thebusnovel Chapter 482
Chapter 482
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
Chapter 482
The uninhabited island where the Fist Saint, Yoo Sowon, had gone missing looked severely wrong at a glance.
“What in the world is that…….”
The trees spread across the island had been contaminated, covered in grotesque slime that continuously emitted poisonous fumes.
And from the center of the island, an ominous violet light flickered, creating a sinister vortex.
“The number of those monster bastards exceeds imagination. To think they were hiding this many…….”
The island’s location was farther from the coastal city than expected.
That was probably why it had not been properly discovered.
“Damn Abelgard. If that old man had been here, we could’ve cleaned out a huge chunk before starting.”
Spear Saint Bellion muttered irritably as he released a savage aura.
“Leon. We’ll open a path. In the meantime, you should get in—”
Without answering the proposal, Leon slowly lifted himself into the air.
At the same time, Baril, wreathed in blazing starlight, moved rapidly as if trying to leave the domain.
“You! What are you trying to do?!”
“I’ll reduce the numbers first. Elders. Once they’re cleaned up to a degree, after that I’ll leave it to you directly.”
“Ah.”
Only then did they seem to remember that Leon could use magic too, and Battle Saint let out a hollow sigh.
“Please don’t get hurt no matter what, and if it gets dangerous, fire the signal flare immediately.”
At those words, Leon’s right hand, floating in midair, stretched upward toward the sky.
Wooooong…… Wooooong…….
The elemental mana moving unstably inside his body began to surge violently as though rampaging.
The Stars stared blankly at the sight.
A world that had turned pure white.
At the center of that world, only a small-framed boy existed in perfect isolation.
Then, the instant a tiny spark spreading from his hand burst forth, the light dyeing the world white was ripped apart in an instant.
And it became gigantic branches of lightning that poured down like raindrops.
Kwarrrrrrroooom!! KWAANG!!
Watching Leon’s thunderbolts burn and shatter everything without leaving even the slightest chance to escape, Azure Saint Algran Tevne let out a short gasp.
“If Archmage Abelgard had seen that sight…… what would he have thought?”
Emptiness?
Reverence?
Complex thoughts arose, but one thing was certain.
Those emotions were likely what most of the Stars present here were feeling.
Leon Cascadia was endlessly alien.
In matters between people, he showed the look of a young boy befitting his age, but when it came to battle, he displayed movements that they did not even dare try to judge.
“I once drank with that brat and had a conversation with him. He said lightning magic was his specialty.”
Even so, wasn’t that excessive?
It was not something that could be called talent.
If that were called talent, then the word itself would insult both those who strive and those who possess talent.
His exterior was that of a young boy.
Yet inside him was something fully matured, something whose years even they could not estimate.
To begin with, he wielded a sword, commanded spirits, used necromancy, and on top of that used magic too?
What kind of insane human being could possibly do all of that?
It would be fortunate enough if his body did not explode.
“I sometimes think that bastard isn’t human.”
“Sometimes? I think that all the time. How is that human?”
Watching the magic violently tear apart the world, the Sword Saint gripped his sword.
“Are you afraid, Osberg?”
At Spear Saint Bellion’s question, he shook his head and grinned.
“It’d be ridiculous to say I feel competitive spirit, wouldn’t it.”
He drew his sword.
“Let’s go. We still have a long road ahead of us, do we not?”
As Sword Saint Osberg leapt from Baril’s back and descended toward a small island near the central island, the other Stars let out hollow laughs before rapidly beginning their descent as well.
“Right. That’s the old geezer for you.”
“As if the temper from his younger days would disappear. Let’s go too!”
“That young fellow’s trying to save the world. How can us old folks just sit still!”
Even a terrifying grand spell that looked capable of dyeing the world in despair became endlessly reassuring if it was on their side.
That thought applied consistently to everyone.
* * *
-Kiiiiiiik…….
-Pasusususus.
The grotesque lifeforms burning away while making noises that were neither screams nor anything else had once been human.
However, those who had become like that were essentially no different from zombies.
The dead could not be revived.
Even Luna, who possessed greater power regarding healing than anyone else, was no exception.
The tentacle crawling all the way to my feet lost strength and drooped limply.
There was no soul.
They had already died, and their souls had likely been torn to pieces and devoured.
It did not feel good.
I walked toward the ominous violet energy shining from the center of the uninhabited island.
I could clearly feel that the elemental mana had become abnormal because of the grand spell from earlier.
Even so, a smile formed.
It was a powerful sign of Limit Breakthrough.
Like the signs of muscle pain after exercising too hard.
Even when I burned my life fighting inside another dimension through Michael and Gabriel, I had never experienced such a massive reaction.
That didn’t mean my limits had lowered and I had become weaker.
It felt somewhat different from that.
Infinite Breakthrough.
That was probably the cause.
In a sense, it was similar to the [Adaptation] I possessed, but the method was slightly different.
Adaptation did not assist in breaking limits; it evolved the body so that no matter the situation, it could accomplish what it sought to do.
From the perspective of that Adaptation, the process of breaking through my limits now would probably question whether there was any need to go this far in the first place.
Infinite Breakthrough was displaying extreme synergy that filled in those gaps.
Srrrng…….
The Demon Sword Elekstra drawn into my grasp hummed loudly.
As though urging me to use it quickly.
Yog.
I don’t know what you’re trying to do, but this incident will become the greatest mistake of your life.
* * *
Not all the grotesque monsters roaming the uninhabited island had died.
As I cut down the monsters slithering out one by one from wherever they had been hiding while heading toward the center of the island, a question arose in my mind.
There was no enemy threatening enough to take down the Fist Saint Yoo Sowon.
Nor were there any strange phenomena.
Then what exactly had caused him to go missing?
The answer would be at that center.
Gwoooooooo…….
It was then.
Something gigantic began moving beneath the sea, and soon I saw it heading somewhere.
At a glance, it was something comparable to a Demon Beast King, not an ordinary monster.
They hid something like that too?
“But where is that thing going right now?”
[Judging by the direction, it is heading toward the western port city of Gelion.]
“Then it’s fine.”
There were already plenty of monsters stationed over there.
Though all the Stars had come here, R’lyeh still remained there.
And in R’lyeh were Luna, Isna, and even Lispa, along with the Four Emperors holding the line.
One Demon Beast King was nowhere near enough to cause problems.
Paaang!!
As I advanced through the forest tracking the traces, I felt as though I had passed through a strange curtain.
At the same time, the scenery of the world changed.
A dreadful space filled with crimson mist.
A world where nothing felt normal.
I had seen it before.
When hunting Nemesis.
And just like when I met Sullivan.
This was the boundary with the Outer Dimension.
Only then did I understand.
“This bastard. He was trying to expand his influence by converting this entire area into an Outer Dimension.”
To increase the range his power could reach.
Well.
This was something I should have anticipated enough.
Even so, it was puzzling.
“There are still two cores intact…… just what method did he use?”
No matter how I thought about it, the bastard’s area of activity and the sheer number of his forces were too excessive.
We still hadn’t found Yoo Sowon, the Heaven-Splitting True Man, or the abducted territory residents.
What the hell was going on?
It was then.
Something gigantic moved within the crimson mist.
The instant I reflexively drew my sword and pointed it there, yellow beastly eyes flickered from within the red mist.
A beast of the Outer Dimension?
A higher-ranking entity.
It had already spread its influence this far?
A powerful existence was more than welcome, but the fact that even something like that had revealed itself clearly meant the situation was serious.
It was then.
The golden eyes suddenly lost focus and staggered before disappearing beyond the red mist.
More precisely, it collapsed.
KUUUNG!!!
Along with a tremendous sound, someone revealed themselves from within the mist.
Blue skin and gigantic stature.
The only ally remaining in the Outer Dimension, and the being who had once been my enemy.
Sullivan, King of the Fallen Nation.
It seemed he was the one who had killed the monster in the mist.
“Sullivan.”
“Comrade. Why have you returned to this place once more?”
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
His condition could not be called good even as an empty courtesy.
None of the knights who once followed him were visible.
“Keugh…….”
He dropped to one knee and supported himself with his weapon.
At a glance, his injuries looked severe.
“Hey…… hey! Why do you look like that! Breathe, damn it, breathe!”
“Keheok…… Kkuluk!”
After coughing up a mouthful of blood, he touched the wound in his abdomen.
The color of the blood had changed.
Poisoning?
No, contamination.
“Hey…… Sullivan.”
“My apologies, comrade. I’ve become quite the pathetic sight.”
“What happened? Why are you here?”
“That monster bastard. He is trying to consume your homeland. I was delaying his advance.”
“Your subordinates?”
He answered with silence.
Unfortunately, it seemed he had now become the only being left in the Outer Dimension opposing the Outer God.
A bitter feeling arose.
Sullivan was originally a being of the Outer Dimension.
In the beginning, the Outer Dimension had not been such a corrupted world.
But after Yog consumed the world and destroyed everything, it became like this.
If Lazarus Continent was consumed by him too, it would not escape the same fate.
“First, let’s treat you—”
GRAB!!
His gauntleted hand tightly seized my arm.
“Listen. Comrade. That monster bastard commanded his subordinates to capture the humans of your world. He intends to refine their blood to perform a massive ritual. I cannot confirm whether they still live.”
I had a bad feeling about this.
“How the hell did that bastard pull something like this off?”
“There is… a traitor in that dimension. Remember this, comrade. This invasion was not something that monster bastard intended. He merely took advantage of the opportunity once the stage had been set. Something… is using both that monster and you, comrade.”
What kind of lunatic could—
For something like that to be possible, it could not be an ordinary existence…….
Then I suddenly noticed that one side of Sullivan’s armor was dented inward.
“Hey. Who did this to you?”
Marks caved in by a fist.
It was clearly different from the work of an Outer God or one of its subordinates.
“I do not know exactly. However. It was a human possessing tremendous power. His clothing…… was slightly different from yours. It resembled a long robe. Comrade. You must not lower your guard. He appeared exceedingly dangerous. An endlessly dangerous aura poured forth around him.”
The moment I heard his explanation, someone’s title immediately came to mind.
To begin with, considering Sullivan’s explanation and the current situation, there was only one possible target.
“The Heaven-Splitting True Man.”
The Fist Saint.
The greatest martial artist in the Eastern Continent.
A respected being who practiced chivalry and righteousness, and one who bore the title of Star.
From what I’d heard, among the Stars, he possessed nearly the highest martial prowess.
And he…….
Was the traitor?
Did that even make sense in the first place?
What would he even know?
“He…… did this to you?”
“I had no time to react. He was undoubtedly a powerful warrior. After exchanging several moves with me, he departed somewhere. Be careful, comrade. He was already contaminated.”
Contaminated…… then that meant he wasn’t the traitor.
Then who the hell was it?
I handed him a recovery potion.
“You’ve worked hard, Sullivan. Drink this and rest. And if possible, you should leave this place now too.”
“No. This is my homeland. Until even a handful of my bones are ground into dust, I shall burn that bastard who destroyed my homeland.”
Well, just as Yog was restricted and rejected on the Lazarus Continent—
The same applied to Sullivan, who was originally a being of the Outer Dimension.
Regardless of his intentions.
“Someday. We’ll kill that bastard and return this land to how it once was.”
Even though it was impossible, I still spoke the empty reassurance.
“Ha. What a laughable tale, comrade. All that remains within me is vengeance against that bastard who enslaved our people.”
Poor bastard…….
After guarding the surroundings while he rested briefly, I began moving under his guidance.
There was no one who knew this space better than Sullivan.
And then, I saw him.
Yoo Sowon, the Fist Saint, tearing apart monsters barehanded while dragging around an unknown violet energy.
The first to react was Sullivan.
“Comrade, be careful. It is him.”
“Elder Fist Saint. What happened to you?”
At my call, his movements stopped.
Then he slowly turned around, and extreme rage could be felt in his eyes.
“So you still remained. Servant of the monsters.”
A horrifying bloodlust became fighting spirit and fiercely crushed the surroundings.
“I’ll tear apart and devour all of you. You bastards who took everything from me.”
The reason he had gone missing seemed to be because he had become contaminated after entering this place.
So that was why Sullivan had made such a fuss…….
His movements were abnormal.
A unique constitution?
Simply being exposed to Outer Dimension energy should not make someone that strong.
[There is an extremely low probability that he possesses a constitution accustomed to Outer Dimension energy, or that his body underwent changes due to a similar experience in the past.]
‘Then usually, it’d be the latter.’
Sullivan stepped in front of me as though trying to stop him, but my hand halted him.
“Comrade?”
“Just watch.”
I tossed the sword in my hand into subspace, then clenched and unclenched both fists.
[Analyzing the target’s body.]
[The target’s contamination is abnormal. Because the body is not a typical case, if you can subdue him and extract the Outer Dimension energy, it seems possible to restore him.]
Thanks for the judgment.
Guess I can’t even call you defective anymore.
“Elder, I’m the type who definitely respects the elderly.”
“…….”
“But if I’ve lived longer than you, then it’s not elder abuse, right?”
Though even if I said that, he wouldn’t hear it anyway.
First, I save him.
After taking my stance, I simultaneously charged toward him.
His heavy fist and my own collided head-on.
At the same time, his arm moved like a snake, creating Taiji as he tried to exploit the gaps in my posture.
People really do think alike.
As if I wouldn’t know that.
Paaang!!
I slightly twisted my arm and forcibly jammed disharmony into his flow.
Yoo Sowon hurriedly tried to counterattack, but—
You’re still blocked by the wall.
My arm shot out in an instant, suppressing his flow and forcibly dragging control over to my side.
He stepped back, trying to naturally reorganize himself like flowing water.
But the more he responded to my attacks, the wider the openings became.
The world I forced into place crushed, consumed, and trampled his mental image one piece at a time while establishing its own presence.
It was true that he was strong, but how much had I accumulated all this time?
Even if I had not broken through to the Extreme, the power of a Grandmaster was still the power of a Grandmaster.
“Hup!”
JJEEEEONG!!!!
“?!”
Even contaminated, perhaps some level of reason still remained for judgment.
I thrust my hand toward his face like lightning as his eyes widened in surprise.
He crossed both arms to block the approach of my arm, but my hand slithered through like a snake and grabbed his face as though hooking it, lifting him into the air.
I felt an incredibly faint change in the aura wildly circulating inside my body.
Symptoms of Limit Breakthrough?
Already?
I knew how absurd it was for a huge crack to form in the wall blocking the path toward the Extreme, but then again, when had the Book of Genesis ever been normal?
The synergy between what I had accumulated in Labyrinthos and the Book of Genesis was astonishing.
Of course, separate from my surprise, my body moved as though it possessed its own will.
Now!
“Elder. This might sting a little. If it hurts, raise your hand.”
KWAAAAAAANG!!!!
With a tremendous roar, he crashed into the ruined earth.
His right arm trembled as it slowly rose.
“Ah. I said just raise your hand.”
Thud.
His hand fell limply.
Sullivan stared at me with wide eyes, then awkwardly lowered his sword and cleared his throat as though embarrassed.
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]