Chapter 283 |
"I've heard the stories, but there's no one crazier than you."
"......"
Even in this chaos, some of the warriors managed to steady themselves and regain their footing on the surface of the water.
They gripped their weapons tighter and began slowly closing in on Renok.
"Who would've thought you'd blast the sewers to target the mansion so precisely? Even if you calculated the flow charts within the estate and got to work, it should've taken at least a week. What trick did you pull?"
"I just cut out the unnecessary steps."
Renok replied indifferently.
"Since you're not the type to politely use the stairs."
Breaking common sense was always the mage's role.
"......Even on the same water, it must be tough for a sorcerer like you to maneuver your body. You've limited your own escape routes, yet you seem so relaxed."
"You can say that after seeing this scene?"
"......"
The warriors, at a loss for words, quickly readjusted their weapons.
"Everyone, charge together...!! We have to tie his feet down at all costs!!"
"For the Family Head!!"
The sewer flood.
These were the ones who had somehow survived the deluge filling the mansion's courtyard and now burned with fighting spirit.
They were among the upper echelon of warriors under Ibon's command—elite fighters.
Even as they dashed across the rippling water surface, their balance didn't falter easily.
It went without saying just how seasoned they were, having devised a way to carry out the Family Head's orders even after their plan to overwhelm with numbers had crumbled from the start.
Saaaaah!!
The sharp trajectory of the blade slicing through the air was precise, and the staggered attacks that followed were impeccably coordinated.
In this chaotic situation, the warriors' joint assault—synchronizing their breaths to target the mage—was impressive.
Screeeeech!!
A six-hit combo aiming simultaneously for the ribs, heart, shoulder, and carotid artery below the jaw.
Behind them, the other survivors desperately aimed their ranged weapons this way.
It was pure killing intent, impossible to imagine they were just carrying out the Family Head's orders.
In response, Renok immediately began rotating his mana.
"Even with all this water, we're still a ways from the mansion's roof."
Whiiiirrr!!
"Shall we head up a bit more?"
He bent at the waist slightly and dipped one hand into the water at his feet.
The mana spread through his grip instantly permeated the impure water below, seizing control of the ceaselessly gushing sewage.
With the desired mana array assembled in his body in an instant, Renok swung his hand.
Freezing element unique magic.
Attribute shift formation.
[Ice White Pillar: Horn Ridge]
Kwaaaaaah!!
As he swept his submerged hand upward toward the sky, the clustered water at his feet rose like a wildfire, forming a wave.
The wave, shooting up at a diagonal like an arrow, froze solid with mana condensation, transforming into a massive ice wall.
It was a wave of ice, as if dozens of horn-like pillars over ten meters tall had overlapped.
"Huaaaah!!"
"No way...!!"
"An ice incantation of this scale without any preparation?!"
The astonished shouts from all directions were buried under the relentless momentum of the advancing ice wall, vanishing like waves.
The diagonally towering ice path pierced straight through the mansion's fifth-floor railing and came to a halt.
Boom!!
Without hesitation, Renok stepped onto the ice path.
"Stop right there!!"
"We can't let you interfere with the Family Head...!!"
"Grab his feet! Buy as much time as you can!!"
The surviving warriors pursued Renok along the ice path in a frenzy.
It was an endlessly slippery footing, hard even to maintain balance on, but far better than having to steady themselves on the water earlier.
However, Renok silenced them by planting a revolver shot between the brows of each warrior who staggered forward with renewed fighting spirit.
Bang bang bang!!
As he descended from the sixth floor via the ice path piercing the fifth, dozens more warriors inside charged at him as if they'd been waiting.
"Uwaaaah!!"
"Die, you monster!!"
The ferocity of the mana-coated blades and their momentum.
An ordinary human wouldn't last a moment against the superhumans' charge—they'd be reduced to unrecognizable chunks of flesh.
Renok shook out his hand lightly, and a brilliant blue bolt of electricity flashed between the folds of his sleeve.
[Chain Lightning]
[Eightfold Repulsion Overlap]
[Hexadirectional Biased Concentrated Fire]
Crackle crackle crackle!!
Dozens of currents raced along his arm, intertwining and exploding in a dazzling flash.
Each beam of that radiance coursed fiercely through human flesh, searing veins and melting muscle.
Kugugugugu!!
"Graaaah!!"
"You bastard!!"
"It hurts!! Save meee!!"
The wave of electricity surged along the long wooden corridor.
Renok gripped the intense glow in both hands and advanced without mercy, swinging it freely.
The battle on the seventh floor unfolded no differently.
He mercilessly scorched those blocking his path and crushed those trying to hinder him underfoot.
Each time his hand brushed his sleeve, the double-barrel modified rechargeable shotgun and sniper rifle swapped places, repelling close assailants and intercepting those creating distance.
With every flex of his fingers, storms of lightning and ice swept the surroundings, and clumps of rising flames erupted from his feet to clear the way.
Kugugugugugu!!!
Against one of the Eightfold Star Citadel's most formidable families, the violence wrought by a single mage elicited agonized screams echoing everywhere.
"Aaaaaah!!"
"He's not a mage...!! How could that be a mage!!!"
"The outsiders have been fighting monsters like that...?!"
The heat and impact were beyond what any living human could produce.
No one present could gauge how far the firepower—grinding down hundreds of mana users single-handedly—would reach.
Even warriors fearless in the face of that brutality hesitated in their steps.
But Renok, sensing their hesitation, didn't stop manipulating his mana.
He knew well that instilling fear was the most effective way for one person to face a group.
These were people who knew to some extent the atrocities their Family Head committed, yet risked danger for a share of the spoils.
There was no reason to hold back.
After firing a shotgun blast into the chest of the last warrior clinging desperately, the deafening noise finally subsided, leaving silence in its wake.
"Guh... ugh......"
"Ugh... kahaa......"
"Cough...!!"
"Ughhh......"
Some groaned in pain, their breaths not yet stilled.
Others had completely lost their will to fight and dropped their weapons.
"......"
As Renok took a step forward, the survivors silently backed away without a word.
The people parted along the wide wooden corridor, clearing a path for him.
Their eyes held no drive or resolve.
Renok stared at them briefly before stepping onto the stairs leading to the eighth floor.
In the citadel filled with diverse architecture and styles, this high-roofed mansion stood out prominently.
The top floor of the eight-story mansion.
"Come in."
From the inner chambers accessible only to the Family Head, Ibon—clad in fluttering priestly robes—smiled at Renok.
"I was waiting for you personally."
He didn't know the origin of that attire, but considering who she held hands with, it was obvious.
Renok, staring piercingly at Ibon, smirked.
"No need to hide it anymore? Planning to boast to the whole city that you've achieved divine possession with Gido?"
"As if."
Ibon replied leisurely.
Her skin was wrinkle-free, her hair jet-black.
Her youthful face even looked younger than Renok's.
With a relaxed gesture, she swept her hair back and said,
"He gave me what I desired, so I'm simply paying the due price."
"......"
"If offering my faith to the cult lets me halt the flow of time, what's the harm? I regret not recommending this method to others sooner."
"Lies like that are a disease. You never intended to share that secret with anyone."
Renok let out a cold sneer.
"......"
"The price you paid wasn't just yours. In truth, you resolved to offer the entire citadel—every life and asset—before obtaining that illusion, didn't you?"
If she had truly gained everything she wanted, there'd be no reason for Ibon to remain in this citadel.
Because unpaid debts lingered, and Walter's wishes were part of that deal, she had anticipated Renok's visit yet dragged out time desperately.
Ibon's eyes gleamed coldly.
"......If you know that much, no need for further words. The Samyeong Family Head must have spilled too much to that brat."
"Where's the bishop who was with you?"
"You think I'll tell you?"
"Fair enough. He's probably busy with something in the hidden sanctuary you've stashed him away in."
"......"
Renok pulled another cigarette from his pocket and said,
"I figured the cult had a reason for targeting the ruins. But not knowing exactly what bothers me."
"......I have no idea what you're talking about."
"If we faced the same truth but arrived at different answers... then there's definitely more you're hiding."
Exhaling smoke with a sigh, Renok lifted his head, his eyes emitting a chilling glint.
"Today, I'll uncover it all right here."
"Ha."
Ibon scoffed, drawing up her mana.
"If you can, then try it, you whelp!!"
Kwaaaaaang!!
In that instant, the eighth-floor railing exploded, and the two figures plummeted toward the ground.
The two superhumans landed on the massive diagonal ice wall almost simultaneously, steadying themselves and clashing.
Boom!!
What followed was Ibon's preemptive charge.
Even bare-handed, her unhesitating slash through the air brimmed with mad confidence.
She drew up mana for a powerful downward punch.
Following her gesture, thick tree trunks rose from the ground, gathering in an instant to form a massive hammer.
Renok, anticipating the move, fully mobilized his mana to deploy a shield.
This wasn't an impact he could block while minding efficiency.
He compressed and overlapped seven shield domains, then rotated them to deflect the point of impact and mitigate the force.
Kugugugugu!!
The shockwave from the clash reverberated along the massive ice wall with a resounding boom.
The aftermath shook the diagonal ice wall, scattering ice crystals everywhere.
"For you to come here alone so boldly, you must have something to rely on?"
Crack!!
Ibon gripped Renok's shield and thrust her head through the gap, grinning ferociously.
"Show me your innate domain, mage."
She thrashed wildly, trying to pry open Renok's shield with the tree trunks, shouting,
"I want to see firsthand what incredible power makes you so arrogant—!!"
Thud thud!!
In that moment, ice spikes erupted from the ice wall beneath Ibon's feet, piercing her body straight through.
"Guheok!!"
The speed was too fast to react visually.
But it wasn't so swift that she couldn't dodge.
In the split second she committed her strength to ripping the shield open head-on—a gap in her consciousness like a fleeting light.
Renok had precisely struck the interval between her fully committed body and mind while facing her killing intent head-on.
With that single counter, Renok gauged Ibon's full power in an instant and said,
"Your momentum is fierce, but there's no substance, and your reactions are slow. You're not in peak condition either, are you?"
His blue eyes swirled, his left pupil glowing a vivid purple.
"I see you're trying to stall, but I don't need to play along."
Kiiiing...!!
The ice horn piercing her body began emitting a brilliant glow.
The surging mana spread across the entire massive ice wall, dozens of meters wide.
Only then did Ibon realize what Renok was attempting, her face hardening.
"You madman... You mean you've been maintaining the mana in this ice wall all this time...?!!"
It wasn't merely using the remnants of a spell.
The density of mana was impossible without holding onto the spell's momentum from the moment of casting.
From the instant he ruptured the sewers, Renok had planned to turn this massive ice wall into a bomb.
"Too late."
Freezing element unique magic.
Attribute binding crystal resonance.
[Glacier Binding]
Kwaaaaaaaaang!!!!
The ice wall they stood on exploded entirely, dyeing the sky above Ibon's mansion pure white.