Chapter 1073 – #255_Rage, Purity, Greed (5)
#1067
1.
“……”
“……”
“……”
The hundreds of witches who had gathered to punish the invaders who dared to trespass into the city were forced to stop in their tracks.
It was because they were witnessing a great magic that could easily fuck them over if they weren’t careful.
-Wooooooong!
A super-heated plasma fire sphere, comparable to the temperature of the sun, spewed out a blazing crimson flame.
The overwhelming amount of light, which seemed like it could blind you just by looking at it, pierced their eyes like needles. The seawater within the barrier boiled all at once, and a massive heatwave swept through Dignity Town, leaving behind a ghostly wail.
The SLBMs mounted on R’lyeh’s Akula totaled 20. 12 of them were equipped with nuclear warheads. Sharon had symbolically used a total of 3 nuclear warheads for this magic.
“Shit…. What do we do?”
“I don’t know, we’re fucked.”
“Can we even stop that?”
Even the enemies understood.
The magic that had created a small sun in the night city was a definite asymmetric power.
It could either evaporate those who rushed in first without a trace, or it could destroy half the city.
All of those options were in the hands of the enemy, a decisive magic.
Then, a question might arise here.
Even though nuclear weapons are strictly controlled politically and militarily, they are something that can be obtained with the power of a witch.
If simply using nuclear warheads as a sacrifice could hold back hundreds of enemies, why aren’t elemental witches dominating the witch combat power rankings?
Why not just steal the nuclear weapons that are stockpiled enough to turn the entire surface of the earth into a sea of fire and use them freely?
There is a reason why that is not possible.
First, in order to adopt such a destructive symbol, a corresponding amount of fuel is needed. A vast amount of magical power that a normal witch cannot possess, enough magical power that even three generations could use without running out.
However, Siwoo, who had become the head of the academy, knew.
The ‘Gate’ was a massive magic formula that single-handedly monopolized 26% of Gehenna’s magical power production. The Hexennacht’s Gate, which was modeled after it, was the same.
If one could interfere with the great magic that could create another world on the other side of the world and steal its output at will, then ‘fuel’ could be prepared.
Then, another question arises.
Either way, if you have enough magical power, can’t you use tactical nuclear magic?
Witches don’t care about the means or methods when it comes to magic.
If you can gather enough magical power by any means, doesn’t that mean it’s possible to reproduce a miracle like this?
The reason why that was impossible was what Sharon was experiencing in real time.
“Ugh….”
It was a large-scale magic formula that had been planned in advance.
For a month, she had referred to the information about the ‘Gate’ that she had received from Siwoo, and she had made a framework for a magic circle that was ‘theoretically’ possible, making the most of Sharon’s specialty, elemental magic.
However, creating a magic circle is not the end of the story.
Just like a conductor conducts an orchestra, the activation requirements for magic include actively dealing with the countless variables and noises that occur during activation.
Sharon did not have the ability to perfectly perform such calculations.
No.
It would be impossible for any elemental witch in the world, not just Sharon.
At this rate, it was no different from running an unoptimized high-spec game on a low-spec computer.
If this were a game, it would just lag or crash, but an error that occurred in the process of operating such a great magic would immediately lead to the failure of the magic and the death of the caster.
However.
-Wiiiiiiing!!!
The angel’s halo was spinning violently above Siwoo’s head.
Siwoo’s calculation power, which had fallen into a trance and had surpassed his limits as if climbing a steep staircase, made this possible.
By sharing their minds through their clasped hands, he passed the parts that required calculation to Siwoo.
Even while passing it over, Siwoo was performing the seemingly impossible task without a single mistake or gap, making her think, ‘Is this, is this really okay…?’
And that was while the magic was being performed in real time.
An astonishing high-speed calculation ability that was closer to a supercomputer than a human.
-Wooooooong!
The magic was completed.
“Ugh…. I barely made it….”
Sharon completely handed over control of the magic to Siwoo.
The super-heated fire sphere, which had been irregularly bouncing, twisting, and sometimes distorting out of control, took on a stable spherical shape and entered Siwoo’s hand.
Sharon clenched her fist.
Now, all they had to do was follow the plan.
It was originally a magic that had been prepared for the off chance, but luckily, the situation had aligned, and it could be cast at the exact time it was needed.
The purpose of this plan was not to inflict death and fear on the enemies with Sharon’s ultimate nuclear magic.
It was to seal the Hexennacht’s ‘Gate’.
It would break the essence of dimensional magic, which was known to be absolutely impossible to destroy by normal means.
It would be like pushing the enemies into the Hexennacht for quite a long time and forcibly sealing the Gate.
Then, the future plans to save Dorothy, as well as revenge, would become much easier.
Since it was just a show of force, the possibility of it immediately spreading into a full-scale war between Gehenna and Hexennacht was low.
However, Siwoo’s hesitation grew longer.
“…Siwoo?”
Sharon tilted her head, looking at Siwoo’s face as he stared down at the enemy with a blank expression.
There is such a thing as demonic power in the world.
That power fascinates humans.
Because if you give up just a little bit of worry, you can achieve a lot very easily.
Siwoo, including Sharon, knew the power of this magic best.
This ‘outer realm’, created after meeting difficult conditions and situations, was an absurd great magic that made it meaningless to divide ranks by hierarchy.
It was no different from cheating through massive fuel and absurd calculations.
In terms of power itself, it was roughly 25th tier.
A destructive power that no one but Keter had ever dared to covet was contained in this hand.
If he were to throw this anywhere in the city, a few dozen, or even hundreds of witches would die.
Then, a large-scale war would break out between Gehenna and Hexennacht.
No.
In fact, there was no need to go that far.
He could just throw it at the enemy group in front of him.
No matter how high the power of the magic was, there were still that many of them.
They would definitely block it, but there would be quite a few casualties among the high-ranking witches.
Before the war even started, he could fill the lotus at once.
He could hold Dorothy in his arms tonight, when she returned.
“……”
The enemies in front of him were those who had to pay the price.
Evil enemies or exiles with malicious tendencies who held similar ideologies.
They were just reaping the seeds they had sown.
He didn’t care about the war that would happen later.
The arrogant Gehenna witches who had caused Dorothy to die and Rinne to be injured because of prejudice and discrimination.
He could just ignore how many of them would die under that arrogance.
It didn’t matter if the world became a mess.
Shin Siwoo and his lover were strong enough to enjoy their own peaceful happiness in a chaotic world.
It was enough to quietly enjoy the peace achieved through power.
However….
‘Siwoo.’
The day he was stealing the lotus from the Yesod mansion.
Siwoo met Eloa.
‘Take up the spear.’
Eloa stood in front of Siwoo, holding a sword without saying a word.
Siwoo also stood in front of her without any explanation.
The winner was decided as simply as it was absurd.
The spear that Siwoo, who was not even a Red Branch, had woven out of shadows, knocked the contract sword out of Eloa’s hand in 14 moves.
Even though Eloa was a high-ranking witch, Siwoo was not easy to deal with, as he was able to win while she was recovering from a major penalty.
However, Siwoo was more afraid of the conversation that would follow after the duel than the duel itself.
Because if she was an upright teacher, she would definitely stop Siwoo’s actions.
But Siwoo couldn’t give up on Dorothy.
He couldn’t even look up, as he was worried about the conflict that the difference of opinion would cause and the pain that Eloa would suffer because of it.
‘Siwoo, raise your head. It’s okay.’
Contrary to his expectations, she hugged Siwoo with a soft smile and a gentle tone.
‘The reason I stopped you was because I am your teacher.’
The warmth that made him want to be embraced forever, the depth of love that he could not resist, held his feet more strongly than any power or violence.
If Eloa had not released her arms forever, he probably would not have been able to leave that spot.
However, she hugged Siwoo tightly for a moment and then released her arms.
‘And the reason I’m letting you go is because I am your lover.’
‘Teacher.’
‘Do you remember what I said before? Even if the world turns against you, I will stand by your side. I believe in Siwoo, my beloved disciple and lover.’
‘…….’
‘Be sure to come back.’
The trust and love of his teacher, who had sent him away because she believed that Siwoo would definitely return.
‘I have a baby. Siwoo’s baby.’
‘It’s 8 weeks along. Today, Yebin showed me the baby’s heartbeat. It’s so small and wriggling.’
‘Do you want to hear it too, Siwoo?’
The small yet vibrant heartbeat he had heard at that time.
He didn’t want to be ashamed in front of his child when he became a father and held them in his arms in the future.
He couldn’t betray such trust and faith.
That’s why.
Even if it was difficult, even if someone pointed their finger at him for being foolish, he would adhere to his own self-satisfaction.
Hesitating, agonizing.
Not judging right and wrong, but getting lost.
Wandering endlessly to find a better direction in the ambiguity that makes you want to give up without realizing it.
“I won’t become like you.”
This was the direction of life that Shin Siwoo had decided on.
“Bloom.”
-Kugugugung
Along with the incantation, the light of the fire sphere that had swelled up drove away the endless night of Hexennacht. The ring of the ‘Gate’, which had stood tall as if boasting the power of Hexennacht, melted like beeswax.
When the great magic that had caused a chain reaction of explosions disappeared as if it had been extinguished with a sudden contraction.
“……”
“…Where did our gate go?”
All that remained was the wreckage of the Gate, which had been destroyed without leaving a trace.
