Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 1204

The Price (6)

“I’ve always been bothered by those faithless ones who have taken on the despicable name of Apostle Slayers….”

Archbishop Claudio Jerome of the Guido Order’s main headquarters stood on an observation deck near the Dead Rise Second Operations Command’s garrison area, a high vantage point offering a clear view of the command headquarters. He watched the distant flames rising with a cold gaze.

“Indeed, I must admit that this mage possesses a heretical power unlike any other infidel.”

“……”

Military factories, neatly arranged as if encircling the outskirts of the command headquarters, were being consumed by flames.

The relentless bombardment and encirclement by Dead Rise, with shells raining down, and dozens of fire pillars erupting from the ground, made the firestorm from the sky seem insignificant.

Amidst this, a black sun rose, turning the ground into hell.

Kugugugugu!!!!!

Each time the black sun that had descended to the ground rotated, black flames swirled and spread in all directions.

Each time the wave of black flames, rotating like a ring around a planet, swept across the ground, the barrage of fire was completely incinerated.

Even now, the ominous black sun was evaporating and devouring the firestorm falling towards the battlefield.

“I had a somewhat dismissive view of how much talent a mortal who does not follow the teachings of the All-God could possess. It seems the Tenth Apostle’s defeat at the hands of that infidel was no coincidence.”

A benevolent smile appeared on Archbishop Jerome’s lips as he watched.

“To possess such ominous and dangerous flames in a living human body… the meaning of attending this review is here.”

“You have a nasty way of speaking. Is that all a cardinal of the Order can feel at this review?”

The fairy sorcerer sitting next to Jerome asked with a sleepy expression.

“The generals of Dead Rise would be displeased if they heard that. Or, were you perhaps saying it for them to hear?”

Jerome did not answer the fairy sorcerer’s languid question. The benevolent smile on his lips only turned cold for a moment.

The fairy sorcerer, who had been watching the scene from a chair next to him, glanced away.

“Well, I can’t deny that what’s happening down there is quite interesting.”

“……”

“Thousand Evan Martinez. A great mage who has turned many forces on the central front into enemies, yet is still at the peak of his value….”

The fairy sorcerer’s eyes sparkled as he looked down at the ground where pillars of fire were erupting.

“Looking at ‘that’ summoned above the command headquarters, it seems the world’s assessment still doesn’t fully grasp the value of Thousand.”

The black sun descended to the ground, rotating and scattering black flames.

In contrast, a huge shadow of a fire dragon rose into the sky, blocking the sun and recreating a solar eclipse.

Kuoohhhhhh!!!

Each time the shadow, darkening and obscuring the sun, rotated, it took on the shape of a swaying warship.

Each time it slowly rotated and changed position in the sky above the command headquarters, the heat on the ground went out of control and went berserk.

The military’s tactical weapons poured fire at it, but the warship that blocked the sun only greedily devoured all the heat.

The fairy sorcerer whispered in admiration.

“That thing isn’t even working properly yet. It’s scattering this much power just from the inherent effects that activate immediately after summoning and the spatial distortion that accompanies the forced occupation of space-time coordinates.”

The sorcerer’s eyes, which had been drowsily closed, now had a clear focus.

“A warship that uses the sun as an engine, a symbol that acts as a proxy for that role… was it made to replace the sun itself? Even at a glance, it’s a thing made with an absurd design purpose.”

“Huhu, a symbol, you say….”

“Even by the standards of the Alliance, it’s at least a myth-grade artifact. It wouldn’t be strange if an outer god was directly involved. To use such a summon to draw the attention of the military, Thousand is not in his right mind in many ways.”

Kwaaang!!

The barrels of tanks that were preparing to fire exploded in place, and missiles that had finished ignition exploded before reaching their destination.

Fighter jet engines overheated and crashed, and the military’s tactical weapons lined up on the ground malfunctioned without fulfilling their roles.

The military’s firepower was helplessly breaking down as if it had been forcibly given more heat than was allowed.

At the end of the command headquarters, which had become a sea of fire, only one mage freely wielded flames and rampaged.

Kwagwagwagwagwa!!!!

“And what makes such an absurd summoning possible is probably the amplification secret technique known as Thousand’s name-engraving technique.”

The sorcerer said in a languid voice, pointing to the pillars of fire connecting the sky and the ground.

“A stellar body that uses flames as its core to draw up magical power… the amplification rate is astonishing, but he has never lost control while using such a dangerous technique. It’s proof that he has perfectly established a stabilization process even after building a magical power source outside his body.”

“……”

“In terms of wide-area firepower, it’s almost at a level that can overwhelm an entire legion. Do you still think we can call that a human?”

“In our Order, we do not treat infidels who do not follow the teachings of the All-God as humans.”

“……Archbishop. If you’re going to talk nonsense, I’m leaving?”

The fairy sorcerer glared at Jerome, who was spouting off-topic answers like a cardinal of the Order.

Ignoring the cardinal who waved his hand with a benevolent smile, the sorcerer turned his gaze.

“The generals of the military also know Thousand’s abilities. That’s why they’re trying to minimize losses by adjusting the battlefield as much as possible even after establishing the encirclement. Looking at how natural the series of processes are, it’s likely that General Deimos or Lieutenant General Mirva, who are well-known commanders in the central region, are involved.”

“Is that so.”

“One thing I’m wondering about is that there’s no sign of him using his self-resonance domain yet. Not only the technique that defeated Chapman in the first gate, but also the ability that killed your Tenth Apostle, there’s not even a hint of it.”

“……”

“Everyone knows about Thousand’s [Flame Flower], so it’s not like he’s trying to hide it now, but is there a reason why he’s not using a domain? I guess the reason is the encounter with the nemesis….”

The sorcerer’s words, which casually mentioned the subjugation of the Tenth Apostle, made the priest standing behind the cardinal’s expression twitch, and the sorcerer, who noticed the sign like a ghost, quickly turned his gaze.

“Oh, are you showing that you’re uncomfortable because I mentioned the Tenth Apostle? Is it blasphemous for an outsider to mention it?”

“Klein.”

The priest lowered his head, and the cardinal, who had been watching, slowly raised his hand.

“Step back. This is not a place for you to interfere.”

“……Your Grace.”

“It is a matter of dealing with a fairy of the Alliance. The Order must accept this level of freedom.”

With that, Jerome gave the sorcerer a gentle smile.

“Above all, the Alliance and the Order are comrades who have suffered the same pain against that infidel.”

“I’m sorry, but please don’t compare Chapman’s defeat to the Tenth Apostle on the same level?”

The sorcerer laughed.

“Your apostles can be replaced like parts even if they die. I’ve already heard that a new Tenth Apostle has taken over the position.”

“If you put it that way, isn’t the position of the Grand Sorcerer of the Alliance the same?”

“Apostles leave behind techniques even if they die, but the sorcerer only has one technique. The Amrita’s Scale technique, I know that the original form has been completely restored, right?”

“Even if the great will and power are passed down, there is always a trace left in the place where a person has left.”

Jerome replied quietly.

“Amrita was a great warrior who was an example to everyone during the Holy War. Many of the believers were saved by her abilities.”

“……”

“Even if the position of the Tenth Apostle is inherited and the Apostle’s techniques are passed down, the Order will not forget her dedication.”

The cardinal’s gaze turned cold as he looked at the sea of fire surging below.

“Likewise, no matter how powerful that infidel’s power is, the Order will not forget this grudge.”

“That’s how you blind, pseudo-religious fanatics would be.”

The sorcerer’s voice, which had been blinking sleepily, turned cold.

“But the Alliance’s position is different. Evan Martinez’s existence is so different that it’s hard to find a precedent even in the central front.”

“……”

“There are less than ten transcendents who have defeated so many opponents of the same level in a short period of time across the entire continent. Especially if the targets are the main leaders of the Alliance, the Order, and the military.”

“Is that so.”

“He’s still rated as one step below Kyunroe, but his potential itself is definitely at a comparable level. Considering that he is a being favored by the Lighthouse Keeper and the successor of Jintun, it’s even more so.”

Jerome asked with a benevolent smile.

“So, is the Alliance trying to raise that apostate as a flame to oppose the Order?”

“……”

“He has many talents, and he is a blessed being even though he does not serve God. I have no intention of denying his excellence.”

Jerome said leisurely, leaving the sorcerer who did not answer.

“But no matter how outstanding an individual is, they are just a small candle in front of the teachings of the All-God. It is impossible for an infidel to defy the great order.”

“……”

“So, you don’t have to shake our believers with false words.”

The cardinal shook his head with a smile.

“When the [Consecration] that the Goddess is preparing is completed, everything will soon return to its place.”

Even without saying it directly, everyone gathered here knew.

The war between the Alliance and the Order over the central front was not over, and perhaps it would never be completely over.

Even the conversation between the Alliance’s sorcerer and the Order’s cardinal today was just a prelude to an even greater conflict that would come someday.

“Indeed, as you said, Archbishop, there might have been such a future in the past.”

The sorcerer, who had risen from his chair, asked back with a languid smile.

“Thousand rises to the position of Grand Sorcerer and becomes part of the Great Connection, burning the apostles indiscriminately in the war with the Order….”

“……”

“But you don’t have to worry. The Alliance has already decided to choose another path.”

The sorcerer, who had slowly turned around, muttered.

“Even if we can’t control him properly, we thought we couldn’t settle it unless it was a transcendent more dangerous than him.”

“Is that so.”

“It’s not clearly decided yet, but it won’t take long to reach a conclusion. The leader never misjudges people in that regard.”

The sorcerer’s eyes narrowed momentarily as he looked down at the archbishop sitting in his chair.

“So, I’ll be waiting for the day we meet again.”

“If it is a whisper from the fairy of the Alliance, we must always listen.”

Jerome smiled.

“I will gladly look forward to that day.”

The fairy sorcerer did not answer.

With a languid smile, he turned his body and disappeared from the spot as if he had been washed away.

Her unique technique that effortlessly crossed the boundary between reality and the spirit world.

Immediately after, Jerome’s expression, which had been smiling benevolently, turned completely emotionless.

“Klein.”

“I am listening to your words, Your Grace.”

Without even looking back at the priest who had bowed his head, Jerome asked with a cold gaze.

“Has the investigation into the black flames been completed?”

“Yes. We have already completed cross-verification with the sanctuary of the main headquarters. But….”

Klein hesitated.

“It does not seem certain whether the black flames originated from the same power as the black flames that killed Bishop Martinez in the megacity.”

“Why?”

“The black flames that burned the missionaries in Palgwang Fortress burned for three days and nights, and it took a long time to extinguish them.”

Klein answered hesitantly.

“On the other hand, Thousand’s black flames possess immense power, but they only ‘burn’ the material immediately after manifestation and disappear… it seems that the main headquarters has not reached a clear conclusion either.”

“I see….”

Archbishop Jerome muttered.

“I thought of Martinez’s name and wondered if it was possible, but it seems that the connection is not so easily made.”

“……I am sorry.”

“No, it’s not your fault.”

Jerome tilted his head, looking at the black flames burning on the ground.

“It is also true that the main headquarters did not see the success and failure of Bishop Martinez in Palgwang Fortress. Trying to clarify the situation at that time now may be a foolish thing.”

“……”

“But I am certain that that infidel has received something from the demon of Vulcan, or has gained an equivalent enlightenment. Otherwise, how could he have become so strong after being defeated by Kyunroe and make the main headquarters worry?”

“Your Grace….”

“Either way, it may be an important clue in revealing the origin of that adversary. The meaning of participating in this review today is enough with that alone.”

The cardinal, who had slowly risen from his seat, said with a cold gaze.

“It seems like the end is in sight, so let’s go back. We must hurry if we are to return to the main headquarters before the consecration begins in earnest.”

* * *

Kwarurururuk!!!

Eight flame cores rotated around Lenok, each scattering a different light.

Complex barrier formations orbited the cores like rings of a planet, drawing different trajectories.

The eight cores rotating around Lenok constantly orbited, pushing and pulling each other in a strange shape.

Each time, heat that transcended limits was emitted from Lenok, turning everything around him into a pile of ashes.

Hwaaaaaaak!!!!

“Keu, ugh….”

Lenore, who had fallen at Lenok’s feet, gasped for breath and buried his head.

The flames that had pierced his chest burned fiercely, incinerating his body to an irreparable level.

Heat and pain that burned all the organs in his body, burned the nervous system, and dried up even the muscles and blood vessels.

The fact that he was still breathing somehow was proof of how outstanding the soldier in front of him was.

“The, the nemesis… misjudged… you….”

Each time he gasped for breath, black flames flowed out of his respiratory system instead of blood.

From his devastated body, where even his internal organs and lungs had been burned, he scraped together his remaining magical power and thoughts to form words.

“You… are not someone… who belongs… anywhere… I knew… from the start….”

“Maybe so.”

Lenok replied calmly.

Lenok’s gaze as he looked down at the fallen Lenore was infinitely cold.

“So, this time, I’m not going to leave any room for doubt.”

“Ah….”

Huuk!!

At the same time as Lenok moved his foot, a gentle gust of hot wind swept over Lenore.

The strong body of the lieutenant general turned to ashes on the spot and scattered, disappearing with his eyes wide open.

After killing the commander of the 9th Legion, annihilating his elite troops, and breaking through the factory facilities where the bombardment was pouring down alone.

Lenok’s expression as he looked back at the path he had taken was infinitely cold.

‘The technique output is dropping. Even considering that I borrowed the power of Megiddo, is this the extent of its power?’

The Heavenly Chain Fall is a flame magic that compresses black flames and drops them to the ground like a black sun.

A profound technique that can only be used within the domain of the Black Sea Goddess’s Fall, requiring extremely special conditions.

Because the technique burns all the matter within the domain, the black flames that use the domain as firewood burn without extinguishing even in reality.

However, perhaps because he borrowed Megiddo’s power to use only the profound technique without deploying the domain, the black flames of the Heavenly Chain Fall scattered and disappeared.

It was expected that it would manifest different properties than when used in Kyunroe’s identity, but the problem was that the technique output itself was lower than expected.

There was no need to worry about what the problem was.

‘The Avatar technique is going out of control and even evolving… each time I use magic, the burden increases and the backlash is amplified.’

The cause that was rapidly worsening Lenok’s condition, which had been preserving his power until just before his meeting with Ethan.

The Avatar, which had drunk Ethan’s blood, was about to explode completely out of Lenok’s control.

Even though he had canceled the Avatar technique and withdrawn the Avatar, the damage was continuing to eat away at Lenok’s body.

He had a hunch as to why the Avatar went berserk after drinking Ethan’s blood, and why Lenok was swept away by the backlash as a result.

If the Avatar was just a simple clone that could not contain Lenok’s talent, this would not have happened.

Conversely, if it was a perfect Avatar that reflected Lenok’s talent as it was, it would not have gone berserk even after drinking Ethan’s blood.

However, the Avatar that Lenok had obtained in Yorta was not Lenok, but an existence modeled after a martial artist from the 1st world.

It was an existence that was infinitely close to Lenok himself, but ultimately different from Lenok’s origin.

That instability was evolving the Avatar that had drunk Ethan’s blood into something incomprehensible.

Forced growth by others that could not be expected from the Avatar until now, and the backlash caused by it.

An anomaly that even Lenok, who had assumed the worst-case scenario when meeting Ethan Bajur, had not predicted.

Lenok, who had been calming the magical power boiling within him with his eyes closed, slowly moved his feet.

Even in this moment when everything was falling apart in a chaotic mess, what Lenok had to do was clear.

‘Escape the command headquarters before the activation of the Red Star System is over.’

He had succeeded in drawing the military’s attention by summoning Megiddo, and in eliminating the leaders of the 9th Legion who were blocking him with the power of the Heavenly Chain Fall.

At that point, he had succeeded in pushing back the military forces surrounding the factory area and creating a breakthrough.

Kkiiik…!

He opened the door, unsure whether the resounding cracking sound was coming from outside or from within his body.

A huge hangar where fighters and airships that had not yet been deployed, and unidentified walking weapons with cannons, were stored.

He struggled to move his feet, passing by all sorts of weapons that were maintaining their shape even in the heat.

Lenok was currently standing in a hangar facility located on the outermost edge of the military’s Second Operations Command.

From outside this point, there was a paved road where he could pick up speed even if he was riding a bike.

If he could just get out of the hangar, it wouldn’t be difficult to shake off the pursuit and escape the command headquarters.

The meeting with Ethan Bajur, which had been confusing even though he had found the answer.

The certainty, or rather, the conviction about Ethan’s identity that he had faced at the end, and the berserk Avatar that he had accepted as a price.

Either way, it was not too late to organize and draw conclusions after getting out of this place.

The moment Lenok thought so and stood in front of the passage leading out of the hangar, he stopped in place as if frozen.

“……”

Lenok would not be injured by the heat outside now that he had activated the Red Star System.

The raging flames and the pouring bombardment were rather the same as Lenok’s power source.

However, if there was a variable that was making Lenok’s heart cold at this moment.

It was surely because of the presence of someone standing at the end of the hangar and looking this way.

“I’ve thought about it before, but Mirva is too greedy.”

Someone who had been watching the scene said in a languid tone.

“Even in this situation, he’s trying to achieve two opposite goals at the same time. Like minimizing the military’s losses while fighting you.”

“……”

“That’s why the 4th Legion is so outstanding. But I’m not smart enough to do two things at once.”

Each time he slowly moved his feet, his pure white coat fluttered in the wind.

It had a similar color to the one Lenok had received at the promotion ceremony, but the design was clearly different.

“In that regard, Deimos is the opposite. He starts by excluding something, so it’s easier to add things in reverse.”

Clang!

At the same time as he stepped onto the ground, his pure white coat was thrown back, and the sword at his waist was revealed.

The flames parted on both sides, the heat haze cleared, and the face of the young man standing on the other side was visible.

A sloppy posture with his hand on the hilt of his sword. Disheveled white hair.

“That’s why I came here.”

“……Songha.”

He knew it.

The most powerful individual force of the military, who had not moved yet at this point when the entire military was his enemy.

If he was going to intervene, he would be waiting for Lenok at the most important and decisive moment.

The reason why the other legions had left their positions and retreated.

The reason why the bombardment had stopped and the formations had retreated.

The journey of this review, where he could not predict the future for even a moment. The opponent he faced at the end.

The commander of Dead Rise stood before Lenok.

“It would be a shame if we just vaguely passed by after coming all this way, right?”

The moment he placed his hand on the sword at his waist, a chilling premonition exploded.

Kugugugu!!!

With just that, the entire hangar facility shook violently, and fighters and walking weapons collapsed and crumbled from all sides.

A powerful transcendence that directly interferes with the surrounding space-time with just an individual’s will, and scatters as a thought that transcends the laws of physics.

“Deploy your domain, Martinez.”

Songha said quietly.

“Let’s have a go, commander to commander.”