Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 378

The man with his entire face wrapped in old bandages could perceive something beyond mere sight. A massive flow of magical power, vivid and proud as if alive, revolved around one person. It was as if this mage was the center of all that magical power’s affection, naturally grasping the power at the heart of the flow. That’s why he couldn’t easily back down here. “…Is this a temporary power boost due to the environment?” Bang!! Balak, having forcibly stopped the bleeding from his mangled left forearm, walked out, scattering purple waves, and surrounded Lenox from the front and back. Balak, Lenox, and the man with bandages. The distance between the three was easily over several tens of meters, but everyone present knew that the distance was meaningless. Lenox, carefully supporting Ivelin, silently watched them. “It’s been a while since I’ve been this badly injured by an ability. I’ve been out of the field for too long,” Balak said, nonchalantly touching his broken forearm. “Before returning to the central front, I need to regain my senses against you. Bandage, are you ready?” [Usually, in these cases, as long as the head is intact, things can be managed somehow.] The man, with a red glint in his eyes between the bandages, spoke in a sinister voice. [I am skilled at making sure someone is neither dead nor alive. I’ll try to create an opening.] “Don’t… don’t give me orders, you ignorant fool!!” Balak roared, and purple rings rotated in his hands. The superhuman, grasping the essence of his psychic power, twisted his hands, and the entire gravity of the area was inverted. Kuuuung!! A shock as if the world was turning upside down. The debris of the Hanghasa Labyrinth, which had been constantly falling downwards, shot upwards, and even the hair stood on end. In that moment. The man took a step forward towards the mage who was losing his balance and staggering. Swoosh!! A ghostly step that seemed unaffected by gravity. With a single movement, the man’s hand, which had reached Lenox’s face in an instant, moved towards the mage’s chest, and the bandages wrapped around his fingertips unraveled. What appeared from between the bandages was human flesh that couldn’t maintain its form and was turning transparent. The man’s hand, transparent enough to see the opposite side of his palm, pierced Lenox’s heart as if to penetrate it in an instant. At that moment, a massive ice mirror that had been slammed down from directly above blocked the man’s path. Kaang!! […!!] In that brief moment when the man hesitated at the unexpected appearance of the object. Thud thud thud!! As if waiting for it, dozens of ice mirrors that had condensed in the air appeared and slammed down, occupying the entire surrounding area in an instant. The image reflected in the mirror showed itself overlapping dozens of times, reflecting another mirror. [This is…?] “An ethereal body. And one that has already half-ignored the harmony with the physical body.” […!!] Lenox’s voice whispered from between the mirrors. “They say ghosts usually can’t see their own faces, how about you?” Crash!! Instead of answering, the man swung the unraveled bandages and began to shatter all the surrounding mirrors. [Don’t do anything foolish…!!] Among the countless shattered ice mirrors, only the man’s own image was reflected in fragments. Beyond that, his own image, which had reappeared intact, could be seen. However, the man also knew that what was reflected in the mirror image was not his complete self, but only the bandages wrapped around his body. Was he desperately shattering the ice mirrors to deny that fact? Before the shattered ice fragments could even melt, they piled up endlessly around the man with bandages. And the moment he realized that the fragments were forming a certain pattern around him. The ice fragments shone brightly like a giant magic circle, binding and restraining the man. Faaaat!! [Ugh…!!] “It seems you’re using stealth through ethereal body transformation, but if I fix your physical form, you won’t be able to hide.” Lenox, who had somehow walked up to the man, opened his mouth. A barrier formation that fixed existence in space through dozens or hundreds of images reflected in the mirror. Lenox was nonchalantly using the barrier technique of Jintun, which he had learned in the meantime, at this very spot. “It’s working much better than I thought.” [What do you know about us to dare…!!] Kwaaang!! Instead of listening to the answer, Lenox thrust the lightning that had extended from between his fingers directly into the man’s solar plexus. The magic circle, which had been temporarily drawn by gathering ice fragments, exploded entirely. A huge blizzard scattered through the collapsing labyrinth’s hollow space. Above that blizzard, a huge gravity field that had risen again began to press down on Lenox. Whioooong!! Perhaps because his wave had been reversed by Lenox once, the method was to tighten by scattering his mental power itself into a wide space. The force was so strong that it was crushing and distorting all the nearby space that Lenox was pushing away with his magical power, hindering his movement. Kkkkkkkk…!! The sound of space twisting and steel being crushed echoed. “I know very well that you are much smarter than me.” Balak, who had reached out his intact right hand and grabbed it, smiled at Lenox, who had slightly lowered his head. “Then, as always, I have no choice but to crush you with force.” “Hoo…” Lenox, who had slowly caught his breath, carefully supported Ivelin’s body and turned his gaze. Whoosh…!! A pillar of fiery heat that had risen from below bent greatly and turned into a crimson flame wave, rotating around Lenox and bursting out. Paang!! “…!!!!” The air, which had instantly heated up with ultra-high temperature flames, expanded and gradually offset the space that Balak’s gravity field was distorting. Lenox, who had reduced the entire gravity field with a single recoil, slowly turned his shoulder and once again unleashed hellish flames. “How long are you going to show such a pathetic sight against a tired mage…!!” The Matriarch, who was looking down at the scene and constantly making hand seals, roared. She plunged the staff she was holding into the crown of the giant centipede, completed the ritual she had been preparing, and summoned a new summon. The staff that had been plunged into the centipede’s head split open on both sides and transformed into a giant eye shape. Crack crack crack…!! The moment the eye stood up from its place, it revealed bones and flesh and transformed into a giant one-eyed giant. [Mwoooooooo!!!] The giant centipede coiled around one arm of the one-eyed giant, who let out a fierce roar, and a monstrous bird clung to its back, dropping the giant in the middle of the labyrinth. Kwaaaang!! Lenox looked up at the Matriarch and raised his other hand, which was not supporting Ivelin. At the same time, a huge bundle of scrolls that had been hidden floated behind Lenox and unfolded wide. The complex barrier formation engraved inside the scroll shone, and at the same time, the eyes of the dozens of evil god statues that had been helplessly shattered in the collapsing hollow space lit up. Thud thud thud!!! The evil god statues, digging through the labyrinth’s debris and raising their broken bodies, surrounded Lenox. Using the Papyrus Argenteus [a magical scroll] left by Jintun, he had completely seized the control of the evil god statues and raised them to fight the giant. The Matriarch’s lips twitched as she confirmed that the evil god statues, which should have been completely buried in the debris of the collapsed labyrinth, had risen instead. “…It seems you’ve stolen the control of the evil god statues from that gem mage.” “…” ‘They don’t know what Papyrus Argenteus is.’ Perhaps because it was the last relic and key that Jintun had kept secret from others until the end. If they didn’t know, there was no need to show it any further. While Lenox naturally hid the scroll again, the Matriarch, standing on the shoulder of the one-eyed giant, pulled up a fierce magical power. “If you came out prepared, then I don’t need to hesitate either. I believe you are prepared for that…!!” “If I had told you about Jintun’s relic, would you have tried to keep me alive?” Despite the Matriarch’s sharp words, Lenox instead let out a cold laugh. “It would have been fortunate if you hadn’t tried to steal the eyes of this Feigenbaum [a type of magical tree]. Stop with the useless talk and let’s begin.” Kuuuung!!! Lenox, gesturing towards the army of evil god statues that were breaking down with each step, said. “I also intend to do my best to survive this labyrinth.” No more words were needed. Their desires were different, and what they held in their hands was at odds with their hearts. The man and Balak, who had barely endured Lenox’s attacks, also fiercely wielded their magical power towards Lenox. The brilliance of the power wielded by the four people simultaneously distorted the space in all directions and began to flash incessantly. Kooong!! He countered the gravity field that was squeezing the collapsing giant hollow space and kicked away the man who was thrusting his hand blade at close range. Against the one-eyed giant stomping his feet above his head, dozens of evil god statues threw themselves to receive the attacks and were destroyed one after another. Kwa kwa kwa kwa!!! While using the evil god statues as disposable items, throwing them in and discarding them, Lenox supported Ivelin’s body and slowly advanced forward. Each time he waved his ringed hand, the elaborate magic circle that was drawn in the air transformed into a song of fire and thunder. [Flame Guidance (撥炎導來)] Hot flames spread through the collapsing and narrowing hollow space, expanding the space again. [Filtered Hundred Flowers (差濾百花)] The moment the unique flame-type magic began to rise to its orbit, the flames flowing through Lenox’s hand became a deep and wide wave like the sea, sweeping away everything around it. [Flame Companion Body (火侶身 : Emanating Flame Thoughts (發産念炎)] He breathed hot breaths into the remains of the collapsing evil god statues and raised them. Dozens of evil god statues with their whole bodies burning rose again and clashed with the one-eyed giant. The heat that heated up the space and endlessly expanded pushed back the power of the gravity field, penetrating the gaps between the labyrinth’s fragments. The subtle presence that had hidden its body among the ethereal bodies did not even allow a step to be taken. Kugugugugugu!! The moment when the speed at which the space was expanding again due to the power released by the four people was greater than the speed at which the labyrinth was collapsing and disappearing. The halo, which had completely turned red, rotated and expanded greatly, and the three people who had been concentrating on surrounding Lenox and trying to penetrate the gap simultaneously stepped back. Kuuuuuung!! A roar. And silence. Lenox nodded, looking down at the three people who had closed their mouths with different expressions. “You have good instincts.” “…!!!!” The three people only frowned at the blatant words, unable to answer properly. The monsters, each having reached a different realm and surpassing the limits of their species, had sensed it almost simultaneously. That if they had taken even one more step forward in that spot, they might have suffered a fatal injury close to death. “Even with the labyrinth’s magical power assistance, how can you be this strong…!!” The Matriarch burst out in a shocked scream, and Balak muttered as if spitting out the words. “I’m getting old too. To be pushed back in combat experience by such a young friend.” [It’s a difference in compatibility.] The man with bandages also calmly gathered his energy and said. [That man was expecting this result from the beginning.] The three people gathered here were all monsters who had reached a realm by combining long hours, effort, and immeasurable talent. Naturally, there was no way that their experience and combat skills would be lacking or wrong. Even with the lack of power and space, and the dwindling time, the three people did their best to subdue Lenox. Nevertheless, it was not enough to achieve the desired result. And Lenox, too, had somewhat sensed from the beginning that the situation would turn out this way. ‘Even if they have transcended the hierarchy, they are not specialized in direct combat. Moreover, the hollow space is constantly collapsing and narrowing… There’s no way they wouldn’t be concerned about the location.’ A level 8 summoner and a psychic. And an ethereal ability user close to that level. They were monsters who had honed their own specialties to the point where it was difficult to find rivals in their respective fields, but their combat abilities themselves were just one result derived from their talents. They were not people who had built up their strength through battles with countless superhumans like Lenox. If Dane of the Cavahim Knights had remained in this place, the story would have been different. However, against two mages who were closer to the rear and a psychic of the assassination type, Lenox had the level and experience to bet on victory even against the three of them. “It’s the same for us, we can’t use all our power.” Lenox slowly gathered his magical power and took a breath. “Isn’t it time to accept that you’ll have to go back empty-handed?” “…If this labyrinth collapses completely, the supply of remaining magical power will also be cut off.” Balak said, glaring at Lenox. “Then you won’t be able to afford to be as relaxed as you are now.” “Well…” Instead of denying the words, Lenox smiled ambiguously. Even if the supply of the labyrinth’s remaining magical power was cut off, it was possible to reproduce a similar state by storing and using magical power in the Papyrus Argenteus. Moreover, with Lenox’s power, which had greatly increased his maximum magical power by absorbing some of Jintun’s magical power, he would be able to see the end before worrying about the lack of magical power. There was no need to tell them that fact. What Lenox was truly worried about was whether it would be possible to continue such a fierce battle while being concerned about Ivelin’s unconscious body. If they were determined to use their power to kill each other, the realms and the microcosms would collide, and Lenox was not sure if he could protect Ivelin safely in the midst of that. Protecting Ivelin, who had opened the way to Jintun for him, was more important than killing the three people in front of him right now. However, that lull in the four people’s battle did not last long. The ceiling near the collapsing labyrinth exploded as if it had burst, and something crashed down into the hollow space from above. Kuuuuuuuuuung!!!! The tremendous shock was enough to make the four superhumans standing in place stagger. The weight was as if a mass of hundreds of tons had been slammed down, and Lenox suddenly raised his head. If a mass of this size had crashed in from outside the labyrinth, its identity would probably be…!! “All three of you, please stop here and listen to me.” As if supporting Lenox’s guess, a calm girl’s voice echoed from among the countless piles of dirt that had fallen into the labyrinth. Only then did Balak and the Matriarch, who had recognized the identity of the opponent, frown at the same time. “Lighthouse Keeper…!!” “Was the granddaughter of the Heavenly Eye still in this place?” Lapis, who had recognized Jintun’s death almost simultaneously with other high-ranking superhumans. The leader of the Blue Eye, as soon as she realized the final outcome that had befallen the labyrinth, had led the floating island and crashed it directly into the outer wall of the labyrinth. Kwaaaaaaa!!! The collapsing labyrinth, unable to resist the fall of that enormous mass of over hundreds of tons, was shattered.