Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 329

Lenok, who had been frantically throttling the bike, paused at the sight of Felix falling right next to him.

KWA-BOOM!!

“Half!!”

He left a long gash in the sand, unable to overcome his own weight and speed, but still managed to maintain his balance on his two sturdy legs.

As soon as Lenok saw that, he let go of the throttle.

Screech!!

Lenok stopped the bike and glanced back at Aris and Hina.

Aris had exhausted all her magic power and mental strength in the previous battle. Hina was half-dead just from being kicked once by Croken.

Both of them were in no condition to participate in the battle right now.

Felix also noticed this and quickly nodded.

“Get those two to safety, and join me.”

“…It’s Croken. Do you think it’s possible?”

“If we can’t stop him here, the result will be the same. Everyone else will just be a hindrance.”

Felix, shouldering a hammer swirling with black magic, retorted.

“Ilya should be on her way here too. Until then, we have no choice but to buy time and try to do something.”

“Is it okay to risk your life in a place like this?”

“Isn’t that what mercenaries do?”

Felix patted Lenok’s shoulder and moved forward without hesitation.

“Since the opponent is who he is, I can’t tarnish the Captain’s name.”

“…”

Lenok watched Felix walk ahead and was about to move when Aris grabbed his coat sleeve with a weak hand.

“…Half.”

“Aris-nim.”

“Let’s go together.”

She said with a look as if she was about to collapse at any moment.

“My self-resonance field will be helpful. If my guess is right, it will definitely…”

But Lenok silently grabbed her wrist, pulled her hand off his sleeve.

“You already deployed it once during the fortress capture process. It’s realistically impossible to do it twice in a row.”

“…How?”

Hina and Aris’s conversation. The mention of pushing themselves to finish the job quickly. If a Saint-level mage used all their power, it wasn’t hard to figure out what that meant.

But instead of explaining all those assumptions, Lenok grabbed her hand and placed it on the bike’s handle.

“It’s not far to the fortress. Once we get there, the on-site agents will be able to give you emergency treatment.”

Lenok smiled as he emptied half of the remaining magic recovery potions and elixirs from his pocket into Aris’s suit pocket.

“Professor, you’ve done enough. For the time we have left, it’s my turn to do my best.”

“Wait…!!”

Thump!

Aris fell off the bike and shouted.

“I’m not done yet…!!”

Lenok didn’t look back.

Instead, he matched his pace with Felix, who was walking ahead, and checked the appearance of the crocodile giant approaching from afar.

Aris silently watched Lenok’s back as he disappeared into the sand dust, his tattered coat fluttering.

She clenched the sand with her small hand and muttered with a confused expression.

“The time we have left…?”

* * *

“I feel sorry for Antares.”

“Why?”

“I took your subordinate and used him as I pleased, and now I’m making him fight for his life.”

Felix laughed at Lenok’s words.

“The Captain will be fine even if I disappear. We all knew this was a possibility from the beginning, before the mercenary group was even formed.”

“Still… he’ll be sad. I know I would be.”

Lenok replied.

“You talk like you know the Captain very well.”

Felix glanced at Lenok for a moment before speaking.

“That’s probably because you’re aware that you have some similarities with the Captain.”

“…”

Lenok realized he was momentarily speechless and closed his mouth.

Felix patted Lenok’s shoulder calmly.

“Think positively. It’s not like we’re destined to die here. Since he’s someone who moves according to his own whims, he might just leave once he’s had his fill of fun.”

“Is that based on experience?”

Lenok was aware from his previous conversations with Croken and Dylan that Antares and Croken knew each other.

That the two had a bond that was more than just colleagues, and that it was now meaningless.

If that was the case, it wouldn’t be strange if Felix, who had been close to Antares, also knew Croken.

“…Hmm. Maybe.”

Felix only gave a subtle smile at Lenok’s words, without giving a proper answer.

Instead, he gripped the battle hammer on his shoulder tightly enough to break it.

“You’ll see for yourself from now on.”

KWA-BOOM!!

The vibrations that echoed every time the crocodile giant swung its tail.

The ground shook with a weight that was hard to believe was just footsteps.

It was an overwhelming weight, impossible to imagine on this sand dune that was supposed to disperse the impact.

It was a perfect amplification and transfer of the center of gravity, incomparable to Lieutenant General Trepen, who had simply focused on making his body as heavy as possible.

It was proof of a superhuman who could handle his body more perfectly and transcendentally than anyone else.

Croken, who had been rotating his shoulders, found Lenok’s face and grinned.

“What is it, kid? Weren’t you running away?”

He walked forward, tossing a cannonball in his hand.

“Okay, I get annoyed when you show me something like that and then stop. I was going to smash that toy to vent my anger, but I didn’t expect you to crawl out first… hmm?”

Croken was saying that, but stopped when he saw Felix’s face next to him.

A moment of silence passed, and the crocodile giant burst into laughter after properly recognizing Felix’s face.

“Hahahaha!! Felix, what are you doing here!!”

“…”

Lenok looked up at Felix with a dumbfounded expression.

Experience or not, Felix’s relationship with Croken was far beyond just knowing each other.

But Felix neatly ignored Lenok’s gaze and politely put his hands together.

“Lord Acilus. It’s been a while. I hope you’ve been well.”

“Cut the crap. How long are you going to be polite?”

“It will never change, no matter when or where.”

Clank!

Felix, who had grabbed his hammer and stepped in front of Lenok, said.

“Even if we walk different paths, there are things that don’t change. It’s only natural to respect a warrior who transcends species.”

“Heh heh… You’re still spouting boring nonsense. That’s why Antares liked you.”

Croken said that, then suddenly looked around and gave a subtle smile.

“I see. It’s strange how familiar the scenery is. So the Defense Force did try to struggle before they died.”

“…”

“Did you come here to clean up the City Council’s mess because of the Prohibition Edict? It’s so boring. Is that all you’re doing after forming a new mercenary group?”

Croken’s lips curved into a long smile as he faced the silent Felix.

A direct tone as if he was just blurting out whatever came to mind.

But Lenok was slightly impressed by Croken’s intuition, which quickly grasped the core of the situation without knowing any of the circumstances.

He seemed to have no interest in what was happening in this city, but he still skillfully read the situation by piecing together the scenery and the people.

That was probably because Croken’s knowledge and experience were so vast.

The giant, who had lived as a war mercenary for decades, was already looking at a completely different realm than others.

“If you’re still with Antares, then there’s only one answer.”

Croken tossed the cannonball in his hand into the sky.

In the brief moment when everyone’s eyes were on the cannonball, only Felix faced Croken directly.

Clash. A huge shockwave erupted as the two giants twisted their bodies at the same time, and the air was compressed and crushed.

Sand dust spread like wings behind Felix, who was standing firmly in front of Lenok, and Croken, who was gripping the hammer’s face with his bare hands.

“…!!”

Lenok, his eyes slightly widened, quickly retreated and pulled up his magic power.

It was amazing that Felix had reacted correctly while everyone else was distracted by the cannonball, but even more shocking was the fact that Felix had received Croken’s full-force attack.

He wasn’t standing up to the monster’s monstrous power.

Rather, he was barely enduring Croken’s power in a precarious stance, as if he was about to collapse at any moment.

His thighs, which were supporting the ground, were ruptured and bleeding, and the ligaments in his elbows were torn, causing his muscles to burst, but even so.

Lenok, who knew what kind of being Croken Acilus was, knew that this scene itself was nothing short of a miracle.

Croken also saw that Felix had withstood his attack head-on, and rolled his yellow pupils downwards.

His gaze swept over the bird-headed giant’s entire body and stopped at the hammer he was holding, and he chuckled softly.

“Is that the magic of ‘Arrival’? I thought it was all gone, but it’s still around.”

“…Hoo!”

Felix, unable to even answer properly, was just enduring Croken’s power.

Croken, unconcerned by the bird-headed giant’s rough breathing, put more force into his shoulder, and a strong recoil erupted from his back.

Crack!!

Felix’s legs, which were holding the hammer with both hands, dug into the sand floor and then his joints bent backwards, spewing blood.

“…!!”

“The fact that you still have that means you’re going in the same direction.”

Croken whispered with a mocking smile.

“Are you still dreaming an endless dream?”

“…I am.”

Felix, sweating profusely, gritted his teeth and retorted.

“A little longer than you…!!”

The strange black magic that was swirling at the end of the hammer just before the battle.

Perhaps he was forcibly receiving Croken’s attack by borrowing the rotation of that unknown magic.

His thoughts didn’t last long.

Because the two giants stepped forward, crushing the scattered sand, and shifted their weight.

A weight that transcended human limits. A monstrous power that was impossible to even guess the limits of, was simultaneously fired from completely different directions and slammed into his head.

With a roar that sounded like the ground was collapsing, it turned into a huge storm.

KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA!!!

Felix’s fierce attack, which was practically the first time they had properly clashed.

The onslaught of swinging the hammer with both hands was so fierce that it was hard to see properly.

His eyes and magic power were burning brightly, his beak was crooked, and his body was twisting, showing how desperate his sincerity was.

But that desperate barrage was scattered by two of Croken’s slow punches, and his arms and legs were shattered in reverse.

Thud thud thud!!

Two shockwaves spread out in the air. A vacuum wave over dozens of meters erupted behind Felix, easily breaking his balance.

“…!!!”

A one-sided massacre that couldn’t even be called a proper match.

But Croken was impressed by Felix’s appearance.

“You’ve gotten stronger. Did Antares help you?”

Felix didn’t answer. Instead, he grabbed his staggering body and once again stood in front of Lenok.

What came out of his beak was no longer words, but the roar of a warrior regaining his composure.

“Ooooooo!!!”

“I didn’t think you were a big deal… If I had known, I should have paid more attention to you.”

He stopped the hammer, which was swirling with black magic, by placing his forearm on its face.

KWA-BOOM!!!

Croken’s body trembled slightly with the roar.

The difference in skill between the two was vast, but the hammer in Felix’s hand, or rather, the magic itself, was the driving force that was somehow keeping the battle going.

Felix knew that it was a battle he couldn’t win, but the reason he was blocking Croken here was one thing.

It was to buy time for Lenok, who was in the rear.

Lenok had understood that from the beginning, and from the moment the two had talked, he had been gathering all of his remaining magic power.

His job was to not miss the brief opening that Felix, who had stepped forward as a front-line fighter, had created while sacrificing his own body.

Lenok, with his stance lowered and his hands gathered, began to compress the lightning that was extending from his palms.

Whoosh!!

The torrent of magic power rotating in his hands caused his coat to flutter violently, sweeping away the nearby sand.

His magic power was significantly depleted due to the continuous battles and the failure to deploy the self-resonance field.

Knowing that he only had one chance, he had to do his best at this moment.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzt!!

The lightning that flowed out of his arm was compressed into his hand like a wave, without a single strand flying out.

The noise of the current crackling overlapped dozens or hundreds of times, turning into a sound as if space was being torn apart.

What he had created by pouring out almost half of his remaining magic power was a tetrahedron made of four strands of current.

It was a concentration of power created by perfectly controlling the power of hundreds of irregular currents that originally only had a starting point and an ending point.

It was a kind of destination that Lenok, who had become able to control the three amplification principles of resonance, repulsion, and diffusion to the extreme, was estimating by borrowing Davi’s calculation power.

It was a byproduct of the research that Lenok had attempted to move beyond the Saint level after completing the hierarchy and reaching the Saint level.

This shape, which supported the power erupting from four directions, would release all the aftereffects through the direction it collapsed if it lost its balance even slightly.

A faint, achromatic wave was spreading out from the center of the tetrahedron.

It was proof that a part of Lenok’s mental image was contained at the end of this technique, which he had created with all his power.

At this point where it had become difficult to deploy the self-resonance field, it was the most powerful move that Lenok could use against a monster that transcended limits.

Shudder…!!

It felt like he would lose it from his hands if he lost his focus even for a moment.

This concentration of magic power, which had been completed through extremely delicate adjustments and a sense of balance, would collapse the moment it went even slightly wrong.

If he ran towards Croken with this technique, the balance would immediately collapse and he would self-destruct.

There was only one way.

“Davi… get ready.”

[The calculation is perfect.]

Davi replied through the earpiece.

[Technique proxy execution with the magic power received from Master in advance. Occupied space confirmed. Leap point captured. Coordinate calculation completed. Necessary magic power configuration deployed.]

Whoosh!!

A very small ripple appeared under Lenok’s feet.

It was the first ‘step’ that Lenok was attempting since he had begun to grasp how to manipulate space.

It was the first step to give wings to the magical talent that had been trapped in the shackles of this wretched body.

A fragment he had grasped from the movement where he had succeeded in touching the space-time as a result inside the mechanical sphere created by Trepen’s metamorphosis.

He was adding that realization to Lenok’s knowledge and skills without any reduction.

[1.5 seconds until physical space leap. Target point: 3mm above Croken Acilus’s solar plexus.]

Whoosh!!

[Here we go.]

At the same time as he lifted his right foot off the hot ground, Lenok’s body leaped through space.

A transfer of spatial coordinates against his own body. Through that leap, he flew dozens of meters in an instant that was impossible to perceive and materialized his body at the coordinates.

His destination was between Felix and Croken, where shockwaves were erupting continuously.

The center of the blast zone where he would be crushed into pieces of meat if he was there with his bare body.

But the tetrahedron, which had been thrown up by perfectly piercing the flow of power, rose precisely towards Croken’s solar plexus.

[Thought Lightning]

Lightning created by melting a part of the self-resonance field into the magic system.

Lightning that contained his heart.

The longing for life that Lenok had never forgotten. That desperation was contained in the scenery of his mental image and transformed into power.

Lenok, who had landed in front of Croken as if time was distorted, twisted his shoulder to the fullest.

A close distance where he felt like he could reach out and touch him. The one chance that Felix had created.

A near-certain hit at close range. If it hit, it would surely bring about a result that was more than a fatal wound.

At the moment when Lenok threw [Thought Lightning] towards Croken’s solar plexus with that wish, his eyes met Croken’s yellow pupils head-on.

For monsters like him, even this brief moment would feel as long as eternity.