Chapter 94

At the end of the ruins (1)

"You must be Bani."

Before answering, Renok pressed his earphones to send a signal to Hina and the rest of his allies. It was a signal confirming Craig's presence.

With this, Chaeja should be able to enter the inner part of the cave and support the allies.

If possible, he wished Joon would quickly deal with the situation and come down to help capture the guy, but Renok didn't have high hopes for that.

"Do you know me?"

"I've heard a lot about you. You're known as the most persistent pest who interferes with my work."

While the black robe with intricate magic arrays fluttered, he began to walk slowly to the side.

Was his attitude a display of confidence, or a hint of arrogance?

Craig, with his hands behind his back, looked up at the cave ceiling and muttered.

"Shall we talk a bit?"

Kwaang!!

Instead of answering, Renok dropped a ball of fire on his head.

It was obvious that he was trying to buy time, but Renok wasn't stupid enough to fall for it.

If he couldn't erase the magic array, he would have to kill the caster directly.

However, Craig's voice from the other side of the rising smoke was surprisingly intact for someone who had just been attacked.

"An impatient kid. But it's too late."

Wooong!!

With those words, the magic arrays drawn around Renok's cave began to vibrate roughly and rotate slowly.

"‘Self-Domain’—a domain said to be accessible only to a select few among mages who have reached the 6th level or higher, those with innate talent... This is the result of artificially constructing such a domain. Before the spell is activated, both the caster and the magic array are protected by powerful security spells."

Self-Domain. An important keyword.

Could this be a clue to the strange pressure he felt when facing the black mages of the Heavenly Eye or the Demon Extermination Bureau?

There was almost no information on the combat styles of high-level mages, so he had no chance to ask Alice.

Thinking that he should ask her later, Renok quickly gathered his thoughts.

"Before the spell is activated..."

In other words, once the spell starts to activate, there will be no protection.

It seemed like a difficult condition, but if he could get such strong security spells with just that condition, it was a good deal.

The time and cost to build such an infrastructure must have been considerable.

While pulling back his mana, Renok nodded.

'...Should I shake him a bit more?'

There was no need to reveal that he was completely ignorant about domains.

Here, it was better to let it pass naturally and divert his attention.

"Are you so confident that your spatial security spells will protect you? I know you're planning something to oppose Balkan. We've prepared a strategy to match it."

While speaking, a hollow laugh escaped him, despite the obvious and poor provocation.

But precisely because of that, it made him want to refute it.

And as expected, Craig reacted.

"Are you talking about something like this?"

Buuuung!!

With those words, something appeared behind Craig.

A large skewer with limbs pierced through, the body twisted grotesquely.

The broken glasses and aged face were contorted in horrific pain, and the eyes bulged and hardened.

A familiar face. The executioner who had spoken with Renok just before the operation began.

It was Nero Cohen.

"......"

"You seemed to think you could avoid my eyes. After passing the labor camp, you tried to peek inside the cave."

Craig said, tapping Nero's head with his index finger.

With that light touch, Nero's head swayed like a pendulum.

Sticky, hardened blood dripped in rhythm.

"You were confident in your stealth, but you made the mistake of entering the sensory range of a mage who had established a domain. Poor you."

He continued to push Nero's head, then clenched his fist and struck it.

Kuung!!

The skewered corpse fell helplessly to the ground.

Though he had been talking normally just a few hours ago, Renok didn't blink as he asked.

He couldn't afford to show any signs of being shaken here.

"How far do you intend to go? Do you plan to race until the city collapses, holding onto the Raycen's slush fund?"

"Race? You're spouting nonsense."

Craig glared at him with a heavy gaze.

"That old man's slush fund wasn't our idea!!"

"......"

"Despite holding the title of the city council's mouthpiece, you didn't even know the date of the inspection decided by the senators. Who was it that, while trying to hide the slush fund, dumped it on us and pretended it was none of their business? That wasn't what I wanted!!"

His voice, which filled the cave and echoed loudly, became rough, revealing the extent of the anger hidden beneath his heavy expression.

At the same time, the black mana that burst from the magic array surged and quickly enveloped the surroundings in darkness.

"Huuu, huuu......!!"

In the center of the cave, which had turned black, Craig breathed heavily and spoke in a calm voice.

"I can accept failing while chasing an unattainable goal. But I can't disappear just because of some old man's greed."

Wooong!!

The mana rotated. At the same time, the magic array began to glow darkly and vibrate slowly.

"I just wanted to do a little better."

To that desperate persuasion, Renok replied.

"Even at the cost of innocent lives?"

The two mages turned their heads and faced each other.

Kwaang!!

An explosion.

Amid the deafening roar, Renok said,

"I think I can do it."

Even without such grandiose self-justification, Renok understood Craig.

It's natural to struggle to survive and not be sacrificed to someone else's greed.

Regardless of the sacrifices made in the process, or how many innocent people were killed.

Renok thought Craig's actions were justified.

This place is not a solemn court of justice.

It's just two people who have flowed out to the outskirts of the city in pursuit of their own gains, finally facing each other.

Therefore, Renok understood all of Craig's outcries, but at the same time felt they were futile.

Even if Renok deeply empathized with Craig's ideology, it wouldn't change their positions.

There is no good or evil here.

Only honest desires and plausible justifications to hide them.

Only the one who stands last on this magic array will grasp the conclusion beyond it.

Further dialogue was unnecessary.

[Lightning Vortex]

Wiiiiing!!

A swirling blue lightning current shot out from Renok's left arm, rotating and heading straight for the black mana wave.

Puuueng!!

The extreme piercing force concentrated at a single point broke through the wave, widening it and nullifying Craig's preemptive strike.

Paat!!

And beyond the dissipating mana waves, Craig's figure charged forward.

A face painted with anger and streaked white hair.

But his movements were well-trained enough to make Renok turn his gaze.

Regardless of being a black mage himself, it was clear that he was also a seasoned fighter.

His fist, charged with surging mana, shattered Renok's shield and approached his vital points in an instant.

Kwajijik!!

Without blinking, Renok drew his revolver from his waist.

[Chamber Acceleration]

[Aim Correction]

[High-Speed Shooting]

Tatatatang!!

Pulling the trigger, he fired four rounds in quick succession.

The flames that erupted from his waist as he drew the revolver hit the exact spots Renok wanted.

Although he used auxiliary magic, they were all types that didn't significantly affect the shooting power.

Puuueng!!

But Craig's body, struck by the bullets, was pushed back helplessly as if hit by a massive shockwave.

The shock magic he had pre-attached to the bullets had propelled Craig backward faster than magic.

While quickly reloading the next round, Renok slowly retreated.

"I didn't expect you to charge directly."

Muttering, he quickly thought.

Craig, a master of black magic, wouldn't be unaware of this. Why did he launch such a quick preemptive strike?

'He doesn't want even a moment's interference.'

From the moment he realized the reason, the scenery around him began to look different.

Craig intended to engage Renok directly to prevent him from interfering with this operation.

"I already know the extent of your capacity. You must be looking far beyond what a mage like me can even imagine."

While burning the black mana in his hands, Craig spoke.

Hwarruruk!!

The mana flames that rose from both hands slowly enveloped Craig's entire body, transforming into a living flame of life.

"Your unique combat style, neutralizing close combat with shield magic and inserting precise shots between spells. The contradictory strength you possess is not due to your magical talent, but to your remarkably calm and rational judgment."

"......"

"But if I can nullify your shield at close range, your combat style will collapse along with it."

Without replying, Renok silently raised his revolver.

He mustn't waver. The opponent is a seasoned mage who has seen it all.

If he really had a way to break through the shield, it would be more efficient to attack directly rather than talk.

The correct interpretation was that Craig was laying the groundwork for a psychological battle.

Regardless of the truth of his words, it was right to judge based on the flow of his attacks.

'Even if I judge, it's not too late now.'

Gradually, he began to see beyond the give-and-take of combat.

A new ability, entirely different from innate magical talent or temperament, began to emerge from his intellect and experience.

For someone who had maintained combat balance with only coldness and boldness, he was now developing the discernment to measure the gaps in battle.

It was a perspective granted only to those who constantly crossed the line between life and death, something an ordinary mage could never possess, and even a seasoned warrior could hardly hone.

The moment Renok's intense will and firm judgment intertwined with the mana in his gaze, his eyes glowed a deep blue.

As if sensing that gaze, Craig's body shot forward like a black lightning bolt.

Breakthrough.

And collision.

Kwaang!!

A dense shockwave, along with the dust from the quarry, turned into a gray wind and scattered in all directions.

The shield, which could withstand the power of heavy artillery, shattered, and the distance between the two quickly closed.

There was plenty of time to react, and he could think of dozens of ways to counter.

Therefore, Renok watched Craig's attacks until the last moment, and moved the instant his bare body was exposed as the shield shattered completely.

He rebuilt the shattered shield in a single breath.

Kwaang!!

Recalling the mana he had shot upward and slamming it down,

Kwajijik!!

He used a spiral of wind to sweep Craig's legs and rob him of his mobility.

Catching the blood spray with his shield, he condensed mana into a sphere and rammed it into the wound.

Bursting the compressed air at his ear, he raised a shadow to blind Craig and struck him with a shock spell.

Dudududud!!

"....!!!"

An relentless assault.

Not only did he deprive Craig of his senses, but he also manipulated all the senses that could feel pain.

The moment he tried to counter an attack from one side, Renok struck an unexpected angle, exploiting the exposed gap.

A fierce struggle to tear each other's throats. But in the process, only Craig's body danced like a puppet without a destination.

Blood storms swept in all directions, but only one person's body gradually turned red.

He didn't let his guard down. He didn't become complacent.

Wasn't it for this very moment that he had so painstakingly roamed outside the city, searching for the locations of black mages and preventing crimes that threatened the city?

While freely manipulating the dozens of mana threads extending from his hands, as if handling a delicate glass ornament, Renok's concentration never wavered.