Chapter 483: Descent (1)
[Black Magic: Parasite]
[Druidic Magic: Rapid Growth]
Oliver simultaneously cast black magic and a druidic spell.
As he chanted, the black magic he held and the green natural power stored in the tree branch blended and erupted in a radiant explosion.
The black-green energy infused into the dark red branch, absorbing all the energy within the Intestine Creature.
This was the effect of the black magic, Parasite.
The dark red branch absorbed not only the emotions and life force composing the Intestine Creature, but also the corpse and even the soul. With this energy as nourishment, the branch rapidly grew, spreading its roots in all directions.
Shooaaah!
The roots of the branch left bumpy traces as they radiated outward along the ground, climbing the walls and reaching the ceiling, encompassing the entire space.
The thickly extending roots absorbed even more nutrients, forming smaller roots that completely took over the Intestine Creature.
However, this was only the preparation phase.
[Black Magic: Frostbite]
[Ice Magic: Frozen Ground]
Using the dark red branch as a medium, Oliver cast both disease-type black magic and ice magic simultaneously.
The merged magic emitted a brilliant light, spreading outward through the dark red branch and injecting a poisonous coldness throughout the Intestine Creature, as if it were a deadly toxin.
Crack, crack...
The cold quickly spread along the roots, freezing the damp and slimy intestines down to the cellular level, and forming ice flowers on the surface, which gleamed like mirrors.
In an instant, Oliver had seized control of the entire space.
[What do you think you’re doing…?]
Panicked, Pan's voice echoed. Using that voice as a cue, shadows containing Pan's power rushed from all directions, aiming to engulf Oliver.
Their intent was clear: to crush him before he could perform any further tricks.
However, they were one step too late.
[Icefall Lightning]
As the shadow creatures closed in, Oliver chanted again.
The dark red branch, infused with two types of disease-type black magic, a druidic spell, and an ice magic, received an additional injection of electric-type magic, which spread rapidly in all directions.
The electric magic flickered with its characteristic blue light, traveling along the tree roots, illuminating the dark underground cavern for a brief moment.
Crackle! Crackle…
Electricity wriggled like snakes across the icy surface, followed by a burst, as if light bulbs were shattering, and cold white lightning surged up in front of Oliver.
...!!!
A deafening roar tore through the air, and many of the shadow creatures threatening Oliver instantly turned to ice dust and disintegrated.
Their bodies shattered from the sudden blast of cold and lightning.
Even the shapeless darkness seemed wounded, with large holes forming as if pierced by bullets.
The speed and power of the lightning halted all the creatures, and for them, this was a fatal mistake… Although even if they had moved, the outcome wouldn’t have changed.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The sounds of explosions echoed continuously as calamity erupted across the underground cavern, from top to bottom, left to right, and right to left.
White lightning shot out from the ice mirrors that had formed everywhere, piercing the shapeless darkness and reducing the physical creatures to ice powder, sweeping them away.
The overwhelming speed, range, and power of the lightning erased the creatures like an eraser rubbing out pencil marks.
In mere seconds, the dozens of creatures had been reduced to a single digit, and the darkness that had covered the entire area now resembled Swiss cheese, riddled with holes and failing to do its job.
Thanks to this, Oliver was able to look around and confirm the positions and conditions of his companions.
‘They were closer than I thought.’
Oliver observed his surroundings as the darkness receded.
As expected, while the underground cavern was undoubtedly spacious, it wasn’t as vast as he had initially thought, and his companions were not that far away either.
Just a stone’s throw away, perhaps?
It seemed the thick darkness had distorted their senses. Quite intriguing, indeed.
The fact that mere darkness could restrict vision to such a degree and distort perception so thoroughly suggested a unique understanding of darkness.
“Kya-hahaha!”
A shadow creature, terrified by the merciless lightning tearing through the surroundings, grabbed Pinkman as a hostage.
Even those who couldn’t understand the creature’s language could see it was trying to threaten them, and for Oliver, who understood the creature’s words, it was even clearer.
Pinkman spoke resolutely, his resolve shining through.
“I am–”
–Bang!
Before he could finish, a bolt of white lightning struck, turning the creature into ice dust without harming Pinkman at all.
Oliver called out to everyone.
“Please, everyone, stay where you are.”
With the darkness dispersed, Oliver’s voice reached everyone clearly, and upon hearing his words, even Pinkman and the Holy Knight remained still.
They knew that following Oliver’s command was the right choice at this moment.
As soon as everyone stopped moving, Oliver exerted his control over the lightning surrounding the area through the dark red branch. The lightning rampaging everywhere exploded, engulfing the entire space in white lightning, except for the area where his companions stood. It was as if he was painting the space with lines of light.
━━━━━━━!!!
An indescribable thunderous sound consumed all other noise underground, causing the ground to tremble as a bright white light spread in all directions.
After a brief moment, a ringing echo filled the air, and the world, dyed in white, gradually regained its original colors.
The underground cavern had been frozen solid, with the creatures turned to ice dust and not a single ally harmed.
“This is insane… Such precise bombardment magic!”
Ricky, the disheveled leader of the Pinkman team, exclaimed in awe at Oliver’s power.
Considering the urgency of the situation, with the demonic ritual still in progress, his remark could have been seen as frivolous, but it also underscored the extraordinary nature of Oliver’s skill.
In fact, the black magic, shamanic spells, and magical techniques Oliver had just demonstrated were enough to turn the academic world upside down, even without an understanding of the intricacies involved. The sheer power was remarkable.
It was as if he were firing bombs from a machine gun, precisely hitting only the intended targets. In other words, it was utterly unbelievable.
However, that was precisely how he had managed to turn the unfavorable situation around in an instant.
“You flatter me.”
“I’m serious.”
“So am I.”
Oliver politely declined Ricky’s compliment. He wasn’t merely being modest.
Because despite the combined power of the black magic, shamanic spells, and lightning, he had still failed to disrupt the ritual taking place in the center of the underground cavern.
The great bonfire fueled by human logs continued to burn, and the people with their hair grabbed by the roots were still beating drums and dancing.
It wasn’t that Oliver had refrained from attacking that area.
He had tried to sweep it away along with the creatures, as his mission took priority, but his efforts were in vain.
He couldn’t even leave a scorch mark.
Just to be sure, Oliver directed another lightning bolt at the ritual through the ice mirrors, but it was swallowed up by the distorted space and the black smoke emanating from it, disappearing soundlessly.
Oliver then addressed his bewildered companions, who were staring at the scene.
“It seems that stopping this ritual with external force is impossible. Do any of the Holy Knights know how to halt it?”
The Holy Knights remained silent, including even Anselm, who, despite his age and leadership, kept his mouth tightly shut, his emotions in turmoil.
It was somewhat surprising, but not entirely unexpected.
After all, the recent summoning of a demon was the first official occurrence since Laville.
The act of summoning demons itself had long since entered the realm of myth rather than reality.
It was unrealistic to expect a method to counter something that belonged to the domain of legend.
‘Still, the Church has been around for a long time, so it's strange they don’t know… Or maybe not? Even the demon-related books I managed to obtain were full of obscure details. Would the one performing the ritual know more?’
Oliver grew curious and decided to find out by manipulating the ice mirrors scattered around, sending a bolt of white lightning toward a hidden corner.
The lightning pierced the air with a tearing sound, striking what appeared to be empty space.
The lightning emitted a bright light before vanishing, and the distorted air shattered, revealing Pan, who had been hiding beneath it.
Pan's warbonnet and throne were reduced to white ashes, and his face was covered in ice dust, making him look like a chimney sweep.
However, even in that state, he was in better condition than his shadow lying collapsed beside him. The shadow's condition was visibly dire. After expending its strength in battle, its life force and magic power were almost completely depleted. On top of that, a disease-type black magic infection from the blood-colored dagger had worsened, affecting its appearance, and parts of its body had disintegrated from the lightning strikes. It was on the brink of crumbling away completely, a testament to its efforts to protect Pan during the fight.
Yet, Pan showed no signs of concern for his shadow. Whether he was unaware or simply indifferent, he spoke to his shadow in a cold voice.
"Useless..."
Already weakened, the shadow was deeply affected by Pan's words, collapsing entirely. Without hesitation, Pan began to dismantle the fallen shadow, reshaping it into a new creature.
The shadow, now without a mouth, stretched out a hand toward Oliver and the others, as if pleading for help, but it soon disintegrated at a molecular level and disappeared.
Strangely enough, this sight left all those present feeling a visceral sense of revulsion. Even the Holy Knights frowned as they watched.
"What are you all staring at? Just moments ago, you were slaughtering creatures without hesitation."
The newly formed shadow-creature remarked as Pan spoke.
"This is my creation! ...If I choose to reclaim its life, what problem do you have with that?"
Logically, his words were sound. A creature was a construct summoned by a sorcerer for a specific purpose, and once its use was fulfilled, it was only practical to dispose of it. Even black magic texts advised using creatures temporarily and discarding them afterward to prevent the creature from developing too much of a will, which could pose a danger.
Considering this, Pan's actions were rational, calculated, and seemingly the right decision.
Still, something felt off. It was hard to explain, but there was an unsettling quality about it.
"Do you think you've won?!"
Pan shouted at Oliver, who was lost in thought.
"Do you think you've beaten me just because you're stronger?! ...If I had my greatest masterpiece here, you wouldn't stand a chance!"
"He's insane..."
"He's acting like a child."
"How can someone like that be called a 'Finger'?"
Several members of Pinkman's team frowned at Pan's outburst, dismissing his words as nonsense. At this point, the battle had already been decided, and his ranting didn't befit someone with the prestigious title of 'Finger.'
However, there was a peculiar sincerity in Pan's words.
"What exactly is this masterpiece you're talking about?"
Oliver asked.
"It's..."
"That's not important right now!"
Anselm interrupted their conversation, pointing his sword at Pan.
"Stop the ritual immediately. If you don’t, I'll cut off your head."
Despite the chipped sword and his own injuries, Anselm's warning carried authority. He held back from attacking outright, considering the unpredictable situation.
Pan, however, merely scoffed.
"As expected of a Holy Knight, blinded by the light. You don’t really know anything, do you? The ritual may have started, but it cannot be stopped."
"He's telling the truth," Oliver added, discerning Pan's emotions.
The others reacted with shock and despair, realizing they were standing beside a bomb that couldn’t be defused.
It was a troubling situation, but Oliver found it not entirely unwelcome. While he had intended to stop the ritual, if that proved impossible, then observing it for research would also satisfy his curiosity. After all, what choice did they have?
"Why can't it be stopped?"
Oliver asked Pan, who responded more readily than expected.
"Because that's how a ritual works. You’ve encountered a demon, haven’t you? You truly don’t know?"
"No, I don’t."
At Oliver's answer, those nearby looked at him, surprised by the revelation that he was a black magician who had encountered a demon before.
"A ritual is merely the minimum requirement. The true essence of demon summoning is capturing the attention of the demon itself."
"Oh," Oliver exclaimed, genuinely impressed. It was a fascinating revelation.
Until now, he had believed that performing a ritual and offering sacrifices were the most critical factors, but hearing that they were merely minimum requirements upended his understanding.
However, he wasn’t upset. After all, failure was a form of learning, and more importantly, Pan's explanation was captivating.
It made sense. After all, there were countless instances where rituals and sacrifices didn’t successfully summon a demon. If Pan's words were true, then it all fit together.
The ritual was merely the minimum requirement, while the important factor was attracting the demon's attention.
This raised a new question.
"Then why is the demon paying attention here?"
"There are several reasons."
Standing atop the ashes of his burnt throne, Pan spoke confidently.
"This land is one of sin. It's a place soaked in blood and greed, where the Red-skinned were sacrificed to create a magic stone mine."
"..."
"The second reason is the sacrificial offering. That girl lying there may not look like it now, but she was once a princess of a once-flourishing tribe, now long extinct and forgotten."
Oliver looked at the girl lying atop the large drum, her belly swollen like a pregnant woman's, while the rest of her body was emaciated and withered.
"And, of course, there's also the presence of an artifact that facilitates demon summoning in this place."
"An artifact?"
"Oh, nothing significant. But aren't you curious about the third and most crucial reason?"
"Yes, I am."
Pan pointed at himself.
"The third reason is me. Because a prince is here."
"...What kind of prince are you?"
"A prince of Hell… Now enough of this, reveal yourself!"
Pan suddenly shouted.
With that, an eerie stillness descended, and all sounds seemed to disappear.
The Red-skinned people who had been dancing stopped in unison, standing still.
Sensing a spine-chilling danger, Oliver instinctively tried to unleash white lightning, despite knowing it would be futile.
Crackling!!
However, before he could act, the Red-skinned people all dropped to their knees, their emotions, magic, and natural energy mingling as the ice shattered around them and darkness once again enveloped the area.
It felt as if the entire space had shattered, transporting them to an entirely different alternate space.
In this place, the only source of light was the great bonfire.
The kneeling Red-skinned people clasped their hands in prayer, murmuring indecipherable chants, while the girl lying on the drum suddenly thrashed about, screaming as if cursing the world to be torn apart.