Conjoining Sorcerer (4)
“Evan Martinez. Your case is extraordinarily rare in many ways.”
Click!
The Sorcerer lightly flicked the syringe needle with his finger as he spoke.
One by one, he lined syringes filled with drugs across the modular rack.
He did not inject them immediately after filling them, instead letting them sit for a while.
A method commonly used by addicts of spell-synthesized narcotics to let impurities settle and accelerate the drug’s effects.
“An unorthodox mage unaffiliated with any Tower lineage. Successor of Zygis Ithenor. Killer of the Tenth Apostle, Amrita Praubel.”
Having filled over a dozen ampoules with medicine in an instant, the Sorcerer spoke.
“You possess honors and achievements that most people could never obtain even once in their lifetime, yet your official activity record is remarkably sparse. Even more unusual is the fact that so little is known about your past despite such a background. Though your activity as a Watcher has been minimal, the fact that Lapis Falcia favored you was famous even in the Central Front. There were countless speculations about the reason.......”
After hanging the ampoules onto the rack, he picked up a sharp scalpel from a nearby machine.
“I believe the answer lies inside your body.”
“You think dissecting me will reveal that answer?”
“Where did your bloodline originate? Who were your ancestors? From what source did the talents engraved into your genetic information arise?”
The Sorcerer asked back while adjusting his grip on the scalpel.
“Mana-based medicine is the act of combining spell data and mana theory to uncover confusion. It is also connected to adding previously unknown cases and talents into humanity’s database. Exceptional talent is, in essence, an irregularity that transcends the standard of the species. I believe that by collecting such outliers and averaging them together, it is possible to create an entirely new standard.”
Pulling back the sleeve of Lennok’s right arm restrained to the operating table, the Sorcerer placed the scalpel against his skin and said:
“In other words, it’s the process of forcibly raising the upper limit permitted to humanity.”
“So you’re trying to evolve the human species by yourself?”
“I don’t intend to dress it up with some grand justification. It’s more accurate to say that after continuing this work long enough, I’ve begun to sense just how far it can go.”
The Sorcerer’s eyes met Lennok’s, shining with inorganic light.
“Most of all............ it’s enjoyable. I’m fascinated by dismantling and studying ‘talents’ that manifest as uniquely as mine—or even more uniquely.”
The Sorcerer stared directly at Lennok and asked:
“Wouldn’t you agree that it’s a decent hobby, if one considers it a way of finding meaning in this dying world?”
“No. Of course not.”
Feeling the cold sensation of the scalpel against the skin of his wrist, Lennok answered.
As he sensed the pressure of the blade gradually increasing, Lennok looked directly into the Sorcerer’s eyes.
“A Great Sorcerer of the Federation wouldn’t settle down in a Gate City just to indulge in a hobby.”
“......”
“Enough pointless talk. If you’re going to do it, start already.”
Lennok smirked and nodded toward the Sorcerer.
“Wouldn’t your ‘hobby’ need to begin now if you want time left before the next surgery?”
“Well, that’s true. But there’s no need to worry so much.”
The Sorcerer’s eyes curved pleasantly above the mask.
“There are fourteen minutes and twenty seconds left before the second surgery. More than enough time to peel apart a sorcerer from head to toe.”
The instant the blade of the scalpel dug into Lennok’s skin, a barrier formation emerged and flashed brilliantly.
Jjeeeong!!
The barrier formation rotated, pushing away the scalpel blade and protecting Lennok’s skin from harm.
Like transparent armor wrapped around the skin, the magic formation flowed rapidly over the area where the blade touched.
“Jindun’s barrier arts. Nothing surprising.”
Yet the Sorcerer showed no surprise even at the manifestation of the barrier protecting Lennok’s body.
He merely picked up one of the many ampoules hanging from the rack.
“Rather than some special incantation or spell, this seems more like a power born from self-preservation or survival instinct turned into a barrier. Especially considering it never manifested until the moment you were captured by me.”
Lifting the ampoule, the Sorcerer muttered:
“Still within expectations.”
Thud!!
Without hesitation, he inserted the syringe into the machine beside the operating table.
The machine injected with the ampoule vibrated violently, exposing pink flesh between its joints.
Wiiiiing!!
A sharp saw blade like jagged teeth protruded from the flesh and began rotating violently.
Only then did Lennok realize the true nature of the machines filling the operating room, and he laughed bitterly.
“You turned even your surgical equipment into chimeras? You’ve completely lost your mind.”
“If I had shown you my operating theater beforehand, it would have made for an excellent example. But generally speaking, I don’t use innocent people as materials.”
The Sorcerer answered leisurely.
“I usually only ‘use’ Federation criminals, fools who challenge me, or superhumans worth preserving. And these surgical instruments...”
Holding the surgical tool toward Lennok’s wrist, the Sorcerer continued:
“Were made using collateral blood relatives of Zygis Ithenor.”
“......!!!”
At that utterly unexpected explanation, Lennok’s expression stiffened—
And at that very moment, the Sorcerer pressed the spinning saw blade against Lennok’s wrist.
Drrrrrrr!!
The rotating saw blade collided with Lennok’s wrist.
A violent roar erupted as the barrier formation began distorting.
The moment a crack formed within the barrier formation, the Sorcerer moved the scalpel at a speed too fast to follow.
A thin red line appeared across Lennok’s wrist.
Slash!
The scalpel blade pierced the blood vessels beneath his wrist, and sharp pain spread as blood began dripping down.
Another machine beside the operating table collected the falling blood into test tubes.
“You cut the artery, yet the bleeding is less than expected. Cases like this occur when the blood vessels in the wrist are compressed.”
As though waiting for this moment, the Sorcerer grabbed Lennok’s wrist and said:
“When the mana circuits embedded inside the muscle fibers become excessively enlarged, they can instead compress the muscles and blood vessels, obstructing the transport of blood and oxygen.”
“Huu......!!”
As the Sorcerer squeezed Lennok’s forearm with tremendous grip strength and forced blood out, the bleeding worsened further.
Ignoring Lennok’s grimace entirely, the Sorcerer tilted his head.
“The resistance between the blood and mana at the incision site is severe. Mana Poisoning? Not an uncommon illness among high-ranking mages. Yet despite signs of improvement, it’s still this bad. You must have been completely insane before.”
“......”
“Abnormally low blood pressure and mana density, insufficient sodium and electrolytes in the bloodstream, circulatory dysfunction caused by frequent contraction of blood vessels and circuits, even discrepancies between biological and spell analysis. All of it............ absolutely fascinating.”
Through the mask, the Sorcerer’s cold gaze swept over Lennok’s face.
“You’re far more damaged than I expected. Why are you still alive?”
At the Sorcerer’s calm words, Lennok felt a chill crawl down his spine.
The Sorcerer identified even the diseases and symptoms plaguing Lennok merely by observing the wound on his wrist.
Regardless of the fact that Lennok was intentionally cooperating with the examination, the Sorcerer’s insight and judgment were far sharper than expected.
“If the cause cannot be determined externally, then we’ll have to begin internally.”
When Lennok gave no answer, the Sorcerer rose with a thoughtful expression.
Picking up a sterilized transparent tube from a nearby shelf, he spoke.
“Tube insertion. Activate micro-camera. Begin visual transmission.”
Thrust!!
He inserted the transparent tube directly into the cut artery in Lennok’s wrist.
Lennok frowned at the sensation of the tube probing through his blood vessels, but the Sorcerer ignored him and focused on the screen.
“Let’s see............ the concentration rate of mana particles inside your body is abnormally high. The backlash from that weakens cellular cohesion, causing cells to die even from minor shocks.”
While observing the screen with indifferent eyes, the Sorcerer suddenly spoke with confusion.
“Arterial vessel damage. Don’t tell me the blood vessel tore merely from moving the camera? Even if your entire body were made of paper, it shouldn’t be this fragile.”
Unable to hide his bewilderment at Lennok’s physical condition, the Sorcerer moved the camera deeper to inspect the interior of the blood vessel.
At that moment—
Wooooooong...............!!
A faint light suddenly began flickering beyond the darkness on the screen.
Faint as a single candle illuminating the void, fragile enough to seem ready to extinguish at any moment.
The light never fully appeared on the screen, merely existing there and shining quietly in place.
Ooooooh......!!!
“....Wait.”
The moment Lennok realized the light was slowly rotating, forming a specific shape—
KWAANG!!
The camera feed blacked out, the screen shattered, and the connected surgical machine exploded on the spot.
Silently watching the scene, the Sorcerer turned toward Lennok and muttered:
“A camera made from Arta Biometal Alloy being dismantled without leaving even a trace............ I’ve treated many high-ranking sorcerers, but this is my first time seeing anything like this.”
“....”
“A tremendously powerful blessing, curse, or perhaps willpower is binding you.”
Looking down at Lennok lying on the operating table, the Sorcerer muttered as though realizing something.
“The force weakening you and the force strengthening you coexist and circulate together. I see. This is almost like...”
“....”
“...the destiny of a human shaped into a geas.........”
The Sorcerer, momentarily lost in thought, looked down at Lennok.
“So this was why you requested treatment in exchange for information about your body. Certainly, at this level, merely collecting examination records is worthwhile.”
“You thought I had some other reason for watching you cut into my body?”
“You assumed I couldn’t help but become interested once I understood your condition?”
At Lennok’s indifferent response, the Sorcerer chuckled and shook his head.
“What a shame. In my current state, I cannot treat you.”
“What do you mean?”
“The reason your body is dying isn’t something attributable to a single illness or condition. It’s a far more fundamental issue rooted in your constitution and innate nature.”
Placing the scalpel into the basin beside the operating table, the Sorcerer continued:
“To solve this, I would need to rewrite the genetic information contained in your chromosomes—or directly alter hormone secretion by operating on your brain. Either option would require a major surgery lasting several months. The problem is that I still cannot guarantee your symptoms would improve even then. The body of a high-ranking sorcerer becomes deeply synchronized with the soul............... In the end, unless the mental image itself is rewritten, one’s innate nature often remains unchanged.”
The Sorcerer’s eyes gleamed cruelly as he looked down at Lennok.
“It’s not that I lack interest. I even think it would be a gamble worth attempting at least once. However.......”
The Sorcerer stopped speaking and tightly shut his mouth.
A strange reaction, as though he were forbidden from saying any more.
“That’s an interesting answer.”
Lennok asked:
“You claimed to have sworn the oath of a Divine Physician, yet after examining me this thoroughly, you refuse treatment?”
“....”
“About three minutes remain until the second surgery begins.”
As Lennok narrowed his eyes and watched him, the Sorcerer removed his gloves.
“There’s too little time to kill you, dissect you, and finish preserving the body. So let’s conduct one final examination.”
“An examination?”
“To confirm the ‘talents’ embedded within your blood.”
After drawing and separating samples of Lennok’s blood, the Sorcerer snapped his fingers.
Several chimeras rose from the floor.
[Ugh............ Ah....]
[Ah...ghk.............]
Masses of flesh with no eyes, noses, or ears—only mouths—let out weak groans.
They had completely lost their reason and sense of self, merely standing blankly and twitching.
Unlike the other chimeras, Lennok instantly realized these existed purely as test beds for observing reactions.
“These chimeras were created from mages personally brought in from Mage Towers across the continent.”
“.......”
“This one here is from Blaiver. This one is Enolas. That one over there is Balfour. No, was it Sinclair?”
“............You turned Tower mages into experimental subjects for aptitude testing?”
“I won’t standardize things using numbers or data. High-ranking sorcerers’ blood contains far too many exceptional cases for quantitative analysis to work.”
Walking between the masses of flesh, the Conjoining Sorcerer continued:
“So in cases like this, qualitative analysis using my chimeras becomes the standard. For example, like this.”
The moment he injected Lennok’s blood into one of the chimeras, it opened its mouth wide and its body began trembling violently.
[Aaa............ Aaaaaaa............!!!!]
Fwoooosh!!!
The mass of flesh burned entirely and vanished into ashes.
Watching the scene, the Sorcerer turned back toward Lennok.
“I modified superhumans possessing talents from each category into biological catalysts that react to those same categories. Before making you into a specimen, I need to know what kinds of ‘talents’ can be harvested from you. If the results are good enough, I might even preserve you alive and turn you into a chimera.”
“You’re saying something worse than death.”
“That isn’t for you to decide. Shall we begin properly?”
Thrust!!
One by one, Lennok’s blood was injected into the line of chimeras inside the operating room.
Immediately afterward, the chimeras twisted violently as screams erupted one after another.
[Ah............ Aaaah............!!!]
Some burned into ash, others split apart as though sliced by blades, froze solid and shattered, or were crushed flat.
“Flame, Severance, Ice, and Impact categories. As expected of a great archmage.”
The Sorcerer spoke with fascination.
“It’s extremely rare for a subject to react to more than four categories. At this level, you could even serve as a catalyst in a Grand Convergence ritual.”
“That’s information I really didn’t need to know.”
“You don’t even realize how blessed you are. For ordinary mana users, even possessing aptitude for a single category is uncommon.”
Crossing his arms, the Sorcerer looked at the chimeras still twitching while barely alive.
“Usually, possessing two aptitudes at Level 7 or three aptitudes at Level 8 is already considered extraordinary. To transcend the hierarchy in the first place, relying on only one aptitude is often insuff—”
Crack!
At that moment, the fifth chimera rapidly decayed and rotted to death on the spot.
“...Life category. Though relatively easier to learn, possessing the aptitude itself is extremely rare—”
Crunch!!
Craaaack!!
Before the Sorcerer could even finish speaking, the chimeras standing throughout the room began dying in various ways.
Some had their necks strangled, some dispersed into smoke, some were disintegrated by dark mana, while others vanished as streaks of wind.
These were mages from Mage Towers defeated by the Conjoining Sorcerer, unable to die and reduced to his toys.
As they died, they left behind proof of peace granted through Lennok.
“I can’t believe this.”
Only then did the Sorcerer finally grasp reality, showing genuine surprise for the first time.
“There were over twenty chimeras I prepared. Are you telling me your body contains aptitude for all of those categories?”
Crackkk!!
The chimeras summoned into the operating room rapidly died away until only one remained.
Even among the flesh-crafted chimeras, this one appeared twisted and mold-ridden.
Trait Category.
A term used to collectively describe the most alien and distorted category among all systems.
The moment Lennok’s blood was injected into that chimera and it convulsed violently—
“KRAAAAGH!!”
The mass of flesh suddenly shrank inward as though collapsing into itself, transforming into the form of an ordinary human.
A man gasped roughly while touching his own face with trembling hands.
“W-Where............ am I...?!!”
There was no answer.
Because at that exact moment, the Conjoining Sorcerer—who had turned with a cold expression—and Lennok—who had risen from the operating table—collided hand-to-hand in midair.
Jjeeeeeong!!
A shockwave exploded throughout the operating room, sending the man restored to human form tumbling away.
“Waaaagh!!”
“I had the wrong idea.”
Amid the violently shaking surgical equipment, the Conjoining Sorcerer stared at Lennok with cold eyes.
“This was no time for leisurely conversation.”
Pressing hard against Lennok’s hand locked against his own in midair, the Sorcerer muttered:
“I should have halted all adjustment work across the Gate City from the very beginning and focused entirely on investigating you.”
“The feeling is mutual.”
Lennok laughed as he barely held back the Sorcerer’s hand.
“Wouldn’t you say it’s already too late for that now?”