Limit Breaking Genius Mage Chapter 517

Episode 517 The Fence (2)

He completely evaded the attention of the castle guards and sneaked into the audience room without permission.

There is a high possibility that he is an assassin of Grimnax who is active in the continental political world. If so, interrogation will not work, so let's give up on capturing him.

'Actively use your reflexes to deal with it in one blow.'

The synchronization of stream of consciousness and neural acceleration.

The ability to make quick decisions based on rationality and the ability to use one's energy as swiftly as a torrent were some of the special skills that the ruler boasted about.

A quick leap forward, as if leaping diagonally, compared to the heavy sound of footsteps. The floor of the audience room cracked upon impact.

He stabbed hard into the chest of the opponent sitting on the throne.

Crunch.

At that moment, the intruder's hand gripped the blade tightly. The spatial field in his hand blocked the sword energy.

"what……."

The bewildered ruler then recognized his opponent's face. Even though he had never seen him in person, he could not recognize his features.

“You… Asher?”

“I told the Mercenary King that I would go and see you in person.”

Verden rose from his throne, his sword blade still bound.

“I came to talk.”

Although he showed no hostility as if he was being sincere, the ruler did not change his attitude as expected. Instead, he revealed his murderous intent.

Alpha's prediction that there was a 3% chance of a friendly conversation proved accurate.

“Anyone who trespasses on my territory without my permission will be executed immediately.”

The ruler's choice is resistance.

He twisted his wrist to pull out the sword, pouring his energy even stronger.

Kwakwakwakwang!

Immediately afterwards, a blue light engulfed the area along with a thunderous roar that tore through the eardrums. The ruler who was knocked out by the massive lightning explosion used a falling technique to drown out the shock.

A faint electric current rippled through the metal armor. My mind flashed.

“Ugh.”

A sharp breath that can be felt at the corner of the mouth.

Strong and dignified

Boom! Boom! Boom!

After strengthening his strength and resistance through his skills, he advances again. When I looked into his inner self, I saw that there was absolutely no room for compromise.

'As expected, it's sturdy.'

So, we have no choice but to change our approach.

If Verden had wanted to build a cooperative relationship, he would have taken a more gentle approach, but not now.

I came to see the ruler only to give him a choice. There is no reason to waste any more time.

<Transition>

Verden is gone.

Wedge!

The sword that cut through the air stopped just before it reached the throne and immediately drew a horizontal line. A strong sword energy surged to the right.

But there was no one there.

The ruler furrowed his brows.

'What is it? There's a sound──'

They immediately pursue it, but once they are sure of the direction, it disappears again. The spatial waves that occur one after another become entangled with each other, confusing their senses.

This was an imitation of the tactic Grave had used against Adrian.

Bam.

Berden, who had appeared in front of the ruler without anyone noticing, placed his hand on the armor.

<Arcane: Impact>

“Ugh……!!!!”

Pure magic that stirs the insides.

I managed to hold on to the fact that my knees were barely giving in, but the muscles in my entire body were stiff. I was completely weak.

Verden opened the second magic gate and snapped his fingers as if pronouncing a sentence right in front of the ruler's nose.

<Hyeonryeo – Electricity>

The light of destruction flashed.

Kwaaaaaaaang!

The ruler was hit directly by a crimson lightning bolt, destroying the huge pillars of the audience room and scattering them on the floor along with the debris.

I dropped my sword in shock.

Instinctively, I tried to get up straight away by pushing off the floor, but there was no time to do so.

Teardrop!!!

Verden grabbed the ruler by the neck and slammed him down. The axis of the earth shook. The physical force combined with the gravity of the upper 6th tier caused all the breath stored in his lungs to escape at once.

“Seeing as you are still conscious, I guess you deserve the grand nickname of ‘The Ruler’ in terms of your resistance and willpower.”

Berden, holding [Intelis] summoned from subspace in one hand, pressed the lower part of his staff against the ruler's torso.

Damn.

New cracks appeared on the damaged armor like spiderwebs. At the same time, dozens of gravity chains rose from the ground and entangled the limbs.

The four powers of the Central Continent.

It is certainly a great title that you can be proud of.

However, that doesn't mean that he is one of the four strongest people in the entire Central Continent. Even more so if you include the Transcendent Ones.

“This, this……!”

The ruler muttered with difficulty.

His bloodshot eyes shook wildly as his capillaries burst.

“This is…… ridiculous, unbelievable……!”

Even though I wasn't equipped with any 'war equipment'… … even though I let my guard down, this couldn't happen.

I couldn't believe that I had been so absurdly suppressed. Even if this was a dream.

However, there was no reason to feel inferior.

Although it is not the maximum power, the fact that he is awake even after being hit by the unique magic of the magician <Destruction> proves that he is strong.

Ugh… … Ugh… … .

The ruler's eyes slowly roll back.

It was because my lungs were crushed by the force of the staff while my whole body was restrained.

Then, suddenly, the pressure was gone.

Fresh air mixed with the scent of blood seeped into the prayer room.

“I think things have calmed down a bit.”

“…….”

“It’s late to say this, but for the time being, no one will be allowed into the audience room. I’ve already blocked the inside and outside.”

Verden asks nonchalantly.

“Do you feel like talking now?”

The ruler stared blankly at the high ceiling of the audience room and held his breath.

* * *

Clang──thud.

The ruler sat on the steps leading to his throne and untied the seams of his upper body armor. A heavy metallic clank resonated quietly.

“Ouch, gulp! Gulp!”

As I coughed repeatedly with my mouth covered, traces of blood came out.

The bleeding was from a wound inside the mouth, not the intestines.

'There are no fatal injuries, but… …the body does not move smoothly.'

I've fought many battles so far, but this is the first time I've suffered this much damage from just a few attacks.

An overwhelming defeat.

It doesn't feel real, but it is reality.

The smell of blood lingering in my nose and the dull pain pounding all over my body constantly remind me that it's all real.

'How could I… …!'

Phew.

The ruler, who had been spitting out red saliva roughly, turned his head while gnashing his molars.

Asher, the deity of the Eastern Continent.

The de facto ruler of the North, who has boldly invaded Adaine's castle, looks out the window at the cityscape spread out below.

As natural as if it were my own home.

The ruler glanced sideways at the location of the sword buried in the rubble and opened his mouth.

“You… who the hell are you?”

“You probably already said it yourself.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Are you expecting me to believe that?”

I've heard rumors of Asher being called by so many adjectives that I'm sick of it.

I fully understand that he is a powerful magician who can even defeat the mighty and arrogant volcanic island's magic tower master.

'Still, it's impossible.'

Even if a being had reached the pinnacle of what a human could achieve, the gap in skill wouldn't have been this great.

It's confidence in yourself.

That is why the ruler has reached the point where he sincerely suspects that the being in front of him is something disguised as Asher.

[… … .]

Alpha stared blankly at the ruler as if he thought the problem would be solved if he hit him a little harder, but his meaning was not conveyed to him.

The ruler is unable to identify Alpha, who is in a <transparent> state.

Verden folded his arms and leaned against the window.

“I don’t think there’s much point in repeating the same thing here. You are free to believe me or not. What’s more important is why I came to you.”

Shudder.

The ruler felt like a cornered prey. However, he was only able to wiggle his hands without much resistance.

Because I wasn't sure I could cut wherever I aimed my sword.

Verden said.

“You have ruled the land without an owner for the longest time in the current power structure divided into the east, west, south, and north. And unlike others, you have established a relationship of trade with external powers rather than support. Your ruling system is also focused on management and law, not fear and exploitation. That may be normal outside, but at least here, it is an uncommon way of thinking.”

“……What are you trying to say?”

“But no matter how hard it was to build, it’s just a sand castle in the end. If you face a stronger force, it will just crumble to pieces. Just like it is now. And it would be the same if real forces outside the ownerless land intervened.”

“I asked what you wanted to say.”

The ruler showed his fangs with a fierce aura. Despite the difference in level, he was extremely ferocious.

It was like watching Adrian treat an outsider.

Well, anyway.

“The fence you have built is weak. So come under my protection.”

"……what?"

A moment of silence.

The ruler thought for a moment that he had misheard, but as expected, he had not.

He laughed, shrugging his shoulders as if he found it ridiculous.

“If you really are Asher… I guess you haven’t seen anything since you’ve been making a name for yourself recently. Not only the offer to recruit you, but you’re trying to take over the northern and western territories as well? Are you thinking of unifying these unclaimed lands? You should know what happens when a force grows too large.”

The ownerless land was created solely for legitimate disputes, and the profits generated from it spread out into the world.

But what happens if we stop that cycle?

Inevitably, they will be targeted and eliminated by powerful forces.

“If your desire for dominance is that hard to bear, you should show it off to the entire Eastern Continent. Why are you talking nonsense in a land where no one is?

Verden is clearly from the Western Continent, but he didn't point it out.

“Because it doesn’t make much difference whether you start from the Eastern Continent or from an uninhabited land. They are both just a part of the same thing.”

"her."

How dare you mention one of the three continents and call it a part of it.

Such arrogant remarks were very unfamiliar even to the ruler.

“……No matter how much I think about it, I can’t understand it. What kind of a jerk are you──”

For a moment the ruler stopped talking.

A possibility that I had never considered suddenly crossed my mind.

The animalistic intuition of the mercenary king.

A magic that mercilessly overpowers the ruler.

At the intersection of those two clues were the pinnacles of the entire continent.

no way.

The ruler suddenly raised his head.

In the pupils filled with astonishment, Verden's wall eyes were completely reflected.

“As I told you last time, I’ll let go of the attempts you’ve made to me. They were annoying, but at least you didn’t cross the line.”

Verden threw a top-tier potion. The ruler caught him without realizing it.

“But the South is an exception.”

The Confederacy was getting on Verden's nerves in several ways.

In particular, it is unacceptable that they attempted to inflict indiscriminate massacres in the North by using the rebels in the East, as the competition did not go as planned.

“If it’s just the South, then the East is already…….”

“After suppressing it long ago, he is ruling from the North as a proxy. The broker is quite capable.”

The broker hired by the Confederacy betrayed them and joined the North. Furthermore, the remaining Eastern forces that had joined the South were eliminated.

The situation is already over.

However, judging from the circumstances, it seems that the South was unaware of this fact.

The North is being completely toyed with.

“Transcendent…….”

The ruler muttered and looked down, lost in thought.

Then he asked outright.

“If you’ve decided to make the entire ownerless land your territory, then it seems like you already have your own power. Why are you making such a proposal to me? Isn’t it fine if you don’t have it?”

“Even if you search the world, it is rare to find a person with the power to govern a territory of this size. And.”

Verden gestured toward the city the ruler had developed.

“I like your thoughts quite a bit. Sir Latheon Offniel.”

“……!”

The four powers of the central continent, the ruler, Latheon Offniel.

He was once a 'knight' who was active in the conflict zone with the hostile water tribes of the Kingdom of Ronia, located in the southern part of the Eastern Continent.

He was a 'traitor to the nation' who wiped out the kingdom's war command, including high-ranking nobles.

Crunch.

The ruler clenched his fist tightly.

“Not many people know my real name. Who told you?”

“It’s common to infer someone’s identity from the circumstances without having to directly confirm who they are. As I said, the broker is quite capable.”

“…….”

Broker, Serlo Broden.

Even though he is old, the fact that he is a high-ranking adventurer does not change.

It was an individual's skill to act as a broker in the shadow of the continent.

Crossing gazes.

The ruler then took a deep breath and relaxed his body.

“If you’ve heard about my past, you already know. Even if… I am such a being, I have no intention of being under anyone. I refuse to be used any longer.”

“It depends on how you define the word exploitation. Just like you exploited those outside your fence.”

Verden uncrossed his arms.

I walked leisurely to the center of the audience room.

“I assure you that I have no intention of taking away this city and this land that you rule. As long as you follow my ‘rules’ that will be established in the future.”

“……Discipline?”

“If you still refuse, then we have no choice but to act according to the rules here. Of course, you may leave the ownerless land before that. I will not interfere with how much property you take or what you do.”

This gave the ruler three choices.

Together or.

Or oppose.

Or run away.

Verden activated spatial magic through the magic sword <Infinity>.

“That’s all for now. Let’s hear the answer to my proposal through action.”

"for a moment……!"

The ruler tried to stop him, but it was too late.

The moment the purple light flashed softly, there was no one in front of me.

The waves of a quietly sensitive space.

The ruler looked at it for a moment and then sat down with a thud.

'I thought this day would come someday.'

In this world, there are not one but many beings and forces stronger than the ruler.

By taking advantage of the nature of the land without owners, I became the master of a vast territory that no one outside could even imagine… … but I knew that there would come a day when I would be unable to handle it.

But that would be now.

“……Huh. A transcendent being who is hiding his identity from the world.”

The ruler sat quietly and drank the highest-grade potion he was holding in his hand. His body temperature rose and the recovery reaction began.

Injuries that heal through pain.

As expected, it's not a dream.

* * *

The dwarves of the mine are lying around resting.

They were so exhausted from working on the construction for days that not a single dwarf woke up from his rough sleeping habits.

The village chief, Geraldine, was one of them.

Woohoo.

The newly built facility before them echoed quietly with the sound of snoring.

“Well, what do you think? It’s much better than the junk in the Black Volcano, right?”

“It looks like that on the outside.”

“On the outside?? Look at your indifferent reaction, you must be thinking that you’re a transcendent being. If you don’t want to cheer, at least clap your hands.”

[Clap clap.]

“Not you. And who told you to clap your hands? Who told you to imitate the sound of clapping with your mouth?”

[Same meaning.]

“Who doesn’t know what it means? The problem is that it doesn’t seem to have a sprout.”

Gharun stroked his bushy beard, revealing a gaunt and wiry personality befitting his 283 years of age.

“By the way, have you prepared everything you asked for?”

"here."

Verden summoned the materials he had been securing from the subspace.

Linus quickly approached them and examined them one by one with force in his eyes.

“……We have everything, Master. The quality is also excellent.”

“There are no defects at all? Wow, you must have put a lot of effort into it. No matter what, it must have been difficult to obtain materials of this level easily.”

In fact, it was not a big problem for Verden at the moment.

A billionaire with assets worth hundreds of billions of dollars.

If you give them a little extra money, most things will go smoothly, and the time issue was solved by directly <flying> or moving through space.

“Anyway, I’m ready.”

Gharun lightly relaxed his muscles. He placed the giant hammer, Markuav, on his shoulder.

“I’ll contact you when it’s done.”

A hammer with a cutting edge began to make weapons.

D – 37

As we get closer to the end of the year, the coolness of autumn gradually disappears.

It started to snow on the Eastern Continent.