[Translator - Helga ]
[Proofreader - Starfall ]
Chapters 165: Procedure (3)
At the exact moment Alexander Aaron faced off against the White faction, another mage appeared before Joo Hayun and Secretary Kim.
She was a woman wearing a red cloak, true to her name.
A tense aura radiated from Red, causing both their faces to tighten. She was on a completely different level compared to the assailants who had attacked earlier.
“Is she also a mage from Aeon?”
“Yes… that’s right. I was specially prepared for a day like today…”
Red scratched her head mid-sentence.
“Ah, I didn’t come here to chit-chat. I’m here to kill you and take that woman away.”
Red pointed at Secretary Kim and Joo Hayun respectively. Joo Hayun’s expression hardened at the gesture.
“…Could it be that Odin also came to this place?”
Red yawned in response.
“I’ve always been curious. She was said to be the only witch among us with an aptitude for spatial magic… Ah, I’m rambling again.”
Secretary Kim eyed Red warily, then said to Joo Hayun, “I’ll handle this here. You go ahead and protect Kwon Hanul.”
“Uh… that’s a problem.”
The drowsiness vanished from Red’s face.
“If I let you go, I’d have to kill you and chase after that woman. Why don’t we just fight together?”
Hearing that, Secretary Kim laughed in disbelief. Loosening his tie, he tossed it to the floor.
“The fools of Aeon really don’t know their place.”
“That’s what I was going to say.”
Red tilted her head to the left. With a crack, her neck bent at a perfect right angle.
Immediately, Red’s body was engulfed in flames. No—her entire body transformed into a ball of fire.
The fiery form of Red began to grow, completely blocking the corridor.
Magic is a mysterious and advanced field far beyond mere skills…
Suddenly, Secretary Kim swung his hand.
A sharp ring of aura sliced through Red’s fiery form.
But the severed halves immediately fused back together.
“…It’s cheating to attack while I’m still talking.”
“She’s perfectly fine?”
Secretary Kim’s face showed genuine surprise.
“My body is fire itself. And fire… even if it goes out, it can be rekindled if there’s wood.”
“I see. So this is what it means to fight a mage.”
Secretary Kim spread both arms. Ten rings wrapped around his forearms.
Joo Hayun also prepared her magic, ready for battle.
“I already told you. You’re going to help Kwon Hanul.”
“You’ve been away from the field too long and seem to have forgotten who I am.”
At those words, Joo Hayun’s eyes widened as if struck by lightning.
As the aide to Kwon Mi and the second-in-command of the Black Sharp Squad, he was a formidable man.
“Go ahead. I’ll follow shortly.”
Joo Hayun turned and ran. Red swiftly reached out her hand.
A giant hand, as large as a titan’s, was about to strike Joo Hayun. At that moment, Secretary Kim swung one arm.
The ten rings shredded Red’s arm. Surprised, Red withdrew her hand.
Secretary Kim raised his arm high; the rings returned to their original form.
“I’m your opponent. Don’t waste your energy on anything else.”
Red’s arm regenerated. Clenching and unclenching her fist, she growled.
“…I’ll turn you to embers.”
“White, Red, Blue, Green, Gold, Black…”
Azeth Hermes looked at the hospital, listing the colors.
“Only the most outstanding battle mages trained in Aeon were allowed to bear colors.”
Aeon’s history was vast.
Their power had endured continuously since the Gate first erupted.
“After being defeated by Hyukcheon, I devoted myself to training battle mages.”
Using the vast knowledge and power accumulated over a long time, he raised forces.
“The Black Sharp, was it? They’re perfect to test the power of the Colors I created.”
Azeth Hermes laughed heartily.
The young man looked at Azeth Hermes with clear displeasure.
“Colors… such a lame name.”
“Shut up! Stay right there and watch the Colors’ performance.”
Azeth Hermes manifested magic. Several mirrors appeared floating in the air.
Each mirror reflected a different scene: battles where the Colors fought.
“Oh… their magic is always so fascinating.”
The young man looked eagerly into one mirror.
“That’s a Flame Demon, isn’t it?”
He was watching Red fighting.
The Flame Demon’s magic transforms the body itself into a ball of fire, famous for being nearly immortal.
“It’s a very difficult magic, but she’s handling it well.”
He shifted his gaze to another mirror.
A woman wielding a huge axe faced off against tens of thousands of Whites.
“That’s the clone magic no one has mastered for a hundred years, right?”
Magic that creates clones identical to the original without any loss of mana or stamina.
Every one of those tens of thousands possessed equal power. More clones meant greater overall strength.
“They all have a high level.”
Every Color had mastered rare magics to their limits. Azeth Hermes had good reason to brag.
“This might actually be promising.”
The young man watched the mirrors with hope. Then, the axe-wielding woman moved.
At that instant, all tens of thousands of Whites disappeared.
That was how many times Alexander Aaron swung her axe.
With the first strike, she cut through all the clones.
With the second strike, she severed both of the original’s legs.
The White shouted in agony and collapsed to the floor, blood gushing from the severed legs.
“W-What!? All my clones... Guh!”
Before White could react, Alexander Aaron grabbed White’s head and slammed it down onto the ground.
“So much talk about submitting to the greatness of magic. Is this how it ends?”
White snapped their fingers. Instantly, another White appeared, but with the same two legs missing.
The legless clone screamed in pain. Alexander Aaron looked on with disbelief.
“Are you kidding me?”
She slammed White’s head onto the floor repeatedly, drawing cries of pain.
White desperately tried to cast spells to escape the situation, but again, only legless clones appeared, incapable of fighting.
Alexander Aaron clicked her tongue watching White writhe on the ground.
“No matter what you try, you can’t kill me...!”
Kim, the secretary, threw a ring. The Red’s body was torn apart and disappeared.
But only for a moment. Flames flared up in the air and Red reappeared.
“I keep saying it, but it’s useless…”
Kim threw the ring again. Red vanished and reappeared once more.
“S-Stop! I need some time to attack…”
Ignoring that, Kim threw the ring again at Red. Once again, Red disappeared and reappeared.
“M-My magic power is draining too fast…”
“If my magic runs out…”
“If I can’t regenerate... I’ll die…”
After countless throws, Red’s body no longer appeared.
Only a cloak and some tattered clothes remained where she had stood.
Kim picked up the cloak and examined it.
“Could it be she ran out of magic power to maintain the spell and just vanished?”
A strange silence hung between Azeth Hermes and the young man.
“I’m not sure if I saw that right.”
The young man pointed at the mirror.
“I think all those ‘Colors’ are dead.”
“…I know. So just shut up.”
Azeth Hermes grabbed his head with both hands.
“H-How could the Colors fall this easily... All the effort I poured in...”
The young man looked at Azeth with sympathy.
Actually, it wasn’t surprising. Wizards were not naturally specialized fighters.
Fools who don’t understand say magic is superior to skills, but that’s nonsense. Magic is complicated and slow, whereas skills are simple, fast, and powerful.
There were exceptional wizards with combat skills, though.
Like the young man himself. Or…
His gaze shifted to the mirror, where a young woman was running down a corridor.
“Always a sight to envy.”
The young man licked his lips, sticky saliva coating them.
“This mission seems totally screwed.”
He turned to Azeth Hermes.
“What should we do? Want me to use some power?”
Azeth Hermes looked silently at the young man.
“…Of course, it won’t be free.”
“Obviously. We’re no longer on the same side.”
“Joo Hayun. And when we get the Vessel, give me the authority to conduct research again. And lastly, make sure my opinions are reflected as much as possible in the research on the Vessel.”
None of these terms pleased Azeth Hermes.
“But there’s no other way, right? We’ve crossed Hyukcheon. The moment we back down, Aeon ends.”
Hyukcheon is relentless and cruel.
They won’t leave a single wizard alive in this world.
“…Fine. I accept your terms.”
Azeth Hermes spoke, and the young man chuckled.
“As a delegate of Pandemonium, I will see this mission through.”
Azeth Hermes, the first wizard, started by building his own power base.
He enhanced his reputation as a hunter using magic. Using that, he gathered wealth and connections, then began collecting magic tomes found in dungeons.
Ordinary hunters wouldn’t understand the books, but Azeth Hermes, with knowledge absorbed from demons, could interpret them.
You can only learn one magic suited to your aptitude.
Azeth Hermes, possessing the power and knowledge of demons, could perform many abilities.
But learning multiple magics was impossible due to human limitations.
Realizing this, Azeth Hermes began finding and training children with magical aptitude like his own.
He united them and founded an organization.
Aeon. He named it Aeon.
Once a foundation was established, Aeon’s influence grew exponentially.
Many wizards appeared and scattered worldwide, finding more children with magical aptitude. They became wizards too...
Though a long time, Azeth Hermes remained vigorous, having surpassed normal lifespans with demon power.
—It’s time to begin the plan.
Using Aeon’s wizards, he started kidnapping children worldwide for experiments.
This inhumane act met some opposition among wizards, but only a minority.
That was intentional. Azeth Hermes encouraged Aeon’s wizards to be ruthless enough to kill even relatives for research.
Opposing wizards were all killed. About a hundred children were gathered worldwide.
—You will be the glorious number one.
Azeth Hermes implanted a glowing orb of light, obtained from demons, into a girl.
—A very great thing. How does it feel?
—Umm... I don’t really... know yet...
The girl’s body collapsed lifelessly.
Azeth Hermes was not surprised, only observing coldly.
This Vessel only reacts to souls.
Not because human souls were special.
Demons too must consume souls when using the Vessel.
But demons have huge souls compared to humans, so death was not a concern.
For humans, with smaller souls, implanting the Vessel alone could kill them.
—How can I give commands to the Vessel without killing the host...?
After a moment of thought, Azeth Hermes changed his mind.
—Wait, I got this wrong. Isn’t that why I got test subjects?
He ordered subordinates to bring another child.
—You will be the glorious number two.
Azeth Hermes sacrificed countless test subjects to better understand the Vessel.
At first, subjects died just by implantation, but eventually, he managed to keep them alive.
Next, he tested how to operate the Vessel using their souls.
Many test subjects died in the process, but Azeth Hermes did not stop.
—You are the next test subject.
A black-haired East Asian girl had the Vessel implanted.
[Translator - Helga ]
[Proofreader - Starfall ]