“…So you were aiming for this from the very beginning.” Evelyn stated with a cold and piercing gaze fixed on Thuran.
“Pretending to sacrifice yourself and offer your body, you were waiting for Geonis to expand his domain of control, only to stab him in the back.”
“Well, yeah.”
Thuran responded with casual nonchalance, but his words were accompanied by a simmering anger, evident in the flames escaping between his teeth.
“Van, is it? If you had met that old man, you would know. We don’t need weak wizards who can’t even take care of themselves.”
“…….”
“For our purpose, we need outlaws who don’t hesitate to use any means necessary. The guy I just devoured was completely unsuitable in that regard.”
He chuckled disdainfully.
“Well, if there had been a chance of winning against you guys, I might have reconsidered… But things have turned out this way. What can I do?”
Whooosh!
As Thuran raised his double-edged ax, the fire that had transferred onto the handle instantaneously raced along the blade, igniting with an intense fury.
“I have to survive and get out of here alone.”
His form was awe-inspiring, as if he were hoisting a colossal flame wing with a single hand.
The surroundings allowed him to fully harness the abilities of the White Lion, who could utilize the mana he siphoned from others. The fact that Geonis’s Domain had not yet dissipated held significant meaning.
Creak!
Evelyn, blocking Lennok’s path and assuming a defensive stance, inquired with a stern countenance.
“Van, is that thing you mentioned earlier really possible?”
“…….”
“If the domain ownership really has transferred to that murderer, maybe we should reconsider our entire plan.”
Evelyn had foreseen that Lennok couldn’t immediately utilize the domain. If she couldn’t counter it with her own domain, and her mana was already depleted, there was little more to be said.
Thuran burst into raucous laughter upon witnessing Evelyn’s tense expression.
“Yeah, that’s it!! I wanted to see that face, terrified and cowering in fear!!!”
Following the direction of Thuran’s imposing hand, dozens of pillars of fire swirled from all directions, converging upon the space.
A prison of searing heat, resembling a hemisphere connecting sky and earth, moved as if it had a will of its own, relentlessly contracting the battleground.
An ability perfectly suited to Thuran, who had fully regained his vigor at this moment, even in the absence of the deceased Geonis.
“You guys, once I eat you and steal your mana, stealing the fire from the furnace won’t be hard. Hahaha, a wizard and an archer… I wonder what they taste like.”
Boom!
As Thuran swung his ax, the wings of flame adhering to the blade unfurled, tracing an immense crimson arc.
The space between Lennok and Evelyn was completely rent asunder, swept away by a colossal slash.
Kaboom!
“The talent you saw was only up to here, hahahaha!”
With nothing more than a breath and a gathering of strength, he drew in and dispersed the heat from the towering fire pillars encircling him.
From the moment the domain was activated, he could freely wield the fiery mana, which would typically require gradual growth in size and intensity.
As Thuran vaulted into the core of the domain with his double-edged ax, a gargantuan cage of fiery heat reverberated, revolving around the blade.
Whooosh!
Dozens of fire pillars twisted and converged into a single point, compressing to the utmost under the Lion Giant’s will, transforming into infernal flames.
[Jade Flame]
A jade-hued flame, ranking among the highest in the hierarchy of flames, descended like a droplet of water at the tip of the ax blade.
The presence of the Jade Flame within the domain swiftly desiccated all moisture in the surroundings, making it nearly impossible to draw a breath.
In the face of this flame, which voraciously devoured even the moisture within one’s body, human flesh would vaporize into a mere wisp of gas, bypassing the usual process of combustion.
Evelyn immediately clutched Lennok’s shoulder, attempting to shatter the domain through sheer force.
However, Lennok took a step forward and extended his hand toward the heavens.
“Van…!!!”
Ignoring her bewildered expression, Lennok manipulated his mana.
White Lion Thuran may have believed that he had completely absorbed Geonis’s powers by consuming him, but he was mistaken.
He couldn’t assimilate Geonis’s knowledge, even though his mana and domain still pulsed with vitality.
The underlying principles of Geonis Verbane’s unique fire magic, which he had contemplated and honed throughout his lifetime.
Without comprehending the creator’s concept of igniting a massive wave from a tiny spark, even the domain amounted to little more than an illusion.
Normally, the domain should have collapsed immediately upon Geonis’s death.
So, who was currently sustaining and controlling this domain?
The answer became apparent.
The jade-hued flame that descended from the sky gently settled into Lennok’s grasp.
“No…?”
Thuran’s expression briefly hardened at Lennok’s unexpected reaction.
The multitude of fire pillars that had converged around Thuran swiftly ensnared the colossal form of the Lion Giant and forcefully slammed it to the ground.
Koooom!!
“Uuuuuugh!!!”
Only then did Thuran, who had been spinning within the domain, realize that he was no longer in command and began to scream in panic.
“Damn it, this can’t be!! I devoured Geonis Verbane!! Why don’t I have the power that should be mine!!!”
“Did that fact mean a lot to you?”
Lennok, advancing toward the fallen Thuran, spoke with indifference.
“If the power you gained by merely killing one person is so easily dissipated and lost, it’s better to be remembered by someone who can inherit its meaning.”
The domain was sustained by the power of Geonis’s magic.
While Thuran, who had consumed Geonis and gained his power, possessed it within his body, it was Lennok who wielded true control over the fire magic.
Perhaps understanding the fire magic even more profoundly than Geonis himself, Lennok had been interfering with the domain since the moment of Geonis’s demise.
Using the residual fire magic within Thuran as a key, he had successfully taken charge of the domain.
White Lion Thuran may have believed that by devouring Geonis, he could command the domain created by him, but he had been mistaken.
Inadvertently, he had granted Lennok the opportunity to explore the possibility of interfering with another sorcerer’s domain.
However, instead of elaborating on these facts to Thuran, Lennok murmured to himself in quiet contemplation.
“The image of the flame I create next probably won’t be like this scene. This cage is too inefficient, crude, and desolate in appearance.”
Above Thuran’s head, Lennok slowly tilted the hand holding the Jade Flame.
Terrified, Thuran struggled in vain, for it was already too late.
The power Lennok wielded did not originate from within himself; rather, it stemmed from the residual mana that Geonis had left within Thuran’s body.
Even a formidable creature could not withstand the tumultuous mana raging within its own form.
In the end, the White Lion Thuran found himself ensnared by the very Gias and powers he had once created.
Thuran howled in despair as the Jade Flame, gradually revealing itself above his head, descended upon him.
“No, don’t…! You crazy bastard, what are you babbling about…!!!”
“But I will remember that your life’s trajectory culminated in a form with meaning.”
As Lennok tilted his hand, the Jade Flame’s fire cascaded smoothly onto Thuran’s head.
“That’s the only condolence I can offer as a fellow wizard.”
“Aaaaaaaaah!!!”
It was only then that Thuran comprehended that Lennok had been addressing Geonis, but his deathly screams were smothered by the descending Jade Flame and disappeared.
Sssssss!!!
The instant the jade-colored flame touched the White Lion’s head, it evaporated as if it had never been.
The heat was so intense that not a single drop of blood spilled from the severed neck; the wound simply sealed itself.
The headless body of the Lion Giant quivered briefly before collapsing lifelessly.
Geonis’s magic within it dissipated and faded away.
Crash!!!
The domain that had encased and constricted them disintegrated.
Dozens of fire pillars lost their focal point and scattered in all directions, illuminating the night sky with their fiery glow.
The cage that had originated within the heart of a betrayed wizard crumbled, its last vestiges dissolving into oblivion.
Amidst the crumbling domain of Geonis, Lennok slumped to the ground, looking wearily at Evelyn.
She appeared to have many inquiries, gazing at Lennok with a bewildered expression.
Numerous questions must have filled her mind.
Why Lennok could manipulate another sorcerer’s domain, the significance behind his final words to Thuran, and even how he managed to control the fire magic.
“…I want to eat a cucumber.”
Rather than asking these questions, she silently seated herself next to Lennok and focused on catching her breath.
Her silent support brought comfort.
“What if it had been Croken?”
“Are you really saying that?”
Evelyn, who had positioned herself back-to-back with the seated Lennok, burst into laughter.
“That old man lacks patience; he wouldn’t have stayed hidden for so long. If he was planning to fight, he would have come to meet us the moment we arrived at the tower.”
“Hmm. That’s a bit hard to deny outright.”
Lennok agreed and chuckled weakly.
“…But still, if there is a next time, I’ll have to prepare properly.”
Thud.
Lennok slid to the ground, extending his hand.
The crimson book that Geonis had held. Given its use in expanding his domain, it was undoubtedly a precious artifact.
Lennok examined it intently for a moment before casually stowing it away, murmuring,
“Standing still won’t help me find the answers I seek.”
“…….”
Despite his words, Lennok’s gains from this journey were anything but insignificant.
A connection to the Blaiver Tower, enhanced proficiency in ice magic, and the newfound developments in the Mystic Eye he had previously awakened.
Most notably, his success in interfering with another sorcerer’s domain was a substantial achievement for Lennok.
Certainly, the temporary manipulation of Geonis’s domain was partly due to Thuran’s failure to properly control the mana immediately after Geonis’s death. Nevertheless, the fact that Lennok recognized this possibility held its own significance.
Lennok might not have to exert too much effort in concealing his own domain, he contemplated.
While Evelyn had undeniably played a significant role in achieving this outcome, Lennok’s personal accomplishments in the process should not be underestimated.
‘I’ll have plenty to research when I return to Vulcan…’
Lennok pondered this thought and glanced sideways at Evelyn.
On second thought, it was this individual seated beside him who needed to relocate in order to conduct his research properly.
As he casually considered bringing up the topic of their return to the bustling city, Evelyn drew a deep breath and rose to her feet.
“Sigh… Let’s get up. There’s too much to deal with.”
“Is that so?”
“How am I even going to start explaining this at the tower… Just thinking about it gives me a headache.”
Lennok empathized deeply with her sentiment.
Even now, the wizards at the tower likely held a considerable fondness for Geonis Verbane. However, disclosing that he had conspired with the Pandemonium to steal the essence of the furnace and had offered the Council of Elders as sustenance to the Lion Giant of the Pandemonium—what kind of reaction would that elicit?
At the very least, they possessed evidence of the battle, the still-living members of the Council of Elders, and Thuran’s lifeless body. Without these tangible proofs, persuading others might have been an insurmountable challenge.
Geonis’s domain, the desolate rocky expanse where the Illusory Flamebird had vanished, bore the scars of intense combat and formidable firepower.
The once uneven terrain had liquefied and cascaded, forming intricate ripple patterns, and the towering rocks that had once stood several meters high had vanished entirely.
In this barren wasteland, devoid of even a single blade of grass, only minuscule bone fragments remained, likely remnants of the lava monster.
Lennok and Evelyn contemplated in front of Thuran’s decapitated corpse.
Even in the absence of a head, establishing the identity of this massive, mane-clad giant as Thuran, a member of the Pandemonium known for devouring individuals, wouldn’t be challenging. However, a more pressing question loomed.
“Do we… need to examine the body?”
Both of their gazes simultaneously fell upon the White Lion’s lifeless form.
The grotesque figure lay sprawled, its neck’s cross-section melted and distorted.
Lennok muttered with a grimace,
“It won’t be a pleasant sight to see.”
(To be Continued)
