Conjoining Sorcerer (10)
The gigantic flower of flame unfolded in a shape that completely surrounded every direction where the Long-Lived stood.
Kugugugugugugu!!!!
Each of the six petals alone stretched for dozens of meters.
With its bud tightly closed, the colossal flower would appear from the outside as nothing less than a gigantic sphere of fire hundreds of meters across.
Only then did the Conjoining Sorcerer fully realize what Lennok had done.
He turned his gaze with an expressionless face.
“I see. You deployed your Domain to prevent the expansion of my Territory?”
Beyond the indifferent gaze beneath his tilted mask lingered a faint trace of admiration that even he could not conceal.
“But even for a Grand Mage’s Domain, this size and scale... its existence alone borders on that of a strategic weapon.”
“...”
“You constructed the Domain itself through barrier principles to enlarge its scale, functioning as a form of complete confinement. Then you added conditions and restrictions to amplify its power...”
A Self-Domain attained through completing the Seven Stages of Self-Transformation was a divine art that manifested the caster’s mental image and altered reality itself.
However, a Self-Domain was not inherently a barrier, nor was it a technique for dividing or isolating space.
The moment he saw Lennok’s Domain, the Conjoining Sorcerer discerned that it had borrowed the principles of barrier arts and immediately inferred its capabilities.
“I've heard of the Self-Domain of the flame flower that marked the conclusion of the battle between Treadburn and Bolt.”
Having reached his conclusion instantly, the Sorcerer looked back at Lennok with cold eyes.
“But in the end, it was merely a Domain that lost in a clash against Bolt. Do you intend to display before me a mental image that has already been broken once?”
The fragrance shed by the flowers of heaven reaches ten thousand li.
The power of Heavenly Flowers Fragrance Across Ten Thousand Miles was the pinnacle of Flame-Heat Self-Domains, growing stronger in proportion to the time it remained deployed.
It was a miracle that embodied the very essence of a Flame-Heat mage, whose strength revolved around preparation and expansion.
But because it required time to bloom fully, it posed little threat immediately after deployment.
The power gained through that restriction far exceeded that of ordinary Self-Domains.
Yet during the battle against Bolt, it had been defeated before revealing its true might.
The Conjoining Sorcerer deliberately pointed out that fact.
“If you understand that my Domain is a form of barrier art, then you should already know.”
Pointing upward toward the sky enclosed by his Domain, Lennok replied:
“This is a barrier meant to stop your Life Territory from spreading throughout the Gate City. The moment your Territory begins extending through cellular proliferation, the flames of Heavenly Flowers Fragrance Across Ten Thousand Miles will burn the Long-Lived’s body to ashes.”
“So you intend to imprison my Territory here and place it under a time limit...”
Even the Conjoining Sorcerer had been momentarily startled by the scale of the flower.
Yet deploying a Self-Domain on such a scale naturally required time for its operation.
And Heavenly Flowers Fragrance Across Ten Thousand Miles was built upon preparation.
The larger the scale, the longer the preparation time.
The true purpose of the Domain was to restrict the battlefield and prevent the damage from spreading beyond it.
“At this point, the other residents of the Gate City have probably begun noticing something is wrong.”
Lennok smiled as he pointed toward the sealed flower-bud barrier.
“The search teams have likely started evacuating the citizens outside the city. If it serves to stop your ridiculous plan, then it has value either way, doesn't it?”
“A problem that cannot be solved without killing the caster or destroying the Domain... Interesting.”
The Sorcerer smiled and slowly spread both arms.
Craaaack!!
At the same time, the walls of the operating room split apart from every direction.
Chimeras of grotesque forms emerged.
[KRAAAAH...!!]
[Kuruk... kururuk...!!]
A muscular giant with a bull’s head.
An enormous obese figure with a pig’s head.
Massive chimera warriors seemingly created from physical ability users and beastfolk, armed with weapons.
“But deploying a Domain that contributes nothing directly to battle while fighting me is nothing but arrogance.”
Standing behind the chimera warriors, the Conjoining Sorcerer stared coldly at Lennok.
“No matter how much mana you possess, wasting power like this simply to protect the Gate City...How utterly foolish.”
“...”
“No answer? Fine.”
The Sorcerer casually gestured toward the ground and adjusted his half-slipped surgical cap.
“Then let us fight seriously from this point onward.”
Craaaack!!
The floor beneath Lennok and the chimera warriors split apart.
Everyone was swallowed instantly.
Lennok and the Sorcerer fell into the depths of the flesh-made operating room.
The moment Lennok’s flames ignited and the Sorcerer’s hand crossed his in midair—
The chimera warriors running along the walls rushed him simultaneously.
[KIEEEEK!!]
[HAAAAAA!!]
Blades fashioned from modified arms.
Fangs.
Spears glowing with mana.
Combat chimera warriors.
They skillfully reinforced their bodies with mana as they pursued him.
KWAGWAGWAGWAGWAANG!!!!
Sharp slashes and crushing weapons tore terrifying trajectories through the air.
The inner walls of the Life Territory shattered.
Flesh exploded.
Blood and bodily fluids sprayed everywhere.
Even while falling deeper into the Territory, the chimeras unleashed dozens of attacks within mere moments.
But Lennok twisted his body through the dense web of killing intent.
The remaining Expulsion Barrier became a shield.
Attacks he could avoid were evaded by detonating flames and maneuvering through the air.
His will merged into the countless flames hanging in the void.
They resonated simultaneously.
[Scarlet Construction]
[Wave-Flame Resonance]
PUBUBUBUBUBUNG!!!!
Countless afterimages of fire spread vertically alongside Lennok’s falling body and incinerated the chimera warriors.
Through the screams of the monsters, a gigantic serpent-like chimera suddenly appeared and rammed into him.
Whoosh!!
The impact threw Lennok sideways.
He was hurled toward one side of a vast corridor.
A dark hallway filled with damp moisture.
Unable to withstand the impact, he fell onto his back and felt a sharp sting.
Ssssss!!
Instinctively placing one hand against the floor, Lennok’s expression hardened.
Powerful acid was penetrating through the barrier.
“Stomach acid?”
The Life Territory had become a living Long-Lived.
He had landed inside a newly formed esophagus and stomach.
Every liquid splashing beneath his feet was strong enough to melt a human instantly.
At that moment—
[Reverse Gravity]
Buuuuuuung!!!
Once more, reverse gravity engulfed the entire space.
The acid beneath his feet rose upward.
Just as Lennok ignited flames to evaporate it, a hammer-wielding chimera struck him in the abdomen.
KWAAANG!!
Concentrating mana into his stomach, Lennok absorbed the blow.
As he was pushed backward, he crushed the chimera’s head.
At that moment, chilling mirrors appeared around him and emitted light.
[Winter Mirror]
Jeeeeong!!
“......!!!”
The mirrors resonated.
An intense cold spread through the area.
Even the stomach acid and blood spraying through the air froze instantly.
Realizing the spell’s power was extraordinary, Lennok looked toward the far side of the chamber.
“So you did preserve stronger chimeras after all.”
“Creating chimeras above Level 5 is difficult. And they die quickly, making long-term storage impossible.”
The Sorcerer crushed a chimera in one hand and stepped forward.
“Most were frozen and kept in suspended animation. But your spell resistance far exceeded my expectations. This was the only way to create an opening.”
Sluuuurp!!
Flesh opened and closed overhead.
Dozens of chimeras floated above the Sorcerer.
Nothing human remained.
Only grotesque masses retaining mouths and arms for casting spells.
The Sorcerer snapped his fingers.
The chimeras clasped their hands and began chanting simultaneously.
Mana of dozens of varieties erupted across the frozen corridor.
Kiiiiiiiiing!!!!
Crack crack crack!!
“If I wish to erode your nerves and mental strength until you reveal your limits, this is the optimal method.”
Hands clasped together amid the flashing mana, the Sorcerer spoke.
“Let's see how long you can endure alone while maintaining your Self-Domain.”
Kugugugugugu!!!
Chimeras charged fearlessly through the rain of stomach acid.
“Ha...”
Lennok let out a bitter smile and rose while gripping the neck of a dead pig-headed chimera.
Splash!!
Standing ankle-deep in acid, he looked upward.
Acid rain.
Falling chimera corpses.
Countless spells still being cast.
Chimera warriors charging while exhaling their final breaths.
And beyond them, the Conjoining Sorcerer preparing yet another spell.
He was throwing away powerful chimeras that even Lennok could not ignore as disposable tools.
Waiting for cracks to form in Lennok’s ironclad concentration and Domain.
The battle style of a powerful superhuman commanding countless chimeras.
“...”
How could he kill the Sorcerer while ignoring the endless tide of chimeras?
The answer had already been decided.
The instant the Sorcerer sensed the omen and his face stiffened, Lennok joined both hands and began chanting.
Fwoooosh!!
Behind Lennok’s lowered head, a blazing star rose like a revolving sun.
Six mana cores rotated behind his head like a halo.
They emitted overwhelming mana.
Flame-Heat Lineage Unique Magic
Property Transformation Amplification Ultimate Art
Red Star Domain: Solar Apex
A secret amplification art that refined six Seeds into mana cores and raised output to the limit.
Ever since entering the Central Front.
Through countless battles.
The final trump card he had preserved until now.
The activation of the Red Star Domain.
“Mana...!!!”
Even the Sorcerer could not conceal his shock.
Mana erupted like an ocean.
The six mana cores resonated.
The amount released was enough to fill half the Territory in an instant.
Fwoooooosh!!
The Flame-Heat mage who had already completed his preparation was now infused with immeasurable power.
Lennok’s crimson eyes blazed.
He spread both hands and leaned forward.
Second Star: Treadburn
[Crimson Shadow Arrival]
[Silent Blaze Flash]
KUWAAAAAAAH!!!
The moment he stepped forward, flames erupted between every joint and muscle.
His body accelerated violently.
BAANG!!
Lennok vanished faster than the eye could follow.
The chimera casters immediately completed their spells.
A torrential storm of magic descended upon the dark cavern.
[Curse Infliction: Weakening]
[Persistent Interference: Guaranteed Hit]
[Speed Infliction: Deceleration]
[Ice Formation]
[Earth Burst Eruption]
[Magnetic Gravity Chain]
[Expulsion Horn]
[Divine Weight]
DUDUDUDUDUDU!!!!
Fire.
Ice.
Gravity.
Earth.
Countless curses and mental attacks.
Buffs strengthening the chimeras.
Debuffs crushing Lennok.
An overwhelming bombardment of wildly varying magic.
Yet Lennok’s body, cloaked in flames, became a living sea of fire and burned through everything.
KWAGWAGWAGWAGWAGWA!!!!
[KIEEEEEK!!]
[Kill me... kill me...!!!!]
Passing through the howling, cursing, resentful chimera warriors—
Pajit!
The moment he caught a chimera’s weapon with his bare hand, the blade evaporated.
The fire energy gathered within his palm exceeded all limits.
Mana compressed to the point of erasing matter itself.
Whoosh!!
Passing back-to-back with the chimera, he rotated the flames and detonated them.
As Lennok accelerated like a sliding comet, dozens of flames exploded behind him.
PUBUBUBUBUNG!!!
Ice pillars erupted from beneath his feet.
Wooden golems descended from above.
A whirlwind of flames surged.
A gigantic fist of fire rose behind Lennok and blocked the golem.
[KIAAAAAH!!]
A curse-song that pierced the ears.
A weakening curse crushing his shoulders.
Acid rain melting skin through the barriers.
Yet Lennok’s breath became infernal heat.
His gestures transformed into wings of fire.
All restraints and malicious thoughts were erased.
Whoosh!!
An axe blade struck toward his shin.
He stepped on it.
The thick blade melted into molten metal instantly.
Chimera warriors fell from above.
He grabbed them barehanded and tore them apart with flames.
KUWAGUGUGUGUGU!!!!!
A lone mage of fire.
Crushing and burning thousands of chimeras while racing through the Life Territory.
Six stars revolved around his body.
Along their orbit he wielded endless Dreadflame.
“Magnificent...!!!”
The Conjoining Sorcerer stepped forward, raising his mana in response to the overwhelming flames.
He extinguished an exploding blaze with one hand and precisely seized Lennok’s hand in midair.
With the Red Star Domain active, Lennok and the Sorcerer shot diagonally across the enormous Life Territory.
The main operating room.
Patient wards.
Dissection chambers.
Organ storage rooms.
All crossed at supersonic speed.
Dozens of walls between them were torn apart and incinerated.
Crash!!!
Perhaps they had finally reached the vicinity of the organ storage chamber.
Broken glass littered the floor.
Dismembered organs lay scattered everywhere.
[OOOOOOOOOO!!!!]
A gigantic gorilla chimera emerged from one side of the Territory and smashed both fists down upon Lennok.
The moment it attacked, it died.
A suicidal strike exchanged for greater power.
KWAAANG!!
The impact shook Lennok.
For an instant, he lost his balance.
The Sorcerer wrapped one hand around the surging flames and shouted:
“Treadburn. Was this the reason your title was considered so ominous and terrifying?!”
Flames that crushed and burned everything before them.
If the divine power Lennok displayed now had been shown against Bolt in Vulcan, it was easy to understand why Evan Martinez’s title had spread so widely throughout the Central Front.
“An amplification art that surpasses natural law. Endless mana. Divine control over that output...!!!”
Craaack...!!
The Sorcerer gripped Lennok’s hand tightly.
“Even if the entire Gate City burns, obtaining you would justify any loss.”
“......”
“It would take time, but a Territory can always be rebuilt. But a specimen like you will never appear again.”
The power of a Grand Mage.
Reducing the endlessly spawning chimeras of the Life Territory to vapor.
Yet even amidst that spectacle, the Sorcerer did not miss the fact that Lennok’s mana was being consumed rapidly.
Flame-Heat magic excelled at large-scale bombardment.
The more preparation and power invested, the greater the mana cost.
The enormous mana spent extracting the Curtain fragment.
The mana and willpower expended fighting the Sorcerer continuously.
No matter how powerful the Red Star Domain was, it could not be sustained alongside a Self-Domain forever.
And in this moment—
The Sorcerer sensed that Lennok had finally reached his limit.
The proof was that, while in direct contact with him, he felt no backlash whatsoever.
“Have all of your talents finally bloomed before me?”
“...No.”
At that moment—
An immense heat began building within Lennok’s clenched fist.
Enough heat to instantly vaporize the Sorcerer’s arm.
Fwoooosh!!
There was no time to react.
The Sorcerer’s arm disappeared.
Before his eyes, Lennok slowly opened his fist.
Inside the burned and twisted hand rotated an extremely compressed mana core.
The moment the Sorcerer realized what it was—
“Compression release.”
Red Star Domain: Solar Apex
[Flesh Incineration]
It was a divine art based upon the principle of Construct Flame, Lennok’s favored point-blank bombardment spell.
The six mana cores composing the Red Star Domain had been compressed into something small enough to fit inside one hand.
Hidden within his fist until the final moment.
Filled with every remaining drop of mana.
And injected directly into the Sorcerer’s body.
Whoooooosh!!!
There wasn't even time for a response.
The flames of Flesh Incineration brushed past the Sorcerer’s head.
Half of his face vanished instantly.
At the last moment he had turned his head.
But even that reaction had been a step too slow.
KWAAAAAAAAAA!!!!
The attack pierced through half of his body and extended dozens of meters beyond.
The vast operating-room corridor and ceiling split diagonally apart.
Burning away and exposing the gray sky above.
The Long-Lived trapped within the barrier unleashed a maddened roar.
[AAAAAAAAAAAH!!!]
“Kuh... ah...”
Fwoooooosh!!!
The Sorcerer staggered backward.
His entire body was burning.
He somehow maintained his balance.
But it was obvious he would soon collapse.
Lennok looked down at him and slowly began withdrawing his mana.
Then—
Creak!!
The Sorcerer, having lost half his head, planted his feet firmly.
“...No.”
“...!!!!”
Only half of his head remained.
Yet he slowly raised it.
“It wasn't that I failed to dodge.”
Inside the right side of his skull—
Where his right brain should have been—
There was nothing.
Not because Lennok’s flames had burned it away.
The right hemisphere had never been there to begin with.
“Impossible...!!!!!”
Had he truly gambled everything?
Deliberately sacrificing half his body because the empty skull cavity would let him survive?
Rather than fully dodging, he had chosen to preserve at least half of himself.
A completely insane decision.
But what filled Lennok’s mind at that moment was not the gamble itself.
It was the reason the Sorcerer had removed his right brain beforehand.
The missing right brain.
Mikal Zellich’s left brain found in the operating room.
The missing right brain that had never appeared.
All the lingering mysteries throughout the Life Territory connected together.
And in that instant—
Craaaaaack!!
The floor of the organ storage room split apart.
A gray-white half-brain emerged.
The moment Lennok realized it was the missing right brain of Mikal Zellich—
“You used Zellich’s brain not for a chimera but...!!!”
“Do you know the foremost principle governing all my experiments and research?”
Grabbing Zellich’s right brain, the Sorcerer smiled.
“That I myself am not exempt from the rules.”
Splash!!
He pressed the brain against the empty right side of his own head.
Then fused Zellich’s right brain to his own left brain.
The Conjoining Sorcerer spoke.
“Conjoining Sorcery activation.”