"Khaaa…!!"
Failing just one attack, the counterstrike was overwhelmingly fierce.
Observing Beck's bulging eyes, Lennok silently acknowledged his assessment.
Monstrous strength that belied his slender physique, inhuman speed, and formidable resilience were all notable attributes. However, by carefully studying the way Beck employed his powers thus far, Lennok easily identified a weakness.
Beck possessed a specific ability that grew exponentially stronger whenever he visualized a particular animal. Conversely, this meant that his other abilities became relatively weaker with each transformation.
And Lennok was confident that he could strike effectively at any time unless Beck assumed the form of a turtle.
"Tch! This despicable bastard…!!"
Beck contorted his face like a ghoul and swiftly morphed the shape behind him, extending his left foot.
Gwooong!!
As his foot dug deep into the ground, the image of a bull materialized.
The intense mana on Beck's spear transformed into a weighty surge, charging forward.
Was he stubbornly intent on shattering the shield from the front after experiencing defeat once?
It wasn't an incorrect judgment.
If Beck could breach the shield on this occasion, it would be all too easy to claim Lennok's life.
It was surprising that he chose to attempt a breakthrough despite sustaining considerable damage.
Lennok, observing the attack, once again infused his mana to its full potential.
The second collision.
KwaAAAAAAAAAAA!!!
A thunderous roar reverberated, unleashing another shockwave.
The ground beneath Beck couldn't withstand the force, creating a large pit behind him.
However, his elongated right arm once again failed to penetrate Lennok's shield.
Lennok's shield, concentrated on one side as before, swiftly rotated this time, narrowly evading the strike.
"Damn it…!!”
The recoil of his all-out strike proved fruitless.
The cost of exerting power while sustaining significant injuries was steep.
Bullets embedded in his body from the revolver, wounds inflicted by Jode, accumulated damage from Agria's lasers—all of them began to take their toll simultaneously.
"Cough…!!"
Meanwhile, Lennok, who had fallen to the ground, clutched his chest and coughed.
While he successfully blocked Beck's attack itself, the resulting shockwave was so potent that it rattled Lennok's body.
Had he not activated The Ring of Fire and Ice to protect his organs and skeletal structure, it wouldn't have been surprising if his fragile frame had been contorted inside out.
Nonetheless, Lennok persisted, inhaling the smoke from the cigarette in his mouth like a madman.
It was a cigarette he had obtained separately from Plumbr's Orchard, specifically Defiler-92, which the orchard's elderly proprietor had strongly recommended.
This particular drug specialized in pain relief by artificially suppressing the senses, proving invaluable during a fight where one couldn't anticipate the next moment.
For Lennok, who had decided to face a superhuman barehanded for the first time, setting aside his shield, it was an essential item.
Thankfully, only his senses were numbed, and his ability to sense using mana remained keen.
Lennok, rising with difficulty and gripping his numbed palm, clenched his teeth and struck the ground with his magic.
[Sinkhole]
A pit materialized beneath Beck's feet, swallowing his body, which had yet to recover from the earlier clash.
With both hands tightly grasping the revolver, Lennok repeatedly pulled the trigger, firing into the abyss below.
[Rapid-fire correction]
[Shock Enhancement]
Tatatatatatang!!
The muzzle blindly swayed in all directions, spewing fire, as the relentless bullets sought flesh.
With the support of his magic, faint shockwaves erupted within the pit with each pull, causing the ground to tremble.
[Reverse Gravity]
Wooddududuk…!!
But Lennok didn't stop there. He uprooted the nearby clock tower, where Agria had been positioned, and directed it straight into the pit.
A stone pillar, approximately 3 meters tall, traced a parabolic curve as it plummeted under Lennok's guidance.
KWAAAAANG!!
After confirming that the clock tower was lodged upside down in the pit, Lennok took a deep breath and slowly retreated.
"Phew…"
He tremulously removed the shaking cigarette from his mouth, his hands trembling.
At the end of the cigarette, there were clear teeth marks stained with blood, evidence of how hard he had been clenching his jaw.
Was Beck defeated?
Lennok couldn't be certain.
While his teammates had been wearing down Beck's defenses and buying time, Lennok had prepared various measures, but only a few had proven effective in the recent battle.
If not for the potency of the drug he had ingested during the fight, he wouldn't have been able to maintain even a semblance of composure.
And as if to not disappoint Lennok's hopes, the clock tower deeply embedded in the pit began to stir.
Uuuuuuuhhh!!!
The hands of the long-stopped clock bent within the emerging hand, and extended arms and legs sprouted from within.
The battered figure of Beck Clinton emerged.
However, only his two eyeballs flickered with a resolute will to survive.
“Khaaaak……!!”
Spit!
With broken teeth, he expelled impurities mixed in his mouth and glared at Lennok with a murderous intent.
"It was tough, wasn't it?"
Wounds covered his body, drops of blood trickling through his attire. His limbs ached from continuous combat.
Despite his visibly battered state compared to the beginning, a cruel smile appeared on Beck's face.
Loosening his stiff neck and rolling his shoulders, Beck growled.
"You'll enjoy what's coming. I'll show you the true meaning of suffering. Since you can't die, I'll take you straight to the boss!"
"No."
Lennok responded with a wearied expression.
"It's over now."
"…What??"
Schhhhhhh!!
At that moment, the upside-down embedded clock tower behind Beck emitted a brilliant glow.
A purple magic circle formed, its shape resembling the turning of clock hands.
Swiftly extending from the circle, sturdy tendrils seized Beck's body and dragged him toward the clock tower.
KWOOOONG!!
"This, this is…!!!"
Beck's face paled as he finally grasped the situation.
The sensation of immense pressure on his entire body, coupled with being tightly bound.
This unforgettable, dreadful sense of restraint.
Unexpectedly, the gravity-based binding magic, [Gravity Bind], had ensnared him.
Considering how hard Beck had fought to avoid this magic during the battle, the irony of his current predicament was not lost on him.
"You've finally been caught."
Lennok spoke, slowly approaching Beck.
During the intense battle where the other team members pushed themselves to the brink, Lennok had not been idle.
Through constant research, he had developed enchantment magic and successfully applied its results to objects in motion.
The sudden removal and hurling of the clock tower, carried out during the brief respite after the second clash, were all part of his plan.
Beck had been completely caught off guard by Lennok's trap, unable to react in time.
Even skilled warriors cannot counter magic that defies their expectations.
‘I'll need further research to apply it consistently to things like firearms… But it's proven effective in battle right now.'
Lennok acknowledged the significant achievement, but he focused on the present situation.
Gazing down at Beck's face as he thrashed about, bound by the grip of gravity, Lennok calmly pulled up his mana with a familiar gesture.
Kieeeeeng!!
The mana he projected into the sky spread wide, creating a radiant blue flash.
Beck, sensing the magic that had once set an entire train carriage ablaze, succumbed to madness.
"Fuck, damn… I'll kill youuuu!!!"
Instead of pleading for mercy, Beck chose to ignite his hatred, even in the face of impending death.
An infuriating opponent, but in a way, a formidable warrior.
However, even such admiration was consumed by the descending pillar of blue light.
[Thunder Calling]
Kwaaaaaa!!!
A single bolt of lightning struck Beck's head with pinpoint accuracy, using the reversed clock tower as a marker. The surroundings were engulfed in a blue blaze.
A scorching heatwave, causing the skin to tingle, swept through the area. The ground, now nothing but arid earth, was covered in scattered dust from the shattered train station.
Only then, with haste, Lennok raised his shield, barely opening his eyes to assess the aftermath of the devastation he had caused.
If Beck somehow managed to survive the lightning's aftermath, Lennok would swiftly finish him off.
Gripping his revolver tightly and preparing to summon his mana, Lennok sensed no signs of life through his magical perception.
The clock tower had vanished without a trace.
Beneath it, only a shriveled and elongated corpse remained, signaling the end of the battle.
Now, even speaking was a struggle.
With trembling legs, Lennok moved to search through the charred personal belongings scattered around the lifeless body.
Beck Clinton was an extraordinary and highly skilled individual among the superhumans Lennok had encountered.
There was a strong possibility that someone like Beck would possess items of exceptional quality.
Lennok seized the spear that Beck had clung to until his death and sifted through the remnants of his burned shirt and trousers.
Most of the items had turned to ashes due to the intense heat of the lightning strike. However, anything that had managed to survive that heat was likely to be valuable.
To his satisfaction, Lennok discovered a green, glowing key in the inside pocket of Beck's charred suit.
A key that had withstood the power of the lightning strike, which was capable of reducing even a powerful superhuman like Beck to ashes.
He didn't know its purpose, but he suspected it was meant to unlock something of great significance.
With the key and Beck's ruined cell phone safely stowed in his pocket, Lennok slowly rose and made his way behind the ruined train station.
"Whew…!"
He slumped down, his gaze fixed on the gradually rising morning sun.
The residual heat from the lightning strike had dissipated, replaced by the chill of the morning air seeping in once again.
As sunlight poured down, he retrieved a crumpled cigarette from his pocket and laboriously brought it to his lips.
It had been a grueling battle.
Never had Lennok imagined he would encounter a skilled individual like Beck Clinton in such a place and under such circumstances.
Yet, regardless of how it had come to pass, Lennok had emerged victorious from this unexpected and perilous battle.
By capturing one of Cigar Bang's executives here, the crisis that had threatened to sabotage the operation now promised to bring great fortune.
That should be enough.
However, sitting alone amidst the wreckage of the train station, waiting for the dawn, Lennok didn't feel particularly content.
He still knew so little about the truth of this world.
The heat trailing down his cheek, the pain in his stomach, and the ever-diminishing time he had left—all reminded him of the urgency to find answers to these questions.
In his struggle to survive each day, he had begun to forget the desperate wish he had buried deep within his heart.
Was it because he found himself alone in this desolate and quiet ruin?
Unbeknownst to him, a solitary murmur escaped Lennok's lips.
"…I can't continue like this."
It was only after Lennok vocalized his innermost desire that he realized.
Survival alone in this barren and enigmatic world was not enough.
He yearned to delve into the mysteries of the irrational miracle that had befallen him. He longed for understanding.
The conversations he had once shared with the Great Seer echoed in his memory—the world that bites its own tail, the story about the Ascendants, and Alcaid.
If this world truly adhered to the worldview of WORLD 3.0, weren't those words he heard back then clues leading to the core of it all?
Instead of leaving it in the hands of others and forgetting about it, Lennok resolved to seek out those answers himself.
He knew it wouldn't be easy, but until he could grasp even a glimpse of its essence, Lennok intended to ascend the heights of this city.
With the cigarette still hanging from his mouth, his mind raced.
There were too many tasks to tackle, too many possibilities awaiting him.
(TO BE CONTINUED)
