Ch.160Unconventional (2)

# [Samartra]

A voice that wasn’t human, but something else.

When Dellin opened her mouth, a whirlpool of magical energy swirled violently.

The concentrated magic gathered at a single point, transforming into tremendous energy that shot toward Ruide.

“……”

Ruide didn’t particularly try to dodge, instead swallowing the magical energy whole.

He had silenced a catastrophe that could have blown away this entire area.

‘So that’s Dellin’s magic.’

Now he understood the method.

She speaks it aloud, then materializes it.

It’s what they call “incantation magic,” an ancient relic of the past.

She was still adhering to methods from a thousand years ago.

Which made sense, since she was from a thousand years ago.

“Y-you blocked Samartra.”

While Dellin, who cast the spell, remained expressionless, the Emperor was so shocked he fell to his knees.

“Y-you… what are you?!”

“Shut up. I’ll kill you soon enough.”

Ruide coldly spat out before turning to look at Dellin.

To kill the Emperor, he needed to deal with Dellin first.

‘How should I handle this?’

Ruide stretched out his hand.

Instantly, the place where Dellin stood exploded.

BOOM!

A massive crater formed, looking as though no one could possibly survive.

Yet Dellin remained perfectly intact at its center.

Without hesitation, Ruide infused his magic.

“Tear apart.”

A black sphere appeared directly where Dellin stood, not from Ruide’s fingertips. The 5th Magic, manipulation of space. A designated coordinate formula.

The black sphere, defying physical laws, wobbled dangerously. It began to grow precariously, consuming all the surrounding air.

[Absolute Barrier.]

At that moment, Dellin incanted. Unlike normal barriers that emanate from one’s body, Dellin’s barrier surrounded the black sphere.

Ruide’s magic was trapped inside the barrier, transformed into a silent scream. The immense power that should have devoured the entire area was now dormant.

‘…Is she really from a thousand years ago?’

Magic is like science.

It progresses over time.

Yet Dellin’s magic resembled modern concepts.

No, it was clearly superior.

Even—

Superior to Ruide’s magic.

He had never once used a barrier as a means to contain an opponent’s magic rather than protecting his own body.

‘No matter.’

Ruide bit his lip slightly.

If one approach doesn’t work, he would simply respond with stronger magic.

“…Elements that form the world.”

[Disrection]

He had barely uttered the first sentence.

Detecting the manifestation of high-level magic, Dellin swung her staff.

A dark red beam of destruction struck Ruide directly.

“Respond to my command.”

Ruide simultaneously incanted a barrier to block the destructive beam.

[Disrection]

Once again, Dellin swung her staff.

Ruide’s barrier defended against the magic without the slightest tremor as he continued his incantation.

“Eliminate the enemy who violates order.”

Ruide slowly uttered.

“ἔσχατος.”

This was the most powerful magic in Ruide’s memory.

The earth shook, and the sky darkened.

A light descended, and an angel appeared behind Ruide.

The angel’s wings gradually spread. As they did, Ruide felt his magical energy rapidly depleting.

[Disappear]

Sensing danger, Dellin aimed at the angel.

It was the first comprehensible language she had spoken.

Ting—

The magic was deflected as if blocked by something.

‘…Speaking magic. I see.’

Magic is imagination.

The principle of “hierarchical magic,” reportedly created by Dellin, was to force that imagination into reality through the power of “words.”

But he realized that was a miscalculation.

Dellin wasn’t using incantations to force imagination.

Simply put, the words she spoke became reality.

In other words, not hierarchical magic—

‘Word authority’ would be the correct term.

Tick-tock—

A silent clock turned. Like a pendulum, the angel’s wings spread.

The moment they formed a straight line, the preparation for this magic would be complete.

And the meaning of the rune word contained in this magic—

It signifies ‘the end.’

Ruide focused the destructive power of this magic entirely on Dellin and the First Emperor.

It was magic capable of ending the world. Such enormous power concentrated on just two humans.

Truly, it was magic that could kill even a god. He was certain of it.

[Dispel]

[Nullify]

[Void]

Dellin did everything to eliminate this magic.

But nothing worked.

‘…Even I can’t stop this magic once cast.’

Once activated, it’s over.

Nothing exists that can stop this magic.

All he had to do was wait patiently.

“I command you, Dellin.”

‘A last desperate attempt?’

The arrogant smile on the First Emperor’s face caught his eye.

Had he given up in his final moments?

As Ruide tilted his head in confusion—

“Pour everything you have into killing that man.”

The atmosphere changed—

“…Impossible.”

WHOOSH!

Dellin’s magical power surged insanely.

Ruide’s pupils trembled.

‘This wasn’t… her level.’

Dellin’s small body suddenly felt like that of a giant.

This was definitely not her previous level. She was a completely different person from moments ago.

Her magical power was so immense it made his knees weak.

‘Why? Was she hiding her power?’

At that moment, his eyes met the First Emperor’s.

He was no longer flustered.

His expression suggested he had seen through everything.

In that instant, Ruide realized.

He had misjudged the First Emperor’s authority.

‘…It wasn’t simply about controlling people.’

It seemed he could also “enhance” them.

In other words, making the impossible as possible as it could be.

Like equalizing Dellin’s previously inferior magical power to match Ruide’s.

‘…But that won’t change anything.’

If he had used that from the beginning, perhaps, but now it was too late.

Ruide’s lethal magic “The End” had already been activated.

Dong—

Just then, the angel’s wings straightened completely.

The angel’s unfocused eyes turned pure white.

“…Seraph, kill those two.”

As the angel’s mouth began to open—

[Authority]

Ruide slowly turned his head.

The angel’s mouth froze halfway open.

Shiver.

Goosebumps covered his entire body. He felt a strong sense of dissonance.

He turned his head. Dellin’s staff was pointing at the angel.

[The 5th Magic]

“…!”

[Space-time Transfer]

She muttered with a bored expression.

[Gehenna]

WHOOSH!

Terrible black ink erupted from Dellin’s staff.

Drip, drip, drip—

The black ink covered everything.

Like cancer cells, its territory spread uncontrollably.

It took less than 30 seconds to cover everything.

Ruide couldn’t move a finger.

A terrible foreboding.

Before that, the “indolent Ruide” in his mind was telling him.

This magic cannot be blocked by any method.

Everything he had used until now was mere child’s play.

This was magic that humans should not possess.

“Ha, hahaha—!”

The Emperor laughed maniacally.

The world had changed.

The sky was filled with red clouds—

Black lava flowed on the ground.

He was precariously standing on scattered rocky peaks.

This was hell.

There was no other way to describe it.

“Welcome to Gehenna, boy!”

‘What is this place?’

Cold sweat dripped from Ruide’s forehead.

‘Don’t panic. The scenery has just changed a bit.’

Gulp, Ruide swallowed.

He reached into the void.

“…Winter.”

Swoosh—

Fortunately, the subspace still opened.

The winter sword “Winter” appeared in this world.

Ruide lowered his hand. Simultaneously, Winter plunged into Gehenna’s floor.

Crack—

Winter’s intense winter power began to freeze Gehenna.

But even at maximum output, it couldn’t freeze everything.

It only managed to freeze the area around where Ruide stood.

‘…What does this magic mean?’

Ruide calmly thought as he pointed Winter at Dellin.

“You look curious about what kind of magic this is.”

The First Emperor looked down arrogantly with his hands in his pockets.

“Let me tell you, boy.”

A disgusting smile that made him feel sick just looking at it.

“Gehenna is Dellin’s authority. It’s such a powerful authority that it can only be used after reaching the pinnacle of magic, the 5th Magic.”

‘This is definitely a barrier. That means there must be a way out.’

Gehenna appeared to be so vast that its end couldn’t be seen.

However, Ruide’s magical investigation revealed that this space was finite.

He retrieved Winter, which had been pointing at Dellin, and threw it toward the sky.

Clang!

As expected, the sky was blocked by something. This meant most of it was an illusion.

‘In that case—’

Just break it.

Ruide made Winter rotate at an abnormal speed.

An ice storm formed, creating a magnificent sight no different from a natural disaster.

“Break through.”

CRACK!

The ice vortex, transformed into a sharp awl, struck Gehenna’s ceiling.

Just a small gap.

He just needed to create a small gap.

If he could do that, he could expand the space and this barrier…

“It’s useless.”

CLANG!

Winter, which had been fiercely rotating to pierce the sky, stopped.

Ruide bit his lip and tried to move Winter.

Looking straight ahead, he saw Dellin reaching her hand toward Winter.

‘Has she taken control?’

No matter how much he tried to move Winter again, it wouldn’t budge.

Such a phenomenon shouldn’t be possible.

It seemed to be one of Gehenna’s effects.

“Without Dellin’s permission, no one can leave or enter.”

“Of course, since I’m Dellin’s master, that means my command is needed.”

“Now, let me ask you something.”

The First Emperor found this situation so amusing that he held his stomach and laughed.

“If I leave you here—how long do you think you can last? In this place with no food, and even scarce air…”

“…I won’t lose.”

“Hm? You still haven’t given up?”

“No.”

The situation was dire.

Honestly, he wasn’t even sure what had happened.

To think they possessed such overpowered abilities.

Not just one, but two of them.

Dellin alone would be overwhelming, but the Emperor’s authority could enhance even her powerful magic.

But still.

“I’ve read 1000 chapters of this novel.”

“What?”

“I don’t know how many you’ve read, but I’m sure I’ve read more.”

Two possessed individuals.

One built an empire—

The other lived a pathetic life no different from his previous one.

He didn’t know what that guy did in his previous life, but it was probably better than his own.

No matter how overpowered his abilities were, a mere unemployed person couldn’t have established an empire.

Even so—

“But you know, having read to the end…”

There was one thing he had over that guy.

“In this novel, the only exception to the rules is Ruide Christopher.”

So—

It’s still too early to give up.

Ruide smiled.

“I think I can kill you.”