Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 1230

Kyunroe Subjugation (22)

“Tatiana.”

Kugugugu!!!!

A vast open space filled with scattering flames.

Two pyromancers, each wielding different flames, stood still amidst the storm of heat.

Tatiana, with her burning red hair and pale complexion, a lit cigar in her mouth.

An elder pyromancer with graying white hair, standing expressionless with his hands behind his back.

“Elder Torm.”

“So, you’re alive.”

At the man’s words, Tatiana, standing before the gate, gave a bitter smile.

“You must have known I wasn’t dead.”

“I had an inkling when the Phoenix Battle in the Solar System was completely lost. But I never imagined you would betray Blaver and side with Kyunroe.”

“……”

“Your comrades who were sacrificed under the Tower Lord’s orders… did their deaths hurt you that much?”

“What’s the point of saying that now?”

Tatiana closed her eyes.

“Even before losing the priests, I was determined to leave the Magic Tower. I wanted to escape a life where I was led by my master, used in war, and dying…”

The life of Tatiana Chiglet, who had spent her entire life on the battlefield since learning pyromancy.

The last deal she made with the Tower Lord to leave the Blaver Magic Tower with her fellow mages.

After losing her priests in a final, impossible operation and surviving alone, what was it that she desired?

Revenge, rest, regret, or lingering attachments were no longer for her departed comrades, but for herself.

“Kyunroe gave rest to the priests who died in my place. I, who survived so wretchedly, may not have the right to dream now, but…”

Whirr!

Tatiana, standing with the scattering flames behind her, slowly raised her magic power.

“There is a certain meaning in following and watching his path.”

“……”

“For him, I would throw myself into the flames of battle once more… I wouldn’t regret it.”

“The Blaver Magic Tower lost its Tower Lord to Kyunroe and is suffering immense losses on the central front.”

Torm said in a stiff voice.

“It cannot be denied that the injury he inflicted on the Tower Lord had a profound impact. As a mage of the Tower, I cannot overlook the consequences.”

Whirr!

As Torm took a step forward, his body was engulfed in flames, turning red.

One of the ‘Elders’ within the Blaver Magic Tower, possessing power comparable to the Tower Lord.

Unlike the Flame Lords who directly go to the front lines, he rarely leaves the Tower, but his mastery of pyromancy is that of a powerful transcendent.

“Tatiana, the fate you and your priests faced is unfortunate… but even that is just a handful of scattered embers.”

Torm, half of his face transformed into flames, declared with a stern expression.

“The embers that have spread to the wrong place must be covered with ash before they grow.”

“Embers… so that’s how it is.”

Tatiana, with her eyes closed, slowly extended her hand forward.

Unlike Torm, flames that had taken shape rose and surrounded Tatiana.

A streamlined cannon with intense red exhaust ports and combustion devices.

Whirr!

As a golden halo spread behind Tatiana, she grasped a new spell weapon.

In the storm of blazing flames, a volcano erupted, beginning to burn everything.

“Now, I think I can burn away everything I left behind in Blaver without any regrets.”

* * *

At the same time. A complex maze of diverging paths.

A muscular giant, having smashed through the solid corridor walls, accelerated while enveloped in exploding magic power.

Kwaaaaaa!!!

He bursts magic power like a rocket, flying low as if skimming the floor.

Free trajectory and speed that seem unaffected by the gravity pressing down on the entire labyrinth.

Clench!!

He lifts the heavy gauntlets on both arms to maintain balance, quickly rotating his body in place.

Grabbing Dylan’s collar as he rushes from behind, he catches Dylan’s spear falling from above.

He claps his hands together as if in prayer, catching the spear’s blade in mid-air and pushing it away as if changing its trajectory.

Kwaaaang!!!

“Kuhak!!”

“Your timing is off. Timing.”

The muscular woman, the 6th Corps Commander Atiya, said, having instantly flung Dylan away with one hand.

Atiya, looking at the mercenary who was taking a stance with a nonchalant air, pointed to her own forearm.

“You can’t just burst magic power. You have to gather it at the right moment and then, bang, release it.”

“……”

“I know you want to steal my magic discharge, but give up. This is a skill that can’t be learned unless you have a special constitution.”

“You. You shouldn’t be so relaxed right now.”

Clank!!

Dylan, who had risen with a spear and sword in both hands, adjusted his mask and spoke.

“Even at this moment, your soldiers are dying somewhere in the labyrinth. Is it okay for you to be like that?”

“Yeah. It’s fine. They’re not my subordinates anyway.”

“What?”

Atiya shrugged, leaving Dylan, who was asking back with a dumbfounded expression.

“My 6th Corps is out of the subjugation battle because they just finished a major operation in the Southern Continent. I’m the only one here right now.”

“……”

“I’m not really interested in killing Kyunroe anymore. I’m not even sure if this war is necessary for the Corps.”

Atiya, with her arms casually crossed, said with gauntlets on her arms.

“Then, all I have to do is stay put until the subjugation battle is over and then slip away. Simple, right?”

“……You. Why are you even a Corps Commander?”

“We are loyal to the Corps, but we don’t obey.”

Atiya’s eyes slightly darkened.

“The Sacred Bones of Balkan, who rule the Corps with the Archfiend at their head… they are admirable people. Especially in that they still dream despite having such power.”

“……”

“But I’m not from Balkan, nor am I a project member. I joined the Corps because I lost in the struggle against them.”

Atiya shrugged.

“Separately, I think the Archfiend is someone worth being loyal to, but I don’t particularly want to participate in this war.”

“……”

“Well, even if I say that, the chances of me surviving alone here are low. Since I’ve already joined, I guess I’ll just have to die. That’s what I think.”

“……That’s.”

“I’m thinking of killing time and then rescuing the survivors and escaping as much as possible. So, stop the chit-chat and come at me.”

Atiya smiled at Dylan.

“You have good sense. If you do well, you might be able to steal my technique. I’ll give you some pointers, so do your best. It’ll be enough to kill some time.”

“You… you’re more interesting than I thought.”

Dylan chuckled, adjusting his wrestler mask.

“It might be a bit of a waste to die in a place like this.”

“What, are you already talking like I’m dead?”

“It’s not my place to decide your fate.”

Dylan said in a slightly heavier tone.

“That’s for Ban to decide directly. Maybe it was already decided from the beginning.”

“……”

“Of course, I will follow Ban’s decision at any time… but it’s a pity.”

“If we don’t have much time left, we should hurry. Come on. Brat.”

Atiya grinned fiercely and raised her magic power.

“Looks like you just reached level 7, but if you don’t do it right, I might kill you?”

“I was going to do that anyway, so don’t worry.”

Dylan said, grabbing his mask and throwing it off.

“The microcosm I obtained when I reached level 7. I’ll show it to you first.”

* * *

He walks silently alone down an endless golden corridor.

Dead Rise soldiers and special ability users lie fallen as corpses all around.

Statues mimicking the appearance of long-lived species emit eerie roars, their eyes glowing in various places.

Srrr…!

A transparent silver liquid flows through the suffocatingly silent corridor. Footsteps tread silently upon it.

Only after walking for a long time does the view open up, revealing a vast open space.

Kuuuung!!!

A bitter scent like that of a pharmacy. Walls and scrolls are set up all around.

A quaint pavilion with an old, large sign rising in the center.

Beneath it, a man in a pure white robe sat cross-legged with his eyes closed.

His hands resting on a pure white spear laid horizontally across his wide-spread knees.

Only after seeing him meditating as if completely unconcerned with the chaos of the labyrinth did he stop walking.

“A distinguished guest has arrived.”

The white-robed spear master opened his mouth without opening his eyes.

He spoke without looking down at the silver-haired nobleman standing before him.

“I heard you are a veteran warrior favored by the Lord of the Ability Awakening Corps.”

“……”

“Welcome to the Cradle of Lightning created by the Tower Lord.”

“This place has a different form than the other gates.”

Esteban Eisen, the 5th Seat of the Ability Awakening Corps, raised his gaze with an expressionless face.

“Is it the power to alter the space-time itself and adjust it as desired, rather than just decorating the surroundings?”

“It was a small consideration given by the Tower Lord to those who guard each gate.”

The spear master affirmed.

“While in charge of the gate, you can artificially create and display the scenery you desire here.”

“……”

“This pavilion is a sign erected by the first guardian of the Tou Ryon Gate… a symbol that they would accept any martial artist who trains in martial arts and cultivates their mind and body.”

Esteban did not respond to those words, but looked up at the spear master with his eyes closed.

The nobleman, who cast his gaze with an expressionless face, spoke to the spear master.

“I heard that the hero of the civil war went mad a long time ago and is not in his right mind, but he doesn’t seem like that.”

“That’s not true. Like the sign you are looking at, I am merely putting on a good facade.”

Having said that, the spear master grabbed the spear shaft and slowly rose from his seat.

The hem of his pure white robe fluttered like a flag, and a chilling aura flowed from beyond it.

A murderous intent that was infinitely sharp yet precarious as if it would break, and a madness that was shaking as if it would explode.

The lingering attachment of a madman who had made fighting his profession and had gone mad, unable to distinguish between friend and foe.

Whioooo…!!!

“In the end, the essence cannot be hidden no matter how much you conceal and deceive. The more you turn away, the more the ugliness doubles and will eventually be exposed.”

“……”

“The Tower Lord has given me the opportunity to face that fact and atone, even if it is late.”

The spear master confessed.

“So, I must repay my debt until the moment this body perishes.”

“A futile struggle.”

Esteban said, raising his hand.

“The human mind is weak and fragile, like a piece of paper that can break at any time.”

Chwaaaak…!!!

At the same time, the silver liquid flowing beneath his feet began to rise and rotate from all directions.

Frontline Fifth Seat. Esteban Eisen’s innate ability, level 8 Mercury Manipulation.

As the nobleman’s ability, which had conquered the most areas alone in this labyrinth, began to rotate, their wills intersected.

“If the Lord had watched over you, such worries… would have been meaningless. The end of an incompetent is always pitiful.”

“Is that so.”

The spear master smiled.

“If the masters we serve are different, then our tasks are set.”

Fwaaat!!

As a golden halo rose behind the spear master, the precarious aura stabilized.

The form of fighting spirit, endlessly calm and deeply sinking, refined like a seeker who has devoted himself to cultivation for decades.

The guardian of the Tou Ryon Gate. An 8th-level spear master. A hero of the civil war, praised and called the Immaculate.

The Immaculate, with his eyes half-open, looked down at Esteban and raised his spear.

“I, Claude Azlan, will defeat you for the Tower Lord.”

* * *

Chwaaaak!!!

He flips his body to avoid the roaring black lion’s teeth.

The twin crimson swords rotate, severing its back, and its hide splits open, spilling its contents.

[Kwoooeeerrrr…!!!]

“How strange.”

The vampire, Sarin, muttered as she watched the black lion convulsing as it fell, her eyes red.

“It’s not even a real living thing, yet a mere statue is this strong. What is this really?”

What poured out from the black lion’s torn hide were not pieces of organs or blood vessels.

The existence of a solid catalyst, as if carved from rock. Clear evidence that the lion Sarin fought was not alive.

She retrieved her twin swords made of blood and turned around, tapping the fallen lion on the floor.

“It seems like they’re imitating Kundara’s long-lived species, but even so, a statue shouldn’t be this strong, right? Don’t you think?”

“This place is the domain created by Gyeon-roe, containing his experiences and memories.”

A huge golden gate rose in the center of the chamber.

Above the gate, a black-haired girl with blood-red eyes like Sarin sat, looking down at her.

“The miracles and pains, trials and tribulations he experienced in Kundara… it’s a palace of memories that unfolds everything as it is.”

“Oh my, what a grand expression.”

“The statue you speak of is merely a medium to reproduce Gyeon-roe’s experiences as they are. To put it extremely, the contents don’t matter.”

The girl looked down at Sarin and said with an expressionless face.

“Gyeon-roe must perfectly remember everything he experienced in the Nine Calamities, to a level close to reality.”

“Hearing you say that, I really want to meet this wizard named Gyeon-roe.”

Sarin asked, twirling her twin swords with a smile.

“Noble Trueblood. Could you please grant a humble vampire like me the honor of meeting your summoner?”

“No. I’m sorry, but that won’t do. I don’t trust the Blood King Castle at all.”

Po Hyul Gong, Lacey, smiled at Sarin.

“I highly value your attempts to protect the ‘Purebloods,’ but as a fellow vampire, I also know how futile it is.”

“……”

“So, I roughly know what you want from Gyeon-roe. I understand why you chose Pandemonium of all places, but…”

The look in Po Hyul Gong’s eyes as she looked at Sarin turned cold.

“At least not while the Blood King is alive. Go back from here.”

Not all vampires are bound by a single force or shared interests.

Lacey, a Trueblood of Kundara, and Sarin, a True Ancestor of the Blood King Castle, are beings with different origins, values, and ways of thinking.

Knowing what blood means to vampires, they understand and reject each other, and also hate each other.

Because they are the same vampires, they understand each other less, hate each other more, try to kill each other, despise and discriminate against each other.

The fate of monsters who must contemplate for a lifetime which side to take between wildness and reason.

“Haa… this is why I don’t like meeting other vampires.”

Sarin sighed softly and coldly mocked herself.

Sarin, tilting her head while twirling her twin swords, complained.

“I’ve lived long enough to feel that humans treat vampires more without discrimination, you know?”

“I deeply sympathize with that.”

“Right?”

Swaaek!!

Puh-uhng!!

Sarin’s hand, which had smiled at Po Hyul Gong’s agreement, disappeared in a flash, and the head of a lizard that had rushed from behind exploded and flew away.

Sarin, covered in shattered statue fragments, complained.

“Ah~ Even if I work hard to cut and kill, no blood comes out, so it’s not fun… it’s just boring and annoying.”

“……”

“If a living opponent comes out, I think I’ll be motivated by seeing their blood.”

Clank!!

Sarin, gripping her twin swords again, looked up at Po Hyul Gong with a chilling gaze.

“So, kid. How long are you going to keep watching like that?”

“I was about to start anyway.”

The girl, who had been sitting on the edge of the gate, slowly stood up and reached out her hand.

Immediately after, a red curtain rose from the shadows beneath Po Hyul Gong’s feet, covering the chamber.

Lacey, looking down at Sarin, who was licking her lips and drawing up her magic power, gave a cold smile.

“I needed a little time to turn this place into my ‘territory.’”

“……Hee. Is that so?”

“True Ancestor of the Blood King Castle. The time for acting spoiled is over.”

“Acting spoiled.”

Sarin smiled coldly and tilted her twin swords.

“I haven’t done that since my sister became a tool of the Order.”

* * *

“Welcome.”

Looking at the approaching opponent from afar, she placed the teacup she was holding on the table.

Jutiya calmly adjusted her collar as the young man stopped walking.

“It’s been a while since I’ve greeted you.”

“……”

Jutiya’s tone, completely different from her usual behavior.

However, the young man with his face covered by a cloth did not find Jutiya’s attitude awkward.

Rather, as if such an attitude was perfectly natural, he simply stood still and looked down at her.

“The gate is behind me. I heard it’s a direct passage to the center.”

Jutiya gestured lightly towards the back, leaving Ezekiel behind.

Behind her, a brilliantly shining golden arch was spread out.

“If you wish, I can take on your opponent for a moment…”

Jutiya said calmly to the silent Ezekiel.

“But more than that, wouldn’t you like to talk for a moment? Fighting is not our way.”

“……”

“A story about the end of this war.”

The eyes of the scribe, looking at the royal, shone opaquely behind his glasses.

“I’d like to talk a little about the world to come.”

* * *

The dark blue nebula overflowing in Area 49.

The existence of a vast labyrinth that endlessly rotates, changes, and shifts its position within it.

In the labyrinth, dozens of superhumans who had faced each other, clashed simultaneously in different environments and battlefields.

The abilities and mental images they unleashed as they faced each other exploded, endlessly emitting infinite inspiration through the dark blue nebula.

“Amazing.”

Whioooo…!!!

The doctor bowed his head, watching the endless battles unfolding throughout the labyrinth.

Beyond the golden mirror, he pierces through the space-time obscured by the dark blue nebula and observes the labyrinth.

This is possible because he, as the architect of the Ascension Gate, fully understands one of the principles that make up this space.

In the doctor’s eyes, which move the gate like a mirror and illuminate all directions, intense interest and inspiration arose every moment.

“Each one’s answer. Each one’s cause and effect. Each one’s possibility… all of them coexist within this labyrinth.”

“……”

“Are all the variables and causes and effects existing inside and outside the domain endlessly rotating, chasing each other’s tails?”

The doctor muttered.

“This cycle… is beautiful. It’s like a world in itself.”

“……”

“Therefore, I think I can finally understand what Gyeon-roe yearned for and dreamed of in his pursuit.”

After closing his eyes for a while and savoring what he had seen, the doctor slowly turned his gaze.

The doctor, who had raised his head and adjusted his clothes, walked forward leisurely and asked.

“I apologize for my rudeness. Did I keep you waiting long?”

“No.”

A vast lake spread out in the middle of the chamber.

Aris, who was standing quietly alone on the surface of the water, answered softly.

“I sympathize with your impressions. I also know what the ideal world he showed means to those who know the ending.”

“Yes. I’m glad to meet someone who understands me.”

The doctor nodded, slightly excited.

“This is… magnificent. It’s so amazing that words cannot describe it. That’s all.”

“……”

“Balance, harmony, even chaos and contradiction are all just fragments that make up this space… this is a world in itself. Isn’t it?”

“……”

“Gyeon-roe is not trying to choose one answer and make it his pursuit. What he desires is surely-”

The doctor’s voice, which had been rising, suddenly stopped.

The doctor, who slowly lowered his gaze, said.

“Then, it seems that Gyeon-roe himself is not controlling this labyrinth right now.”

“……”

“There must be a manager somewhere watching this place, controlling and manipulating the environment of the labyrinth. Isn’t that right?”

“Doctor Artermeier.”

As Aris raised her hand, the waves of the lake rose and wrapped around her hand.

Aris, who had chanted water magic, faced the doctor with an expressionless face.

“I was assigned to greet you to stop exactly that part.”

* * *

“Labyrinth 455 partially destroyed. Estimated to be the aftermath of three superhuman forces engaging simultaneously.”

“Labyrinth 2213 connection point reconnected. Re-engineered the area by connecting to Gate 73.”

Gyeon-roe’s domain located in Area 49.

Somewhere deep within the vast labyrinth surrounded by the dark blue nebula.

Jenny, surrounded by a blue halo, closed her eyes and concentrated for a long time.

Uuuuuuung!!!!!

Every time she closed her eyes and tapped the air, the blue halo spread like ripples in the air and rotated gracefully.

Each time, the scenery inside the halo changed, reflecting the battles taking place in various parts of the labyrinth like a mirror.

Next to Jenny, staff members were moving busily, recording and reporting the war situation and battles reflected in the halo.

“Gate 12 completely lost. A commander-level force has appeared. Encounter with Torben, the Master of the Magic Tower.”

“The 3rd and 6th Corps Commanders have appeared simultaneously in different areas…!!!”

“The Frontline Assassination Squad and the Corps Phantom Squad are moving towards the gate. Joining Felix Magart, who is engaged with the 2nd Corps Commander…!!”

Even at this moment, enemy forces were constantly entering the labyrinth.

Powerful superhumans and skilled ability users were breaking through the gates from all directions and approaching the center.

However, despite the constant reports from the staff, Jenny did not waver and slowly opened her eyes.

“Everyone, focus.”

Jenny, who looked back at the staff looking at her with calm eyes, said quietly.

“From now on, we will begin preparing for Ban’s return.”