Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 924

The Meeting (8)

Lenok appeared in the ritual site, immediately deploying a magic circle and standing above the others.

The attendees of the meeting frowned as they looked at the magic circle floating behind Lenok.

“Wait, why does that mage have the Eight Trigrams Formation?”

“Has he already taken one of the Eight Trigrams? This is troublesome.”

“Why did it have to go to him of all people?”

[……]

“Kyonroe. The decision to close the siege barrier at midnight wasn’t for convenience.”

Ollinic shook his head, and the giant baby floating in the air looked up at Lenok and spoke.

He must have arrived at the ritual site earlier, having overtaken the Thunder Bird.

“This measure was prepared by meticulously adjusting the time when the siege barrier’s efficiency and power reach their peak through the Earth Vein Method [a technique that manipulates the flow of energy in the earth].”

The black mage spoke to Lenok with a seemingly worried tone.

“Because you delayed the siege barrier’s time, the barrier’s power and efficiency have decreased by about 24%. How do you plan to take responsibility for this?”

“I think it would be better to ask that over there, not me.”

Lenok retorted, turning his gaze towards the blind man, Habek, standing far away.

“If the leader of the Corpse Sword Sect hadn’t picked a fight for no reason, I wouldn’t have been late, unlike that black mage who uses dirty tricks.”

“…….”

[Hmph.]

While others laughed or clicked their tongues at Lenok’s response, which provoked two extreme-level ability users at once with a single sentence, a cheerful voice was heard from behind.

“He’s an interesting fellow. Are you already picking your opponents before the meeting even starts?”

A woman wearing a thick metallic helmet, like a motorcycle helmet.

Her short leather jacket gave off a strong, wild vitality.

She looked back at Lenok, arms crossed, and nodded, appearing quite amused.

“There’s a reason why you’re called a bloodthirsty mage in the real world. You’re even more extreme than the rumors.”

“Rage.”

At that moment, a black-haired man who had been standing with his arms crossed and eyes closed at the center of the altar spoke.

The moment he opened his eyes, a clear red light emanated. The man spoke, his red eyes gleaming.

“If the rumors are true, there’s no reason to provoke that man. The priority here is to discuss the content of the meeting.”

“But this person doesn’t seem to want to fight right now either?”

The helmeted woman, called Rage, waved her hand and asked.

“The fact that he attended the meeting without killing anyone means he has at least a minimal willingness to cooperate.”

“…….”

The red-eyed man ignored her and closed his eyes again.

He seemed to have no desire to even respond to Rage’s words.

Lenok ignored their conversation and looked around the ritual site.

Familiar and unfamiliar faces were scattered throughout the vast ritual site.

The leader of the Spirit Bow Shrine, Chuknoe Ollinic.

The baby black mage he had encountered on the way, and the blind man of the Corpse Sword Sect, Habek.

Rage with the helmet and the red-eyed man.

Including the cold-looking silver-haired woman and those who had not yet stepped forward, the number of people gathered here was about ten.

Having assessed that much, Lenok immediately opened his mouth.

“There are too many people.”

“What?”

“Even with the influence of the Restriction Edict [a magical law that limits the power of superhumans], I don’t think this many level 8s would have been hiding throughout the entire megacity. Are there people who came from somewhere other than Vulcan?”

Lenok said, slowly drawing up his magic power.

Kugugung…!!!

With just a light thought to draw magic power, the demon-shaped statue Lenok was riding on began to move its arms and clasp them together.

It was a strange sight, as if the demon statue was making the hand seals for the incantation that Lenok should have been performing.

“……!!”

Lenok, noticing the expressions of some of the superhumans hardening, spoke.

“If a superhuman who doesn’t have enemies in Vulcan has joined the meeting, shouldn’t we filter them out here?”

“Not all extreme-level ability users bound by the Edict remained in Vulcan.”

The silver-haired woman with an icy expression opened her mouth.

She turned her gaze, which felt not just expressionless but even cruel, towards Lenok.

“The Edict is a restriction that only applies to the megacity. There are those who left the city after the civil war and made their nests elsewhere.”

“So?”

“Choosing the satellite city as a new stage was to call even those people to the meeting.”

The woman said with a cold gaze.

“Even with these measures, at least five candidates did not attend, so it cannot be said to be a wrong decision.”

“…….”

So many people decided to attend the meeting but didn’t even show their faces.

What was even more surprising was that neither the silver-haired woman who spoke those words nor anyone else refuted or questioned the fact.

He knew that there had been a very large-scale war during the civil war when Kaise was alive, but it seemed that the scale was much larger than Lenok had thought.

“In the first place, isn’t the representative of Oliviera that you brought also a superhuman who doesn’t have enemies in Vulcan?”

Her cold gaze turned towards Lenok’s back.

“The Deadrise abandoned Vulcan and left for the center, Bajur’s warlord. Now, it can’t be said that the warlord’s general, Guihee, belongs to Vulcan.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Kiriya Ubertz.”

Peisha retorted as if she had been waiting for it.

“I’m much more attached to this city than a knight who only talks about pride.”

“Your habit is still the same, Grisburn.”

The woman called Kiriya stared at Peisha with an expressionless face.

“I wonder if your skills, which were defeated by Antares, are still the same.”

“……I’m not worse than a knight commander who was abandoned by Kabahim. Would you like to test it out now?”

[Enough, enough.]

Ollinic raised his hand, seeing Peisha pick up her spear and walk in front of the statue.

Charrrrk!!

At the same time as the metal sphere rotated, a part of the metal that made up the altar rose and blocked Peisha’s path.

[Kiriya’s words are not wrong, Kyonroe. The situation is too complicated to make an issue of it, and it’s impossible to even distinguish it in the first place.]

“…….”

[In the first place, who among us truly thinks they are bound to this city? Or, do you think you really ‘belong’ to Vulcan?]

“That’s an interesting question, Chuknoe.”

Lenok sneered.

“At least in terms of trying to obscure the essence of the problem. Are you trying to play word games with me right now?”

[…….]

Lenok’s answer was nothing short of brutal.

It could be felt that the others who had been watching the situation were raising their thoughts one by one.

Sarak…!

From afar, Habek adjusted his sword hilt, and the red-eyed man slowly unfolded his arms.

Rage shrugged her shoulders and raised her hand as if to loosen the chin strap of her helmet, and the other superhumans who had not even introduced themselves moved as if they had no choice.

A hair-trigger situation where it seemed like an explosion was about to happen, surrounding Lenok.

But Lenok didn’t even bother to check the people surrounding him and raised his hand.

“Well, fine.”

Paat!!

The Eight Trigrams Formation, faintly glowing and slowly rotating above Lenok’s head.

Lenok slowly withdrew his magic power, seeing the other superhumans hesitate.

“Since I’ve obtained the magic circle, there’s no need to make the first move. I’ll listen to what you plan to say at the meeting first.”

“…….”

“In the first place, where is Armas von Anathema, who was said to be the instigator of the meeting? Has the noble aristocrat not even arrived at the scene yet?”

The people gathered at the meeting were all monsters with extraordinary spirit, but even so, Lenok could sense that Anathema was not present.

The necromancer, Oliviera, and Clarice mentioned and warned about Anathema, but they didn’t say anything about his appearance.

That was because the existence of Armas von Anathema was so unique and peculiar that one could be certain of his identity just by facing him.

But while there were many bizarre or strangely shaped beings here, there was no one who could give Lenok that certainty.

“I will explain that part now.”

The red-eyed man also seemed to agree with that, as he unfolded his arms and stood in front of the altar.

“As some of you may know, Anathema is a noble who was exiled from the central city. His name alone is proof of a promise and a knot of fate.”

“…….”

“But being exiled from Ars Nova does not simply mean physical exile.”

The man, looking down at the entire ritual site from the altar, said.

“The exile from the central city is a spiritual exile that encompasses the body and soul, a sentence closer to an ontological deprivation [a state of being deprived of one’s very existence], if you will.”

“Ontological deprivation?”

“It is a punishment that rejects and expels the body, soul, and very existence of all those who bear the name of Anathema from this world.”

The man said, looking at some of the puzzled attendees.

“Therefore, the body of Armas von Anathema does not exist in reality. Thus, we must summon his body into this world through a specific ritual.”

“…….”

“The Postnatal Eight Trigrams Formation deployed in Etanok is a preliminary step for Anathema’s manifestation, a process of dividing his eight innate abilities and helping his manifestation.”

The man’s explanation, which flowed like water, was not difficult to understand, but no one spoke first.

They were probably reflecting on what the man’s explanation meant for the meeting.

But as soon as Lenok heard the man’s explanation, he had a hunch about something.

‘The fact that the Commander manifested in Vulcan was not a coincidence.’

He didn’t understand why he had chosen the ritual site in Vulcan to manifest, but it was because the ritual site was prepared for Anathema’s manifestation in the first place.

Rather than the timing of the Commander’s manifestation coinciding by chance, it seemed clear that he had been aware of the situation here from the beginning and had taken action.

If so, wouldn’t it be more likely that the Commander’s goal was not another city or area in Vulcan, but this meeting itself?

While Lenok was lost in thought, the man continued to speak.

“Those who participate directly in the ritual with the magic circle will each receive one of Anathema’s innate abilities. To be precise, it is a process of stimulating and awakening the spirituality that uses the ability, a kind of reward prepared by Anathema.”

The man said, glancing down at Lenok.

“We were planning to decide at the meeting how to distribute the remaining abilities, except for the four participants who helped build the Postnatal Eight Trigrams Formation in advance, but I never expected that someone would already acquire the magic circle privately… Things have gone awry.”

“…….”

At the man’s words, the gazes of the other attendees naturally poured towards Lenok.

They all knew who he was referring to.

But Lenok was thinking about the facts he had learned through the man’s explanation, rather than the sharp gazes pouring towards him.

According to the man’s explanation, the recovery of thought through the Eight Trigrams Formation was not yet the effect of properly awakening the ability.

It was the same as saying that he could acquire another new innate ability as a reward after Anathema’s manifestation was complete.

The recovery of mental strength and thought, and the enhancement of energy, were merely secondary abilities obtained by simply possessing the magic circle.

It seemed that the others were also showing considerable interest in the keyword of Anathema’s innate ability.

“Eight innate abilities possessed by a noble of the central city… Just hearing those words is intriguing.”

At that moment, an old man standing not far from Lenok opened his mouth.

He was small and hunched over, but the aura emanating from his body was truly heavy.

Even though he was not a combat-type high-level ability user, the fact that he possessed such a spirit meant that the old man was also a being that transcended levels.

“Is it possible to hear an explanation of what kind of abilities exist in advance?”

“That’s impossible because it is only after the manifestation is complete that it is decided which ability will be granted.”

The red-eyed man shook his head.

“It is said that it is determined by one’s inherent aptitude or talent, so it is certain that it is not a matter that one can choose for oneself.”

“I see. That’s a shame…”

“Among those who attended the meeting, there will also be those who are more interested in this reward than the discussion of the meeting. I understand.”

The man said, nodding his head.

“So, I will give you time to decide who will share the axis of the magic circle before starting the ritual. I don’t care what means you use to reach an agreement.”

“…….”

The man’s declaration that he would condone any means.

It was only then that Lenok realized that the necromancer had seen the conflict between superhumans as a certainty at this meeting.

The fact that a noble of Ars Nova possessed eight innate abilities was surprising enough, but if such innate abilities were given as a gift simply for summoning his body into reality, wouldn’t there be anyone who would covet them?

From the moment that fact was announced, it was obvious that a fight would break out over the remaining magic circles.

The red-eyed man must have judged that an agreement was impossible without bloodshed from the beginning, and said that he wouldn’t stop it.

“It doesn’t matter if you take it by force. That’s quite a dangerous thing to say.”

“Are you saying it doesn’t matter if the satellite city is destroyed?”

As he said, the atmosphere inside the ritual site began to sharpen as soon as they heard the man’s explanation.

They had gathered under the pretext of a meeting, but most of the people who attended this place were monsters with absolute confidence in their abilities.

Moreover, it was a satellite city far away from Vulcan, where no one lived.

Perhaps it was a stage created from the beginning to run wild, assuming such conflict and infighting.

“Four helpers who have already obtained the magic circle. And one mage who acquired it without permission.”

The red-haired man wearing a mask looked at Lenok and grinned.

“If you got the magic circle by fighting with the Corpse Sword Sect, you’re not in a position to complain if someone else takes it from you.”

“This Eight Trigrams Formation. I heard that you can forcibly transfer ownership by killing the holder.”

Lenok pointed to the magic circle floating above his head and smiled.

“If you want, you can challenge me anytime. I’m also curious about the skills of the old monsters hiding under the Restriction Edict.”

“…….”

At Lenok’s words, which openly encouraged a challenge, the other attendees gave a cold smile.

“This siege barrier. It’s designed to withstand internal shocks rather than external attacks.”

“No matter how skilled you are in combat, I don’t think it’s confidence that a mage should show in such a confined space, do you?”

“Considering the time of the hearing, it should be normal for you to be struggling to even stand like that right now.”

“Well.”

At the same time as Lenok said that, the bizarre statues located in all directions of the ritual site began to move simultaneously.

Kugugugu…!!

The intense auras rising simultaneously from all directions collided, and the attendees who had no intention of participating in the battle naturally retreated.

Among the statues that had gathered in the center of the ritual site in an instant, Lenok smiled, leaning on his staff.

“Would you like to test it out yourself?”

“……!!”

A terrifying thought, heated up as if it would explode, was directed at a single mage.

But the atmosphere, which seemed as if it would rush towards Lenok at any moment, was immediately buried by the aura that walked out from the back of the ritual site.

Huuk!

A majestic spirit that shook the ground. A pure white robe and long white hair fluttered with each step.

From the mouth of the man who had landed on the back of the hands of the demon statue, which were clasped together as if making a hand seal, a deep voice spread.

“I can finally repay the debt of the closed area.”

A white-haired man with a relaxed impression, with his hands behind his back. A long spear shaft emitting a pale light was floating behind his back.

“If you plan to take away the privilege given to Ban Gong, you all have to go through me first.”

“……Azlan?”

Lenok frowned at the familiar back view, and the moment he unconsciously muttered the name.

Kyolbaek, Claude Azlan, turned to Lenok and gave a benevolent smile.

“The guardian of the Turyeon Gate, Claude Azlan. I will stand by your side at this meeting.”