The Scorched Desert's Sand Mage (Novel) - Chapter 148

Chapter 148

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Translated by Pratt

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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Kwa kwa kwa. The waves crashed. Those waves were made of sand, and they battered the violet supernal space violently.

He found himself thinking that this must be what it would look like if a giant tsunami came in.

That was how unrealistic the scene before Old Man Go’s eyes was.

The sand wave rushing in like a tidal surge was unrealistic enough, but the sight of Zeon standing upright atop that sand wave felt even more alien.

It looked exactly as though Zeon were controlling the sand itself.

The sand tsunami was surging toward Old Man Go while holding Zeon aloft.

At that moment, Old Man Go and Zeon’s eyes met in midair.

“Don’t tell me he really is controlling sand?”

“We have to evade.”

“Quickly…”

The Shadow Unit men grabbed both of Old Man Go’s arms and leaped into the air.

Chwahaak.

The sand tsunami swept through the exact place where Old Man Go had been standing.

The violet supernal space shook as if it were on the verge of shattering at any moment.

This place was a separate world isolated from reality.

It was another dimension, but since it was still a space that truly existed, it naturally had limits.

The mass of the sand that had poured into the supernal space was enormous.

That overwhelming quantity of sand was exerting tremendous pressure from inside the supernal space itself.

Crack crack crack.

In the end, the supernal space could not endure the pressure applied from the inside and was torn apart horrifically.

“Just what…”

Old Man Go stared at Zeon in disbelief.

At this point, Zeon had essentially smashed an entire dungeon apart through brute force alone.

Of course, he had used the foreign substance known as sand, but that did not change the fact that it too was part of Zeon’s power.

“Just how strong is his control that he can command that much sand?”

It was a sight that simply could not be understood by his common sense.

After this world suffered a near-apocalyptic blow over one hundred and fifty years ago, countless Awakened had been born.

In broad terms, they were divided into martial types, magic types, mechanized types, curse types, and so on, but there were also Awakened with special abilities who did not fall under any of those categories.

Special ability Awakened were, literally, irregulars.

Awakened who possessed powers that were not typical.

A prime example was Levin, who possessed the ability of ghostification.

One might think a special ability meant something extraordinary, but as long as they were human, there were still limits.

Old Man Go himself was an A-rank barrier caster, yet even he had limits on the space he could dominate with a barrier.

At present, his limit was roughly the fortress where the White Bear Caravan was and the surrounding area.

That alone was already more than enough to be an incredible ability. That was why Jin Geum-ho had dispatched Old Man Go in preparation for any unforeseen developments.

What was required to lay a barrier over the fortress and its surroundings was mana, and an overwhelming control capable of moving it as one pleased.

No matter how much mana a person had, if their control was weak, they could not maintain a barrier for long.

That was why Old Man Go understood the importance of control better than anyone.

And in Old Man Go’s eyes, Zeon was a monster.

“To exert influence over that much sand. Just how strong must his control be?”

Naturally, Zeon did not answer.

Though his gaze had met Old Man Go’s briefly, Old Man Go was no longer worthy of Zeon’s attention.

All of Zeon’s focus was on the fortress.

‘Damian.’

Something was happening to him.

He could not tell exactly what it was, but one thing was certain. It was not a good change.

He had to get to Damian before that.

When Zeon raised his control even higher, more sand began flowing in from the outside. The merged sand increased in mass, and with that added mass came even greater destructive power.

That increased destructive force shattered the supernal space like glass.

Jjeeeong.

As the violet supernal space was destroyed, the environment changed.

From an ominous violet to a landscape filled with red sand.

It had shifted from unreality back to reality.

Even so, Zeon did not stop.

Kwa kwa kwa.

He drove the sand onward just as it was and climbed to the top of the fortress.

Seeing that, Old Man Go hurriedly pursued Zeon.

“Ah.”

“Elder.”

The men of the Shadow Unit tried to follow Old Man Go, but by then he had already vanished after spreading a barrier around himself.

“Damn it.”

“Move in toward the fortress.”

Having lost track of Old Man Go, the men of the Shadow Unit also moved toward the fortress.

* * *

Broy was swaying dangerously like a reed.

“Gghhh.”

A groan full of pain leaked through his lips.

A black tentacle was wrapped around Broy’s neck.

Because of that, both of his legs were hanging in the air, kicking uselessly.

And it was not only Broy.

Dozens of dwarves, elves, and other beastfolk warriors were all suspended in the air, bound in tentacles and swaying precariously.

“Guh.”

“S-save…”

“Ugh.”

At their groans, Serian bit down on her lip until it almost bled.

The elite of the North District, the very people she trusted and depended upon, had all been subdued by Damian.

‘If only I had moved personally from the beginning.’

But it was already too late for regret.

Those people had all been overwhelmed in the blink of an eye.

Even Broy, on whom she had placed deep trust, had failed to inflict any real injury on Damian and had instead become a prisoner.

As if they were war trophies, Damian shook the different races hanging in his tentacles. Their pained groans sounded out once more.

Some were already on the verge of breathing their last.

If this was delayed even a little longer, their lives would be in danger.

Serian shouted in haste, “Stop.”

“By whose will…”

“If you kill them, you won’t come out of this safely either.”

“Don’t pretend you’re worried about me. It’s disgusting.”

“Calm down.”

“Seems to me like you’re the one who needs to calm down.”

Damian chuckled as he laughed.

Gone was the respectful tone he used to have.

His speech was savage and rough, completely unlike the Damian from before.

That was the influence of the Prism Armor he was wearing.

More precisely, it was the influence of the Spirit King’s Crown that was sending power into Prism Armor.

Prism Armor was only the medium.

The true core was the Spirit King’s Crown.

The power sent by the Spirit King’s Crown was classified and amplified through Prism Armor, and that became Spectrum Prison.

The more a wearer used the power sent by the Spirit King’s Crown, the more that wearer came to belong to it.

That was the state Damian was already in.

He had already become half-subjugated by the prism of the Spirit King.

And yet the only reason he was still clinging to his sanity this desperately was because of one thing.

“Now tell me where Elharun is.”

“I cannot…”

Crack.

Before Serian could finish, Damian snapped the neck of one of the beastfolk hanging from a tentacle.

The beastfolk died without even a scream, and Serian’s eyes shook.

“Every time your answer comes too slowly, one of them dies.”

“Please, calm…”

In that instant, Damian cut off someone’s life again.

This time, it was an elf.

The sight of the elf’s death robbed Serian of her words.

Damian mocked her.

“Will you still refuse to speak? Then this time I’ll kill this one.”

He shook Broy, who was hanging in the tentacles.

“Urgh. I am fine, so do not tell him.”

At that moment, the black tentacle tightened hard around Broy’s neck.

Broy’s face turned deathly pale.

Seeing Broy like that, Serian bit her lip until blood came.

Broy was an important figure.

If she lost him here, the strength of the North District would be severely weakened.

If that happened, the balance of power in their struggles with the other districts would tilt sharply.

Crack.

At that moment, the sound of bones about to break came from Broy’s neck.

If any more force was applied, Broy’s neck would snap like dry straw.

Closing her eyes, Serian spoke.

“Magadan.”

“Hm?”

“Elharun lies in what used to be the sea in front of one of old Russia’s cities, Magadan.”

“Magadan, huh? And how do you enter it?”

“I do not know either. I have never been there myself.”

“Can you swear upon the honor of the elves that what you say is the truth?”

“I swear on my honor.”

Serian opened her eyes and answered.

Resignation filled her gaze.

A smile rose to Damian’s lips.

If an elf swore upon their honor, then they could never lie.

That meant Serian’s words right now were true.

“I finally found it. Finally… Heh heh.”

Damian laughed.

He had lived these last eight years for this very moment.

Burning away everything he had in the process.

Damian’s gaze shifted to the air behind Serian.

“You heard that, hyung.”

“I heard.”

Zeon was there, where Damian’s gaze had settled.

Standing atop a giant pillar of sand.

“I kept my promise to find out where Elharun is.”

“Yeah. You really did keep it in the end.”

“That’s a relief.”

Damian smiled brightly.

But his smile was gradually hidden by the helmet spreading over his face.

Prism Armor was rooting itself into Damian’s body and taking control of him.

It was the process of human and armor becoming one.

Damian knew very well what that meant.

Already, his sense of self was gradually fading.

Something was beginning to take possession of his mind.

Damian’s gaze shifted to Aleksandro.

Aleksandro was already soaked in blood.

The woman called the Spider Queen, Eli, was strong.

The fact that he had endured against her until now was already something that could be called a miracle.

Gathering his last strength, Damian spoke to Aleksandro.

“Go.”

“Damian.”

“I’ve already achieved everything I wanted. So go. Don’t look back, just run and meet up with Jack.”

“…”

“You promised me, didn’t you? Then do as we promised.”

“All… right.”

Aleksandro answered with difficulty and swung his fist.

Bang.

The heavy blow forced Eli sliding backward.

Aleksandro did not waste the opening and pulled back at once.

“All survivors, retreat.”

At his shout, the remaining White Bear Caravan Awakened gathered around.

Aleksandro’s face was full of anguish as he looked at them.

Only a tiny fraction had survived.

He had come here prepared to die, but now that he had to face just how few survivors remained, his heart could not help but break.

Suppressing his miserable feelings by force, he said, “Let’s go.”

“Yes.”

The survivors looked at Damian for a moment.

Damian also looked at them.

Without needing any words, they understood one another’s hearts all too well.

Aleksandro and the survivors immediately fled.

Serian watched all of it happen and still could not stop them.

That was because all of her attention was fixed entirely on Damian.

To be exact, it was fixed on Broy and the Awakened of the North District whom Damian held captive.

“You’ve achieved your goal now, so release them.”

“Heh heh.”

“Don’t tell me… you have no intention of keeping your promise?”

“I am keeping it. They are all going to die anyway.”

“What?”

At that moment, Damian released all those he had bound in the tentacles.

It was when Broy and the other Awakened of the North District collapsed and began gasping for breath.

Kwaaang!

The warehouse storing the Spirit King’s Crown exploded, and an ominous black light burst out.

Serian and Eli closed their eyes at the black light stabbing into their pupils without thinking, but Zeon alone kept his eyes open and stared straight at it.

The source of the black light was the Spirit King’s Crown.

Something sealed within the Spirit King’s Crown was awakening.

The black light shining on Damian grew even denser.

Riding the black light that had begun from the Spirit King’s Crown, something was entering Damian’s body.

Crack. Crack crack.

Damian’s body twisted this way and that, its shape transforming.

His body expanded until it exceeded five meters, and Prism Armor coated it like skin.

Hostility filled his reddened eyes, while his beast-like protruding mouth was packed with flame.

The two horns on his head made it clear that Damian was no longer human.

Through Damian’s body, the being sealed within the Spirit King’s Crown emerged into the world.

Seeing that sight, Serian muttered, “Ba…lrog.”

Kwoooaar!

As if answering her words, Balrog’s roar rang out across the desert.