Chapter 311

Chapter 311. Spoils of War (3)

I belatedly realized the commotion as I focused on the sensation of my attribute mana increasing.

‘Seems like it’s those monstrous creatures.’

As I concentrated my senses, I detected shouts, the clashing of weapons, and the waves of mana being deployed.

There was no doubt that a battle was in progress on the ground.

‘I had opened the barrier on the west side.’

These creatures had attacked this mine in the southern part of the Atar Empire, nestled in the foothills, within a day.

‘It can’t be a coincidence…’

I exited the tunnel to confirm this fact.

As soon as I arrived on the surface cloaked in Giolan’s cape, chaos greeted me at the mine.

Everything around me was ablaze, collapsing into ruin, including not only the miners’ facilities but also the tunnel I had just left.

There were more creatures covering the mine than I had anticipated.

Even if a full force had been stationed there, it would have been impossible to stop them.

Those resisting were still present, but it was only a matter of time before the mine fell.

‘It makes no sense that they traveled unnoticed with so many of them moving.’

If they had encountered a military group and engaged in combat on their way, they wouldn’t have reached the mine so quickly.

What could have made this Scenario possible was—

‘That bizarre transportation gate created through High-Rank messeo.’

It was as if a huge hole had appeared when I first encountered a nemesis-rank.

If they hadn’t emerged from there, there was no way they could have reached the heart of the Atar Empire so swiftly.

‘Since there was a hole in the Barrier of Patience, it wouldn’t have been difficult for a mage to infiltrate.’

If these creatures had committed suicide by embedding messeo into their bodies, all the events unfolding now were plausible.

I evaluated the situation further.

‘They attacked the spirit stone mine in just a day…’

The first thing to consider was the value of the spirit stones.

For the Biharin, they were naturally important.

They also held considerable value for players.

Similarly, the creatures would have reasons to secure the spirit stones.

Traitors were within enemy lines.

‘Pillage, perhaps…’

If they were intelligent entities, it would be a tactic worth attempting.

The situation seemed to be proceeding exactly as I observed.

‘This implies they have completely grasped the strategic strongholds of the empire.’

I wasn’t surprised, just aware that I now had more tasks.

‘I’ll need to reassess the global strategic deployments once I return.’

The enemy must have obtained similar information through Earth’s traitor.

Once the battlefield transitions to Earth, there will be multiple regions at risk of attack.

To prevent important areas scattered worldwide from being lost easily, we needed to prepare thoroughly.

Having added this task to my list, I leaped into the air.

“Kiieeeek!”

Flying creatures that hovered in the air noticed and raced towards me.

I fell in a straight line, waiting for them to approach.

And when they all entered the range of my Lightning Storm—

Crackle!

I sliced through them with sharp, lightning-infused blades.

As their black blood and flesh chunks fell, I climbed higher.

The higher I went from the ground, the louder the roaring sounds from below became.

“Kyaoo!”

“Kuoo!”

It was as if they were roaring for me to come down immediately.

The way the creatures roared at me, mouths agape, as if trying to devour me, formed quite a spectacle.

Above their spectacle, when the Flame Strike descended, nothing remained but black ashes.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

Repeated strikes of the Flame Strike turned the area white with intensity.

The dazzling brightness swallowed the darkness, lighting up the area as if the sun had risen only here.

Using the powerful white brilliance as a platform, I crossed through the air briefly.

While advancing towards the direction where the creatures converged, projectiles materialized by magic targeted me.

Dodging and disrupting some led me to a man cloaked in white hovering not too far away.

The aura emanating from this sudden intruder was fierce.

“Electric-type…”

From beneath the deeply drawn hood, the lower half of his face was hidden by a beard, which initially made me think he was older.

“Are you the ‘outsider’ they’re talking about? Is it you?”

The voice that emanated from him was surprisingly youthful.

I questioned him while looking him up and down.

“Are you the one who blew up your own home? Why ask when you already know the answer?”

The hostility he showed towards me was evident, even without knowing his face or name.

‘It’s normal to be hostile towards the one who set your home on fire, not to mention completely destroyed it.’

Given the nature of my widely known mana, it wouldn’t have been too hard to guess.

Knowing this, the words I needed to say to provoke him were clear.

“Did you hold a funeral for Eril?”

I observed a twitch below his beard, suggesting he clenched his jaw.

The individual had likely been dispatched to a significant location and seemed to hold a fairly high status within the Magic Tower.

It appeared he knew Eril.

With my conviction firm, there was no reason to stop.

“I owed her a bit of a debt, so I finished her off painlessly in one strike.”

Raising one corner of my mouth, I rested my spear against my shoulder, releasing a brief exclamation as I continued.

“Oh, you probably couldn’t find the body. I left your home very clean.”

The mana he stirred as if to slice me to pieces was infused with cold frost and a faintly fishy odor.

‘Water attribute, ice element.’

Upon realizing this, hundreds of ice spikes surrounded me.

“I intended to chop you to pieces the moment I met you, but your reckless mouth quickens your demise.”

I had no luxury to counter each of them individually.

Luckily, since the magic wasn’t high-grade, merely materializing attribute mana sufficed to ward them off.

Ping, pah-ping!

The ice spikes bounced off, beaten by the sparks dancing according to my will.

Of course, there was more to his barrage.

Starting with the ice spikes, a series of connection magics rained down like a tempest.

The speed at which he implemented these magics and controlled the projectiles, and the way he recaptured mana from dismantled magics, were flawless.

He was undoubtedly more skilled than me and even surpassed Eril.

‘With such proficiency related to ice mana, being young and responding to Eril’s name…’

Among the key figures I knew within the Magic Tower, there was one fitting description.

Despite being of common birth, he’s noted as the most cherished disciple of the Atar Empire’s Tower Master and was Eril’s fiancé.

“Moltan Bell.”

Though no response came from him, I was now sure of his identity.

This person needed to be eliminated without the fuss of shackles or information extraction.

‘Take the trophy.’

If I presented it to Ahel, he could verify his identity, and we could secure records from every place he resided.

His head would make an excellent spoil of war.

With calculations complete, I unleashed Lightning Storm.

Although attempts to counter it were made, my mastery over mana was superior.

On his side, he had to block rather than counter my magic.

Boom!

Every time he blocked my thunder spears, a noise like crashing thunder resonated in the sky.

“A mutation, but impressive.”

His arrogant judgement on my skills spurred me to smirk.

Clearly, he underestimated the fact that I had effectively sentenced him to death in my mind.

He seemed unaware of my true power level, showing such arrogance assuming he was safe.

Sadly for him, my tier was more suited for engagement with the likes of a Magic Tower Master.

‘Nevertheless, I secured my status fairly.’

It would be humiliating to be subdued by someone merely acknowledged as a disciple of the Tower Master.

As I made up my mind, a dazzling light flashed before my eyes as I kicked the mana at my feet.

Generals in black, engulfed in Flame Strike, suddenly blocked my path.

Moltan Bell used teleportation magic to position a meat shield in his stead.

Clearly, he knew he was at a disadvantage if I started moving.

Indeed, this was a more bothersome shield compared to magic that could be dismantled or destroyed.

‘Still, this doesn’t mean you have a chance to survive.’

I swung my spear lightly to strike down on the head of the leading Vanguard.

Splat!

Their heads burst upon impact with my spear shaft.

Memories resurfaced of times past, when I had to wield a spear nervously just to face a single general-rank.

Swallowing my laughter alone, I seized the attribute manastone falling to the ground and used the mana beneath me as a platform.

“Hup!”

Swift in clearing obstacles, I shot forward like an arrow.

Simultaneously, all sorts of defensive magics materialized before Moltan Bell.

I successfully dismantled two of the outermost magics.

However, the opposing side’s speed in conjuring new magics was over twice as fast as my dismantlings.

Meanwhile, magics targeting my rear blossomed invasively, like wild sprouts after the rain.

In the end, I abandoned dismantlings and infused my spear with an enormous amount of attribute mana.

Both the spear blade and shaft turned so brilliantly white, it bordered on blinding.

Concluding I couldn’t contend with the opponent’s magical quality, I chose to amplify the mana quantity excessively.

Typically, magic entailed a blueprint providing a predefined form and power with appointed mana.

There are limits to adjusting power or range solely with mana volume.

Beyond a certain point, traditional formations can’t uphold the form or structure of magic.

But what if mana is used liberally?

There’s no need to concern oneself with the blueprint’s limitations then.

‘Just my attribute mana exceeds ten million!’

Hence, a single trial wouldn’t harm me significantly.

The gamble paid off, being quite a commendable decision.

The boundless mana, absurdly exceeding conventional scale, trampled and burned the existing magic.

I no longer needed to bother with dismantling the mages’ defensive magics.

Simply burning through them, just like now, would suffice!

Whether he sensed the threat or not, I discerned a familiar magical flow beyond the defensive magic.

‘Teleportation magic!’

It was a form I’d grown weary of during training against Ahel.

Mages, when possessing skill and surplus, invariably learned teleportation magic.

It was a vital escape mechanism for them when their lives hung by a thread.

But this magic’s difficulty was notably higher compared to ordinary magic.

I too had learned it, albeit hesitating to use it due to a lack of confidence in the sequence arrangement.

An error might leave you behind in teleportation, with only half of you sent through.

‘Ahel cautioned against personally implementing it.’

In its stead, he diligently trained me to familiarize myself with the magic more intimately than anyone else.

Thus, I understood how this magic’s flow operated.

I even deduced roughly where its caster intended to teleport based on the flow I observed.

This understanding allowed me to unhesitantly cast multiple lightning spears towards Moltan Bell’s destination.

Damned System