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Woong!

If it had struck true, it wouldn’t have been surprising if his spine had shattered, given the sheer force of the blow.

Lennok’s eyes narrowed as he observed the broad blade of the sword, marked by a thick, pulsating red vein.

At first glance, it appeared to be a blade of malevolent nature, truly deserving of such a name.

Employing a shield to block and subsequently counterattack might be the most prudent course of action. But considering their prior exchange of offensive and defensive maneuvers, was that Irina’s current intent?

His contemplation was brief, and he swiftly reached a decision: he would parry the strike.

The vast reservoir of mana Lennok had summoned began to swirl and coalesce around his right arm, eventually forming into a tempest of azure lightning.

[Lightning Vortex]

Zzzzzzzzzz!

The close-range magical onslaught collided with Irina’s sweeping greatsword.

Kwaang!!

With a thunderous roar, a shockwave erupted, shattering the already fractured ground. Both combatants found themselves staring each other down, having evaded the epicenter of the shockwave through different means.

“……….”

Despite this being their inaugural face-to-face meeting, an odd sense of familiarity washed over them. Perhaps it was due to the extensive contemplation they had dedicated to one another over the past week.

However, before Lennok could address her, his gaze wandered beyond the mansion’s confines. His magical senses, encompassing a radius of several kilometers, detected an anomaly that demanded his attention.

Scores of figures were hurtling toward them at breakneck speed, each radiating a substantial amount of mana.

“How ironic,” Irina remarked, straightening her greatsword, her countenance unwavering.

The sword continued to pulse like a living heart, its disquieting veins undulating.

“Among the numerous plans I had to capture and kill you, the single contingency I had for protecting this mansion turns out to be helpful. Indeed, human affairs are unpredictable.”

“Life signs within the mansion remain unchanged,” Lennok responded.

“Yet, more than dozens of presences are rushing towards us from outside the mansion.”

When Dylan and Mila first entered, they meticulously scoured every room in the mansion. Ascertaining Irina Pheffield’s identity was paramount, yet the multitude of life signs within the mansion had made pinpointing her location a formidable challenge.

Now, not only had Irina Pheffield emerged, but an advance party was closing in from the exterior, pointing to a single conclusion.

Irina had left ‘sacrificial pawns’ within the mansion to mislead intruders and gain precious time.

“Though I can’t match the range and keenness of a talented wizard’s sensory abilities, deceiving existing life signs to appear as someone else’s isn’t difficult,” she explained.

“……….”

No, that wasn’t the case. Lennok’s sensory abilities were far from unsophisticated enough to be deceived by such a rudimentary ploy.

Yet, the reason Lennok had overlooked such tactics ultimately stemmed from his belief that it was one of the many capabilities of the artifacts owned by the Arasha expedition team.

In keeping with this train of thought, the semi-transparent badge affixed to Irina’s shoulder shimmered.

“Nick’s badge. A type of artifact that disguises life-signs within a certain range to hide one’s identity,” Dylan remarked as he joined Lennok’s side.

“I’ve heard that it’s a discontinued item from the Duris workshop, but you’ve managed to get your hands on that precious item.”

“Ho, you have a discerning eye, not like a typical mercenary. I thought such taste in recognizing treasures no longer existed in this city.”

“………”

“So that’s why I left this place a long time ago. Haha, it’s a very unpleasant place, this unnecessarily large city.”

Dududududu!!

The heavy footsteps resonated from outside.

There was no doubt about the allegiance of those approaching.

“I was a bit surprised. It was hard to predict that you would take action so quickly right after our conversation.”

“………”

“Given that your responses to the troubles between my expedition team and you were quite passive, I thought I’d be safe until my preparations were complete… I was mistaken.”

“But still, you set a trap expecting me to strike first.”

“Yes, it wasn’t a difficult task.”

Irina responded obediently to Lennok’s words.

Though everyone in the room understood that this was merely a ploy to buy time, Lennok and Dylan patiently waited for the opportune moment.

Dylan placed his trust in Lennok, while Lennok remained confident in his own judgment.

“While it was hard to expect your assault, on the flip side, I knew that anything could happen in this city.”

She didn’t anticipate Lennok initiating the assault, but she had prepared for unforeseen circumstances, possibly due to her harsh experiences in Vulcan.

Evidently, her time in Vulcan had been marked by adversity. She could effectively counter Lennok’s offensive with the traps not specifically tailored for him.

Dadadadada!!

Kwaang!!

A dozen members of the expedition burst through the door.

Furthermore, there were indications of individuals encircling the villa and approaching from all directions, including windows and rooftops.

In their hands, they all held equipment emanating formidable magical power.

“Van. Do you see?”

As he murmured, Dylan drew the two daggers strapped to his thigh.

“Those are all artifacts.”

“…..Yes.”

Ranging from weaponry to accessories, each artifact emitted a dazzling light with diverse capabilities.

They weren’t merely for combat; the moment they entered Lennok’s field of perception, they suppressed his mana and disrupted his magical formations.

A banquet of meticulously chosen items designed solely to counter a wizard.

The extent of Irina’s preparations to eliminate Lennok was glaringly evident.

The circumstances had shifted dramatically.

A path leading into the villa was obstructed by a burly figure wielding a colossal hammer, while dozens of expedition members under Irina’s command awaited outside.

Even after executing all the plans she had formulated, Irina continued to speak.

“Coming this far with a squad that’s not even a full platoon was a mistake. If there were no members in the villa, you would have immediately noticed the trap and retreated, but instead, the awkward force probably interfered with your judgment.”

“………..”

“The sacrifice of the members is painful, but if there’s something we need to recover, it’s unavoidable. What our exploration team needs to do was predetermined from the beginning.”

As Irina gradually channeled mana and took a step forward, her presence was so commanding that even Dylan, standing beside her, flinched.

Lennok had sensed it when she displayed her prowess with the greatsword earlier; she was a warrior of exceptional skill herself.

“I admit it. I’m also not that different from dirty freelancers.”

Whoosh!

The greatsword whirled, etching a crimson streak across the sky.

“But in the end, this is how you live in this city. I’ll get the price of the blood spilled by Brook and my members right here.”

“That’s amusing. Who says there is a set way?”

Lennok couldn’t conceal a faint smirk in response to Irina’s words.

“In a world where you can’t even choose to live or die, do you feel better rationalizing yourself with plausible nonsense?”

“………..”

“You must have thought you succeeded by delaying time and continually holding back my steps, but how much do you actually know about me?”

Lennok, who had been smoking, continued to speak.

“Both the time needed and the gathering of the exploration team’s full force, it’s not something you were waiting for alone.”

“…Blabbering nonsense when cornered. Let’s start!”

With Irina’s emphatic command, the magic conjured by her team members descended simultaneously toward the villa’s center.

Simultaneously, those members who had been stationed behind them began charging toward Dylan and Lennok.

“Fire!”

“I know.”

Irina might have found amusement in Lennok’s audacity to attack the villa with just three individuals, but was it truly an error?

The outcome remained uncertain until the battle’s conclusion.

After all, Irina would never have exposed herself to Lennok without a certain assurance of victory.

As someone who had traversed the continent, exploring buried ruins for a considerable duration, she would be circling, searching for a pivotal moment.

However, Lennok couldn’t afford to await that opportunity.

There was too much to accomplish.

Like heeding Yakson’s counsel to retrieve Malabest from the Drug Lord’s vault.

And meeting the next lighthouse keeper for further insights into the enigma of this world.

In this moment, the burden was crushing.

‘I don’t have time to hesitate here.’

The rationale behind heading directly to this villa and recruiting only Dylan and Mila.

The motive for embarking on this operation solely based on Sebastian’s intel.

Would Irina Pheffield discern that all those moments that seemed advantageous to her were orchestrated to hasten this confrontation?

No, if she didn’t, Lennok intended to make her comprehend it now.

“Mila.”

The instant Lennok murmured his third companion’s name in a hushed tone.

Kwaaaaang!!

The first-level floor of the villa crumbled, unleashing a massive shockwave.

In an instant, members of the expedition team lost their footing, stumbling and plummeting downward.

“Aaaaaah!!”

“From the floor!!”

“Could it be, hiding below this entire time to avoid the captain’s eyes!!”

Mila, her hair disheveled, let out a hearty laugh as her hands, now coated in dust, gripped two substantial shotguns pulsating with fully charged magical energy.

“Hahahahahaha!!! Die, you damn bastards!!”

Bang! Bang!

Beside her, Dylan unsheathed his sword and plunged two daggers into the necks of expedition members, viciously cleaving through the now unsteady exploration team.

The fleeting opening they had created. And during the time Irina delayed, Lennok had readied his most potent technique.

Was this the first time revealing it to Antares’ mercenary group?

It was inconsequential now.

With unwavering determination, he channeled his mana into the empty space.

Domain activation.

Paaaaaaa!!!

In unison, a translucent wave rippled outward.

The space didn’t merely vibrate once; it trembled two, three times.

Gradually, Lennok asserted command over the entire area.

The sensation of drawing all the mana within that space into his palm was exhilarating.

He pushed the amplified manipulation of mana within the area to its utmost limits.

He could sense it.

The sound of Lennok’s talent shattering the confines of his own sanctioned abilities.

[Master.]

There was no time to heed Davi’s bewildered words.

Instinctively, he harnessed Davi’s capabilities as he passed by.

He amalgamated Davi’s formidable computational skills and direct hacking abilities, derived from advanced AI, into a single wave.

He manipulated the scope of interference and directly applied it to reality.

What he sought was the interpretation and unbridled release of the mana contained within the artifacts.

Pang!

At the precise moment he wished it, a faint emerald wave swept across.

Concurrently, the artifacts clutched by the members began to overheat.

Fzzzzzzz!

“What the!”

“No!”

“Everyone, stay away from him! This is..!!”

Only after witnessing the mana backflow from their artifacts did their expressions change, but it was already too late.

Chain Lightning Elemental Change.

Zzzzzzzzzz!!

Even a minuscule discharge from each of their artifacts sufficed.

Within the defined area, the mana wielded by Lennok became the focal point, channeling all the electrical energy within the boundaries.

Dozens of artifacts emitted a backflow, forming an intricate network of connections, setting off an immense chain reaction.

In that moment, the cherished weapons the members had been clutching transformed into double-edged swords, triggering a colossal explosion.

“Aaaaaaaaaah!!!”

The greater the capacity of the artifact they held, the more fervent the intent contained within, the more extensive the mana, the more devastating the explosion became.

It went beyond a simple loss of their weapons. Lennok’s mana had instantaneously incapacitated the team members, robbing them of their consciousness.

The formation that had confidently encircled Lennok crumbled in an instant.

A spectacle both astonishing and profoundly desolate.

This was the might of Domain Activation, a privilege reserved for a select few among high-level wizards.

By designating a space and entirely altering its properties to maximize the wizard’s control, this transcended the boundaries of convention, challenging common sense and natural laws.

However, it was entirely characteristic of Lennok to wield such potent and enigmatic power in an extraordinary manner.

Who else in this place could have spontaneously conceived the idea of overloading a completed artifact and channeling its backflow into a chain explosion?

It wasn’t merely about overpowering with brute force; it was about intuitively identifying the most precise method to exploit an opponent’s vulnerability at every moment.

The skill to expertly play the cards at one’s disposal while simultaneously mastering each moment.

This was Lennok’s most formidable talent as a strategist.

Dylan, who had been mowing down the expedition members in a frenzied dash between them, couldn’t help but exclaim, “You crazy bastard! You’re really insane!”

“Kahahahahaha!”

Mila followed Dylan’s laughter while firing her shotgun.

Lennok’s transcendent power seemed to have utterly robbed them of their sanity.

“Dieeeee!”

A portly man, tears of blood streaming down his face, charged toward Lennok.

His countenance bore the weight of profound regret and self-reproach for failing to avert this predicament, mingled with anger. But what use was it now?

The hefty hammer in his grasp emitted flames as he swung it forcefully at the wizard from below. Yet, his clouded sanity couldn’t even graze a single thread of Lennok’s attire.

Whoosh!

With the gravity-binding spell [Gravity Chain], the rotund man, whose legs were ensnared by five shots, sank to his knees, rendering his intense charge futile.

With a vacant expression, he gazed up at Lennok, who proceeded to insert two revolver shots into his eyes.

“Aaahh!”

A series of electrical surges coursed directly into the screaming man’s skull.

Despite his desperate attempt to muster mana to counter Lennok’s onslaught, the mana within him was no longer under his control at such close quarters.

The seething mana coursing through his body turned against its master, piercing him like a blade.

He accepted his impending demise with all his defenses wide open.

Crack!

Mighty warriors, skilled archers, proficient spear wielders, capable wizards, and search party members – one by one, all those who had shared life-and-death experiences with Irina Pheffield succumbed, unable to contain the mana within their own bodies.

From the mansion’s core, where the screams ebbed into a dreadful silence,

Only she remained, her countenance as if her very soul had departed.