Limit Breaking Genius Mage Chapter 244

Episode 244 The King of the Underworld (1)

<Terrain Manipulation> is a special 3rd tier magic with no set limits. As the name suggests, it gives the caster the freedom to move terrain recognized as land according to their will.

It is also used in practical applications, such as to reinforce collapsed ground or to erect pillars to prevent the ceiling of a mine shaft from collapsing.

However, there are very few magicians who focus on <Terrain Manipulation> or use it directly in battle.

The limitation of not being able to move the terrain unless magical power is infused into it. The extreme inefficiency of magical power being consumed exponentially with scale.

It was because of the two fatal factors above.

But the current Verden has succeeded in overcoming such shortcomings.

Efficiency is meaningless in the face of magical powers rivaling those of the Transcendent.

In addition, thanks to the Demon King's magic power management method, <Arcane>, it became possible to spread magic power at a speed incomparable to before.

Even the limitations that had been holding us back have disappeared.

The ruined Loafra.

This was the result.

Verden focused his magic and sensed his surroundings.

There is no one left to live.

There was no one who tried to resist like before. The members of the underworld who had completely lost their will were on their knees, desperate for survival.

There were countless people trembling with their arms wrapped around themselves.

'It's almost sorted out.'

Some of them fainted and fell to the ground along the way… … but they didn’t really bother me, so I didn’t bother touching them.

A presence was felt in the air.

Kuung! Galeaak, who had landed nearby, lightly shook his head. His entire body was covered in blood, so much so that he couldn't tell how many people he had killed.

A refreshed look on his face, as if he had finally repaid some of the humiliation he had suffered while being tracked down.

Gaulic looked around and lifted the Feuell on his shoulder. Uncured blood dripped down.

“Hey, you really have scorched the earth. I don’t know much about magic, but even if you pioneered the magic arts, this isn’t something you can do. What on earth did you eat and how did you do it? Huh?”

"well."

“Look at you kid, you’re beating around the bush again. Okay, if you don’t like it, don’t tell me. Even if I found out, I wouldn’t be able to use it anyway.”

Gaulic scratched his forehead, saying he wasn't curious.

Instead, he kept glancing at Verden as if he was having fun, and he was just laughing to himself. It wasn't a look in his eyes that I found particularly pleasant.

Finally, we arrived in front of the castle of Winterthur.

A citadel surrounded by an underground lake at the bottom of a cliff. The remains of those who died while building the Ash Palace in the distant past were buried at the bottom of the lake.

He turned his head forward.

A crowd of dozens of people was gathered on the bridge leading to the city gate. They were armed and shrugged their shoulders as they looked at Verden and Gauliak.

'Are you a member of Binterte's organization?'

I'm not really interested.

Since the gap in power had already been shown in Loafra, there was no need to fight them one by one.

Verden heard of the Orient.

The air vibrated as the magical energy wave spread out in an instant, and small pieces of stone pulled by the power floated into the air.

<Remos>

The cutting edge of the earth rushes into the gates.

The members of the organization that were in the magic trajectory jumped off the bridge in panic. The sound of rushing water could be heard from below.

Immediately after that.

Kwaadduk───kwaaaaang!

The gates and walls were breached without fail.

The entire gate, which had been thrown off balance by the ensuing explosion, sank down noisily. It seemed as if they had not prepared for the intruder, and there was no protective magic circle present.

In fact, even if it had existed, it would only have been enough to buy a little bit of time.

“Hahahaha! It’s so cool, I bet it’s siege magic! Hey, look at those kids running away while soaking wet. It’s quite a sight, isn’t it?”

I crossed the bridge and enjoyed the scenery.

I crossed over the collapsed gate and set foot on the outskirts of the castle.

* * *

Drakeen, head of the Wintert security line.

He had recently returned from his active role in the civil war between the princes. As usual, he spent his days drinking alcohol laced with drugs.

But today was different.

Several loud noises were heard in Loafra, where no earthquake had ever occurred before. The accompanying tremors were clearly felt by Drakeen.

Drakeen, standing in the passage between the outer and inner perimeter, maintained silence. The silence was soon broken by the sound of two people's footsteps.

“…….”

Drakeen quietly raised his head.

The entire road from the square to the palace is in ruins. People kneel and pray amidst the dust and debris rising from Loafra.

It was a tragedy I had never seen before.

Next, we brought the focus closer.

I looked straight at Verden, who was naturally revealing an unprecedented presence.

Drakeen has had a good sense since he was young.

His natural talent was invaluable in gauging the level of his opponents. Cold sweat dripped down his face and formed a bead on his chin.

‘… … It’s a monster.’

It's on a whole different level and level than when I saw the Luying Costa gun before.

I never would have thought that he had achieved that much growth in the meantime. He must have been hiding his strength at the time.

At that time, I tried to be hostile to Wintert over the issue of the slave siblings. I thought it was an oversight, but now that I look back, I can't help but be convinced.

No, I had to convince myself.

'shit.'

Nightmares from the past come back to me.

Drake drank the bottle of alcohol he was holding in one gulp.

The drug that enhances physical abilities and calms the mind seeps deep into the body. This amount is highly addictive and has severe aftereffects, but it is a later problem.

Gradually, your mind and body become more stable.

Although he was not in a state to be swayed by alcohol, the strong scent of the alcohol made him forget his thoughts a little. Drakeen raised his sword.

A powerful energy was formed on the blade.

'Better than that Slay guy.'

As Verden tried to deal with it, Gaulic stepped forward.

“I won’t deal with that kid. I couldn’t do anything properly because of that crazy magic of yours. And───”

“Then you go first.”

“Huh? Hey! What the f*ck, you’re interrupting an old man while he’s talking? You shameless brat.”

Ignoring him, Verden floated into the air.

Even though he was blatantly trying to cross the inner wall and head towards the castle, Draken didn't stop him. It was as if he had no intention of doing so.

Verden disappeared.

Gaulic clicked his tongue and shook his head.

“, Look at the scared.

“……If you were me, would you have done the same?”

“Don’t you know, my ally? That bastard is on my side right now. Even if he’s waddling his tail between his legs, he’s going to kill the king you serve, so are you just going to leave him alone? Have you given up?”

“Huh, you don’t know His Majesty.”

Drakeen narrowed his eyes.

“Occasionally, there are beings in the world that ordinary people should not dare to confront. That monster named Asher is one of those beings. However, His Majesty is also a being that transcends the standards of ordinary people.”

and.

“No ‘wizard’ can defeat Your Majesty, not even the monster who turned Loafra into hell, unless he is a transcendent being.”

“Hahahahaha! How confident. Hey, you shouldn’t make wild guesses, right? That Asher guy is fucking abnormal. Well, I’ll stop talking about it here.”

Gaulic swung his spear.

The wind flowing along the trajectory brushed Drakeen's skin.

“I’m actually a promising adventurer, right? I was stripped of my title as an adventurer for a while, but anyway. In that sense, I have business with you.”

“What’s your business?”

“I fought a Mithril promotion candidate before and got beat up pretty badly. I didn’t make it to the end, but I got beat up before I could even do anything.”

Gaulic cleared his throat.

I rubbed the curved scar with my fingertips.

“But after thinking about it for a while, I became curious. Are all Mithril-grade adventurers that strong, or is that girl special? So I thought I’d check it out. You, a former Mithril-grade adventurer, and me, a Platinum-grade adventurer. Which of you is stronger?”

“Is that important right now?”

“Then what the f*ck, are we just going to sit there and watch? Before we all get swept away by Asher, I need to get something to fill my quota and get something back.”

The butcher snapped his fingers.

Drakeen's brow twitched at the unexpected provocation.

The fallen adventurer sharpened his blade.

A cold gaze was fixed on the junior adventurer.

“You are nothing more than a criminal by the world’s standards. I am also a criminal, but in the end, you were no match for me.”

“X, let’s just say what we both wanted to say. Now stop holding onto your weight and just come at me, you fucking plate-possessor.”

Gaulic lowered his body.

He put his weight on his toes, gathered all his energy, and charged forward. Almost at the same time, Drakeen also threw a bottle of liquor and rushed toward his opponent.

Kaaaaang!

The sword and the sword clashed, sending sparks flying.

* * *

Verden headed straight to the top of the castle.

Having achieved my original goal of turning Loafra into a wasteland, I had no intention of leisurely exploring the castle.

It's not too late to do that after dealing with the king of the underworld.

As I entered through the glass-less window, a hallway covered with gray carpet appeared.

A metal door with a picture of a beast engraved on it was located at the end of the hallway. I headed towards it and opened the door with my telekinesis.

Three people greeted Verden.

A man wearing a gray crown sitting on a throne.

With dark blond hair, turquoise eyes, and unique armor, he had an unusual appearance at first glance.

In front of him were two men, well armed.

Was it some kind of bodyguard? It was difficult to tell their gender visually because their entire body was covered.

Verden enters the audience room calmly.

The ruler of Loafra, sitting haughtily, raised his chin.

“You look better than I thought. You can’t be a commoner, but are you a noble or royal?”

“Are you the king of the underworld?”

“Answer a question with a question. Well, that sounds good.”

The man put his hand on his chest.

The gauntlets engraved with strange patterns made a friction sound.

“My name is Grond Vale di Baladis. I am the King of the Underworld, the pinnacle of Wintert and the ruler of Loafra. Welcome to my castle, Asher.”

Grond smiled faintly.

Then he cast his gaze beyond the window of the audience room. There was a ruin called Loafra, which was difficult to find its former appearance.

“By the way, you have abilities that are different from what is rumored. Who would have thought you would overturn my Roafra like this? I never expected you to have such great strength hidden away.”

Grond was purely amazed.

But his eyes were completely devoid of any emotion based on fear, even though he was watching the disaster that Verden had created from afar.

“So why did you come here in person? Is it simply revenge against me? Or do you want to know why they targeted you in Wintert?”

“Are you talking about the deal with Leonil?”

“……!”

Grond first revealed his nursery rhyme.

It seemed that he had no idea that Verden knew the inside story.

“Wow, that’s very interesting. You seem to know quite a bit. Just how much do you know?”

“Do I need to tell someone who is about to die?”

“What? Hahaha! This is… really cheeky.”

Grond's eyes sank deeply.

“I admit that you are far more skilled than any other wizard. However, there are those above you. No matter how great you are, no matter how hard you struggle, you cannot defeat me. Because that is natural.”

Grond's eyes were like steel.

There was an arrogant and absolute confidence that only thought of victory. It wasn't just a bluff, but a sincere belief.

“I am another king who rules over the shadows of the kingdom. Even Leonil, the strongest in Estiria, cannot touch me. The one before you is exactly that kind of being. But do you dare to handle him?”

Grond sneered.

To the inhabitants of Loafra, he might have seemed majestic as a ruler. But not to Verden.

What should I say?

That's like.

“Like a goblin in a cave.”

It is a widely known proverb.

Goblins who live in the narrow world of caves think they are the best and the strongest. They don't know what the outside world is like and what kind of beings live outside.

The goblin who later leaves the cave behaves as he did when he was in the cave.

The ending of a fairy tale was to swing around a random amount of power without knowing what was going on and then get killed.

How does it compare to Grond?

He lives in a cave called Loafra and calls himself a king. He is neither a country nor an illegitimate child of a royal family.

Even without thinking about the ending of such a Grond, it was good in Verden's eyes.

“You have a bad habit of speaking.”

“I don’t think that’s wrong.”

Woodduck.

Grond showed his anger by gnashing his molars.

“Someone shut that mouth.”

The reaction was instantaneous.

The guardsmen, weapons drawn, rushed at Berden.

The two were clearly strong, although they were inferior to Slayna Drakeen. They were strong enough to stand by Grond's side.

'Of course, we can't rule out Asher.'

At least we can know exactly what kind of magic he uses. It was Grond's own rational judgment.

“……!”

But my expectations were wrong.

Verden fought off the enemy with only magic and staff. After five rounds of fighting, the battle was over.

One was hit directly in the head and died instantly.

And Meraden, a member of the royal guard, was struck in the stomach and fell out.

“Ugh……!”

He fell to the ground at Grond's feet, spitting out blood and groaning.

I tried to stand up, but the shock to my internal organs beyond the crumpled armor was so severe that it was a miracle that I didn't faint.

Grond frowned.

Still sitting on the throne.

Verden stared at the sight coldly.

“I guess you still don’t understand the situation.”

“You bastard…….”

“Sitting on the throne, do you feel like a real ruler?”

Kuung.

Verden's staff pounded the floor.

The sound of a single blast spread throughout the audience room.

“Come down. I’ll tell you who’s higher.”