Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 551

Oliviera’s hand, having pierced her own chest, relentlessly dug into the thick muscle of her heart. Simultaneously, her other hand crushed a vial of blood serum she’d taken from her pocket.

Crack!!

Using the act of touching the deepest part of her heart as a trigger, she activated the artifact’s power.

Immediately, the crimson flames of Extreme Burn erupted, engulfing Oliviera’s body and soaring into the sky.

Kwaaaaaaah!!!

A storm of dark flashes briefly obscured the clear sky above the power plant.

Where the black pillar that had burned the sky above disappeared, Oliviera stood, astonishingly, still. Her doll-like, cold face was covered in strange, crack-like fissures.

The cracks that spread across her body didn’t stop there, but extended into the very fabric of space.

“Using self-sacrifice as a condition for a spell is mostly in the realm of sorcery,” Lenox said, observing Oliviera standing despite having taken the full force of Extreme Burn.

“It seems even you, who uses pure magic, aren’t immune to other spell systems.”

Crack, crack, crack…!!

At the same time, the cracks etched into the space where she stood deepened, rapidly fracturing and shattering.

Clang!!

With a bizarre sound like a mirror breaking, Oliviera’s body shattered and scattered into pieces.

Beyond that, a new Oliviera appeared once more.

However, unlike before when she used illusions, the front of her robe was stained with blood, and her body swayed as if she were about to collapse.

“An illusion of a mirror breaking… Is it a spell that exchanges the price of reality with the self beyond the mirror image? If that’s the case, it’s understandable why she’d take on such a risk.”

[…….]

Instead of answering, Oliviera coughed dryly a few times.

Her chest was stained red, dripping blood, but Oliviera was still alive.

At the critical moment when her magnetic field was broken and she was exposed to the full force of Extreme Burn, Oliviera activated a spell triggered by piercing and damaging her own heart.

At that point, she had escaped Lenox’s attack from inside the mirror’s other world created through her own domain.

A supreme mental technique that swaps the positions of her mirror image and her real self to endure a momentary attack.

It must be a dangerous technique that even Oliviera herself had to use with such dangerous conditions.

If the mark wasn’t as severe as damaging her own heart, she wouldn’t be able to distinguish between her mirror image and herself.

It’s a magic that cannot be easily used without bearing the contradiction of such self-identity.

Having damaged her heart as the price for avoiding the power of Extreme Burn, Oliviera swayed as if she were about to collapse.

However, instead of casting another spell to kill Oliviera, Lenox quietly took another step back.

He already knew that there was another third party involved the moment he failed to kill her.

Clang!!

“That’s enough.”

A mechanical voice was heard in the fleeting moment when the flash of Extreme Burn faded.

Along with the illusion of a layer of space peeling away, the form of armored wings appeared, blocking Oliviera’s path.

Through the steel wings, dull gray eyes could be seen.

“She is someone who must not die here right now.”

‘This is dangerous.’

Lenox thought, licking his dry lips.

The power of [Extreme Burn] was more than enough to vaporize Oliviera’s body on the spot.

In fact, despite having met the real Oliviera, Lenox had intended to kill her past self here.

Knowing that this wasn’t the real past, killing Oliviera here wouldn’t cause any problems for her in the present.

She was a powerful figure who could easily kill Lenox if he held back even slightly.

Lenox aimed for the moment when Oliviera unleashed her full power because he was certain that he could force her mental state to go berserk at least once.

And that was possible because of the power of the magic eye created by her future self, something the past Oliviera could never have known.

If not for the loophole forcibly created by the advantage of information and abilities from the gap between the present and the past, such an opportunity would never come again.

Lenox had essentially missed the chance to easily deal with the most difficult opponent in this power plant.

“I had hoped to see her meet Kaise, given her rare talent, but it seems it was a vain hope,” Gilleon muttered, turning his armored wings with a mechanical expression.

Oliviera had managed to escape the crisis herself, but if Gilleon hadn’t blocked the remaining impact, her life would have been in real danger.

One of his wings was almost completely melted and destroyed from taking part of Lenox’s Extreme Burn.

Damage on a different level than when he had forced himself to save McQueen’s life.

However, even if Gilleon had to endure that, he instinctively knew that he had to save Oliviera at this moment.

The fact that the powerful mage was desperately trying to kill Oliviera in this place was proof that Oliviera Ron Maze was perceived as a threat by her opponent.

“I know you indirectly helped Kaise’s research. Do you still have no intention of joining him?”

Gilleon asked, naturally concealing his damaged wing behind his back, but Lenox only responded with a cold sneer.

“If you’re trying to buy time, that’s a pathetic ploy. Is that all you can ask in this situation?”

“…….”

“There’s no need to go that far. Now that you’ve failed to kill her, it’s pointless to do anything here.”

Lenox gestured with his eyes towards Oliviera, who was standing behind Gilleon.

“Wouldn’t your presence be more of a hindrance to her?”

That wasn’t wrong.

The reason Gilleon couldn’t intervene while watching the battle between the two mages from the distant sky was ultimately because of that.

If he rashly interfered in the battle between two mages with power beyond their rank, it could act as a negative variable.

It was entirely possible that the battle, which seemed to be dominated by Oliviera, could be reversed due to Gilleon’s presence.

Gilleon knew that, so he was waiting for the decisive moment to intervene.

[Is it an expansion of causality that forcibly triggers the backlash of a spell using a mental state going berserk? It’s a truly dangerous power.]

Oliviera, who had been silent, raised her hand weakly and swept back her hair.

In her hand, she held the serum storage case she had just crushed.

A surprisingly clear tone for someone who had just damaged her own heart. Had she escaped the crisis by using the blood contained within?

However, considering that it wasn’t an injury that could be resolved by simply transfusing a few drops of blood, there might be a secret to the serum itself.

While Lenox was lost in thought, her transmission continued.

[That’s also very closely related to the limits of the power I’ve been vaguely feeling.]

“…….”

[Who are you?]

Oliviera asked.

[If there was a mage with the same rank and power as you, they wouldn’t be unknown on this continent.]

Her eyes, shining brightly, lowered softly.

[An existence that wants to know the truth without following Kaise’s plan… Do you know what that means for us?]

“No.”

Lenox answered.

“But I know that this conversation is meaningless.”

[…….]

“Whatever I say, can you believe it?”

Lenox continued with a sneer.

“Can you accept it if I say that this moment isn’t reality, or that it’s a kind of unknown miracle or disaster?”

[……I see.]

Oliviera seemed to understand Lenox’s words and let out a small breath.

At the same time, an even more powerful and transcendent magical power than before erupted from her body and began to rotate in all directions.

[I’m sorry to Kaise, but it seems I won’t be able to keep my promise.]

Oliviera, who had closed her eyes that were shining with magic, and even dimmed her inner light, quietly unleashed her transmission.

[I will end today’s work by erasing you from this place.]

Fwoooosh!!!

At the same time as her words, a colorless wave erupted from beneath her feet once more.

The fact that she could deploy her domain again after her magnetic field was broken by Lenox’s magic eye was an absurd feat.

However, Lenox’s face hardened as he realized that the domain she was deploying was beginning to cover all directions in a completely different form than before.

‘It’s not an invasive type…!’

It wasn’t a mirror barrier that was invading a part of reality.

This time, Oliviera was trying to completely overlay her mental state, throwing Lenox into a complete mental domain.

If he entered her domain like this, he would face spells that were incomparably more powerful than before.

However, even knowing that, Lenox glanced away instead of restraining Oliviera.

The moment Gilleon, who he thought was a mage’s trick, ignored his wink and tried to raise his power.

Something that fell from the sky struck Oliviera from above.

Kwaaaaaaang!!!!

Dark black magic intertwined between the faces of the massive hammer.

The warhammer collided with the colorless wave in the air, emitting a thunderous roar that shook the heavens and the earth.

Oliviera immediately canceled her domain deployment and retreated at the arrival of that unusual magical power.

Immediately after, the massive body that had been slammed down released a powerful shockwave, pushing all the swirling magic outwards.

Kuuuuuung!!!

“Ban!!”

A heavy voice calling Lenox from amidst the rising smoke.

The bird-headed giant, who had slowly risen to his feet, was now standing tall in front of Lenox, glaring at the other two.

“I was too late. I’m sorry…!!”

Felix, who had fallen due to an unknown phenomenon just before meeting McQueen, had finally joined the battle at the power plant.

* * *

“No, it was perfect timing.”

Lenox replied with a smirk.

“I wouldn’t have been able to time it if it wasn’t now. You were a help.”

“…….”

The first to realize the meaning of those meaningful words was not Felix or Oliviera, but Gilleon.

It was because Gilleon had given up his surveillance of the sky and come down to help Oliviera that Felix had the opportunity to enter the power plant.

The problem was that Felix’s condition didn’t look good either.

“Huff, huff…!!”

His body was covered in wounds, and it was hard to find a place without bruises, indicating the fierce battles he had fought to get to the power plant.

His rough breathing was too much to be just from the surprise attack on Oliviera.

Perhaps Felix hadn’t simply gotten lost, but had reasons why he was late.

If so, was it possible that Kyelbeck hadn’t arrived yet for similar reasons?

‘Our joining is too slow. We should be more worried about their reinforcements.’

Lenox’s reason for dragging out time wasn’t just because he was relying on Davi’s hacking.

He thought that if necessary, he could have a chance to resolve the situation at once by joining forces with Kyelbeck and Felix.

The arrival of Kyelbeck, an 8th-level spearman, could disrupt the balance of the battlefield.

However, if time continued to drag on like this, other past superhumans on Kaise’s side would return to the power plant.

At that point, Lenox would lose the opportunity to secure Kaise or find out the secrets of the project.

‘Even though Ilya is moving inside the power plant, it will be difficult to achieve meaningful results while facing Kaise and McQueen.’

Even Lenox found it difficult to grasp exactly how far Kaise’s abilities were affecting time.

It wasn’t that he doubted Ilya’s capabilities, but even she would have a hard time achieving her goals against two difficult sorcerers.

Completely stopping the operation of the space-time fixation device through Davi’s hacking, securing Kaise.

If he misjudged, he would be in danger of losing his life, let alone achieving his goals here.

[That appearance, I think I’ve seen it somewhere before…]

While Lenox was lost in thought, Oliviera tilted her head, looking at Felix’s face.

As if trying to recall an old memory, she carefully observed the bird-headed giant before finally opening her mouth.

[That’s right, I remember. You were one of the mercenaries who went on a pilgrimage after the Great War.]

“…….”

Felix twitched his shoulder slightly at those words, but did not answer.

Oliviera continued to speak, unconcerned by that reaction.

[You certainly didn’t have that much power before… What is the reason you returned to Balkan with that mage?]

“Felix.”

“I know, Ban.”

At Lenox’s words, Felix nodded with a heavy expression.

“I saw it too on the way here. Be careful what you say.”

“…….”

Felix also realized that the people in this closed area were beings left behind in the past spacetime.

Perhaps he had encountered someone among the enemies he had faced on the way to the power plant who had made him realize that fact.

Lenox immediately changed his attitude and opened his mouth to exchange necessary information.

“Kaise has noticed. We need his abilities to resolve this matter.”

“Kaise… That’s a nostalgic name.”

Felix muttered as if startled by those words, then chuckled.

“Yeah, I thought it might be possible. There weren’t many madmen who would get involved in something like this back then.”

[…….]

Oliviera quietly watched Felix’s reaction, her magic eye flashing.

Felix slowly readjusted his heavy warhammer and asked.

“Where is he?”

“Last I checked, he was in the power plant’s underground power room.”

“That means he might not be there now.”

“I’ll take care of adjusting the direction, so don’t worry about the exact coordinates. Just focus on speeding up.”

Click, click!!

At the sight of Lenox taking out and preparing various firearms, including a shotgun, Gilleon’s eyes narrowed.

Lenox, who had taken out five mana-resonance incendiary rounds and placed them vertically, turning them to a preheated state, quickly continued.

“Kaise has the power to directly manipulate time, and he’s controlling that power by borrowing spells. You have to be careful when facing him.”

“Understood.”

Even with formidable enemies like Gilleon and Oliviera in front of him, the reason Lenox was only talking about Kaise.

Felix couldn’t possibly not understand the intention of those words.

The bird-headed giant, gripping his warhammer, began to take a deep breath with a serious look, and Lenox immediately snapped his fingers.

“Let’s start right away. Get ready.”

Snap!

At the same time as Lenox’s signal, the five mana-resonance incendiary rounds lined up neatly under his feet exploded.

They detonated their power directly below the ground where the four of them were standing, causing the entire ground to sink.

Kwaaaaaaang!!

Destructive power that went beyond melting the ground like lava, completely vaporizing and sinking it.

Before the others could even be surprised by the sudden change, Felix moved.

Covered in Lenox’s shields and all sorts of protective magic, he fearlessly dug into the ground below, where the heat still lingered.

He didn’t even think about resisting the explosion that had erupted from below.

He simply trusted that Lenox would protect him from the explosion and threw himself into the collapsing ground.

Felix’s figure disappeared into the crevices that had cracked and split in all directions, and almost simultaneously, Gilleon moved.

Screech!!

Gilleon appeared in the sinkhole of the collapsed ground, blocking Felix’s path.

“Are you planning to break the ground and find a path to the underground?”

“…….”

“That’s a ridiculous idea. How are you going to pinpoint the location in this vast power plant?”

Click!!

The form of the still intact armored wing split into five finger-like sections, scattering a heavy starting sound.

At the same time, the phenomenon of space separation began to faintly break in front of Felix’s eyes.

The moment Gilleon tried to put Felix’s body into the space separation and shatter it with the crack.

Thud!!

Something contained in a long glass tube fell in front of Gilleon’s eyes.

In Gilleon’s gaze, which had inadvertently turned upwards, he saw Lenox looking down at him and smiling.

“I’m going one step further.”

“……!!”

Kwaaaaaaang!!!

[Sinkhole]

Simultaneously with the explosion of the resonance incendiary rounds, he unleashed the common magic Sinkhole, which breaks the ground and digs a pit.

In an instant, one side of the power plant’s site collapsed by more than tens of meters, revealing the metal cross-section inside the ground.

A bombardment that was too precise to be a random act. An achievement of finding the power plant’s underground facilities without a single trial and error.

The opponent’s actions, as if they knew Kaise’s location from the beginning and were deliberately pushing in.

Only then did Gilleon, who had grasped Lenox’s intentions, grit his teeth and rolled to his feet.

“I’ve been had. Could it be that from the beginning…!!”

Lenox wasn’t planning to just dig into the ground until Felix found Kaise.

He knew Kaise’s location from the beginning, and he just needed Felix’s help to get his hands on him.

He had placed a tracking spell on Kaise while researching in the power room, and through that, Lenox had pinpointed Kaise’s location from the beginning, which even Ilya had missed.

“Let’s go…!!”

The moment Felix gritted his teeth and raised his magic power, a black magic power, different from his own, began to mix into the hammer.

The aftereffects accumulated in his body while wielding the warhammer containing the magic of the Arrival [a magic that allows one to travel to a specific location].

After recovering from the aftereffects in the sickbed, Felix was able to temporarily draw out and use the magic of the Arrival that remained in his body.

The reason why he had been carrying around a similar blunt weapon since the hammer was taken by Crocken Acilus.

Crack…!!

Along with the sound of the front of the hammer’s shape crumpling under the force of the magic, the steel barrier visible between the ground exploded.

A sudden collapse of the power plant’s underground corridor. At the end of it, Kaise’s figure stopped with a slightly surprised expression.

Behind Kaise, a cart containing dozens of unknown glass bottles was faintly swaying.

Kuuung!!

The form of a heavy bird-headed giant landed roughly in front of Kaise’s corridor.

Felix’s thick eyebrows were twitching as if he was more agitated than Kaise.

“I can’t believe it. How did you get here in one go in this vast particle power plant…!!”

Even though he had only blindly dug into the ground, trusting Lenox’s words, he had landed right in front of Kaise.

It was an impossible feat without pinpointing Kaise’s location and precisely adjusting the direction by collapsing the ground according to Felix’s movement.

Even though it was an impromptu operation, it was a perfect setup as if it had been thoroughly prepared for this moment from the beginning.

“…I see.”

Kaise, who had immediately grasped the situation, smirked, looking at Lenox through the collapsing ground.

“It can’t be a coincidence. Did you already put a tracker on me?”

“The price for helping with the space-time fixation research, I hadn’t decided on it yet.”

Lenox also gave Kaise a soft smile.

“I’ve decided what I’ll receive now.”

“Kaise…!!”

Felix, who had spewed out black magic from his thick beak, rushed towards Kaise.