Long-standing Ill Fate (2)

Just as I was about to activate Death Field to take care of Li Chang and his underlings, an enormous H-beam flew in along with sharp murderous intent.

Had I not been sensing it with mana, my body would have been pierced through; I easily dodged it with Blink, reached out toward the direction of the attack, and lightly flicked my fingers.

Part of a building under construction exploded, and a massive flame surged upward.

Screams echoed throughout the city, but the fact that I hadn’t struck the enemy was more important; I flew into the air and expanded my mana further to prepare for the familiar presence and the murderous intent aimed at me.

At that moment, a massive man and a lithe-looking man appeared beside Li Chang as if teleporting and supported him.

“Wang Sun, I knew you would come.”

“You should show some respect. If you see a venerable leader of a nation, isn’t it right to show appropriate courtesy?”

“Nonsense. A piece of trash like you who invades another country to commit terrorism doesn’t deserve it. If you wanted courtesy, you should have entered the country formally and proudly, shouldn’t you?”

“Heh, you’re not an idiot who’s ignorant of the relationship between a small nation and our great one, so does that even make sense?”

I quickly modified the completed magic, narrowed the range, and flicked my fingers.

Snap! Along with the sound, Death Field activated, targeting only the enemies including Wang Sun, and the aura of death surged; sensing this, Wang Sun clenched his fist and slammed it straight into the ground.

Craaaack!!

A deafening roar followed as craters formed in all directions and the shockwave spread; remembering those I had hidden in the ground, I hurriedly reinforced Bone Wall to absorb the impact, and Wang Sun spoke with a laugh.

“You’re still a fool living with penalties. Wouldn’t it be more beneficial for you to just kill them all and use them as pawns?”

“…I am neither a bloodthirsty killer nor a mass murderer. I’m just an ‘ordinary man’ who wants to live a normal life.”

“For someone like that, the atrocities you committed during the war are still vivid, aren’t they?”

“That’s not something for you to say, especially since you personally taught me that’s what war is like.”

My teeth ground together, and I trembled with rage.

It was because, though the time was short, the war with China had made me realize firsthand how insignificantly humans could transform.

I shuddered at the behavior of the Chinese leadership, who treated the value of life as less than a handful of dust.

Furthermore, I had learned over the blood and flesh of many comrades that conventional or clean methods were not the answer to dealing with such people; thus, they were both my teachers and my enemies.

“Li Chang, you break through those guys and get inside. I will take your revenge for you.”

“But…”

“A dog only needs to follow orders.”

Exposed to an overwhelming murderous intent, Li Chang trembled before glaring at me. Then, without lingering, he turned away and headed toward the Gate, but I had no intention of just watching.

Having already pushed a large amount of mana into the Necronomicon, I immediately released new mana and spoke to it.

‘Bury the area around the Gate by transforming the terrain. Fill the inside with bones to make it a fortress. I… have to deal with that guy.’

Had it properly grasped my intention?

-Do not believe I will follow your will forever. I am only listening because this is an amusing situation. -

I chuckled at the words of the eccentric book, and seeing this, Wang Sun asked.

“You seem to be enjoying yourself.”

“How could I not be pleased when I’m meeting all my enemies in one place?”

“Interesting. Was I an enemy to you?”

“I promised to stain my hands with your blood.”

“That must be the wish of your dead comrades. Try to fulfill it. It won’t be easy.”

Wang Sun was one of the top physical Awakeners among the first generation.

A figure treated as a strategic weapon even in China had crossed over to Korea to cause a scene, yet the quiet surroundings were absurd.

Whether it was Bak Min-su retreating while watching the mood or the Magic Tower’s mages focusing only on defense, I disliked it all—perhaps that was why.

I felt anger rising even deeper from within my heart when, with a Bang!, Wang Sun rushed toward me; a dark red aura bloomed from his entire body, and a massive aura instantly flew toward me in an attack.

Rather than wasting mana on defense, I used Blink to move out of the attack range, relocated to a blind spot out of Wang Sun’s sight, and utilized the released mana for the ‘Black Scythe’ magic, attacking as if to constrict his entire body.

However, Wang Sun endured all the black scythes with his body as if it were nothing; irritation surged at the reality that not a single scythe could leave a wound on Wang Sun’s body.

Meanwhile, the Necronomicon activated magic and managed to grab Li Chang’s ankles, but Wang Sun formed aura in the air, stepped on it firmly, and flew explosively toward me.

“You’re too relaxed.”

“!”

I hurriedly created a Dark Barrier to defend against Wang Sun’s attack, but with a massive explosion, the Dark Barrier was torn apart; in the moment the force poured toward me, I narrowly gained enough time to pull back with Blink.

‘The Gate will destabilize if I use magic that is too large. But I have no choice. Minor magic cannot damage a powerhouse like Wang Sun.’

It was a dilemma.

Seeking revenge, and if I could catch Wang Sun, even if thousands of lives were lost, the government would shift all blame to Wang Sun and China, and crown me a hero for eliminating him.

But I questioned whether it was worth catching Wang Sun at the cost of sacrificing that many human lives.

‘In the end… you’re forcing a choice.’

Now as in the past, I hated those who forced only the worst situations upon me.

And I felt pathetic for being unable to break free from my own limits in reality.

“You run away well, like a little rat. But… what on earth happened to you?”

“What are you trying to say?”

“I’m asking where the ‘Worst’ of the past has gone, and why only a shell of a bug stands before me. I wanted to see that vicious bastard who uses everything to his advantage and eventually seizes victory, so this is disappointing.”

“…That bastard is gone now. He was buried on the battlefield with the end of the war.”

“And yet you talk about revenge? How ridiculous!”

Wang Sun released an explosive aura, and as if it wasn’t just momentum, an overwhelming aura gushed out, tearing everything apart and creating a massive collision.

Even while doing so, he maintained a relaxed demeanor, then suddenly shifted his gaze to one spot and launched himself toward it.

In a situation where it was impossible not to know he was headed for the Gate, the guy had ultimately forced a choice upon me.

As if everything would end if I didn’t give my all.

“…In the end, you’re making me…”

I ground my teeth and channeled my mana.

The mana released externally and the engraving work, which created patterns as it swirled inside my body, followed.

Meanwhile, the external mana also quickly began to form a skeleton; sensing this, Wang Sun laughed with a “Mwahahaha,” and my heart raced as I watched him attempt to crash his whole body into the barrier in front of the Gate.

‘I don’t have enough time, damn it… If I could just gain a little, just a split second of time…’

Even the Necronomicon had exhausted its mana for immediate use; in that moment when a desperate, almost hopeless instant flashed before my eyes like a revolving lantern, it happened.

The tomb of bones surrounding the Gate surged upward. Familiar mana gushed out, and even the charging Wang Sun, flustered, swung his fist at the massive shape taking form.

However, that thing, which had taken on a familiar shape, also swung a fist imbued with massive mana; the moment the two forces collided, a giant shockwave burst out in all directions, sweeping away enemies including Li Chang and making them vomit blood as they were blown back.

Moreover, as I grew concerned by the immense aftermath of the collision, a clear shout rang out from behind the golem.

“Wave Safe!”

A 5th Circle spell capable of neutralizing strong shockwaves was cast, and seeing the impact dissipate through that magic, I never realized An So-mi’s voice could sound so welcome.

Furthermore, in the situation where an explosion so large it partially blew apart the giant golem’s fist occurred during the collision with Wang Sun, it seemed Wang Sun couldn’t have come out unscathed either.

Seeing him being pushed back significantly and falling to the ground, I also continued preparing my magic.

‘I don’t know when they arrived, but… it’s a relief.’

I quickly completed the magic at such a thankful timing.

Then, just as the two manas met in the middle, creating a collision and giving shape to chaos, I saw Wang Sun’s adjutant, looking urgent, teleport to Wang Sun’s side.

“You’re not going anywhere. Deadly Humming!”

Though it was an area-of-effect spell, it was an immense magic that could also be utilized against individuals.

This was because, despite the relatively ridiculous name of ‘Deadly Humming,’ the actual power of the magic was anything but laughable.

Having set a narrow range and activated it while targeting Wang Sun, destructive mana twice the amount of the standard area spell blasted toward him.

A powerful tinnitus, inaudible to human ears, manifested and pressured Wang Sun.

Unlike Wang Sun, who defended with all his might to the point of veins bulging, the adjutant who had hurriedly moved nearby collapsed and died while vomiting blood from every orifice; just then, Wang Sun grabbed the adjutant by the scruff of the neck, threw him away, and shouted with powerful aura.

“Begone!!”

The thunderous roar collided with Deadly Humming, and a massive shockwave burst in all directions, but it was only a momentary escape from the spell; when pressure was applied once more, Wang Sun laughed loudly and shouted.

“Khahaha, wonderful! It’s a spell that forces one to think of death. But in the end, you only made this choice to minimize sacrifices!! Ultimately, you! You haven’t evolved!!”

He then began to pour out aura in all directions.

In Wang Sun’s actions, which felt like a firm determination to destroy everything as if he wouldn’t die alone, countless nearby buildings crumbled and screams erupted.

Many people had failed to evacuate and had even come to watch. Thinking there would be no solution if left as is, I finally cast the memorized spell.

A short-range teleport; I intended to use it to bury Wang Sun deep into the ground.

It was at that moment when the magic circle formed beneath Wang Sun’s feet.

It was Wang Sun’s adjutant appearing once more, and the moment he stepped on Wang Sun’s body, Wang Sun vanished in an instant.

I was left speechless as I watched the adjutant get swept up in my magic and transported to the designated coordinates.

“Damn it…”

I hurriedly released mana to find Wang Sun, but then Go Yu-jin shouted at me.

“Give up… on him. The Gate collapse is too severe!”

Blood dripped from my clenched fist, but I couldn’t afford to lose control.

“Wang Sun… might come back. Please take care of the outside.”

“Don’t worry. I found it manageable.”

Though she was a 7th Circle user whose actual usable power was limited to that of a 6th Circle Master, the power of the golem Go Yu-jin operated possessed a strength that exceeded the 7th Circle.

She was such an ironic woman that I had no choice but to trust her.

I immediately ran toward the Gate.