NOVEL NEXT chapter 98
98
“In battles involving magic, one’s rationality tends to be eroded, and I don’t like it······”
The crystallized magic emerged from the enraged Seo-rik.
The venom of the Manticore that covered his body evaporated, and his muscles swelled like balloons.
The white sclera vanished from his eyes, turning black, consumed by magic.
“I’m not in the mood for such discussions right now.”
“Monster!”
“Monster!”
Shocked by Seo-rik’s horrifying appearance, Lydia and Niel both exclaimed.
Seo-rik, his veins bulging, rushed towards the two kids.
As his magic-infused fist surged forward, Niel erected a massive rock wall.
Bang!
The fist pierced through the rock wall, missing Niel’s face by a hair’s breadth.
Lydia’s water blade, raised in defense, sliced through Seo-rik’s fist.
However, Seorik’s hand grabbed the water blade as if it were something with eyes.
“Ouch!”
As the water blade shattered helplessly, Lydia shouted in surprise. Following that, the rock wall crumbled, revealing Seorik’s figure.
But he could only hesitate.
Lydia’s created water blocked Seorik’s eyes, nose, and mouth.
Unable to breathe, Seorik stopped, and as the ceiling collapsed, rock fragments fell over Seorik’s head.
Raising his staff, Seorik cleared away the water mass, determined not to be caught off guard again.
The magic emitted radially from his hand blocked the falling rock fragments.
Neil and Lydia’s eyes widened at the sight of the rock fragments being blocked by the magic shield.
And then.
Swoosh.
Abruptly, the magic scattered, and the radial shield shook.
“What!?”
Startled, Seorik opened his eyes wide, and rocks came crashing down with a loud thud.
Seorik, shaken by the magic, was completely buried under the rocks.
I, who was watching the workshop, took the opportunity to use my telekinesis.
And Lydia and Neil did not miss this opportunity.
Neil consolidated the rocks covering Seorik into a solid mass, while Lydia created water blades filled with Manticore’s venom around him without pause.
‘Well, this is within the expected range…’
Honestly, I had anticipated facing such a crisis.
However, I was confident I wouldn’t die, as it was an adventure I could undertake with the belief that Seorik, under August’s complete control, could not harbor any intentions against me.
Seorik was merely a pitiful ‘doll’ deluding himself into thinking he had willpower.
Therefore, the possibility of me being involved in such a puppet show and facing death did not exist from the beginning.
August, with a near-insane “collecting obsession,” was desperate to have me no matter what.
‘But that doesn’t mean I’ll easily give in.’
At that moment, the pile of rocks covering Seorik began to tremble and shift.
“If I say close your eyes, you both close them.”
“Yes!”
“Yes!”
Seeing Lydia and Neil nod, I used my telekinesis to lift all the stones Neil had created into the air.
“Anastasia.”
Anastasia, nodding her head, floated up into the sky. A massive light gathered in front of him.
“Rampage.”
The light of destruction wielded by Anastasia, a weapon of unparalleled power, even bewildering the Ga Ju Milky Way Galaxy.
Of course, comparing the current Rampage without the Pearl of the Sea God to the one from that time was unreasonable, but it was enough to overwhelm Seorik.
Even when he was trapped in a cement pit, the accumulated light of Rampage had dealt a considerable blow in a short time.
Kwaaang!
Instantly, the rock tomb exploded in all directions.
I shouted in fear as Seorik’s figure was revealed menacingly.
“Close your eyes!”
The twin sisters tightly shut their eyes.
Then, a flash! Anastasia’s light dyed the world white.
“Ugh!”
Seorik, his eyes paralyzed with fear after emerging from the pile of rocks, staggered.
“Lydia!”
I shouted, unleashing Anastasia’s ferocity towards the defenseless opponent.
Lydia’s water blade, levitated rocks, and Gram’s arrows were all present.
──────!
A concentrated barrage of firepower aimed at Seorik.
Though his cry was briefly heard, it was drowned out by the ensuing explosion.
Even for a high-ranking elite like Seorik, it was difficult to brush off such a concentrated assault in an unguarded state.
To prevent it, the opponent had no choice but to exert all their power to release magic.
Seizing that moment, I heightened my anti-magic power to its peak.
‘I’ll erase him in an instant.’
The moment he turned his magic outward, even the magic protecting his body.
That was the opportunity.
It was impractical to hold Seorik’s magic outside the body for long without direct physical contact, but if I released anti-magic when he expelled all his magic externally, I could momentarily render him completely powerless.
By seizing that moment, killing Seorik wouldn’t be difficult.
Unfortunately, the opportunity I was aiming for did not arrive.
The onslaught aimed at Seorik did not last long, and the sounds of collapse quickly subsided.
No, it stopped.
The soaring rocks, flying boulders, water blades, Gram’s arrows…
All of them stood still in the air as if nailed to space.
Like a frozen scene in a paused video, as if time itself had stopped.
“…”
The area was engulfed in silence.
In the surreal sight that made one doubt their eyes, Seorik, I, and the twin sisters were momentarily speechless.
So when that silence was broken by footsteps, everyone could clearly see the young man.
Step by step─
His gait seemed like a leisurely stroll, his frail appearance out of place on the battlefield, as if he belonged to a different world, as if he was a lone figure cut out by scissors.
Even without speaking, without hearing an explanation, it was intuitively clear.
The one who created this surreal spectacle was the seemingly frail young man, Auguste.
“This is beyond belief, Seorik.”
Like raising the curtain of a puppet show, a mellifluous voice resonated through the underground.
Auguste gazed at the broken Seorik with an indifferent look.
Seorik’s expression stiffened.
“I can still fight. If I release my magic, I can withstand such attacks…”
He began to protest, but Auguste shook his head.
“No, you have lost.”
“······.”
“You lost at the moment you released the magic, Seolrik. You should know that too.”
August’s gaze shifted from Seolrik to me.
Facing his intense, greed-filled, perverted gaze, I raised an eyebrow.
Whether I said anything or not, August seemed pleased, as he raised the corner of his mouth.
“That child was waiting for the exact moment you unleashed your magic with all your might. That way, erasing the magic would be easier.”
“······.”
Seeing through my thoughts, I bit my tongue, and Seolrik clenched his jaw.
Seolrik wasn’t just staying silent; he was subtly sensing something.
From the moment he saw the anti-magic power, he understood the danger of releasing magic.
“Indeed, intriguing.”
August observed Lydia and Niel with curious eyes.
Under his snake-like gaze, Lydia and Niel scurried away from me.
“It seems those kids have strong ties to my contract, as they resist domination.”
I chuckled inwardly.
Whether it was strong or weak, to me, it was merely a matter of having two or three strings to pull.
Well, Lydia and Niel seemed quite fond of me, as evidenced by the four strands of the contract they had with me.
“That’s it.”
At my bland response, August’s eyes sparkled.
“You’re not afraid of me.”
“There’s no reason to fear someone who has no intention of killing you.”
Nodding as if agreeing with my words, August continued, “You’re right. I want to make you an offer.”
“If it involves becoming a subordinate, I have no interest, so spare me.”
August shook his head. “I won’t ask you to become a subordinate.”
“Then?”
“Observing you, your body seems weaker than an average supernatural being. You appear to belong to the category that can temporarily amplify abilities through some special power.”
“······.”
One sharp observation, indeed.
“If you make a contract with me, I can enhance your body. But it doesn’t necessarily mean you have to become a subordinate. I simply want to make a contract.”
“And if I refuse?”
“Why? If you can strengthen your body, it wouldn’t be a loss for you.”
With a puzzled expression, August added, “I can’t understand why you wouldn’t.”
“I see the Undemons, but my contract with them is different from a pact with demons. While there might be a slight change in character, it’s not like altering values as with other demons.”
I had felt they were different from regular demons, and that was why.
“If you’re concerned about the Undemons, I’ll respect their freedom.”
“Should I trust a demon’s word?”
“You seem to have a misunderstanding about demons.”
“I don’t see any misunderstanding.”
Understanding, self-awareness, and madness, Maein and August were lunatics who aimed to use giants as prey and destroy them.
Opening dimensional rifts to bring about the destruction of the world was also Maein’s doing.
And August was by far the most seriously deranged among them.
Considering himself different from other Omanna Chiraks, he was a lunatic who regarded himself as a ‘good being.’
Sure enough, the words I anticipated sprang from his mouth as expected.
“I am different from other Omanna Chiraks.”
“······.”
“Maein believes in living alongside giants.”
That was it.
His ideology was ‘insane.’
As a unique ‘reversal’ and ‘pacifist’ among the Maein, August had never once participated in the two major wars of the past 100 years.
Instead, under the guise of ‘salvation,’ he traveled the world, turning despairing individuals into Demonspawn one after another.
Saving Maril, who was on the verge of death after losing her parents, and reaching out to help Ivonne, facing the ruin of her family, were both August’s doings.
He provided Seorik, who despaired over his aging body and lack of talent, with a robust physique and lifespan, and ensured a place to live for war orphans.
To all who became Demonspawn, he was like a benefactor.
At first glance, he seemed extremely virtuous, his beliefs were extremely righteous, and he was a being with the mighty power to put those beliefs into practice—August was that being.
This was why Ivonne once followed August.
However, his true nature was nothing more than a mad cult leader who had fallen into ‘heresy.’
Having the belief that ‘Maein’ was superior to ‘giants,’ he only turned those in agony into Demonspawn under the pretext of ‘salvation.’
The reason Undemons existed was that those who did not wish to become Maein were forcibly turned into Maein under the pretext of ‘salvation.’
Moreover, Demonspawn, thinking they had free will, were nothing more than ‘puppets’ unable to escape his will.
It was like the ‘unattainable love’ Seorik held for me a while ago.
Though Seorik seemed not to grasp his true nature due to the ‘fascination of the mind,’ Ivonne was the one who first realized she was a puppet and fled.
Anyway, even without these things, I could not accept this lunatic’s proposal.
It was nonsense to become Demonspawn; there had to be some value in it.
Nevertheless, I had to continue this painful ideological conversation with this lunatic.
I had a ‘reason’ to stall for time.
With a heavy heart, I forced myself to speak.
“I also believe that Maein must live alongside giants.”
“Ho ho, looks like we can have a conversation.”
······Damn lunatic.
“Uh, well, but before that······”
As I mindlessly continued with unfounded arguments that didn’t pass through my head, August, who had been nodding along to my nonsense, was suddenly struck by an unknown force and slammed into the depths below.
It was when my mouth gaped open in shock at the tremendous disaster.
“Haesol-!”
Suddenly, a fragrant scent brushed past my nose, and someone stealthily embraced me.
I looked down at the presence burying their head in my chest, eyes widening.
“··· Han Seyeon?”
How could she be here?
‘No, more importantly.’
I awkwardly froze, looking at where August, who had disappeared after piercing through six barriers underground, might be.
Damn it.