Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 1201

Clang!

Two figures stand facing each other at opposite ends of a corridor stretching dozens of meters.

Lenok, with flames blazing in his hand, and Edan, watching him with a blank expression.

The leader of the Deadrise and his nemesis raise their intent towards each other in the heart of the headquarters.

Whoooom!!!

The rapidly escalating magical power emitted a heavy resonance, like the engine of an airplane.

‘Edan Bajur.’

Lenok thought, gazing at Edan’s figure shimmering like a mirage in the distance.

‘I don’t know his exact strength, but I know he was considered comparable to the Underworld King…’

Since learning that Kaiser’s son was alive, Lenok didn’t know much about Edan.

That he was resurrected from death after dying during the project, and that he lost many memories as a result.

That he had gathered the remaining Deadrise after Kaiser’s death and built them into a massive legion.

That he had traveled across the continent to regain his memories, and even visited Yorta, leaving behind a travelogue.

But among all of that, what Lenok remembered most vividly was the assessment of Edan’s martial prowess.

A long-ago, passing remark that if the Underworld King moved, Edan would react as well.

He knew that statement itself was impossible unless they assumed the Underworld King and Edan were on a similar level of transcendence.

‘I will confirm Edan’s identity here. Even if it means antagonizing the legion in the worst-case scenario—’

Lenok’s decision to act after hearing the truth about the project was not an impulsive one.

He understood that the conclusion of the Black Consumer Project might be deeply intertwined with himself.

And that Edan’s revelation at this point was not an act of goodwill.

If Edan had intended to tell the truth about the project and help Lenok, there would have been no reason to react this way.

Instead of vaguely hiding whether he was Kaiser or Edan, he would have clearly revealed himself and what he wanted.

But Edan tested Lenok’s reaction and maintained an ambiguous attitude, even hiding his own identity.

The truth of the project, which edits and sets human destiny and talent, is not all that Edan wants.

Edan is planning something more significant by returning to the Balkans.

Lenok understood all of that the moment Edan didn’t answer about his identity, and realized he couldn’t be on the same side as him.

[Ignition]

Fwoooosh!!!

Flames exploded from both sides of his fist as he clenched it.

Red flames stretched back along Lenok’s arm, engulfing his entire body like a wave.

His pure white coat fluttered wildly as the flames blazed.

The moment Lenok’s figure, head bowed, was distorted and scattered in the hot air.

With a powerful sonic boom, Lenok’s figure disappeared from that spot and appeared before Edan.

[Dual Acceleration]

[Scorching Flutter]

Fwaaaang!!!

A powerful impact that seemed to burst through the atmosphere.

Lenok and Edan’s hands stopped in place as they crossed in the air.

Lenok, with his hand ablaze, and Edan, blocking it with a blank face.

Lenok’s flame-engulfed hand was reaching for Edan’s neck, hidden beneath his military uniform.

“Does it have to be this way?”

Edan asked, looking down at Lenok with an expressionless face.

“I don’t particularly want to fight you.”

“We agree on that point.”

Lenok smiled, looking at Edan’s face through the flames.

“But I need to confirm who you are here.”

“……”

“Only by knowing your identity can I know where the project ended. Without knowing that, I can’t move forward anywhere.”

Whether the one standing before Lenok was Kaiser or Edan.

Whether Edan Bajur had truly cut off Kaiser Bajur’s head and attached it to himself.

The truth of the project and the direction of the legion could be confirmed and guessed from that one fact alone.

The reason why Lenok attended the parade under a thousand identities to confront Edan directly like this.

The answer to the confusion he had held since Kundara’s ancient ruins was hidden beyond this hand.

“That’s unfortunate. My identity shouldn’t be revealed yet.”

Edan shook his head amidst the rising heat.

“Because there are facts that are confirmed the moment they are observed, and there are secrets that must be kept until the very end.”

“Is that so?”

Lenok’s expression turned cold.

“Then there’s no reason for us to do different things.”

Whoosh!

The flames that had spread from his fingertips rotated up his arm, intensifying the heat.

Edan’s hand, which was gripping Lenok’s wrist, also caught fire, instantly burning his skin.

Immediately after Edan released Lenok’s wrist with a blank face, the two moved simultaneously.

Crash!

The wall of the headquarters corridor collapsed, revealing the scenery of the VIP room beyond.

Lenok and Edan’s figures collided in a fleeting moment amidst the burning debris.

A heavy roar, unbelievable for a collision of fists and forearms, exploded, creating a shockwave.

Thud thud thud!!!

Lenok, raising his magic power while burning the corridor diagonally, and Edan, with a blank face, walked out at the same time.

But Lenok’s expression hardened at the eerie sense of incongruity he felt in that fleeting moment.

‘The Jeongryun Barrier [a type of magical barrier] is collapsing. Is this the result of mere physical skills…!!’

The reason why he could engage in hand-to-hand combat under a thousand identities was because he was using the Jindun barrier technique purely for protection.

He was supplementing his physical protection and the necessary stats and durability for close combat entirely through the barrier technique.

Lenok’s martial arts had also reached a high level through the Fighting Pull he had learned from Claude Azlan and his experiences in Yorta.

But even so, Lenok felt an indescribable pressure in the brief moment he clashed with Edan.

It wasn’t that Edan was damaging Lenok’s barrier using special powers or techniques.

It was damage caused by the unavoidable losses accumulating from the pure difference in martial arts skills.

“I heard you were the top-rated war mage in the central region, and it wasn’t an exaggeration.”

Perhaps the other side felt the same way, as Edan said, walking out from the other side of the half-destroyed room.

“It’s hard to believe you’re an 8th-level mage, given how high your level of hand-to-hand combat is. You were this strong even without properly using flame magic.”

“……”

“A substitute incantation using martial arts… It’s practically an impossible ideal unless you assume innate combat abilities from the start.”

Edan slowly turned his gaze and asked in a faint tone.

“It’s strange how much that talent catches my eye. Is your extraordinary nature a miracle stemming from the project after all?”

“So, that’s what you wanted to know, why you tried to confront me like this.”

“That’s right. I don’t want to fight you.”

Edan whispered, slowly moving his feet.

“Rather, I want to talk to you like this. I want to keep learning about you.”

“……”

“Whether your existence is truly a miracle stemming from the project. In the end, that’s something I can’t be sure of without directly digging into you.”

Edan said, touching his neck with one hand.

“Just like you’re curious about my identity and want to see it with your own eyes.”

In a clash that lasted only a moment.

Even though he possessed overwhelming skill to not lose his composure for even a second against Lenok, Edan still wanted to talk to Lenok.

That must be because the fact that he answered Lenok about the project itself meant he was sure Lenok was part of the project.

As a person involved in the project, he was trying to confront and confirm Lenok, who might be a result of the project.

Lenok and Edan were facing each other because what Lenok wanted was also what Edan wanted in a different way, but—

“That’s not something you can decide and conclude on your own.”

Lenok retorted, gathering his magic power with both hands clenched.

“Who I am and what I was is something I will decide myself. It doesn’t matter what the cause was.”

“……”

“Even if the Black Consumer Project exists as a part of me in that process, my answer won’t change.”

Fwoooosh…!!!

He moved his fingers as if scratching the air, compressing the surging flames.

Lenok’s eyes gleamed fiercely beyond the blazing fire.

“I will always be the same as I was in the beginning. That one fact is enough.”

Even if the Black Consumer Project was a power that edited and set human talent and destiny.

Even if Lenok’s existence was a miracle created through the project, what Lenok had to do would not change.

He would look back at all the failures of the world and take all those possibilities as answers.

The project’s existence was only a goal because it was the closest to Lenok’s purpose.

Now that he had learned more secrets, nothing would change.

“I see…”

Edan, understanding Lenok’s answer, trailed off.

He frowned slightly and stepped forward.

“But that’s not the answer I want, on the contrary.”

Whoosh…!!

Edan, with a dry breeze, lightly extended his hand and slowly raised his gaze, muttering.

“Then, I have no choice but to take it from you here.”

‘I shouldn’t drag this out. I need to finish this as quickly as possible.’

Lenok’s expression hardened as he looked at Edan reaching out to him.

Lenok was currently in the Deadrise headquarters. A garrison where the legion’s forces were concentrated.

If the fact that he had clashed with the nemesis here was discovered, the entire legion would rush in.

Lenok didn’t expect to be able to kill Edan, who was called a resurrected being, in one go.

All he wanted was to confirm whether Edan Bajur had cut off Kaiser’s head and attached it to himself.

After confirming that, he would immediately leave the parade and return to the Balkans.

If the direction of what he had to do was decided, there was no reason to hesitate.

From now on, he would just focus all his efforts on overcoming the obstacles in front of him.

Lenok opened his mouth, clenching the compressed mass of flames rotating in his hand until it seemed to break.

“Fusion start.”

Unique Flame-Type Magic

Property Change Nuclear Fusion

[Blue Shift: Fire Body]

Kugugugu…!!!

The flames flickering in Lenok’s hand began to fuse together, taking on a bluish hue.

At the same time, the blue flames flickered and spread to Lenok’s entire body, burning fiercely.

The moment Lenok’s body, head bowed, scattered in blue light, Lenok’s flame-engulfed figure accelerated at an incredible speed.

The moment a wave of blue flames filled the corridor and ceiling and slammed down on Edan, one side of the headquarters’ staircase exploded, creating a pillar of bright blue fire.

Kwaaaaaa!!!

Just a light graze was enough to turn furniture, decorations, banners, and flags into ashes.

In the heat that was destroying the steel frames, supports, and objects that made up the headquarters in an instant.

Lenok and Edan’s figures collided at tremendous speed amidst the collapsing structures.

Bang!

Thud thud thud!!

Lenok, accelerating while engulfed in blue flames, and Edan, receiving the onslaught of flames, crossed paths.

“You’re compressing a heat source that has surpassed its limits, forcibly turning it into plasma and manipulating it.”

Fwoooosh!!

Edan’s body, which Lenok had pressed down on, broke through several layers of the headquarters’ staircase and fell straight down.

But even in the heat that was evaporating everything around him, Edan was still looking directly at Lenok.

“You’re giving direction to the plasma in the extension of flame magic, using it as a propellant for acceleration. It’s practically a divine skill that modifies the body itself into an ion engine.”

Perhaps because Edan was also in charge of the legion’s nemesis position, he had a good understanding of engines and military technology.

For the first time, a faint hint of interest could be seen in Edan’s indifferent voice.

“The idea is excellent, but the manipulation ability and elemental control that make it possible are on a different level. It’s a feat that even the past Blader Tower Masters I remember wouldn’t have dared to attempt.”

“You’re too relaxed…!!”

[Azure Flame]

Kwaaaaang!!!

He swung his hand, flickering with blue flames, and slammed it down on Edan.

The rippling shockwaves exploded dozens of times, burning the headquarters’ staircase and corridor.

Lenok’s intense offensive, burning his entire body at an incredible speed and pressing down on Edan.

But even as he increased his speed amidst the blazing heat, Lenok’s expression remained stiff.

‘I can’t even feel the sensation of inflicting damage. It’s as if he’s not even human in the first place…!’

Kugwagwagwa!!!!

The glass windows melted like flowing water, and blue flames poured out in a row.

The alloys protecting the main facilities and interior of the headquarters shattered and crumbled, exploding with shockwaves.

Amidst that, Edan and Lenok’s figures flickered faintly, accelerating at tremendous speed.

“It can’t be helped. I didn’t want to fight with this body if possible, but…”

Tap!

Edan, covering his neck with one hand, landed on the ground and extended his hand to the side.

“It would be foolish to conserve my strength against a mage like you.”

Whoooom…!!!!

The moment Edan raised his intent, a powerful resonance spread through space and time.

He turned lightly, facing the blue flames that were rushing in from all directions.

The moment Edan, who had only been receiving Lenok’s attacks until now, moved first.

Edan whispered in a fading voice.

“Reverse Scale.”

Thud thud thud!!!

With a slow gesture, he deflected all the flames that Lenok was unleashing with all his might.

Eerie cracking sounds as the blue flames distorted, shattered, and disappeared in space from all directions.

Before he could react to Edan’s counterattack, which was on a different level from his previous lukewarm attitude.

Edan’s hand crossed space at an invisible speed and pierced Lenok’s heart.

Fwaaaang!!

“…!!!”

Lenok’s body, engulfed in blue flames, stopped abruptly, and at the same time, Edan’s presence subsided.

As if he could only use his power for a fleeting moment, Edan’s movements became slow.

The moment Edan, who had pushed his hand into Lenok’s body, turned around and was about to open his mouth.

Grab!

Lenok, who had suddenly raised his head, grabbed Edan’s arm and pushed him back.

Edan’s expressionless face, leaning against the wall, had a glint in his eyes.

The wall of the headquarters corridor was covered in blue flames, scattering and cracking.

Kwaaaang!!

“…!!”

“As I thought, you’re not in a normal physical state either.”

Lenok muttered, scattering blue flames and pressing down hard on Edan’s shoulder.

Blue flames leaked out from Lenok’s breath as he moved his lips.

“If you were planning to neutralize my offensive with a single attempt, I thought you would definitely aim for this moment.”

“…I see.”

Edan, confirming the pierced area where his hand had pierced Lenok’s heart.

Edan muttered with a blank face, confirming that part of Lenok’s chest had turned into blue flames.

“You completely turned part of your body into plasma, ignoring physical interference. You were wearing plasma on your body from the start of the battle to hide that ability.”

“……”

“However, if you could change the properties of your body, there would have been no reason to fight like that in the first place.”

“Because there won’t be another chance to confirm your identity if not now.”

Lenok, cutting off Edan’s words with a cold expression, reached out his hand.

Lenok, grabbing the collar of Edan’s old military uniform, said with a cold expression.

“Edan Bajur. I will confirm what you obtained in Kundara, right here—”

Shwaaak!!

Lenok, seeing Edan’s neck below, froze in place.

One confusion he had held since Kundara’s ancient ruins.

The moment he confirmed the suspicion, which he called a doubt but was half-certain of.

“……”

Without any trace of being severed in the joints and muscles connecting the head and body, just as normal.