Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 927

Lenok stated definitively that the Guido’s Order had unleashed their minions to invade Etanok the moment the ritual began.

Kyolbaek, who had been hesitant, clenched his spear so hard it seemed about to break, and muttered,

“I can’t believe it. For the Order to launch an attack of this scale in a satellite city not far from Balkan…”

“Oshuto’s death is also likely related to this situation. They pierced his head in one shot without anyone even noticing.”

“…”

“We need to warn the attendees of the meeting. You have to go deliver this information.”

Lenok, the master of the Eight Trigrams Formation [a complex system of divination and cosmology], had to stay here until the ritual was over, and Peisha was a half-fledged superhuman bound by restrictions.

Kyolbaek was the only one who could move freely here.

At least, if he could inform the organizers about the situation here, others would be able to prepare.

Kyolbaek understood Lenok’s words and nodded with a firm expression.

“…Understood. I will return as quickly as possible.”

Whoosh!

The moment Kyolbaek, holding his spear, took a few steps, his figure flickered and disappeared.

Listening to the sounds of Peisha rampaging on the runway, Lenok reached out and checked Oshuto’s pulse.

‘It’s no use.’

Instant death the moment his brainstem was pierced.

All bodily functions had ceased, to the point where there was no possibility of revival.

It hadn’t been long since he died, so blood was still flowing, but soon his whole body would stiffen and rigor mortis would set in.

However, Lenok was not concerned about Oshuto’s death for that reason.

“The skill to kill the occupant of a mechanical spider without leaving any marks, without anyone noticing…”

A strange death, as if an invisible gun had been held to his head and the trigger pulled.

More than anything, the coin-sized hole in Oshuto’s forehead made Lenok consider one possibility.

Could the one who killed the Meister [master craftsman] of Duris Workshop be the magic gunner Lenok knew?

But even after thinking that far, Lenok couldn’t be sure and stepped back.

‘…I don’t know.’

If it was the Commander, killing someone like this wouldn’t be difficult.

But the Commander Lenok knew was not the type to act this way.

Moreover, the Commander had even adjusted his magic gunner talent to elevate it to a miracle akin to ‘Authority’ [a power that transcends normal abilities].

But how well did Lenok know the Commander to say he wouldn’t choose such a method?

Even now, he was just thinking about what Lenok would have done and comparing it.

Even while thinking it wasn’t him, he couldn’t shake off the suspicion.

The immediate action he could take was to inform the other attendees and prevent further casualties.

Thump!

Lenok closed the eyes of the dead Oshuto, covered the cockpit of the mechanical spider, and reached into his pocket.

He pulled out a sleek sniper rifle and quickly climbed to the rooftop of the control tower.

[Screeeech!!]

Without looking back at the flesh monsters rushing towards Etanok, he raised his rifle.

The direction of the barrel was not towards the monsters rampaging near the airport, but towards the groups rushing in from outside the city.

Click!

Since Peisha would take care of the monsters that had entered the airport facility, Lenok’s job was to reduce the number of monsters approaching the city through long-range support fire.

The Eye of Providence on the scope lens surveyed a radius of thousands of meters from where he sat, capturing everything that moved.

Immediately after, it selected only the monsters that were not human and reset the targets automatically.

Kiiiiing!!!

He channeled his magic power and chanted support magic at the same time.

[Aim Correction: Level 6]

[Trajectory Guidance: Level 4]

[Designated Fire: Level 4]

[Trigger Acceleration: Level 2]

[Impact Enhancement: Level 4]

……

[Large-Caliber Ammunition Loaded]

Overlapping chants of dozens of support magic spells on the smooth barrel of the rifle.

At the same time, the Eye of Providence, acting as the scope lens, began to rotate violently.

Kkkkkkkk!!!

The moment the pure white glowing eye simultaneously captured and aimed at hundreds of flesh monsters rushing from outside the city.

Lenok pulled the trigger, and a dazzling light erupted from the rifle’s muzzle.

Creation-type Unique Magic: Alchemy Application

Multiple Synthesis

[Iron-Potassium Heavy Strike]

[Myriad Demon Bullets]

Ta-a-a-a-ang!!!

The sound of the gunshot, a mixture of gunpowder and magic, was just once.

But countless fragments of magic power, splitting and scattering in the air, spread out beyond the satellite city, piercing the monsters.

They burst the flesh monsters’ bodies like balloons on the spot, spilling their contents onto the desert.

Fububububung!!!!

The boundary line of the city outskirts leading out of the runway was stained with a sea of blood.

The acrid smell of blood rising from afar, and the unpleasant, hot air that had not yet cooled.

But Lenok didn’t stop there, he channeled his magic power again and aimed the rifle once more.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Each time he pulled the trigger, the unpleasant presence felt from the city outskirts disappeared in clumps, and only the smell of blood grew stronger.

Lenok, who had been kneeling on the control tower and watching through the scope, was lost in thought as he looked at the city.

‘They’re just heading towards the center of the city, not trying to invade in a specific direction. The situation must be similar elsewhere.’

Given that the flesh monsters’ destination was presumed to be the ritual site in the center of Etanok, it was clear that the Anathema’s manifestation ritual was the trigger for this anomaly.

It was highly likely that similar things were happening in the other seven directional axes of the formation.

But it wasn’t just the existence of these bizarre flesh monsters that caught Lenok’s attention.

“Hey, Kyonrye!!”

At that moment, Peisha’s sharp shout erupted from below the control tower.

A spearman, covered in red blood, glared at Lenok with gleaming eyes.

“What the hell are you doing!!!”

“I’ll explain,” Lenok replied, lowering his rifle and jumping down from the control tower.

Click!

Lenok discarded the magazine, took out a magazine filled with armor-piercing rounds from his pocket, and reloaded the rifle, saying,

“An external force intervened during the manifestation ritual. It seems to be the result of human sacrifice-”

“Why did you kill all the bugs I was going to kill!!”

“…Was it you?”

Peisha’s face, glaring at Lenok while breathing heavily, seemed to have already entered an excited state and was not in her right mind.

Come to think of it, this was probably the first time she had killed someone with her own hands since she was captured as a prisoner by Oliviera.

Considering Peisha’s fierce nature and abilities, it was only natural that she was now searching for something to kill.

But Lenok ignored Peisha’s protest and quickly explained the situation.

“Oshuto Duris is dead. Someone made a move as soon as the ritual started.”

“Ah, the old geezer who was trying to leech off you?”

Peisha chuckled, breathing heavily.

“He’s impatient. I thought I’d deal with him later, but did you kill him already?”

“I didn’t kill him.”

Lenok shook his head.

“Someone knew that the Order would intervene as soon as the ritual started. Knowing that, they took advantage of the chaos and killed Oshuto.”

“So, you did it.”

“You’re impossible to reason with.”

Lenok, giving up on persuading her, looked back at the axis of the Later Heaven Eight Trigrams Formation where the ritual was taking place.

Faaaat!!

The pillar of light extending into the night sky bent and poured down onto the ritual site.

A waterfall of light that was much more intense than when the ritual first began.

“The ritual will end soon. Now, the Anathema’s body will manifest on the altar of the ritual site.”

Lenok said, observing the progress of the ritual with his eyes closed.

“The problem is that more of the attendees of the meeting could die in the meantime. Those who aren’t as strong in combat as Oshuto might be the target.”

“Why is that a problem? What does it matter if the traitors who participated in the meeting die?”

Peisha gave a sinister smile.

“I’d rather they all die here. You, the commander of the Cavahim Knights, and the 7th captain of Cybrid Echo. It would be refreshing if those unlucky bastards disappeared.”

“I’m not particularly worried about the safety of the other attendees either. The problem is that those leading this situation are likely the Order.”

Lenok replied.

“If the Order kills more level 8 extreme ability users or secures their bodies, things will get troublesome. They are experts at turning superhuman bodies into forbidden weapons.”

But even after hearing Lenok’s words, Peisha wore a nonchalant expression.

“The Order is just a bunch of fanatics who believe in outer gods. These monsters are meaningless.”

“That’s probably true. The important thing isn’t the Order’s power, but the fact that the Order intervened.”

Lenok said.

“The fact that they launched an attack at the same time as the ritual started is proof that they knew about the content and purpose of the meeting. There must be an informant among the attendees.”

“Oh, that’s an interesting story.”

Only then did Peisha’s eyes gleam with intense murderous intent.

“Among the traitors gathered in Balkan, there must be someone who sold their soul to the outer sea?”

“I sent Claude Azlan to the ritual site. He will inform them of the situation and that there is an informant.”

“No, what are you talking about? If things are like this, isn’t it obvious that there’s an informant on the organizer’s side?”

Peisha, perhaps having regained her reason after talking with Lenok, raised a seemingly reasonable question.

“If they knew the content of the meeting and betrayed us, it wouldn’t be possible without prior notice of the information.”

The spear blade, dripping with blood, pointed alternately at Lenok and herself.

“You and I, who heard about the barrier for the first time today, and Duris, who just died. Except for those dumbasses who were spacing out, it’s obviously that bastard Slane who’s the culprit.”

“…”

“Or maybe even the Thunder of the Gisu Shrine, or the former commander of the Knights. I think that would be even better?”

For Peisha, who seemed to have a considerable grudge against Kiriya, it was a welcome assumption.

But even after hearing Peisha’s words, Lenok shook his head.

“I can’t be sure if Slane and the other organizers of the meeting are in league with the Order. There are too many things that can’t be explained with that premise alone.”

“What?”

“If the organizers wanted to kill level 8 ability users by colluding with the Order, they would have had plenty of time to prepare. Why would they prepare only this much force when they should have brought even high-ranking apostles?”

“…”

“The circumstances surrounding Oshuto Duris’s murder are also suspicious. If the Order had the ability to kill Oshuto secretly, there would be no reason to release monsters like this to divert attention.”

The flesh monsters that attacked the satellite city were indeed numerous, but each individual was not as powerful as a high-ranking superhuman.

Even Peisha, whose hierarchy was broken, was able to massacre the flesh monsters, so while they were troublesome, it was hard to consider them dangerous opponents.

Moreover, the fact that Lenok immediately noticed that Oshuto Duris was killed without anyone knowing, despite having the ability to do so, was incomprehensible.

There were too many aspects that could not be clearly explained by just one reason or situation.

“Damn it, really… This is giving me a headache.”

Peisha, who ruffled her disheveled hair with her blood-soaked hands, asked,

“So, what are you trying to say?”

“The Order’s intervention is a trigger to divert attention. The assassination of level 8s, including Oshuto, is a personal deviation by someone who predicted this chaos.”

Lenok’s eyes shone sharply.

“The culprits of these two incidents are different people. Two different forces are vying for power in the satellite city. And their goal is-”

Whoosh!

At that moment, the pillar of light that had been glowing in the night sky faded and disappeared in an instant.

The manifestation ritual using the Later Heaven Eight Trigrams Formation was completely over, and a huge presence exploded from the center of Etanok.

The moment Peisha realized that it meant the manifestation of someone who had not existed until now and twisted her lips.

Lenok raised the muzzle of his rifle and said,

“It must be the existence of the Anathema itself that manifested through the ritual. We need to go check on the Anathema’s safety right now.”

* * *

Whoosh!

A hot wind mixed with the smell of blood blew across the streets.

The pure white sand was stained with dark red blood and became sticky, and the corpses of the bizarrely dead flesh monsters formed mountains.

[Screeeech!!]

[Screech, screech…!!]

Du-du-du-du!!!

More than thousands of flesh monsters were pouring into the city near the ritual site.

Their numbers were so great that they filled every corner of the street, and they even burst their bodies while pushing and fighting each other.

Unlike Lenok and Peisha, it seemed that other areas had not been able to completely block the invasion of the flesh monsters.

Tap!

Lenok, who had climbed onto a nearby building to avoid the monsters rampaging on the ground, turned around, leaning on his staff.

“If Azlan understood my words, he would be waiting in the best position to witness the Anathema’s manifestation.”

“Since the ritual is over anyway, everyone will rush to see the Anathema.”

Peisha said with a cold smile, adjusting her spear.

“I’ll just shove a spear blade down their throats and ask who recited the Order’s doctrine. It’s not a difficult task.”

“You can’t even start a fight first because of Oliviera’s restraints, but you sure talk big.”

“…!!”

“There are other problems we need to worry about more than that.”

Lenok said, ignoring Peisha, who had uttered an incomprehensible curse.

His eyes, looking at the city buried in sand near the ritual site, sank coldly.

“The others must have noticed the attack on Etanok, but there are almost no presences felt near the ritual site.”

“…”

“There must be a reason why they can’t return immediately even though they know about the anomaly. They might still be fighting the flesh monsters, but in the worst case-”

“They might have already thrown away all pretense and be killing each other.”

Thud!

Someone, interrupting Lenok’s words, slowly walked out from the rooftop of a building on the opposite side of the city.

A red-haired man carrying a huge greatsword. He wore an old mask that covered his eyes, and whistled with his sparsely bearded mouth.

Each time he moved, the bells embedded between the blades of the greatsword shook, making a clear sound.

“I think that possibility is much more likely.”

“…”

Instead of answering, Lenok silently looked at something being dragged by his hand.

The form of a giant baby that didn’t seem human. It was covered in blood and no longer showed any signs of life.

The moment he realized it was the corpse of the black magician Tillion, the man noticed Lenok’s gaze and shrugged.

“Ah, this? I saw it on the way and killed it. The way it talked was a bit annoying.”

“…”

“It resisted while convulsing, so I thought maybe, but it’s not the real body after all.”

The man, who had dragged Tillion’s corpse all the way here, threw it away.

“I don’t know what method he used, but it’s obviously a substitute. I feel like he’s always up to something shady every time I meet him.”

“Are you planning to interfere with the manifestation?”

“You’re a young one, and you’re not using honorifics. What do you keep asking when you know?”

The man grinned.

“From the moment Slane started spouting nonsense about mimicking the barrier, I knew that at least half of them wouldn’t agree.”

“…”

“Since the game is already messed up, what’s wrong with me trying to mold it as I please?”

He had been holding back because of the atmosphere of the meeting, but was he part of a force that didn’t agree with the plan from the start?

Since not everyone who gathered at the meeting was of a moderate disposition, it might have been a planned conflict.

As the man said that, he raised the greatsword he had been carrying on his shoulder, and the bells attached to the blade shook.

Chiring, chiring…!!

Following the sound of the bells, strange spirits of unknown form gathered under the shadow of the greatsword.

Even Lenok, who had faced countless military spirits in the Military Spirit City, couldn’t recognize the origin of the resentment.

“Hey, get out of the way, you’re in the way.”

The moment Lenok narrowed his eyes and channeled his magic power, Peisha clicked her tongue and stepped forward, holding her spear.

“He’s obviously not smart enough to side with the Order. I’ll take care of him.”

“…I’m so grateful I could cry.”

Lenok laughed at Peisha’s completely unexpected offer.

“I never even imagined you would try to help me at this point.”

“That’s an Executioner.”

Peisha muttered, ignoring Lenok’s words.

She tilted her head, channeling her magic power with difficulty while holding her spear.

“It’s a term for low-quality executioners, a nasty ability to use the ones they killed as their subordinates.”

“…”

“It’s difficult to inflict meaningful damage unless it’s my ancestral spirit, so you go down to the ritual site and check on the Anathema’s condition.”

Peisha glanced at the ritual site and said.

“If that stiff-necked noble is finally crawling out, he’ll be the most useful in dealing with the Order.”

Although she had never shown it before, it seemed that Peisha also knew Armas von Anathema.

Well, she was also a participant in the civil war, so she couldn’t have been unaware of Anathema.

However, Peisha’s assertion that Anathema would be the most helpful against the Order was quite interesting.

Among the abilities and talents of the nobles of Ars Nova, was there a talent that was in direct opposition to the Order?

If so, it was also true that the Order’s goal was likely the Anathema’s manifestation itself.

“…Understood.”

Lenok, having quickly made his decision, nodded and turned around.

“It’s okay if you die while fighting him. I give you permission.”

“Screw you.”

Leaving Peisha’s curse-filled reply behind, Lenok immediately headed towards the ritual site.

The remains of monsters were scattered haphazardly on all sides of the slope leading to the ritual site.

Was it just his imagination that the scene strangely overlapped with the scene of human sacrifice engraved on the walls of the slope?

When he reached the end of the slope and turned his head, he saw the scene of the ritual site where bizarre stone statues were gathered.

A pure white light was falling into the ritual site, where the ceiling was wide open, creating a magnificent sight.

Goooooo…!!!

And the altar located in the center of the ritual site.

In the center of the beautifully felt light, someone was curled up and sleeping, like a baby in a cradle.

“…”

A young man with blue scales all over his body.

His face, curled up on the altar with his eyes closed, felt more peaceful than anything else.

“…That’s.”

A bizarre appearance that seemed to have taken and mixed only the characteristics of a dragon and a human.

But his presence was more neat and clean than anything else, as if he were looking at a clear puddle of water.

The cool, refreshing feeling felt from his soul was so clear that it felt somewhat out of place.

“Kyonrye. You’re late.”

Slane was looking at the blue-scaled human curled up on the altar.

Lenok, having confirmed that Kyolbaek was not in the ritual site, channeled his magic power and was about to say something.

Slane raised his hand to interrupt Lenok’s words.

“Nothing.”

“…”

“Don’t say anything.”

Slane said, not taking his eyes off the light falling on the altar.

“Just watch this moment.”

“…”

“The sight of Anathema manifesting for the seventh time in this world.”

The noble of Ars Nova. A transcendent dragon mage who reached level 8. A hero of the civil war.

The Six Heavenly Calamities who manifested in this world for the seventh time, surpassing six manifestations.

Armas von Anathema opened his eyes.