Chapter 21

20. The Combat Method of a Rationalist Fanatic

The reasons why demon worshippers worship demons. Each may have their own complicated reasons, but fundamentally, the two biggest reasons for worshipping demons are ‘corruption’ and ‘power.’

There are cases where the mind is corrupted by hellish magic, and cases where one is fascinated by the immense power of hellish magic. In most cases, both come together.

[Did you say… Kasard’s black bindings were broken by sheer force…?]

“It’s still a bit early to be surprised.”

Fernandez rubbed his sore wrist and gripped the sword hilt. Gian-Kel clicked his jaw and raised a finger.

[Brute strength cannot oppose magic!]

“If you were in your prime.”

It’s a ridiculous notion. Fernandez thought as he lunged into Gian-Kel’s embrace.

No matter how powerful Gian-Kel was as a lich, once a demon worshipper loses the blessing of their guardian demon, they couldn’t return to full strength in just a day.

-Swish!

As the black chains tried to grab his arm again, Fernandez’s sword swiftly twisted and severed the chains.

“The curse only manifests physically. Kasard’s bindings are the power of [Destruction] and [Corruption]!”

The five strands of black chains approaching were literally just physical chains manifested through magic.

It’s not real magic. That’s just a clumsy imitation of true magic, a ‘low-level trick’!

As a magic scholar, Fernandez excelled at understanding the essence of magic. Chains manifested through magic. Such an irregular form of materialization must have a physical weakness!

-Clang!

The lich, flustered, summoned a black spear and shot it. Fernandez twisted his shoulder to dodge and charged forward.

“You’ve weakened, Gian-Kel!”

[You… are a mage!]

A far cry from the cheap mages who deceive citizens with low-level tricks and make a few pennies. Those who master the true magic of each school, explore the arcane, and manifest mysteries!

He could feel the true mage’s approach. A precise, sharp strike targeting the weakest part of the magical construct!

-Clang!

“Haha, yes! This is a magic battle!”

Fernandez was thrilled.

This was a magic battle! The analysis and understanding of magic, the pinpointing of weaknesses. It was an intricate exchange of moves, like solving a logical puzzle.

-Clang!

Black spears and chains flew at him in succession. It was a sudden fierce battle for Fernandez, but it must have been the same for the lich.

Without fully preparing his magical tools, relics, and sacrifices, the magic he could use was limited!

‘Even this much is impressive.’

-Yes. To manifest three spells simultaneously without any preparation.

The blade now reached Gian-Kel’s vicinity, slicing through the air. Gian-Kel quickly stepped back and deployed a barrier.

-Boom!

A full Saintmetal Greatsword embedded in the barrier’s gap. A fierce clash of power ensued. Fernandez’s heart pounded wildly, and divine energy surged through his aorta.

[You’re not an Inquisition Officer! A black magic user fighting like this!]

“Hah!”

-Boom!

The barrier tore like paper, and Gian-Kel’s head, emitting a blue glow, was right in front of him. Fernandez reached out with his left hand. Gian-Kel recoiled in shock.

-Swish!

The chains wrapped around Fernandez’s left arm again. The hellish runes densely embedded in the chains flashed red. He felt his skin burning.

‘This one’s the real deal.’

An alarm bell rang in Fernandez’s mind. He slashed with all his might with the sword in his right hand.

-Clang!

The black spear collided with the sword and bounced off, dissipating into smoke. In that brief moment, Gian-Kel retreated far into the hall, clenching his fist.

[Now, what will you do, Inquisition Officer?]

“I’m a rationalist, Gian-Kel.”

If magic was possible, use magic. If strength was possible, use strength. Projecting the appropriate ability at the right place and time was Fernandez’s philosophy.

Gian-Kel chuckled and raised a finger.

[A rationalist fanatic. That was quite a struggle!]

-Whoosh.

[Try solving this rationally too.]

A beastman was intricately entangled in the air. Fernandez’s eyes quickly read the magical structure and the beastman. [Soul Disintegration]… A powerful direct curse spell from the Necromancy school.

That was real magic.

-Swish!

“Hup!”

The chains wrapped around his arm tightened. As if pulled directly from the sixth abyss of hell, he couldn’t move.

‘Dual incantation, impressive even after losing so much power, old man.’

If he had magic. If he had even a single circuit to manifest magic, it wouldn’t have been like this.

Even if he faced Gian-Kel in his prime, he had confidence. The habits and structure of the magic Gian-Kel used were as clear as if laid out on his palm.

-How regrettable…

‘Indeed. It would have been truly enjoyable to win with magic.’

Looking at the approaching fireball, Fernandez sighed. But he didn’t drop his sword. It wasn’t time yet.

[Die, Inquisition Officer!]

-Whoosh!

A purple fireball engulfed Fernandez and burst into flames. Fernandez couldn’t even scream.

It wasn’t physical flames burning his body. It was a powerful curse that shattered his soul and converted it into ether.

-Swish.

The chains binding Fernandez with immense magical power broke and disintegrated. Fernandez soon lost strength and collapsed. Seeing this, Gian-Kel sighed.

Without any preparation, the magic he could muster was only this much. He needed to return to his laboratory immediately to recuperate.

The magical circuits engraved on his withered heart were losing power and flickering.

It was a tough battle. Indeed, this…





Is this the so-called “Single Heart Gatekeeper”? From the unique life detection of a Lich, that guy’s age was merely around sixteen or seventeen. If he had grown a few more years and become more experienced, could I handle his power on my own?

[Oh Yekaset, I offer you a cursed follower of the Temple of the Gods!]

This amount of tribute couldn’t satisfy his god. But still, bribes should be given frequently.

The Lich slowly approached the fallen Fernandez. The lingering echoes of his soul disintegrating into fragments caught his sight.

Echoes…?

Why am I seeing echoes…? The Lich stopped by Fernandez’s head, pondering for a moment. The curiosity of a dark scholar and the survival instinct of a soul-bound being screamed fiercely.

[How… is this possible?]

Two souls…? The shape I thought was the echo of a soul shattered by magic… Upon closer inspection, it was a complete spirit.

[What are you?]

Gian-Kel swallowed hard and pointed at the soul staring back at him. Magic surged at his fingertips, and soon a spell formed between his intertwined fingers. Now, he could hear the soul’s voice.

-Oh, Gian-Kel. It’s been a while since we last spoke.

[Do you know me?]

-Your name wasn’t Gian-Kel back then… Anyway, it’s good to see you again, Master.

[I’ve never had a disciple… Who are you?]

-This friend will explain it to you. It was nice meeting you.

This friend…? Gian-Kel, bewildered, looked at Fernandez’s corpse. He saw fragments of the shattered soul swirling around.

And a pure white light. A beam of light slowly and intensely burst from his back and chest.

[Stigma?!]

At that moment, a powerful being’s voice echoed in his mind. The immense divinity in that voice scattered the Lich’s consciousness in an instant.

-You shall not fall, rest, or find peace until your mission is fully completed. This is the power I bestow upon you.

‘Vai…tas?!’

An apostle of Vaitas?! The Lich barely regained his composure and stepped back. The meaning of these words, and the nature of that divine spell…

The Lich screamed in agony and terror before the overwhelming voice that sought to destroy his spirit.

[The Blessing of Immortality!!!]

“Correct!”

-Thud!

Fernandez’s arm, which had been lying limp, twitched and pierced the Lich’s heart.

The magic circuit instinctively created a barrier, but it was like a rusty chainmail, as the Lich had already exhausted all his strength and couldn’t fully focus on the spell.

The fragments of the soul swirling around Fernandez’s body quickly seeped back into him, like iron filings drawn to a magnet.

Fernandez slowly rose to his feet and drove the sword deeper.

[Gah!]

“You’ve lived long enough, Gian-Kel? Send my regards to Yekaset.”

The heart slowly turned to dust and crumbled. The magic enveloping the Lich’s body dissipated. The blue glow in his eyes faded, and cracks began to form in his skull.

“I’ll make good use of this.”

Fernandez smiled and tore off the necklace hanging from the Lich’s neck. The thin chain broke and fell to the ground. He looked at the dark green pearl twitching in his hand.

He had obtained [Arcane Vision]. Fernandez smiled as he watched the Lich’s body crumble into dust.

‘Wait, Dale Pertas. The Bronze Throne is mine.’

If only I had the Bronze Throne, I wouldn’t have to fight like this.

*

“What are those guys…?”

Karl was hiding in the shadows, bewildered. It was fine up to the point where he heard the name Gian-Kel and searched the city for traces of a dark mage. The information he gathered while tracking the Lycanthrope was quite substantial.

So, there were three places in the slums, one in the market street, and one in the underground graveyard outside the city—five in total.

He couldn’t approach the slums because a strange mercenary group was prowling around like they were hunting rats, but the graveyard outside the city was quiet, so he headed there.

That was fine. Until a group of robed figures appeared in front of the graveyard.

“Grrr… gulp… grrr…”

Karl was still watching with interest as they scooped a horrifying green, bubbling gruel from a boiling pot.

“Grrroooaaah!!”

And even when they force-fed the gruel to a guard, it was still somewhat amusing. Clearly, this wasn’t a charity event; it seemed like they were poisoning someone.

“Gwaaaah!!!!”

And when the guard suddenly convulsed and collapsed, Karl still didn’t feel any sense of danger as he looked around.

“Grrr…”

But when the guard staggered back to his feet, Karl’s mental monster encyclopedia flipped open.

“Walker…?”

Merlin Port was a densely populated large port city. Although the recent events had reduced the number of merchants, the roads nearby were well-maintained, and there were no threatening monsters in the area. Moreover, the eastern region of the Phaeirn Kingdom was a vast plain.

If a Walker plague broke out here…? The eastern region of Phaeirn would be contaminated in an instant, like ink spilled into clear water.

“What the hell. A Walker plague? Was that the dark magic?”

Not in some remote mountain village, but in the heart of the city—if a Walker outbreak occurred here, the casualties wouldn’t stop at a few hundred.

If it spread wrong, it could easily burn through half of the Phaeirn Kingdom.

Fortunately, this was the outskirts of the city. If they could just tighten the perimeter… Karl thought as he quickly started running toward the city.

-Aaaaah!!!!

Until he saw the city burning. Karl stopped and watched the panicked citizens fleeing in the distance.

A hypothesis quickly formed in Karl’s mind.

‘Let’s say they infected the guards. Why?’

Why the guards…? If they made a drug that could spread the Walker plague, wouldn’t it be better to just pour it into the water supply…?

Infecting the guards must mean they wanted to neutralize them, right?

The city guards would be outside the city, right?

Karl quickly climbed a tree. Standing on the tree, he looked at the city walls at the edge of his vision. And the city gates slowly closing…

The gates were closing.

‘We’re screwed.’

A Walker outbreak has occurred in Merlin Port.