Chapter 178: Till the Heart Beats (5)

…Enveloping one’s body with Sword Force wasn’t a technique that made any sense whatsoever.

There was a reason why there were so few martial artists who fought bare-handed, because it was impossible to wrap their bodies in something like Sword Energy.

The energy density was too much for someone’s delicate skin to handle. That was why wrapping one’s energy in one’s fists or feet was something that could only be imagined instead of something to be put into practice.

After all, by doing so, there was a risk that their body would either melt or burst.

However, Lee Han’s body…

Whopping-!

-My body is stronger than most armor and greatswords. So it doesn’t matter!

Because he trusted his body’s durability, Lee Han tried to use the Reinforced Energy Armor without hesitation. And with that…

Boom-!

He charged ahead.

Uncaring about the earth and dirt that tried to bury him.

Crackle-!

Every time such things collided with him, they were immediately cut in half. No, it would be more accurate to say that they evaporated.

Rumble-!

Lee Han advanced, as if to prove with his own body that he was not someone that could be touched by such things.

Crushing and shattering everything in his wake.

He charged without the slightest hesitation, without even dodging.

Whoosh-!

However, the stirring earth wasn’t the only thing targeting him, the surging tornado too. It wrapped around the entire area as if it was seawater.

If he was hit by that, even with Reinforced Energy Armor around him he’d be blown—

No, I won’t be blown away.

Lee Han believed in his Reinforced Energy Armor, the crystallization of his efforts. While he wouldn’t arrogantly say that he could blow or eliminate that huge tornado since it still had so many shortcomings…

He dared to say that his strength…

━━!

“He pierced through?”

A certain mage muttered, completely astonished.

The knight who made people exclaim in admiration—though in the mage’s eyes, he was a hateful and detestable enemy—broke through the tornado. While the knight couldn’t destroy it outright, he wasn’t flung away—it was as if he was a deep-rooted tree. After a while, he broke through. He did it with his own body, which was far weaker than Mother Nature.

A knight who did not just overcome but ‘conquer’ the tornado.

It was the moment when an achievement that no one could believe, even if it was written as a poem of military exploits, was born.

“──.”

However, Lee Han did not care much about overcoming the tornado or achieving something that would be written in a poem of military exploits; he simply gritted his teeth and ran. What was important to him was the fact that he had finally faced the monster he had been aiming for directly.

Crackle-!

Lee Han grabbed the axe and jumped high into the sky, then he spun his body forward as if doing a somersault, increasing the power of the axe even more.

“Here I come…”

He voiced his will and swung the axe at the monster.

Bang-!

Stab-!

And with that, he finally blew away the ‘monster’s arm’.

…For a moment, there was silence.

“Huh? Huh… Huh… Huh?”

They said when one experienced something unrealistic, their linguistic skills deteriorated so bad to the point they became fools. And that was exactly what was happening to the mages of the Magic Tower right now.

That was how much they couldn’t believe what had just happened.

“T-Tower Master’s arm!?”

“I-It’s been cut…?”

“…T-This should be a dream. T-There’s no way this isn’t a dream.”

They were all panicking, tearing their hair out with bloodshot eyes.

Even though Toure was a madman, a man who killed indiscriminately, a man who was not qualified to be the leader of a group, at the end of the day, he was still an Archmage. To be exact, an Archmage who stood at the top of the Central Continent for the past 4 centuries.

In a way, he was the king of mages, and in the Magic Tower, he was like a [God].

Yet, the arm of such a person was cut.

Perhaps this was how a citizen felt when they witnessed the downfall of their nation with their own eyes?

No, what they experienced was much worse than that.

It was only natural for the mages to refuse to believe in reality.

After all, the wounded man was none other than Toure de Sagan. The king of magic who could breathe out powerful and grandiose magic.

Yet, that same king of magic was injured.

…No, not only injured, he had lost an entire arm.

The fact that the king of magic lost his arm was something that shouldn’t occur under any circumstances and possibilities.

It was only natural that his followers would panic.

However…

“You really are commendable. This is my first time falling into a crisis like this.”

Said king and god of the mages was wearing a bright expression on his face, even after seeing his own severed arm. It was mind boggling. After all, no matter how strong he was, it would still be hard to endure such pain.

“Ah, right, I modified my body a lot in the past, so I can’t feel pain. Even if I do, it’s just a little ticklish or hot. But at least, I can feel the danger now! I can’t even regenerate my arm! Haha! Is it because that destructive energy seeped into my arm? What a headache…”

At first glance, the appearance of Toure who didn’t seem to experience any pain despite his arm being cut and just accepted this situation as something strange, was dizzying.

However, the knight who confronted Toure knew…

“Have you gone so crazy that you lost even your own sense of reality?”

“Yep. When you live for 400 years, your emotions, memories, and senses would all break down. Do you know? Almost none of the things that make my body are ‘originally mine’. In fact, most of it was transplanted except for my brain! That’s why I look younger! It’s the side effect of that!”

“…”

“Huh? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“…”

“Hey, c’mon! Let’s talk more.”

…The reason Lee Han didn’t answer him wasn’t due to the dizziness that struck his head, but rather because all he could hear was the lunatic claiming that he wasn’t a human anymore.

Kwang-!

And so, he decided that there was no point in talking to a monster.

After all, what kind of conversation would he even have with a guy who coveted others’ bodies and bragged about it?

Hence why, instead of talking, he decided to just spend the energy to chop up the guy’s body even more.

If possible…

Either his head and neck!

He wanted to crush either of them completely so that it’d be impossible for him to regenerate them.

Lee Han charged forward once again.

Reinforced Energy Armor.

The strongest shield and spear that finally pierced the monster’s magic field charged at the monster again.

Lee Han, who was shooting straight through with his Bending Body Launch, raised his axe again and took a stance that looked as if he was chopping firewood.

He was aiming for the guy’s head.

This time, to turn his head, not his arm, into a mess.

However…

[Protect me].

With a bang, Lee Han’s attack was blocked.

“…This is absurd. You broke a hundred defensive spells by yourself?”

Over a hundred defensive spells blocked his attack at the same time, and a huge [labyrinth] was created around Lee Han.

Swish-!

Toure’s defensive magic, which consisted of tens of thousands of defensive magic in his Memorized, was simultaneously deployed, causing many different phenomenons to occur at the same time, inevitably creating a labyrinth.

A prison of death where countless traps and defensive magics mixed chaotically, something that no one couldn’t escape even if they tried.

It reminded Lee Han of the Daedalus’ Labyrinth that sealed the Cursed Prince Minotaur in Ancient Greek mythology.

“You’re way too dangerous.”

Toure could no longer afford to let his guard down. His Perspective Manipulation had already been conquered, and even if he used other powerful magics, he wouldn’t be able to defeat the knight. So, Toure made his choice.

“I’ll seal you.”

Whoosh-!

He put all the tens of thousands of defensive spells spread out on his body into the labyrinth. Since confronting the dangerous knight was a no go, he decided that sealing him would be a wiser move.

“I will let you self-destruct.”

No matter how strong the knight was, he still wouldn’t be able to break through the labyrinth made up of tens of thousands of defensive spells on his own. As long as Toure was alive, the magic of the labyrinth would continue to exist, and since that was the case, it’d be difficult for him to escape.

In other words, he was literally sealed there.

“What a pity. This technique was originally prepared to catch the Ghost King…”

The Troll King who lived for a thousand years.

This magic was his desperate measure to catch the [Demon King-level monster] and use it as a test subject. However, unfortunately, it seemed like he had to give up on catching that Troll King.

“…So, what are you going to do now?”

“…”

“I was wondering where you went, so you killed all the old guys? What a bad hobby you got there.”

“Blame them for standing in my way.”

Drip-!

Drip-!

Blood flowed down from Lake’s short sword. Of course it wasn’t his blood, but the blood of the three mages he had killed. To be exact, it was the blood of those who were called the Archmages.

They had been trying hard to prevent him from interfering with the fight between Lee Han and Toure, but their power was nowhere near enough to stop Lake, who was still engulfed by the red flames. Just like that, Lake got to kill all three Archmages by himself.

With that, all the Archmages of the Magic Tower had died.

“Hmm…”

Seeing this, Toure just nodded.

The Sky Castle had collapsed, the Bronze Giants, the guardians of the Magic Tower were also annihilated. Furthermore, more than 85% of the mages of the Magic Tower, including the Archmages, had died.

It was safe to say that the Magic Tower was in ruin.

However…

“Ugh, when are we gonna recover from all this?”

Toure was only slightly annoyed at this. He just dismissed the damage mentioned as nothing more than a small matter.

“Well, I guess we just need to squeeze the empire for about 3 years.”

“…”

After all, as long as he existed, the Magic Tower could be restored at any time, and he was confident that after it was restored, the Tower would have power beyond its prime.

That was Toure’s belief.

Moreover, there was an enormous amount of wealth sleeping inside the Magic Tower. Of course, not material wealth like gold or jewels, but ‘intellectual wealth’ that had been accumulated over many years. That was the Magic Tower’s overwhelming advantage, as well as its greatest asset.

As long as they had it, they could always attract more mages to come, and as long as they still desired those forbidden knowledge, they’d inevitably gather at the Magic Tower.

“I’ll just take care of you and work for a while. My life… Why do I have to work so hard when I’m this old.”

“…Stop talking nonsense.”

“Hehe, I tried talking like an old man. How was it? Was my acting good?”

“…”

“Let’s just stop here. You’re quite strong, but you can’t take my neck. At most, you can only take my eyes or arms.”

Seeing Lake getting into his stance, Toure waved his hands.

He had stopped looking down on him, especially after seeing that ‘red flame’.

That energy could probably destroy all of his magic field, even if it wasn’t enough to kill him.

After all, he still had thousands of magic left.

Though, I only have five ways to kill that knight.

Thinking so, Toure found himself dumbfounded again.

To think that he’d be cornered by knights who were much younger than him.

“I guess I already become a relic of a bygone era now, hahaha!”

To some, it might have sounded like a self-deprecating remark, but Lake knew.

The guy was just playing around.

As proof, the guy still looked happy.

At that moment…

“You guys, you are [Knights of Pendragon] right?”

Toure guessed, or rather, became certain of their identity.

“The only place that still has knights of your caliber in this era should be Pendragon. The kingdom loved by the Dragon and Fairy, the kingdom overflowing with Mystics. Haa, I really envy them. Meanwhile, the empire and the other continents are all hated by the Mystics.”

Pendragon.

Their name had been famous since 400 years ago, and they had always given birth to strong knights.

How many times had the empire been defeated when they set out to conquer them?

Countless.

And the reason for those defeats was…

“There are still Aura Users even in this era, right? I’m talking about those superhumans who transcend human limits. Amazing. How could ‘such a creature’ exist anyway? What’s even more amazing is that in the history of the continent, Pendragon has never failed to produce an Aura User. It’s really amazing.”

“…”

“If Aura Users weren’t hated by the ‘gods’ of the Central Continent, they would have taken my neck several times already. In that sense, I guess I can say that the gods can be useful at times.”

Then, Toure looked at Lake with a somewhat bitter laugh.

“Yeah, I’ve decided! I was going to just let you go earlier, but now, I’m set to kill you. You’re too dangerous. Also, I’ll order the empire to wage war against Pendragon. After that, I’ll capture a lot of Pendragon knights as slaves! Among them, there should definitely be someone who has the same ‘potential’ as you.”

Toure saw it. The knights called Lee Han and Lake were among those who had the [potential] to become an Aura User. They only met two or three of the dozens of conditions right now, but still, they managed to deal this much damage to him, so there wasn’t any doubt in his mind that they were dangerous beings.

That was why, it would be safer to bring those who were a little less dangerous and merely had the potential as slaves.

If something like this were to happen again after he played around like today…

“Isn’t it terrible? Because of you, Pendragon and the empire will be at war! Of course, the empire can’t win since Pendragon has Aura Users, haha!”

Still, Toure believed that the empire would be able to inflict considerable damage, at least enough for him to get whatever test subjects he wanted.

His goal would be achieved without him coming forward.

Anticipating the future, Toure smiled.

As if the future had been set to follow his wishes.

“Do you know that the Ghost King is dead?”

“…Huh?”

“As expected, you don’t know. That shows just how long you are cooped in the Magic Tower. Like a cockroach.”

“What had died?”

Toure slightly lost his smile, blinked, and asked again, wondering if he had heard wrong.

However, Lake was only telling the truth.

“It died. To that knight you sealed.”

“T-That can’t be possible? No matter how strong he is…”

Toure fully knew the strength of that knight, but even so, it’s nowhere near enough to kill the Ghost King. After all, to kill the Ghost King, they had to kill every single cell in its body without missing a single one.

And that knight didn’t seem to have the power to do that.

So, how…?

Thud-! Thud-!

“Strength isn’t the only strength of a knight.”

“??”

Lake knocked his head.

Strength was important for a knight, that was for sure. After all, they’d need to be good at using swords, fighting and being human weapons overall.

However, a knight wasn’t just a soldier. They were commander-level individuals that had the ability to command the battlefield. Among them, there were those who had no fighting ability, and managed to become knights through their sheer ability to strategize alone.

What this meant was that someone who called themselves a knight was someone who used their head to some extent.

“Even though he looks like that, that thug is a clever guy.”

It was the same when he fought the Ghost King.

Lake didn’t see it himself, but based on the testimony of the various witnesses, it was said that he fought in an environment that was as advantageous to him as possible, and that he aimed to hold his ground until reinforcements arrived.

It was the same even now.

“Thank you for being arrogant until the end. Thank you for looking down on us until the end.”

“…?”

For the first time, Lake expressed his gratitude to Toure instead of contempt, and Toure tried to think about what he meant for a moment.

But…

[Hihihihi!]

“…”

…He soon realized why Lake was thanking him.

Whoosh-!

He looked at the sky with widened eyes.

There was a girl who was surrounded by aurora. A girl who was smiling so beautifully that even the surroundings brightened.

[Hihihihi!]

The girl—the ‘Fairy’ was laughing.

“-That thug called this operation ‘Making sound in the East and attacking from the West’.”

A smile appeared on Lake’s lips for the first time in the long battle.

With that, the sealed ‘Spring Fairy’ had descended.

‘They’ had done it.

Crumble-!

“I-I think I’m going to die…”

“…”

“Y-Young master? You’re not dead, are you?”

“…I’m not.”

As if to show how fierce the battle had been, the two boys and one girl were lying down amidst the mess of fallen mages and golems’ remnants. However, the ones who prevail were the knights’ disciples, and the ones who had been defeated were the mages.

They had destroyed the center of the Magic Tower. That was the reason why they collapsed, not even having the strength to raise their hands.

Sweat, blood, and dust covered their bodies and their bodies felt uncomfortable and hurt all over, but…

“At least we won’t be scolded by the instructor.”

“Hopefully…”

“Hehehe, will he praise me, I wonder?”

As they talked, the three smiled, full with satisfaction.

─With that, spring would come to this land again.