World War

In an instant, silence pervaded the battlefield.

The 100,000-strong army including Jan stopped in place without uttering any rebuke toward Pernok alone.

He hadn’t even cloaked himself in mana. Yet Pernok’s appearance grew as massive as a mountain.

“They say kings and heroes who’ll remain in history appear like giant walls through mere existence. Our ancestors long ago expressed those with such radiance as beings of different caliber. I too wish to one day stand Tyr tall on the continent and leave great achievements.”

These were words Suira had told him at his bedside in childhood. Though he didn’t know why the dead man’s words now lingered in his mind, Jan shouted to shake off the strange current enveloping the battlefield.

“Tyr’s enemy stands before us! What do you hesitate for! We shall establish the kingdom’s dignity on this land!”

Holding the King’s Sword, Jan spurred his horse.

“Kill Pernok!”

Bloodlust follows after silence.

The sight of coiling seething mana around his sword and kicking off the ground seemed like watching one ferocious beast. Daas followed behind Jan whose eyes had blinded with revenge.

Though the Jester had died futilely, there was no time now to think of other things.

Pernok’s level approached S2 and had endured 5 minutes against Chris.

After reevaluating combat strength while recalling such information in his head.

He judged that if this side led by the 100,000-strong army swarmed all at once, they could adequately subdue Pernok.

‘Priority is firmly erecting barriers to confine Pernok.’

He mustn’t give wide latitude of movement to someone using complex magic.

He had to bind his feet, induce melee combat with Jan at close range, then have the large army sweep him away.

Jan’s special constitution was continuous mana amplification.

Connected to his magic of mana materialization, it proved infinite strength.

However, time was needed.

Amplified mana would rise exponentially over a certain time period.

When mana surged enough to cover this entire plain, he’d cut off Pernok’s breathing in a decisive blow.

Boom boom!

Daas’s green barriers erected on all sides of Pernok. It was a circular form 10 times sturdier than what had enveloped the Jester.

The moment each barrier embedded in the ground, he connected mana to embrace Pernok in a turtle shell-like form.

And as green light flowed from the barrier and covered Pernok’s body, Jan simultaneously intruded inside.

Bang!

The King’s Sword was blocked by the back of Pernok’s right hand.

“I will certainly kill you alone!”

Jan’s mana had already surged nearly threefold to reach a level rivaling S1.

The moment Pernok lightly swatted away the sword with the back of his hand, he fired a straight punch into Jan’s abdomen.

Wham!

A huge hole pierced from abdomen to back. But Jan’s mana didn’t wilt. The wound regenerated in an instant.

‘Is it because of this barrier?’

No matter how much Jan’s strength, there was no way to survive such severe injury of being pierced through. What made the impossible possible was the green light pouring down from the barrier.

This stole Pernok’s mana and added it to Jan, beginning intervention related to regeneration and recovery.

‘This Magus Arts is quite usable.’

It was highly suitable Magus Arts for creating a dueling ground that weakened Chris while conversely strengthening oneself.

From the Jester’s Intervention to Daas’s barriers, and beyond—the 13 Lords’ Magus Arts were full of interesting things.

But methods solely to bolster Jan couldn’t break Pernok’s Full Body Weaponization state.

Bang bang!

While lightly dodging Jan’s sword, he repeatedly pounded this side’s punches. Though the barrier regenerated Jan’s wounds, it was meaningless.

No matter how much they sucked Pernok’s mana and Jan amplified mana, not a single hair was grazed.

Jan who’d blazed with emotion also finally regained composure at the sword that didn’t reach.

Woosh-!

The mana amplified yet again reached S2. When he gathered mana that shook the barrier into his sword and burst it all at once, it was enough to cause optical illusions as if the atmosphere distorted.

Pernok reached out one hand and grabbed and crushed the sharp lump of mana.

“…!?”

When mana scattered far too easily, Jan unknowingly retreated.

When he sensed something dangerous, it was already too late.

Countless collisions and circulation processes occurred in Full Body Weaponization, forming brilliant flashes in his fist.

“No matter how strong the power, it’s meaningless if you can’t handle it delicately. Such precious talent wasted on a brute like you who only indiscriminately releases amplified power.”

Maximum Impact.

The moment currents flowing from his whole body rode his fist and multiplied uncountably.

Brilliant flashes enough to devour even the sun smashed everything positioned in front.

BOOOOM-!

Swallowing Jan who crossed amplified mana to block and the barrier together, reaching the large army.

Heavy cavalry were torn to shreds without recourse and rolled about.

BANG!

When Pernok stomped the ground, cracks starting from his toes spread endlessly.

“Hihihiing!”

Horses raised forelegs and howled, and soldiers retreated in horror. In that flustered appearance, any formation was hard to find.

Pernok, who’d turned the battlefield into carnage in the blink of an eye, indifferently stepped on the ground.

Each time, surroundings collapsed and cracks formed, reborn as zones where living creatures could hardly tread.

The mages absolutely couldn’t believe that sight.

He hadn’t overlaid mana or activated Magus Arts.

When merely the grayish thing coiled around his body transmitted to the ground through his feet, everything shattered.

It was a strange phenomenon mages had never seen, and they couldn’t understand such power in any way.

Spiritual power.

The moment his synchronization rate surpassed 70 percent, it didn’t end at merely the level of intervening in phenomena.

Matching the evolved body, spiritual power implemented forms and created a virtuous amplification cycle that made a handful of power massive as a mountain to breathe out.

Superior to any powers existing in the lower realm, that which pressed down even mana flowing in this atmosphere and dominated phenomena was spiritual power that existed since primordial times.

“Good.”

Pernok smiled on the battlefield for the first time in a while. Though this body still couldn’t draw out all of himself, now at least he received the spiritual power contained in his soul without interruption.

With a body completed that could withstand the vast soul’s spiritual power, he could draw infinite spiritual power without even needing to absorb the spiritual power of those who died here.

‘Momentary amplification is still difficult but…’

It didn’t matter if the opponent was a large army reaching hundreds of thousands.

The spiritual power contained in this soul right now was the transcendent being’s capacity itself that had dominated the Netherworld. Until this spiritual power was exhausted, Pernok wouldn’t fall.

“Pernok!”

Mana that would surge to the sky burst out from within thick dust.

Pernok looked back there indifferently.

Jan, wearing a thin green barrier, was flashing bright red eyes.

Mana that far surpassed S2 heavily struck down the plains.

All the mana in this area began moving according to Jan’s will.

Mana materialized into form tightly gripped Pernok so he couldn’t struggle.

“King!”

Daas, who’d lost one arm, stretched his remaining hand toward Jan.

When the barrier enveloped Jan’s whole body like armor, the area’s mana gathered into his fist.

At the terrible density that seemed to crush on mere contact, Daas swallowed dry saliva.

‘There’s no other method.’

Rakis’s intelligence had been wrong.

Pernok’s blow just before had truly reminded him of Chris.

Pernok had surpassed merely S2.

At least, at the level Daas had witnessed, he rivaled the Holy Kingdom’s Arisha.

He couldn’t even understand how such things occurred from a body where mana wasn’t felt.

Though one mustn’t contend with incomprehensible opponents, the situation already didn’t permit corners to escape.

They had to fight.

But Daas’s barriers were insufficient.

Against overwhelming violence that even pierced dozens of barriers, a beast rivaling it had to oppose.

‘Jan has ripened!’

Daas concentrated all mana on the barrier and transmitted it to Jan.

He turned all characteristics the barrier possessed into Magus Arts and overlaid them like armor to raise Jan’s physical capabilities to their limits.

Even if attacks crossed with Pernok, he’d survive once.

Preparations were complete, and Jan had reached the most probable combat point in faster time than expected.

The moment Jan concentrated mana in one point, a roar tore apart the area.

In the blink of an eye, Jan had thrust his fist at Pernok’s vicinity.

Bang!

Sound arrived later than form.

In one moment Jan surpassed sound and mana tried to cover Pernok’s heart more viciously than ever.

That was enhancement-type extremes that even Breia couldn’t block. He couldn’t think of any Magus Arts that could block a pure lump of mana at close range.

Everything was perfect.

At least Daas had expected the match would be settled in one blow.

Bang!

The moment Pernok faced it without dodging, Jan’s eyes widened.

Throughout his entire life, a blow incomparable to anything had been blocked by Pernok.

CRACK!

Jan ground his teeth and took one step forward.

The moment hatred intervened in mana, his constitution shed another layer of limits.

It was enough to cause small tremors in Pernok’s Full Body Weaponization.

But Pernok flowed his arm upward without shedding a single drop of cold sweat.

Mighty mana futilely surged into empty air.

However, the two people knew.

It still wasn’t over.

With instinct-like intuition that Pernok might flow the power away again, Jan remotely gathered the mana in empty air.

Since he’d already dominated the area’s mana, manipulating the flowed mana wasn’t difficult. The power gathered thus was like a sky made of mana.

It seemed the sky grew angry and struck down directly to the ground.

And Pernok had expected Jan would employ such means.

Since he’d given up mana and concentrated on spiritual power.

Because he’d assessed that all dominance of this area belonged to Jan.

Therefore, he very slowly lowered his hand and faced the sky of mana.

‘Got it!’

Even watching Daas guaranteed victory.

There was nowhere to dodge the ferocious lump of mana.

It would definitely directly hit.

To block that, one would have to pierce a hole with corresponding power, but Pernok didn’t resist.

Around when everyone watching was certain he’d been crushed by mana, Jan’s expression distorted.

Suddenly Pernok’s presence before his eyes vanished.

It seemed the living person had become smoke.

He couldn’t feel anything.

Though he was smiling at a distance where merely reaching out one hand would touch…

BOOOOOOM!

The sky struck down and turned the collapsed ground into ash.

At that place where even corpses’ forms weren’t left, Jan was trembling.

“How…”

Those who belatedly focused their gazes were the same.

Not a single thread of Pernok’s clothes was damaged.

Pernok merely sent indifferent gazes, exactly as he’d stood initially.

“This… makes no sense…”

The last resort deployed by squeezing beyond limits until his special constitution could no longer amplify mana had merely pounded innocent ground.

As unimaginable things unfolded, only Pernok’s footsteps echoed across the wilderness where silence pervaded.

“No matter how excellent an attack, it’s useless if it doesn’t hit.”

The moment mana struck down, he shifted it with etherealization.

Because even Pernok might have his weaponization shattered if he took such power straight on.

Jan’s mana had been worth using etherealization.

That was all.

“When I first saw you, your soul was very clear and strong. Now even that color fades. Pathetic fool.”

Pernok gripped Jan’s neck.

In the grip that struggled and flailed choking, he no longer felt strength.

“Yu… Yuliana… why… why…!”

“One without capability coveted this throne. The person who incited that was precisely you. Because you were far too outstanding, Yuliana put her hands on greed she shouldn’t have dared embrace.”

“Keuk… keuk…!”

“Did you want to save her? Then you should have persuaded Yuliana and fled. But you cannot explain this current situation no matter what excuses you employ. In the end, didn’t you kill your father and seize that position?”

Pernok grinned at Jan who’d turned pale white.

“Thanks to you I obtained Tyr, so I’ll promise not to abandon Tyr’s citizens.”

“Kaaaak!”

He broke Jan’s neck that distorted like a demon.

Then he pierced his heart with a hand blade and cut off his breathing in one breath.

After throwing down the limp body, Pernok turned his gaze right.

He threw Tyr’s King’s Sword at Daas’s back who tried to escape with all his might.

When the blade penetrated from back to ground, Daas also died instantly.

While absorbing Jan and Daas’s surging spiritual power and mana, Pernok looked back.

Soldiers who’d lost their king were merely trembling with tightly gripped weapons before overwhelming divine authority.

‘I can’t kill them all.’

He also had to consider labor to support the kingdom after war ended.

Those who’d lost will to resist.

It was better to bestow mercy on those who wouldn’t provide meaningful help to spiritual power increase even if devoured, creating a foundation to fully dominate Tyr going forward.

“Jan, not I, killed King Suira. Whether you believe it or not is your freedom, but if you lay down weapons right now and flee, I’ll spare your lives.”

Soldiers only looked at commanders with trembling eyes.

Mages who’d witnessed Pernok’s power grabbed commanders’ collars.

Perhaps because he hated their appearance saying they must flee.

An adjutant who’d followed Jan raised his sword.

“The enemy is one…!”

Pernok burned the adjutant with light natural-type magic.

Then he invoked Divine Punishment and cast pure white thunder clouds in the sky.

“This is the last warning. Abandon arms as you are and become farmers, not soldiers. This is the first and last mercy I bestow on you as king, so if you block Barganta’s judgment, I’ll erase you from this land.”

The sky grew angry and the earth shattered.

Soldiers lost will to resist against Pernok who still didn’t wilt.

Spiritual power flowing from Pernok stimulated their souls to the depths, making them instinctively fearful.

“We, we return to the kingdom!”

Without even recovering Jan and Daas’s corpses, the commander shouted and fled driving his horse faster than anyone.

Soldiers threw down weapons and urgently followed behind.

It didn’t even take half a day for the wide plains to become desolate.