Escalation

Following the marking, they entered the mountain path.

The targets were staying still beyond approximately three ridges.

“It’s better to hide your mana.”

Gram pointed at moisture clinging to the trees.

“They’ve scattered magic to detect trackers. Morpheus is an extremely meticulous person.”

“What about you?”

“When I’m a cut above those kids yet you treat me the same as the prince, it’s rather useless.”

Though the words were playful, they weren’t meant to insult, so Pernok immediately concealed his mana.

“Just the most minimal mana…”

And before Gram’s words could continue, Pernok began running alongside him.

“…Your sense is considerable. Even Magi would find this delicate mana control difficult.”

“I want to know the 13 Lords’ Magus Arts.”

He wondered if Gram would even tell him this much, but Gram answered very readily.

“First, the three ahead are specialized in various combat styles. Bülk excels at assassinating key figures. He can roughly traverse space within a 1-kilometer radius.”

“Is that the only restriction on distance?”

“Instead, the power decreases. So the most dangerous time for Bülk is when he condenses all his mana into his sickle. In that single moment, he transcends enhancement-type and enters the realm of special-type.”

“He appeared while tearing through space at high speed.”

“Oh, you’ve already witnessed it? Yet you’re cleverly alive.”

“I blocked it before the power reached maximum.”

“Ah, there was that method too.”

If it hadn’t been for Priest Jean, Pernok might have taken a hit with eyes wide open.

Thanks to him suddenly intervening, Bülk’s sickle stopped its Magus Arts activation before reaching its peak state.

“In a one-on-one confrontation, you wouldn’t have been able to find an opening. There was third-party intervention. A rather sharp one too… Ah! Was it that Magus hiding in the mansion?”

“Cut the nonsense and just talk about Magus Arts.”

“Kekeke, impatient, aren’t you. Anyway, Bülk’s Magus Arts specializes in single combat. Even if you blocked the Magus Arts that strikes through space midway, there’s a high possibility of being crushed by its weight, so I recommend avoiding it as much as possible.”

“What about that woman?”

“You mean Viscount Raina? Her Magus Arts is simple. She oxidizes everything that touches liquid. Even if a single drop splashes, it spreads in an instant. Against a large army without Magi, she could easily win alone against hundreds of thousands.”

Two Magi specialized in single combat and anti-personnel warfare.

“On top of that, Morpheus’s versatility was added. Count Morpheus’s Magus Arts originated from the ordinary natural-type magic of water, but after ascending to Magus Arts, he became able to utilize it in various ways.”

“He created fog with water. And froze it too.”

“Versatility is his strength. He’s perfectly suited for blocking variables.”

The three Magi including Morpheus seemed to have absolutely no openings.

Even if a large army charged in, it seemed those three could easily annihilate them.

“They came intending to crush even my forces.”

“That must’ve been their plan. If it weren’t for that Magus, by now you and the marquis territory would’ve been erased from Illumina’s map.”

Pernok avoided Gram’s gaze subtly trying to discover Priest Jean’s identity.

“What’s Morpheus’s weakness?”

“The only way is to press him down with stronger power. Or corrode him with opposing elements or special-type.”

Enhancement-type, natural-type, and special-type gathered in one place.

In that mansion, he’d been too rushed responding to think about it, but looking at it now, it was a combination with no apparent answer.

‘Even if I use Divine Punishment, one person is the limit. I can’t block the remaining two.’

After all, the answer lay with Gram.

“By the way, are you fine heading toward the 13 Lords with just the two of us, Your Highness?”

“You don’t look like someone who’d betray now?”

“If you trusted me in the meantime, that would truly be something to be grateful for.”

“No, from now on you need to prove you’re worth joining hands with me.”

“…?”

“You make the first attack.”

Gram understood the meaning and grinned.

“You’ll deploy me first?”

“Before they resist, just kill one person first. Whoever it is, just one person will do.”

“And then?”

“While you hold off one other person, I’ll handle the rest.”

“Is that possible?”

“Even an S2 Magus couldn’t fully handle those three alone. Wouldn’t it be much cleaner to handle it my way? If you want to avoid being discovered by that Chris bastard.”

“Kekeke, certainly a very good method for saving time.”

Gram licked his lips.

“It seems I chose my person well.”

“If you can’t sever their breath completely, there’s no talk of what comes after.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll show you my method—clean to the point of anticlimactic.”

Letting out a sinister laugh, Gram took the lead over the ridge.

* * *

“Ugh…”

“Endure it.”

Morpheus spoke indifferently while inserting clean water into Bülk’s necrotic arm.

As the coolness swept through his arm, shoulder, and even heart, color returned to the arm that had been turning pitch black.

When Raina wrapped his arm with bandages, Bülk poured out cold sweat while leaning his back against a tree.

“Huff, huff, thank you. Count.”

“Once tonight passes, you’ll be able to swing your arm.”

“Shall we go kill Prince Pernok again tomorrow?”

“We’ll rendezvous with Count Buckingham.”

“But our top priority mission is sweeping away Pernok and his faction. If we can’t do that, shouldn’t we at least buy time?”

Raina helped from the side.

“Baron Bülk is right. We must keep Pernok confined to his castle until Vans wins the competition.”

“No, we’ll rendezvous with Count Buckingham.”

“Count!”

“There are too many variables.”

At Morpheus’s cold words, the two people shook their heads.

Because they knew that once Morpheus set his mind, bending him was impossible unless it was Chris himself.

‘Just what was that Magus?’

The movements of the Magus who suddenly burst out to protect Pernok and drove back Bülk and Raina were still vivid in his mind.

That blue aura was clearly a complex Magus Arts possessing both enhancement-type amplification and special-type recovery concepts.

A skilled practitioner of that caliber couldn’t remain unknown by Pernok’s side until now.

‘Pernok has collaborators we don’t know about.’

The Rakis Empire’s intelligence network, which had thought Rezhen or the mage association was everything, seemed to have been carelessly breached.

‘We mustn’t counter mystery with recklessness.’

The correct course was to immediately exchange this information with Buckingham to devise countermeasures before striking Pernok again.

Morpheus was a cautious person who only snatched prey when he’d made certain judgments.

“Wars breaking out in various regions. If the 13 Lords’ sacrifice follows, the Rakis Empire’s dignity will be damaged. If you have a way to kill Pernok without dying yourselves, I’ll gladly listen.”

At his indifferent words, the two fell silent.

Pernok alone would be one thing, but handling that Magus too was unreasonable.

At minimum, one of either Bülk or Raina would have to sacrifice themselves to kill Pernok.

“An even exchange is a loss. We must win this war overwhelmingly and spread Rakis’s dignity throughout the world. Remember this. Those swayed by emotion never sit among the 13 Lords.”

It was when the two were nodding.

Morpheus suddenly turned his gaze east.

Covert mana was detected in the moisture.

“This is…”

About when he noticed that distinctive mana pattern, Gram revealed himself pushing through the bushes.

“Marquis!”

Bülk and Raina sprang up from their seats.

“Kekeke, so you were here.”

“How did you come here, marquis?”

“I handled the association side and came to check on Pernok, but the marquis territory was intact. Something seemed strange, so I followed you.”

“That’s…”

“Don’t tell me you failed?”

The two coughed and avoided Gram’s gaze.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk, how can Rakis’s 13 Lords make things difficult by failing to kill a mere youngster?”

When Gram wore a displeased expression and tried to walk over, Morpheus created a thin line of water before him.

“…?”

“Count?”

At the clear hostility, Gram stopped walking, and the two sent confused gazes as well.

But Morpheus calmly stared at Gram.

“You still haven’t properly answered Bülk’s question.”

“What?”

“Let me ask again. How did you know we were here?”

“Now, see here, count…!”

“How did you know to find this hideout?”

The line expanded into a plane, trying to block between Morpheus and Gram.

“Well now, this is something.”

Gram’s form blurred beyond the transparent membrane.

“This is why sharp-witted you are so adorable.”

And the voice came from the side.

Crack!

A staff pierced through Raina’s back.

“But your distance control is still immature. Did you think you could block me with that measly water fragment when I’m 50 meters away?”

“Mar… quis…?”

“Mm. My apologies, Viscount Raina.”

When Gram pulled out the staff, Raina collapsed with a hole blown through her chest, wearing an expression of disbelief.

Thud!

As soon as the sound was heard, all the gravity in the area reversed.

“The 13 Lords’ leisure stems from strength-born tension. One must always prepare while picturing the worst situation, but unfortunately, those below count-rank lacked vigilance.”

Bülk raised his sickle, and Morpheus’s water surged up like an ocean trying to envelop Gram.

The sight of showing no great lingering before Viscount Raina’s death pleased him into laughter.

“Kekeke, the 13 Lords must be spectacular even when dying!”

In that moment, intense waves burst through the ocean.

Like sparks suddenly flaring up, Morpheus turned his gaze at the abruptly rushing mana.

Pernok was condensing pure white energy in his gloves and bursting it forth.

BOOOOM!

Fragments shattered by the reversed gravity floated up.

Morpheus kicked off the fragments and glared straight ahead.

“Prince Pernok…?”

“As expected, your internal injuries recovered.”

Morpheus glanced at Gram confronting Bülk and distorted his expression for the first time.

“Could it be you’ve joined hands with Marquis Gram?”

“He came to me first. Saying he wanted to form an alliance with me.”

When Pernok’s calm words flowed through the area, Bülk shouted indignantly.

“No matter how much autonomous action was granted! What’s the reason for doing this while making Rakis your enemy, marquis!”

“Wrong. This is precisely action that helps Rakis.”

“Wh-what?”

“Either way, doesn’t it work out if I just join hands with Illumina’s king? I was more drawn to that youngster prince overflowing with potential than that sinister Vans. If Pernok becomes king and I become his collaborator, the profit ultimately returns to Rakis, so what exactly are you all so dissatisfied about?”

To the sinister laughter, Morpheus responded coldly.

“Speak properly. It’s personal feelings, isn’t it?”

As befitting Chris’s closest confidant, he grasped the situation quickly.

“The fact that you didn’t even give us time to persuade means it’s because we follow Duke Chris. Were you still holding onto having your duke title stolen?”

“You may curse me for being petty. But I’ll reclaim what should rightfully have been mine.”

“Even if the world changes, that will never exist.”

“When that arrogant bastard Chris stands back to watch, I’m taking the lead handling his forces. Unfortunately, Count Morpheus. You were the number one person I had to handle. You’re too clever—I didn’t know what variables you’d create.”

“I’m grateful for the compliment. I’ll explain all these words well to the duke.”

Gram clapped his hands together.

When gravity returned to normal, everyone landed on the ground.

Pernok had already finished Circulation Link.

Morpheus completed his densest water droplet.

Bülk condensed his remaining mana into his one good arm, preparing his best strike.

Gram trampled Raina’s corpse while floating a pitch-black sphere above his hand.

Everyone here felt it.

It was a single moment.

Whether killing or escaping.

It would be decided in this instant.

‘He came hidden so well I didn’t notice. That’s Gram’s doing. Then there’s no place to flee. The only escape route is forcibly tearing it open.’

Morpheus condensed his maximum mana.

‘I sacrifice myself to send Bülk to Count Buckingham.’

He’d already grasped Pernok’s Magus Arts.

He could suppress it sufficiently.

But he couldn’t shake off Gram as well.

Morpheus holding him down with resolve to die was all—creating a momentary gap.

Bülk would slip through that gap and escape.

Bülk also felt the signs of when a Magus tries to burst everything.

Without being told, Bülk guessed what action Morpheus would take.

And he cast his Magus Arts before anyone else.

Clang!

Gram reacted.

“Mm… disappointing?”

The moment he sensed that Bülk had released his power at the last second, Morpheus’s water droplets scattered in all directions.

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BANG!

A roar that exploded heaven and earth shook the mountain.

The instant Gram tried to burst gravity at the fierce resistance.

Pure white light pierced through the center.

“Did you believe you could handle me alone?”

Over Impact imbued with Circulation Link.

Though it stopped in the middle of water pouring down like a downpour, at the flash that followed, Morpheus’s eyes widened.

Having mistaken Pernok’s Magus Arts for Deep Night, he faced a massive lightning dragon.

“It’s the wrong choice.”

Divine Punishment flying mixed with Over Impact tore through all the water currents and pierced Morpheus.

Gram also watched with interest the power of a different dimension than mana.

‘Wasn’t it Magus Arts that dominated space?’

Like Morpheus, Gram had also misunderstood Pernok’s Magus Arts in another direction.

If he’d known this destructive power, Morpheus would have resisted by concentrating on a single point too.

But he’d been too conscious of the wounds from Deep Night, overlooking Pernok’s other powers.

No, the misunderstanding Pernok created to prevent him from knowing paid off.

Thanks to Priest Jean’s intervention, accumulated misunderstandings clouded judgment in the instant.

Morpheus thought of various strategies in the moment but couldn’t put them into action.

Because his body was already charred black and had expired, and Pernok had already caught up with Bülk’s back.

“Quick to give up.”

Gram’s gravity accelerated Pernok as if giving him wings.

“Did you dare crawl into my territory with such paltry resolve?”

When Bülk swung his sickle with a pale complexion, Pernok made his artifact into a hook and snatched it.

Though he struggled desperately to avoid losing it, his arms had already suffered serious injuries from the mana he’d condensed.

In contrast, Pernok mixed all sorts of enhancement-type magic with Mana Reinforcement, dramatically increasing his physical strength.

Bang!

While roughly kicking Bülk’s body, he pulled out the sickle with his hook.

Simultaneously changing the hook into sword form, Pernok descended upon Bülk.

Bülk barely tried to take a stance, but Pernok had also etched all sorts of absolute beings’ martial arts from the Netherworld into his body.

Even if he deployed martial arts with an enhanced body, he couldn’t surpass an absolute being’s swordsmanship wielded with the world’s sharpest blade.

Mixing the Knight King’s swordsmanship with Over Impact, he accumulated damage on Bülk’s body with each clash.

And the moment his legs collapsed, Pernok’s sword severed that neck with disrupted center.

Slash!

Bülk tumbled down with eyes wide open.

Soon, massive spiritual power pillars surged from all directions.

Morpheus, Bülk, Raina.

Rakis’s 13 Lords possessed denser spiritual power than the Magi killed until now.

Absorbing them all, his synchronization rate shot up at once.

Synchronization rate – 55%

Pernok’s body trembled.

It was the thrill coming from the joy of shedding one layer.

Though his mana hadn’t escaped S1, his spiritual power had now grown rapidly enough to rival an S2 Magus.

“You possess quite many talents.”

Pernok gazed quietly at Gram approaching while wearing an expression of admiration.