Chapter : 172

The smile that brushed across Theo Lisitoel’s lips.

The moment Mordegard witnessed it with his own two eyes, he knew intuitively.

‘If I don’t kill him, I will die.’

He felt the keen intuition, honed over long years and countless battles, whisper so.

“Sometimes, there are beings like that. Beings that seem to announce with their whole body, ‘Ah, this being is loved by God.’”

The day he first saw Evan Lisitoel in person, Iris had muttered so.

“Evan Lisitoel, that man is exactly that kind of being.”

Mordegard could not understand her words.

In his eyes, Iris was that kind of being. Iris herself seemed to be the one loved by God.

If she wasn’t, there was no way she could have created the Golden merchant group at such a young age, as a woman.

At Mordegard’s look of incomprehension, Iris had smiled.

“The day will come when you understand my words.”

Mordegard never forgot those words, which remained like a brand.

Why, of all times, did those words flash through his mind the moment he saw that smile?

At this very moment, Theo Lisitoel felt like that kind of being to Mordegard.

Right now, Mordegard might have the overwhelming advantage.

But it wouldn’t be long before that advantage was overturned.

So he had to kill him now.

That thing was a long-term future threat.

Mordegard squeezed out even his own life force.

In a state not yet accustomed to having only one arm, if he used a spell of this scale, he would never be able to use magic again.

The overused channels would be damaged beyond repair.

‘It doesn’t matter.’

As long as he could kill Theo Lisitoel, it didn’t matter if he could no longer help Iris in the future.

Because killing him would be the one and only thing he could truly do for Iris.

Magicians usually don’t give special names to their spells.

Whether it’s teleportation or attack magic, they simply list the spell’s properties in a dry manner.

However, the spell Mordegard was about to use was a little different.

Its name was, ‘God’s Wrath’.

A spell with such a fierce conflagration, as if God himself were angry, that it seemed to erase the entire space before one’s eyes.

It was a large-scale war magic created by an ancestor of the Lisitoel family, and an attack spell whose use was forbidden.

The moment that spell was used, it would no longer be a war, but a one-sided massacre.

Killing a descendant with a spell created by his ancestor.

It was quite an ironic situation, but Mordegard endured the cracks spreading through his body and finally completed the spell.

“Let’s see who dies!!”

With that defiant shout as a final word, Mordegard finally completed the magic.

The light, truly like the wrath of God, poured down on Theo.

The dozens of thickly layered protective barriers quickly cracked and began to shatter upon contact with God’s Wrath.

Even amidst the God’s Wrath pouring down on him, the barriers protecting Theo slowly crumbled away.

Normally, they should have melted instantly in the searing heat.

It was a considerable level of protection magic. But even that was now at its end.

‘That number is not nearly enough.’

God’s Wrath was still going strong.

Half of the barriers protecting Theo had already been chipped away.

God’s Wrath would be maintained for another minute.

Therefore, this was Mordegard’s victory.

He had surely judged so.

Half the barriers were chipped away, and God’s Wrath continued to pour down to destroy the other half.

But the speed at which the barriers were being destroyed was quite different from before.

The speed at which they cracked, and even the moment they finally couldn’t hold and were completely destroyed, was different from before.

“…….”

Then I will burn all of my mana!

The effect of Mordegard’s resolve was immediate.

The speed of destroying the barriers returned. No, it became even faster.

“Keuk!”

Blood flowed from the internal injuries caused by the intense burning of his mana channels.

However, he did not break the connection of mana pouring into the spell.

I will kill him for sure!

Solely to achieve that one objective.

Only one barrier remained.

The moment God’s Wrath touched the final barrier, Mordegard’s body collapsed.

“?”

Kneeling on one knee, Mordegard expressed his bewilderment at the sudden event.

What? What on earth just happened?

“Ah.”

The damage to his body was more severe than expected.

The completely destroyed mana channels and the connection to the magic were abruptly cut.

The spell’s power quickly subsided, and the moment the barrier broke, it lost all its power and disappeared.

“…….”

Mordegard was on his knees, while Theo, despite blood pouring from every orifice on his face, stood firm in the ruins.

‘I see.’

He could no longer use magic.

No matter what spell he tried to use, mana would not gather.

He could still feel mana on his skin, but that was all.

He had lost his magic.

‘No, I can kill him.’

If only Theo Lisitoel would approach.

He would gladly take Theo’s heart with the sword hidden in his bosom.

* * *

‘This is crazy.’

I thought I was going to die.

If it weren’t for Lou’s barrier placed at the very core, my heart would have been pierced.

I raised my trembling hand and touched my chest.

The intense heat had slightly burned my collar. If Mordegard had held on for just one more second, wouldn’t I have really died?

My legs were shaking so much that I wanted to just sit down and collapse.

‘But then I’d die again.’

Mordegard’s strength wasn’t limited to just magic.

X-bal, is he a human weapon or something?

Ah, he was a human weapon raised by Iris Viden, right.

“Hoo….”

I struggled to catch my breath.

There was no time to use magic. Leaving Mordegard behind and running away was problematic in many ways.

He might recover his stamina, chase me in an instant, and plunge a knife into my heart.

“…….”

I stared blankly at Mordegard, kneeling in the distance, endlessly coughing up blood.

I was a mess, but he was in just as bad a shape.

At this rate, it wouldn’t be strange if he died.

《Do not show mercy.》

“Did I say something?”

The voice that came out was surprisingly deep and submerged.

“Eck, every time I talk, I taste blood.”

Spit, spit, I quickly spat out the blood that had pooled in my mouth.

《Don’t change the subject.》

“Piit!”

“I know.”

I had to kill him to escape safely.

That was the major premise of this escape from the beginning.

But seeing my opponent so helpless, my resolve wavered.

‘No, let’s not be a sweet potato!’

I had already made my decision.

If I don’t kill him, I will be killed.

There was hesitation, but the decision was made. It was the moment I was about to squeeze out my last bit of mana to create an ice sword.

* * *

Mordegard’s body collapsed at the sharp sensation piercing his heart.

How many people in this world would ever know what their own heart looked like?

Mordegard foolishly stared blankly at the heart, still clearly beating, before him.

“…….”

It wasn’t Theo.

The attack that pierced his heart came from behind.

Not only was there no mana left, but teleportation magic was impossible inside this dungeon. That meant….

“Master.”

There were only three people in this dungeon.

Theo Lisitoel was far away with a look of horror, so the culprit could only be his master.

Why? He didn’t ask the reason.

The body that had lost its heart collapsed and rolled on the floor.

This too was something they had once spoken of.

Mordegard had asked to be killed by his master’s own hand if he were to die.

But the death that had come one step closer was more terrifying than he had imagined.

The single-minded desire to ‘live, forgetting even my master’ filled his mind.

Mordegard closed his eyes as he looked at Theo, who was staring in horror.

It was an eternal darkness that was about to come.

* * *

The moment I heard Albedo’s whisper, my hand moved unconsciously.

At the same time, an excruciating pain, as if a giant were wringing my entire body like laundry, took my breath away.

Losing the strength in my legs, I sat down and vomited everything in my stomach.

“Uweeeek.”

“Oh my, was it a bit too stimulating?”

Iris asked sweetly as she watched me rolling on the floor.

Iris, who had just killed her loyal subordinate of half a lifetime, nonchalantly threw his heart onto the floor.

“You’re crazy….”

You’re crazy. Unless you’re crazy, how on earth could you kill your loyal subordinate so cruelly?

Although I couldn’t get my cry out as I writhed on the floor from the continuing pain, Iris strode up to me and answered.

“Well, I have no need for a horse that moves on its own.”

It would have been better if she hadn’t answered.

How on earth could such a cruel person change into Lucian’s reliable ally in Part 2?

No, this world was no longer the 「Lapis Academy」 I knew.

Lerwon, Zephyros, and even Lucian, the central axis of the world, had changed. There was no way Iris wouldn’t have changed.

The her before my eyes was crueler than the Iris in the game.

No, she had to be.

Otherwise, I would never be able to understand the Lucian in the game who willingly accepted such a cruel Iris as his ally.

“Hmm, ahh. They’ll die in three days anyway when I become the beast that swallows the world. What’s wrong with sending them off a little early?”

Three days, so it’s three days.

“Even so, you dare to make suggestions and whatnot—”

“Keul-leok!”

I couldn’t answer any further and coughed up a mouthful of blood.

“Hmm, I don’t think it was this bad just a moment ago.”

The poking touch, like an elementary school student observing a dying cicada, was unpleasant.

I wanted to slap that hand away immediately, but even that was too much for me.

I couldn’t lift a single finger.

This was all the price for ignoring the system’s warning and using the skill.

If I didn’t get some kind of first aid, I would die.

Would Iris give me first aid?

I didn’t know. I really didn’t know what was inside this woman’s head anymore. I didn’t even want to be arrogant enough to try and guess.

“Well, does it matter?”

I felt my body being lifted up.

With it, the world faded into darkness.

“Don’t worry. I won’t let you die just like this.”

With those words, I heard Iris humming.

Amidst the terrible noise, I was thrown into the blackout.

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