Chapter 48

Chapter 4 Eyelid (21)

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"But your intelligence is beyond my imagination. Using Mute's formidable strength and the discarded material of Gongmaseok to attack... Isn't this proof that our choice was correct?"

Crack! Crack!

Every time the dozens of blue whips behind Isaac lashed through the air, the temperature in the room grew hotter.

'Such a powerful attack that it heats the air through friction. The strange sound must have been from that magic. If I get hit by that, it won't just be a minor injury.'

It was strange. If so many whips were to come at me simultaneously, even I would find it hard to survive, but Isaac's whips seemed to be lashing the air without any intention of coming forward.

On the contrary, Isaac seemed impressed that I was standing there, calmly observing the situation.

"Remarkable. To not let your ferocity explode even when faced with such a threatening attack. And... you're observing me? Looking for a way to kill me, I see! You're still learning at this moment! As expected of a Mute..."

Bang!

"Amazing!"

Two of the whips that had been lashing the air suddenly aimed at Rakshasha and me.

'Damn, if I don't do something, I'll end up getting beaten to a pulp!'

Just as I was about to step forward to block with my body, Rakshasha's arm blocked my path.

"Can you wait a moment?"

"Why..."

In response to my question, she smiled and raised her hand,

Squeak!

"Chūshiki, Amrita"

She pulled the air as if it were a tangible object. It wasn't a metaphor; the space around her fingertips was visibly distorting and warping.

'A skill? And a mystical one at that? Isn't Rakshasha an assassin?'

With the spell, cracks began to form in the air. Upon closer inspection, countless threads were connected to her fingertips, stretching between her and Isaac. The water whips that had been slicing through the air like razors scattered with a sound like a string instrument being plucked.

"I'm not that easy to hit with such attacks."

The sound of her plucking the strings continued, and Isaac's whips began to move even faster.

'He's not just lashing the air; he's blocking Rakshasha's threads.'

Upon closer inspection, the thin threads filled the room like a spider web, tightening around the mages from all sides under her control.

"Chūshiki, a martial art using threads... I've heard that similar techniques are used in the tribal nations beyond the Great Desert. What's a savage from the East doing here in Rodric?"

"Oh, trying to uncover a lady's secrets? That's a disqualification for a man, isn't it?"

Squeak!

As she pulled the threads with her white fingertips, the threads that had been scattered around gathered and tightened around the mages behind her.

"You should know that such tricks won't work... I've shown you that many times!"

Sss!

Isaac's right hand pointed at Rakshasha. As he clenched it, a small droplet of water was sucked from her skin into his hand, and red spots began to spread across her skin.

".....!"

Rakshasha bit her lip, and her threads gathered around the professor, who had been knocked unconscious, to cushion his fall. The cool air that flowed in through the hole she created helped to lower the temperature inside the room.

'This sweltering heat... Damn! An attack using the opponent's bodily fluids?'

The professor realized the nature of the red spots spreading across Rakshasha's body. At the 6th tier, Isaac's control over water would be immense. While the water inside a body is difficult to control, the water outside, like sweat, could be manipulated with his weakened control due to the Gongmaseok.

'The good thing is that he's not using multiple spells. The pressure from Rakshasha's threads and the weakening effect of the Gongmaseok mean he's not as confident as he seems.'

The threads that had been tightening around the mages behind her were forced to turn back towards Isaac. Isaac, in turn, retracted his hand that had been pointing at Rakshasha, formed a seal, and began lashing the air with his water whips again.

A solid defense, changing the environment to his advantage, and methodically reducing the enemy's combat effectiveness. This is the standard approach of a water mage.

The threads wrapped around Rakshasha's bleeding arm, which had been pierced by the water whips. She had been blocking the professor's path until the moment she was injured, and her actions were clear.

'She's sacrificing herself to give me information.'

The professor, now with his left arm also injured, assessed the situation.

'A confined space. Rakshasha's threads fill the room, but... she can't use much mana, so they don't have much power. He's creating an environment where he can easily defend and cast spells, and when the temperature rises to a certain level, he launches an unavoidable attack. The large water sphere in the center... is probably the mana source for the Lead Flow Magic Tower, which controls the eight rivers flowing into the city. That's the source of Isaac's mana.'

The events highlighted by [Overcome Mental Fatigue] were quickly processed into meaningful information.

The scene of Rakshasha's threads attacking the mages behind her, and the part of Isaac's whips that had been defending him turning to attack her, all made sense.

'Isaac is a cold-blooded man who can abandon civilians if necessary. There must be another reason for him to protect his disciples so fiercely in battle. They are necessary. That spell, and the movement of mana... Ah, it's a 1st tier spell, [Flow Manipulation].'

The professor, a novice but enlightened mage, could see the mana flowing from the source to the disciples, and then from the disciples to Isaac.

'It would be difficult to absorb mana and cast spells simultaneously in a space with a mana repulsion field. The disciples are securing mana from the source and channeling it to Isaac, who can use it most efficiently.'

The professor checked the system clock.

"Month of Joke, 18th. 1:00 AM"

'Time is running out. Tobrun's forces will soon be swarming the tower. I need to subdue him and clear the situation before then to move on to the next stage.'

The critical point was that the enemy knew this too. Isaac was operating his magic very defensively, and there was no way to break through that defense at the moment.

'In the end, I have to take a gamble...'

Rakshasha's sacrifice had revealed the enemy's weakness. If the disciples behind him were captured, the mana flowing to Isaac would decrease. This would give Rakshasha the chance to capture Isaac. To get close to that weakness, a revolutionary method to change the environment constructed by the mage was needed.

Crack!

"Red Mute. You look deep in thought. Yes, intelligence alone isn't enough without proper training. Is this your first magical battle?"

Isaac spoke to the professor in a warm voice, as if teaching a child. His arrogance was evident, knowing he had the upper hand.

"....Shut up, human. For my mother, I will kill you!"

The professor deliberately spoke in a hoarse voice, and Isaac's attention was immediately drawn to him.

'Rakshasha's injuries are deeper than they appear. Her ability to control threads like her own body is delicate, and even a small wound can significantly reduce her precision. If she gets any more injured, we won't stand a chance.'

He needed to draw Isaac's attention. There was no need to think about it; Isaac's interest in him was clear, even in a life-or-death battle.

"Grgh, human... I can smell the blood of my brothers here. Where have you taken them?"

The professor stepped forward, shielding Rakshasha with his body. Unlike physical spells, target-specific spells become difficult to cast when the target is out of sight. This would prevent Rakshasha from being hit by the water magic.

Isaac's gaze became even more interested.

"The smell of your brothers' blood... So, you were wary of us, the ones studying Mutes? That's why you threw this precious 'talking Mute' into the heart of the city. What a glorious move..."

The professor's eyes sparkled.

'So they were studying Mutes here too. Given that this is their main base, it might be on a larger scale than the baron's underground laboratory.'

Ding!

[Mutation Rampage activated. Consuming blood.]

Sizzle!

The professor's body began to dry out, and a red mist started to emanate from him. Rakshasha wrapped his body in threads, protecting him as she surveyed the surroundings.

'This place... is a laboratory?'

The ceiling had collapsed, revealing a grotesque space. Specimens of various creatures were stored everywhere, bottles of unknown reagents lined the shelves, and various knives were scattered around. It looked exactly like the professor's description of the baron's laboratory.

Bang!

From the opposite side of the laboratory, a massive water spray shot up, along with debris from the building. Isaac, surrounded by a thick water barrier, had his disciples and the tower's mana source behind him. Two of the mages had apparently been crushed by the debris during the fall.

Isaac redirected the water barrier back to the mana source and said,

"Standard. If a mage constructs an environment, change the battlefield. Have you studied magical battles? Or... did you sense it instinctively? You are one of the queen's masterpieces, after all."

Click, click, click!

Isaac quickly formed a seal before Rakshasha's attack was complete. Losing the constructed environment wasn't just a problem for Isaac. Rakshasha quickly tried to disrupt his spell with her threads, but Isaac was faster.

"Vortiger's [Heavy Rain]"

"....!"

The spell was cast, and small droplets of water, imbued with the insight of 'high pressure,' shot out from the water sphere behind Isaac, tearing through the laboratory like a living swarm.

Crack!

"Ugh!"

The Heavy Rain chased after Rakshasha, destroying everything it touched. Bottles of reagents shattered, releasing smoke, and even the sturdy metal lab tables, bookshelves filled with research materials, and antique lighting fixtures were torn apart.

Crack!

The bodies of unknown Mutes were also torn to pieces, their fragments scattering and blood misting into the air. The small droplets of blood began to move against gravity, converging towards a single point.

The thin threads of Mute blood were heading towards a white cocoon fixed to the ceiling.

Whoosh!

Both Isaac, who had been attacking Rakshasha like a predator, and Rakshasha, who had been desperately trying to disrupt his spells by leaping around the walls and ceiling, suddenly turned their attention to one corner of the laboratory. The blood from the dozens of Mute corpses was flowing in one direction.

"What is this...?"

"Hmm. A new ability? Yes, I was disappointed by your performance as a talking Mute. But it seems you can't be killed so easily!"

Soon, the last droplet of blood in the laboratory was absorbed, and the red cocoon turned white again, dispersing to reveal a figure.

"Phew... Haah."

The first breath, deep and resonant, was like a resurrected corpse smelling the earth after death.

The professor, who had been examining his dried and injured hands and feet, said in disbelief,

"This is... 'outside'?"

His eyes, filled with the joy of a prisoner finally released into the world, began to sparkle.

***