Chapter 228
"50 years," McQueen muttered.
"It's been 50 years since I came down the mountain following her. So many things happened before we established the Cartel. Crawling in the darkness of the streets, enduring all kinds of humiliation and disgrace, there wasn't a day I didn't breathe in the smell of blood. There were times I quenched my thirst with the blood of the bodies I killed when there was no water to drink."
His deep-set eyes shifted away from Lennok, fixating on the scenery beyond.
"I have never regretted giving up asceticism. Following her, there was always more than enough wealth and glory. Every day was overwhelming, but it was more rewarding than that. There was no time to reflect on each day."
"......"
"But I was too old when I came down the mountain. By the time I arrived in Vulcan, I was already close to eighty. I was on a different starting line from the other young leaders from the beginning."
McQueen stared solemnly at his weathered hands.
At his tattoos, worn and faded from life's trials.
They were the inevitable marks of aging that no one could elude.
"Although I reached the realm of a saint and received an extension of life, even that has its limits. I've been denying it, but I knew deep down. The gap with the others is growing wider..."
Lennok silently listened to McQueen's candid monologue.
The apprehension of aging and confronting mortality, faced by a high sorcerer. The dread of nearing the end of a long life.
An opportunity rarely discussed elsewhere.
"My loyalty to the chairwoman remains unchanged. But unlike her, who still boasts divine status, I was becoming a useless part."
"......"
McQueen's calm expression, as he muttered, transformed into one of profound agony.
He vocalized the fears and anxieties that had accumulated over more than a century with complete abandon.
The dread of confronting his own inner demons.
His solemn countenance crumbled under the terror of facing his true self.
From his mouth, held by one hand, his final monologue emerged.
"Before being abandoned by her, perhaps......"
"Did you think of betraying her first?"
"Who knows... I'm not sure anymore. What I truly wanted and longed for... I'm still pathetically searching for an answer."
Lennok shook his head in response to McQueen's self-deprecation.
Even a superhuman with exceptional mental fortitude, a robust physique, and a clear mindset couldn't evade the fear of time passing.
Unable to endure the impending change after decades of complacency, he faltered.
"But now, it's enough."
As he gripped the stone tablet in his hand and forcefully struck the ground,
Kwaaaaaaa!!
An incredibly fierce aura erupted from his sturdy frame.
Simultaneously, the tattoos etched all over his body began to shift in a peculiar pattern along his skin.
Dozens of rings attached to the end of the tablet clanged wildly.
"By confessing my ugly inner self, I have gained strength. This is both a promise and a constraint proving my sincerity."
"Sorcery..."
Revealing his inner self and motivations, harnessing power from them.
Parden McQueen had adapted and utilized a technique employed by boundary-pushing sorcerers to push his abilities to their limits.
"This trial is also a part of the process to find the answer. I will seize this last opportunity given by the chairwoman and return to her side."
The anguish that had marred McQueen's face had completely vanished.
Only the tattoos on his bald head, continually intoning mysterious incantations as they circled around his crown, remained.
With one hand forming seals and the other repeatedly striking the tablet on the ground,
McQueen's mouth poured forth ceaseless unknown languages, but Lennok simply observed.
Having confronted many battlefronts, he understood.
Victory and defeat weren't determined by such things.
For Lennok, it marked his first encounter with a 7th-level high sorcerer.
Remembering each of his movements held far greater importance.
Paaaaaa-!!
As the tablet struck the ground, intense ripples spread across the floor.
Within these expanding ripples, an otherworldly force writhed, eventually tearing open space itself.
'This is...'
Lennok immediately recognized it, having encountered spatial abilities frequently.
This was no ordinary spell or magic.
It felt more like a natural phenomenon that didn't violate the laws of the world.
As if a door were opening through a legitimate agreement.
[Declaration of the Summoning of the Primeval Forces]
[Arjumartha]
Dududududududung!!
At that moment, a colossal statue, nearly ten meters tall, emerged from the ripples behind McQueen and materialized on the rooftop of an 800-meter-high skyscraper.
Clutching onto the building's façade like a spider, the statue extended its head and fixed a furious gaze upon Lennok.
In the midst of the surging mana storm, McQueen bellowed.
"Raise your hand, wizard!!!"
"......"
"I shall begin the transfer!!!"
***
"It has begun."
Virgil nodded as he observed the building on the screen.
A golden ripple emanated from the vacant skyscraper, followed by the appearance of a massive statue.
Eolara murmured, her complexion paling, as she watched the statue thrust its limbs into the building's walls and unleash a roar.
"Director McQueen is bringing that out right from the start..."
The power wielded by Parden McQueen, a 7th-level sorcerer, stemmed from the mountains where he had practiced asceticism. Despite being tainted by the secular world, his practice had always remained a formidable weapon, never diminishing in brilliance.
In particular, his primary techniques, the [Liberation Spell Formula] and [Main Control Diagram], were traditional spells of the high monks who had undergone ascetic training in the Evatra Mountains. They encompassed both direct and indirect spellcasting, specializing in exerting diverse influences in any situation.
McQueen, a potent sorcerer and an advanced practitioner of spiritual magic, possessed exceptional combat skills in both long-range and close-quarters combat. He excelled in enhancing the abilities of allies and imposing curses and restraints on foes.
If McQueen had led his subordinates into battle as originally intended, his combat prowess would have been doubled.
The shift to a one-on-one duel between the two had been a result of Virgil's active intervention, aligning with Lennok's expectations.
"To keep the promise I made with Van, I had to do at least this much."
Virgil grinned slyly.
"You need to impress him if you want to regain your eyes, don't you?"
"The priority is to ensure this situation ends well... but it doesn't look very promising," Eolara responded with a grim expression.
"Just the fact that he brought that out means that McQueen's condition is extremely good, doesn't it?"
McQueen was not only the oldest among the executives but also the most ancient sorcerer in the entire Cartel. As a formidable 7th-level sorcerer, he had been active for many years but had experienced a gradual decline over the decades. Hence, rumors had circulated among the executives regarding his inconsistent condition and growing volatility when employing high-level spells.
Perhaps aware of these rumors, McQueen himself had refrained from direct field involvement for over two decades. Unexpectedly, he had summoned Arjumartha, a creature akin to his signature beast, right from the outset.
Arjumartha, summoned through a legitimate contract with an otherworldly being via the Main Control Diagram, followed by the Liberation Spell Formula, represented one of McQueen's most potent spell assists, symbolizing the zenith of the fallen monk.
Eolara had a vivid recollection of its magnificence from her early days with the Cartel. She voiced her concerns with a troubled expression.
"If McQueen wins the battle against Van, it's going to cause a lot of headaches. Van's artifacts and relics are assumed to be quite valuable, and there's a high chance that McQueen will absorb his entire sphere of influence."
Virgil's active involvement primarily aimed at ensuring McQueen's downfall.
He believed that the organization's future depended on decisively severing ties with a traitor.
However, Olivera had granted McQueen an opportunity to make amends, and this boomerang might not solely target Virgil.
"Even though he doesn't have much time left, with the chairwoman's help..."
"Don't worry about that. The chairwoman didn't seem very interested in their battle today."
"Does that mean the outcome is already decided?"
"Maybe... But it seemed more like she didn't want to waste time."
Virgil responded.
"In fact, it's not very meaningful for us to watch this. McQueen's Domain is specialized in shielding himself from external observation... Once the battle intensifies, we probably won't see anything."
"......"
"Let's just enjoy it for now and leave. This might be the last time we see Arjumartha."
Virgil's eyes remained ice-cold as he spoke.
"I think that's much more likely."
At that moment, an individual suddenly materialized in front of Jenny's bar.
'She,' wearing a colorful robe, descended the stairs to the bar with a deliberate pace and raised her gaze.
Jenny, busy shaking a cocktail shaker in a corner of the bar, made eye contact with 'her,' and 'she' offered a faint smile.
[Finally, we have time to talk.]
Even as Lennok faced a life-or-death situation, the world continued to inexorably progress.
Another destiny was about to be determined right here today.
***
Dududududu!!
Dozens of beams converging on the rooftop of the building were aimed directly at Lennok.
The fragments of the shield conjured by Lennok scattered in all directions, intercepting the beams in a haphazard manner and piercing through the rooftop of the building at oblique angles.
Ziiiiing!!
Despite the meticulously maintained Cartel skyscraper beginning to crumble helplessly, McQueen's onslaught persisted.
As the statue, its limbs embedded in the building's walls, leaned forward, the rooftop of the skyscraper where the two sorcerers stood trembled violently, causing Lennok to stagger.
Seizing the moment, McQueen swung the stone tablet, and the energies released with its motion transformed into over a dozen repulsion field arrows.
Simultaneously, as the statue grasped these repulsion field arrows with one hand and flung them, a blurry whirlwind descended upon Lennok like a fireworks display.
Kwagwagwagwagwa!!
The immense destructive force instantaneously caused a section of the building's rooftop to collapse, with debris plummeting below.
Amidst the deluge of bombardment, only Lennok's shield swayed, pushing forward.
"......."
Behind the shield, Lennok, cigarette in mouth, locked eyes sharply with McQueen.
'Not just a simple summoned creature.'
Typically, sorcerers, especially those employing summoning spells, utilized summoned creatures to compensate for their most significant weaknesses.
Sorcerers who dedicated themselves to spellcraft and asceticism, despite wielding potent mana, often found themselves vulnerable in close combat or lacking natural talent for it. Consequently, it was a common practice to employ summoned creatures to compensate for these shortcomings in close-quarters combat and as vanguard forces.
However, McQueen, instead of relying on his summoned creature in battle, wielded the statue like a weapon, leading the charge.
Conversely, the massive statue's mass attacks and spell-assisting capabilities relentlessly pressed Lennok, delivering unrelenting firepower.
'He has confidence in close combat, so he summoned a creature to assist in spellcasting? No, it's not that simple. He doesn't seem lacking in combat skills...'
An intriguing approach.
Lennok observed McQueen's onslaught quietly, showing no intention of counterattacking.
Dudududududu!!!
Dozens of beams and barrages descended from the sky, along with solid mass bodies, all aimed at Lennok. However, his shield moved first.
Before Lennok, the shield, fragmented into dozens of pieces, simultaneously compressed and rotated, reducing the impact area and deflecting all attacks at precise angles.
Kagagagak!!
"......!!"
Witnessing McQueen's lips twitch as he chanted his spells with great effort, Lennok smirked.
The shield Lennok employed was still the same fundamental magic he had begun with, and he had only layered it five times.
Despite its vulnerability to intense attacks like Girard's, Lennok had not modified his shield magic for one reason: it had become so deeply ingrained in his consciousness.
Shield magic was immensely useful, but conversely, intensifying it required a substantial amount of mana. The more mana invested, the heavier the spell became, making it more challenging for Lennok to control.
For Lennok, who could manipulate the shield's distribution, concentration, compression, and rotation with precision, it was more efficient to maintain a moderate intensity and deflect impacts.
The key lay not in blocking attacks perfectly but in creating a moment for Lennok to respond.
Lennok's fighting style, heavily reliant on his shield yet lacking mobility, was peculiar but undeniably effective.
'I've roughly figured out the pattern.'
Long-range bombardment was the most efficient attack method for a sorcerer, but it also meant that a sorcerer's repertoire of spells became predictable.
Unless the battle escalated, maintaining a higher level of offense and defense was improbable.
With his calculations complete, Lennok swiftly formulated a strategy.
"Alright."
Whoooooosh!!
Amplifying his mana, Lennok quickly raised his left hand.
The thick currents weaving between his outstretched fingers entwined and rotated, coalescing into a colossal lance of lightning.
Unique Electrokinetic Spell Alteration
[Thunderstrike Kill (雷殺)]
Pajijijijijijik!!!
The lance of blue light ascending along his left forearm twirled and shimmered in the air.
In that brief instant, the twisting force applied to the lightning bolt was so intense that the tip of the lance formed a perfect spiral.
As McQueen flinched, Lennok released his grasp on the lance.
There was no need to throw it. Guided by Lennok's will, the Thunderstrike Kill transformed into a streak of lightning, hurtling toward the spot where McQueen stood.
Paaaang!!
It moved at a speed beyond human perception. Yet, McQueen made no attempt to evade it.
Having witnessed Lennok deflecting his attacks head-on, McQueen knew that evasion would result in his summoned creature taking the hit from the Thunderstrike Kill.
"Huuh...!!"
In an instant, McQueen formed a mudra and slammed the stone tablet onto the ground.
[Resilience Gate (耐害門)]
Kukukuku!!
An arch-shaped gate materialized, resembling a colossal maw rising from the ground, confronting Lennok's thunderous assault.
Lennok commented upon seeing this.
"You should have dodged."
The spiraling tip of the Thunderstrike Kill, twisted to the extreme, tore through the thick iron walls of the Resilience Gate and penetrated inside.
Kagagagagak!!
Like a siege spell expertly designed to rip through and pierce barriers, the Thunderstrike Kill wasn't merely a spear but more akin to a battering ram.
The thunderous lance, having breached the Resilience Gate in an instant, surged toward McQueen.
Kwaaaang!!
The solid arm of the statue positioned behind him grasped the Thunderstrike Kill and altered its trajectory.
Dududududuk!!
"Ugh..."
McQueen's body narrowly avoided the blow, but the cost was substantial.
The brilliant flash that had pierced through Arjumartha's left arm emerged from behind the statue's shoulder, unleashing a massive shockwave.
Teooong!!
The lightning blossom in the blue sky shattered, dispersing into the cold wind.
McQueen's expression hardened instantly in response to the firepower that defied conventional wisdom.
At first glance, it appeared to be an intense exchange of attacks, but the reality was different.
All of McQueen's assaults had proven ineffective, whereas Lennok's initial spell had torn off the statue's left arm.
On the rooftop of the skyscraper.
In a battlefield constrained and enclosed by a colossal summoned creature, Lennok had astutely identified the fundamental issue.
With an equal amount of firepower, McQueen, given his larger target area, paradoxically became more vulnerable to hits - a harsh reality.
Lennok gazed up at McQueen and inquired,
"Don't you think the stage you've set is too cramped?"
"......."
Under the weight of that intense gaze, radiating with vivid blue light, McQueen flinched and averted his eyes.
"The preliminary skirmish is over. If you really want to find your answer alive, you need to give it your all from now on."
With those words, Lennok rapidly began forming spells with both of his hanging hands.