Chapter 296 - The One Who Understands (1)
The ground beneath his feet collapsed, and Verden plummeted into the darkness.
He immediately stabilized his posture with
The cliff hidden beneath Wells Town was remarkably deep.
Of course, for Verden, it was a short distance.
If he had the mind for it, he could easily get out.
"..."
Lifting his head, Verden furrowed his brows.
Kuung… Kuung…
A faint vibration could be felt from above.
It was most likely the battle between the inspector sent by the Bohemirn Magic Tower and Kendras.
Yet with each impact, the surrounding terrain shook unstably.
At once, he spread his magic power and sharpened his focus.
Thanks to the intruder rampaging about, it seemed the installed magic-suppressing devices had been damaged.
Without much difficulty, he succeeded in detecting a portion of the underground beneath Wells Town.
An underground structure left abandoned for ages, the natural fissure that lay below it, and the lingering effects of the battle that was agitating the subterranean depths. He could even sense the terrain shifting along with magic power, likely due to the presence of an earth mage.
Based on the information he gathered, he came to a conclusion.
'At this rate, it will collapse.'
Even if Wells Town did not sink as a whole, it was highly likely to fracture.
Naturally, the buildings above would all plunge into the depths, and the residents would be killed instantly.
Exactly when it would happen was uncertain.
Depending on circumstances, it could be right now, or later. Whatever the case, there was no reason to leave such a threat unattended.
Kugugugu…!
There was no need to pour his magic power into completely reshaping the entire structure.
It was enough to reinforce the sections showing signs of collapse and to form additional terrain capable of bearing the load.
Mastery at the extreme of magic manipulation, mana circuits on the verge of transcendence, a brain capable of handling multiple magic computations.
Verden's strength was not merely his overwhelming quantity of magic power.
"…So you're saying you were late because you were preventing the town from collapsing?"
"That's right."
"..."
Rebecca was at a loss for words.
Normally, she would have dismissed it as nonsense, but the proof stood before her eyes.
'So a 6th-tier elemental mage can do something like this…?'
Since no one around had ever reached that level, she could not know for sure.
Even from her teacher and the higher-ups of the Society, she had never heard in detail of the might such a realm could display… perhaps she should ask when they returned to headquarters.
'…! This isn't the time for that.'
Shaking off her daze, Rebecca came back to her senses.
"Anyway, that bastard who just got blasted away, he's the inspector who kidnapped the lord of the autonomous territory, right?"
"Bastard?"
"He tried to kill the townsfolk for no reason, that makes him a bastard. He even swung sword aura at a kid who had come out after hearing the commotion! Isn't he completely insane? If we had been even a little late…!"
Rebecca's eyes glimmered with contempt, her emotions spilling with sincerity.
From what Ethan and Rebecca had seen in the Midros Autonomous Territory, they carried an altruism that was stronger than the mages of this era.
The essence of the Society, opposed to the current magic tower system, seemed to reveal itself faintly through them.
'Anyway.'
Verden turned his gaze.
On the road where the dust had settled, the inspector stood, staggering, glaring at Verden, his face now fully exposed unlike when they first met.
His shoulders rose and fell with ragged breaths.
At a glance, it was clear he was not in a normal state.
It was not that the earlier blow had been so severe. His gaunt appearance suggested his condition had already been poor from the start.
'Yet in just the few minutes I was away, Kendras was slain.'
Considering he had made it from the underground of Wells Town to here, a fierce battle must have taken place. Yet, compared to that, the condition of the three corpses was far too pristine.
As though it had all ended in a single moment.
That could only mean he had been hiding his true power, or that he had at least one secret trump card. Possibly both.
Drawing from accumulated experience, Verden was convinced.
This was no ordinary foe.
"I'll deal with him. You go join Ethan and check on the townsfolk."
Though the commotion had been great, few had come outside.
Terrified, they had barricaded themselves inside their homes for protection. That was how most people lived, not just the residents of Wells Town.
Even so, there was one who had come out into the streets.
A middle-aged man crying out desperately for someone's name—the family, likely the parent, of the child Rebecca and Ethan had saved.
Watching him, Rebecca gave a short nod.
"…Alright. I'll leave it to you."
Her voice faded as she moved away.
Left alone, Verden slowly lowered his altitude and set his feet upon the ground.
The two stood apart, facing one another.
"First of all───"
Kuung!
The inspector, wielding a rusted sword, shot forward.
His killing intent grew increasingly blurred as it closed in. The speed exceeded even Verden's dynamic vision.
'So, no need for words, then.'
No questions asked.
The very attitude Verden had shown to many foes until now—facing it head-on himself, he found he had little to say.
Narrowing his eyes, Verden struck Orient into the ground.
A dark purple wave rippled outward in a circle, disrupting gravity.
Verden was a magus specialized in elements. If he could not track the enemy's movement precisely, then blasting away the entire area was enough.
"…!!"
The inspector's body, mid-charge, was lifted into the air.
At the very moment he hastily tried to raise his energy to resist the spell, a shadow fell across his feet.
Looking up, he met with azure eyes, and a magic circle unknown floated within them.
There were thousands of residents in this vicinity.
And the enemy was a cold-blooded man who would kill even children without hesitation. In other words, Wells Town was not fit for a battlefield.
Therefore—
"Let's change the location."
Verden swung Orient.
Kwaaagwaaang!
A powerful shockwave tore through the air.
The inspector, Adrian, was engulfed by the raging current of gravity, hurled into the sky.
***
Suddenly, an old teaching came to mind.
───Adrian, I heard you subjugated a band of thieves not long ago. I also heard one of them was a 3rd-tier mage, was it not difficult?
───Not at all. I cut him down before he could even cast.
Mages conjure countless phenomena with magic power, but their senses are far inferior compared to those who have awakened aura.
Adrian was born with exceptional swiftness.
At seventeen, he did not consider mages to be worthy opponents.
───Hmm, so it was merely an immature one who only raised his tier. A pity. It could have been a good experience.
───What do you mean, Master?
───Mages are troublesome opponents for swordsmen. Especially those at 3rd-tier or higher who can employ
Adrian's hesitation was brief.
───…I would cut him down before he takes flight.
───Correct. One of countless correct answers. Others include waiting until his magic power is exhausted, luring him into a confined space, or striking him down with sword aura. But, just as among us, there are ranks among mages as well.
His master continued.
───Mages of true caliber wield
───...
───A bombardment of magic raining from the sky. It is the most feared tactic in war. Tell me, could you endure it?
This time, Adrian could not answer readily.
It was his first time pondering such a question, and the more he thought, the more hopeless it seemed. Winning aside, he could not even be sure he could escape safely.
It was Adrian's lack of experience.
───Well then, your head is in turmoil, is it not? It should be. But in this world, there are mages far more dangerous than that. Those who remain not in the sky, but on the ground.
───What? If I just trick their eyes and approach…
───I do not mean under-skilled rabble like the thief you slew. I speak of true ones, whether arrogant or confident, who hold absolute certainty in their power. They can turn even melee, where they are at a clear disadvantage, into a stage for magic, shifting it into a battlefield favorable to them.
His master placed a hand on Adrian's shoulder.
───So if you ever meet a mage who walks the earth, beware, Adrian. He may be a monster you cannot withstand.
It had been a solemn warning.
And that beloved voice vanished in that moment.
Kwaaagwaagwaagwaagwaang!
Hurled from Wells Town, Adrian collided with an uninhabited mountain range.
Trees shattered, the ground scarred, and he was dragged on, crushing part of the forest before he finally came to a halt.
"Urgh…"
Adrian tried to rise, only to drop to one knee.
Just before the spell struck, he had wrapped his body in protective qi, but it was impossible to block the impact entirely.
A dull pain pierced his chest.
Even the armor protecting his torso was heavily damaged.
"───!"
Instinct screamed in alarm.
Snapping his head up, Adrian saw four crimson orbs flying toward him.
Quadra Casting.
Kwaaaaaang!
A violent explosion slammed into the mountains.
Flames devoured nature greedily, the forest heart becoming a sea of fire in an instant, and in the midst of it, Verden landed.
His azure eyes, fixed forward, tilted left.
Fwaaaash!
Tearing through the flames, Adrian charged from the side.
Though his body was scorched, it seemed he had not taken serious damage. Just as Verden moved to respond, Adrian suddenly kicked off the ground, accelerating.
Kuung! The tremor had not yet faded.
In a speed beyond perception, Adrian slipped behind Verden.
'So that's how Kendras fell.'
The blade aimed for the nape of his neck.
At the same time, his Mystic Eye flared.
Heat spread in every direction.
The searing light momentarily stole Verden's sight.
Adrian's strike went astray, and as he crouched low and spun half a turn, Verden swung his left arm.
A claw of frost infused with lightning clashed against the blade.
The force overwhelmed Adrian, knocking him back, a groan tearing from him as he gathered his qi to resist the cold and shock coursing into his body.
But that, too, was an opening.
Magic power surged, senses flaring.
In Verden's sky-blue eyes, he saw twenty-four bolts of lightning descending from the air.
This could not be allowed.
Clenching his teeth, Adrian's gaze burned.
Technique, Frenzied Dance.
A dazzling sword dance leaving violet afterimages.
Sword aura burst forth, cleaving through magic. Every single bolt of lightning was sliced apart, Adrian's killing intent blazing as his breath came harsh and ragged.
Verden kept his eyes on him.
'His speed alone is overwhelming.'
He had never crossed blades with such strikes before.
His movements, his manipulation of qi, were hard to follow even with enhanced senses. In sheer refinement, he clearly surpassed Grond, the former ruler of Roafra.
'He is a swordsman who wields extreme swiftness.'
Verden had never heard that the Bohemirn Magic Tower had ties with a swordsman of such skill.
Then again, Balrog Bessias was such a man.
A Transcendent steeped in mage supremacism, inborn elitism that worshiped tier above all else, and arrogance that scorned non-mages.
Such a man would never trust someone who was neither mage nor magus.
Even though this mission was to annihilate the tower's enemies, it was especially troubling that there were no other overseers nearby.
One more doubt gnawed at him.
'…What on earth is that?'
Since the moment they clashed, he had felt something unpleasant from his opponent.
He could not tell if it was magic power or something else, so faint he could not judge it, yet impossible to ignore.
It even gave him an odd sense of déjà vu.
Which was why he had no intent to kill.
Had he resolved to from the beginning, he would have reduced the mountain range to ashes with a bombardment of magic.
With his near-Transcendent level of magic power, Verden could have done so.
Suppression and capture.
That was the direction already chosen.
Even if it took some time.
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