Chapter 674: The Darkest Moment (8)
Kuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhng...
Giiiiiingggg━━!!
As the two monsters roared and collided, the world trembled as if it would shatter.
The ocean spread across the sky, reaching the ground, and fragments of the broken earth soared high into the heavens.
An overwhelming force not only destroyed the surrounding terrain but also bent gravity itself.
In that grand yet horrific scene, three individuals were running.
Kevin, the wizard of the magic tower, Yareli, a student of the magic tower, and Joanna, the paladin.
These three had willingly entered this hellish domain for a single purpose.
That purpose was none other than to find Oliver’s quarterstaff.
More precisely, it was to find the quarterstaff that would calm Oliver down.
To be honest, this was an incredibly reckless act.
To put it bluntly, there was no guarantee that finding the quarterstaff would bring Oliver back to his senses.
Nonetheless, Kevin had entered this place on that single conjecture, and Joanna and Yareli had followed suit.
It was a near-fanatic action that transcended rationality, but it was still the only method with any chance of success.
Drdrdrdrdrdr!
The monsters' roars echoed, and moments later, the ground shook as a massive wave of earth surged fiercely from afar.
Surprisingly, there was no sense of malice in that wave.
It was merely a phenomenon resulting from the clash between the two monsters.
However, to prevent that phenomenon, Yareli had to gather a vast amount of magical power from her body to create a gigantic iceberg.
Kwaaaaaah!!
As a colossal iceberg rose from the ground, the immense flow of earth parted, and Yareli, Kevin, and Joanna pressed tightly behind it.
The iceberg screamed horrifically as it was split apart, but fortunately, the wave of earth subsided before the iceberg could completely wear away.
As the wave settled, something burst forth from within.
"Uuuuuh... Aaaahhh!!"
"Kyaaaahhh!"
"Rest... dieee!!!"
They were the shattered and fragmented corpses that charged toward them.
But no one was startled.
They had already experienced this situation several times.
As if to prove this, Joanna the paladin swung her mace with familiarity, focusing the holy magic to repel the corpses.
Meanwhile, Kevin concentrated his attention on the black wizard, quickly surveying the surroundings.
The world was tinged with darkness, and light blazed fiercely above as Merlin and Oliver clashed on top of the turquoise and crimson monsters.
The intense light nearly blinded Kevin, but he did not stop his search. He caught sight of a faint glimmer.
That faint light was the emotion of attachment to Oliver’s quarterstaff.
"There it is."
The moment he confirmed its location, Kevin used his body, reinforced with magic and dark magic, to leap forward.
Yareli and Joanna quickly followed behind him.
Paladin Joanna asked as she ran closely behind Kevin.
"Is it the quarterstaff? Or is it Rosburn?"
"It's the quarterstaff."
"Is Rosburn not visible?"
"Yes."
In response to Joanna's question, which stemmed from guilt over not retrieving Rosburn, Kevin answered firmly.
Upon hearing the answer, Joanna used holy magic to search for Rosburn, but Kevin focused solely on the quarterstaff.
Although he was not free from the responsibility of not retrieving Rosburn either.
However, this was unavoidable.
First of all, it was uncertain if Rosburn was even here, and even if he was, there was doubt as to whether he was alive.
No, it was more than doubt; it would be strange if he were alive.
This place was the epicenter of chaos, where the terrain was being destroyed and recreated in real-time. It would be a miracle if a child survived unscathed.
That’s why Kevin wasn’t looking for Rosburn.
In this world, there were priorities, and especially in times like this, priorities were more critical.
Kwaaaaahhh!!
Just as he thought, a terrifying whirlwind, as big as a building, descended from the sky.
Kevin summoned an ice spirit to block the whirlwind.
The emerald mermaid-like spirit, responding to Kevin’s call, reached out toward the descending whirlwind, which turned into sparkling ice particles that scattered everywhere.
"Damn it."
Kevin cursed inwardly after blocking the whirlwind.
The summoned spirit immediately returned.
It was indeed not an illusion. Summoning spirits was becoming increasingly difficult.
Not because his magical power was running low, but because the spirits themselves were reluctant to appear. The reason was likely...
Crrrraaaack!!
The sky split apart, and the sharp sound echoed as the monsters' screams filled the air.
Kevin instinctively sensed it was the sound made by Oliver.
Oliver's power was growing stronger, and the spirits were becoming increasingly terrified of that power.
If things continued like this for just a little longer, the spirits would stop responding altogether.
He had to secure the quarterstaff before that happened.
"Paladin!"
Kevin called out to Joanna, who was running while searching the surroundings.
"We need to secure the quarterstaff first. Focus all your attention on that."
Joanna was about to say something in response to his words, but she quickly closed her eyes tightly and nodded.
Despite her emotions, she grasped the situation.
Kevin then warned Yareli and turned his gaze forward to gauge the distance to the quarterstaff.
"120 meters."
Various magical lights flickered atop the entangled bodies of monsters between the sky and the ground, creating a massive backlash.
"100 meters."
As a result, the monsters writhed in pain, splitting the earth and forming mountains, obstructing the path of Kevin and his companions.
"70 meters."
Yareli filled the gaps in the earth with ice, and Kevin used earth magic to create a tunnel through the mountain.
"40 meters."
As soon as they emerged from the tunnel, they were confronted by corpses that had been shattered and intertwined. Joanna swung her shield to blow them away.
"10 meters."
At that moment, the quarterstaff, maintaining its form amidst the calamity, came into view of Kevin’s group.
Then it happened.
━━━━━━━━!!!!
An unusual energy was felt high in the sky, and an immense pressure descended as the turquoise monster and the crimson dragon crashed down.
Just before the two monsters collided with the ground, Joanna unleashed her holy magic and sprinted to grab the quarterstaff, while Kevin squeezed every ounce of strength to summon the earth spirit, the Mother of Earth.
Swoosh-!
A gigantic hand made of earth gently rose from the ground, enveloping Kevin, Joanna, and Yareli.
Between the gaps of that hand, a tremendous earthquake shook the land, and a massive wave of earth surged forth, followed by an overwhelming impact accompanied by a thunderous roar.
Even within the spirit's protection, they could feel the shock and deafening sound.
In the midst of that calamity, Kevin and his companions held their silence, as if they had made a promise.
After a moment, the tremors subsided, and they heard the sound of rain.
Swooshhhhhhhh━━!!
Though they could not see outside, it seemed that the urgent situation had passed.
Once the sound of rain faded, Kevin asked the spirit to release its grip, and soon they were able to see.
The ground stained red with blood and the two monsters lying collapsed upon it.
Against that backdrop stood the white-haired Oliver, with Merlin bleeding from his eyes, nose, mouth, and ears.
Kevin and his group felt an overwhelming pressure, unable to intervene, yet they couldn’t help but shout.
"Oliver!"
Upon hearing their voices, Oliver turned his gaze towards them with slightly widened eyes.
He looked surprised at the appearance of Kevin, Yareli, and Joanna.
It was a bit unexpected. He must have recognized them earlier.
'Is his vision... narrowed?'
Kevin speculated from Oliver's slight behavior.
It was quite possible.
Those whose powers grew stronger sometimes experienced narrowed vision.
The fact that military wizards often died to stray bullets was no coincidence.
When an individual possessed too much power, carelessness and arrogance often clouded their vision.
That was the rule of the world.
Though it seemed foolish, it was a mistake that anyone could make.
If it were the Oliver Kevin knew, he would not make such a mistake, but if it were a different Oliver, it would be a possibility.
That Oliver suddenly pointed a finger towards them.
In that moment, Kevin, Yareli, and Joanna all felt a chilling sensation run down their spines.
The body was sending a danger signal.
"Uuuaaaahhh!!"
Merlin shone with an even more intense pure white light, grasping Oliver’s hand and lifting it skyward to block his attack.
In the face of this unexpected resistance, a flustered Oliver tried to push Merlin away, but Merlin clung on desperately, refusing to let go.
Thanks to having drawn upon the power of the Archival Merlin beyond its limit.
Seeing this, Kevin and his companions instinctively rushed toward Oliver.
If they hesitated now, all the efforts they had made to find the quarterstaff would be in vain, and a great disaster would surely occur.
As Kevin, Yareli, and Joanna approached, Oliver reacted with resistance, trying to shake off Merlin to keep him at bay.
Yet, Merlin wouldn’t let go.
Despite his body crumbling like glass under the strain of the pure white light.
"You all, stop it."
Oliver commanded in a guttural voice.
At his call, both Merlin and Kevin’s group staggered for a moment, and simultaneously, the corpses sprawled around them began to rise with shattered bodies, charging toward Kevin and his companions.
They struggled for peace. In that moment, Kevin and Yareli collaborated, unleashing ice magic to turn the charging corpses into ice statues.
Using that opportunity, Kevin’s group quickly closed the distance.
Oliver tried to evade the encroaching threat by transcending space—
"You won't get away!"
Merlin clung on with such desperation that it bordered on grotesque.
His body had adapted to the condition of being shattered, yet he still hindered Oliver.
Annoyed by the sight, Oliver spoke again.
"Let go."
At those words, Merlin, Kevin, and the others stumbled back, bleeding from seven wounds, while the corpses trapped in ice twisted and expanded, blocking Kevin’s group once more.
Just as Oliver was about to speak again, Merlin reached out and covered Oliver's mouth.
In that moment, Kevin, Yareli, and Joanna pressed forward, trying to break through the growing and twisting corpses.
It wasn’t easy, as the corpses, desperate to find peace, formed a blockade.
"Uuuuuuuuooooooh!!"
"Uaaaaaahh...! Aaaahhh!!!"
Having lost their human hands, the corpses, armed only with blade-like hands meant for slaughter, tried to strike Joanna from the ground.
Joanna deftly evaded with agile movements, but in that moment, other corpses formed a barrier to block their path.
Aaaaaaaah!!
Aaaaaaaahhh!!!
Aaaaaaaaaah!!!
They formed a blockade so dense that physical evasion was impossible.
Collision was inevitable.
Ssssshhhhhhh...
Just then, their bodies froze once more and shattered into pieces.
Yareli, with no regard for the future, unleashed all her magic to freeze and shatter the surrounding corpses.
She shouted.
"I'll hold them off, so go!"
Joanna and Kevin followed Yareli's words, and Yareli released all the magical power contained within her body, binding the feet of the corpses.
The distance between Oliver and Kevin’s group had been reduced by nearly half.
In response, Oliver used even greater violence to shake off Merlin, who was obstructing him.
He swatted Merlin's hand away from his mouth, grabbed his thin neck, swung his fist, and slammed his head to the ground, sending him crashing sideways into the sea monster.
The red lines engraved upon the turquoise scales remained, yet Merlin still wouldn’t let go of Oliver.
In response, Oliver thrust his thumb into Merlin's right eye, and for a brief moment, Merlin's resistance weakened.
Taking advantage of that moment, Oliver shrugged off the weakened Merlin and turned his gaze toward the approaching Joanna, an unrecognizable power enveloping her.
Joanna tried to block it with her shield infused with holy magic, but the shield shattered, and she fell helplessly to the ground.
The quarterstaff she was holding spun in the air before dropping to the ground.
Joanna lay there, seemingly unconscious.
Seeing this, Kevin took up the quarterstaff as if passing the baton, unleashing all the magical power within him as he dashed forward.
It was a desperate charge for his life. Accordingly, the distance between Kevin and Oliver notably decreased.
As the distance closed, Kevin could see Oliver’s face clearly.
The face of someone who hadn’t yet shed the innocence of a child, displaying an expression he had never seen before.
Oliver waved his hand toward Kevin.
An unknown force shattered the space itself, grazing past Kevin.
The shock caused part of Kevin’s skin to break like glass, sending him rolling across the ground.
A shock that penetrated to the very bone.
He tried to rise, but the pain was so intense that he couldn’t stand.
'The quarterstaff...'
In a consciousness on the verge of fading, Kevin searched for the quarterstaff he had lost, spotting it just within reach.
He needed to get up immediately and retrieve it, but his body betrayed his will due to unimaginable damage.
All he could do was turn his head to assess the surrounding situation.
Kevin could see Yareli, who had been captured by the corpses as her magic ran out, and Joanna, who had yet to regain consciousness.
He also saw Merlin, who had taken greater damage to protect him, now collapsed.
And there was Oliver, lifting one foot toward Merlin.
Oliver was intent on finishing him off. Kevin’s mentor and his enemy.
Kevin found himself powerless to do anything.
Just as he thought everything was over, a child's voice rang out.
"Teacher!"
A desperate cry for survival. In an instant, the world stopped as everyone turned to look. And they could see him.
Shaking all over, tears streaming down his face, yet his will unbroken—Rosburn, clutching the quarterstaff as he shouted.
"I'll go!"
With that declaration, Rosburn truly charged toward Oliver.
In that instant, the sounds of the world vanished, replaced by a frenzied silence.
In that silence, three figures moved.
Rosburn, running toward Oliver with a brilliant light.
Oliver, pointing a finger at Rosburn.
Merlin, trying to block Oliver.
The distance between Rosburn and Oliver grew smaller, and Oliver attempted to push Merlin away while Merlin's body began to crumble.
In that short yet elongated moment, the distance between Rosburn and Oliver shrank to just a few steps, and soon Oliver hurled Merlin aside, raising a cloud of dust.
Merlin fell to the ground, but Rosburn did not stop, and Oliver raised his index finger.
Merlin, who got back up immediately, dashed forward again, while Rosburn continued his relentless approach.
In the middle, Oliver spoke.
[Negation]