Chapter 133: Slayer’s Fate - III

Earth Magic was usually associated with defense. Those with earth-attributed mana could even arm themselves with armor, create living golems, and even function as magical blacksmiths and construction workers.

Thus, there were only so many destructive Earth Magic spells to choose from...

And they were all brutal and grisly.

5th-Circle Earth Magic, <Skull-Spire Graveyard>, was one such terrifying spell.

What it did was simple—

—Rumble!

Upon the completion of Aventine’s spell, the world seemed to shake with an intensity greater than an earthquake of Richter Scale 11, breaking it entirely. The Earth’s crust cannot naturally produce such a quake, but here on Fleim, Aventine could do something worse with a wave of his hand.

—Crack!

Thus, the ground shattered, and pointed spikes jutted out of the soil beneath the feet of every individual marked by the magic spell. Towering spires tore into the sky.

—Swish!

Whistling wind swirled around the rising spikes, skewering every Beast Human outside the villa. None of them survived as heads were impaled upon dozens of tall spires, becoming gruesome trophies of the earthen magic spell.

Aventine once again perceived several dozen strands of <Fate> being recycled by the Gaea System as he absorbed the essence of these Beast Humans he killed.

’Good...’

He thought, slightly bothered by the thick stench of death.

’Fire Magic really is cleaner than Earth Magic...’

Suddenly he paused...

’Wait, why is it called Earth Magic when we’re in Fleim?’

Aventine blinked, but he swiftly realized that it was just an issue with translation from Fleim’s languages to Earth’s terms.

If any of Fleim’s residents ever went to his homeworld, they would surely wonder why an entire planet—seas, rivers, and skies included—was known as "soil."

"Heh,"

He couldn’t help but let out a chuckle as he expanded his senses.

Earlier, thirteen leaders had perished to his <Pillar of Incineration>, and one had died to his enchantments even before them. Thus, there were two leaders left, protecting the rest of the 16 Claws’ headquarters.

Thus.

[Absolute Awareness].

Aventine swiftly located the nearest target, rushing towards the villa with a grim expression. They were still a whole kilometer away, but such a distance was barely anything to an A-Rank.

That tiger-looking leader would arrive in the next moment.

In response to the Beast Human’s hurried approach, Aventine held out his hand and commanded his mana once more.

"I’ll keep this simple since there’s more to kill after the 16 Claws..."

A magic circle, gleaming a beautiful purple, appeared before his outstretched palm.

6th-Circle Destruction Magic.

[Four-Element Homing Bullet].

The first thing that formed was a spear-shaped earthen core that weighed at least a ton. It was condensed crazily, as it was only as long as a sword and as thick as a human’s arm.

A majestic flame then engulfed the earthen core, and a fierce, sharp wind was further layered over it, creating a rapidly swirling pyre, spinning and spinning and spinning.

It was a majestic sight with an equally terrifying roar.

But then came the lightning—and with a crackle, it broke the sound barrier, having been launched forth with ionizing terror.

—SCREEEEEEEEEEECH!

The elemental bullet screamed through the air like a vengeful banshee, sending a wave of terror through even the caster himself.

"Oh... The <Archmagus> Daimyuon really is damn obsessed with destruction."

—BOOM!

The tiger-like Beastman’s heart was obliterated into a bloody mist, carving a hole straight through what should have been a robust and chiselled chest. The <Four-Element Homing Bullet> flew into the distant sky behind the Beastman, carving a hole that no one would notice unless it tore through them.

Despite such lethality, however...

[Heart-Soul Rejuvenation].

"An A-Rank Blood Art?" Aventine raised a brow before understanding his momentary arrogance.

He should’ve checked.

"I guess that’s what I get for winning so easily. Any A-Rank individual is worth their mettle. A mere 5th-Rank Destruction Magic spell truly is insufficient. I’ve fallen to the hubris of the strong so quickly!"

Aventine couldn’t help but snicker as he watched the tiger-like Beastman regenerate the gaping hole in his chest. The Beastman continued to rush towards him, rapidly closing the distance.

To this, Aventine just grinned. He cleared his throat before priming his mana once more.

"Let’s see..."

Looking through the <Archmagus> Daimyuon’s repertoire of spells once more, Aventine noticed something fun.

Aside from the vertically-oriented 7th-Circle spell, <Pillar of Incineration>, there was also its horizontal equivalent.

—[ AHHHHH YOU SMOOTH-BRAINED, SNOT-NOSED, INBRED PIECE OF— ]

With the screams of the <Wyrm With No Name>, Aventine siphoned its higher-tier mana and fell into focus.

[Parallel Thought].

Both of his minds operated with maximum effort, carving the bronze magic circle into the world.

The tiger-like Beastman had approached too close for comfort, charging straight for Aventine, brimming with the same hubris of the strong.

Just a glance with [Absolute Awareness] revealed his thoughts.

’I can regenerate any wound he deals me!’

Unaware of the power that Aventine could wield.

Thus.

Aventine took several steps to the right, positioning his hand at just the right angle.

With a palm facing thin air in the vague direction of the Beastman, his gaze pierced further than the current battlefield.

There, he spotted the last piece of his massacre puzzle.

"Goodbye, Hyurri. You will die together with the young lady you desperately wish to protect."

The tiger-like Beastman, Hyurri, shuddered, feeling an ominous premonition. As if belatedly realizing the fate of his wife, Grevira, and the other leaders.

How did he so blatantly ignore the silence of the battlefield?

Why was he so eager to strike against this unknown thief and retrieve the eye he’d stolen from them?

And finally...

’How... does he know my name? How does he know about Jijue—?’

Then a terrifying bronze light outlined a magic circle in front of him.

The Space Mage held it out like a shield, but Hyurri knew it was anything but a defensive ability.

His instincts screamed.

However...

7th-Circle Fire Magic.

[Beam of Annihilation].

The next thing Hyurri knew...

Was eternal silence.

***

Jijue was the youngest among the leaders of the 16 Claws.

She was Grevira and Hyurri’s daughter, the young lady of the 16 Claws, born with a silver spoon.

Right now, she was worrying about the state of her parents as they moved to battle. Existing outside the range of the <Power of Death>, the uncanny greed that Aventine used to lure his enemies towards him could not affect her.

This was why she was so scared.

After all...

The entire organization she loved so dearly and grew up managing... Had gone crazy.

They all went insane for a single eye!

Why?

Just why?!

What was so important about Evolution and the S-Rank that her parents would throw everything away just to pursue it?

Was it not good to live in peace as they did now? Enjoying recreational battles and mock wars?

Ah, the innocence of a child still trapped in a greenhouse by her powerful parents.

It was both fortunate and unfortunate.

After all, her life was coming to an end. She would die with a pure heart and mind. A soul untainted by the sins of the world.

A life unfettered by the ever-festering wounds of millennium-old grudges and genocidal histories.

But it was unfortunate because...

Her life was not truly a life lived to the fullest. <Fate> wanted her to survive this.

It wanted her to grow.

At first, it wanted her dead, but Aventine had suddenly engaged in a rapid slaughter of the 16 Claws.

An act too brutally quick for its liking and its estimate of his abilities.

Thus, <Fate> responded as Mother Earth did to the change in the planet’s temperature.

It wished to brew a storm.

A storm so great that the anomalous Aventine would be torn down from his throne. Sundered by an endless barrage of exponential repercussions like the grudge of a woman scorned.

However, the child of Omniscience would not leave this gap unattended.

Had he not realized the path he wished to tread, perhaps he would’ve entertained it, fearful of his own death.

Now...

He lamented that a lukewarm disposition and carefree lifestyle were not destined for his current strength. Even with <Absolute Awareness>, he would have no room in Fleim if he could not tear <Fate> apart with his own hands.

Therefore!

This would be his step towards <Blasphemy>.

Jijue... was a pivotal sacrifice. With the hundreds upon hundreds of <Fate’s> threads entangled throughout her body, mind, and soul...

Aventine had much to gain.

"I wonder when father and mother will return."

Jijue, unaware of her impending misfortune, sighed. They’d cast her aside for the first time in her life, seemingly attending to something more important to her.

"That damn eye..."

She hated it the moment she saw it.

Fear and anxious frustration coiled around her, keeping her from maintaining a calm mind.

It was then.

"Hm?"

The mana around her fluctuated, seemingly moving in a set motion, somehow rhythmic like the waves of the ocean and spreading apart like a parting sea.

Jijue, with her own A-Rank senses, could perceive this abnormal change.

But her first reaction, dull as her senses were, wasn’t to flee. Instead, it was oddly akin to Aventine’s own curiosity upon perceiving a phenomenon she found unique.

Thus, her final words would be:

"Ah, what a pretty pattern..."

Thus, her world evaporated in a searing beam of white.