Ch.39Meeting Place (3)

As the explosion of Meteor subsided, Ignius, looking somewhat dazed as if he hadn’t been harmed by his own magic, was floating absentmindedly in the sky.

Looking at his state, he seems to have lost his senses.

I should help him regain his consciousness.

“First, a slap.”

Smack!

Rising into the air and approaching him, I raised my arm and delivered a hard slap.

Unable to withstand my overwhelming strength, Ignius crashed into the wall.

“You haven’t been hit enough yet, you brat.”

I grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, pulled him out of the wall, and repeatedly slapped him while holding him up by his neck with my blood.

I think I’ve mentioned this before, but when you feel like you’re being disrespected, it’s important to thoroughly crush your opponent so they never dare to rise against you again.

That way, they’ll never attempt insubordination again.

“Ugh, urgh…”

“Are you coming to your senses now?”

“T-this…”

“Then this is the last one.”

I swung my blood like a club, smashing it down on his head, and he shot off like a bullet, crashing straight into the ground.

Seeing this, I widened my eyes in surprise.

‘He’s not dead, is he?’

It would be troublesome if he died.

If he just died recently, bringing him back would be no big deal, but since I didn’t intend to kill him, I was a bit worried.

If he were a sturdy knight, taking hits like this wouldn’t be a major problem, but mages are basically people who protect themselves with magical power.

Physically, they’re only slightly better than ordinary people, so taking such attacks without defense could be fatal.

It’s just that for a great mage, surprise attacks are meaningless, and even if successful, they’re easily blocked by the magical barrier that’s constantly surrounding them.

“Kuh, kuhuh…”

So even a so-called great mage can take this much punishment without much issue.

I clicked my tongue.

“That’s the end of my love taps.”

From what I can tell, if he had gone after Eterna, she would have crushed him with the same magic but stronger, destroying him mentally as well, so I’m practically an angel in comparison.

Looking down at him coughing on the ground, I quietly descended and approached Ignius, asking:

“Well, are you coming to your senses now?”

“Urgh…”

Honestly, I was surprised.

Even though this space was created with devices made by Eterna herself, I didn’t expect him to think of unleashing a Meteor spell.

‘I didn’t know if it could withstand even this much…’

Actually, until I cast Meteor, I was worried that the spatial distortion device might break and the aftermath would spread to the Magic Tower.

I would have no problem protecting myself, but if the effects of Meteor spread, not only would people around the magic practice area be caught up in it, but the Blood Tower would literally become a sea of fire…

The Blood Tower itself is protected by Eterna’s protective magic so it wouldn’t be destroyed, but just because the exterior remains intact doesn’t mean the inside would be fine.

That’s why it was all the more surprising.

I’ve come to realize just how extraordinary Eterna is when it comes to magic.

I knew she was in an untouchable position when it came to magic, but I didn’t know it was to this extent.

“How… is this possible…?”

Ignius wore a shocked expression, unable to understand how I had withstood all his magic.

Sitting on the ground, he muttered his question, and I pondered for a moment.

How was it possible…

Indeed, each spell Ignius showed me was at an unbelievable level.

He threw a fireball to distract me, then erupted a fountain of flames where I was standing.

When that didn’t work, he used the fountain of flames to create walls of fire to trap me, then shot flames from angles I couldn’t avoid.

He unleashed a firestorm of heat so intense that any ordinary creature would melt without a trace upon contact, and when even that didn’t work, he turned the entire area where I was standing into a sea of fire.

Would it make sense if I said that he was undoubtedly the best among all the fire users I’ve seen so far, to the point that if a Red Mage saw this, they would wonder if they were dreaming?

Ignius possessed magical skills befitting his position as the head of the Red Tower.

Only…

“It was possible because it was me.”

This isn’t about Blood Magic being great.

I’ll admit what needs to be admitted.

It’s not that Blood Magic is great; it’s simply that I am great.

‘I wasn’t this strong before…’

Until I became a Transcendent, I didn’t possess this level of strength.

If it were the old me, dealing with Ignius would have been quite troublesome.

But now it’s different.

No fire magic had any effect on my blood; rather, I could simply erase it and even counter-attack.

Even if flames directly touched my body, perhaps because I’m a Transcendent of life, they had no effect on me.

More precisely, they did affect me, but it wasn’t a problem for me at all.

From the moment I became a transcendent being for whom the concept of death doesn’t exist, it was impossible for Ignius to defeat me.

Still, it was interesting that he managed to somehow resist my orders, as befitting a great mage, but that was all.

“You, no… who are you…?”

Ignius asked, sweating coldly.

“Can’t you tell by looking? Would it make sense if I said I’m similar to Eterna’s kind?”

“…I had some suspicions…”

The mad dog has become docile.

Just a while ago, he seemed like a crazy person desperate to fight me, but now he’s showing respect, which suggests he understands the hierarchy.

After all, people like him tend to understand overwhelming differences well.

Seeing him behave quietly, it seems he no longer intends to act up.

“Why did you suddenly attack the Magic Tower? You could have entered openly without any problem…”

If he had just come through the front gate openly saying “Fight me!” I would have at least faced him.

I really couldn’t understand why he had to get on my nerves.

“That…”

“If you don’t speak, I’ll destroy the Red Tower next. Speak quickly.”

“Kuk…”

He gritted his teeth.

At that, I narrowed my eyes.

Did he just grit his teeth in front of me?

After being so thoroughly defeated that he can’t even make excuses, is he trying to maintain his pride?

“You need more beating to come to your senses.”

“I-I’ll talk…”

“Good.”

“I was so angry… I couldn’t control myself…”

“Huh…”

He got angry over something like that…?

This guy is completely insane…

I crossed my arms and asked.

“Didn’t you think something was strange? Common sense would suggest that if I’m friends with Eterna, there must be something special about me.”

“…”

Or maybe he did think about it but dismissed it as implausible.

Well, if that’s the case, I can understand, but…

I still couldn’t help feeling displeased.

I clicked my tongue.

“All the damage here will be billed to the Red Tower.”

“…”

“I won’t forget this disgraceful behavior of breaking into the Magic Tower and causing a disturbance, and I’ll make sure you pay for all of it.”

“I… I understand… I’ll give whatever you ask, so please stop…”

“Oh? You’ll give whatever I ask?”

Then I should demand enough to bankrupt them.

“…I’ll accommodate you as much as possible, but please don’t bankrupt us…”

“Fine, fine. More importantly, if you understand, why are you talking back instead of answering properly?”

“Ah, yes…”

Finally, a proper answer.

‘Hmm…’

Judging by his face, he acknowledges my strength, but he still can’t believe he was defeated like this.

‘…Surely he won’t try to pick another fight here.’

If he tries to, I’ll have to break various parts of his body so he won’t even think of rising against me again.

If I leave him half-dead, he won’t act up again, right?

I genuinely thought this because of the subtle way he was looking at me…

It’s as if he sees me as someone he needs to defeat.

I wonder if he would give Eterna the same look.

Setting aside whether I’m stronger than Eterna, as a fellow Transcendent, it really didn’t feel good to be treated this way.

Inwardly clicking my tongue, I closed my eyes and turned around.

“Let’s go back for now. Since you’ve come a long way, I’ll treat you as a guest.”

Saying that, I stopped the spatial distortion device, and the chaotic state of the room came into view.

“Oh my, when will all this be cleaned up…”

Our people will have their work cut out for them.

“…We’ll send people from our side…”

Ignius quietly responded to my words that carried a subtle pressure.

Yes, that’s fine.

I smiled brightly.

Money is rolling in. Hehe…