Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 900

Whooooosh!!!

A dry wind blows.

Evaporating in the heat, torn apart by lightning, and vanishing into empty space.

Ruins where countless buildings have collapsed and crumbled.

Renok landed on the ground behind the giant snake that had crashed headfirst into the ruins.

Thud!!

The snake’s body was so enormous that just being near it completely obscured the battlefield.

Even Renok’s figure was briefly hidden from the sight of others.

“…….”

He didn’t even glance back at the thought form of Pyunram, tongue lolling and eyes rolled back, as he moved.

Leaning against a collapsed concrete wall, he silently rummaged through his pockets with trembling hands.

Click!

Only after taking out a cigarette, lighting it, and taking a drag did he finally breathe properly.

“Hoo…….”

Cold sweat trickled down Renok’s face as he exhaled a soft plume of smoke.

Even the back of his hand holding the cigarette was drenched in sweat.

Renok, head drooping weakly, was lost in thought.

‘Half a success… I guess.’

The sudden manifestation of Pyunram’s thought form in reality.

The anomaly of an Ascendant’s consciousness, which had become a [Gate] of the Outer Sea and vanished, descending into reality.

The Self-Resonant Domain, Myriad Fragrant Flowers of Heaven (天花萬里香), borrows the mysteries of barrier magic to define the range and increase the power of the domain, but it is vulnerable to external shocks.

Moreover, since the domain was not yet fully completed, the moment Pyunram’s thought form attacked the domain, it was on the verge of collapsing.

At that point, Renok realized that it was impossible to finish the battle as planned and changed direction.

A move that could obscure the eyes of everyone watching the fight, but conversely, could make the result itself acceptable.

The impenetrable fortress that had shown nothing, and the powerful lightning that was expected to be prepared.

Decisively, a trump card with transcendent power that could annihilate Pyunram’s thought form in one go.

That was why Renok used the incantation of Thunder Rampage (雷濫) as a medium to bring out the most powerful fragment of possibility at this place.

Self-Resonant Domain, Eight-Linked Thunder Logic Dome (八連雷理穹).

Instead of fully deploying the domain of lightning that even Renok himself could not control, he forcibly pulled only a part of it into reality.

What descended into reality according to his will was only a fragment of the vast sea of lightning, a part of the mental image contained within it.

But with just that, the lightning that had spread across the entire battlefield gathered and transformed into a new concept.

Pyunram’s thought form, which had manifested from beyond the crack in the Outer Sea, lost all will and vanished.

And Renok was slowly losing consciousness at this place.

“…….”

His whole body was tingling, and his senses were fading.

The blood circulating through his veins was solidifying, and his metabolism was slowing down.

Thump, thump.

Renok’s expression was stiff as he loosened his collar with numb fingertips and tore at the seams.

He couldn’t make a mistake. Without Davi, if he messed up the order now, it would be irreversible.

A small, finger-sized ampoule hidden under his collar.

Pressing the button, he immediately plunged the needle that popped out into his heart.

Click.

A high-level mage’s stimulant made by combining elixirs, panaceas, all sorts of potions, and medicines.

It was something that could make even the heart of a dead corpse beat again for a few minutes.

The moment he pushed the ampoule in, a cough burst out as if a blocked throat had been cleared.

“Cough, cough!!”

At the same time, as if all the senses in his body were belatedly awakening, sounds became clear and his vision cleared.

The stinging pain running over his skin. Goosebumps that made his hair stand on end.

All the sensations of his body heating up and sweat pouring down were finally fully felt.

“Cough, haa……!!”

Renok, who had been coughing incessantly, tilted his head back with a wry smile.

“It’s still a long way to go…….”

The first and strongest Self-Resonant Domain that Renok had obtained.

A sea of lightning that had grown with Renok and infinitely expanded its potential.

But now, just pulling a fragment of it into reality was eating away at Renok and trying to kill him.

He had tried to see if he could control it now, but all that came back was a backlash that even Renok, who had transcended his rank, found difficult to handle.

“…….”

Fssssss……!!

In front of Renok, who had collapsed weakly, Pyunram’s thought form turned into a handful of ashes and vanished.

Its massive body, scales, and the black mud clinging to its entire body disappeared without a trace.

Because it was a power that did not originally exist in this world, the moment it lost its will and power, it did not leave any matter in reality.

As Renok blankly watched the thought form’s body disappear, the focus slowly returned to his eyes.

“……Right.”

Even with a makeshift method of pulling only a fragment of the domain, a part of the mental image, into reality, it was like this.

The moment he fully deployed the domain, Renok himself would not be able to avoid a backlash comparable to death.

But, precisely because of that, Renok could be certain at this place.

The possibility of Renok, who had annihilated Pyunram’s thought form, definitely reached beyond that.

Renok’s most powerful and dangerous domain was definitely-

Boom!!!

At that moment, the thought form’s massive body exploded entirely, clearing the surrounding scenery.

The black, distorted particles scattered and dissolved into the air as if washed away.

In front of Renok, who staggered to his feet, he saw someone slumped like a puppet with its strings cut.

“……No way.”

Renok, realizing that it was a manifestation of Evan that had lost control at the same time as he unleashed the Eight-Linked Thunder Logic Dome, smiled bitterly.

[Alright, that’s enough.]

Charrrrrrrr!!!

Waves of countless metals rose, instantly separating Renok and the manifestation.

On top of the giant metal wall that had surged up as if splitting the earth, a lean man with a metal sphere for a head stood with his hands behind his back.

[The victory has already been decided, there’s no reason to cause more casualties.]

Olinic, the Ironclad, smiled as he raised a gloved hand as if offering it.

[Impenetrable Fortress. It is your victory. By the authority of the City Government, I recognize this result and shall we end it here?]

* * *

Pandaemonium. A simulated consciousness space constructed using Agilon’s thoughts as material.

Below a dark hollow, dozens of screens were spread out, and between them were a dozen or so chairs.

However, none of the members who were seated spoke first.

“…….”

The full bloom of the Self-Resonant Domain, Myriad Fragrant Flowers of Heaven.

The intrusion of a thought form that had fallen and gone mad.

And finally, the cluster of light that appeared and resolved the chaotic battlefield in one go.

A fleeting moment where the cloudy sky opened, and the split sky met again, a paradox coexisting.

Something that could not even be perceived descended and annihilated the thought form.

The dawn and dusk.

A moment when the light of dawn and sunset mingled in the sky at the same time.

Even though they were watching from beyond the screen, all of them gathered here could not even grasp the afterimage of the mental image.

At the moment when they were all silently recalling the unidentified cluster of light that had been captured just before the surveillance camera broke down.

“That was a duel that will go down in Balkan’s history.”

Breaking the silence, the fur ball representing the doctor’s will wriggled and turned its gaze.

“It wasn’t the ending I expected, but I’d like to hear your opinions on this matter. Is that alright?”

“…….”

“Well, anyway, it’s a shame that Evan Martinez lost.”

At those words, the members belatedly looked at each other, and Ermong shrugged his shoulders exaggeratedly.

“Personally, I was rooting for that guy.”

“You were rooting for a Watcher mage? Why?”

“There’s no particular reason…”

Ermong gave an awkward smile at Soryu’s question.

“Maybe it’s because he’s a comrade who went through a very painful and arduous ordeal with me in the Infinite Sand Labyrinth.”

“…….”

“They say that the bond between those who have been through hard times together is particularly strong. Ahahaha!!”

“What nonsense are you spouting…”

The other members who didn’t understand his words and Freya cursed, and the doctor, who knew the situation, smiled.

Maiya ignored Ermong’s words as if she hadn’t heard them from the beginning.

Only then did the other members begin to exchange their thoughts on what they had been thinking while watching the battle.

“Although he lost, the output of Thousandfold was truly explosive. Just looking at the amount of magic power he drew out through the external magic core, he might have been the best in Balkan for a moment.”

“The alternative process using martial arts. There was definitely something to learn from that idea. Any mage with a proper eye would try to apply it to their own system at least once.”

“Since Thousandfold lost, the result of this fight might affect the Central as well.”

Daemus said as if he had suddenly thought of something.

“Evan Martinez is known to be a very powerful Watcher even within the Blue Eye. If such a big shot lost, the status of the Blue Eye might be shaken a little.”

“Same here. Conversely, if Impenetrable Fortress had lost, there might have been a significant change in the political situation of Balkan.”

The other members also naturally added their opinions to Daemus’s words.

“In the end, isn’t this discussion dependent on the lives of Impenetrable Fortress and Thousandfold?”

“If the fight had continued, we might have seen more of Thousandfold or Impenetrable Fortress’s true colors. It’s a shame.”

Soryu shook his head at Agneta’s words.

“He came here with the intention of fighting with all his might from the beginning and settling the matter. Even if the thought form hadn’t intruded, it wouldn’t have lasted long.”

“There were many disadvantages for Thousandfold. He must have been prepared for a short battle from the moment he deployed his domain first.”

“Rather, considering that mages of that rank fought with their lives on the line, the victory and defeat were decided too cleanly. That’s definitely-”

At Maiya’s addition, the other members fell silent for a moment.

In the strange silence that followed, Agneta turned her gaze.

“Victor, how was it for you?”

“…….”

“As a fellow manipulator, I’m curious what you were focusing on first.”

“That’s right, I’d like to hear Victor’s thoughts too.”

Ermong quickly agreed with Agneta’s words with a smiling face.

“I’m really curious how a specialist mage with a hatred for humans would evaluate this battle.”

“…….”

At those words, Victor lifted his obsidian mask, and Ermong slightly averted his gaze as if he had been burned.

The other members also thought that Victor’s opinion was valuable, so they waited for his answer.

Victor, who had his arms crossed and was buried in his chair, opened his mouth with a languid sigh.

“Well… it was all as I knew it from beginning to end, so I have nothing to say.”

“…You knew it all?”

“Rather, it was much more enjoyable to watch you primates react.”

“…….”

At Victor’s cynicism, Ermong and Freya looked at each other in bewilderment.

“It’s only natural that what you didn’t know takes precedence over what you do know. Ah, should I not have said that?”

“It seems you have something to say.”

At Maiya’s quiet retort, Victor finally closed his mouth.

He quietly looked at the other members, then slowly adjusted his posture.

He had a role to play in this place, and there was information he had to secretly gather.

If he had been imitating them appropriately until now, from now on, he had to say something that could definitely stimulate the emotions of these organisms.

Victor, having come to a conclusion, opened his mouth in a cold voice.

“Rather, I want to ask. What was the point of this conversation?”

“…What?”

“Even after seeing what was at the end of this fight, you’re avoiding mentioning it.”

Victor sneered.

“From the point of deliberately delaying the discussion, can a meaningful debate even be established? It’s a pointless question.”

“…….”

At that moment, all the other members of the Demonic Labyrinth fell silent.

The last technique of Impenetrable Fortress that had put an end to the fight that had shaken the entire Balkan.

The topic that had been dragging on even though Maiya had spoken first.

Everyone was properly aware that Victor was openly pointing it out.

But it was not because the members of the Demonic Labyrinth were afraid or uncomfortable with it.

Rather, it was because it was such an important topic that they were unconsciously wary of bringing it up and having other stories buried.

“It was a domain, right? That thing.”

It was Freya’s languid question that broke the silence.

She, who had been touching the ends of her hair as if recalling what had just happened after the screen had turned off, said.

“The Self-Resonant Domain that Impenetrable Fortress deployed. Weren’t you trying to see that just now and failed?”

“…….”

“That’s not wrong.”

Daemus gave a wry smile with his arms crossed.

“I don’t know if we can define the meaning of what we just saw with that one word.”

“Well, if I’m wrong, say it straight.”

“Freya, that’s not what I mean.”

Soryu said with a blank face at Freya’s outburst.

“Impenetrable Fortress has never officially deployed a domain even once until he reached that position.”

“…What?”

“The only time that is most likely to be presumed is the battle where he clashed with the 1st President of the Cartel.”

Hailea added an explanation to Soryu’s words.

“In other words, that battle just now… might be the first place where the Self-Resonant Domains of both Impenetrable Fortress and Thousandfold were observed.”

“…….”

“The problem is that even though we know that, the people gathered here failed to properly confirm that ability.”

Maiya opened her mouth, leaving Freya speechless.

“He used an ability so powerful that it instantly knocked down not only Thousandfold but also Pyunram’s thought form, and yet we can’t even guess its origin. This is a more important issue than we thought.”

“Are you saying that Impenetrable Fortress’s core mental image is something extremely dangerous that overwhelms even mages and transcendents of the same rank?”

“What we could see was at best only a prelude, but that’s why it’s even more so.”

The doctor nodded at Ermong’s words.

“Just the construction of the mental image caused the sky to split and space-time to be disrupted. This is not something that can be done with the concept of a domain alone. If I had to say, it’s the next-”

The doctor said that, then forcibly cut himself off as if deliberately omitting the words.

Because everyone knew what the doctor was trying to say even without saying the next part.

Beyond the Saintly Rank that completes the hierarchy, and beyond the ultimate that transcends the hierarchy.

The realm of those who have finally gained the qualification to challenge.

Agneta, who had been listening to the conversation blankly, tilted her head.

“Are you thinking that the great mage might have already obtained the qualification?”

“It’s just a story in the case of assuming the worst, but if so, there are parts of Impenetrable Fortress’s actions that make sense.”

The doctor explained.

“The reason why he doesn’t move easily in Balkan despite having such power and fame. The reason why he is building a magic tower and secluding himself under the pretext of injury instead of heading to the Central.”

“…….”

“If he has already found an answer that transcends all other gains and losses, wouldn’t that be an explainable thing?”

“That’s…”

“Of course, I’m not trying to confirm this inference here. Rather, I think the possibility itself might not be that high.”

The doctor added leisurely.

“If that man had already obtained the Ascendant’s realm, he wouldn’t have bothered to cooperate with Professor Bailon and share the research results of the magic tower.”

“…….”

“But even so… it’s clear that we need to dig into its origin at least once.”

At the doctor’s quiet words, Daemus turned his head.

“Doctor, then…”

What the doctor’s words meant after gathering the opinions from the consciousness space and coming to a conclusion.

There was no way Daemus wouldn’t have noticed.

The doctor slowly shook his head.

“Daemus, I still don’t like the name of that operation. It would be a total of barbaric actions that are far from what I aim for.”

“That’s not the kind of sentiment you’d expect from a scientist obsessed with human experimentation.”

Even at Soryu’s cold criticism, the doctor burst out laughing without caring.

“Ahaha!! That’s not wrong. What I want is not just to explore the origin of Impenetrable Fortress.”

“…….”

“Nevertheless, let’s confirm here that our goals can overlap for a while. Agneta, can you connect to the imaginary dimension and connect our consciousness?”

The doctor said that and immediately turned his gaze.

In the decision-making process of the Demonic Labyrinth, what is important is only whether it is a necessary task or not.

The risks and the safety of the members expected in the process are not even considered in the first place.

“There are people we need to give a heads-up to in order to gather the necessary members.”

The eyes buried between the fur balls flashed with clear intelligence.

“Impenetrable Fortress subjugation operation. We’ll start preparing as soon as the leader’s permission is granted.”