Chapter 231
At the same time as she formed a chilling smile, the woman's body began to ripple like a heat haze. Soon, she melted into the void without a trace and disappeared, just as she had appeared at first.
I kept the blade close to my body and constantly remained vigilant in all directions, but I couldn't sense her presence anywhere.
And suddenly, from a blind spot behind me, something stimulated my nerves with a tingling sensation.
Instinctively, I turned my body and immediately slashed at it.
Someone's forearm, sharpened at the end like a spear, fell to the ground with a thud sound.
"Haa, haa..."
"Wow... You blocked that?"
Someone who saw that scene exclaimed repeatedly in admiration.
The woman who had disappeared earlier suddenly reappeared in front of me, covering her mouth and feigning surprise. It was as though she were praising a child for taking their first steps.
Then, the forearm I had cut off sprouted easily from the empty space, as if new flesh had grown.
"Wow... You're really fast, huh...?"
She stretched out her new arm with stiffness, smiling broadly as she stared at me.
"You're the first human to react at that distance. As I thought, there's no way you defeated Regulus for no reason... If your body were intact... I might have lost outright..."
"Shut... up!"
As I charged in and swung my blade, she scattered again like mist and disappeared.
While keeping my senses sharp and surveying all around, I was suddenly struck by a foreboding feeling and turned my body hastily.
And right in front of Yeon, who stood frozen as if she were dead.
From the ground, an arm suddenly shot out, about to slash her neck.
"No!!"
-Thud!
I flew and rolled, barely managing to slash it away. Covered in dust as I rolled on the ground, I heard someone's cackling laughter.
"Kuh..."
"Amazing! Truly amazing!"
The woman, who had widened the distance, was clapping enthusiastically.
"That reaction speed, that dynamic vision...! Among all the humans I've seen so far, you're by far the best! To think that something like this could exist besides Hae Wolhwa or the Adversary...!"
"Haa, haa...!"
I felt utterly repulsed, as if I had become a zoo monkey. However, I couldn't sense any hostility or murderous intent from the woman. That alone was puzzling, considering the nature of this creature.
"Indeed, this is why I do this..."
"What are you doing right now!"
It was around the time when the woman nodded with a satisfied smile.
Someone, unable to tolerate the sight anymore, shouted.
Before I knew it, Baek Ilyong, his face fuming with anger, was pointing his finger at her furiously.
"Hurry up and take care of them, then move on to the next targets...!"
And the atmosphere changed in an instant.
A loud boom rang so deafeningly it felt like my ears would burst, followed by a fierce shockwave. As the dust cleared, a giant crater carved into the ground right at Baek Ilyong's feet came into view.
The speed was so tremendous that it left no room for response.
"Ah, seriously, so annoyingly loud... Hey, can't you see I'm having a great time right now?"
And then, the woman, who had turned icy cold, glared at him while muttering threateningly.
"Or are you asking to be killed first? Is that it? If that's your wish, I can't say I wouldn't grant it. I was starting to lose interest in you anyway."
"Kuh..."
"If you understand, get lost. I'll handle my affairs myself. If you bother me again, I really won't let it slide next time."
Baek Ilyong grimaced with displeasure, but soon dropped his head. He didn't have a choice.
Shortly afterward, the man turned and disappeared toward the city with gunfire resounding, seemingly preparing to confront the subjugation army directly as he had mentioned earlier. Perhaps he thought Yeon and I were as good as dead anyway.
"Honestly, these inferior lifeforms... Did I treat them too well up until now?"
The woman sighed deeply, as if brushing off an annoying bug.
"Ahem, ahem, now! There was a bit of commotion just now. But now we'll resume... our enjoyable session of inquiry... Oh... oh?"
She turned back to look at me just then.
Like a broken light bulb flickering, divine power and magical energy suddenly surged through my body with fierce intensity.
I didn't miss that moment. I immediately approached the woman and swung the blade horizontally with great force.
"W-Wait...!!"
My target was, of course, the woman's head. Unlike before, when she had disappeared to evade attacks, this time she stomped her feet in panic, unable to use her ability as she was caught within the range of my authority.
Soon, the blade mercilessly slashed through both her arms and drove straight toward her forehead.
But just before splitting her head in two.
Like the ebbing tide, the power flowing through my body abruptly stopped, leaving me defenseless. Unable to withstand the momentum, I lost my balance and staggered.
And the witch standing before me turned into mist and dissipated again.
"Phew, that was close..."
From a distance, the woman let out a sigh of relief, pressing her hand against her chest. Her hands, which had already regenerated without a trace of the cuts, moved with ease.
"Really, the more I see, the more fascinating..."
Regaining her composure, she smiled at me with apparent interest.
"How can a human possibly harbor the power of Polaris? It's such immense power that even we struggle to handle it... Ah, is that why your body is breaking down like that? Because you can't endure it?"
Asking herself the question, the woman directed it at me, gasping for breath.
"Hey, kid. Are you, by any chance, connected to Polaris? Hm? Can't you just tell me a little?"
"Do you honestly think I'd answer that? Get lost."
I didn't know the truth myself. I had merely said it to provoke her.
However, the woman didn't react much. She simply clicked her tongue in disappointment.
"Acting so expensive. If you don't want to say, fine. I'll just rip your head open to find out."
I doubt you'd discover much even if you did.
And her body turned into mist again, scattering into the void.
Soon, indiscriminate attacks began pouring in from blind spots all around. It was all I could do to fend off the particle blades and biological tissue that aimed for vital points in an instant. Not to mention, I also had to worry about Yeon, which made it even harder.
Considering her true nature, her method of attack was extremely troublesome. Given the immense power a witch's existence holds, sweeping this entire area away would probably be as easy as lifting a finger.
My desperate defense seemed to entertain the witch even further.
For me, it was a life-or-death struggle, but to that creature, it was nothing more than a game or experiment.
"Amazing, truly amazing."
Her cackling laughter clung to my ears like sticky mist. Even when I swung my blade in frustration, she disappeared in an instant and remained out of sight. Only the number of scratches etched into my body kept increasing.
No matter how much I think about it, this power defies reason. I can't even begin to imagine how it works.
The witch is a being that can manipulate particles freely. It might even be possible that she moves quickly via the particles spread throughout the atmosphere.
If that's the case, what I need now is area magic. The highest level of it, at that.
To deal with her, I'd have to bring the entire space under control.
And that means my compatibility with her is absolutely the worst.
While Heukryeon's predictive techniques are specialized for one-on-one combat, they only enhance my physical body without affecting the surrounding space.
Damn it, if only my authority would return to its full state...
-Thud.
Then, suddenly, I felt it. A terrible pain that seemed to scrape along the nerves of my back.
At some point, three or four particle blades had simultaneously pierced deeply into my back. I barely managed to fend them off before they could dig any deeper.
"Huff, huff...!"
But ultimately, my exhausted body collapsed. I planted the blade in reverse into the ground to barely avoid falling flat.
"Eh... What, already...?"
With a soft, rustling movement, the woman who had disappeared showed herself again. Her face, visibly filled with regret, was smooth without a single scratch. The complete opposite of me.
"Just when things were starting to heat up... Can't you hold out a little longer...? Hm...?"
She click-clacked her way toward me and stopped right in front of me, lowering her upper body to meet my eyes.
Strangely, her pupils, devoid of focus, were completely hollow.
"...So, this is your limit."
"Haa, haa..."
"Still, it was truly entertaining. To show such movements while your body was torn apart. Perhaps with more experience, you could've become a truly exceptional mage..."
Her voice, droning on and on, gradually faded. This is pathetic. After coming all this way, I'm about to die without accomplishing anything.
I thought I'd grown a bit, but in the end, I haven't changed since back then.
'No...'
However, I shook my head as I thought of someone I was protecting behind me.
At least I'm better than I was two years ago. I didn't faint helplessly, and I even managed to stand on my own two feet.
Somehow, I might be able to land one last blow. If I'm lucky enough for my authority to return, I might even take her down with me.
If I could just protect Yeon...
"Hey, you know. Would you listen to my proposal?"
"What?"
And at the witch's sudden words, I lifted my head.
Her beautiful face, smiling brightly, still didn't convey any hostility.
I was utterly baffled, unable to grasp her intentions. However, considering my position of needing to buy time, this was a golden opportunity.
"Ahem, I'm late with introductions. I'm Vega. You could say I'm an anthropologist... researching your ecology."
And before I could respond, the witch eagerly began to explain.
"Cough...! An anthropologist...?"
"It's nothing complicated. Demonologists, entomologists. Don't you have professions like that? It's pretty much the same thing."
So, from their perspective, are we something akin to demon beasts or insects? Just hearing it was unbearably offensive.
"And I'm also the only being who will remember you forever. After the unification is complete... everything will crumble without a trace."
The woman solemnly nodded her head. Anyway, expressing my discomfort was not a priority right now. For now, I had to play along with her.
"...What could a grand being like you possibly propose?"
And then, as if waiting for this moment, she smirked slyly and said,
"Inter-species breeding experiment."
"...What?"
Without realizing, I blurted out a retort. The word "proposal" had made me think of something else. Becoming a subordinate, being a spy—things along those lines.
Of course, I had no intention of agreeing, but exchanging a few words wouldn't be difficult if it was to buy time.
But what on earth is this...?
"Aren't you curious? If our species and yours combine, what sort of offspring would result?"
"..."
And then she began to ramble with an expression of pure ecstasy.
"The subjects are you and me. Of course, not in our true forms, but this body's composition is identical to our original selves. I've always been curious, but I needed a suitable partner. Oh, but I can't let you live. I have to retrieve Polaris's Authority without fail. With that level of merit, even Regulus will overlook my deviation. Still, you could extend your life by a few more hours. What do you think? Isn't that better for you..."
"I refuse."
And I could no longer hold back, cutting off her relentless chatter.
"Huh...?"
"I said I refuse, you monster bastard."
Being treated like a mere toy, an intense rage surged within me.
"How dare you utter such absurd nonsense...!"
And just as I was about to scream in anger.
Suddenly.
A voice I hadn't heard in a long time resonated in my ears.
"Indeed. As an educator, I find it utterly unacceptable nonsense."
"Huh...? Who's here right now... Kyaaah!!"
The witch's face turned pale upon sensing the presence.
Soon after, accompanied by a loud boom resonating in my ears, a blinding explosion of light struck the spot where she had been standing.