Limit Breaking Genius Mage Chapter 87

Episode 87: Interference (4)

Tsk tsk. Tsk tsk.

In an instant, the cave split into several branches and moved with each passing moment. It was as if the entire cave was alive and moving. No one was able to respond properly and was swept away.

There was no way they could resist the world they stood in being turned upside down.

The transplanter soon had a hunch.

This ridiculous situation right now is all the work of a wizard wearing a green robe.

“Kill him……!”

Transplanter.

He gave orders to the Red Hats, who had part of Red Hat's head grafted onto them. And the other Gluttonys followed them.

But before he could even reach Verden, the floor began to move.

All sides were blocked, I was upside down and rolling around on the floor, unable to keep my balance.

Terrain manipulation that actively utilizes Verden's own senses.

It was similar to when I faced the Knight of Lamentation, but the gap between Verden then and now is overwhelming. Naturally, it has to be much more sophisticated and faster than before.

I locked up the entire area with the unconscious people, away from Gluttony, and aligned the terrain.

A huge circular space was created like that.

The entrance had disappeared, and a sarcophagus was in the corner. Verden stood in the center. The overwhelming number of Red Hats and Gluttons still surrounded him.

The transplanter tilted his head.

What was that magic earlier? No, wasn't it magic used to escape? But the situation was almost the same as before.

It was an action that made no rational sense at all.

“Ziggum. This. Is. Musueun. A construction?”

“It’s easier to handle this way.”

It's possible to crush them by collapsing the coffin, but it's not certain. Gluttony is particularly tenacious.

So Verden was determined to cut off the lifeline, to make sure that whatever was happening inside never got out.

Magic power overflowing throughout the body.

Berden, engulfed in blue light, opened his eyes.

<Chain Lightning>

The sound of thunder echoed through the hall.

* * *

Gluttony was impatient. There was no denying it.

Originally, a total of 10 red pieces should have been completed and delivered to Gluttony's Fang.

However, the heart of the salamander and three red pieces that were to become the red piece materials were stolen. It was clear that the culprit was the Ark.

There was a hitch in the plans.

But there was a way to obtain the missing quantity.

Count Dabirk.

An accessory carved from the heart of a werewolf that he always wears around his neck. The life force contained within far surpasses that of hundreds of humans.

So I took it away.

And to fill in the remaining ingredients, he used Count Davirk's death as bait to draw out the nutritious soldiers.

Gluttony was hiding among the central knights and soldiers, and the plan was going smoothly.

The original plan was to finish everything tonight, in order to complete the red piece before the ark could even be touched.

But something went wrong.

Kwakwakwakwang!

A huge rock crushed Red Hat. Thorns sprouted from the ground and crossed, piercing Red Hat's torso. Then, Verden approached and swung his staff with the earth attribute.

Unable to withstand the heavy blow, Red Hat's neck was torn off and he fell down.

Magic spells that move without rest and pour down without a single delay.

We've only narrowed the distance by half, but already almost half of them are dead.

This theory is dangerous.

The transplanter gave orders to the crimson red hat next to him, 'Black Hat'.

“Kill him……!”

Only then did Black Hat move.

A being that had the typical characteristics of a red hat, but was different. Its body, which should have been red, was dark red, and it had a body that was nearly twice as large as a normal red hat.

Black Hat stared at Verden.

A powerful mental manipulation that overwhelmed Ruknan, who specialized in mental magic. However, naturally, it did not penetrate Verden's mind at all.

[… … .]

Eventually, Black Hat changed his hunting methods.

Kwaang! Black Hat's whip-like arm collided with Verden's staff in an instant. Verden, who was thrown back, endured the impact by slamming his staff against the ground.

'This guy is a little different.'

The black hat is getting closer.

He responded immediately, but his physical strength and movements were clearly different from Red Hat's. Including the fact that he had used mental manipulation on himself.

As Verden was distracted by Black Hat, Red Hat and Gluttony took advantage of the gap and followed Verden.

At that moment, the air current was distorted.

<The Curtain of the Whirlwind>

Elemental magic of the 5th tier. A wind cloak that physically blocks the inside and outside.

A strong wind swept through the surroundings in an instant. Even Black Hat could not withstand the pressure and was slammed into the far wall. The others were the same.

The distance between us and Verden, which we had barely managed to shorten, returned to the beginning again.

'It's okay for a one-time use. The only downside is that you can't use other magic in the middle.'

Because it is a magic that controls strong winds, Verden's magic cannot go outside.

It was simply a magic used by wind magicians to protect themselves in times of emergency. It was a perfect fit for the magic inherent in robes.

The curtain of Verden's whirlwind has been lifted.

Then he raised his magical power even further. Then, the temperature inside the cave gradually decreased, and soon white breath flowed out from his mouth.

<Ice Zone>

Frost spread in a circular pattern around Verden.

It was not simple ice magic, but a cold energy whose properties had been altered by the Ring of Cold (a replica). The members of Gluttony drew out the energy, but even that energy was consumed by the cold energy.

A feeling of your body gradually becoming dull without any resistance.

Crunch!

In the gap, Verden manipulated the terrain and pierced through them one by one. It was impossible to dodge. Their movements had already slowed down to the point where they could be predicted with their eyes closed.

Even if you manage to avoid it, another blade of the earth awaits you.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Only Black Hat rushed at Verden.

Two sharply deformed arms, but their movements are slower than before.

Verden did not let his guard down and gave no space at all.

And I concentrated.

He finished calculating in three moves, and was equipped with magic power in two moves. He then instantly dove in and tapped the staff against Black Hat's arm.

<Stasis>

A high-difficulty magic that ranks in the top five among the four tiers.

From the part that touched it, the cold spread throughout Black Hat's body and soon it froze solid. When he lightly struck it with his staff, it was shattered into pieces.

This was the end of Lee Hyeong-jong, who annihilated the knights of the Count's family together with Red Hat.

Now the only one left is the transplanter who controlled the Red Hats.

Verden took a step closer.

The transplant, shivering from the cold, resisted, but the result was obvious.

Crunch.

* * *

With this, I wiped out all of Gluttony and Red Hat.

The bodies were hidden deep underground by geomanipulation, and the cave was restored to its original state. People were still unconscious, unaware that they had almost died.

And even Ruknan. He seemed to be weak, but not dead.

'You're lucky.'

Verden approached Count Davirk.

He was almost twisted and withered, as if the life force had already drained from him. Verden lifted him by the neck.

'So the necklace was the goal after all.'

A necklace made from the heart of a werewolf.

As expected, it seems that he took it for vitality. That must be why he targeted Count Davirk.

You used to brag about it like that.

Indeed, even he himself would not have imagined that the Count, who was escorted by the Knights Templar, would be murdered in such a brutal manner.

'Well, anyway.'

Now that Gluttony's plan was almost ruined, it was time to wrap things up. He took a signal flare from the unconscious Central Knight's bag.

And he approached the sarcophagus.

Kwaaang!

The sarcophagus shattered under the strong impact. Even the long groove was completely erased. This way, at least in this area, no red fragments will be created.

Verden, who had stepped outside, fired red and yellow signal flares into the sky.

* * *

The second squad witnessed the flare go off.

The squad led by Ruppel hurriedly headed there.

People are coming out of the cliff cave one by one.

A member of the Central Knights, clutching his throbbing head, hurriedly approached Rupel.

“Lord Ruppel!”

“What on earth happened?”

"that is……."

During the search, we were attacked by Red Hats.

I was somehow holding on, but I was subdued by the crimson Red Hat without being able to do anything.

“Then I opened my eyes in this cave.”

“Then who set off the flare?”

“Huh? A signal flare?”

Only then did he realize that the flare had disappeared from his bag.

Feeling something was wrong, Ruppel entered the cave. The interior was quiet. The hollow was illuminated by the sparsely hung torches, and in the center of it all was a broken stone coffin that had been left untouched.

“This is…….”

“Lord Ruppel, Lord Dukel has arrived.”

Rupel meets Dukel outside.

His clothes were partly stained with blood and his expression was serious.

“……Were you attacked too?”

“I guess you could call it an attack… I was attacked by Jeron. Then, Merk and a few soldiers suddenly attacked me. I was caught off guard, so I couldn’t do anything and got attacked.”

But there were no dead people.

When I opened my eyes, my wounds were being healed by potions, and my body was buried underground. With a hole in it to breathe through.

The traitorous Jeron gang had disappeared without a trace.

“What happened to Harold?”

“When I got there, it was already dead. And even the shadow behind it had disappeared. I’m sure Jeron took it.”

Dukel shook his head.

“I don’t understand what’s going on. Why did Jeron suddenly betray me, and why didn’t he kill me… Then I saw the signal flare go off here. He had already sent someone to request reinforcements on his way here.”

“Reinforcements…….”

Rupel stroked the hilt of his sword.

At that moment, a strange atmosphere filled the air. Rupel met the eyes of several soldiers, knights, and subordinates one by one.

“Lupel?”

Duquel's voice breaks the silence.

Ruppel, whose expression had been hardened, quickly took his hand off the sword.

“As originally planned, we have secured Count Dabirk’s body. So let’s end the search here for now, and return to the city immediately to report to the lords what has happened. Yes… that would be good.”

The Ruppel group immediately returned to the scene.

And Verden, who had been watching the scene from afar, soon disappeared without a trace.

* * *

He successfully foiled Gluttony's plans and returned to Cohen.

I passed through the gate early in the morning and returned to the inn to sleep. Then, when I woke up around lunchtime, the listener happened to come to visit me.

A listener disguised as an inn employee spoke.

“Thank you for your hard work, Asher. I’m glad to see you’re safe.”

“What happened to Theon?”

“I infiltrated without a hitch and came out alive. I haven’t seen Gluttony’s Fang yet, but I managed to arrange a meeting with the Fang.”

Gluttony's front teeth, the doctor's mark.

Since the doctor is a unique figure within Gluttony, it is only natural that attention would be focused on him.

No matter how vigilant you are, it's no use.

Surely he would not have expected that the Doctor would have already died and turned to ashes. If Verden were in Gluttony's position, he would have done the same.

You would never have imagined that you would be killed by a wizard who had no connection to you and no ark at all.

“Where is it?”

“Three days later, at a cabin near the ‘Dark Lake.’”

“Dark Lake?”

“It’s a large lake in the Marquis Gard’s territory. It’s always covered in fog, and the bottom of the lake is almost black, so it’s called Dark Lake. In reality, it’s clean water. I think I’ll make contact with it at the cabin and then guide it to Fang.”

With this, everything is ready.

Now that Gluttony's fangs have been identified and dealt with, those loathsome creatures will be gone from the Duchy.

Now that the prey has taken the bait, it's time to pull the line.

That role was entirely Verden's.