City ​​of Witches 1072

Chapter 1072 – #254_Rage, Pure Greed (4)

#1066

1.
Wars can erupt suddenly, like gunpowder igniting for some reason, but many wars in history have progressed gradually.

Two groups with mutual grudges, one throws the first punch.
The punched side draws a knife.
This time, the stabbed side loads a gun.
The shot side responds with artillery, and the shelled side launches a missile.

Is it something like that?

At the moment someone crosses the ‘line’ in the escalating intensity, a large-scale total war often breaks out in an instant.

“This doesn’t look good.”

Albiereo said this, observing the situation after the council meeting.

“Indeed, I wonder if Duke Errelim is being overly cautious about friction…”

Lucy Yesod also agreed.

Both Jemena and Yesod are entrepreneurs who run legitimate businesses in the present world.
Moreover, as they are about to inherit, they are fundamentally pacifists.

But that’s why they were even more concerned about Duke Errelim’s approach.

“It means there’s a possibility that unsuppressed discontent could erupt uncontrollably.”

From the previous attack on the Seoul branch of the Waypoint to this invasion across the ‘Gate’.
Gehenna’s hostility towards Hexennacht was gradually surpassing its characteristic bystander stance.

Errelim’s ambiguous mediation is rather poisonous.
She should have taken a more hardline stance and released the simmering anger rising in Gehenna.

Because she didn’t, a witch emerged, crying out for ‘private retribution’.

Witches who usually looked down on public figures.
Witches with personal grudges.
Witches with a strong sense of belonging to Gehenna, outraged by the enemy’s preemptive strike.
Witches who could gain something from this conflict.

This movement is quite fierce.

“Countess Lucy, you received it too, right?”
“Ah? The offer to join? Yes, they came this morning and asked me to join them. I tried to dissuade them, but they didn’t seem to listen.”
“I see…”

It’s not wise to underestimate the combat groups hastily formed in Gehenna.

Public figures and outcasts may belittle Gehenna witches as naive or cowardly with no combat experience, but it’s been 600 years.

Witches who have stably invested 600 years in magical research under the best infrastructure are nothing short of combat weapons.

Some of them have experienced war, and countless others have experienced hunting homunculi or public figures.

The number of those gathered has already exceeded one hundred, so if they were to ‘retaliate’ against Hexennacht, they would inflict considerable damage.

Here’s the question.

Will they really only retaliate ‘as much as they were hurt’?
Even though they struck first, would Hexennacht, who was severely beaten, just stand by?

The pro-war faction, which has recently lost a lot of influence, might regain public opinion.

The end of that is war.
Ambiguous handling of affairs aimed at maintaining peace could rather be the fuse for war.

“I wish Duke Errelim had handled things more decisively… By the way, have you heard from Siwoo?”
“I received a report a few days ago that he joined Sharon and LeRuye. I also informed him about the current situation.”

Lucy, Albiereo, and Deneb all know that Siwoo went on a hunt for public figures with the lotus to save Dorothy.

Albiereo took on the role of conveying internal Gehenna information to Akula for Siwoo, who had started hunting in the middle of the battlefield.

Even if he’s a hated son-in-law, they couldn’t just let him die a sudden death in a dangerous place, could they?

“Haa, he’s really a troublesome son-in-law.”
“Tell me about it.”

At Lucy’s jest, Albiereo also let out a sigh, hiding his worries.

2.
Not all opportunities come to those who are prepared.
But those who are prepared are usually the first to seize opportunities.

[Oh, and the Countess always told you to be careful]

A piece of good news that the eldest mother-in-law passed on to Sharon, and Sharon passed on to Siwoo.

What came to Siwoo, who was hiding deep in the sewers after finishing off the small fry, was such an ‘opportunity’.

The infighting, which was only planned to divide the merchant guild and the group, caused an unexpected snowball effect.

While waiting, unsure of how to deal with the tightly knit elite of the Lehar Group led by Herja, and how to respond to the still solid Solidus Merchant Guild.

It presented a completely unexpected new vision.

War.
It can be used to their advantage.

Thinking about it calmly, there’s no reason to hesitate.

He’s done well so far.
But all the circumstances and situations tell him.

The real crisis is from now on, and the difficulties Siwoo has overcome so far are just a warm-up.

No matter how thoroughly he plans and responds, there is a limit to individual power.
Even now, he has no clear solution, so isn’t he hiding in this dirty sewer, waiting for an opportunity?

If a large-scale war breaks out between Gehenna and Hexennacht, the scope of activity will inevitably widen.

This place, which is nothing more than enemy territory, will become a battlefield, and he will be able to complete his revenge and save Dorothy much more easily.

“……”

There’s no need to work hard.

According to Sharon, the number of those in Gehenna who are calling for retribution is already increasing.
They are even about to take action soon.

If their overreaction crosses the line and Hexennacht reacts, leading to an all-out war, that’s good.
Conversely, if it ends up being something ambiguous, he can just cause infighting, like he did between the Lehar Group and the Solidus Merchant Guild.

He can inflict thorough damage on Hexennacht and disguise it as the work of Gehenna.

All rational judgments indicate that this path is the easiest shortcut.

[Siwoo? What’s wrong? Is the signal bad?]
“The signal is good, Sharon.”

But is that really the right thing to do?
The tedious sense of justice that he thought he had put aside rises up again.

He lost a precious person because of that complacency, and even at this point, where he can make up for it thanks to the greatest luck, he still thinks about it.

A world turned into a sea of fire.
People dying in numbers that cannot be compared to the flood.
The peace that has disappeared and the witches who will die in the war.

Is it okay for all means to be justified for the sake of the goal?
Is it really okay?

“Sharon, help me.”
[……?]
“I need your help.”

The time to make a decision was not long.

3.
It was one of the most bizarre scenes in the short history of Hexennacht.

A structure with a diameter of 2km.
A ring-shaped structure that shines beautifully in gold.

The great magic ‘Gate’ that perfectly copies Gehenna and maintains the other world forever.

That Gate twisted and opened without anyone’s permission.

-Wooong!
-Wiiiiiiiiing!

The strangely distorted waves, different from usual, and the alarm that sounds when an unqualified person enters the city, reveal the identities and purposes of the two shadows swallowed by the Gate’s radiance.

The identities are probably Gehenna intruders.
The purpose is retribution for the preemptive strike.

“Attack! It’s an attack!”
“They’ve come from Gehenna to retaliate!”
“Damn it, I should have bought a house in Arcana Town!”

At least, none of the citizens of Dignity Town were actively responding.

It’s only natural.
If Gehenna had decided on a full-scale offensive, those two wouldn’t be the only force.

Since the scouts have opened the way, this Dignity Town will soon be caught up in the clash of great magic.

And for the small witches living in Dignity Town, such an event is no different from being in the middle of a bombardment.

“Run!!!”
“Damn it, Lydia, you crazy bitch! Why did you provoke Gehenna when they were just minding their own business!”

However, the situation is different for the city’s administrators.

They are great witches with sufficient power, and they have a reason to protect Hexennacht.

“How dare they be so reckless.”
“Do they know where they’ve come?”
“Come to think of it, that black armor looks familiar… Oh? It’s Shin Siwoo.”
“What? Shin Siwoo? This is good luck?”

Moreover, each one is a transcendent being who can perform miracles with their own power.
They are strong individuals who twist the principles of the world and reign over it.
They are fierce individuals who have survived in a wild and arrogant public society.

They gather without fear to execute the reckless intruders.

The number starts at about 10, quickly increases to double digits, and then triple digits.

“Capture them alive if possible. They’re rare samples.”
“We’ll go first so that the Solidus bitches don’t take them. Watch your back.”
“If the Cliford idiots weaken them, we’ll take them for free.”

In front of the witch forces narrowing the encirclement while maintaining a proper distance.

The green-haired witch raised her wand.

“Balance.”

The knight in black armor, who had retreated, placed his hand in the center of the ‘Gate’.

And then.

-Woooong!

A huge magic circle instantly spreads out over the ‘Gate’, where nothing should have existed in the first place.

Siwoo had already analyzed the structure for escape.
He understands the structure and the method for using it.

Based on the information he had obtained in advance, he seizes control.
He adds new magic on top of the existing magic.

Then, the power of the ‘Gate’, which has an output incomparable to any other magical structure in the world, becomes a huge canvas for drawing a magic circle.

The image transferred from Sharon’s hand, which he is holding.
All Siwoo has to do is to add that image to the Gate.

The witches were dumbfounded by the sight unfolding before their eyes.

The essence of dimensional magic, the ‘Gate’, which is difficult to handle properly except for Keter, is being arbitrarily encroached upon by just two witches.

“What is it?”
“What are they trying to do…?”
“D-Did they take control of the Gate?”

-Charrrrr!

At the same time as the brilliant gold, the magical formula shining with colorful radiance embroiders a splendid pattern on the circle.

Its shape is a cross.
An elemental magic formula symbolizing fire.

Elemental magic.
Why is this inefficient magic, which is said to consume money like crazy even more than alchemy magic, which is famous for its high research costs, still revered as ‘orthodox magic’?

The reason is that depending on the quality of the ‘sacrifice’.
Depending on the clarity of the symbolism contained within, it can even transcend the solid wall of hierarchy.

-Hwarrrr!

The Gate is on fire.

The magic circle, which has taken on a geometric shape like a dream catcher from an ordinary ring, glows red and heats up.

The heat of the flames surging around Sharon is majestic and intense, like the fire of an angel that turned Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes.

Then.
For example, when using the element of fire, what would be the most destructive symbol of sacrifice?

“Isn’t that, that thing?”
“That’s right. Damn it.”

Public figures with good eyesight were already watching.
The identity of the sacrifice offered for the symbol of fire in the center of the magic circle.

The long history of mankind for tens of thousands of years.
It was invented only a few decades ago.

Nevertheless, it is the most powerful weapon of mankind that made the word ‘world destruction’ feel real to all of humanity for the first time.

It is the nuclear warhead separated from Akula’s SLBM.

“You’re all dead.”

Sharon unleashed her ultimate move.