But his body was far from normal. His vision was dizzy, and his stomach churned. His eyes felt like they were being crushed, and his hand, clenched in a fist, trembled slightly.
The intruder’s attire, which had received repeated physical shocks, was tattered in many places. Scratches and rips covered his body like patches.
The only thing that could be perfectly blocked by the barrier was magic entering the space. There was no way to completely fend off the monsters pouring in from all directions, nor the physical attacks of the enhanced warlock.
He had long since surpassed the limits of using medicine to cope with the rampaging fiends scattered all around.
Once the effects of the medicine wore off and side effects kicked in, he would likely have to return to the cradle for a while to recover.
However, there was a certain sense of satisfaction swelling within his heart. Facing such a massive and powerful enemy alone was an experience he had never had before, yet he had somehow overcome it.
If they had taken Jinryeong and fortified it, polluting the water sources and crops with dark magic, a far greater chaos would have ensued later. It was heartbreaking that innocent people had been sacrificed, but there was no way he could protect everyone alone.
He felt content that he had safely sent away the person he most needed to protect, and also that by quickly overpowering the intruders, he might still have a chance to expect survivors in the city. The 30% of students who were unaccounted for might be hiding somewhere, protecting themselves.
“Unbelievable… cough… This kind of thing wasn’t prophesied… Surely this place is… the new paradise…”
“Prophecy?”
A strange, uncomfortable hitch in his lament reached Lee Hyun’s ears.
“…The central army will soon arrive. Until then…”
“Cough… the central army…? Huh, huh, huh… cough… HAHAHA…!”
Hearing Lee Hyun’s words, the warlock suddenly burst into maniacal laughter. Lee Hyun was taken aback by the man’s reaction. Even as blood gurgled in his throat, he showed no concern, spilling everything onto the floor.
“The Jeokhwa lady, huh… cough! She can never… get out of the south alive… cough!”
“…What did you say?”
At the man’s words, cracks began to form in the heart that had been so full of satisfaction. Anxiety, not medicine, lashed at his heartbeat with more fervor.
“Huh, huh… The purpose of this operation isn’t just… the destruction of the south… cough! A chance has come to kill the powerful elemental sorcerer who could become a great danger in the future… Do you think we would let him go?”
“What do you mean…?”
“It’s painful to lose an entire battalion, but… cough! If we could exchange the elemental sorcerer for Jeokhwa’s heir, it would be worth it… cough!”
Noticing Lee Hyun’s fluster, the warlock continued with a more gleeful tone.
“Huh, huh… You seemed so confident, didn’t you? Jinryeong is just the beginning. You all… cough! Have no idea what plans are in motion! The southern region, not to mention the entire filthy country, will come to an end…!”
The bespectacled man’s words were abruptly cut off. Lee Hyun severed his neck and rushed towards the northern gate that Yeon Minha had left through.
His body was already in a state of severe overload, but he didn’t care at all. Anxiousness overwhelmed his heart.
He thought one failure was enough. If he repeated the same mistake again, he would never be able to forgive himself.
*
“Hah… hah…!”
Yeon Minha leaned against a rocky wall in the misty gorge, panting heavily. Her left arm, wounded by dark magic, hung limply, dripping blood, showing no signs of movement.
The gear that Lee Hyun had forced onto her earlier was shattered and in tatters beneath her feet. If it hadn’t been for that, she would have sustained lethal injuries long ago.
When she retraced her steps and reached the gorge between the gateway city and Jinryeong, she briefly caught a glimpse of faint hope. However, she and her party were ambushed in the center of the gorge.
The other students had long since scattered in all directions. The surroundings were dense with primordial forest, and with the addition of the bloody mist, it was impossible to find a path. It was now impossible to gauge their survival.
– BOOM!
She barely managed to raise a barrier to block the red projectiles flying in from the side. Using the remaining strength she had, she unleashed a counterattack. Amid her ragged breaths, the sound of limbs falling echoed.
“Hah… huuh…!”
Following the tracks of her pursuers, dozens of corpses lay scattered. Yet the red eyes surrounding her far outnumbered the bodies.
She was currently being hunted. Moreover, she felt her limits drawing near. No matter how powerful a sorcerer, one could not change the battlefield alone. This had been a law of the world throughout the history of magic.
“The Jeokhwa lady doesn’t seem to be in a good position.”
From among the shadows thick with crimson, someone stepped out, leisurely speaking. A middle-aged man with a wicked aura came into view.
In one hand, he wielded a massive spike made of red magic, poised threateningly at her heart.
– CRACK…
Yeon Minha ground her teeth and glared at him with all her might. She easily recognized the man’s identity. His portrait was always featured on the wanted posters that were distributed to the cradle’s students every week to the point of tedium.
“The Tiger of the South…”
“What an honor it is to be recognized by the daughter of a prestigious family.”
– Huh, huh…
The man exaggeratedly bent his waist before her, eliciting laughter and mockery from the blood-drenched forest surrounding them.
Commander of the Southern Army Liberation Front. A criminal marked with the ‘black’ grade, assigned only to the most dangerous offenders. Commonly known as ‘The Tiger of the South’, his name was Lee Ji-sang.
He was a big shot who had single-handedly taken down more than double-digit national military raiding parties. Promising young sorcerers and veteran commanders had met horrific ends at his hands.
Now, this vile warlock, who had vanished for years and never shown his face, was standing right in front of her.
No matter how powerful an elemental sorcerer Yeon Minha was, she had no way to counter this situation. Moreover, the countless warlocks were surrounding her from all sides.
“…Why have you started moving now after staying quiet all this time?”
“Because the time has come. The moment promised by the prophet is approaching.”
Yeon Minha frowned at his incomprehensible words. A prophet? Was there someone among the rebels with such a title? No matter how much she thought back, she could recall no such information.
“And your death would serve as a perfect signal to herald a new era. Isn’t that right?”
“A prophet…? What does that…”
“It’s unfortunate that you’ve come to this at such a young age, but it’s inevitable. I hope you’ll find peace in your next life.”
Seemingly done with useless chatter, he shot the red magic spike hovering in his hand directly at Yeon Minha.
“You bastard…”
She had no strength left to raise another barrier. Just sensing her imminent doom, she tightly closed her eyes.
It was humorously ironic that the last thing to cross her mind was that perverted man with the mask.
He had tormented her all the way until the very end. He was probably the root cause of it all.
How dare a lowly person mock her, the heir to a prestigious family, right in front of her? During their duel, he had added humiliating conditions and managed to imprint an unforgettable disgrace upon her. To this day, she occasionally felt phantom pains in some parts of her body where he had struck.
His intimidation and abuse had never ended. He had barged into the dormitory, brazenly taking residence right next to her bedroom.
He had used magic to make it impossible for her to sleep without him, forcing her into a shameless slave contract, turning her into a half-puppet.
Even her most private and secretive matters, which she wouldn’t dare show even to her fiancé, had been exposed to him.
However, on the other hand, he had completely lifted the mental corruption of Jeokhwa that no one could solve. He had returned joy and sweet dreams to her life.
Thanks to his mysterious powers, she was now able to come this far down south instead of being unable to leave the capital.
What had happened to him, she wondered? He must be dead. His death had to be partly due to her own share of responsibility. Yeon Minha lamented that she had failed to fulfill the request he had desperately asked of her, putting her life on the line.
It was nothing but regret that hope had crushed at the final moment.
– BOOM!
After a flash of light passed by like a fleeting moment, an explosion roared in the close distance. The absence of pain in her body was incredibly puzzling. Had she already died? But given how vivid her senses were, it didn’t seem like that was the case.
Slowly opening her eyes revealed an incredible sight before her.
“You…”
“Hah, hah…”
What filled her vision was the broad back of the male student she had thought was already dead. The magic had shattered the rocks on either side of her instead of hitting her directly, creating deep craters in the earth.
“I’m not… late…”
“W-What…”
He breathed heavily, as if about to collapse at any moment.
“How… did you… get here…?”
“Surely… we made a pact… didn’t we?”
He spoke as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
“‘I will protect you from any danger…’”
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