[Translator - Helga ]
[Proofreader - Starfall ]
Chapters 165: Procedure (3)
At the exact mont Alexander Aaron faced off against the White faction, another mage appeared before Joo Hayun and Secretary Kim.
"They call her Red."
She was a woman wearing a red cloak, true to her na.
A tense aura radiated from Red, causing both their faces to tighten. She was on a completely different level compared to the assailants who had attacked earlier.
“Is she also a mage from Aeon?”
“Yes… that’s right. I was specially prepared for a day like today…”
Red scratched her head mid-sentence.
“Ah, I didn’t co here to chit-chat. I’m here to kill you and take that woman away.”
Red pointed at Secretary Kim and Joo Hayun respectively. Joo Hayun’s expression hardened at the gesture.
“…Could it be that Odin also ca to this place?”
“No comnt.”
Red yawned in response.
“I’ve always been curious. She was said to be the only witch among us with an aptitude for spatial magic… Ah, I’m rambling again.”
Secretary Kim eyed Red warily, then said to Joo Hayun, “I’ll handle this here. You go ahead and protect Kwon Hanul.”
“Uh… that’s a problem.”
The drowsiness vanished from Red’s face.
“If I let you go, I’d have to kill you and chase after that woman. Why don’t we just fight together?”
Hearing that, Secretary Kim laughed in disbelief. Loosening his tie, he tossed it to the floor.
“The fools of Aeon really don’t know their place.”
“That’s what I was going to say.”
Red tilted her head to the left. With a crack, her neck bent at a perfect right angle.
Imdiately, Red’s body was engulfed in flas. No—her entire body transford into a ball of fire.
The fiery form of Red began to grow, completely blocking the corridor.
Magic is a mysterious and advanced field far beyond re skills…
Suddenly, Secretary Kim swung his hand.
A sharp ring of aura sliced through Red’s fiery form.
But the severed halves imdiately fused back together.
“…It’s cheating to attack while I’m still talking.”
“She’s perfectly fine?”
Secretary Kim’s face showed genuine surprise.
“My body is fire itself. And fire… even if it goes out, it can be rekindled if there’s wood.”
“I see. So this is what it ans to fight a mage.”
Secretary Kim spread both arms. Ten rings wrapped around his forearms.
Joo Hayun also prepared her magic, ready for battle.
“I’ll help, too.”
“I already told you. You’re going to help Kwon Hanul.”
“But…”
“You’ve been away from the field too long and seem to have forgotten who I am.”
At those words, Joo Hayun’s eyes widened as if struck by lightning.
“…No, I know.”
Kim Junho.
As the aide to Kwon Mi and the second-in-command of the Black Sharp Squad, he was a formidable man.
“Go ahead. I’ll follow shortly.”
“…Understood.”
Joo Hayun turned and ran. Red swiftly reached out her hand.
“You can’t stop !”
A giant hand, as large as a titan’s, was about to strike Joo Hayun. At that mont, Secretary Kim swung one arm.
The ten rings shredded Red’s arm. Surprised, Red withdrew her hand.
“Witch of Aeon.”
Secretary Kim raised his arm high; the rings returned to their original form.
“I’m your opponent. Don’t waste your energy on anything else.”
Red’s arm regenerated. Clenching and unclenching her fist, she growled.
“…I’ll turn you to embers.”
* * *
“White, Red, Blue, Green, Gold, Black…”
Azeth Hers looked at the hospital, listing the colors.
“Only the most outstanding battle mages trained in Aeon were allowed to bear colors.”
Aeon’s history was vast.
Their power had endured continuously since the Gate first erupted.
“After being defeated by Hyukcheon, I devoted myself to training battle mages.”
Using the vast knowledge and power accumulated over a long ti, he raised forces.
“The Black Sharp, was it? They’re perfect to test the power of the Colors I created.”
Azeth Hers laughed heartily.
The young man looked at Azeth Hers with clear displeasure.
“Colors… such a la na.”
“Shut up! Stay right there and watch the Colors’ performance.”
Azeth Hers manifested magic. Several mirrors appeared floating in the air.
Each mirror reflected a different scene: battles where the Colors fought.
“Oh… their magic is always so fascinating.”
The young man looked eagerly into one mirror.
“That’s a Fla Demon, isn’t it?”
He was watching Red fighting.
The Fla Demon’s magic transforms the body itself into a ball of fire, famous for being nearly immortal.
“It’s a very difficult magic, but she’s handling it well.”
He shifted his gaze to another mirror.
A woman wielding a huge axe faced off against tens of thousands of Whites.
“That’s the clone magic no one has mastered for a hundred years, right?”
Magic that creates clones identical to the original without any loss of mana or stamina.
Every one of those tens of thousands possessed equal power. More clones ant greater overall strength.
“They all have a high level.”
Every Color had mastered rare magics to their limits. Azeth Hers had good reason to brag.
“This might actually be promising.”
The young man watched the mirrors with hope. Then, the axe-wielding woman moved.
At that instant, all tens of thousands of Whites disappeared.
“…Huh?”
* * *
Only Twice.
That was how many tis Alexander Aaron swung her axe.
With the first strike, she cut through all the clones.
With the second strike, she severed both of the original’s legs.
“Ugh! Hiiiiiii!”
The White shouted in agony and collapsed to the floor, blood gushing from the severed legs.
“W-What!? All my clones... Guh!”
Before White could react, Alexander Aaron grabbed White’s head and slamd it down onto the ground.
“So much talk about submitting to the greatness of magic. Is this how it ends?”
“L-Let go of !”
Snap.
White snapped their fingers. Instantly, another White appeared, but with the sa two legs missing.
“Ahhhhh!”
The legless clone scread in pain. Alexander Aaron looked on with disbelief.
“Are you kidding ?”
She slamd White’s head onto the floor repeatedly, drawing cries of pain.
Snap, snap, snap.
White desperately tried to cast spells to escape the situation, but again, only legless clones appeared, incapable of fighting.
Alexander Aaron clicked her tongue watching White writhe on the ground.
“What a moron.”
* * *
“No matter what you try, you can’t kill ...!”
Kim, the secretary, threw a ring. The Red’s body was torn apart and disappeared.
But only for a mont. Flas flared up in the air and Red reappeared.
“I keep saying it, but it’s useless…”
Kim threw the ring again. Red vanished and reappeared once more.
“S-Stop! I need so ti to attack…”
Ignoring that, Kim threw the ring again at Red. Once again, Red disappeared and reappeared.
“Listen to …”
“P-Please, stop…”
“M-My magic power is draining too fast…”
“If my magic runs out…”
“If I can’t regenerate... I’ll die…”
After countless throws, Red’s body no longer appeared.
Only a cloak and so tattered clothes remained where she had stood.
Kim picked up the cloak and examined it.
“Could it be she ran out of magic power to maintain the spell and just vanished?”
* * *
“...”
“...”
A strange silence hung between Azeth Hers and the young man.
“I’m not sure if I saw that right.”
The young man pointed at the mirror.
“I think all those ‘Colors’ are dead.”
“…I know. So just shut up.”
Azeth Hers grabbed his head with both hands.
“H-How could the Colors fall this easily... All the effort I poured in...”
The young man looked at Azeth with sympathy.
Actually, it wasn’t surprising. Wizards were not naturally specialized fighters.
Fools who don’t understand say magic is superior to skills, but that’s nonsense. Magic is complicated and slow, whereas skills are simple, fast, and powerful.
There were exceptional wizards with combat skills, though.
Like the young man himself. Or…
“Joo Hayun.”
His gaze shifted to the mirror, where a young woman was running down a corridor.
“Always a sight to envy.”
The young man licked his lips, sticky saliva coating them.
“This mission seems totally screwed.”
He turned to Azeth Hers.
“What should we do? Want to use so power?”
Azeth Hers looked silently at the young man.
“…Of course, it won’t be free.”
“Obviously. We’re no longer on the sa side.”
“What do you want?”
“Joo Hayun. And when we get the Vessel, give the authority to conduct research again. And lastly, make sure my opinions are reflected as much as possible in the research on the Vessel.”
None of these terms pleased Azeth Hers.
“But there’s no other way, right? We’ve crossed Hyukcheon. The mont we back down, Aeon ends.”
Hyukcheon is relentless and cruel.
They won’t leave a single wizard alive in this world.
“…Fine. I accept your terms.”
Azeth Hers spoke, and the young man chuckled.
“As a delegate of Pandemonium, I will see this mission through.”
* * *
Azeth Hers, the first wizard, started by building his own power base.
He enhanced his reputation as a hunter using magic. Using that, he gathered wealth and connections, then began collecting magic tos found in dungeons.
Ordinary hunters wouldn’t understand the books, but Azeth Hers, with knowledge absorbed from demons, could interpret them.
You can only learn one magic suited to your aptitude.
Azeth Hers, possessing the power and knowledge of demons, could perform many abilities.
But learning multiple magics was impossible due to human limitations.
Realizing this, Azeth Hers began finding and training children with magical aptitude like his own.
He united them and founded an organization.
Aeon. He nad it Aeon.
Once a foundation was established, Aeon’s influence grew exponentially.
Many wizards appeared and scattered worldwide, finding more children with magical aptitude. They beca wizards too...
A century passed.
Though a long ti, Azeth Hers remained vigorous, having surpassed normal lifespans with demon power.
—It’s ti to begin the plan.
Using Aeon’s wizards, he started kidnapping children worldwide for experints.
This inhumane act t so opposition among wizards, but only a minority.
That was intentional. Azeth Hers encouraged Aeon’s wizards to be ruthless enough to kill even relatives for research.
Opposing wizards were all killed. About a hundred children were gathered worldwide.
—You will be the glorious number one.
Azeth Hers implanted a glowing orb of light, obtained from demons, into a girl.
—What is this?
—A very great thing. How does it feel?
—Umm... I don’t really... know yet...
The girl’s body collapsed lifelessly.
Azeth Hers was not surprised, only observing coldly.
This Vessel only reacts to souls.
Not because human souls were special.
Demons too must consu souls when using the Vessel.
But demons have huge souls compared to humans, so death was not a concern.
For humans, with smaller souls, implanting the Vessel alone could kill them.
—How can I give commands to the Vessel without killing the host...?
After a mont of thought, Azeth Hers changed his mind.
—Wait, I got this wrong. Isn’t that why I got test subjects?
He ordered subordinates to bring another child.
—You will be the glorious number two.
Azeth Hers sacrificed countless test subjects to better understand the Vessel.
At first, subjects died just by implantation, but eventually, he managed to keep them alive.
Next, he tested how to operate the Vessel using their souls.
Many test subjects died in the process, but Azeth Hers did not stop.
Ti passed.
Year 20XX.
On a snowy day,
—You are the next test subject.
A black-haired East Asian girl had the Vessel implanted.
[Translator - Helga ]
[Proofreader - Starfall ]
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