imprison prisoners.

Was it because such a prison was hidden in the underground facility that no human presence was felt outside the old castle?

“Ughhhhh…….”

“Aaaack……!!”

“It hurts, it hurts……!!”

The prisoners, who did not notice Lennok’s presence, screamed with tears mixed in. The smell of blood and stench that stung the tip of his nose.

The moment Lennok quietly calmed his magic power and tried to go deeper into the darkness of the corridor.

“……Mask.”

A faint voice, as if it would break, echoed from the prison right next to him.

“Pandemo, nium’s…… thief…….”

A hoarse voice as if his vocal cords were dried up. But it was definitely a grating tone that he had heard before.

A man with disheveled hair, lying sprawled out in a blood-soaked shirt and pants.

“Why are you…… here.”

“……You are.”

Only then did Lennok, who had remembered that voice and face, turn his gaze.

The person who could call Victor, who was wearing an obsidian mask and a robe, a ‘thief.’

The owner of the giant’s fortress that he had visited to steal the ring of the guide before leaving for the military city of Yorta.

A watcher of the Blue Eye and a survivor of the Giant Soldier Corps. An 8-level physical ability user and the younger brother of the current king of Cabahim-

The Grand Duke of Cabahim, Jillian, was glaring at Lennok, covered in blood in the prison.

“Jillian?”

“Ah, that’s right… The fact that you’re here underground means….”

Jillian, who coughed weakly, smiled crookedly.

“Were you one of the fools who came here because of my brother, Aron?”

“……”

“It’s better this way… Don’t just stand there blankly, come closer and untie this.”

Koo-woong!!!

The chain, as huge as Jillian himself, that was tied to his right arm fell with a heavy sound.

Jillian, who shrugged his shoulders weakly while gesturing with his chin at the chain, looked at Lennok and said.

“If you help me escape, I’ll show you what Aron has hidden in this underground… How about it?”