Chapter 239 - Infinite Mage

On the 286th day since the assassination began, only two people remained in the mansion. The patriarch and his beloved youngest daughter. "H-How could you...?" The patriarch couldn't believe the reality before his eyes. He was not an assassin. Therefore, the culprit must unquestionably be his fourteen-year-old youngest daughter. "No! I'm not the culprit, Dad! I'm really not!" The patriarch drew the sword bound at his waist. He had to kill her. No matter how beloved his daughter was, everyone had perished because of her. But he couldn't bring himself to kill his daughter. Because, she was already dead. Staring blankly at his daughter, now a corpse, he finally realized and trembled at the chin. At last, all secrets were revealed. His sword slipped from his grasp and he collapsed to his knees. "No, no! This can't be happening! No!" He screamed, tearing at his hair. No one else was left to die, except himself. He took a bottle of strong liquor and headed for the study. Sitting at the desk, he documented the events of the past 286 days into a single letter. It is said that the patriarch’s fate was never confirmed. There's debate over whether he left the mansion or was the last victim of assassination, but either way, the Jegar family vanished from the world. Two years later, a merchant acquired the Jegar mansion at a discounted price. It had been untouched due to the patriarch's ownership, but after the two-year legal period elapsed, the kingdom sold it off. When the sealed doors of the mansion were finally opened, the first thing the merchant saw was 287 red beads scattered across the floor. This is the hidden history. It's also a prime example why the Curia Auction Company declares that their objets are not 100% safe. 5. All Kinds of Variables (3) The true origin stories of objets are rarely concrete. Names of objects are passed down from someone, and people let their imaginations soar from there. However, this case is unique in that there's an actual record. The merchant who took over the mansion soon discovered what abilities the 287 beads possessed. Anyone possessing them would hear a girl's warning the moment they encountered a killing intent. It was an alarm system so sharp that even an expertly restrained killing aura couldn’t bypass it. The merchant auctioned it off and became the richest person on the continent. The 287 objets were divided among various power figures across nations, with around 82 still believed to be extant. ‘Such is the tale.’ This was the story Xenoger had heard during his time training as an assassin. This made the current situation all the more enigmatic. Shirone couldn’t possibly possess an object that even the highest nobles or royalty from various countries could barely acquire. "Where... did you get that? Your life doesn’t seem that expensive." Shirone quickly stood and adopted a fighting stance. “Who are you? What are you planning to do to me?” Without answering, Xenoger waved his hand in the air. Threads tangled and formed a visible white yarn wrapping around his wrist. Connecting one end to the ceiling, he pulled himself swiftly upward. Shirone attempted to teleport, but Xenoger had already vanished entirely from view. He was an incredible master, at least from Shirone's perspective. Xenoger moved along the walls, pursuing Shirone. Anyway, he was a target that could be dealt with over 90% of the time using hitman methods. Moreover, those objets no longer existed, so the outcome, Shirone’s death, was inevitable. Shirone had no escape. He was suffocating under Xenoger’s killing aura, hidden so expertly until now. And the source of this killing aura wasn’t localized, it was disrupting the multisensory realm of the Spirit Zone at incredible speed. ‘I’ll die at this rate!’ In a life-or-death crisis, Shirone abandoned fleeing and instead dropped his arms down to pour all his energy into casting an aura blast. Boom! Boom! Boom! The underground walls shook, dust cascading down. "Ha-ha-ha! Magic, it's magic." No profession looks down on magicians, yet the Spatur assassin clan had a manual to handle all situations. Pouting his lips, Xenoger shot a spiderweb-like wire that spiraled out. It pierced through the aura blast and skewered Shirone's shoulder. “Ack!” Shirone swiftly extricated the thread and rolled across the ground. It wasn’t a mortal wound, but the blow highlighted the stark difference in their abilities. Expansive defensive magic like aura blasts boasted broad defensive capabilities at the expense of localized penetration vulnerability. To instantly identify weaknesses and counter them upon encountering magic—his opponent's cognitive speed likely surpassed Shirone’s. Xenoger, who remained outside Shirone's sight, dropped to the ground with a perfectly spider-like stance, laying his hands down as he landed. His tongue flicked out, licking across his entire face. “Kihi, nice reaction. I aimed for your heart, but you dodged. A rookie like you suits my taste. I'd love to tie you up in webs and fawn over you, but...” Shirone shivered, feeling an eerie chill. "I have a busy schedule." As Xenoger vanished from sight even faster than before, Shirone was thrown into a state of indecisibility. Magicians wield unparalleled power beyond human reason, but when limited to individual combat, they struggle against those who have pushed their physical abilities to the extreme. Xenoger was an unseen master, and attempting to respond from the start was a miscalculation. Shirone turned completely around, ready to teleport. If fleeing was impossible and confronting him was difficult, the only choice left was to hide and bide time. Transformed into a flash of light, he bounced off walls, slipping into a food storage area. As the space fed hundreds of royal family members, it was enormous, divided into sections for each type of food. Shirone hid, leaning against a spot where sacks were stacked like a fortress. Even though he hadn't cast many spells for long, he was already panting heavily. 'Where might he target me? The ceiling? Behind the sacks? Or the opposite area?' Shirone shifted his gaze, trying to track Xenoger’s whereabouts. However, Xenoger was stuck in the corner of the ceiling, completely out of Shirone’s expectations. 'Foolish. To think common sense applies to a mimetic adept,' Xenoger thought, his eight eyes locking onto Shirone. @ Borrowing the power of the Golden Armor, Zion’s combat ability equaled that of a certified sword master. Amy had no time to cast a teleportation spell as Zion launched a series of sharp attacks. Seeing Amy's pale face brought Zion some satisfaction. Armand, rated as an S-class object even among traders, indeed proved its worth. For royalty, effort isn’t necessary. The same goes for talent. Royalty's nobility comes solely from bloodline. They can just purchase effort and talent if needed. "You're holding up quite well." He hadn’t expected the battle to last this long. He thought she was a fragile magician but her agility matched that of a swordsman. "Seems you prepared thoroughly from a young age? How pitiful that you fall to someone like me, who hasn't even learned magic or swordsmanship." "Don't spout nonsense! I’ll never lose to someone who relies only on weapons like you!" Grinding her teeth, Amy charged at Zion. It was infuriating enough to make her want to cry. Her achievements were the result of ten years of unceasing effort. Someone who’d never known hardship couldn’t possibly best her with just a single cursed sword. Amy maximized her schema ability to implement a disruption strategy. Yet, in response, Armand altered Zion’s physiology. -Change in enemy entity acceleration detected. Retinal afterimages removed. Visual perception enhanced. The reason afterimages occur is that the human brain retains memory of objects for a tenth of a second. But with Armand eliminating retinal afterimages, Amy’s movements became clear, as if breaking up into frames. Zion, standing briefly, then suddenly lunged. The sword fitted to his gauntlet sliced through the air, grazing the hem of Amy's clothes. Zion was not a schema user. However, the body's tuning ability provided by the Golden Armor mimicked the effects of schema perfectly. 'No, I can’t accept this!' Amy bit her lip. To evade Zion's sight, she needed speed that surpasses his cognitive abilities. But her schema wasn’t at that level. 'Therefore...' Amy entered the Spirit Zone. She wasn’t sure how effective magic would be against an agile warrior with a close-range weapon in a confined space, but straightforward tactics weren’t going to ensure survival. 'Eat this!' Amy unleashed fireballs in all directions. Instead of targeting, she used them to restrict movement. 'Tch! Annoying.' Zion abandoned his charge and pulled back. The gallery contained numerous objets. If it were just Armand, other things wouldn’t matter, but most belonged to Woo Rin, which was problematic. 'I must protect the objets.' Reading Zion’s intent, Armand stretched its tentacles in all directions. As the tentacles adhered to the walls, Zion’s body lifted off the ground. With traction, Zion’s body flew like an insect. Slicing through the air with great speed, the fireballs split in half. Amy scoffed. 'Do you think that will stop them?' Even if the form is altered, the heat remains. As expected, the flames engulfed Zion, igniting a combustion reaction with Armand’s organic material. However, the hardened charcoal-like surface peeled away, and new organic material filled its place. Regeneration is the strength of living things. Its S-class status was due to possessing the benefits of both metal and biology. As Zion, having blocked the fireballs, hovered in the air, he looked down at Amy. "Surprisingly fiery personality. But you won’t be causing trouble any longer." Amy retreated and surrounded herself with a fire mist. It wouldn’t reverse the situation but was the best deterrent against biological approaches. "Tch, making such a fuss." Amy knew it too. It was pitiful that the best she could manage was improvisation. But in a space with unpredictable movements from the opponent and limited room, even her sniper mode could not be utilized. Yet she didn’t give up because she saw a glimmer of hope. For unknown reasons, Zion appeared to dislike destruction of items in the room. 'They don’t even look expensive.' Though puzzling, it was the only opening in the current predicament. Amy experimentally fired a fire strike direct at the display case. As anticipated, Zion lunged. A tentacle extending past his shoulder intercepted the path of the fire strike. With a boom, the tip of the tentacle burned. Amy, intending to sever it, clicked her tongue at its unexpected durability. But her magic was just beginning. She rotated the target-focused Spirit Zone, launching fire strikes in all directions. Zion swung the tentacles, continually deflecting them, but even Armand’s durability had limits. 'Tch! In that case, I’ll capture the magician!' A tentacle pressed against Amy’s nape, pushing her back. Though her mind initially reeled from her head hitting the wall, she quickly reset using her photographic memory. “Kugh, you think you can stop me with this...?” At that moment, a sharp needle protruded from the tentacle, stabbing her neck. Consequently, the Spirit Zone dissipated and her magic unraveled. Zion descended to the floor while listening to Armand's voice. -User pituitary hormone extraction complete. Product creation complete. Injecting synthesized neuro-stabilizer. The human body is no different from a large chemical plant. Armand had extracted Zion's internal hormones to craft a unique neuro-stabilizer. Amy couldn't hold onto her slipping consciousness. 'What kind of sword is this?' She tried invoking her photographic memory, but the ceaseless influx of the tranquilizer overpowered her ability to concentrate and form a Spirit Zone. Instead, chemical substances surged further, poisoning her liver. "Heh heh, with magicians, it's over as soon as you mess up their focus. You, Shirone, it doesn't matter who. What's so great about magic that you all behave so arrogantly?" Amy panted heavily, staring up at the ceiling. Her eyes involuntarily rolled back, making it difficult to lower her gaze. "It's taxing, isn't it? Why don't you just pass out? In the meantime, I'll have fun with your body. Of course, don't expect to wake up with all your limbs intact." "Ugh! Ugh...!" Amy fought desperately against him. "Ha ha ha! You're really putting on a show now. Do you see what happens when you mess with royalty?" Amy squeezed every ounce of her strength to activate her photographic memory. "You think so?" Zion scoffed knowingly, aware that she couldn’t enter the Spirit Zone. But the next moment, something extraordinary happened. A small flame ignited above Amy's hand. Before Zion could process what was happening, Amy hurled the flame toward a shelf. "Damn it! Stop her!" As Zion's attention shifted to the shelf, Armand retracted its tentacles and hurled its master backwards. Zion barely managed to block the path just as the shelf was about to explode. Ready to brace the searing heat, he felt unexpectedly foolish as the fire disappeared before his eyes. "What, what is this?" It was a phony flame, akin to a Jack O' Lantern. The spirit, possessing its own Spirit Zone, could be conjured regardless of Amy's mental state. 5. All Kinds of Variables (4) Free from the tentacles, Amy reset her mind with her photographic memory. She felt nauseous from the overdose of tranquilizer, but she managed to enter the Spirit Zone. Equipped with a triumphant fireball, Amy sprinted towards the door, swinging her arm forcefully. The potent fireball smashed into the organic-laden door, sending it crashing to pieces. By the time Zion realized he had been deceived, the second door was already bursting open. "Damn it!" Zion angrily demanded an explanation from poor Armand. "What in the world were you doing? She got away!" This was the typical blunder of an inexperienced user. While Armand could copy the user's brain to boost intelligence, it fundamentally remained a sword that coexisted with its master. It couldn’t make decisions in place of the master. Therefore, blaming Armand was akin to blaming his own foolish mind. "We have to chase her. Let's go." In response to Zion’s command, the Golden Armor unleashed numerous tentacles that embedded into the walls. Using their strength, Zion was propelled forward like swinging on a trapeze. @ Reina paused and inclined her ear toward the direction of the commotion. The ability of the Sound of Silence had picked up the massive vibrations echoing from underground. While the noises transmitted through the walls were subtle, the fact that they reached this far in the kingdom's most well-fortified castle indicated that a massive impact had occurred at the source. "They're in the underground!" With this realization, Reina launched herself toward the stairs in front of her. Not even an average swordsman's blade could produce enough force to vibrate the structure. Shirone was undoubtedly casting magic. As she set foot on the underground level, she heard the sound of someone rapidly approaching from the end of the corridor. The rhythm of their footsteps suggested a person in an extreme state of agitation.