“What the hell is that guy?”
“………”
The highest point in the continent.
Outside the massive shrine, a madman clicked his tongue with a face full of dissatisfaction.
There was a man sitting alone on the steep steps.
“Why is a non-majin here at the Majin meeting?”
“Strictly speaking, he’s not in the meeting. He’s just waiting outside.”
“Just sitting one step outside is practically the same! He can hear everything anyway!”
Despite the madman’s increasing volume from behind, the man simply turned his back and exhaled roughly.
“So what is that guy doing?”
“He’s a necessary person.”
“Hah. A mere human?”
“Yes.”
The madman’s face twisted at Tilpitz’s prompt answer.
What could be so special about one human that they brought him all the way here?
It’s clear that he wasn’t an ordinary person, considering he was breathing in this place, but how strong could a human really be?
“Anyway, to continue what we were discussing, we will use Princess Serika of Aias to draw Hertlocker and his entourage out of the desert development area. We can’t fight in that dreadful city with the obelisk. In the meantime, I’ll handle the distraction-”
“I’ll take care of the distraction.”
“Wha-what?!”
At the unfamiliar voice from behind, the madman stood up in a fit of rage.
The man who had been turning his back was now stepping into the shrine.
Enduring eavesdropping on the Majin meeting was one thing, but he couldn’t stand someone daring to intrude.
The madman strode forward, standing directly in front of the man who was gazing at him.
“I will strike the Imperial University as the distraction.”
“And who the hell are you?”
“Does that even matter?”
“Yeah. It matters.”
“It doesn’t matter at all. What matters is not who I am, but what I want.”
The man took a step closer.
The eyes beneath the rag sent a shiver through the madman’s body.
They were hollow eyes, akin to those of the dead.
Those eyes exuded a sinister aura, devoid of any light.
“If I could, I’d love to personally end Hertlocker’s life with my own hands. However, how could a petty human like me defy the decisions of the great and wise Majins? I will tolerate this by taking on the distraction role. I will strike the Imperial University and smash everything Hertlocker holds dear. Surely, this should satisfy the revered Majins.”
“You… who the hell are you…”
The madman, who was about to kick the man’s face off, froze in place.
His instincts were telling him that this was not an easy opponent.
If they clashed, he would suffer a fatal injury.
Had he ever felt such pressure from a mere human?
At that moment, as the madman suppressed the pounding of his heart, the guy turned around and walked down the stairs.
“Hah, that guy is so evasive.”
“That guy is a revenge-seeker.”
“A revenge-seeker?”
“Yes. He hates Hertlocker far more than we do. So you can trust him. Hatred is the most reliable emotion.”
“………”
The magician’s soft voice echoed off the shrine walls.
The madman could only stare blankly, unable to say anything more due to disbelief.
*
“What the… what is that?”
On a rainy night, the guards of the Imperial University shivered as they peered through the thick fog.
Something was stumbling towards them.
At first glance, it looked like a large man, but there was something suspicious about him.
“Isn’t it just a person?”
“Can’t you see the light over there?”
“Light? What light?”
“It looks like something is glowing on his chest…”
“Uh-huh?”
While tilting his head at his comrade’s words, the guard squinted at the dark figure.
Slowly, the left side of the glowing chest became visible, radiating with a blue light.
The light grew stronger until-
“Ah. I see it too. The light. It’s getting brighter.”
“Uh, yeah?”
*BOOM!*
A blinding flash erupted explosively.
The two guards caught in the light vanished in an instant as if they had evaporated.
When the thunderous noise subsided, the barrier enveloping the Imperial University was completely destroyed.
The inspection post lay in ruins.
Amidst the debris, a figure engulfed in blue flames entered the Imperial University.
“Hoh. Who might this be? I don’t memorize all of the Majin’s faces.”
“………”
The man’s steps came to a halt.
Barrel-chested Professor Sergey, who stood directly in his path, scrutinized the man radiating blue light.
With his entire body covered in blue flames, it was impossible to discern what he looked like apart from his stature.
“Sergey, the mental support of Hertlocker Siegfried. The general standing at the forefront of the kingdom’s invasion.”
“Hmm…?”
“I’m going to kill you. Your death will mark the beginning of my revenge.”
The man’s body began to emit an even stronger light.
Only then did Sergey realize.
The flickering was not flame; it was light bursting forth from deep inside, not just skin-deep.
*Overloading the internal circuits.*
The operational limits of the internal circuits had been exceeded.
Usually, the body would turn red and emit a red light, so it took him a moment to realize.
In addition to that color, strange things were also spilling out of his internal circuits.
Mana Energy.
Slowly, the thick mana that had enveloped the surroundings began to erode Sergey’s skin as well.
“Looks like you came here with a clear intent…”
He had faced self-destructing soldiers multiple times before.
This guy would probably be like the others, charging in foolishly and eventually sacrificing his life for overwhelming explosive power.
Seeing the dense mana spilling from him, it was evident that he would collapse from mana poisoning if allowed to stall.
He would deal with him as quickly as possible, avoiding damage.
With that thought, Sergey took his combat stance.
*
“That guy you faced wasn’t a Majin.”
“Excuse me?”
*Thud.*
The file dropped from Eric’s hands.
I glanced at his gaze before picking up the file.
Uncle Eric was definitely serious.
That blue monster wasn’t a Majin…?
That didn’t make any sense.
“Read it.”
“That’s impossible. He was stronger than the Traveler… no, he was even stronger than the Traveler!”
“I just said to read it.”
What the heck was this about now?
I flipped through the file quickly.
It was the personal information of a man.
I wasn’t interested in the name.
He was a citizen of the Empire born in Eisburg.
His father died in the Eisburg battle.
His mother was…
“Ah, this guy?!”
“Ugh…”
Iskandal snatched the file from my hand.
Was this the son of the accomplice Iskandal had killed?
But this face… didn’t I see it somewhere…?
“Codenamed ‘End.’ That’s what we’ve decided to call him from now on.”
“End? Why ‘End’?”
“It’s derived from his name. Anyway, this guy is the identity of the monster you faced back then.”
“Excuse me?!”
This guy?
The one who suddenly started glowing and threw Trie into the lake?
That couldn’t be right.
He had undoubtedly showcased Majin-level skills or higher.
Even I had a hard time keeping up with his moves.
“That makes no sense.”
“Of course, he must have received a significant amount of Majin’s authority.”
“Even considering that, it still doesn’t make sense.”
“Flip to the next page. There should be an analysis result.”
*Rustle*
I flipped to the next page.
Combat analysis result.
He emitted large amounts of mana while being unaffected by mana corrosion, possessing unique physical traits…
What kind of bio-chemical terrorist could that be?
*Emergency! Serika has been kidnapped!*
At that moment, Eric’s soothing voice came through the communication magic.
Serika had been kidnapped…?
As I stood up to put on my outerwear, Uncle Eric grabbed my shoulder.
“It’s highly likely that it’s the work of the elves. If you go, war might break out.”
“But I have to go. I made a promise to Serika.”
“A promise, huh…?”
“I promised to prove that not all humans are bad. So I can’t let Serika be taken away as a political tool. I’m going.”
After saying that, I shrugged off his arm, and Uncle Eric didn’t stop me anymore.
Whether it was the elves or Majins, it didn’t matter.
What was important now was solely Serika.
She had to be safe.
As I extended my hand, the manifested black steel materialized into the form of a dagger, wrapping around my palm.
*
*Cough!*
In the pouring rain,
Sergey lay in a puddle of blood, coughing it up.
He had to get up.
He must stand, but his body continuously lost strength.
He had lost.
His strength hadn’t been particularly impressive, but he had been completely outmatched in skill.
This guy was no ordinary self-destructing soldier.
He overwhelmed Sergey with every martial art and didn’t self-destruct at the end.
“Damn it…”
He saw a shabby figure approaching.
Raising his head, Sergey let out a sigh.
The disheveled man had hollow eyes.
The man who only moments ago had been engulfed in blue flames was now looking down at Sergey, unscathed and without a single wound.
For a moment, Sergey almost mistook him for a passerby.
‘Is he really fine after overloading his internal circuits? This can’t be real.’
Sergey couldn’t contain his astonishment.
Despite pushing his internal circuits to such extremes, he hadn’t collapsed.
Instead of being damaged by mana corrosion, his skin appeared pristine.
At that level, his internal circuits should’ve twisted and failed, resulting in shock death.
“Uh…?”
What if his internal circuits had already collapsed?
That thought flashed through Sergey’s mind.
If the internal circuits had twisted to the point where they couldn’t collapse anymore…
If that were the case, then the dense mana he had been emitting made sense.
He was producing mana energy instead of mana by squeezing it out of his twisted internal circuits.
Suffering through excruciating pain with each activation of the internal circuits.
“Where’s Professor Ludwig?”
“He’s not here… He’s on a business trip…”
“Seems so. If he were here, he would have come out by now. He’s not a coward. The timing’s just bad.”
With hollow eyes, the man looked down at Sergey and raised his foot.
Through that expressionless face, a strange emotion flickered.
It was anger.
Under that mask, he was certainly fueling his rage.
“You… who are you…”
At the question, the man paused for a moment.
He seemed to be choosing his words carefully, rolling his eyes, and then spoke again.
“I am… End.”
*CRACK.*
As soon as he finished, his foot came down and blood sprayed into the air.
He casually rinsed his dirty shoes in the puddle and sat down on the steps of the building.
Waiting for Professor Ludwig.
And then, he would kill him.
He would kill everyone around Hertlocker.
The man’s mind was filled with only that thought.
