“Library?”
“Don’t misunderstand.” Aris responded quickly.
“Considering that Lennok won’t be able to continue any significant research within the University for a while, wouldn’t it be better to share theories with each other like we used to do at the library?”
“….”
Lennok silently turned his head to look at Aris’ profile.
Although Aris didn’t show any emotion, he had a rough idea of what her face next to her falling hair might look like.
He understood why she was making that suggestion.
She was probably concerned about Lennok getting entangled in unnecessary matters and getting tired.
However, he felt that Aris didn’t think too badly of the time they spent together at the library.
Not just Lennok, but Aris too seemed to have enjoyed the sunny atmosphere of the library.
Lennok nodded his head, smiling with an inexplicable sense of satisfaction.
***
Fwoosh!!
“Ah! Ahhh!!”
“It’s, it’s hot…!”
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”
Since acquiring fire magic from the Blaiver Tower, dealing with troublemakers who initiated fights without warning had become significantly more manageable.
Utilizing pyro-based tactics, the inherent flames attached themselves to nearby living beings fervently, making it especially effective against grouped adversaries. This reduced the number of issues Lennok needed to concentrate on.
“Fire magic is surprisingly useful in these situations…”
In all honesty, in one-on-one combat, fire magic couldn’t contend with lightning magic. Lightning magic excelled in terms of speed, high output, and firepower, with its potential exponentially increasing based on the user’s skill.
On the contrary, fire magic required a warm-up period to focus its firepower and scale. It was highly valuable for surpassing the caster’s natural abilities in terms of scale but didn’t particularly shine in single combat.
If Lennok hadn’t disguised himself as Byzen in the confrontation with the drug lord or young wizard of the Tower, these fights would have been less manageable.
Nevertheless, Lennok valued the large scale and warm-up system of fire magic. Collecting such magics and skillfully combining their attributes could greatly assist in establishing a new magic system.
With these thoughts in mind, Lennok traversed the filthy alleyways.
“Phew…”
Even while strolling through streets littered with refuse, Lennok maintained his composure. As he exhaled, his countenance gradually grew impassive, his mind focused, and an aura naturally emanated from him.
Considering the tasks he had to accomplish that day, he couldn’t afford to be distracted by trivial matters.
His coat billowed, briefly revealing the artifacts hanging within.
The mana recovery rate was satisfactory, and there were no issues with his manipulation skills. The sensory sphere perpetually shrouded the area dimly.
Although he likely wouldn’t need to employ them, Lennok walked slowly, conducting a final inspection of his equipment.
Click! Click!
Both the magazine and loading mechanisms were flawless.
The artifacts functioned seamlessly, and the five fingers of Enakphil and the compassion of the Archangel operated perfectly.
He had spent a considerable amount of time preparing for this day.
Considering the individual he was about to meet, there couldn’t be a single opening allowed.
While en route to the predetermined meeting spot, Lennok turned his head at the sudden sensation of someone’s presence behind him.
A life sign had abruptly materialized at this distance, yet there was nothing remaining in the street.
“….”
Even though he clearly sensed the presence and detected the magic, there was nothing visible. It was only after a moment had passed that Lennok realized it was a work of art formed purely from intangible magic, taking on the semblance of a person.
In the next moment, the human-like presence in front of him dissipated into a single sentence.
Understanding the meaning of the words, Lennok let out a hollow laugh.
“Hah…”
It was a surreal atmosphere that was difficult to believe or fully grasp, even when directly experiencing it.
Considering that Lennok’s magical perception detected no particular presence, it implied that someone was manipulating magic from several kilometers away to exert their influence on Lennok.
Irrespective of the vast amount of mana or the skill involved in its manipulation, achieving this would only be possible if one’s magical sensitivity had truly reached its limits.
With this level of magical sensitivity, an individual could likely sense magic from thousands of miles away as if it were an extension of their own body.
Lennok immediately changed his direction, following the path indicated by the magical energy for quite a while. Gradually, he felt an intangible pressure closing in on him.
Wooooo-
“……”
It was as if the gravitational force in the area had increased, an eerie phenomenon.
Could this pressure be emanating solely from their presence, devoid of any mana or domain involvement?
Lennok had only heard rumors of their reputation, but this was the first time he had encountered them in person.
As he entered a narrow alley and moved towards the source of the increasing pressure, the space suddenly expanded, revealing a sprawling junkyard.
Thousands of derelict cars were strewn about like discarded debris.
Beneath the moon in the dark night sky, rusted forklifts and container boxes were scattered in disarray.
Atop a heap of car carcasses, a man sat cross-legged, gazing down at Lennok.
“Nice to meet you.”
The man, who had been resting his chin on his hand, smiled softly.
“Is this the first time we’re meeting face to face?”
Dressed in a black shirt, slacks, and an impressive fur-lined coat, he exuded an air of tidiness despite his casually tousled hair.
His serene expression and gaze brought an air of tranquility to the chaotic junkyard, but the potent magical energy swirling around him was in stark contrast.
Even in comparison to Grisha, his mana was undeniably overwhelming.
Although Lennok had never seen his face before, a single glance was enough to confirm his identity.
Before him stood the leader of the most formidable mercenary group in the sprawling megacity Vulcan.
“I feel somewhat sorry for arranging our meeting like this.” Antares remarked as he slowly stood up.
His physique was more robust than anticipated, easily towering over 190cm in height.
“But you must have thought it would come to this as well, right?”
“Maybe.” replied Lennok, his tone tinged with melancholy.
“It’s quite different from the image I had in mind.”
When Lennok had heard about him from Dylan or Mila, he had envisioned a formidable warrior, but the reality was far from that.
For a mercenary, his enigmatic smile and gentle manner of speech were rather unusual.
“Hahaha!! Just as Dylan said. You’re a man with thick nerves; he wasn’t wrong.”
Antares chuckled and nodded behind Lennok.
“……”
A distance of several hundred meters separated them.
Lennok’s magical perception detected that leap in an instant.
Had Antares attacked from that angle first, even Lennok would have found it challenging to respond.
It was evident that the opponent was undoubtedly a formidable adversary.
“Well, it’s what it is. We should have wrapped this up sooner, but things got busy… my mistake.”
“What do you mean?”
“If I’d known you’d climb up this fast, I would have settled it cleanly the day Dylan told me.”
Thud!!
With a flick of his fingers, a resounding noise reverberated.
Antares relaxed his body with a simple turn of his neck before speaking.
“It means I have to find out who you are now.”
“It doesn’t matter either way.”
Lennok, too, retrieved a cigarette from his pocket and lit it as he turned his back.
As he inhaled the purplish smoke that billowed after igniting the flame, a markedly different energy surged within him, unlike anything before.
This was the first prototype, developed in parallel with alchemical research. Though not yet fully perfected, now was the ideal moment to test its capabilities.
“I’m also curious which side you’re on.”
“Hmm?”
If not for the tales he had heard from Dylan and Mila, Lennok might have dismissed Antares as merely a leader of mercenaries. However, there were implications that he had some connection to the Black Consumer Project outside the Vulcan.
Since discovering that Antares often distanced himself from his mercenary group, a single question had been lingering in Lennok’s mind.
“Antares.”
Whoosh!
Gazing down at Antares’s face, Lennok inquired,
“Are you, by any chance, affiliated with Pandemonium?”
There was no immediate response.
With a single step, Antares closed the distance and lightly clenched his fist, an almost imperceptible gesture.
Yet, that simple motion unleashed a surge of purple waves, causing the surrounding wreckage to leap into the air.
Kwoaaang!!
It was a surreal strike, as though it was shaking the very fabric of gravity itself.
However, Lennok also took a step back, summoning the lightning he held and propelling it into the sky.
In an instant, the atmosphere responded to his will. The darkened sky illuminated with a flash, and a bolt of lightning descended directly onto the scrapyard.
[Thunder Calling]
Kwoaaaaaaaaa!!
A massive display of firepower descended upon Antares, but by then, he had already moved away from the impact zone.
Lennok wasted no time, immediately harnessing his mana once more.
In a wizard’s battle, the key was not fixating on landing a direct hit. Particularly against adversaries who predominantly used firearms, it was about creating a scenario where there was no escape from the strike.
This was an area where Lennok’s confidence surpassed that of most others.
“Found you.”
In the presence of a potent magical response, searching for blind spots in one’s senses was futile.
That’s precisely why Antares would be strategizing to exploit any weaknesses in Lennok’s senses.
Sensing Antares from behind and diagonally, Lennok extended his arm and rotated his body.
Whooosh!
In an instant, he grasped the shotguns affixed to both his shoulders.
Simultaneously, he released the shrinking magic and activated shooting support magic.
In the blink of an eye, he completed all the processes, and his finger moved.
Kwoaaang!!
With a deafening roar, he discharged his weapon towards Antares, who was extending his arm in front of him.
Ratatatat!
As he fired, the shotgun pellets dispersed and homed in on the target.
However, the instant Antares tapped the air with his arm, everything reverted to null.
“Is it over?”
Thud!
As he unclenched his fist, fragmented bullet remnants fell from his hand.
“……”
He had encountered more than a few superhumans who were unlike ordinary humans, but it had been a long time since he had faced someone who performed extraordinary feats with such calmness.
This was likely proof that this man known as Antares had transcended the very boundaries Lennok had in mind.
A formidable individual beyond the norm.
A monster capable of single-handedly shifting the tides of battle.
Without a doubt, he was one of the rare warriors Lennok had encountered who warranted special attention.
“No.”
Lennok responded with a grin.
“The real game starts now.”
Lennok swiftly consumed more than five pills from his pocket, each designed as magical supplements and elixirs tailored specifically for this encounter. They were intended to enhance his mana and recovery.
As if draining every ounce of mana within his body, he channeled his accumulated mana directly into the ground.
Paaaaaaaaaa!!!
The Domain was activated.
Invisible waves radiated outward, enveloping the area and instantly transforming it into Lennok’s domain.
It was a 6th-level spell, typically reserved for military wizards, that altered the very nature of space to create an advantageous environment for the caster.
Antares, sensing the immediate expansion of the domain, smirked.
“As expected.”
The radius of this field extended a staggering 100 meters.
The fact that Lennok, who usually could only manipulate an area of several tens of meters, had activated a 200-meter battlefield area underscored the thoroughness of his preparations for this encounter.
Though taking such elixirs could provide an immediate boost to his mana, they would inevitably leave lingering after-effects for several days. Nevertheless, Lennok didn’t hesitate.
His opponent was unquestionably a high-ranking warrior of level 7 or higher.
In terms of physical prowess, Antares was clearly a monster pushing the boundaries of martial arts to their limits.
If he didn’t unleash his full power right from the start, it wouldn’t be surprising for the battle to conclude in an instant.
Kwaaaaaaaa!!!
Mana that surpassed Lennok’s known limits violently churned within the area. It wasn’t merely spreading mana centered around himself; he was manipulating and altering the very fabric of spatial magic.
However, Antares stood at the center of this maelstrom, observing his surroundings with admiration.
“It wouldn’t make sense if you couldn’t control a domain while playing with magic property changes so freely.”
“Huuuuuu…”
“However, achieving this level of control without perfecting the core techniques… You’re certainly one of the most talented people I’ve ever seen.”
With these words, Antares finally assumed his stance, his gaze fixed on Lennok.
He shifted his left foot slightly forward, pivoted his upper body, and lightly raised his right arm.
“So I must tie up the loose ends with you here and now.”
“Loose ends?”
Lennok replied with a smile.
The swirling magic surrounding him emitted a soft, azure glow in response to his gaze.
Huuuuuung!!
“How about you show me your skills first?”
[Reverse Gravity]
[Magnetic Control]
[Electronic Field]
With a mere thought, everything changed.
Magic amalgamated in space without being spread, taking form as a potent intent.
Whoooooooo!!
Hundreds of scrap metal pieces piled up in the junkyard lifted off the ground and began to swirl.
[Electric Storm Area]
Within the designated area, a frenzied, flickering electrical storm erupted upon being struck by the tempest of electricity.
Metal and electricity counteracted, giving rise to a formidable magnetic storm simultaneously.
Lennok, who had raised his arm, slowly lowered it, and the junk cars, charged with potent volts of electricity, began to plummet from the sky.
Dudududududu!!!
