Genius Corpse-Collecting Warrior - Chapter 281

282

Bottomless Pit (1)

“…I see.”

I thought maybe that was the case.

Paladins are often criticized for being rigid and lacking in flexibility, but that doesn’t mean they are ignorant.

Akasha has been calm about everything since she was a boy.

Felber always maintained his composure despite going through numerous battlefields.

It’s unusual that they showed completely different emotional turmoil than usual, but what are the odds that two people did that by chance at the same time on the same day?

Rather, it was correct to see that there was something in common between the two.

And what they had in common was none other than their connection with Dallan.

“I heard that when a true dragon hatches from an egg, it recognizes the first true dragon it sees as its parent and has an ecology where souls are connected. And the Tower Lord escaped death by becoming a member of Dallen’s family.”

“…yes.”

“What exactly does disconnected mean?”

Lucia asked. Felber explained with a light sigh.

“It’s one of two things. “Either Dallen has gone to a place where his soul connection is lost…or he is dead.”

“…That place.”

“The connection was not lost until I just returned from the labyrinth. Even in the depths of the labyrinth, where time flows differently, this connection cannot be broken. So…”

So this break will probably mean Dallen’s death.

Although it was not said directly, the long drawn-out sentence implied that meaning.

Lucia, who was silent for a moment, shook her head. She said.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“hmm?”

“I trust Dallon. No matter how hopeless the situation is, he is sure to do well.”

Tuk. Tuk.

Water droplets falling on the smooth flagstones of Golden Street.

Felber lifted his gaze from looking down at the ground. The moist eyes of the paladin were burning more powerfully than ever.

“Something like a new evil spirit got in the way. You will have to cross the unknown territory of the bottomless pit alone. But when has it ever not been that way? “Wasn’t it a life-threatening fight before?”

‘I’m scared too.’

Lucia remembered clearly.

What Dallen said in the barracks lined with animal skins as they marched across the frozen ground in the northern part of that continent.

‘I am afraid of dying. ‘I’m afraid of being forgotten.’

‘I’ve always taken the easy choice. But in the end, that was the most difficult path.’

‘That won’t happen here.’

The cold wind that blew through the barracks could not push away the warmth inside.

That day, as she felt the solid body heat against her skin, Lucia kept Dallon’s two words deep in her heart.

‘Because I hate kneeling helplessly more than failing.’

‘Because I can’t lose it like that twice.’

I couldn’t fully understand.

What kind of loss have you experienced? And through what process did you overcome this?

However, instead of understanding, I decided to believe.

He had proven himself by overcoming seemingly impossible battles many times, and it was clear that he would do the same this time.

“All we have to do is believe. “While Dallen fights his battle, we too do our best on our own battlefields.”

“…My thoughts were short. Sir Lucia’s story is true.”

Felber looked up and smiled. It was a low but powerful laugh.

“Comrades are people who trust each other and do their best. I trust Dallon too. “Is there any other correct answer?”

The golden color returned to the old man’s brown eyes. The eyes of an archmage from a magic tower. Lucia smiled softly.

Although it has grown, the young dragon still needs encouragement. She lifted her hand and wiped the corner of her eyes, then cleared her throat and spoke.

“I need to talk to Akasha too. “Because he is a child who followed his father well, he will be more heartbroken than anyone else.”

***

‘…cold.’

And it’s dark.

That was the first thought that came to mind.

Dallen was swimming in the sea of darkness. The darkness that enveloped his body was not simply the absence of light.

‘My body doesn’t move.’

The softly crushing void of muted light goes beyond the physical body and penetrates into the essential realm.

It was a darkness that was trying to encroach on the image, soul, and even existence itself.

‘How much time has passed?’

Instead of moving his disobedient body, Dallon calmly reflected on his memories.

The last scene that came to mind was the collision of two flashes of light.

A flash of lightning exploded from an outstretched fist. And the black flash wielded by Daelin, which was turning gray.

The collision of the two forces once again broke down the boundaries of the labyrinth, which had been unstable due to the descent of the realm.

And as the seafloor boiling with lava crumbled, what appeared was a sea of darkness with no end in sight.

‘…6th floor of the labyrinth. Bottomless pit.’

Is this the bottomless pit where Daelin met his end?

Now that I’ve been into it myself, I understand why Tusin, who was fighting head-on with the five evil gods, was so helplessly defeated.

The darkness of the bottomless pit had the property of separating all connections like a sharp razor blade.

The body and will are separated, and the image and soul are separated.

A feeling of alienation that remains, but cannot move the body, and cannot call up the area even though it is the owner of the image.

I try to raise my head even a little, but my body doesn’t even move, as if it’s been wrapped in chains.

I just felt like my consciousness had raised its head. The body just floats around in the darkness as it does.

The helpless monotony is slowly eating away what little sense of humor remains.

It was the moment when I was about to let go of consciousness, as if my tired body was falling into a musty sleep on a hot summer day.

‘…hmm?’

I felt a faint gravitational force. It was upwards.

A strange feeling, as if someone was calling.

My mind, which had been fading, comes back a little. I gathered all my remaining willpower and paid attention to that manpower.

– …I believe in Dallan.

It was a familiar voice.

I try to speak calmly, but my tone is watery.

– I trust Dallon too.

– …that’s right. My father is a man who can overcome any obstacle. I almost forgot because I was deceived by my shallow senses.

– Do you believe it? of course! I haven’t forgotten the promise Dallen made before Visalina’s body!

The mutterings of a wizard filled with determination. Jinryong’s golden age, trying hard to hide his trembling. The dwarf’s loud declaration.

– I believe that the Dallon I know would have overcome it. That guy will get the wishing stone without us.

And although the story flows smoothly, the witch’s will is deeply engraved within it.

At some point, the faint feeling of attraction changed into a tingling feeling of exhilaration.

My consciousness, which had been blurry, becomes clearer and my vision begins to float as if my soul is leaving my body.

‘……!’

It soars.

Passing through a sea of boiling red lava and surfacing over mountain ranges shrouded in fog.

The panoramic view of the first floor of the labyrinth, passing through the swamps and deserts on the sea, passed before my eyes in an instant.

Despite the dizzying view of acceleration, there was no feeling of being crushed or burdened by the speed.

My body was still cooling down in the bottomless pit, and a part of my consciousness was clearly feeling it.

‘…….’

I gather my concentration that was about to scatter.

The vision, which had been soaring endlessly, had already crossed the labyrinth and reached the continent.

At the end of the frustrating darkness, a light that makes your eyes ache.

What was visible under the rising sunlight at the end of the horizon was the panoramic view of a labyrinth city tightly surrounded by the devil’s army.

***

Clang!

Quagwagwagwang!

A heavy gunshot that shakes the earth.

Red bombardment brightens the sky.

The bronze walls that had stood strong even in the face of the Empire’s great offensive collapsed helplessly.

Dallen was looking down at the whole scene from a distant sky, in the form of an observer with only consciousness remaining.

Quagwang! Rumbling….

The walls of the castle are flowing down, unable to withstand the heat of the hellfire.

Above the street, where melted flagstones flowed like a stream, buildings that had lost their strength collapsed like houses of cards.

– Kyahahaha! Ugh!

– Krumba! Enaxagus!

– blood! Flesh! Molten iron! Skull!

Monsters invade the devastated streets.

Fortunately, most of the residents had evacuated in time, and only a few vagabonds remained in the Bronze District.

Even as the end approached, people staggering under the influence of alcohol and drugs could not even resist the death that was so close to their eyes.

Is it fortunate that the alcohol and drugs that have pickled the brain have reduced the pain even a little?

– blood! blood! More blood!

– Give your heart! Enaxagus wants this city!

– Prepare the way! Break down the castle walls!

Following the influx of monsters like a swarm of rats, demons led by a more orderly army took over the streets.

The demons quickly set up an altar in the main square of the Bronze District, captured all the unfortunate survivors, and offered them as living sacrifices.

The screams and groans of torture and the laughter of demons form a terrible dissonance.

What broke up the terrible scene was the golden light pouring in from deep within the city.

「Domain opening: Earth’s hand rewinding the spring」

Golden concentric circles embroider the sky.

Atop a tall spire in the middle of the golden district, Felber Valentino and his disciple Tommy Valentino were spreading their hands wide.

Below the spire, thousands of wizards were casting spells at the same time.

A variety of beasts and chants illuminate the square with vivid magic light, and the magic power of the completed spell soars into the sky and mixes in a huge golden whirlpool.

「Domain Resonance」

「Universal Rule 1 One Shot(萬律一原砲)」

Wedge━━━━!!!

The gathered magic spreads out in all directions.

A barrage of magic that starts from the center of the concentric circle, splits into tens of thousands of branches, and strikes various parts of the bronze zone over several kilometers away.

From Dallen’s perspective looking down from the sky, the scene looked like a golden tree large enough to cover the city, with its branches draped in all directions.

Each of the colorful fruits growing at the end of each branch was a magic trick with firepower greater than that of a cannon.

Gurgling! Kwagwagwagwa…!

– Kwae!

– Wow! Kyahak!

The monsters are torn apart.

From the vision of one-man legends to the standardized techniques in each magic tower.

Spells with different properties and ranges of destructive power tore apart things from hell and created a dark red storm.

At that time, part of the golden bombardment was noticeably distorted. At the same time, massive bodies with as much spirit as they were rushed into the bronze area.

– Mortals are fooling around in front of the source of mystery!

They were dragons.

Dozens of Jinryongs. Ah-ryong is several times that much.

Leading the way were two true dragons that were noticeably larger than the other individuals.

The dragons, who cut through the waves of golden bombardment as if it were natural, crossed the city in an instant and began crashing into the pure silver walls.