Limit Breaking Genius Mage Chapter 158

Episode 158: March of the Dead (5)

The undead and corpses inside the passage swelled.

Not only the undead bone fragments scattered on the floor, but even the headless body of a warlock.

“……!”

Kalia's reaction was delayed in the sudden situation.

No, even if it had been detected immediately, nothing would have changed. The range was so wide that avoiding it was impossible in the first place.

Before she could say anything, the red light coming from the corpse reflected in her eyes.

At that moment, Verden ran towards her and wrapped his arms around her.

Immediately afterwards, a <large-scale corpse explosion> was triggered.

A dark red flame began to burst out, containing the curse of constant burning and excruciating pain.

Boom! Boom!

A series of explosive sounds.

The flames of the curse and the acrid smoke instantly filled my vision. The pressure I could hear was so strong that even armor with high elemental resistance could not withstand it.

To be honest, Kalia had a gut feeling that death was coming.

… … But even after the explosion stopped, I didn’t feel any pain.

Did you just get out of the way by luck? No, that's not it.

The explosion that covered the entire passage left no blind spots, at least not around Kalia.

Even though she is fully armed, she is not able to withstand the shock completely in such a closed space.

Even if he narrowly escaped instant death, it would not have been at all surprising if he had lost one or two limbs.

'That doesn't mean… … .'

Kalia opened her eyes cautiously.

As expected, Verden was standing there with his staff outstretched.

When I turned my gaze to the side, I saw a translucent, dark purple curtain covering the two. It must have specialized in physical resistance, since it was unharmed by that kind of explosion.

As far as Kalia knew, there was only one attribute with such characteristics.

'Gravity magic… …?'

While Kalia was thinking, Verden spoke.

“Are you okay?”

There was no sign of panic on Verden's face, which was visible from the side. It was still expressionless. It seemed as if he could not dare threaten himself to this extent.

Kalia came to her senses after staring blankly at Verden's face.

“Ah… yeah, it’s okay. Fortunately, it doesn’t seem to have flown away anywhere.”

Phew.

Callie felt relieved inside and continued speaking.

“Thanks to you, I saved my life, Asher. I will repay this debt, regardless of the reward──”

At that moment.

───Kugugugu.

An ominous sound was heard from across the passage.

Then, cracks appeared throughout the passage, including the place where the two were, and small pieces of stone began to fall. It was a sign that it would soon collapse.

“……I guess it doesn’t seem like the time to have a leisurely conversation.”

As soon as Kalia finished speaking, a passageway began to collapse from afar.

There is only one path leading to the innermost part of the tomb.

Now that the foundation of the passage had collapsed, there was no order to the collapse. The ground, unable to withstand the impact, gave way, sending boulders crashing down on the escape route.

If you get stuck there, you'll be buried without a trace.

Kalia raised her sword without hesitation.

“Follow me closely, Asher.”

She ran with all her might, putting strength into her heels.

He slashed his white sword and cut through all the debris blocking his path. He created a straight, safe path for Verden to follow by flying.

Of course, Verden did not just follow along quietly.

He turned his head and looked at the collapsing passage. The process of collapse was faster than the two of them. If they continued like this, they might be buried before they even reached the pit.

'<Terrain Manipulation> cannot be used.'

Although there is no limit to the power of magic, it is ultimately a third-tier magic.

In addition to the fact that it consumes a lot of magic power, it also has the disadvantage that it takes a long time to expand the range. It may be possible if it is a joint, but it is not enough to prevent a collapse of this magnitude.

In a time-critical situation, magic was not the solution.

<Stone Wall>

Verden activates the Eye of the Dead, repeatedly building a wall behind him to support the passage. The result won't change, but it will at least slow down the collapse a little.

Kwakwakwakwakwa!

… … The tsunami-like landslide almost reached our backs.

At that moment, a pit appeared at the end of the passage. It was mangled by the explosion of the nearby undead, but thankfully it did not collapse.

Boom!

Kalia finally smashed the giant rock that fell. There is no more obstacle.

“Asher!”

Kalia and Verden held each other's hands.

As soon as the two men headed toward the pit, a torrent of debris and rocks poured down, filling the passage they had come through.

* * *

Verden and Kalia returned to the innermost part of the second floor.

The knights who saw the two in the pit rushed over. Vespa grabbed Kalia's hand and pulled her up.

“I’m so glad you’re safe, Lady Kalia. And you, Asher, are safe too.”

“I almost thought I was going to get crushed to death. But…….”

Kalia looked around.

Unlike before, there was a completely messed up ruin in place.

Verden quietly assessed the situation.

'Did the <large-scale corpse explosion> target not only the passageway but also the undead and corpses deep inside?'

The coffins that had been storing the corpses were all intact, and even the elemental ghasts that had been threatening the Knights Templar had disappeared without a single corpse.

The impact must have been considerable, as there were many victims of the explosion.

“Vespa, what’s the current situation?”

“There were numerous casualties as the undead and corpses exploded, but fortunately no one died.”

Thanks to the holy water, the effects of the curse could be weakened. Knights who were relatively deeply imbued with the curse could use the holy necklace to remove the curse cleanly.

There were a few knights who suffered burns so severe that they could not be cured by potions, but they were not immediately life-threatening.

But there was one serious problem.

“……The exit is blocked.”

Trapped in the tomb.

Certainly, except for the place where the Knights were, it was filled with debris that had fallen from the ceiling and walls.

“We were able to survive thanks to Palos creating a safe zone with <Terrain Manipulation> and <Stone Wall> while the knights were clearing away the debris. If it weren’t for him, our knights would have already been buried.”

“Palos…….”

Calling his name, Kalia took a step forward.

Palos, the earth wizard, fell to the ground.

He consumed a tremendous amount of magical power by blowing the bottle with the magic potion. He became addicted to the overdose, but he gritted his teeth and endured it.

Because not only his own life but also that of his colleagues was at stake.

Kalia knelt down on one knee in front of him and spoke softly.

“Thank you for your hard work, Palos. Thanks to you, no one died.”

“I was just doing what I had to do.”

Palos' breathing was irregular.

I was so exhausted that I had almost used up all my magic power and was experiencing symptoms of magic exhaustion. If I cast magic even once here, I would die.

“Just a moment… I’ll take a break for a moment….”

“Get some rest.”

Palos fainted at Kalia's permission.

“But what happened to the warlock?”

“Black magician…….”

Kalia looked back.

“Asher, you said it was a trap earlier. Can you tell me why?”

Verden nodded and expressed his thoughts.

Certainly, these questionable elements created doubts in the minds of Kalia, Vespa, and the Knights.

But one premise was problematic.

“The one who led us here was Bishop Nebiron. The handwriting was clearly his, and thanks to the parish token he sent, we were able to borrow the sacred equipment. The circumstances are suspicious, but… it’s hard to believe that the glory of the corpse has infiltrated the parish and influenced or controlled the bishop.”

“Me too.'

So, you have no choice but to check with your parish directly.

“Yeah, that seems like the only answer. But how do we get out of here?”

There were no deaths thanks to Palos, but the problem persisted.

We can't stay here for long. Not only are our food and water supplies limited, but it's also almost certain that no rescue party will come.

If the period of disappearance is long, the Marquis will start to track down Kalia.

Even so, it would take a long time to get down to the deepest part of the second floor through the rubble. By then, everyone would have starved to death.

Now was the time to think about survival rather than the outside world.

Then Verden smashed Oculus into the floor.

“I'll take care of that.”

"what?"

Hwaaaaaaaah!

Verden activated the magic circuit with full power.

The pure magical power, with its increased density, began to take on physical force. Soon, a violent storm of magical power raged, shaking the atmosphere.

A force that is oppressive even though it is not magical power.

The wizards, including Haile, fell to the ground and looked at Verden with eyes that were filled with fear rather than shock.

I couldn't dare say a word under the suffocating pressure.

The trembling gazes gathered together.

Verden paid no attention and focused on infiltrating the tomb with magical power. He then deployed his magical power detection to check how far the explosion had affected him.

When we checked the center of the stratum, there were some broken pieces of decoration from the Luas Church and other debris, but other than that, it was intact.

It meant that the passage leading to the first floor was intact.

'Does that mean the scope of the <large-scale corpse explosion> was limited to the passage, the deepest part, and its vicinity?'

Of course, this alone is a broad scope.

It would have been impossible for Palos, who had created the safe zone, to create an escape route alone.

But not for Verden.

He took control of the innermost part and its vicinity with his magical power and drew up a blueprint in his head.

What we need now is a passage leading to the center.

You could force a path by pouring in more magic power, but it wouldn't be advisable in the current situation.

It cannot be manipulated delicately because it has to push away the weight of rocks and dirt that are not controlled far away. Furthermore, because the ground is weak, even the center may collapse.

Verden, who had just finished thinking, glared at the wall.

<Terrain Manipulation>

Kugugugugugugu… … !

The debris began to move.

To prevent the ceiling from collapsing any further, columns were made from rubble to support the weight.

And we eliminated as much of the empty space between the debris as possible to create the space needed to create a passageway.

A sight of a ruined space being reconstructed according to the will of a wizard.

Everyone was left unconscious by an unbelievable series of events.

Kuung!

Soon, a passage leading to the center of the second floor was created.

It was so small that only two people could pass through it at the same time, but it was so sturdy that it would not collapse.

“Phew.”

Verden let out a sigh.

Among all the <terrain manipulation> I've done so far, not only was the magic consumption extremely high, but the amount of calculations was also enormous. It was natural that I would get tired.

That's it.

Verden lightly wiped the sweat off his hand and picked up the Oculus.

“Let’s go.”

* * *

Verden's magic that no one could have imagined.

Thanks to that, everyone was able to escape the second floor safely.

“…….”

Behind him, a wizard named Haile glanced at Verden.

It was annoying, but it wasn't just her, it was the same for the other knights. No one dared to raise their voices as they headed towards the ground.

After climbing the first flight of stairs, I finally arrived at the entrance to the mausoleum.

There was not a single dust on the armor of the four knights guarding the entrance, indicating that no fighting had taken place.

They received the wounded knights and examined their wounds.

In this way, the escape was successful.

However, the mission was not completed.

Because I couldn't destroy the basis of the Commander's Orb.

'No, I doubt there was such a thing in the first place.'

While the Knights regrouped under Vespa's command, Verden asked Kalia.

“What are you going to do from now on?”

“If Bishop Nebiron is the culprit as you say… I guess I have no choice but to go to the diocese and check.”

That was the best we could do given the limited information available.

Kalia seemed quite angry that the entire Knights of the White Knights could have been annihilated. She took a deep breath and calmed down for a moment before speaking.

“Asher, I owe you a great debt. You saved not only my life, but the lives of the Knights as well.”

“I just did as I was asked.”

“Even so, once the issue of the glory of the corpse is resolved, I will definitely give you a reward. I don’t know what I will give you… but if there is anything you want, just tell me. I am willing to give you anything within my power.”

Kalia faced the walls of Verden.

A wizard with two high-level attributes who has mastered not only lightning magic but also gravity magic.

In addition, he is proficient in other elemental magics and possesses an immeasurable amount of magical power that encompasses all of them. He is also smart and has outstanding looks.

A genius wizard, truly full of talent.

While other knights might have felt fear from him, Kalia felt positive emotions first.

'I guess I should send a separate gift to Fernet later.'

Because it helped me meet him.

A smiling Callia mounted her steed.

“Then I’ll go back.”

The party formed a large group led by Kalia.

The undead were loitering around the graveyard, but there weren't many of them. You could leave the injured knights in the city and tell the Adventurer's Guild and the church to subdue them.

Normally, Kalia would handle it herself, but there was something urgent that needed to be taken care of right away.

We passed through the dreary fog and exited the national cemetery. The broken iron gate had been replaced by a stone wall.

It's still dark in the morning.

After arriving at the meadow, the moment I was about to turn my horse's head towards the nearest city, Cabern.

“That’s…….”

A small town was engulfed in fire.

With screams heard every moment.