Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 984

“State your affiliation and name, mage.”

Thud!!

Lenok was dragged out of the old truck, amidst a gruesome scene of blood and corpses.

A woman, having twisted Lenok’s hands behind his back and secured them with a thick chain, spoke.

“If you’re a disciple from a magic tower, you’ll be worth a ransom. I’ll contact your master to confirm your identity and negotiate a price for you.”

“……”

However, Lenok only stared blankly at the woman, offering no response.

As the woman’s expression twisted in annoyance, a grim-faced man standing next to her pointed the barrel of his shotgun.

Click!!

“Can’t you hear me? You don’t think you’re still alive for some other reason, do you?”

“No. I can talk as much as you want.”

Lenok smiled.

“I just have one question.”

“……What is it?”

“If I go with you, will I be able to reach the first gate?”

Lenok, knowing how treacherous the Central Front was, had no intention of blaming Angel for the plan going awry from the start.

As things stood, the plan to blend in with smugglers and head to the gate was bound to fail.

Since things had turned out this way, a new alternative was needed.

If it would be easier to go along with this gang of robbers who were trying to squeeze every penny out of Lenok as a hostage, there was no reason to resist at this point.

With his hands bound by chains behind his back, Lenok calmly spoke, surrounded by dozens of superhumans.

“I have personal reasons for going to the gate. If you can take me there, I will cooperate as much as possible.”

“……”

“I’d also like to hear what rumors are circulating in the Central area. If you have good information about the gate, I’m willing to pay.”

“Payment, you say.”

“Yubia. Now is not the time to be doing this-”

“Marlen. Just wait.”

Marlen, a young man wielding a bone saw, tried to stop the woman called Yubia, but she didn’t stop.

She crossed her arms and stared at Lenok before smirking.

“It seems you’re not completely clueless about the situation. If we can talk, there’s room for negotiation.”

“……”

“I’ll let you say one more thing. Tell me what kind of payment you can offer.”

Yubia said, running the barrel of her revolver under Lenok’s chin.

“Your next answer will determine whether you spend your time in our house or in the junkyard.”

“Captain Yubia…!!”

At that moment, a man who had been standing awkwardly behind them spoke hastily.

“H-Headrow’s warlord is coming this way. It seems they’re in a battle with the gate search party…!!”

“What?”

Dudududu!!!

At that moment, a tank unit appeared on the horizon, kicking up a cloud of dust as they sped towards them.

Blood vessels and organs were stuck and wriggling between the rusted barrels and caterpillars.

The tanks, as if alive, writhed their barrels and spewed out a purple liquid.

Knights on heavy mechanical bikes were chasing after the tanks.

The tank unit covered in blood vessels was Headrow’s warlord. The knights on mechanical bikes must be the gate search party.

Ironically, the direction in which the two forces were colliding was right in the middle of the wasteland where Lenok and the gang were facing off.

“Captain, hurry!!!”

“Start the engine. We’re taking this mage and running away!!”

Forgetting the conversation from just moments ago, Yubia roughly grabbed Lenok by the collar.

Although they were a fairly established raiding group, they didn’t want to get caught in the crossfire between Headrow’s warlord and the gate search party.

“Come on. If you hesitate, I’ll just kill you here-!!”

“Did you say Headrow’s warlord and the gate search party?”

However, even with Yubia’s hand gripping his collar, Lenok was looking at the tanks and search party rapidly approaching from afar.

“That’s good. If it’s the gate search party, I can ask them for directions.”

Lenok slowly tilted his head and muttered, turning his gaze.

“Then I just have to eliminate everyone except the search party.”

“What the hell are you-?!!”

Yubia, about to slap Lenok’s cheek while cursing, suddenly felt something missing below her hand and looked down.

The hand that had been gripping Lenok’s collar just moments ago was gone from the wrist down.

Chiiik!!

The severed surface of the wrist was completely charred, so mangled that not even blood was coming out.

“Everyone, get back now!!!”

Yubia, who had been staring blankly at her wrist, shouted roughly, and the grim-faced man standing next to her with a shotgun reacted immediately.

Click!!

The moment he turned the shotgun barrel without hesitation and pulled the trigger towards Lenok’s head.

Whoosh!!

The head of the man holding the shotgun disappeared.

A bizarre evaporation that seemed to have erased everything that existed above his neck.

Only the charred marks on the surface proved that ultra-high heat had passed through that spot.

“C-Crazy…”

“You made a good call even after losing your wrist. Your subordinates are quick-witted too.”

Yubia, who had been watching the scene with a distorted expression, turned her stiff neck at Lenok’s voice coming from below.

Lenok, who had already freed himself from the thick chains binding his arms, was slowly loosening his body while looking at the robbers surrounding him.

“You’re quite calm for a bunch of raiders. Are all the outlaws in the Central area like this?”

“You, could it be…”

“You asked for my affiliation and name earlier.”

Lenok said, looking at the robbers who were distorted as if they were frightened or couldn’t believe the situation.

“My name is Evan Martinez.”

The very name they had been saying he wasn’t, flowed from Lenok’s mouth at that moment.

Marlen, who had been holding the bone saw, rushed towards Lenok at an incredible speed.

Kwaaaang!!

At the same time as Marlen swung his arm with all his might, the cargo truck split vertically, and the cargo hold exploded.

Through the gap, dozens of superhumans rushed towards Lenok.

“Uwaaaaak!!!”

They turned their bewilderment and doubt about the unexpected situation into anger, pouring it out on the mage in front of them.

They had to kill this man to survive here. Dozens of them shared that unfounded conviction at the same time, swinging their weapons as if they were screaming.

However, among the robbers rushing to kill Lenok as if to crush him, burning heat rays flashed like flickering lights from all directions.

Pyrokinesis Unique Magic

[Redshift(赤色偏移)] [This refers to the change in wavelength of light due to the Doppler effect, often associated with heat and fire in this context.]

[Spectra(分光)] [This refers to the separation of light into its component colors, implying a precise and controlled application of heat.]

Puhbuhbuhbuhng!!

The heat rays, split into dozens of strands, rotated and caressed the superhumans’ bodies, causing them to evaporate.

“Kkyaaaak!!”

“My arm, my arm is gone!!”

They burned and cut off body parts, cauterizing the severed surfaces at the same time.

Even the superhumans who had wandered the battlefield for a long time, screamed and collapsed, their eyes rolling back from the excruciating pain that pierced their brains.

“N-No!! I can’t do it!!”

“I’m going to stop here. I’ll stop, so please, spare me!!”

Marlen, with his bone saw, fell in front of Lenok among his collapsing and gasping comrades.

A breakthrough that changed direction and speed a dozen times in the air, twisting his body like a flash of light to penetrate the gap.

However, the bone saw, which should have pierced and stabbed the vital points sharply, was blocked by the hard metal armguard attached to Lenok’s arm.

Kaaaang!!

Marlen, glaring at Lenok through the scattering sparks, grinned.

“The smuggler who was spouting nonsense in the truck earlier. I should have killed you more painfully.”

“Is that so?”

“If you hadn’t interfered, saying that I wasn’t Thousandfold, it wouldn’t have happened. I knew my eyes weren’t wrong.”

An exterior made by gathering several metal pipes like an exhaust pipe.

The pyrokinesis-only combustion array device that Evan had previously obtained as his exclusive weapon.

Chiiik!

The intense steam that spewed out from the exhaust pipe instantly poured over Marlen’s shoulder, charring his flesh.

“…!!!”

Marlen’s expression twisted like a demon from the pain of his arm burning.

Lenok, who had burned and cleared away the corpse of a fallen robber under his feet, smiled as he watched.

“You endure well. Is it because you’re a power user who uses your own bones as weapons?”

“You…”

Marlen said, panting.

“The rumors… were lies…”

“I don’t know what rumors you heard about me, but the events in Vulcan were not a lie.”

Lenok replied, glancing up.

“I fought for the Blue Eye and lost. I don’t care what stories came out in the process. But…”

Lenok, reaching his hand towards the sky, gave a cold smile.

“Was the Thousandfold you heard about, a good person who even spared the vermin who picked a fight with him?”

“…Eeeek!!”

Marlen, holding a bone knife in his left hand, scattered blood from his right shoulder as he rushed towards Lenok.

At the same time, Yubia, who had jumped up from among the corpses, transformed into a werewolf and let out a ferocious roar.

The moment Marlen and Yubia, who had rushed from both sides, were about to sink their knives and teeth into Lenok’s back and neck.

“Combustion Armament Summon.”

A huge metal pillar fell from the sky, pushing the two of them away.

Kuuung!!!

The shape of a huge metal pillar with complex formulas and characters densely engraved on it.

Its rotating form, with an ignition device embedded in the front, was like a flamethrower without a nozzle.

At the moment when Marlen and Yubia’s steps faltered from the fall of a weight that easily exceeded hundreds of kilograms.

Lenok, who had grabbed the ignition device without hesitation, muttered.

“Start ignition.”

Kiiiiiing!!!

At the same time as Lenok recited the start-up phrase, the front of the ignition device opened and began to deploy.

A crimson barrier magic circle spread out around the ignition device, covering the surroundings with hot flames.

Hwarururuk!!!

The curtain of flames rotated, evaporating the bone saw and spreading over the young man’s arm.

He should have bitten into the muscles and flesh, and stabbed the blade into the blood vessels.

But the moment he tried to move his body, he couldn’t feel anything.

A void as if he had lost control of his body the moment he tried to attack.

Each time he met Lenok’s hand, which was holding flames, as if clapping, parts of his body evaporated and disappeared.

Hwaruk!!

“Kuaaaaak!!”

Yubia, her face scorched, tumbled across the ground, while Marlen, his skin seared, knelt, struggling to stay upright.

The intense heatwave violently pushed them back, and in an instant, the corpses beneath their feet were reduced to ashes.

Hwaaaak!!

As the hazy mist cleared with the heatwave, the wasteland landscape stretched out before Lenok’s eyes.

“Waaaaaaaah!!!!”

[In the name of God…!!]

“Summon the Four Divine Shikigami [Spirits]. Advance!!”

The priests of the Order chanted prayers and performed rituals, while the sorcerers countered by advancing their shikigami.

On a hill made of human bones, a fortress that appeared to be an advance base flickered with lights.

Below, an army in neat rows advanced at a rapid pace, their rough shouts echoing across the field.

“All troops, advance!!”

Pshewww!

Traces of missiles streaked across the sky, dozens overlapping, and pillars of fire ceaselessly erupted on the ground.

Everywhere Lenok looked, blood and death flowed from all directions.

Even without entering the gate area, a battlefield close to hell was unfolding simultaneously in all directions.

Even for Lenok, who had been through countless battlefields, this was a fierce melee he had rarely witnessed.

‘Is this the true face of the Central Front, known as the largest battlefield on the continent?’

Lenok, who had been observing the battles unfolding in all directions with an intrigued expression, soon turned his body around, holding the ignition device.

It wasn’t that he no longer wanted to observe the horrors of the Central Front, but there were still things he had to do.

In the distance, a bizarre-shaped tank unit was approaching, scattering dust, and behind them, a search party was in pursuit.

They, who had been faintly visible beyond the horizon, were now right in front of him.

At a glance, it was clear that the tank unit, known as the Headrow Warlords, was not a group that could be reasoned with.

If he wanted to ask for guidance, it would be enough to keep the search party alive here.

Cheeeeeeek!!

Each time he activated the ignition device, heat was emitted from the vents on his left arm, regulating his body temperature.

A weaponized formula of flame magic created by combining the barrier arts of Jintun [a type of magic].

The diffusion and amplification that flame magic takes as its unique characteristics are compressed to the extreme in the barrier magic circle engraved on the ignition device.

Combustion Zone Property Change

Flame Shaping Alchemical Explosives

[Barrage Armament No. 88: Falling Flame Flight]

[Blazing Projectile Loading]

[Flame Orb Piercing Star]

The resulting barrage was so vast in firepower and scale that it could be called a one-man army.

Manipulating the absorption and release of heat simultaneously, the moment he slammed the combustion armament into the ground.

[Volcanic Eruption]

Kuoohhhhhh!!!

A massive volcano erupted from behind Lenok, spewing hot flames.

* * *

[Ulurik. It’s on the right!!]

The moment the tank’s cannon, with its throbbing veins, turned towards him, he cranked the bike’s handlebars with all his might.

The vehicle changed direction on the spot, tilted, and rapidly slowed down.

Kwaaaang!!

A purple magic bullet exploded in front of the bike, raising a pillar of eerie magical power.

“Damn it…!!”

Ulurik, of the 12th Cavalry Regiment of the Gate Search Battalion under the Central City of Ars Nova, gritted his teeth as he adjusted his helmet.

He had managed to dodge the shell, but if there had been no warning, he might have been too late.

If he were hit by even one of those eerie magic bullets fired by the cursed warlords, it wouldn’t be strange if he turned into a ghoul or a vengeful spirit on the spot.

“Vigor. This is bad. They’re trying to escape the battlefield!!”

[Those remnants of the fallen warlords are such a nuisance…!!]

Leaving Ulurik, who had fallen with his bike, behind, the other members of the search party rushed out to follow the retreating tank.

They roughly pulled the throttle of their mechanical warhorses, and with one hand, they aimed their gunblades, a fusion of sword and gun.

Ta-a-a-ang!!

The moment the bullets fired by the search party hit the tank, the blood vessels that wrapped around the tank’s surface burst, dripping purple blood.

The massive tank shuddered and convulsed as if it felt pain the moment it was hit by the bullets.

[Ooooooh!!!]

But even in the midst of that, the cursed tank unit ignored the search party and focused only on escaping the battlefield.

Ulurik, who had hurriedly righted his bike, watched the scene and raised his communicator.

“We can’t let them get near the gate. We have to stop them here!!”

[I know…!!]

The Headrow Warlords were one of the very special forces that met a unique end among the large organizations located on the Central Front.

The warlords, who had been defeated in the war with the Dead Rise and had been torn apart by various forces, were now virtually extinct.

However, the generals of the Headrow Warlords, driven to the edge of the cliff, had become corrupted by dabbling in forbidden rituals,

and all the warlords under their command had been completely mentally contaminated, becoming a single massive collective.

Not only the soldiers and officers, but also the war machines they handled were roaming the battlefield like living creatures, focused on killing humans.

Now, the Headrow Warlords were no longer classified as a force on the Central Front, but as cursed monsters to be exterminated.

However, even the remnants of such warlords were difficult for the gate search party, which protected the Central Front, to stop with their current strength.

‘The search party’s strength has become too weak…!!’

The Central City, which had enjoyed brilliant prosperity, had collapsed, and its legacy and honor were being taken over by forces one by one.

The gate search party, which should have been protecting the first gate, was now acutely aware of its lack of strength and was relying on the power of other forces, including the Order Alliance.

Even in the midst of the chaotic chase, the moment Ulurik swallowed his saliva and bit his lip.

A huge fireball that fell from the sky landed on the tank ahead.

Kwaaaang!!!

The flames, glowing like a small sun, rotated in place, crushing and burning the tank’s hatch.

A terrible roar, as if crushing and burning the tank on the spot.

[Kkkkkkkkk…!!!]

A scream, as if something was dying, echoed from inside the tank.

“What…?!!”

Ulurik, startled by the unexpected bombardment, paused for a moment.

Then, dozens of fireballs fell from the sky, crushing the warlords’ cursed tanks.

Kugwagwagwagwa!!!!

Across the dry sky, where there were no clouds, a red meteor shower fell like rain, setting the ground ablaze.

Each time a fireball fell and exploded, a crimson pillar of fire rose in reverse, completely burning the struck tank on the spot.

[Kkkkkkkkk!!]

The remaining tank unit desperately resisted, trying to turn their cannons to intercept the falling meteor shower.

However, someone riding on the blood-veined tanks began to burn the convulsing tanks without exception.

[All troops, stop. It’s not an ally!!]

[High-level pyrokinesis. Or estimated to be a flame mage of Saint-rank or higher!]

Ignoring the noisy search party’s communication network, Ulurik stopped his bike and stared blankly at the burning battlefield.

Because he was slightly behind the other search party members, the scenery of the battlefield was clearer to his eyes than to his comrades.

A man holding a huge lighter like a weapon was flying over the cursed tanks, setting off flames.

With red flames swirling and spewing like wings behind him, he broke through the tanks at an incredible speed.

Each time he swung the ignition device in his hand, the flames that erupted burned everything around him, wiping out the tank unit.

Kugwagwagwa!!!!

The remnants of the Headrow Warlords exploded helplessly, simultaneously aware of the meteor shower falling from the sky and the existence of the young man rampaging on the ground.

[Kkeueooooooo!!!]

The lid of a tank, unable to withstand the heat, burst open, and a gray, deformed monster thrashed inside.

It screamed horribly as if trying to curse the owner of this tragedy, but even that scream was burned away in the breath of the flames.

Hwarurururuk!!!

Only then did the search party members realize that the mage who was massacring the tank unit was a powerhouse beyond imagination, and they held their breath.

[No way. Is the Flame Lord of the Blaver Magic Tower participating?!]

[No. This isn’t the firepower of a Flame Lord. It’s similar to the power that the Witch of Barrage unleashes using her formulaic armament.]

[Tatiana Chiglet is no longer affiliated with the Magic Tower. In the first place, she-]

At that moment, the young man, who had raised a metal pillar on top of a tank that had collapsed in flames, slammed it down at an incredible speed.

Kwaaaang!!

He folded the six-pronged flame wings behind him and unleashed a powerful wave of heat beneath his feet.

That alone burned away all the cursed thoughts that lingered inside the tank, purifying the entire battlefield.

“……”

Everyone held their breath as they looked up at the young man, who had lowered his head while leaning on the metal pillar.

The appearance of a powerhouse who had crushed all the cursed tanks, numbering in the dozens, in less than five minutes.

Every member here knew that if they were to displease him, they too could end up like those tanks.

“Hoo……”

He exhaled softly, constantly emitting heat and flames through the vents on his left arm.

It seemed as if he was forcibly regulating his body temperature using the vents.

Clank!

The young man, who had closed the front of the ignition device, stood up and looked down at the search party.

“……”

The young man, who had been staring at the search party, shouldered the ignition device and walked down from the tank.

“If you’re the gate search party, you probably know the way back to the first gate.”

The young man, who had descended while handling the heavy metal device as if it were a feather, asked.

“Is this enough to guide me to the gate?”

“……Before that, may we ask about your identity?”

Each of them, mounted on their bikes, gripped their gunblades with tense expressions.

“Since the Blaver Magic Tower withdrew from the gate, we have never seen a flame mage like you in the Central Front.”

“……”

As Lenok stared at them, the hands of the search party members holding their weapons gradually tightened.

“If you are thinking of moving towards the gate again from the Magic Tower…”

“That’s an interesting answer. Is it better for the search party if the Alliance manages the gate rather than the Magic Tower?”

“……Yes?”

“The power structure and image of the Central Front seem to be quite different from what I thought.”

Lenok, who had casually reverse-summoned the ignition device, lightly dusted his hands and stood in front of the search party members.

“I’d like to hear an explanation about that while we’re going to the gate. Is that possible?”

“Ah, yes… that is…”

So, who exactly was the mage standing in front of them right now?

Lenok, reading the hesitant reactions of the search party members, smiled wryly and opened his mouth.

“I’m Evan Martinez.”

“E, Evan?!!”

The search party members were shocked and then began to look at each other, sweating profusely.

“The one who, if it were a thousand times, piled up criminals like firewood and burned them to save the lighthouse keeper…”

“There was a rumor that he was a taciturn man who didn’t say a word except when killing people.”

“Wasn’t he the secret weapon that the Thousand Eyes left behind for the future lighthouse keeper?”

“……This isn’t the place to discuss such nonsense.”

Lenok, with a bewildered expression, touched his forehead and pointed his finger at the search party members.

“Let’s talk while we move. I’d also like to hear where those rumors came from.”