Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 322

“Hoo…”

Having sent Pallard away, Lenok immediately rose from beneath the pile of carapaces [protective shells].

It was a trophy he had kept since defeating the Apostle Walter, unsure of how to use it, but now it was proving to be a very useful shield.

Its rigidity and weight were incredibly solid and heavy.

It would be a waste for Lenok to directly manipulate this object with his magic power, but it was not a problem to summon it to a desired location whenever needed through a summoning ritual.

The spatial data and cognitive abilities he had gathered while researching the rifts in the world at the fortress.

It was impossible without the application he had built up by understanding the principles of summoning magic from its roots, but that was precisely what Lenok was best at.

The result of proving his power, taking from his opponents, and constantly accumulating time and effort.

Everything that made up Lenok was proof of the time he had spent as a being.

The man in the iron mask, Trepen, stood on the head of the machine god attached to the wall of the mechanical sphere and sneered at Lenok.

[Ocon has disappeared. Did you help him escape in that short time?]

“……”

[You don’t intend to answer. It doesn’t matter. Once the assimilation with this body is complete, I’ll soon find out where he escaped to.]

Lenok nodded at Trepen’s words.

“So, you’ve made this entire fortress your body and reorganized the microcosm [a small, self-contained world].”

[Ho, do you think so?]

“For a Saint-level ability user’s mental image to change this much, there must be a significant price. Even if you, Lieutenant General, have reached an unprecedented level, the possibility of your inner mental image being transformed into a magnetic domain is low.”

Lenok continued, meeting Trepen’s gaze as he crossed his arms.

“The most likely conclusion is that you’ve made the entire mobile fortress your body, implementing a microcosm within it, using it in a form similar to a magnetic domain.”

[……]

Trepen fell silent at Lenok’s accurate assessment.

It was difficult to find words that so accurately pinpointed the reason for the existence of this mechanical sphere.

He hadn’t greatly twisted his inner mental image to create a microcosm as a magnetic domain.

By expanding the defined boundaries of his own body to the extreme, he synchronized the entire mobile fortress with his own body.

The essence of the mechanical domain that had transformed the interior of this grand mechanical device into a microcosm was the very identity of the sphere that had trapped Lenok and Pallard.

“Choosing this old fortress that you’ve used for 20 years must be in the same vein. It would have been difficult to make something your body if you hadn’t been attached to it for so long.”

The Gearsides’ technological prowess to transfer the consciousness of a Saint-level physical ability user, and Trepen’s mental fortitude to endure even after completely transferring the definition of the body.

Among the ‘ways to transcend humanity’ chosen by the 7th-level transcendents who sensed their end, who could say that Trepen’s choice was not the most advanced?

The method chosen by Commander Trepen had already completely abandoned the aspect of humanity in both cause and effect.

“I admit it’s an audacious idea. To think that what you chose after abandoning your human body was to infuse your consciousness into this entire massive mobile fortress……”

Lenok laughed sharply.

“You and Gearsides, your desperate attempts to transcend humanity are truly remarkable. It’ll be a good show.”

Crack!

A sound of something breaking was heard from within the iron mask, and Trepen spoke in a low voice.

[You’re just a kid who hasn’t even dried behind the ears… spouting whatever you want.]

“And you don’t even have blood to spill anymore.”

[It doesn’t matter.]

Trepen, lightly dismissing Lenok’s provocation, raised his hand.

[I was waiting to show this sight to Ocon, but his vessel was only that much.]

Clatter, clatter, clatter!

At that moment, thousands of parts began to ripple and fall like rain from the ceiling and walls of the mechanical sphere.

The parts that fell to the ground immediately assembled themselves from all directions, transforming into countless human forms.

In the blink of an eye, hundreds of soldiers made entirely of machines stood up and turned their heads towards Lenok.

Beep, beep, beep!

[The guy who said I abandoned the military was wrong.]

Trepen said as he slowly rose from his seat.

[The souls of my fallen comrades still remain here and will be with me.]

Clunk, clunk, thud!

The steel army that had risen from all directions began to advance towards Lenok in unison.

The magic power emanating from their bodies was truly diverse. The equipment and stances they held, as well as their formations and ranks, were all highly individualistic.

Lenok nodded, recognizing familiar magic power and stances among those approaching from the front.

“You were planning to use the collected combat data in this way. Are you planning to become a superhuman army that moves on its own?”

[It’s not a plan. It’s already been accomplished……!!]

Trepen shouted, spreading his arms wide.

[With this, I will transcend the meaning of an individual and truly reach the pinnacle!!]

Whoosh!

A wave of machines rushed across the vast deck, charging towards Lenok.

Even as he pushed them back with his shield and unleashed electric shocks, the sheer volume of them surged in, quickly occupying the surroundings and pressuring Lenok.

In terms of numbers alone, the difference was so overwhelming that it was meaningless to count.

“Aren’t you thinking too simplistically about the meaning of transcending humanity?”

But Lenok shook his head, even after witnessing the wave of machines rushing in from all directions.

“At least the 8th-level monsters I’ve met didn’t abandon their humanity so easily.”

[What do you know to say such things!!!]

“Well, that’s not wrong either.”

Lenok chuckled and immediately stepped back, rotating the magic power within his body.

“Who’s right is something we’ll prove from now on.”

Crackling!

Blue lightning swirled and blazed in his hand.

The machine soldiers, who had quickly closed the distance with Lenok, each wielded various magic powers, unleashing a rain of blades and explosions.

The fierce wave of machines and the electric flowers Lenok had created intersected, causing a blinding flash.

On either side of the mechanical sphere, two transcendents faced each other, wielding their magic power with all their might.

Thud!

Hundreds of cannons that had protruded from the walls and ceiling of the sphere fired, and on the ground, whirlwinds of fire and ice alternated, testing the limits of the metal’s durability.

Supporting a rifle with stacked shooting-assist magic on the carapace, he automatically fired one shot at a time into the heads of the charging machine army.

The head of a machine soldier, staggering in the vortex of magic power, exploded and fell.

Even without a reliable vanguard, he focused on firepower, making the most of the defensive line he had built by trusting in the durability of the summoned carapace pile.

He stubbornly clung to the deck floor that had not yet been synchronized, focusing on buying time and consuming the enemy forces to the point of no return.

Boom, boom, boom!

Parts that had been crushed and broken began to pile up on the deck like a mountain, forming a hill.

The power of the magician, who had built up firepower and defense that surpassed an army single-handedly, erupted without end, stirring the magic power on the ground as if it were his own.

The contradiction that the advance speed of the machine soldiers, who were constantly regenerating and rising again, could not keep up with Lenok’s firepower.

However, even as he filled the interior of the mechanical sphere with metal debris, Lenok’s eyes remained coldly calm.

‘He’s not coming out directly. What’s the reason?’

A reverent figure kneeling on the palm of the giant machine god he had created.

Even though the entire mobile fortress was his body, if he had created a separate combat body like that to represent his will, his combat power must be considerable.

If there was a reason why he hadn’t come out yet, even after raising such a massive force, there could only be one.

‘Is he buying time……? He hasn’t finished synchronizing with his body yet.’

Cracks were slowly forming on the edge of the iron mask covering Trepen’s face.

Considering the speed at which Trepen’s iron mask, which hadn’t moved at all, was being removed, the remaining time was roughly around 3 minutes.

Was he planning to move directly only after that mask was completely removed? In that fleeting moment when Lenok was carefully calculating the remaining time and preheating his magic power.

The remains of the machine soldiers, which he thought had been crushed by Lenok’s magic power, began to stick to the gaps in the carapace pile.

From the mouth of one of the soldiers who had been wielding magic power like crazy right in front of the carapace, a voice completely different from Trepen’s came out.

[Nice to meet you, Invincible. It’s the first time we’ve met face to face.]

“……”

As Lenok stared blankly at the soldier who had unleashed his magic power, another voice was heard from right next to him this time.

[I was very curious about what kind of person you were, since I heard that Number 8 was defeated so easily.]

“And?”

Swoosh!

A shadow that rose from below his feet instantly grabbed and severed the waists of the two soldiers.

Lenok, looking down at the mangled corpses of the machine soldiers, asked.

“What are your impressions of seeing my face directly?”

[Ordinary. Much more than I thought.]

The machine mass that had embraced Lenok from directly behind whispered and exploded.

Boom!

Several dozen robots with shattered limbs crawled on the ground, slowly approaching Lenok.

Various voices echoed from all directions.

[If you have a high understanding of the cybernetic space to tamper with Number 8’s backup data, I thought you would definitely be closer to our side.]

[If you know about the buoyancy of the network, it’s strange that you don’t find the physical body confining.]

[Aren’t you tired of the limitations of the human body trapped in the shackles of protein?]

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Explosions deliberately detonated, and flames spread in all directions.

In the rapidly heating air, voices continued to echo.

[We need a paradise made of logic and reason. We’re hoping for an angel to take us there.]

Lenok, who had pinned down four robots that were sticking to him with impact magic, raised his head.

“So, you’ve decided to create the angel you want yourselves, is that it?”

Crack, crack, crack!

Trepen’s iron mask was endlessly cracking.

He didn’t know why he had put on the mask, or why he was trying to take it off now, but it wasn’t difficult to guess its meaning.

The humanity that existed within him. He must have begun preparations to shed everything related to it and completely synchronize with the mobile fortress.

Once the synchronization was complete, even this deck floor, which was the only thing that hadn’t changed, would probably fall into Trepen’s hands.

It was obvious that Lenok, who had lost his footing and a place to support himself, would be at a great disadvantage in the battle situation.

It was something he had been prepared for the moment he accepted being trapped in this mechanical sphere, but he had no intention of letting it happen with his eyes open.

However, the Gearsides researchers, as if they had seen through Lenok’s feelings, began to cling to him and talk to him.

[Agent Deputy Director, you should give up. You must already be a mess in this shock.]

[I don’t know what you were expecting by sending him down to the narrow underground of the deck, but it’s just an artifact needed to protect himself. Do you think that man will be a card that can dramatically turn this situation around?]

“I’d like to hear why your researchers came out themselves.”

Fwoosh!

Lenok began to slowly walk forward, cutting through the severed wires.

“The combatants you sent to collect my combat data. If you appeared here knowing that you had even damaged the backup of my consciousness data, you must know that you are not entirely safe either. Yet, are you willing to sacrifice yourselves to buy time for this moment?”

[If we were obsessed with the issue of life and death, we wouldn’t have chosen this life, would we?]

A robot, trembling, raised its hand and grabbed his ankle, answering.

[In this world where we have never been satisfied even for a single moment… we are just doing our best to find the answers we want.]

The situation they had reached was not one that had gone according to plan.

It was not the optimal condition, nor could it be called the best situation.

But even in that moment, they did not hesitate or despair, but moved to grasp what they wanted.

How could they have survived and wandered in search of answers without such resolve?

Whether it was those who were throwing themselves to buy time to complete Trepen’s awakening, or Lenok, they were no different.

“I understand.”

Lenok also understood and nodded quietly.

“Then I’ll show you what I’ve prepared.”

At that moment, the entire mechanical sphere sank several meters below the ground.