Chapter 213. Encounter (3)
Not only had he surpassed the tenth-grade barrier that marked the limits of humanity, but he had reached the ninth-grade enlightenment, an incomparable realm beyond even that.
The Rank 9 Annihilation Officer of Vendetta lifted his head arrogantly atop the towering ruins and looked down at Enoch.
Facing the grotesque figure clad entirely in a jet-black tailcoat, Enoch slowly raised his head and spoke calmly.
“I wondered why something felt off.”
Enoch quietly spoke as he swept his gaze over the hunting-dog magical beasts arrayed like shadows around the Annihilation Officer.
“These mutated magical beasts here. Was all of this your doing?”
“Not entirely my unique magic,” Ixion replied lightly. “Most experimental magical beasts are made from reagents Tantalus either discarded or kept in storage during their experiments.”
He stroked the head of one of the hunting dogs.
“I merely applied my own arrangement to a very small number of them. They are still living beings, after all, so my unique magic works on them without issue.”
Enoch glanced around him.
Crimson-black mana spilled from Ixion’s body, thin as threads, stretching freely and connecting to the surrounding magical beasts.
At the very least, these hunting-dog-like creatures were nothing like the magical beasts Enoch had encountered in this outsourcing district before. They were closer to a direct force personally created and commanded by Ixion.
Watching the chillingly intense flow of mana, Enoch tilted his head slightly.
“What are you doing in the outsourcing district?”
“Ah, between us, there is no need to be so guarded. I will gladly tell you.”
Ixion lifted his head with a deep laugh.
“Vendetta is providing funding to the rebel forces that have taken root in this outsourcing district. In exchange for a certain… cooperation.”
“Mercenaries?”
“Closer to a partnership. Calling us mere mercenaries would be underselling our scale.”
His casual correction carried a disturbing implication.
Realizing once more the depth of Vendetta’s power, Enoch clenched his fist.
“You are awfully talkative.”
“Of course. I would not be saying any of this if it were a problem.”
Ixion spread his arms.
“Preventing information from reaching the Empire benefits us as well, so it would be fine if this battle ended quietly. That said, this war is proceeding well enough that a few rumors would not hurt.”
He turned his head slightly, smirking toward the Nineteenth Outsourcing District protected by its steel barrier.
“Is it not a fine city to stir things up in? The Nineteenth Outsourcing District lacks even Victoria’s protection, and the position of ‘Lord’ that governs a high-ranking city remains vacant.”
Looking at the magical beasts wandering nearby, Ixion continued casually.
“Waging a large-scale proxy war by transforming two thousand non-mages into magical beasts using Tantalus’s leftover reagents would be quite entertaining.”
“You are insane.”
The Annihilation Officer turned his gaze toward Enoch, a vicious gleam spilling from beneath his mask.
“From the moment I first met you until now, there has never been a single instant when I thought myself sane. My goal has never changed, Enoch.”
With the massive silhouette of the sleeping Nineteenth Outsourcing District at his back, the tailcoat-clad officer gazed up at the sky and murmured in a trembling voice filled with ecstasy.
“, I want to witness the destruction of every Main House domain.”
At the madness-laden obsession in his voice, Enoch frowned and unconsciously took a step back.
Ixion spread his arms before the hunting dogs whose crimson eyes glowed fiercely.
“To tear apart the hypocrisy of those who sit at the pinnacle of civilization, a foundation is required. And this war will become the cornerstone of everything.”
“…….”
Ixion looked down at Enoch.
“So please, I hope that this war, one in which we intervened, will spread across the world through the words of the Elsyde Direct Lineage.”
Understanding his intent, Enoch muttered,
“Vendetta’s propaganda.”
“Ah. As expected of you, Enoch. You catch on quickly. Your mind works quite well in matters like this.”
Ixion smirked as he adjusted the brim of his silk top hat and began to walk slowly to the side.
The black carapaced hunting dogs followed him silently like shadows.
Sssssss.
A host of magical beasts controlled as naturally and smoothly as if they were additional limbs.
At their center, the Annihilation Officer stared at Enoch with open contempt.
“Then again, with such a sharp mind, it makes sense that you survived so well within the Main House, the place that must have been nothing short of a living hell since childhood.”
At those words, Enoch narrowed his eyes.
“Survived? What do you mean?”
Very little information existed about what Enoch Elsyde’s life had truly been like.
But the Black Mage before him might know something about that time.
Enoch slowly moved sideways with him and asked coldly,
“You called the Main House a living hell. Do you know something about my childhood?”
“Is that not a strange question, Enoch?”
Ixion tilted his head as if Enoch’s response itself were odd.
“These are things you lived through yourself. There is no way you would not know.”
“…….”
As Enoch fell momentarily silent at the sharp remark, Ixion slowly raised a finger and pointed at him.
“Assassination, Enoch.”
“Assassination?”
Ixion shrugged as though stating the obvious, brushing his black mask.
“Up until just two years ago, how many anonymous assassination attempts do you think were made against the Elsyde Direct Lineage born as a non-mage?”
“…….”
Enoch knew enough of the Official History to have vaguely heard of it. That his childhood had been marred by repeated assassination attempts.
But knowing only fragments made the unanswered questions stand out even more.
“To kill a Direct Lineage kept under confinement, one would have had to infiltrate the Main House fortress first.”
Enoch fixed him with a cold stare.
“That would not have been possible for just anyone. Even high-ranking mages could not simply infiltrate the Main House to assassinate someone.”
“Infiltrate? There is no need to pretend ignorance. You know this well enough.”
From behind the mask, Ixion let out a cold, derisive laugh.
“Countless insiders within Elsyde were secretly trying to kill you.”
“…….”
Enoch frowned, momentarily at a loss for words.
Standing at a distance, Ixion continued, chuckling as he walked to the side.
“Whether you believe me is up to you. But there is more than enough circumstantial evidence that most of those inside and outside the Main House attempted to assassinate you, and that the family tacitly allowed it.”
Enoch glanced down at the sword in his hand, expressionless.
The family’s tacit approval of assassination attempts.
It was not an implausible claim. Enoch himself had suspected as much.
The Elsyde fortress was a structure equipped with cutting-edge security systems, requiring biometric authentication just to pass through the main gate, along with numerous additional verification procedures.
Moreover, it was a place teeming with high-ranking combat mages, individuals ordinary citizens might never encounter even once in their lives, including members of the Nemesis Knight Order.
Naturally, no matter how skilled a mage might be, infiltrating such a place for assassination would have been impossible without internal assistance.
“There is no need to say any more.”
Seeing Enoch fall silent, Ixion tilted his head back in amusement.
“At this point, I am more curious myself.”
With his hands clasped behind his back, he looked down at Enoch.
“From servants walking the corridors of the Main House to its combat mages, people who wanted to kill the young Direct Lineage whose mere existence tarnished the family’s reputation and prestige must have been everywhere.”
Ixion let out a mocking laugh filled with delight.
“In that hell where everyone wished for your death, how did you survive at such a young age?”
He tilted his head calmly, like a predator toying with its prey.
“At least recently, after your disownment became a foregone conclusion, the assassination attempts, ”
“That is enough.”
Enoch gripped his sword and began walking forward slowly, staring at him expressionlessly.
“I was listening because it was somewhat interesting. But the conversation is drifting too far.”
Knowing that assassination attempts had occurred did not mean he cared to hear speculation about how he had survived them.
And Ixion had no reason to offer anything more worthwhile.
Glancing toward the forest, Enoch spoke coldly.
“I guessed the reason you are dragging this conversation out. Ixion, you were calling for reinforcements, were you not?”
Enoch raised his sword slowly, his dark blue eyes shining sharply as he aimed it at him.
“You must be commanding some of the magical beasts here.”
“So you noticed already.”
Ixion nodded easily, as if he had never intended to hide it.
“Yes. As you suspect, the main magical beast army is controlled by the creature named Indiviltal. But I can request support as well.”
The outcome was obvious to anyone.
Enoch stood alone, while Ixion commanded an army of magical beasts that could arrive at any moment.
Given that, the best course was to create an opening, escape, and regroup with his squad.
Finishing his assessment in an instant, Enoch stared at his opponent expressionlessly.
“So then, Enoch. If you surrender, I might consider sparing your life.”
Ixion spoke calmly.
“Surely you do not think you can still oppose me in this situation, ”
His words were cut off mid-sentence.
A shadow surged forward at a speed approaching the speed of sound.
Enoch kicked off the ground, firing the mana in every part of his body as he accelerated to near-sonic speed, drawing the sword hilt back behind his waist.
In an instant, he unleashed a meteor-like slash, the blade carving a sharp trajectory through the air.
KAGAGAGAGAGAK!!
Like waves, layers of living carapace from the magical beasts formed enormous shields in midair, catching the path of Enoch’s strike.
“Arrogant, Enoch.”
Under the night sky where dark blue flames and black carapace fragments scattered wildly,
Beneath the massive carapace shield that met his blade, Ixion’s mask gleamed dully.
“Last time, you had that young Beast-kin girl you boast about, and that mysterious maid. But now… you are alone.”
“…….”
“Do you truly believe you can handle me in your current condition?”
With their blades pressed together, Enoch glanced expressionlessly at the blood dripping from where a hunting dog had torn into his waist earlier.
The pain was merely numbed by adrenaline. The blood loss was undeniable.
Recalling the solid weight of the emergency ampoule tucked inside his clothes, Enoch lowered his stance and angled his sword beside his eye.
He needed to stop the bleeding and administer first aid, but this was not the time.
At the very least, he had to force open a path of escape.
“You ask too many questions.”
Enoch slowly lifted his head, sneering.
“What. Are you afraid?”
“Very well.”
Ixion met his gaze directly, spreading his arms with a pleased smile.
“Then let us play for a moment, as you wish.”
The instant he bent his knees and raised both elbows behind him, crimson-black light gathered into his gloved hands.
WOOOOONG!!
Circular magic formations unfolded in layers before Ixion, tracing elongated trajectories through the air.
Like the overlapping barrels of a massive cannon, the formations aligned and aimed squarely at Enoch.
GRRRRRRR!!
In front of Ixion, more than a dozen hunting-dog magical beasts leapt into the glowing crimson magic circle.
GURRRRRRK,
Their carapaced bodies twisted grotesquely, transforming into a massive tank cannon.
A blatant violation of physical laws, living ammunition condensed and loaded, wrapped in translucent sparks, and aimed at Enoch.
BOOOOOOOOM!!
A blinding flash tore through the darkness as the main gun unleashed a devastating bombardment.
A single hit would be enough to kill most high-ranking mages.
The biological armor-piercing shell generated a white circular sonic boom as it tore straight through space.
Enoch charged head-on in response, lowering his stance deeply and releasing a sharp exhale.
Recalling the principle inherited from the Sword Saint of the Waves, he twisted his charging body sharply backward.
[Reverse Flow]
Dark blue light instantly carved a sharp arc through the air, scattering dazzling sparks before him.
SCREEEEEE, !!
The shrill ricochet of the armor-piercing shell screamed past the blade.
Amid dozens of fragments of dark blue flame exploding in midair, Enoch continued his charge forward with cold eyes.
The second shell obliterated the ground, sending massive slabs of stone soaring skyward.
BOOOOOOM!!
Looking up at the slabs launched tens of meters into the air, Ixion stepped back and extended a hand, unfolding another magic circle.
From behind his mask, he muttered,
“Enoch, even with those injuries…”
Enoch’s body spun once beneath the full moon, tracing a dark blue arc through the night sky.
WHIR, !!
Kicking off airborne slabs again and again, Enoch changed direction, drew his sword back, and fell like a beam of light straight toward the masked Black Mage’s head.
At that moment, Ixion deployed two layers of crimson magic circles before him.
[Life Creation – State Transformation : Shield]
Above his head, the hunting dogs fused into overlapping massive discs.
The blade of the one-handed sword crashed against the living carapace shield, scattering sparks and metallic screams.
Landing atop the shield with his sword gripped in reverse, Enoch met Ixion’s gaze as the man tilted his head calmly.
“Your mobility has improved tremendously, Enoch. To grow this much in such a short time.”
“…!”
Sensing crimson mana erupt around Ixion’s body, Enoch leapt back.
Sliding backward through the ruins to widen the distance,
“Indeed, it is growth marvelous enough to transcend most magical systems.”
Watching Enoch accelerate with a dark blue explosion, Ixion slowly raised the crimson-glowing disc to eye level.
“But it is unfortunate that your condition is compromised.”
WOOOOOOONG!!
Red light sparked violently before erupting outward.
A powerful energy wave swept across the surroundings in the shape of a massive dome, dyeing the night sky red.
[Life Recomposition – Property Transformation : Reinforcement]
CRRRRRK,
In the darkness, the hunting dogs’ bodies twisted with cracking sounds.
Before Enoch could even grasp what had happened, several shadows descended upon him as he ran through the ruins, jaws gaping wide.
Sliding between collapsing pillars, Enoch heard the dry clack of teeth snapping above his head and tightened his grip on his sweat-slick sword.
There was no doubt, the magical beasts bathed in the crimson wave had undergone a dramatic increase in physical ability.
To evade all of them,
“This ends here, Enoch.”
Ixion’s voice rang out suddenly from behind Enoch’s retreat path, and for the first time, Enoch’s expression twisted in shock as he turned.
“…!”
Descending among the lion-sized hunting dogs that had just brushed past him, the Annihilation Officer landed silently.
Having concealed his presence among his own experimental beasts, the Black Mage now blocked Enoch’s escape route.
Before the thought of “when” could even form, instinct drove Enoch to recoil backward.
Lowering his stance, he swung his sword aside and charged to break through,
“Unfortunately, Enoch.”
Crimson eyes gleamed ominously beneath the mask.
“This war is our victory.”
Ixion clasped his hands together, and brilliant red light condensed between them before exploding outward into a massive dome.
The intense radiance spread across the ground, forming a vast circle that stained the earth crimson.
[Life Corruption – Organ Construction : Fate Reversal]
GURRRRRRK,
Dozens of carapaced hunting dogs were swept up by the red energy, their bodies stretching like rubber as they were drawn toward Ixion’s shoulders.
A grotesque display of talent at the pinnacle of Black Magic, mocking even the inherent form of life itself.
“Come on, Enoch! Try to endure this!”
At his ecstatic roar, the transforming beasts crushed themselves like clay, using their own bodies as material to assemble a single form.
From Ixion’s shoulders, a third carapaced arm emerged, grotesquely extending tens of meters into the darkness.
As a massive jet-black fist clenched in midair,
“Let us see if you can withstand even this!”
The punch tore through the darkness and slammed into Enoch, sending him flying.