Limit Breaking Genius Mage Chapter 70

Episode 70 Red Piece (1)

Following Locke, Verden headed towards Gluttony's stronghold, with Theon in pursuit.

Even if I wanted to run away, there was a magic circle engraved on my clothes, and the possibility of escaping from those two was almost zero, so I had no choice.

I minimized rest and went as fast as possible.

At the destination we arrived at, there was an old building standing there. Judging from the style of the building, it looked like a relic from the past, and at the entrance, people wearing black robes covering their entire bodies were standing motionless.

“I guess that was the right answer. Should we deal with them one by one?”

Verden on the left, Locke on the right.

The two took action at the same time. The merciless magic blew the opponent's head off completely, and Locke turned his opponent's neck and broke it from the front.

Locke threw the body aside and shook his hand.

“You’re doing quite well for a stopover? Well, I guess this much is expected since I helped Sister Layla a little with her ordeal. Well, whatever. Anyway, the security doesn’t seem to be that great, so let’s go in quickly.”

"as you please."

“Okay, then I’ll take the lead. I’ll be much faster than you.”

Locke stepped forward confidently.

I feel like I have a lot of confidence in my abilities, but for some reason I feel like I'm underestimating Verden.

'Well, it doesn't matter.'

Whatever you think, it's not something you need to get involved in.

With that thought in mind, Verden followed Locke.

We entered the ruins in earnest.

Locke moved quickly and struck the back of his opponent's neck with his palm before he could even notice. This was followed by fatal strikes using his elbows, knees, and toes.

Those whose vital points were destroyed in an instant were never able to get up again.

'What an amazing technique. I wonder who taught you how to do it.'

Bare hands, not even wearing gloves.

No one has ever withstood the power that explodes from their fingertips more than twice.

One of them swung his sword quickly, but Locke slapped the blade away with his palm and struck the chest, exploding with energy. The sternum was completely crushed, and the internal organs were crushed.

Although I have seen swordsmanship that uses ki like a knight, it was the first time in my life that I saw a technique that destroys an opponent from the inside like that.

Kwajik!

Locke stopped after smashing his opponent's torso with a sharp back kick.

The stairs leading deeper underground. Something unpleasant felt different from before. Even Verden frowned involuntarily.

Locke said, releasing his hand.

“I think this is the real one. Are you ready?”

Verden nodded and turned his gaze to Theon.

Theon nodded, sweating profusely under the unspoken pressure that he would die if he did anything foolish. The three of them, each having finished their preparations, stretched their legs towards the stairs and headed towards the center of the stronghold.

“This is…….”

And then I was faced with an unimaginably horrifying sight.

* * *

Corpse, corpse, corpse.

It was full of corpses with skin that had dried black, like mummies. No life was felt. Only death and pain were felt indirectly.

Locke looked around, frowning.

“It’s serious…….”

I was well aware of the atrocities Gluttony had committed so far.

How many victims have been created by the absurd ideology of using humans as test subjects and evolving humanity through consumption to exterminate the old race?

But this is a first.

Hundreds of people, as well as aliens, beasts, and demons, lay twisted and piled up like garbage.

When Locke lightly poked the corpse with his finger, he felt the bones inside crumble and sink in without elasticity, as if they had been dry for decades.

“What the hell are you doing here? Hey, Gluttony. Don’t you know?”

“I, I don’t know. I’ve seen people used as test subjects, but never like this…….”

Even Theon, who had been a member of Gluttony since childhood, was bewildered.

This is because I couldn't understand why they had to endure the gaze of outsiders to kidnap so many people. And even these dried-up corpses.

Berden, who had been quietly observing the surroundings, approached a corpse.

'necklace…….'

A necklace with a bird's footprint decoration.

There were scratch marks somewhere on the dead man's fingernails. Judging by the shape, they were probably those of a goblin.

It was the body of a man named Niles that the village children were looking for.

Verden looked at Niles' face.

Judging by the condition, it was clear that he had died alive. His grotesquely dried and distorted expression was full of helplessness, pain, hatred, and anger.

These were emotions that Verden knew better than anyone else.

Helpless death, vain hope.

Surely this man would have harbored such feelings until the end and died in agony. If Verden had also failed to turn back or given up altogether, he would have met a similar end.

'That's unpleasant.'

Knock knock.

I retrieved Niles' necklace and put it in my space bag.

And as the search continued, a long groove was found under the pile of bodies.

Inside, there was dried blood, and the groove continued somewhere long. Verden followed the trail without saying a word.

“Huh? Let’s go together!”

Locke and Theon followed.

The torches illuminated the dark interior of the ruins. A stronger scent of blood and putrid odor than before wafted past my nostrils, and soon a large cavity appeared at the end of the corridor.

Stairs leading down.

A huge stone coffin lies at its center.

The home that Verden had followed was connected to the sarcophagus.

Just before he could move forward, Verden's consciousness turned upwards, and at the same time, someone fell in front of the sarcophagus.

He was a wizard with bright yellow eyes and a bandage wrapped around his nose and mouth.

“An uninvited guest has arrived on the ark. Hound Locke.”

“Who are you calling a hunting dog? A monster.”

Locke answered curtly.

The wizard spoke in a cold voice.

“Even if you are a new species and not a monster, your ark distorts the true meaning. But it doesn’t matter. The cause has begun, and the change has accelerated. I don’t know how you came here, but you are already too late. And the end has also been decided.”

From the darkness, members of Gluttony appeared.

Among them, there were four transplants, including the wizard. Locke was standing calmly with a relaxed look, but he was looking at the situation seriously inside.

'I didn't think there would be four transplant recipients. It's dangerous for me to be alone.'

Locke didn't have any high expectations for Verden.

Even among the candidates for the same ark, there were only a few who were exceptionally strong, and I thought that this ashen wizard was nothing more than a sidekick who only helped with Leila's trials.

Locke clenched his fist.

The wizard tilted his head to the side and let out a small laugh.

“큭큭큭. 우리의 일원들을 그렇게나 사냥해 온 개새끼가 제 목숨 귀한 줄은 아는구나. 옆에 있는 두 놈은 누군지 몰라도 안타깝게 되었군, 죽음보다 끔찍한 경험을 하게 될 테니까. 하나 그렇다고 두려워할 필요는 없다. 그 생명력, 우리의 '글러트니'를 위해 남김없이 써 주도록 할 테니.”

The members of Gluttony began to move.

Locke took a deep breath, stepped forward and took up his stance.

“I’ll block from the front, you go to the back……?”

Verden walked forward and passed Locke.

Berden, who was calmly turning the staff around and loosening his body, spoke to Locke.

“I’ll handle this.”

“What? What is that…….”

Hwaaaaak!

A vast amount of magical power rose from Verden's body. The concentration of magical power was so thick. The tangible magical power began to affect the entity, and cracks began to appear in the floor Verden was standing on and the surrounding structures.

The wizard narrowed his eyes at the unusual amount of magical power.

'A candidate for the ark? I've never heard of anyone with that kind of appearance.'

Judging by the magical power felt, it is slightly superior to one's own.

He felt uncomfortable with the magical power that was greater than his own, having transplanted seven wizard hearts, but he soon let it go.

Since magic is just magic, this power can easily overwhelm.

Thud. The wizard hit the floor with his staff.

Then he looked at Verden, who was slowly walking towards him.

“Leave only the head and the heart.”

The battle has begun.

The members of Gluttony, including the transplanter, rushed toward Verden all at once. Heavy blows and powerful magic were exchanged, and the surrounding area began to collapse in the aftermath.

Locke desperately tried to help, but he couldn't.

The center became strangely quiet. Theon, who had been hiding at the sight of the corpses and blood, froze like stone, and Locke let out a blank voice.

"……uh?"

* * *

Transplanters have a special status within Gluttony.

The pioneers who have taken a step closer to becoming a new species after undergoing transplant surgeries with low success rates. They play an important role despite their small numbers, and possess strengths befitting their status.

There are four such people.

Moreover, they had a history of killing candidates for the ark from other countries. That is why they did not doubt their own power.

Until just now.

Thud. The wizard fell to his knees.

The arm that had been holding the staff had already turned to ash, and the bleeding would not stop due to the stone fragment embedded in his abdomen.

The wizard looked around.

A giant with a strong body who has received ogre muscle transplants. A woman who has received Lore Wolf's vocal cord transplants. A man with four arms who can handle swordsmanship that is impossible for a human.

The three transplants, excluding himself, were lying on the ground or buried under the rubble. All of them had their bodies completely destroyed beyond recovery.

The other Gluttony members were so exposed to the intense lightning that their bodies could not even be found.

“Uh, how…….”

The opponent is a magician of the same rank as you, 4 levels higher.

Even if the magical power was slightly inferior, the level was the same, so there was no reason why they could not win in numbers.

But the result was annihilation.

I couldn't understand it at all.

The wizard raised his head.

A pair of eerily clear blue eyes were staring at him.

Verden dusted off his robe.

Some of the magic that he had failed to dodge had damaged it, so the leather of the Mahbat he was wearing inside was slightly scratched.

'It's weaker than the face monster that came to take the salamander's heart, but it's definitely strong.'

Still, it was a good result since it ended at this level in a relatively small room.

Verden walked forward.

The staff's jewels flickered with magical light. The kneeling wizard and Verden's gazes crossed.

A look filled with extreme disgust.

The wizard spoke softly, feeling the creepiness for the first time in his life.

“Gluttony on───.”

Phew!

The head of the wizard who had been hit by the staff disappeared without a trace. Soon, life activities gradually subsided and the quiet sounds of many heartbeats completely stopped.

Verden wiped the blood off his staff.

Anyway, I heard that because of the piece of Gluttony, I couldn't get any meaningful information out of the guy's mouth, so there was nothing to be sorry about.

I checked my surroundings again.

Locke and Theon were staring blankly at him, but he didn't really care. After confirming that every single Gluttony in the room was dead, he calmed his magic.

'then…….'

The sarcophagus in the center.

The home that Verden had been chasing led here. He opened the lid of the sarcophagus with his telekinesis and looked inside.

Contrary to expectations, the inside of the sarcophagus was kept clean.

And in the center of it all were three blood-red pieces lined up side by side.