Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 637

‘A scent of a longed-for soul…’

Even as the sticky flames surged towards him, Lenox chuckled wryly.

Kashuin revealed his name, and at the same moment, the Archangel’s Compassion vibrated intensely in his arms.

His words, calling himself a sinner cast down from the Archangel’s seat.

Why could a being of this magnitude maintain its soul form intact beyond the gate? And who was the failed god he served?

That single phrase seemed to reveal everything about his existence.

How could he understand someone so thoroughly, a stranger from a world he had never seen?

‘A failed god. Is that what they called him in that world?’

It was possible, perhaps, because Lenox also knew the god that the archangel before him had served.

The relics of the old world, the Archangel Series.

It wasn’t just a name given to a collection of similar artifacts.

They were artifacts created under the power of transcendents who once climbed to the heavens in a forgotten world, dreaming of reaching the celestial realm.

Kashuin was a being who had ascended to the heavenly seat, possessing both the power and the status of the old world, originating from the Archangel Series.

Crackling…!!

The vast lake hollows burned and froze, and dark red fluid overflowed from all directions.

Magic power that was too grotesque to be called an archangel, yet too overbearing to deny.

Kwaaang!!!

The blood armor worn by the archangel writhed like a living creature, instantly piercing Lenox’s shield and striking his chest.

The shockwave erupted as Lenox’s figure vanished.

At the same time, a huge fountain rose, tracing a water path on the lake, as the magician’s figure retreated a dozen meters.

Swaaaa!!!

Scattered ice shards and lake droplets fell like a mix of rain and snow.

The jade flames surging along the water path slid down the blood-soaked wings like tears.

In the fleeting moment of colliding while suppressing the rampaging power from all directions, only fragments of uncommunicated thoughts passed like arrows.

It was a near-instantaneous collision, but Lenox was certain that his opponent was a being who had transcended the hierarchy.

A monster who had transcended the hierarchy even beyond a destroyed world, and who still remembered that realm.

Yet, even knowing this, Lenox focused on observing Kashuin rather than immediately killing him and heading beyond the gate.

‘An archangel who abandoned his god. But his nature and magic pattern are far from those of the Archangel Series.’

The artifact category called the Archangel Series was by far the highest-grade relic in the spirit realm among the relics of the old world.

Lenox also had a connection, possessing the Archangel’s Compassion in the form of a staff.

The unique and powerful effects of the Archangel Series suited Lenox well, making it a frequently used piece of equipment even after a long time.

Moreover, he had even directly ingested the Archangel’s Tears, which were said to extend one’s lifespan with the help of Pandemonium [a chaotic realm or force].

However, the sticky crimson flames that Lenox felt from Kashuin were far from the magic pattern of the Archangel category that he knew.

Was it because, as Kashuin claimed, he was a sinner who had abandoned his god and descended from the Archangel’s seat?

Whirr…!!

Kashuin lightly twisted the spear shaft with both hands, once again enveloping it in sticky crimson flames, and muttered.

‘I don’t know why your voice is so clear.’

‘…….’

‘In this world where everything feels blurry, only that resonance is clear. Yes, even if I want to deny it, I…!!’

Red blood flowed from between the eyes of the helmet.

A pathetic figure, covered in armor and shedding tears of blood. The sticky, blood-soaked wings on his back fluttered pitifully.

Lenox, who had been watching the confused Kashuin, straightened up and stood.

‘I am not your god.’

Lenox answered in a calm voice.

The gate, which had been spewing dark red fluid at the same time as Kashuin’s appearance, had returned to its clean, white form.

Lenox, staring at the shape of the gate, muttered as he gathered his magic power.

‘But I think I know why you were able to respond to Hermes’s call… You used faith as a basis to create a point of contact with this world, even from beyond the old world.’

The failed god that Kashuin served was still alive in this world, receiving the faith of others.

Therefore, Kashuin’s spirit, left in the old world, was able to reach this world from beyond the gate, using that faith as a guide.

That was the nature of the miracle that allowed a monster of the highest rank, transcending the hierarchy, to manifest in the body of a Meister [a skilled magic user].

The essence of the religious group that best used human sacrifice throughout the old and current worlds.

‘I believed that the promised time would come, but at the same time, I didn’t believe it.’

Kashuin muttered blankly.

‘Even if it was just a word to comfort us, I thought that was enough.’

The moment Kashuin, who had been hanging his head, slowly raised his gaze, red light flashed from beyond his helmet.

‘But looking at you, I think that your promise was not just an empty one.’

‘Your god did not fail, nor was he abandoned by you. He has simply forgotten.’

Lenox, adjusting his iron mask, smiled.

‘The moment the world cycled and causality ended, everything was undone, so who would remember a promise?’

‘No, I remember it!!’

Kagagak…!!

With the feeling that the end of the glaive had become heavier, the shields and ice barriers that had blocked the two were torn apart at a frantic pace.

Wham!!

At the same time as the ice barriers and shield fragments were completely shattered, Lenox and Kashuin’s figures disappeared from the spot.

Kashuin, who traced the trajectory of dark red flames each time he swung his glaive, and Lenox, who drew the water of the lake and fired it as ice magic, clashed almost simultaneously.

Kukwakwakwa!!!

The calm surface of the lake surged like waves, and with Lenox’s gesture, it froze and turned into a wave of cold.

Kashuin’s body, flying through the sharply rising ice fragments, became a streak of fire and pierced through the barrier of cold from the front.

Each time the jade flames, which made even breathing difficult, enveloped the space, the shattered ice fragments swirled.

[Ice White Pillar: Angular Glare]

[Bay River Snow White: Group White]

Each time the shockwave struck the lake, pillars of ice that had frozen in place rose at a speed close to the speed of sound.

The cold that spread from the end of the shattered fragments rotated in place, scattering white frost like snow.

The red and white lights mixed chaotically in all directions, transcending matter and intersecting in the realm of thought.

As they continued their attacks, the lines of cold and jade flames, thinned to the extreme, enveloped and surged across the entire lake, then expanded explosively, filling the space.

‘I remember it. I believed in your promise and rested on the ridge of optimism!!’

Kashuin, screaming madly, constantly clung to Lenox.

‘…You deserved to suffer.’

The heat erupting from the top of his head flowed down Kashuin’s eye sockets.

A bizarre and eerie sight, as even Kashuin’s own eyes could not withstand the heat and slowly melted.

‘It was fortunate to be cursed. Even if it’s close to a remnant that crumbles and rolls like dust at the end of oblivion, I…!!’

Kashuin shouted madly, staring intently at Lenox with his melting eyes.

Crackle…!!!

Kashuin twisted his glaive, peeled off the collapsing ice barrier, and muttered as he burrowed through the exploding ice fragments.

‘I…’

In Kashuin’s voice, shouting madly, intoxicated by the excitement of the fight, there was an inescapable sorrow beyond madness.

The realm of ascension that he had failed to reach even after killing tens of thousands and drinking their blood.

The true self that had ultimately failed, and the appearance of the third world that he could never know.

The miserable truth that he, a fragment of soul and memory, was facing all of this.

Even if he tried to indulge in blood and slaughter, he could not escape the harsh reality that was difficult to accept and hard to understand.

Lenox quietly watched Kashuin’s figure, then reached into his arms and whispered.

‘I will let you meet your god.’

Kiiing…!!

At the same time, Kashuin’s scream stopped abruptly as he faced the light of the Archangel’s Compassion shining from Lenox’s arms.

The helmet made of dark red fluid flowed down, revealing the young man’s face with his eyes wide open.

His reaction, as if he had frozen in place the moment he heard Lenox’s words.

But Lenox was not surprised by Kashuin’s reaction and silently gathered his magic power and rotated it.

A transcendent who stood at the peak of the heavens in the old world.

A failed god who was worshiped by the archangels and left them in endless longing.

And in this world, a being who became the master of the Demon Hall, serving the outer gods.

It was clear that the failed god Kashuin was talking about was someone Lenox knew.

The reason why he felt longing when he saw Lenox.

The reason why the artifacts of the Archangel Series resonated and responded at the same time.

All those fragments of miracles and connections were pointing towards the main sanctuary of the distant cult.

As if he had realized that Lenox’s words were true, Kashuin stood still, unable to do anything, in that fleeting moment.

Crack!!

An ice stake that rose from his feet pierced Kashuin’s shoulder.

Immediately after, sharp thorns that extended from the ice stake quickly pierced Kashuin’s body and froze him relentlessly.

Crack!!

The ice crystals that had been scattering near his temples exploded, blowing away half of his head.

Numerous sharp ice pillars that rose from under the surface of the water pierced Kashuin’s back, arms, and legs dozens of times, impaling him on the wall like a skewer.

‘Hoo…!!’

Kashuin’s breath stopped for a moment due to the overwhelming cold and the barrage of impact that froze even his thoughts.

Even though he was forcibly using the body of a corpse that was no longer breathing, his body could not withstand it.

‘Not yet, it’s still not enough…!!’

But he, as if he had been waiting for this, laughed madly and began to burn his body by drawing out the remaining magic power.

‘If you don’t prove that your words are true…!!!’

A pair of wings that had been convulsing behind Kashuin’s back wrapped around his body, turning into a burning flame and melting the dark red fluid.

The fluid that covered the surface of the water spread in all directions, turning into a catalyst for the flames, and painting the surroundings with hellish heat.

At the moment when the jade flames flowing from the archangel’s body were about to burn the entire space.

The staff, the Archangel’s Compassion, flew like lightning, piercing Kashuin’s side exactly.

It slammed his body into the lake wall like a stake.

Thud!!

‘Cough…!!’

‘Time’s up. You know that, right?’

Lenox, who had thrown the Archangel’s Compassion, which he had been holding in reverse, and accurately struck Kashuin’s body, said.

‘Your body cannot fully contain your rank. The more you wield and burn it, the harder it was for you to endure from the beginning.’

Kashuin was merely a possessed body, a spirit that had manifested in Harvest’s body.

However, it was natural that he could not fully contain his overflowing power and rank in the body of a Meister.

Of course, Harvest was also a magic user with outstanding talent and potential as a Meister.

But what had descended into his body was a monster who had held the seat of an archangel and reigned as a top-tier power in the old world.

He could not use his mind, his microcosm, or his original system of spells.

All Kashuin could do was forcibly change Harvest’s magic power into his own nature, and wield that sticky jade flame with his martial arts.

The conditions themselves were endlessly disadvantageous to Kashuin.

From the beginning, Hermes had intended to summon and use Kashuin only for the purpose of buying time.

‘Whether you have earned the right to challenge ascension or not, it’s the same.’

Lenox said, gripping the Archangel’s Compassion that he had stabbed into his side.

‘Everyone has only gained a brief reprieve. Not knowing that fact means that you also did not understand the meaning of ascension.’

‘…I’m not interested in meaning.’

Kashuin, who had been silent, answered with difficulty.

‘I don’t want to know. I’m just… waiting.’

‘…….’

‘If you really… let me… meet… my god…’

Kashuin’s breath, exhaling softly, froze coldly.

At the same time as he slowly lowered his head, frost formed between his cheeks and eyes, and his breathing stopped.

At the same time as the focus disappeared from Kashuin’s eyes, the Archangel’s Compassion that had pierced his body glowed red.

A strange phenomenon, as if dark red light mixed and blended with the rainbow-colored jewel at the end of the staff.

Kashuin’s spirit, having realized that Lenox’s proposal was not a lie, was leaving Harvest’s body and merging into the Archangel’s Compassion.

If a true archangel’s spirit were to dwell in the Archangel Series, in what direction would the artifact’s power extend?

He wanted to test it right away, but there was not much time.

Behind Lenox, who was slowly pulling out the Archangel’s Compassion, a slightly stiff voice echoed.

‘To so easily corner and suppress an archangel of the old world…’

‘…….’

‘You are a much more dangerous being than I thought.’

Even while Lenox and Kashuin were clashing, Hermes had not died and had been watching the battle until the end.

Hermes’s head, half frozen and the other half burned, leaving only bones, stared at Lenox in a grotesque state.

He had not died even after his head was cut off, but he could not withstand the aftermath of the power wielded by the two transcendents.

Perhaps it was because he could no longer endure with half of his head burned away.

His calm voice also became faint, as if it were about to break, and he whispered as if he were about to fall asleep.

‘I wanted to summon a spirit that I could communicate with… but after all, unless it’s a being with an incredibly strong ego, from beyond the gate…’

‘They wouldn’t be in a state to hear your words and respond from beyond the gate.’

Lenox said, grabbing Hermes’s head with one hand and lifting it up.

‘You’re not wrong. In the end, it’s hard to leave any trace in this world without going mad. I think so too.’

Hermes smiled faintly at those words.

‘It’s a pity… I wanted to talk a little more… I’m done here.’

His gaze, with only one eyeball remaining, turned towards the shape of the gate shining behind Lenox.

‘The archangel bought enough time, and now… the gate is closing…’

‘…….’

As he said, the huge ring of light that Hermes had opened was slowly fading and contracting.

From the moment he summoned Kashuin, had Hermes acknowledged that the first attempt was a failure and waited for the gate to close while buying time?

That was probably because Hermes was also wary of Lenox using the ascension gate directly.

‘The next dialogue, I hope it will be in a place where we both long for…’

‘No.’

Lenox, who had let go of Hermes’s head, which was about to close its eyes with a satisfied look, muttered.

Thud!!

Hermes’s head rolled on the floor, scattering blood.

Lenox, ignoring his gaze that had been turned upside down, grabbed the closing huge ring of light with one hand.

Click!!

The moment Lenox took out a small chip from his arms and inserted it into the joint of the gate.

The shape of the closing gate was fixed in place and began to shine again.

Creak…!!!

‘…!!’

‘It hasn’t even started yet.’

Lenox said, gathering his magic power, at the moment when Hermes’s one frosty eye widened.

‘That, how did you get that authority…!!’

The program code that was stored in the form of a geas [a magical compulsion or oath] in Elaba Atermeyer’s mind.

He had kept it in the form of a chip, only recognizing that it was the authority to open something specific, but Lenox knew that the time would come when he would have to use it.

If it was an information body forcibly stored in the mind of the designer of the ascension gate, his descendant, he thought that he would inevitably face this moment while unraveling the secrets of the machine city.

And that guess was not wrong.

The gateway created after the failure of the ascension gate, to observe and study the fragments of the old world.

What existed in Elaba’s mind was the program code that held the authority to open it.

Hermes, who had been glaring at Lenox with a stiff expression, soon laughed lowly.

‘…But, just opening the gate won’t do anything. Reopening the gate without prior work and adjustment, all you can do is…’

‘What can I do?’

Lenox gathered his magic power and lifted his body into the air.

Lenox, who had placed one foot on the edge of the huge ring of light, turned to look at the speechless Hermes and smiled.

‘You’ll find out when you go over there yourself.’