City ​​of Witches 572

Chapter 572 – #118_Betrayal

#572

1.
Though Luelie was sad that Dorothy left earlier than planned, she quickly recovered.

Instead of sitting around dejectedly, she chose to bury herself in the military science materials and magazines she had received as gifts.
She even forwent accompanying Siwoo on his trials.

Since Siwoo was half-heartedly going through his trials while focusing on his own work, she decided to focus on her own tasks as well.

“This is a real experience point event.”

A trial where you could engage in sparring that was as close to real combat as possible.
Moreover, the fact that she could fight against a Black Knight who was several times more powerful than her own potential was a golden opportunity.

Comparing before entering the trial and now, after spending a month on it…
Wouldn’t there be more than a two-fold difference in simple combat power alone?
The Black Knight, who had initially felt like an insurmountable wall, now seemed like someone she could catch up to in three months at the longest, or one month at the shortest.

Unlike Siwoo, who was constantly getting stronger, the Black Knight’s growth was fixed at the time of registration, so that was probably why.
For example, the Black Knight could not use any of the new magic that Luelie had gained after forming a relationship.

Of course, Siwoo couldn’t copy high-level magic right away just by forming a relationship once.
However, through repeated relationships, he was able to replicate the original form more precisely and, through many trials and errors, make it his own.

The magnetic magic he had acquired through his relationship with her was the ‘Tide of the Demonic Sea’.

The massive tidal wave that easily swallowed a small city when he first faced Luelie in the fish tank was that magic.

If classified by system, it was a type of barrier magic.

If we go down a more detailed branch, it was a mechanical wave magic that created waves by converting a large amount of seawater into magical power, using the waves as a medium.

The raging waves that arose in this way were tyrants themselves, crushing all resistance with unprecedented power.
Even compared to the other magic Siwoo possessed, its destructive power alone was the highest.

The shadow armor, enhanced with elemental magic, was torn to shreds before it even directly touched the waves.

However, he could not use the ‘Tide of the Demonic Sea’ exactly like her.
Apart from the incompleteness of the replication, it required an absurd amount of magic power to use even once.

Luelie was a natural magic power prodigy.

Moreover, Luelie efficiently handled the fuel consumption of a super-large construction machine by summoning actual seawater through other magnetic magic with auxiliary properties.

But Siwoo didn’t have that kind of talent.
In that situation, if he were to imitate her waves exactly, his magic power would be depleted after creating just one wave.

So Siwoo chose a detour.
He decided to use it as one of the ways to handle the Red Branch’s distortion field.

Although he had been describing it as a tidal wave, the way Luelie created massive waves was actually closer in principle to a ‘rogue wave’.
A tens-of-meters-high anomalous wave that suddenly rises in the middle of a flat ocean without any warning, capsizing large ships.

When the wavelength and direction of the waves match.
That is, when waves overlap, their energy is concentrated and creates a single, enormous force.

The sequence of drawing out that enormous force was to be incorporated into the Red Branch’s ‘distortion field’.
Not just limiting, compressing, and releasing the distortion field, but leading it to a wave with added destructive power.

This was the new magic he had completed in theory over the past few days.

“Let’s try it out in a real battle today.”

He had finished his preparations.
He closed his eyes and placed his hand on the Cradle of Dreams, pouring magic power into it.

At that moment, his consciousness sank.
Along with the dizziness he felt after a long time, Siwoo entered the familiar trial space.

“Huh?”

But as soon as he entered the space, he felt a sense of incongruity.

This trial space, where he originally fought the Black Knight, had a definite ‘end’.
There was a cliff at the end of the square ground so that he could give up halfway even if he didn’t die inside.

But now it didn’t exist.

Like a colosseum where one had to fight for their life, white walls surrounded all sides like a box, and countless magical formulas of unknown origin, shining in gold, were engraved on the walls and ground.

“What is this?”

Just like when the Red Branch had reappeared in the Black Knight’s hand, this strange phenomenon might also be a bug.
No matter how good an artifact was, it would break down if it wasn’t constantly maintained.
Perhaps, like the circuit board of an old electronic device being exposed, the configuration of this artifact had been revealed.

“But… these magic formulas?”

However, as Siwoo carefully looked around at the internal magic formulas, he felt a strange familiarity.
At the same time, he felt an ominous premonition.

It was an instinct close to the intuition he had gained by crossing the line between life and death.

-Clank clank clank

The Black Knight appeared like a mirage.
It was himself, Shin Siwoo, who had perfectly bloomed his inner potential.

Only then did he realize the identity of the magic formulas that made up this cage.

A style of play that even a witch with the most outstanding calculation ability could not imitate.
An inner unconsciousness that was closer to a supercomputer than a human, preparing for all variables and possibilities, like a game of Go.

Then that was not something the previous Deep Sea Witch had intended.
It was not some kind of error either.
It was a trial ground that the Black Knight had interfered with the artifact and newly drawn according to his own intentions.

For what purpose?

“Why didn’t you embrace the Witch of the Way?”

The words coming from inside the helmet were his own unfamiliar voice.
A mineral-like tone, devoid of all emotion, that he had never heard except for ‘Bloom’, struck his mind.

“Why did you turn away from the fastest way to gain power?”

It wasn’t a rebuke, but there was no resentment.
It wasn’t advice, but there was no goodwill.
Yet it was clearly a tone that criticized his foolishness.

“What are you talking about?”

It was the first conversation Siwoo had with his deeply dormant unconsciousness.

“Keter, unable to bear your foolishness, has relieved you of that paltry burden of your heart. I could have reached a level several times higher than you.”
“……”

He was speechless, more bewildered by the situation than by those words.
What did Keter do?
And what was going to happen?

“Even though it was a very simple matter of embracing more witches, you did nothing.”

The following thought.
Siwoo grew stronger the more he formed relationships with various witches.
It was thanks to his ability to copy magic.

If Siwoo had posted a notice saying ‘Looking for a one-night stand’ in Gehenna, at least hundreds of people would have flocked to him to have a relationship with the first male witch.
If he had done that, he would have been able to obtain various magic, as the Black Knight said.

But he already had too many people to be responsible for.
It was true that he had been restraining himself as much as possible, even though he had several opportunities.
And he didn’t think that method was right either.

It seemed that the Black Knight and Siwoo had very different opinions on that point.

“Now you are no longer needed.”

With the Black Knight’s declaration, the magic formulas that stretched out in all directions began to glow.
He grasped the flow of magic reflected in his left eye and identified its type.

The vivid sensation of having a dream disappeared, and he discovered that this space itself had transformed into ‘reality’.

“I will kill you and take over that body.”

The magic formulas that had taken control of the Cradle of Dreams had drawn a trial that was only a fleeting dream into a completely different space.
A place of life-or-death struggle for the control of the surface consciousness.

Even if he died, he wouldn’t be able to wake up.
There was no cliff to fall off even if he ran to the end.
If he were to be defeated in here, all that would remain was being trapped in the darkness of the endless unconsciousness.

Perhaps he had been too complacent from the start.

If the Cradle of Dreams was guiding Siwoo to the ‘depths of the unconscious’, then he should have expected that the unusual unconsciousness of Shin Siwoo would flow in reverse and take control of this space.

“No, how could I have predicted this?”

Thinking about it, it made even less sense.
How could he have imagined that his unconsciousness would be such an extraordinary existence?

“Bloom.”

It was no different from going for a light morning jog for exercise and encountering a bear at the spring.
As if the conversation was over, Siwoo also donned his armor, facing the Black Knight who raised the Red Branch.

2.
At that time, Luelie was leisurely killing time.

“Oh my… I must buy this.”

Luelie, like an ajumma getting excited while watching home shopping, was drooling over the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier in the military magazine.
The image of her standing tall on this magnificent aircraft carrier, her cloak fluttering in the rough sea breeze, waving her baton, was so enjoyable just to imagine.

“But… the price… is quite expensive.”

42 billion dollars.
She didn’t know exactly how much that was, but it was definitely a lot of money.
Perhaps even if she inherited all of her inheritance, it would be difficult to afford.

Just the money to load it with aircraft and form a escort fleet would cost a fortune.
After agonizing over it, Luelie soon came up with a clear answer.

“No problem! I just need to plunder the surrounding countries!”

If necessary, she could raid a US military base and loot it for free without having to pay.
Just as the dreamy girl was spreading her wings of happy imagination,

Luelie suddenly stood up.

She had sensed a presence within the submarine.
It was the presence of her close friend Dorothy, who she thought had left a few hours ago, so Luelie threw down the magazine and immediately ran to the reception room.

“Dorothy! What is the meaning of this!”
“Your Majesty~ Hello~”

Luelie, like a fawn happily picking new sprouts in the sunny spring, ran and hugged Dorothy tightly.
Dorothy opened her arms and lightly accepted Luelie’s physical assault.

“Didn’t you say your vacation was over? What a surprise to come back like this without a word! This makes me so, so happy!”

Dorothy smiled back at Luelie, who was smiling brightly.

“Actually~ I’m not staying long, I just came back because I left something behind. Oh, and I also have a forgotten gift.”
“Something you left behind? A gift?”

In Luelie’s bewildered eyes, the intensely silver light of Dorothy’s magic reflection entered.

Why was Dorothy using magic?
Was the gift a special artifact?

Luelie, who had been hugging her without any suspicion, felt a sharp pain spreading in her abdomen.
The small sound that came belatedly, ‘thud’, was a light sound, like sticking a fork into tofu rather than tearing and rummaging through flesh.

“Ah… huh?”

Dorothy’s hand, holding a white shining sword.
The lower abdomen pierced by the blade.
Red, red bloodstains blooming like flowers on the white fabric.
The sword that had rummaged through her abdomen came out lightly without any resistance, just like when it had pierced her.

“Cough…!”

Luelie coughed and looked alternately at Dorothy and her wound in disbelief.
Reflexively, she tried to use magic belatedly, but nothing happened.

Because the place Dorothy had attacked was a vital point that a witch should never be injured.

Luelie, who had collapsed with a thud, looked up at Dorothy with disbelieving eyes.

“Why… Dorothy… why…?”

Dorothy was still smiling.
It was a smile that looked like fishing hooks were hooked on both sides of her mouth and pulled upwards.

“Your Majesty, this is my last gift, and a lesson.”

It was chilling.
That her benevolent smile, which she always showed, did not fade even for a moment when her hands were stained with blood.

“It’s better not to trust public figures too much~”