Chapter 281: Hallucinations (2)

Chapter 281: Hallucinations
(2)

“Kuk—”

The
first thing that came into view was Idelbert’s back, biting her lips.

The
torn leotard suit in several places on her body, the red blood
streams flowing through her tan skin, and the magic power rising with
killing intent caught my eyes.

She
was protecting me from Karelos’ immense mental attacks and the sword
strikes of the remaining guards while I was entranced by
hallucinations.

“You
were standing there blankly, so I thought you were brainwashed,
disciple.”

As
Idelbert, who had been blocking Karelos’ mental attacks, turned her
head, her bloodshot eyes and the blood vessels protruding near her
neck became visible.

Even
Idelbert wasn’t free from the influence of the brainwashing
hallucinations.

The
supporting fire and miracles that had been continuously shot by Diana
and Serif until just a moment ago also suddenly stopped.

It
was evidence that those two were also in a similar situation.

‘If
Bunny hadn’t made me aware, I would have been completely entranced by
the hallucination.’

If
even I, who had external help, was like this, how much worse would it
be for them who had lived longer lives and experienced various ups
and downs in life?

They
must be desperately enduring the seduction of more enchanting and
sweet fantasies.

And
with that strong mental fortitude, they had protected me when I was
momentarily defenseless.

With
a small sense of admiration rising, I gripped my axe firmly.

“I’m
sorry for holding you back master.”

“It’s
alright. As long as you’ve come to your senses now. Take a look at
that woman.”

She
smiled wryly and pointed her chin somewhere.

There
was something with an unpleasant appearance there.

The
somewhat diminutive body of the green chameleon beastkin was
undergoing a grotesque transformation.

While
the chameleon beastkin’s body touching the crystal-clear water was
shining transparently, the flow of black magi within that body was
wriggling like blood vessels…

It
created a strange and creepy appearance as if only the blood vessels
of an invisible person were floating around.

The
change wasn’t just in appearance, I could feel the flow of magi
beginning to surge explosively inside that body.

And
the center of that flow was…

“Can
you see the jewel embedded in that chameleon head’s abdomen?”

“Yes.”

A
black jewel was embedded in Karelos’ abdomen, which had been pierced
by Diana’s first shot, that was recovering with the grace of the
healing water, and the still-healing body was slowly swallowing and
absorbing that sphere as if becoming one with the jewel.

“That
crazy woman took a gamble by implanting the jewel in her own body.
Because of that, the mental attacks are more difficult to bear than
anticipated.”

The
jewels handled by demon worshippers allow them to handle magi more
strongly and skillfully.

Karelos
had taken the gamble of stabbing the jewel into her own body,
regardless of whether her internal organs would be destroyed, just to
escape from here alive.

—That
guy seems desperate too. Even burning her own life to draw on the
power of Envy. She’s on the verge of ‘assimilation’.

I
recalled what Bunny had muttered in the fantasy.

Was
stabbing the jewel into one’s body and becoming one with it the
condition for what Bunny had just called ‘assimilation’?

I
pushed aside the fleeting thoughts that arose and focused on the
present.

“What
should I do?”

“Gather
all your strength and kill that one. I’ll clear the path for you.”

“What?”

It
was a surprising answer.

That’s
because those words…

‘She’s
telling me to strike off Karelos’ head.’

The
original plan was for Idelbert to face Karelos while I cut down the
guards protecting her.

In
fact, I had already retired two of them but I couldn’t think that
Idelbert was slacking off.

Not
only was this not the situation for that, but Idelbert also harbored
intense hostility toward Karelos, who had tried to brainwash Serif.

Having
directly experienced the brainwashing hallucination myself, I could
understand it more clearly.

If
I thought about how my one and only precious younger sister had
almost been subjected to such a thing, even tearing off Karelos’
limbs and inflicting all kinds of torture wouldn’t satisfy my anger.

Surely
Idelbert must be feeling the same emotion.

‘And
yet she yielded the final strike to me.’

Wondering
what her intention was, I looked at her, and Idelbert drooped the
corners of her mouth and tapped her head.

“Do
you know what kind of hallucination that damn woman is sending into
my head right now?”

“I
don’t know.”

“It’s
a hallucination of you dying.”

“What?”

“Right
now, a fantasy version of you is glaring at me from over there.”

I
blankly stared at her pupils at her calm voice.

“The
foolish disciple with a knife through his heart is dying, pitifully
cursing his one and only master. Shedding tears of blood, saying that
he’s dying because of my wrong teachings, that he’s dying without any
meaning because I threw him into a reckless battlefield.”

Despite
her calm and restrained voice, Idelbert’s red pupils were raging with
intense anger, glaring at the one who had shown her the worst
hallucination as if she wanted to tear her to death.

“And
yet, shamelessly adds at the end. To run away. Since you died instead
of me, at least preserve my disgusting and filthy life and run away.”

She
forcibly smiled and clenched her fist.

“What
nonsense. You would never do that to me.”

“Of
course not.”

“That’s
right. It’s only natural but seeing that hallucination, this master
almost ran away for a moment because I really thought you would die.”

In
Idelbert’s pupils, along with the intense anger, there was also a
hint of fear.

“But
I was relieved when I saw you break free from the hallucination
disciple. You’re indeed not someone who would die in a place like
this.”

The
emotion of fear was gradually disappearing as if scattering, and
trust took its place in the vacant spot.

“The
woman who showed us this damned hallucination, the bastard who showed
me the hallucination of you dying while cursing me… prove it by
killing them yourself.”

At
her voice, I tightly gripped the axe in my hand.

“Prove
that you’re not a man who will die shamefully in a place like this by
driving that axe into that forehead.”

-Thump.
Thump.

-Keeeeeing!

The
beating of my heart and the activation sound of the blessing of
radiance are heard simultaneously.

My
roughly pumping heart released the magic power pooled inside.

The
magic power that began to flow naturally circulated throughout my
entire body.

The
holy power accumulated in my lower abdomen also follows the flow of
magic, climbing up the handle of the axe that I’m holding widely with
both hands.

On
the sharply ground axe blade, the pure white holy power and blue
magic power began to intertwine and wrap around each other like
threads.

Eventually,
it became a thin axe blade.

An
axe blade that can cut anything if one thinks it can be cut, if one
desires to cut it.

A
single strike containing everything I had honed and polished until
now.

‘…That,
even I should be tense about.’

Idelbert
grinned at her disciple’s growth, looking at him.

The
once immature disciple had now grown enough to fight alongside her.

“Are
you ready?”

“Yes!”

“Then,
let’s go!”

-Cheeeeeek!!

Rough
magic boiled up from Idelbert’s gauntlet, and the highly raised
gauntlet instantly struck down on the ground.

-Craaaaaaack!

With
the sound of something breaking, a heavy shock wave spread along the
ground.

The
flow of the shock wave stretched forward, toward the direction where
Karelos was.

That
heavy shock wave, like an earthquake, tore up the ground of the 20th
floor and severely shook the center of Karelos and her guards
standing on the ground.

“Kut—”

Karelos,
who retreated backward by kicking the ground due to the collapsing
ground, bit her lip.

The
guards had already been consumed by the collapsing ground and there
was nothing left to protect her but she wasn’t someone who had just
been quietly listening to their words all this time.

The
jewel.

As
she became one with that precious item, which had been passed down to
demon worshippers from ancient times and had some of the demon’ flesh
melted into it, the jewel supplied her with such foul magi that its
end couldn’t be seen.

Woowoong—

The
magi that had gathered and condensed like that eventually became a
massive illusion.

Karelos
created such an illusion and emitted it toward the warrior who was
narrowing the distance instantly with his axe raised.

It
was the sweetest hallucination for a person and a dreamy illusion
that no one could escape from.

The
ideal life, ideal future, ideal dream that a person trapped in the
hallucination would most desire.

An
irresistible fantasy that shows everything from the small wishes that
people would unconsciously desire to the goals they aim for.

The
sweetest dream in the world would eventually become a cruel illusion
that would make a person collapse from within, and with that collapse
as a trigger, the inside would crumble, turning them into a faithful
slave of brainwashing.

The
eyes of the one running with an axe weaving magic and holy power
momentarily became turbid.

A
signal that the brainwashing hallucination was painting the scenery
he desired most in his mind.

However,
Karelos couldn’t laugh.

“How.”

There
was no surprise in that voice.

Seeing
his eyes, which had been momentarily turbid, instantly clear up like
a clear sky, she could only utter pure doubt.

“How,
even after seeing the future you desire most…can you not settle for
it?”

Those
upright eyes didn’t even flinch despite seeing his ideal dream.

Rather,
as if such fantasies didn’t exist, he mercilessly tore apart the
sweet hallucination and deliberately stepped into the more cruel
reality.

‘How?
No, why?’

Even
after showing him the hallucination that he would unconsciously
desire so much, why didn’t he stop moving forward?

“Let
me ask you the opposite.”

Crack—

When
the half-cut abdomen and the fused jewel cracked Karelos saw the lips
behind the helmet moving slightly.

“Then
why haven’t you cast it on yourself, with such an ability?”

Despite
being able to create ideal fantasies, Karelos hadn’t trapped herself
in the hallucination.

Why
didn’t she let herself live comfortably in the hallucination, and
instead lived struggling and scheming in a world full of envy and
jealousy?

Karelos
unconsciously already knew the answer.

‘A
hallucination is, just…a hallucination after all.’

The
reason he didn’t fall for the hallucination would be the same
principle.

-Craaaaaaack!!!

The
sky-blue axe blade was swung diagonally, bisecting Karelos from the
abdomen to the shoulder.

The
strike that cut through the blue lake soon announced the end of the
battle.