Ch. 94.1 - Maizen Tyren (3)

When Baek Yu-Seol arrived at the scene, it was already a battlefield.

All the students had collapsed, and the female protagonists were in a state of exhaustion, having expended all their mana.

Mayuseong was injured and staggering as well.

Still... it was fortunate that no one had died.

Well, by taking the blood and mana of living mages, he could absorb their power more efficiently, so maybe they were purposely left alive.

"Now, the only person who can fight right now is..."

Only one person.

Mayuseong alone stood firmly, without losing consciousness.

But somehow, his condition was strange.

His body was covered in wounds, yet it was strange that he hadn't collapsed immediately.

Of course... an ordinary human would be unable to move in that condition.

But Mayuseong could.

He had truly numerous 'abilities' at his disposal.

The [Indomitable] that grew stronger with each injury.

The [Healing Factor] that automatically gradually healed wounds.

The [Price of Pain] that intensified mana when in agony.

The [Wind of Regeneration] that consumed mana to fully restore the body in the event of a fatal injury.

The [Mana Restoration Body] that consumed stamina to recover mana when it ran low, and so on... Countless abilities were currently restoring Mayuseong.

"Hey, are you okay..."

Baek Yu-Seol was about to speak, but he stopped when he saw the mechanical look in his eyes.

"The taste is gone."

One of the most powerful abilities possessed by Mayuseong, [Dark Mana Form].

As an ability that allowed him to freely transition between being a human and a dark mana user, it would be incredibly advantageous in this situation, as he could not only unleash powerful magic but also utilize [Dark Mana Domination].

However... even using that ability would require it to be willingly activated.

If he sustained severe injuries and lost consciousness, dark mana would naturally seep out, irrespective of his own will.

Unlike other dark mana users, Mayuseong’s whites of the eyes were tainted black, and his irises were instead unnaturally white.

Those alien and eerie eyes gave a weird impression, but perhaps Mayuseong was still maintaining his sanity. He had simply lost all emotions.

"Baek Yu-Seol."

"Yeah...?"

"I can't kill him with my firepower. Can you do it?"

Without a doubt, his former gentle and considerate tone was nowhere to be found, and it was replaced by a cold voice which seemed to be emanating from a machine.

"I can. If given the chance, just once."

"... Alright. I'll believe you."

The conversation ended there.

Mayuseong looked ahead, and soon the fog cleared to reveal Maizen Tyren walking towards them.

Now, his stature had grown to nearly 4 meters, and countless stems of dark crystals extended and writhed in his surroundings.

"His body is covered in wounds..."

Indeed, he could be considered one of Stella's top students, having inflicted such severe injuries on the highly esteemed Maizen.

With injuries of that degree, a single piercing strike with the [Vengeance Branches] could have instantly killed him.

Three months... Three whole months of accumulated resentment.

Maizen wouldn't be able to withstand it.

"Ah... So it was you who blocked my magic attack, Baek Yu-Seol?"

Maizen approached, chuckling.

Even his voice echoed like the disturbing voice produced from scraping a chalkboard with nails.

It was unpleasant.

He seemed to be in a good mood, even ecstatic, as he spoke to Baek Yu-Seol with a gleeful gaze.

"Even coming this far... Are you trying to interfere with me?"

"Yes, well... It turned out that way."

"Hehe... That's interesting. It's better this way. The first mage I wanted to kill after obtaining this power..."

Flash!

Maizen’s gaze turned dark, and in an instant, the numerous stems that had enveloped his body surged towards him.

"Baek Yu-Seol, it was you!"

Kwa-ga-ga-gak!

However, in the midst of that, Mayuseong leaped in and scattered dark lightning in all directions, cutting them all apart.

Seizing the opportunity, Baek Yu-Seol sprinted to the side and used Flash to dive into Maizen’s blind spot as much as possible.

‘Crazy, he’s merciless…’

He knew exactly what those dark stems were. They were manifestations of Maizen’s body as part of his dark magic, akin to the pattern of "Phase 2" in a game.

Unlike Phase 1, which simply dispersed magic, Phase 2 mainly relied on attacks utilizing those stems.

It boasted an incredibly wicked and convoluted pattern, to the point where he wanted to beg him to use magic.

Taking him on alone would be insane, but... he caught a glimpse of Mayuseong scattering dark lightning all over his body.

Currently, his power level would be comparable to that of a formidable Class 4 mage, combined with numerous characteristics.

Perhaps he could even unleash a greater power than that.

However, Maizen was at least a Class 5 mage, if not a Class 6.

Mayuseong couldn't overpower him alone, even with [Dark Mana Form].

At best, he could momentarily halt his movements.

However... That brief moment would soon be Baek Yu-Seol’s opportunity.

If he could land just one attack, their victory would be assured.

[Flash]

While the dark stems restrained Mayuseong, a few of them rushed towards Baek Yu-Seol.

Engaging in a direct confrontation was impossible.

With his current instincts and body vision, fully evading all of Maizen’s stems was difficult, so he had to do his best to dodge them.

Chwak!

The three dark stems twisted eerily and flew towards his upper body.

Their movements were reminiscent of a whip, sending a chill down his spine, but it wasn't to the point where Baek Yu-Seol couldn't avoid them.

However, he couldn't utilize his specialty: parrying.

Whenever he swung the Argento Sword, it shattered upon contact with the stems.

‘Is this... a Class 6 dark mage?’

Baek Yu-Seol couldn't even block a simple attack.

Frustrated with his mediocre skills, he had no choice but to resort to a different tactic.

**[Summon Unknown Dagger] **

The ring on his left hand gleamed, conjuring a magic dagger.

Its power and intensity were fixed, unrelated to his own abilities, but in terms of immediate effectiveness, it surpassed the Argento Sword.

Chae-ang!!

As expected, the Unknown Dagger was able to fend off the stems to some extent. It could withstand a few more strikes before shattering, and required a recharge to activate again, but having a means to deflect attacks was crucial.

Kwarrreung!!

Around that time, with lightning coursing through his body, Mayuseong approached Maizen.

Though it appeared as if they were engaged in a fierce struggle, leaving Mayuseong alone could result in him getting hurt at any moment.

Baek Yu-Seol quickly opened the Alchemical Bag at his waist and retrieved an item.

Chae-ang!

"Kuk!"

In the midst of dodging the flying stems, Baek Yu-Seol accidentally dropped a few items, but he quickly utilized the ones that he managed to grab.

Fushik...!

The gas thickened, but Maizen didn't even blink an eye.

They were slightly upgraded versions of what he had used against the second-year senior, but he didn't expect them to work as effectively as they did back then.

After all, they were just consumable items in this world, mere supplementary means.

They had zero direct killing power against a true dark mage, but at least they could annoy Maizen.

"Hmph, useless tricks..."

Maizen swung the stems like a whip, piercing through the gas that obstructed his vision.

Baek Yu-Seol’s used Flash upwards to evade and then threw a red bead towards the ground.

Poof!

In an instant, the gas ignited, causing a massive explosion.

"Kuk...!"

Maizen’s skin was slightly grazed, and he frowned.

However, it was only minor damage, which would soon be healed by their dark mage's regenerative power.

It wasn't significant damage, but enough to be bothersome.

In this opening, Baek Yu-Seol turned around... Even without using Flash, his full sprinting speed was much faster than any Olympic athlete on Earth.

However, even while facing Mayuseong, Maizen didn't disregard his approach.

Zwack!

The stems pierced through the cover of trees and rocks that were blocking their view.

Baek Yu-Seol managed to dodge most of them narrowly by tilting his head or deflecting them with the dagger in his left hand, but sometimes he had no choice but to use Flash.

Splurt!

"Urgh!"

But even the location of his Flash seemed anticipated, as another thorny stem came rushing towards him.

Baek Yu-Seol had no choice but to expend another Flash to evade it.

"Hng, huff..."

Proper distance control was necessary for Flash. Without focusing on timing, blindly using Flash could result in getting caught off guard and killed at any moment.

The haphazard Flash he just used was honestly just luck.

If there had been obstacles in front of him, he would have screamed in agony.

"Damn it... It's still difficult."

Even approaching was not easy.

However, he was still able to scatter items around Maizen as he circled him.

These were items of the type that would activate on their own after a certain period of time, even without him triggering them directly.

"Even his combat style is annoying."

When Baek Yu-Seol managed to dodge all the attacks of the stems, Maizen seemed annoyed and unleashed a shockwave, causing debris to fall before charging towards hom.

Crack! Crackle!

In front of him, lines of lightning were released into the air, hindering his movements.

"How troublesome...!"

The ground caved in, flashes erupted in the air, obstructing the field of view.

Ropes of powerful magic emerged or thorns sprouted from the ground.

None of them had lethal power, but they were items with enough power to disrupt the opponent's movements.

Despite the efforts put into developing them, Maizen mostly ignored the items and traps, relentlessly pursuing Baek Yu-Seol.

Thanks to the assistance of the items, he was able to slightly reduce the cooldown of Flash, but as soon as he unleashed a retaliatory attack against Maizen, he was quickly overwhelmed.

Pukk!

Baek Yu-Seol narrowly avoided a dark crystal stem which brushed against his cheek and rolled forward with all his strength.

"Ugh..."

"How long do you plan on running!"

As expected, with Maizen directly targeting Baek Yu-Seol, there was no way he could become their opponent.

The wounds were increasing. It started with minor scratches, but escalated to the point where immediate hemostasis was necessary for severe injuries.

Despite having superhuman physical abilities and reaction speed compared to ordinary people, he couldn't naturally create shields on his body, so even with light attacks, they all resulted in wounds.

The wounds quickly depleted his stamina, and his mobility gradually declined.

‘I'm going to die! I'm really going to die!’

Ch. 94.2
Just when it seemed like things were going to take a turn for the worse...

Quarrng!!

From the sky, a massive black lightning bolt struck down.

Or more accurately... it would be more appropriate to say that a human engulfed in lightning was propelled towards Maizen.

"Argh...!"

The shockwave was so intense that Baek Yu-Seol had to roll on the ground several times before he finally regained his footing.

And then... a calm darkness enveloped the area. It wasn't as destructive as Maizen’s dark magic, nor was it filled with negative emotions.

Instead, it evoked the image of a giant, chilling iceberg.

"... Mayuseong...!"

Baek Yu-Seol heard Maizen’s startled voice. He barely turned his head and looked towards the origin of the dark magic.

There, Mayuseong, clad in sparks of black, had Maizen’s neck in his grip.

He gazed at Maizen with emotionless eyes.

Crack! Zap!

"Hahaha...!"

In an instant of contact.

The current Mayuseong’s only condition to activate [Dark Domination].

The effect was clear as Maizen struggled, unable to properly release his magic.

'An opportunity.'

There was no more time to hesitate.

Maizen’s level was significantly higher, which meant his dark magic was still returning sharply.

Gripping the Vengeance Branch tightly in his right hand, Baek Yu-Seol sprinted forward without hesitation.

The wounds from earlier, the stinging pain on his thigh and ankle intensified, but he gritted his teeth and endured.

One step, two steps.

He advanced toward Maizen.

*Zap! Zap! Zap...!!

Mayuseong gritted his teeth and forcefully withstood Maizen’s powerful dark magic.

It was as if he knew there would be no chance to kill him if not now.

Swoosh!

However, even while being restrained, Maizen instinctively recognized that he couldn't allow Baek Yu-Seol’s approach.

He extended stems and thorns to attack Baek Yu-Seol.

Still... Perhaps due to the influence of Dark Domination, his attack pattern was monotonous and his speed was slow.

Baek Yu-Seol leaped over while tumbling, slid past the whip aiming for his waist, evaded the thorns of the three stems blocking his path with a Flash, and prepared for the final leap.

Thud!

Maizen finally broke free from Mayuseong’s domination and forcefully drove him into the ground.

Kwakwong!!

The forceful impact sent Mayuseong crashing with a shockwave that would have shattered the body of an ordinary human into pieces.

However, there was no time to worry about him.

Maizen, who had escaped from Dark Domination, focused all his attention on Baek Yu-Seol.

The distance was 25 meters.

Dozens of stems and thorns surged towards him.

Baek Yu-Seol had no choice but to use a skill he never wanted to use.

[... Breath of the Spirit, Form III.]

Mayuseong was prepared to be consumed by darkness, and if it was Baek Yu-Seol, there was nothing he couldn't do.

[Senses Enhanced by 147%]

[Divine Assimilation Increases]

**[... Effect significantly amplified due to the influence of the location] **

[Divine Assimilation greatly increases]

'Kuk!'

This was completely unexpected. The assimilation increased simultaneously with the effects due to the spatial conditions of the Divine Realm.

But it was fine.

In an instant, Baek Yu-Seol’s senses were elevated to the level of a Class 5.

The duration would be a mere 15 seconds. However, during that time, both his 'sensory perception' and 'cognitive acceleration' were enhanced to abnormal levels...

It felt as if the world around him was flowing in slow motion.

Fluttering leaves seemed to freeze, and he could discern each individual grain of sand swirling in the air.

Even the trembling pupils of Maizen.

Every attack that surged towards his head, shoulders, feet, waist, and abdomen seemed to play out in slow motion.

In the slowed-down world, Baek Yu-Seol twisted his body to evade the stems.

With a subtle tilt of his head, he dodged the thorns aimed at his neck.

Baek Yu-Seol grabbed the stems charging towards his waist and used them as leverage to propel himself forward.

Using Flash amidst countless obstacles would be suicidal.

However, it was no longer a difficult task.

'I can do it. Find the opening.'

In the slowed-down world, his eyes captured the openings amidst the dozens of stems Maizen unleashed.

Towards the opening that even Maizen himself had failed to notice, Baek Yu-Seol launched himself, diving in with his entire body.

"...!"

Maizen appeared greatly bewildered, as if he couldn't believe Baek Yu-Seol would attempt such a reckless act.

Nevertheless, this would appear to be a suicidal move. He rushed into the midst of Maizen’s stems, and now the attacks converged on him from all directions.

Maizen clenched his fists as if resigning himself to the situation.

In that moment when all the stems were surging towards Baek Yu-Seol.

Distance: 12m.

[Flash]

Penetrating through all the stems to approach, Baek Yu-Seol thrust the branch into Maizen’s chest with all his strength.

Pwook~!

[...Contact with the target of vengeance has been made.]

[The maximum value of Vengeance unfurls.]

"... Ah?"

Immediately after, Maizen uttered a puzzled sound and staggered back.

All the stems of dark crystals came to a halt, and no more thorns sprouted. He seemed perplexed as he felt his own body, then gritted his teeth and released his dark magic.

However...

Crash!

Every motionless stems of crystal shattered into pieces and scattered to the ground.

Baek Yu-Seol watched Maizen silently. He stared at the breaking crystals with a dismayed look, then contorted his face and extended his trembling right hand towards Baek Yu-Seol.

"Y-you, you, you... this..."

Thud!

But before he could do anything, his right arm melted away.

"Huh?"

Next, his shoulders melted, followed by both legs, and then his waist.

He could no longer support his upper body.

"Ah, a-a... aaahhh...!!"

Maizen let out a grotesque scream as he swung his remaining arm towards Baek Yu-Seol.

However, unable to even emit magic anymore, he couldn't reach him.

"You, you...! I-I'll kill you... kill you...! I'll kill you~!!"

Thud!

He shrieked with esentment, anger, hatred towards him.

All those complex emotions swirled and shot towards Baek Yu-Seol. However, none of those emotions reached him; they shattered into pieces.

Thud!

Even the last remaining arm melted away. "Ah, aaah, aaahh... I... don't want to die..."

Like that.

Maizen Tyren met his end, excreting his vile emotions until the very end.

[Episodes 7-8 'Familiar Contract and Dark Magic Corruption have been completed!]

[To you, who led the story in the most ideal direction, 'Constellation Project' promises additional rewards.]

Sigh.

Slumping down against a nearby rock, Baek Yu-Seol tilted his head back and closed his eyes.

Perhaps it was the strain of the recent events, but drowsiness washed over him.

Nevertheless... Regardless of what happened, he had overcome the most fearsome and dangerous adversary and managed to save everyone.

It seemed like he could finally get some peaceful rest.