MTLNOVEL Chapter 602
A girl who had been unconscious for a long time woke up.
With the battle against the vampire approaching, this fact should have been more welcome than ever. The existence of an ‘Archmage’ who could tear through the ‘boundary’ and wield the power of Naejin was of great value.
Moreover, wasn’t the vampire in a state where it could only exert half of its power?
Of course, the opponent was a legendary monster that had nearly burned the entire continent. Even with that half of its power, it could easily overwhelm the ‘Archwitch,’ but now the support of the barrier was lost.
At last, a chance to end the endless standoff had come.
There was no reason for anyone not to make such a judgment. It had truly been a long battle, and each small variable accumulated, making it quite possible to determine victory or defeat.
However, the angel of war seemed to have no intention of tipping the scales yet.
In exchange for returning the girl, it had taken away the group’s greatest power.
The Archwitch etched letters of light into the void and cursed.
“Why, what have you done… You said that those of the same blood are like family! I raised a monstrous child…!”
“What nonsense, little girl… No, Elder!”
Elsi, clutching a black rod, also rushed in urgently.
The reason for raising her voice was simply that the Archwitch’s magic was much higher in level than expected. No matter how confused one might be, a strong person would be weak against a weaker one, gauging the level of their opponent.
It was akin to a survival instinct. In that brief moment, Elsi took a step closer to uncovering the true identity of the Archwitch.
So, she joined forces. It was an enemy she could never face alone.
The black rod drew a light trajectory like a brush. As the blue lightning colored the canvas drawn by the Archwitch, it was directly struck by a torrent of blood-red spears like an aerial bombardment.
Bang, bang, bang!
With each explosion, the remnants of magical power scattered like beams of light. From a distance, it must have been a beautiful sight, but there was nothing more chilling to behold on the battlefield.
The layers upon layers of protective barriers tore apart.
It was truly the worst situation. For mages with less than average physical abilities, a shield made of magical power was their last bastion.
But what if even that were to break?
It meant that they couldn’t handle the opponent. Naturally, retreat had to be considered the top priority, but this was the inside of a barrier with no exits.
They had no choice but to calmly prepare for death.
There could be no better justification for two women who had not even regained their proper reasoning to join forces.
One geometric shape was overlaid on another geometric shape.
The speed at which Elsi, having risen as an Archmage within the ‘boundary,’ wove the spell was incomparable to before. Even her companion, who had witnessed the end of magic, was a woman.
So the shield should become denser and denser.
If only the enemy weren’t a ‘vampire.’
The Archwitch’s expression grew more anxious.
“I can’t hold out like this… What about the first?!”
In the Archwitch’s eyes, complex emotions could be seen.
Worry, anxiety, and struggle.
The fallen man was clearly in an unprotected state. If the vampire were to change its mind and attempt to end the man’s life now, there were not many means to stop it.
Perhaps they might have to take a risk.
That connected to the second and third emotions.
There was still a final measure.
Abandon the safety of the Great Forest area and the Southern Kingdoms, and summon the Archwitch’s true body here.
The master’s power was great. Even if the ‘vampire’ regained its full strength, had it not been defeated in the battle from hundreds of years ago?
However, the Archwitch’s body was also the core of the barrier that trapped the vampire.
If the Archwitch were to summon her true body, the vampire would take the chance to steal its own body away.
Then it would all be over.
A vampire using the powers of the Seven Deadly Sins without restriction was a calamity in itself. This was a truth that the Archwitch, who had witnessed the Southern region turn into a sea of flames, knew better than anyone.
Even in a life-threatening situation, she hesitated to make a decision.
Just then, the girl, clutching her hooded hat as if she might fly away with the shockwave, called out loudly.
“… I told you to wait! I will return!”
A moment of doubt flashed in the Archwitch’s eyes.
Where could this be from?
Wasn’t she the one who had just been unconscious? The Archwitch had no way of knowing when the girl had made such a promise with the man.
However, the question that struck the Archwitch’s throat was slightly different.
“How?!”
Having collapsed in tatters, suddenly another persona had possessed her.
Wasn’t she supposed to be fainted again from the shock? No matter how intact her body seemed on the outside, there was no way that the inside was unchanged.
It was truly a ‘how.’
How could she possibly return after being in such a state, after being so broken and injured?
The girl’s response, facing that grim prospect, was blunt.
“… Somehow.”
Clenching her teeth, she twisted her magical power until her entire body ached. The rings that had crystallized in her heart rotated madly as they wove new spells.
Just one dimension.
Although it was an advancement she had experienced several times, the spell that added a new unknown to the equation was spewing forth an enormous amount of equations and solutions. And the output that corresponded to that as well.
Many mages longed for this level. They would even risk their lives for it.
Yet only an extremely few could reach it.
Because they were swallowed by the darkness of the ‘boundary’ and their innermost desires, which they had locked away.
Originally, it would have been a realm that Elsi could not reach either. However, a man who had made a point of searching for the girl who had gone missing allowed her to stand here again.
A man with the ability to turn the impossible into the possible.
“Somehow, he will come back… I threw my fiancé into this dangerous place.”
So she had no choice but to believe.
As she solidified her determination, the barrier of magical power shattered, and the girl’s body was swept away by the explosion, rolling on the ground. The man, who lay peacefully, still showed no sign of movement.
Only blood flowed beneath him.
A broken vial was crawling into the man’s veins.
When she opened her eyes, an unfamiliar landscape emerged.
Her confused mind blurred the boundary between consciousness and unconsciousness. With every step she took on the sandy beach, her reasoning became more nebulous.
Memory, memory, memory.
Why have I ended up like this?
As she stood vacantly and mulled over it, a scene rose like mist.
A woman with crimson hair.
She must have been someone precious to her, but why was her face obscured?
“Ian, using a stimulant won’t heal your body.”
It was a firm voice of admonition.
Perhaps she had never shaken off her worries; a memory flickered of her holding her hand for a long time while giving her medicine.
“No matter how powerful a stimulant is, it can’t bring back a mortally wounded patient. It just allows them to gain consciousness for a moment… If your condition is more serious than that, even if you regain consciousness, you might not be in your right mind.”
A state of consciousness existing while the brain refused to awaken.
Was this like somnambulism? Perhaps that was the impression she had carried.
“… Don’t overdo it, please.”
The woman’s voice, finally concluding with such words, was incredibly moist.
How absurd.
I wanted to see this woman’s face. As if she had planted the seed of emotion deep within her heart, even in her dazed state, she rummaged through her memories of the woman.
A few days ago, a month ago, and then several months ago.
Eventually, it reached even the day I enrolled in the Academy.
Is this truly the end?
No, it couldn’t be. Surely there was more to it…
As I was about to sink vacantly below the horizon of consciousness, a voice called out.
“How was the dream?”
The dry tone struck my eardrums, and the hazy world instantly regained its color.
The earth was as barren as the man’s voice. The only thing adding an unpleasant hue to it was the countless corpses strewn about.
It was a wasteland.
It was so desolate that it was a question how any human could hold such a landscape in their heart.
I stood upon it.
In a world where even the crows did not caw, the man’s voice felt like a stone. The only variable to cause ripples in the calm lake.
“Have you achieved all your goals? I wonder if you are satisfied now.”
My gaze slowly turned behind me. There, as always, sat a man with weary eyes perched on a rock.
Embracing his sword.
“It’s time to leave.”
As he spoke, the man gestured towards the sky. It was a clear sky with nothing in it.
The golden eyes, using the desolate scenery as a canvas, almost looked like fireflies.
“Get lost, this is no longer my concern.”
His words bore that same unpleasant tone.
Or perhaps the battle with an old acquaintance excited him.
Even so, he was a reliable man who had come to check on me, making sure I regained my senses. Just as he said, it was time to head back.
My eyes naturally turned skyward. In the spot that had just been empty, memories from outside were seeping in.
Scenes in which the man was constantly at an advantage.
Yes, this was the end.
Unconsciously, I asked the question.
“Can I fight like that too?”
It was a brief question.
However, it would take some time before an answer would return. About a few seconds later, a strange emotion escaped from between the man’s lips, which had been silent.
“… What?”
It was a legitimate question.