The Problematic Child of the Magic Tower

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 415: The Black Finger (7)

To liberate one's world, one must first clearly define their own world.

However, the Mad Fiend lacked the linguistic ability and the spell composition skills to define his world.

In other words, his intelligence was far too low compared to the achievements he had attained.

Of course, he wasn’t like that from the beginning.

Back in the days when he was called Gilliot Dominic, he possessed an intelligence that fell short to no one.

"Grrr."

What completely robbed him of that intelligence was none other than mana deviation.

The Wind of Ruin was a completely offensive magic that cast aside all self-preservation and aimed solely for destruction.

"Right, now I know for sure."

Tap, tap.

The Lumberjack brushed off the dirt and spoke as he stood up.

The vague suspicion he had harbored was resolved the moment he was hit by the strike just now.

"You're suffering from mana deviation."

The reasons for suffering from mana deviation are more diverse than one might think.

The unreasonable breakthrough of a realm, the reverse flow of a mana circuit, a contradiction regarding one's own world.

Or even cases of dabbling in forbidden knowledge known as demonic arts.

That is why those who settle for the status quo do not suffer from mana deviation.

Because it is a curse that only drags down those who live looking upwards.

The Lumberjack chuckled.

"That black wind must be the problem."

He could confidently say he had never seen a magic with its balance so thoroughly collapsed.

The opponent must have been mesmerized by the overwhelming offensive power that magic held and dug into it like a madman.

That was the result.

The end of a foolish loser who could not even control his own rising madness.

"If you're suffering from mana deviation, it makes sense why you haven't liberated your world."

There was only one reason why the Lumberjack hadn't fiercely pressured his opponent even after liberating his world.

It was because he didn't know when the opponent might liberate his world.

Unlike his crude appearance, he had a disposition to unconditionally tap a stone bridge before crossing it to play it safe.

"But now that I know you can't use it, there's nothing to hesitate about."

He just had to chop both of them up like firewood.

The Lumberjack's gaze fixated on the Mad Fiend.

Of course, that didn't mean the madman before his eyes wasn't dangerous.

Rather, looking purely at destructive power, he was quite a threatening opponent.

‘But just because a tree is thick doesn't mean it can't be felled.’

Glance.

The Lumberjack looked at Killian, who was slumped on the floor.

A state where it seemed difficult for him to move even a single finger.

"Heh."

In that case, there was no reason not to use that.

Dash!

The Lumberjack kicked off the ground and charged without warning.

Boom! Kabaam!

The split second when their positions swapped along with the repeated clashes.

"Just watch from the back."

The Lumberjack, who had suddenly spun his body around, abruptly dashed toward Killian.

"……!"

Seeing this, Killian's eyes went wide.

‘I have to dodge.’

That single sentence became the only thought sounding an alarm in his head, but.

Tremble, tremble.

His body, which had already exhausted all its energy, would not move as he willed.

"Ugh……!"

All he could do right now was glare at the approaching axe blade with wide-open eyes.

"Roooar!"

At that moment, the Mad Fiend let out a monstrous shriek and chased closely after the Lumberjack at lightning speed.

And that was precisely the moment the Lumberjack had been aiming for.

Swoosh!

The Lumberjack's axe, turning his body in midair, was abruptly swung horizontally.

The Mad Fiend, having already accelerated to the max, was in a situation where it was hard to stop his movements.

"Found it."

The ‘grain’ crossing the Mad Fiend's body began to be caught by the Lumberjack's senses.

A single magical line that could extinguish life with just one cut.

"It's my victory, beast."

The weak and soft mindset of trying to save a comrade on the battlefield.

That was the reason the mage before his eyes would die.

The Lumberjack unhesitatingly moved his axe blade toward the grain caught in his senses.

Vwoooosh!

When the Mad Fiend reflexively summoned the Wind of Ruin in response, the Lumberjack shouted.

"Bwahahaha! It's useless! I just need to cut that paltry wind along with you!"

No matter how strong a magic was, each naturally possessed its own unique grain.

If he just cut that grain, the body hidden behind it was nothing but a lump of meat.

The axe blade would chop the opponent like firewood this time as well, just as it always had.

There was not a single inch of doubt in that thought.

"……Huh?"

But the next moment, the Lumberjack let out a dumbfounded sound.

‘W-what in the world is the movement of this grain?’

Moving as unpredictably as a flame placed in front of the wind.

As swift as a falling thunderbolt.

That was the movement of the wind cloaking the Mad Fiend.

‘The position of the grain…… changes dozens of times a second?’

The Lumberjack's World Liberation granted only the ability to read the grain.

How to cut it was completely up to himself.

Until now, there hadn't been any particular problem with that.

As a Level 7 warrior, his combat intelligence was high, and his strength and speed were outstanding.

‘But this guy…….’

His speed is faster than mine.

In other words, the grain he possessed was clearly visible, but it couldn't be cut.

Because a crazy wind whose position shifted so frantically wasn't on a level a human could cut.

"Grrr."

Twisting his body in midair, the Mad Fiend smoothly deflected the axe blade.

At the same time, a fist slammed into the Lumberjack's face.

Kabaaaam!

Smashed straight into the floor, his body couldn't withstand the impact and bounced up.

"Roooar!"

Cloaking his right leg in wind, the Mad Fiend kicked that body like a ball.

Craaaash!

The Lumberjack's figure shot out like a laser and slammed into the wall.

"Kuweegh!"

From the impact, the Lumberjack coughed up blood.

He felt a distant, overwhelming pain, as if every joint in his bones and muscles were being crushed.

His head grew heavy, as if a massive weight had been attached to it, and proper thoughts refused to spin.

Bweeeee—

A ringing echoed endlessly in his ears.

"Grrrrr."

Through the ringing, he heard something like the growl of a beast.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

The Lumberjack lifted his head and stared at the approaching silhouette with blurred vision.

"You…… damn beast……."

Grip.

Even as he lay collapsed, the Lumberjack grasped his axe.

It's not over yet.

His right arm was broken and several ribs were shattered, but his World Liberation hadn't been deactivated yet.

‘If I can't cut the wind, I just have to cut where the wind doesn't reach.’

The Lumberjack's gaze turned toward the lofty ceiling of the cavern.

Up there, randomly drawn grains were vividly visible, looking like a child's scribbles.

‘I'll bring the whole thing down.’

The opponent would obviously go to save his comrade anyway, so he wouldn't be able to attack him.

In other words, he just had to escape in that opening.

"Let's see you…… try to block this too!"

The Lumberjack infused magic into his double-edged axe and hurled it straight up.

Craack! Crunch!

The axe, which scraped across the ceiling in a flash, plummeted powerlessly.

However, it certainly wouldn't fall alone.

Because following right behind it, a tremendous amount of stones and boulders began to fall together.

"Ugh, Mad Fiend! Run away!"

At Killian's shout, the Mad Fiend shot a glance.

"Grrr."

Then he growled, raising his chin slightly.

It was an attitude that showed he still hated being coached by a scrub like him.

Thud!

The Mad Fiend, having lightly stomped his foot to take a stance.

Thrust his fist straight upward.

Roaaar! Craack! Crunch!

The Wind of Ruin, swirling like a typhoon, ground all the falling boulders to dust and turned them into sand.

"……Hah."

Killian let out a hollow laugh as he was struck by the fine sand particles drifting down like snow.

The boulders, which had been massive enough to crush a person, became sand that barely even reached ankle height.

To think he couldn't use such a powerful wind because he was busy caring for him.

Suddenly, he felt like he understood just how much the Mad Fiend had been accommodating him while traveling together.

"N-nonsense."

The Lumberjack muttered with a blank face.

Crunch!

The Mad Fiend dashed in and trampled on his chest.

"Grrrrr."

"Don't kill him! Have you forgotten Oscar's words? Put the mana-sealing handcuffs on him!"

At Killian's shout, the Mad Fiend growled low, as if displeased.

Of course, the Lumberjack, having overheard that conversation, regained a shred of composure.

"Heh, true. Killing me, one of the Five Fingers, like this would be quite a huge loss for you guys as well. It would be far more beneficial to keep me alive."

"……."

Thrust. The Lumberjack arrogantly held out both wrists, as if he were a captured noble.

"Put them on."

"Grrrrr."

The Mad Fiend, deeply displeased with that confident attitude, reached out his hand.

Grab.

When his ankle was caught out of nowhere, the Lumberjack furrowed his brow.

"Hey, I'd prefer if you cuffed my wrists instead of my ankles. I absolutely loathe being uncomfortable when I w—hweeeck?"

The Lumberjack's large and heavy body levitated, defying gravity.

Baaang!

Then he was slammed into the ground, and Baaang! defied gravity once more, only to be slammed into the ground again.

As if hammering, the Mad Fiend endlessly pounded the Lumberjack against the floor.

How many times did he thrash him?

Only after confirming that the Lumberjack had fainted and gone quiet did he, clack, place the handcuffs on those two wrists.

"……."

Killian, who had been quietly watching the scene, gulped and asked.

"Is he alive?"

"Grrrng."

Lowering his head slightly, the Mad Fiend nudged the Lumberjack's side with the tip of his foot.

There was no response.

Nudge, nudge.

He nudged him a bit harder, then applied a bit of strength and kicked him.

"Ugh, urgggh……."

When a faint groan leaked from the Lumberjack's mouth, the Mad Fiend lifted his chin and crossed his arms.

It was a triumphant attitude, as if saying, ‘See that?’

"Well…… no, good job."

Killian struggled to raise a violently trembling thumb.

"You are the best warrior of the White Tower that I acknowledge."

"……."

Oscar, listening to the sound of sirens, slowly turned his head.

Judging by the sound, it seemed reinforcements had arrived, but even so, he didn't worry about the others.

‘Since all I can do right now is trust them anyway.’

It wasn't like he could just abandon the enemies in front of his eyes and leave, either.

Above all, it didn't seem like those guys would let him go nicely.

‘Two Level 7s.’

Suddenly, thinking about just what level of combat power that was, a hollow laugh leaked out.

The Alchemist, noticing this, asked.

"Why are you laughing?"

"Because it's just so absurd."

Oscar closed both eyes with a bitter expression.

Back when the war was in full swing, a powerhouse at around Level 7 was usually a commander responsible for an entire front.

On the fronts that didn't even possess such individuals, thousands of people had to risk their lives fighting every single day.

The corpses of heroes who couldn't even leave behind their names piled up like mountains, and their wishes were incredibly humble.

"Please let us survive safely until the war is over and return home."

Those who fell into a deep sleep, unable to achieve even that modest wish, were still vivid in his eyes.

"Why is it you people?"

His self-deprecating voice bordered on a lament.

"Why did God gift such talent to scumbags like you?"

Looking at the bastards who willingly volunteered to become the running dogs of the demons in such a peaceful era.

He didn't even have the energy to get angry or pour out criticism.

"We didn't fight for things like you."

"What the hell are you babbling about?"

Oscar's eyes, slowly opening, were piercingly cold.

"Right, there's no need for long words."

Vwoooom.

Oscar unfolded the Wind Archive.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]