Limit Breaking Genius Mage Chapter 53

Episode 53 Soul Tree (2)

Thud.

The burnt branches fell to the ground and turned to dust.

A pungent smell tickled the tip of their noses. The adventurers stared blankly at the sight before their eyes, their mouths open.

Among them, the wizards' eyes were fixed on Verden.

'4th tier… …?'

The magic just now was clearly a 4th-tier one, both in terms of range and destructive power. It was also a magic that reached its limit.

And the magical power that is so huge that it is visually apparent, and the magical power wave that passes by in an instant.

'Could it be that they've unleashed a magical power detection on this area?'

I've already told you that there are adventurers that need to be saved.

However, the fact that he used such a wide range of magic meant that he had already calculated the range. The wizards were astonished not by the power of the 4th level, but by the calculation power and the vast amount of magic power that made it possible.

An ashen young wizard who had never heard of even the slightest rumor, let alone an adventurer or a mercenary. I couldn't understand where this being had suddenly appeared.

Layla didn't show it, but her mind was complicated.

She was one of the candidates for the ark, because I had never heard of such a wizard.

'… … Could it be another candidate?'

Then he soon shook his head.

It doesn't matter what happens. All you have to do now is overcome the ordeal that lies before you. That's all.

“Aren’t you going?”

Leila nodded at Verden's words and spoke to the adventurers.

“Let’s hurry.”

The suppression that had been paused for a while has begun again.

* * *

The forest that the flare touched still had hot heat left in it.

Although Trent was a heteromorph, he was still a tree, so he couldn't approach it easily. Thanks to this, the punitive force was able to move more easily.

The problem was the speed.

‘This, this is the next Mithril grade… …!’

Just following Layla leaves me breathless.

Movements that seemed to be beyond human categories. She was controlling them in her own way, but they were too much for gold-rank adventurers. The only person standing next to Leila was Verden.

The two headed into the forest without saying a word to each other, and arrived at the end of a path filled with ash.

The moment they set foot in the dark forest, the hidden Treants attacked them from both sides.

'That's certainly a lot of numbers.'

The entire forest is Trent's lair.

The animals had all been eaten, so not even a single small bird could be detected. A small flame flickered in Verden's hand as he lightly avoided the roots.

<Bunflare>

Hwaaaaak!

The magic that burned down the Trent in front was shot at the ones behind. The flames moved on their own, looking for a fuse. They destroyed the nearby alien species in a chain before disappearing.

Verden tilted his head slightly to the side.

A single red line is engraved on the bodies of the Trunks. Is it a mark from a sword? Their bodies are neither broken nor cut in two, but they do not move at all. They are all dead.

Layla, who was receiving attention, said nonchalantly.

“There’s a core inside Trent’s body. If we just destroy it, we can easily kill him. Judging from what I don’t know, he doesn’t seem to be an adventurer or anything.”

“…….”

“I don’t know who you are, but please don’t interfere with my ‘ordeal’.”

Their eyes crossed each other.

With that, Verden was sure that the female adventurer was a candidate for the ark, and he also decided that the wizard Ray, who showed no reaction to the word ordeal, was the same candidate.

Leila stepped forward first. Verden watched her back for a moment before following her.

The two were only interested in the trials hidden in the forest, so they had no time to worry about the adventurers who were falling behind.

“……How do you follow that?”

“I can’t go. If I overdo it and get surrounded by Trent while exhausted, there’s no answer.”

“To be honest, I’m not very confident in dealing with something like Soul Tree.”

The adventurers who were suddenly left behind decided to do what they could do.

Right, dealing with the nearby Trent was the best way to secure a safe escape route.

Soul tree.

Even if the danger level of that monster is comparable to that of a special entity, that is only the worst case scenario, and if it is at a level lower than that, the two of them will be able to subdue it sufficiently.

There was an adventurer on the continent who had a rare Mithril grade weapon.

'That wizard also looks very strong.'

If we add in the power of the fighter Bardel, our chances of victory are clear.

Of course, that is, if they were alive… … In any case, it was certain that they were not beings worth worrying about. Adventurers must pursue hope even in despair.

That way, you can survive for a long time.

“So now let’s just worry about our lives.”

The Trents approach, over the corpses of their own kind.

The adventurers formed a circle, each holding a weapon in their hand, guarding each other's backs.

* * *

Pipit.

In a flash of red light, the trances surrounding Leila fell to the ground.

Her proud weapons were her swordsmanship, which was impossible to follow with the naked eye, and her accuracy without even an inch of error.

'Strong.'

A completely different fighting style from that of the same-ranked Butcher. Leila's swordsmanship, which never allowed any gaps, was sharp and terrifying.

This is one of the candidates chosen by the Ark. Perhaps the Ark is a much more powerful group than Verden imagines. With that thought, he flew up into the sky.

All I could see was a densely packed field of trees. Trent, to be exact.

The Soul Tree that the adventurers spoke of… …is probably referring to the gray tree they encountered during their quest. Nothing suspicious was seen at all, and the platinum-rank adventurer named Bardel was nowhere to be seen. It was just a dark and gloomy forest.

'Let's unleash a little more magic.'

From the surrounding area to the heart of the forest.

The blue magic spread out and numerous things were captured by Verden's senses. He was able to concentrate his mind more without being overwhelmed by the vast amount of information.

Then, something caught my eye.

No, the northern part of the forest bordering the Demon's Forest was completely undetected. It was the same reaction as before in the Demon's Forest.

“Over there?”

A confident Verden headed north.

I heard a voice behind me asking where I was going, but there was no need to waste time explaining. If they were suspicious, they would come after me.

As we slowly got closer to the ground, sharp branches stretched out from the forest.

<Flame Curtain>

Red flames surrounded Verden. The branches crumbled blackly without even touching the collar.

Berden landed on the floor and slammed his staff down on the floor.

<Ignition>

Hwaaaaak!

A wave of flames spread through the forest. It was barely enough to burn the leaves, let alone the trees, but each of the Trents struggled to put out the fires on their own bodies.

'It's impossible to find it directly since the magic detection is not possible.'

Of course there is a way.

If we burn down the entire forest, they won't be able to continue hiding. Thinking so, Verden immediately took action.

A spell that was cast by concentrating one's mind and magical power for 10 seconds, even with Verden's calculating ability.

'The target is limited to trends.'

The five lines of flame attached to the staff flickered and entangled with each other.

<Flame Plague>

Hwaaaaaaaah!

The flames spread out in all directions, and the number of nearby Trents increased exponentially as they died without being able to approach.

As its name suggests, a plague made of flames spread among the Trents.

'There was definitely a reaction.'

He gathered momentum and fired more magic.

Only after the Trents hiding in the nearby forest were driven almost to the brink of extinction did one hidden tree emerge.

A tree that was gray, unlike the other trees. It was three times larger than anything I had ever seen before. And it had an indescribable ominousness that brushed against my skin.

'But it feels a little different from what I felt last time.'

The white eyes I had seen before were nowhere to be seen.

While such suspicions were rising, an adventurer was found groaning in pain while wrapped in the roots of a tree. Judging by his features, he was clearly the platinum-rank adventurer fighter Bardel that the adventurers had spoken of.

It's not too late to think about it after saving him.

Soul tree.

Verden immediately stretched out his staff.

* * *

Bardel alone could not handle the countless hordes of Trents and the white eyes.

My mind flashed every moment as I heard the screams of the dead that continued to be heard. My mind collapsed before my body and I was captured.

'Damn, the strength… …!'

I was confident in my physical strength, but no matter how much I concentrated my energy, it wouldn't budge.

Because after being tied to the roots, the life force, which is closer to the essence than physical strength, was leaving.

Captured like this, Bardel was nothing more than a tasty nutrient to the Soul Tree.

It had been a long time since Soul Tree had caught such a powerful creature, so it was planning to enjoy the moment and suck out its prey alive without leaving a trace.

The remaining bodies are used to call other victims.

As he pressed on the root, the breath escaped Bardell's lungs.

The adventurer known as the warrior was slowly dying. At that moment, even he had a hunch about death and was about to give up.

<Wind Cycle>

Saaaaak!

A sharp wind passed through, tearing at the roots.

Although it wasn't cut, it relieved some of the pressure. Taking advantage of the gap, Bardell pushed the root away with all his might.

Bardel, who had barely escaped, quickly distanced himself from Soul Tree.

'Phew, I barely survived… … .'

“Are you the platinum-rank adventurer, Fighter Bardel?”

When I turned my head to the side, a man I had never seen before was standing there.

Judging from his appearance, he seems to be a wizard. Are he a rescuer from the city?

Bardell nodded.

“That’s right. Thanks to you, you saved my life. I wish I could go back right away and repay the favor… but I don’t know if I can do that.”

A faint vibration also resonates from the ground.

Soul Tree seemed to be feeling a bit uneasy, perhaps because he was upset that his hunt had been interrupted. Bardel immediately took a stance, but judging from his shoulders shaking and his breathing becoming labored, he seemed quite exhausted.

Besides, we've lost our weapons, so even if we stay here, we won't be of much help.

'It's just a nuisance.'

Verden took a step forward

“There will be adventurers at the back. Go ahead and join them.”

“……Are you thinking of doing it alone?”

“That’s what I came here for.”

Bardel smiled faintly at the firm answer.

“You look young, but you have great confidence… But you didn’t really come alone, did you? Did Layla come by any chance?”

If it's Layla, she'll probably be coming this way, annihilating Trent.

Only then did Bardel breathe a sigh of relief.

“Whew, that’s really fortunate. I can trust Leila. She’s the strongest adventurer I know. And I’m telling you this too, but if you meet Leila, tell her this: That Soul Tree is fake, and the real one is hidden underground. And those damn white eyes.”

'underground?'

Kwak-kwak! Gray roots sprouted from the ground.

Without needing Verden's help, Bardel staggered away from the roots and kicked the ground hard to gain more distance.

“If I say it like this, you’ll understand. So, until Leila comes, you have to buy some time without pushing yourself too hard. Then, please.”

After saying those words, Bardel disappeared into the forest. Soon after, the sound of his footsteps completely disappeared.

'You want me to waste time? Do I look that weak?'

Well, anyway, this eliminates the need to control the power of magic.

Verden, gathering his magical power, slammed his staff down on the floor.

<Earthquake>

Kookookookookook!

The axis shook and the ground split open. The Trents within range were sucked into the cracks and shattered beyond recognition.

However, the area surrounding the Soul Tree only cracked and showed no signs of collapsing.

I don't know if it's holding the ground with its roots, but it's strong enough to withstand the destructive power of an Earthquake enhanced by a magic book.

'The main body is underground.'

Verden cast his gaze through the gap.

Although he could see nothing but darkness, something alien was visible at the end of Verden's vision through a hint.

A hollow filled with darkness.

At its center was a gigantic gray tree of indeterminate size, with hundreds of corpses hanging from its branches.

Perhaps that is the body of the Soul Tree that Bardell spoke of.

'It's huge. The tree outside was just a part of the many branches.'

If something like this goes to the city, hell will break out.

Surely that must be the real ordeal the listener was referring to.

Verden climbed up into the sky, avoiding the rising roots. Then he thought.

'It seems like its attacks are limited because it's hidden on the ground. Earthquake doesn't work on it either.'

I decided.

There is no need to forcefully break the ground to use it as a shield. You can just take the shield itself with a stronger force and then drag it to a stage that is advantageous to you.

It wouldn't be easy, but Verden was confident.

Because Verden had the power to do so now.

<Terrain Manipulation>

After reaching the 4th rank, this was the first large-scale magic that was used with full power.

At that moment, the entire forest began to shake.