Chapter 419

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After assuring Yareli that he would make every effort to avoid getting hurt, Oliver bid her farewell and proceeded toward the heart of the city.

His destination, of course, was the Mechanical Tower, believed to be the location of the ritual.

Oliver shifted his gaze in its direction.

The Mechanical Tower, an amalgamation of cutting-edge architecture and mechanical engineering, had been constructed to showcase Galos' national prowess. It served as a symbol of civilization and grandeur, soaring to a towering height of 600 meters, rendering it discernible from every corner of Ravel.

During his tenure in Ravel, whether brief or protracted, Oliver had consistently encountered this magnificent structure.

Consequently, he had developed a certain fondness for it.

'The irony is that the locals hate it. It doesn't harmonize with the surrounding landscape, just a huge eyesore... But I find that kind of charming.'

Nonetheless, one indisputable fact remained: irrespective of personal preferences, the Mechanical Tower was ordinarily visible from everywhere.

Except, not in this particular moment.

The Mechanical Tower, situated in the central Zone 1 of the city, had craftily disappeared behind a veil of thick smoke generated by numerous fires that had erupted throughout the city.

The ebony plumes from these fires cleverly concealed the tower, shrouding it like a curtain from all vantage points within the city—a realization that had only just dawned upon Oliver.

In the midst of the entire city transforming into a battleground, such an occurrence didn't strike him as particularly odd.

'They seem to have hurried yet were thorough.'

Internally, Oliver evaluated the tactical prowess of Human-meat Chef. While he typically refrained from making hurried assessments in areas outside his expertise, he couldn't help but sense that a meticulously planned operation had been abruptly adjusted due to unforeseen circumstances.

Oliver speculated on the reasons behind this alteration. No matter how much he contemplated it, the abrupt conflict between the Magic Tower and Rokuri University, originating from Lake Village, seemed to be the sole catalyst.

'Well, it's not important now. I've also benefited from it.'

Recalling the fate of Desijeh Duranse, who had been devoured by Bigmouth, Oliver extracted several papers imbued with spatial magic from his cloak. Considering the obscured location of the Mechanical Tower, he dispersed them in various directions.

The enchanted papers obeyed Oliver's intentions, soaring through the air and landing at different points. With stealth in mind, he made his way toward the Mechanical Tower.

***

'Hmm... Was it too much after all?'

As Oliver progressed toward the city center, he encountered the minions of Human-meat Chef and reflected on the situation.

When he had observed them from the sewers earlier, they had been scattered sporadically, wreaking havoc and pandemonium throughout the city. However, they had now converged around Oliver, creating an organized obstruction.

Particularly notable were the zombie soldiers positioned all around, taking cover behind walls or on upper floors of buildings, relentlessly firing their weapons as Oliver approached.

Dudududududu!!

The deafening gunfire erupted from every direction, filling the air with smoke. Bullets hailed down upon him from the front, rear, sides, and even the sky.

Yet, they were all halted in mid-air by the protective robe that Oliver had conjured, suspended harmlessly.

As the robe shielded him, Oliver scrutinized the zombie soldiers who were firing from all angles. They bore a resemblance to Puppet's zombie soldiers he had encountered in contaminated area in the past.

For a fleeting moment, Oliver entertained the notion that Puppet might be aiding Human-meat Chef, but he quickly dismissed the idea. He didn't claim to know Puppet well, but lying didn't seem to be his nature, and there was no apparent motive for deception.

'I'll find out soon enough.'

With this thought, Oliver redirected the bullets ensnared by his robe back toward their sources. Hundreds, even thousands of lead projectiles hung suspended, then returned to their origin points, piercing the bodies of their shooters or impacting walls. This momentarily interrupted the relentless hail of bullets.

However, this alone held little significance. The gunmen were undead, and the loss of a bullet or two meant little to them, considering they were already deceased.

This became evident as the zombie soldiers, armed with firearms, continued to reinforce their positions, tightening the noose and resuming their relentless gunfire.

When they were on the verge of lobbing grenades, Oliver harnessed the emotions, life force, and mana swirling around him, employing his Ptah's Assistant and Black Suit-made hand to absorb them.

Shuahahahahak━━━!!!

The zombies, previously scattered and preparing for high-powered magic, were drained of their energy, collapsing to the ground like wind-up toy soldiers whose springs had been released.

Amidst this scene, Oliver's attention was drawn to the sole resisting figure among the zombie soldiers.

"Top of the building."

Oliver glanced upward, locking eyes with a particular zombie—a corpse doll with a vitality in its gaze that set it apart from the others. Specifically, this was the sorcerer controlling the puppet.

In an attempt to flee with the corpse doll, the sorcerer made a move as soon as their eyes met.

However, Oliver's reaction was swifter.

[Targeting]

Extending his hand and reciting an incantation, Oliver caused a substantial amount of emotion to swiftly converge, forming a dartboard-like structure between his hand and the corpse doll. These dartboards were drawn together, much like magnets attract.

The corpse doll resisted with black magic, but the liberal use of overwhelming emotions allowed the targeting to overcome the opponent's resistance effortlessly.

The corpse doll was pulled helplessly toward Oliver, who, as it drew near, employed the emotional particles of his robe to immobilize its limbs. He then forcibly established eye contact by grasping its face.

Through the eyes of the corpse doll, Oliver honed in on the puppeteer's perspective.

Fortunately, it wasn't Puppet.

Upon their gaze meeting, the sorcerer, appearing startled, swiftly severed the connection with the corpse doll. Yet, Oliver paid no heed.

He already knew the sorcerer's whereabouts.

Suddenly, a memory resurfaced: Glyph, the puppeteer.

Glyph, the warlock Oliver had initially encountered alone in Landa—a grotesquely obese student of Puppet, was the second warlock, after Joseph, to extend an offer to Oliver.

He had proposed a deal.

If Oliver collaborated with him, he would gain access to the Black Hand, acquiring coveted knowledge and unrestricted use of the Black Market.

That was several years ago.

Ironically, Oliver was now pitted against one of the fingers of the Black Hand.

Curiosity arose within him.

What if he had accepted Glyph's offer back then, joining the Black Hand instead of pursuing his current path as a solver?

'Would it have been as interesting as now?'

Oliver contemplated as he continued with his incantation.

[Minced Meat]

Breaking from his reverie, Oliver employed his black hand to absorb the life force and decompose the flesh of the fallen zombies. He then gathered and compressed it into a spherical mass.

Infusing the mass with life force and emotions, he activated targeting. By maximizing the repulsive force, he propelled the mass of flesh high into the sky.

[Targeting]

[Heavy]

[Acceleration]

As the mass of zombie remains reached a great height, Oliver, reminiscent of the Desijeh Duranse incident, harnessed black magic and conventional magic.

He designated the target with targeting, increased the mass of the projectile to augment its destructive potential, and accelerated it. The intended destination was the position of the warlock controlling the corpse doll, whom he had identified earlier.

Although he had considered confronting the warlock directly, time constraints led him to send this as a message instead.

Thankfully, the coordinates Oliver had pinpointed were accurate, and as soon as the mass of bodies plummeted, the zombie soldiers scattered throughout the city abruptly ceased their actions.

The warlock, in an attempt to escape, had relinquished control over the zombies. Shortly thereafter, a colossal explosion rocked the heart of the city.

This explosion was of such magnitude that it could be seen from a great distance.

Its sheer enormity compelled everyone in the city, including Human-meat Chef's minions causing chaos, to rush toward the epicenter.

When Oliver judged that a sufficient number of people had gathered around, he removed a paper from his cloak and opened a purple portal.

Although he hadn't initially intended to utilize it at this moment, he decided to employ it for swift movement. Stepping into the portal, Oliver immediately found himself near the Mechanical Tower.

'It should be fine.' Oliver thought, evaluating the remaining papers.

Upon emerging from the portal, Oliver resumed his sprint and swiftly reached his intended destination, the Mechanical Tower.

At that very moment, he sensed it—the piercing gaze emanating from the tower's summit.

As soon as Oliver detected this presence, multiple portals materialized around him.

These portals appeared seemingly out of thin air, devoid of any apparent catalyst. The speed, timing, and execution were nothing short of remarkable, reaching an extraordinary level.

Only Merlin and Gretel could wield spatial magic with such proficiency.

'But it's not Ms. Gretel. Similar, but...'

Before Oliver could complete his thought, multiple individuals emerged from the portals.

They were all henchmen of Human-meat Chef, relatively young, each brandishing black magic-infused French knives, boning knives, filleting knives, and cleavers.

Upon emerging from the portals, they swung their knives at Oliver.

However, their attacks were thwarted by Oliver's robe.

"Arghh!"

Despite being overmatched by the robe's resistance, the minions of Human-meat Chef refused to relent. They dangerously expended their life force in their efforts to drive their knives in further.

Their blood-red skin and bloodshot eyes bore testament to their determination.

In the end, they managed to push their blades in by barely less than a centimeter.

Truly, an indomitable will... Oliver was genuinely impressed.

Though he remained unaware of the full story, it was evident that they held some form of unwavering belief and will, strong enough to put their own lives at risk.

The emotional and life force extraction from the minions of Human-meat Chef was so remarkable that almost instinctively, Oliver extended his hand to assimilate it into his robe. He then employed the emotional particles to create several palm-shaped structures.

With these constructs, he exerted downward pressure from above, subduing the surrounding minions of Human-meat Chef who knelt before him.

Addressing the henchmen before him, Oliver inquired, "Are you disciples of Human-meat Chef?"

"Yes! Enemy of our master! We will destroy you!!" boldly declared one of the warlocks, his unwavering faith in Human-meat Chef evident.

Although Oliver harbored a desire to delve into the reasons behind their fervent allegiance to Human-meat Chef, time constraints, as previously mentioned, urged him to forego this inquiry. He continued to advance, sensing the unrelenting gaze from the tower.

Just as he was about to move forward, he noticed a faint stirring within the stomachs of the warlocks surrounding him.

It was the slender larvae he had glimpsed when Human-meat Chef extended the invitation.

The awakened creatures swiftly wriggled out of their hosts' stomachs, injecting specific spells into them.

The resulting effects varied: some warlocks' bellies grotesquely expanded, others experienced vomiting, and some shed blood tears.

Interestingly, the blood tears and vomit reacted with one another, generating a lethal toxic gas. Concurrently, the swollen bellies detonated in a small yet potent burst of toxic gas.

It was a sinister form of black magic related to diseases, exceptionally potent.

'Hunger disease, ocular shingles, red spots, mad neurosis, seizure disease, joint petrification, and 13 other deadly disease-related black magics.'

The situation had grown perilous. The peril associated with disease-weakening black magic escalated in proportion to the number of diseases inflicted. This danger arose because, despite being diseases in origin, the fact that their root cause was black magic led them to intermingle and undergo chemical reactions, resulting in unpredictable transformations.

Indeed, this unpredictability manifested as the disease-weakening black magic began to affect Oliver's body.

Fortunately, Oliver had previously delved into some of these diseases through his readings, enabling him to respond promptly. He harnessed the mana stored within his robe to arrest the spread of the diseases while employing the emotions to neutralize their effects.

During this process, a significant surge of life force resonated near the Mechanical Tower.

It was a giant—a colossal being that Oliver had encountered approximately six times during his journey, easily distinguishable even from a distance.

This giant resembled those Oliver had encountered previously, with one notable distinction—it possessed the capability to wield black magic.

"Oh..."

Oliver gazed upward and whispered.

The giant, towering over most buildings, emitted a ground-shaking roar while raising its massive arms. Its very movements generated air currents above, and the giant's transformation continued. Its arms assumed a blood-red hue, grotesquely expanding its musculature.

Crack, crack!

The sounds of muscles and bones undergoing an unnatural metamorphosis were audibly disturbing.

Oliver instinctively grasped the necessity of evasion. This was not merely a potent attack; it verged on the scale of a man-made catastrophe.

However, weakened by the onslaught of multiple diseases, Oliver could not move with immediate agility. Instead, he encased a portion of his robe around one of his arms.

Just as he completed this action, the giant unleashed its meteor-like fists with full force. Oliver, coughing due to the diseases, thrust his robed fist upward.

━━━━━━━━━!!!!!

The collision of the two fists produced an indescribable thunderous boom that reverberated throughout the city. The shockwave and billowing dust expanded in all directions, creating a massive fissure in the ground.

The impact mimicked that of a meteorite impact.

In what appeared to be an insurmountable scenario, astonishingly, a figure stood confidently within the crater formed by the mighty fists.

It was none other than Oliver.

He had not only weathered the colossal punch of the giant but also shattered its hands.

Though he continued to cough, courtesy of the diseases, he had triumphed in a direct confrontation with the giant.

"Impressive... despite coughing, you won a fistfight against a giant."

Oliver turned his head, just a moment ago, the area had seemed vacant.

But now, there stood Human-meat Chef, brandishing a French knife.

The instant their eyes met, Chef swung his knife in a sweeping arc from left to right.

(To be Continued)

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