Ch.319319. Execution

When it comes to strategist types who approach everything with a plan, their greatest vulnerability is always the sudden variable that emerges unexpectedly.

What determines the caliber of such individuals is how flexibly they can respond when situations deviate from their plans.

Naturally, someone like Mobius, who serves as the Demonic Spire master, possesses skills that place him near the pinnacle among such strategist types.

Therefore.

If even someone like him finds himself flustered, it means the situation is abnormal in many ways.

“-Fire!”

With his frantic shout, another storm of weapons—each with precisely designated firing directions and movement patterns—swept through the surroundings.

Mobilizing every facility within the Demonic Spire,

Each weapon boasted power that wouldn’t be strange to describe as catastrophic.

Each one would have countless people from the surface world lining up to offer mountains of gold and silver treasures just for a chance to touch them, if they weren’t affiliated with the Demonic Spire.

And what about the one who wields them?

When someone already called a genius as a human employs all manner of mechanization, supernatural abilities, and even forbidden techniques said to be prohibited, their intellect naturally ascends to a realm that could rightfully be called superhuman.

In an instant, he calculates all variables, vectors, and branching possibilities. He derives optimal response measures for any unexpected situation.

With a brain that has arguably reached the limits of human capability, aided by various computational devices, he can perform calculations approaching future prediction within just a few seconds.

Such weapons, through such intellect, create a catastrophic barrage filled with an obsessive determination to kill the opponent.

The air burns. The earth tears apart. The sky is dyed with smoke, and the landscape visibly transforms after being swept by a single barrage.

After the attack passes, it takes quite some time for the rising dust to settle.

And.

However.

‘Again…?!’

Mobius gritted his teeth as he stared at Darwood Campbell, who was still standing perfectly intact beyond the barrage.

It didn’t reach him.

Again.

This has been the pattern of their exchange for several minutes now.

Like an intangible mirage.

By the narrowest margin, by a hair’s breadth, the opponent avoids everything. He withstands it all perfectly,

A barrage that clearly even a living dragon couldn’t survive!

While such thoughts crossed his mind, Mobius gritted his teeth until they bled as he watched the expressionless man walking steadily toward him without saying a word.

‘This, damn bastard…!’

This is likely the source of his bewilderment.

How many times has this man effortlessly evaded every perfectly calculated move?

Yet despite this, it’s Mobius himself who’s being pushed into a defensive position.

To make matters worse, what’s even stranger is:

‘…He’s not even counterattacking.’

If he can read all these tactical exchanges so well, he would naturally devise some means to strike back during the gaps after each barrage of firepower.

But there’s none of that either.

He simply walks slowly toward Mobius after weathering each attack. There’s not even a hostile attack.

‘What is he aiming for…?’

It felt like a dream.

While all of Mobius’s moves were being neutralized, he couldn’t even begin to guess the opponent’s intentions.

‘Am I missing something…?’

He already knew his opponent was clever and cunning, but this form of engagement was clearly abnormal.

It was clearly strange that someone could match Mobius in the realm of “calculation speed”—something he could proudly claim to be “the best in the world” at. That went beyond mere intelligence; it was like his own unique technique.

For someone to keep up with that.

It was as if this man was invincible in such tactical exchanges.

Almost as if he could see the future.

“…”

However, Professor Mobius immediately tossed the hypothesis he’d just conceived into his mental trash bin.

-Naturally, that’s nonsense.

Even the Grey Demon, who can directly manipulate the time axis, cannot directly peer into the future.

It’s unheard of for any demon to possess such an ability, despite their various transcendent powers.

‘…What the hell is this, damn it…!’

At this rate.

Whatever ability that man is using.

His defeat at the hands of that man would be a foregone conclusion—

‘Defeat?’

The moment he mulled over that word, Mobius’s mind momentarily turned blank.

It was a thought he had never entertained until now.

Die?

Him?

So, once more.

This time with the determination to kill without fail.

With such thoughts, he completed his calculations at a terrifying speed in his mind while watching Darwood Campbell slowly walking toward him.

“—-Fire!”

A storm of magical power, dense enough to sweep away everything within its range, began to boil up from all the research facilities of the Demonic Spire that he had gathered nearby.

If the opponent keeps slipping away like a loach no matter what kind of barrage is formed, then the solution is to create an attack that will inevitably hit anything within its range.

The facilities within range would probably all be reduced to ashes, but that would be a necessary sacrifice. The moment he falls to that man here, everything he’s built up until now would be for nothing. Whatever is lost can be rebuilt!

With such thoughts, blinding particles of light erupted from all nearby buildings. The research facility where he had been “experimenting” on that man until just now was subjected to such a fierce bombardment that it shattered into pieces, the attack continuing for quite some time.

Of course, Mobius himself had long since soared high into the sky with the help of various drones, escaping the range of such attacks.

“…Is he dead?”

“As if I’d be alive when you’re openly reciting resurrection spells.”

“…!”

Mobius turned in shock toward the source of that voice.

Somehow having selected his perch, the man was sitting on one of the anti-gravity objects floating in the air, swinging his legs.

His attitude seemed almost mocking.

As if saying, “Did you really think you could hit me with such attacks?”

“You, damn…!”

In an instant, it seemed natural for Mobius’s eyes to roll back as he spat out curses.

And, if it was to be expected:

Scraping the bottom of people’s patience was always something of a specialty for Darwood Campbell.

Before Mobius’s angry sentence could finish, Darwood’s relaxed voice dropped again.

“So, is this all you’ve got?”

“…What?”

While Mobius wore a momentarily blank expression, Darwood glanced at his wristwatch.

A yawn that was clearly meant to provoke him further escaped from his mouth.

“I said 10 minutes, didn’t I? Until I kill you.”

“…”

“Only 5 minutes have passed. Nothing more to show?”

With those words, Darwood rested his chin on his hand and grinned.

“You haven’t landed a single hit yet, you know?”

As those words reached him, several emotions surged in succession.

“…”

The first thing he felt was strangeness.

The second was anxiety.

And what followed was:

A violent rage that seemed to burn his brain, turning his vision white, enough to blow away his reason.

“You, son, of, a, bitch—!!!”

An expletive filled with volcanic rage that he had never uttered before erupted from beneath Mobius’s vocal cords.

No one could stand above him. No human should ever do that!

“I’ll kill you-!”

Once again, his mind began to race.

In truth, this was something he would never have done had he maintained rational judgment.

Attacks using the Demonic Spire’s facilities had already failed multiple times. Trying different attacks would likely result in the same outcome.

Even now, Mobius was twisting his body, using all available means with all his might just to land “one hit” on that man. Trying harder now wouldn’t change anything.

Once again.

That man would continue, tirelessly.

To win their tactical exchange.

Like drying out prey in his grasp.

Like toying with him.

These were all things he would naturally realize if he could make even slightly rational judgments.

He would quickly recognize that it would be wise to take a step back, analyze his opponent, and formulate a plan to control other variables.

Yes.

Just as Mobius had tried to drive that man into.

If only his mind hadn’t been consumed by ‘rage’.

“Yeah, I know because I’ve been there too.”

And.

Darwood, who had been watching this scene all along, got up with a smirk.

“When you’re angry, rational judgment becomes impossible.”

It was a voice that had clearly been waiting for just this moment.