At the base of an unnamed mountain in a volcanic region.
Shuuuuuuu…
“Damn it…!!”
Geonis, struggling to stand, clenched his teeth.
Was it a mistake to approach Van, believing he had dispatched Evelyn from the tower?
Not only did Van shoot down from beyond the tower’s defensive boundaries, but he also swiftly intercepted the fleeing White Lion.
He knew the archer was highly skilled, but he had greatly underestimated her true abilities.
Who could have imagined that an arrow’s trajectory could be manipulated so expertly?
Observing this, Thuran chuckled casually.
“Hehe… Calm down. The fight isn’t over yet.”
Blood trickled from his left shoulder, which rested against a nearby boulder, hanging lifelessly.
A precise shot from below the armpit, severing nerves and tendons in his left arm.
Evelyn had been deliberately depleting Thuran’s strength rather than targeting his life right from the beginning.
Her focus was chilling, her reasoning unaffected by avarice, cold and impartial.
The instincts of a born hunter were unmistakable, but displaying fear in this situation would serve no purpose.
Thuran’s eyes, now composed and sparkling, differed from before.
“We can’t hide our crash site, so if they’re not fools, they’ll track us down soon. We don’t have much time to talk.”
“…So, we have to kill those two to survive.”
“We’ve lost the elders of the council we kept as hostages, and we’re too far from the forge… The only thing to do now is that.”
Thump!
Thuran rose, supporting his hefty frame with his right arm, and secured his mane around his arm.
His left shoulder, swiftly wrapped, commenced a remarkable recovery.
The admiration for his regenerative abilities was fleeting as Thuran took the lead with his double-edged ax.
“I have a plan.”
“…What?”
“If you’re a level 7 Wizard, you should be able to create a Domain.”
The once hot air in the volcanic region suddenly turned chillingly cold.
Thuran, slowly heightening his senses and mana, remarked, “If they’ve overturned the situation we created, we’ll just have to lay down a new one in our favor.”
…
Koom!!
Thuran, after plunging his ax deep into the rocky ground, stood tall and gazed forward.
“Buy me some time. Get ready.”
Geonis, taken aback, peered at Thuran’s broad back.
He had only viewed him as a frenzied berserker, but Thuran was a seasoned warrior capable of rational thought even in dire circumstances.
Observing him, Geonis felt his own chaotic thoughts settling.
Regaining his composure, Geonis spoke with effort.
“If we start gathering mana, they’ll spot us immediately. We’ll need at least 2 minutes. Can you do it?”
“Damn it, that’s too long.”
In battles between superhumans, where a moment could determine the outcome, enduring even 40 seconds was a tremendously difficult and grueling task.
Thuran’s complaints were met with Geonis’s hollow laughter.
“Yes. Since even the realm of Domain wasn’t something I attained with my own hands… This time, I will seize it with my own strength.”
[You always talk big.]
Evelyn’s cold voice resonated from amidst the rocks, as if responding to him.
[Do you think that justifies feeding those mages to that murderer?]
Geonis, glancing over his shoulder at her, shouted urgently.
“They’re coming. Get ready!!”
“Huh!!”
As a glimmer of light flickered from the rubble, Thuran positioned himself in front of Geonis.
The gleam, landing precisely between the raised ax blades…
“…!!!”
Thuran’s countenance stiffened under the immense force.
The speed was nearly supersonic, the impact colossal.
But what truly astonished Thuran was the green radiance dispersing from the point of impact.
Evelyn Marcia, armed with just a single arrow, charged directly at Thuran.
Crack!!
Compared to Thuran’s massive double-edged ax, Evelyn’s lone arrow appeared insignificantly small. However, it spiraled through the air more than a dozen times, slipping beneath the ax blade and mercilessly cutting into Thuran’s shoulder.
Crack!
Aware that the arrow was targeting his already damaged left shoulder, Thuran deliberately exposed his arm to her.
As the arrow struck, he flexed his muscles to snap the shaft and propelled her backward with a kick.
Bang!
“Khhhh… You’re out of your mind.”
Thuran chuckled amidst the pain.
“Having such archery skills, yet you choose to come close instead of keeping distance, have you gone mad?”
Rather than responding, Evelyn retrieved a fresh arrow from her waistband and adopted her stance.
The consequences of using her mana to prevent the furnace explosion were substantial.
In addition, the amount of mana she had expended to shoot down and intercept Thuran as he fell was not insignificant.
For her, capable of close-quarters combat, it made more sense to lead from the front instead of recklessly wielding a bow with her dwindling magical reserves.
However, there was no need to disclose this information to the enemy, especially when the most competent wizard she knew was by her side.
“Van.”
“Listening.”
Click!
As Evelyn slightly increased the distance between them, Lennok, positioned among the rocks, readied his rifle.
Sniper Rifle Sightglass-992. The magic power, intensified to the maximum with shooting-assistance magic, enveloped the barrel, heating it up.
Bang!!
The muzzle flashed, sending the bullet spinning.
The bullet sliced through the air, leaving behind a dissipating trail of coldness.
Simultaneously, the mana contained within the bullet, synchronized with its rotation, activated another spell independent of Lennok’s will.
[Frost Creation Magic]
[Bullet Enchantment Binding]
[Cold Pact]
Whirring!!
Ordinarily, a 7th-level mage’s combat abilities did not undergo a dramatic transformation upon achieving that rank. Completing all seven stages of self-transformation primarily concerned the Domain. Tangible improvements were challenging to achieve without engaging in area-based combat.
However, for Lennok, whose magic had been applied in various ways, it was different.
Completing the hierarchy meant he could infuse a degree of freedom into the application and projection process.
The magic-infused shooting, previously limited to basic spells, expanded with Lennok’s comprehension of the formula.
It was a marvel to imbue a single bullet, no larger than a fingernail, with the essence of unique magic.
And now, a spell triggered in synchronization with the bullet’s rotation revealed itself right in front of Geonis.
Thuran, barely extending his hand, swatted the bullet with his right hand.
Crack…!!
Instantly, intense coldness erupted, freezing Thuran’s right hand.
A cold so severe it could freeze and rupture cells.
Even with a sturdy physique, enduring it for long was impossible.
Observing his frozen right hand, Thuran applied force to his arm, shattering the ice encasing it.
Even as the frigid muscles of his grip disintegrated, he paid no heed.
Instead, clutching the ax with his ruined hand, he began to laugh with unwavering confidence.
“Yes, this is the thrill of a fight.”
“…”
“Come at me, you cowardly pigs content with reality!!!”
As Thuran bellowed, Lennok and Evelyn sprang into action.
Evelyn swiftly withdrew three arrows from her waistband and thrust them into Thuran’s abdomen at close range.
Lennok, inhaling cigarette smoke hurriedly, continued to squeeze the trigger.
Not only did he fire bullets infused with coldness, but he also created expansive ice pathways following the bullets’ trajectory.
Evelyn utilized the ice as a platform, spinning and diving closer to Thuran.
Ratatatatata!!
Green flashes and white streaks bombarded like a relentless onslaught, intersecting one after another.
Evelyn maneuvered through this barrage, aiming to pierce Geonis’s skull.
“AAAAAAAAAH!!!”
A beastly struggle, blocking her with his bare body, thwarted her attempt.
Tatatatatatak!!
Not only did he fend off Evelyn’s dazzling assaults, but he also endured Lennok’s sniping aimed at Geonis with his bare flesh, transcending biological limits.
Driven by madness and instinct rather than logic and reason, he relentlessly withstood the unyielding assault.
Evelyn’s expression twisted slightly as she engaged in this extreme close-quarters combat, her focus solely on surviving the moment, without a second thought about the future.
In that moment, as she struggled to comprehend the desperate rationale behind his animalistic resistance, Geonis, who had been silently chanting behind Thuran, finally rose to his feet.
“I’ve kept you waiting.”
In his hand was a small booklet stained with a crimson hue. At first glance, it appeared to be some sort of ledger, densely inscribed with unfamiliar characters.
“I think I now understand what I truly want,” he said, roughly flipping through the booklet in his hand.
“The time of being trapped in the tower, clinging to a false reputation, is over. I will embrace even this detestable bondage with my own power…!!”
As he spoke, an immense surge of magical energy began to emanate from Geonis, who clutched the booklet.
Woooooong!!!
A colorless wave radiated from beneath his feet.
Hundreds of fissures spread among the massive stone slabs he stood on, and a dark red glow emanated from within them.
The tremendous pressure bearing down on his shoulders and the presence expanding even more extensively than before conveyed one undeniable fact.
The authority and privilege of a Level 7 Wizard.
A right finally seized despite the limitations of his left eye and confinement to the magic tower’s vicinity.
Paaaaaa!!!
As Geonis’s resounding voice reverberated, the colorless wave rapidly began to isolate the area from the outside.
Simultaneously, the volcanic region’s ground cracked open, and fierce flames surged upward.
Dozens of fire pillars connected the heavens and the earth within the delimited area, revolving endlessly.
Within the expansive cage formed by the interlocking flames, a one-eyed wizard, donning eyeglasses, held a small booklet as he gazed down upon his adversaries.
The Materialization of Inner Essence.
The Projection of Deepest Emotions.
[Red Compilation Bird Cage]
Kukukukuku!!
A scene that appeared to unveil the origins and betrayal of a wizard who had spent a lifetime imprisoned within the tower’s dominion.
However, Geonis exhibited no shame in revealing his innermost self.
He simply stood before Thuran, who was battered and bruised, supporting his wounded shoulder.
“Thuran. You’ve worked hard.”
Geonis, his eyes flashing a deep crimson, locked eyes with Evelyn and Lennok.
“To escape, one must first know how to fight. Now, I feel like I can face my master directly.”
“That’s good to hear,”
Thuran, positioned behind Geonis, chuckled.
“One should not leave regrets on their final journey.”
“…What?”
Geonis, belatedly comprehending Thuran’s words, turned his head just as Thuran, mouth agape, lunged forward and bit off the right side of Geonis’s head.
Crunch!
While Lennok and Evelyn were stunned by the unexpected betrayal,
Geonis, with half his visage missing, trembled his lips.
“Yo-you… Thur-an…!!”
Crack!
That marked the final utterance of Geonis Verbain.
Thuran proceeded to consume the remaining remnants of Geonis right then and there.
This was the true nature of Thuran, the carnivorous lion.
A murderer who regarded humans as nothing more than sustenance.
“Gulp…!! That was a satisfying meal after a long time.”
Thuran, having devoured an entire human in an instant, rose with a contented smile.
The wounds that once marred his body had vanished without a trace.
He lightly clapped his hands and grinned.
“I really enjoyed the meal.”
