episode_0265

What I saw before my eyes was a stone statue so lifelike it gave me goosebumps. Even the glasses and teardrops around its eyes were so realistic.

Well, that can’t be helped. That stone statue was Muyeong himself, alive and breathing just a moment ago.

“No Young!!”

I immediately approached him and unleashed my power. This was clearly the power of a witch. Like the others, I thought that if my power reached him, the petrification would be lifted right away.

However, Muyeong remained frozen and did not move. Even after several seconds, there was no sign of the petrification being lifted.

“Why, why… ”

“Give up. Even the power of the king cannot release my petrification.”

A voice came to me as if answering my bewildered question. It was the woman with her hair tied in pigtails who was standing there as if she was the one who had made Muyeong like that.

“Not a simple change in the composition of the material, but the fixation of existence itself. It cannot be released even if you die and wake up. Unless you block it before the power reaches you. ”

The witch continued speaking in a calm voice.

“There is only one way to undo the petrification. It is to kill me.”

“This bitch… ”

I asked her from afar. Even though we weren’t making eye contact, I felt like I could see a faint smile on her face.

The witch was clearly provoking me. She was telling me to expend all my strength here and die.

But if I exert my power here, it will be difficult to reach the nest. My magic has a time limit, and my body is falling apart even at this moment.

That’s probably what the witch is after. They probably know my situation well because of the last cradle core outburst incident.

I pondered endlessly for a split second. And then I was finally about to pull out the blade.

Someone wearing a heavy black particle boarding suit stood guard in front of Muyeong and spoke.

“How pathetic. Are you going to fall for such a cheap provocation?”

Choi Woo-jin spoke to me as if he was provoking me. I felt a little angry at his arrogant expression and responded.

“What do you want me to do? There’s no way.”

“Isn’t there a way?”

The large cadet thumped the reactive armor on his chest with his hand. I asked him hesitantly.

“… Are you the method?”

“Yeah.”

Choi Woo-jin nodded while standing tall.

“The point is, you just have to guard the petrified ones here until you finish your work, right?”

“… Ah.”

Only then did I realize what he was saying. About 30% of those here were already petrified and unable to move. And the witch said that the only way to break free from the petrification was to kill her.

As of now, there is no way to determine if that statement is true or a lie, other than by killing her myself. However, if I use my power on her here, the chances of destroying the nest will be even lower.

So Choi Woo-jin says, I will guard the petrified ones here until I reach the nest and destroy it.

I have already explained the general situation to those close to me, such as Choi Woo-jin and Seung-heon. I have the power to destroy the nest, but on the other hand, I am limited in using magic smoothly.

Anyway, the nest is the final target of this operation. Also, if you destroy the nest, you can naturally neutralize the witches whose lives are tied to it.

However, until I get there, I needed the premise that Choi Woo-jin could continue to block this place.

“… Is that possible?”

In contrast to the cautious question, he nodded confidently.

“Of course.”

And then, behind us, there was a cracking sound, a crack in the air. We looked back. A huge particle crystal that seemed to block out the sky suddenly appeared above the witch’s head.

“Do you still have some free time? Judging from the way you’re chatting so nicely.”

A unique, bitter voice echoed in my head.

“I’ll make it so you can’t learn without jumping in.”

And the particle crystals rushed sharply toward us.

“Everyone, get back!!”

Choi Woo-jin stepped forward and shouted, then started to move his fingers busily. Soon, a complex magic formula with countless angles was drawn on his hand.

Countless glittering dots began to appear in the air before him. The dots soon connected into lines, forming a huge, thick, translucent film.

The shape of the glowing dot gradually grew larger and took the shape of a flower bud. Then, hundreds of flowers fully bloomed, forming a thick particle barrier.

‘… phalanx.’

It is a unique magic of Seongsan that boasts the strongest defense. I have experienced it twice before. Once while fighting Choi Ire who invaded the enemy. Once while fighting Choi Woojin in the ranking match.

-Bam!!

The particle crystals that were rushing towards us, threatening to crush us all, crashed into the barrier with an ear-splitting roar. The surrounding air sparkled with flying particles.

The barrier was still firmly rooted in place, with only a few cracks. The results were quite astonishing. His phalanx was several times larger and stronger than the one he had faced before.

“Hoo… How is it?”

He looked back at me with a satisfied smile after blocking one attack.

“A thick wall that surrounds the entire space.”

“… Amazing.”

I gave my honest opinion. It seems he was using the time given to him faithfully.

And unlike me, who spent a considerable amount of time resolving my inner conflicts, he had made clear progress in his external growth.

Choi Woo-jin, who heard the answer, revealed his identity and said.

“What a nice expression. Even you won’t be able to get through this easily. In the next duel, I will definitely… ”

-Kwaaang!!

But his words were drowned out by a louder explosion than before. Smoke billowed beyond the barrier. Beyond the clearing smoke, the phalanx’s particle petals were instantly visible, torn to pieces.

Only then did Choi Woo-jin seem to remember that the witch was a creature that could manipulate particles without limitation.

“Well, hurry up and go. No matter what, I don’t think I can hold out for too long.”

He chuckled a little nervously and focused his attention on repairing the wall again. The longer he delayed, the more his composure disappeared.

I chewed my lip as I looked at Muyeong and the others who were frozen like stone. But eventually I turned around.

“… Go. Don’t die.”

I went around the particle barrier that Choi Woo-jin had set up and escaped. I heard a clicking sound of my tongue from the direction where the witch with the forked hair was standing. It seemed like she was upset because her trick to buy time was not working.

And then a sharp movement rushed straight towards me, passing by the barrier where the others were gathered, not beyond it.

“If you don’t see it, just let me see it.”

Suddenly, a bitter voice flowed out from behind me, following me closely. A slender finger was sticking out as if it was going to grab my chin.

Right now, I’m conserving my strength as much as possible. It’s not enough to escape the clutches of a witch who is nothing less than magic itself.

Wow!

And with the sound of something crashing, the presence I had felt behind me disappeared. I put some distance between myself and turned my head. Between the noise and smoke, I saw someone’s shadow.

“… Phew.”

Sehwa’s younger brother, Seungheon, let out a heavy sigh while holding up the stellite alloy sphere. Hot steam was sizzling out from various parts of his particle-proof suit that had absorbed the shock.

He turned his head and looked at me, snickering.

“I’ll stop here. Go quickly.”

It was a smile that felt somehow sad. He asked again in a slightly stiff voice.

“Go… and save our sister.”

“… Okay.”

My steps were heavy. But I had no choice but to nod.

I changed direction and ran again. Behind me, I could hear two voices encouraging the survivors.

“Group 1, block me and the witch from approaching! Never let them catch Hyun!”

“Group 2, help repair the wall! Move all the petrified ones to the back!!”

“This cheeky…!!”

-Bwaang!! Bwaang!!

An angry voice seemed to shout, but soon a loud explosion covered it.

I could sense that they would only be able to hold out against that witch for ten minutes at most.

My slacking off means their deaths. Including the Black Cat who is holding back the demons outside the city and those who just fell.

I couldn’t stop thinking while I was running.

We worked hard to gather all the information we could about the witches right up until the very end. However, because Yena continued to refuse to attend the witches’ meetings, she was unaware of the types of powers each of them possessed.

If I had known him, I wouldn’t have lost Muyeong and the other forces in vain like I did just now. Thinking about him made my mouth taste bitter.

But it is certainly fortunate that they are individually intercepting them as we expected.

The power is a power close to omnipotence that goes beyond common sense and limitations. However, because of that, I thought it would be difficult to project it in one place. Even the power systems that each of them possesses are different.

If such power were to gather in one place, there would be great chaos on the battlefield. It is a given that the expeditionary force would suffer great losses, but they could also be harmed by each other’s power.

And the variables on the battlefield always appear in such chaos.

‘There is no reason for a side with overwhelming power superiority to necessarily have to deal with such a variable.’

Moreover, as we just saw, aren’t witches the possessors of great power, capable of handling dozens of wizards on their own?

There’s only one variable at this point: how well the others will fend off the witches before I reach the nest.

It is a clear advantage that the cadets’ strength, which has grown over the past six months, has surpassed my expectations. However, the fact that the main forces that went out as a reconnaissance team were scattered due to an unexpected attack was an unexpected situation.

My head was hot. For me, it was nearly impossible to predict what would happen next. I could only hope for something close to luck.

I was lost in thought and found myself delving deep into the city. The ruined landscape around me was clearly reflected in my eyes.

As time went by, the ancient city became more and more covered with greenery. The old trees and vines affected by the particles grew to the size of huge skyscrapers, surrounding them in layers.

In the middle of that lush landscape, there was a sound of someone. I stopped in front of it, keeping my distance.

“Ugh, ugh… Why do I have to be here alone… ”

She was a woman wearing a checkered hat. Her eyes behind her round glasses were trembling with fear.

“This won’t work… Right now, with the other kids… Eek… ! Wow, this is a surprise… ”

After muttering and complaining for a long time, it finally noticed me. Then, with a slightly nervous look on its face, it raised its hand and smiled awkwardly.

“Oh, hello…? My name is Alderamin… ”