<503 – The Revolutionary's Temptation (3)>
The final gate blocking the corridor of thieves, a symbol of the Thief Guild, the lock of the Grand Thief.
That door was infused with the knowledge and techniques of the continent’s top ten thieves throughout history.
No one could enter alone unless they were one of the top ten thieves of the time, yet that door was opened.
Gugugung…
The corridor of thieves.
In the center of the corridor, filled with the glow of golden treasures, the Destroyer faced the Revolutionary without a hint of a frown.
Unlike the Revolutionary, whose face showed no change over the years, the Destroyer had aged significantly and weakened.
Accumulation of Dark Mana.
Time was running out for his affected body.
“Hmm.”
“This is troublesome.”
“Was it this level of monster?”
The elite subordinates of the Revolutionary all wore expressions of distress and hesitated.
Only the Revolutionary faced him boldly.
“It’s been a while, Destroyer.”
“You’ve had the audacity to show your face in front of me.”
“You didn’t spend the little time you have left on a pathetic demon, did you? Your foolishness became my opportunity.”
Surely, the trigger was the clash with the demon at Mount Vesuvius.
The Destroyer reaffirmed that his decision to stop being a warrior had not been wrong.
If he had remained active, several tragedies could have been prevented, but before reuniting with the Revolutionary, his lifespan would have run out.
“Let’s see you pay for the foolishness of stepping in front of me.”
“Oh my. Your hasty temper hasn’t changed, has it? But are you sure you want to proceed with this? Here stands the fifth ranked of the top ten thieves of the continent, Mirror Thief Lilia.”
As if to demonstrate, Lilia raised one arm as the Revolutionary lifted his.
[Unique Boundary]
<4th Type – The Boundary of Unyielding Gaze>
There is a saying, “Without faith, one cannot stand.”
The gaze of the Destroyer was both a window reflecting his will and a launchpad for his attacks.
He silently roared.
Those who could not come here with equal resolve would dare not face him on two legs.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The bard with the flute, the Red Mage with his staff, the thieves who aided in opening the door, and most of the Revolutionary’s comrades all knelt.
“Kuh!”
“F-focus on defense!”
“Can we really win against such a monster?”
The faces of those who had followed the Revolutionary were filled with regret, but the Destroyer felt the same distress.
‘The fact that I’ve opened the lock of the Grand Thief means I’ve secured one of the top ten thieves of the continent. I expected some level of preparation for that moment…’
From the very beginning, to gain the upper hand in this confrontation, there were at least three besides the Revolutionary who stood their ground without kneeling to the pressure of that aura.
Whoever they were, it was an absolutely bad omen for the Destroyer.
“Lilia has fulfilled her mission. Those who have expressed their intentions fear not the divine decree. Unlike you, who fears death due to an unfulfilled revolution, my position is different.”
“Haha! So, it came to this. You truly are a coward like me. You cannot achieve your goal without imposing on others’ sacrifices. The only difference is who’s more insane and who’s less insane.”
“Lilia. I won’t tell you not to resent, but please die alongside the Revolutionary.”
The force in the Destroyer’s eyes intensified.
Even sensing the omen, Lilia tightly closed her eyes.
This was enough.
The Destroyer was her benefactor.
He had given her a reason to live and allowed her to build knowledge to achieve her revenge.
So she would die for him.
She would share her end with the Revolutionary.
She would sacrifice this harsh life worthily.
She could do it willingly.
If it were the self she was just yesterday.
If it were the self before facing the Revolutionary.
“Lilia. Can you truly be satisfied with this? You already know what my death means.”
If the Revolutionary dies, the Emperor of the Empire won’t fall.
There is no Emperor among the Destroyer’s enemies.
The Emperor gathers the world’s grains infinitely under the law of equivalent exchange until he obtains the divine weapon to defeat the Evil Dragon Omoshiroi.
Repeating astronomical gambles every year.
No one can guarantee when it will succeed.
The world slowly sickens and dies.
By the Destroyer, through his righteous revolutionary hunt.
[The Pressure of the Boundary]
[Taishan Pressure]
A pressure sufficient to crush and burst a single entity is concentrated and directed towards the Revolutionary.
[Eyes are the Mirror of the Heart]
[Reflection of Spiritual Force]
Against the power of the Destroyer, Lilia struggled with her body restrained by mana controls, attempting to deploy her realm to withstand the pressure of Taishan.
“!!”
The Destroyer momentarily decreased his output, but even receiving a tiny fraction of his full strength caused blood to stream from one of Lilia’s eyes.
“Have you gone mad, Lilia!”
“I’m not crazy.”
“Is this mental manipulation?”
“My mind belongs solely to me.”
“Then why are you obstructing the revolutionary hunt?”
“If I stop him, I can’t kill the Emperor.”
The frightening shock caused the Destroyer’s body to tremble violently.
“Even you are changing? You too will leave my side…!”
“At one time, you told me to find it. The reason I must not die. Enemies who would rejoice if I die.”
Though her bloodied eyes were closed, her unblemished remaining eye stared directly at the Destroyer.
It was a clear gaze filled with unwavering determination, not a dimmed eye waiting for death.
“I found it. A rival greater than the former Compassion Thief, the Emperor. Followers who would rejoice if I could not kill the Emperor. So my life must not end yet.”
“Even if it means betraying the one who was your mentor and the pioneer of your life, the benefactor who made you who you are today?”
The Revolutionary laughed.
Bending over, clutching his belly.
Shrinking his shoulders, laughing while sobbing.
“Kukukuk! Do you see this? How your little justice is utterly futile? Ah, that’s splendid. Lilia. Truly splendid!”
“It’s over.”
“Even the Destroyer of the world will finally change his name today.”
The three unyielding strong ones of the Revolutionary Army that did not kneel took a charge position.
However, their steps did not advance.
[Clear Mirror Lake]
<2nd Type – The Realization of Forced Peace>
The reason their feet were bound was due to the power of Myung So, summoned to return all fighting spirits to nothing.
“I’m glad I’m not too late.”
“Myung Ho. Assist me.”
“If you plan to hunt the Revolutionary, then I’ll definitely decline.”
“Myung Ho!”
“Our mission is to buy time until Oknodie obtains the Sacred Text or decides to flee. It is not to hunt the Revolutionary.”
The calm statement from Myung Ho, unconcerned about the shift in the situation, was as unwavering as the absolute mental defense known as [Clear Mirror Lake].
Only after facing that firm resolve did the Destroyer realize he was on the verge of falling into the Revolutionary’s trap.
It was already too late for Lilia.
He could not afford to lose Oknodie.
The battle he had to fight now was not the Revolutionary hunt but a delaying battle for Oknodie.
He needed to buy every second he could.
“… This is difficult. There has never been an easy warrior’s path, but this time is truly challenging.”
The way to close the mirror is to break it.
Now, what Lilia had turned into a mirror was her own eyes.
… A choice must be made.
She had to blind the child she had raised in a different sense than Oknodie.
She had to inflict irreparable and permanent injuries.
Whether it was a delay or a hunt, the conclusion was the same.
Without defeating Lilia, they couldn’t proceed to the next step.
“Get up. The professor Myung So from the Academy, who binds your feet, possesses a realm for himself. When his power is directed towards others, its duration and output strength are relatively weak. Or can you not even shake off a weakened realm?”
The Revolutionary’s harsh words encouraged the three strong ones who had lost their fighting spirit to break the forced peace in a synchronized manner.
However, the thirty seconds they paused allowed the Destroyer enough time to gather himself and bolster his full power.
“If you dare betray me, I won’t hesitate any longer. I still have another disciple I must protect for the sake of revenge. All my expectations, all my hopes are now left solely for Oknodie.”
The Destroyer’s realm expanded again.
Lilia, raising her arms in defense as if the Revolutionary hadn’t raised his own, prepared to counter.
“Well, if your heart is firmly fixed, then I will support you too. I can’t let my precious shield be broken!”
The Revolutionary’s overwhelming mana control disregarded the effects of the control cuffs, ensuring that Lilia’s ability deployment would not harm her body.
Ziiiing!
Bristling with an ominous level of power, the two exchanged large quantities of mana.
A clash of energy and spirit.
Even if her two eyes became bulging, Lilia was clearly at a disadvantage.
However, she now had the Revolutionary.
[The Blossoming of Rising Talent]
[Havi's Soul Tulip]
Mana flowers permeated Lilia’s skin and rooted into her soul.
Lilia’s inexhaustible multi-talented abilities bloomed even further in the hands of the Revolutionary.
[Language is the Representation of the Heart]
[Representation is the Surface of the Mirror]
Lilia spoke.
“Fall.”
That single line made the Destroyer’s legs unbearably heavy.
If the masterpiece created by the Wahyhiemhai Foundation was Oknodie, the chief scholarship student of the foundation, then the masterpiece created by the Destroyer was the fifth-ranked thief of the continent, Lilia.
The Revolutionary had nurtured her talents as the Mirror Thief even more immensely.
“Now is the time!”
With the Revolutionary’s lively shout, the three strong warriors finally charged into the realm of the Destroyer.
Like daggers targeting vital spots, like arrows slicing through the air, one of the three bright beams halted at Myung So’s prayer.
Another beam, born from the Destroyer’s footfall, couldn’t withstand the reversing pressure and crashed into the ceiling.
‘My hands are empty. My legs are empty. I can’t even afford to turn my eyes. If I turn, I can block it for now, but…’
As the exchanges stagnated, precisely twenty-two moves in, the Revolutionary would definitely sever the Destroyer’s fate.
By the Revolutionary, who had unlocked Lilia’s talents.
Thanks to the fruits of his research on the unique Havi Demon Realm hybrid tulip, which he had improved and improved over the years.
‘Is that so? Was it you again? Havi, was the sin of having abandoned you, the burden of the oppressed and sacrificed years, the fruit of this?’
Even the resistance of twenty-two moves began to wane.
His spirit was broken.
He could kill the Havi in his heart.
But he could not kill the Havi in the Revolutionary’s heart.
‘I’m sorry, Havi.’
Just then, as his eyes were about to close…
“Damn it!”
In an utterly desperate crisis.
A bright and cheerful shout that contrasted sharply with the grave atmosphere.
“Go, Dark Orb!”
Despite her clear voice, the dark orb, charged with formidable power, obstructed the Destroyer such that there was no escape.
The owner of the bright flash realized this and bit her lip, increasing her speed.
She sensed something ominous, but such an opportunity would never come again.
So she struck.
Believing in her own strength, she aimed to slice through the massive gathering of power.
And in an instant, she would decorate the end of the hero who had dominated an era with her sword.
And she would soar in fame as the Slaughterer of Heroes!
All those expectations shattered with the clash of sword and orb, bending the blade into pieces.
Kaaaang!
“Gwaaaah!”
Along with the wretched scream of the owner of the flash rolling noisily on the ground with the broken sword.
A cute foot, possibly measuring 210mm, was firmly placed atop his head.
Despite the cute action, the head of the flash’s owner was squished to the ground.
“Why could you cut Havi Nodi so well but can’t cut that, Professor!”
Even in this serious moment, the child proudly pouted, as if to declare that she was the center of the world!
The Destroyer only knew one such ridiculous child.
“Oknodie!”
Foolish yet commendable, the child who came to save him at the expense of the divine acquisition opportunity.
All the masters in the hall turned their gazes toward Oknodie.
