The Scorched Desert's Sand Mage (Novel) - Chapter 150

Chapter 150

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Translated by Pratt

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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Sand Blaster.

It was a skill Zeon used often.

It was also the very first skill he had mastered.

That was why he was so proficient in using it.

The power of a single Sand Blaster was not all that extraordinary.

But the story changed when dozens were fired at once.

It had enough power to grind apart most demonic beasts in an instant. In fact, Zeon had hunted many demonic beasts using Sand Blaster.

But his opponent now was Balrog.

Its body was tougher than most large demonic beasts, and above all else, it possessed a powerful force field.

High-rank demonic beasts above A-rank possessed force fields, and those fields provided powerful defense against ordinary physical and magical attacks.

Naturally, the higher the rank of the demonic beast, the stronger that force field became.

There was no exact rating for Balrog.

That was because this was the first day it had appeared in the world.

But one could still tell just from its presence and force field.

‘Above S-rank.’

That meant S-rank was merely the minimum.

It was only just awakened, and it was already this much. If it fully recovered its power, it might become impossible even to estimate.

‘You really went and awakened a thing like this, Damian.’

Balrog was a demonic beast that could wipe out an ordinary colony in an instant.

And Damian had released a demonic beast like that right in front of Neo Seoul.

No matter that it was to lure out the elves and obtain information about Elharun, this had gone too far.

Then again, perhaps this simply showed how deeply Damian trusted Zeon.

That Zeon would definitely stop Balrog.

Chw aaak.

The Flame Whip lashed out at a speed too fast for the eye to follow.

Zeon used Sand Step and retreated backward.

By the narrowest margin, the flaming whip grazed through the space just in front of Zeon’s face.

Sizzle. Sizzle.

It had only brushed past, and yet the air itself glowed with heat.

The air had been heated enough to melt the skin off most Awakened.

But heat on this level could not harm Zeon at all.

He had the Thermo Gauntlet.

The Thermo Gauntlet, with the eye of a red dragon embedded in it, protected Zeon perfectly from flames.

At the very least, it meant he would not die to Balrog’s fire attacks.

That left only a pure contest of skills and flesh.

Swaeek.

The Flame Whip flew again.

Even ignoring the flames, its raw attack power alone held enough force to tear apart the body of most demonic beasts.

Kkang.

Zeon blocked the Flame Whip with the Thermo Gauntlet.

This too was only possible because the Thermo Gauntlet’s durability rivaled that of the Flame Whip itself.

Pabababang.

As the Flame Whip and the Thermo Gauntlet collided again and again, the air burst apart and storms of flame whipped wildly in every direction.

Zeon and Balrog moved and clashed at speeds invisible to the eye.

Their movements were so fast that even Serian and Mariel could not keep up with them visually.

Old Man Go, still maintaining the barrier, stared with his mouth hanging open.

“He was that strong?”

He already knew Zeon was powerful.

The very fact that the twins he had sent to stop him had never reported back was proof of Zeon’s strength.

But he had never expected Zeon’s physical abilities to be strong enough to stand on equal footing with Balrog.

“Then does that make him a martial-type Awakened?”

Old Man Go immediately rejected his own thought.

Zeon was not a mere martial-type Awakened.

The sand rippling around him proved that fact.

The sand was surging as though it were resonating with Zeon.

It looked exactly like a hound waiting for its master’s command.

The moment Zeon gave the order, it was ready to tear the prey’s throat out.

At that moment, Zeon gestured with his hand. The sand rose into the air and gathered together.

The clumps of sand, each about as thick as a child’s arm, shot toward Balrog at terrifying speed.

It was Sand Missile.

Peob eobeobeobeong.

Dozens of Sand Missiles detonated across Balrog’s enormous body just as it had been lashing out with the whip.

But they failed to inflict any damage on Balrog’s body.

That same force field was protecting its whole body.

Zeon knew that too.

Even so, the reason he kept pouring on Sand Missiles was to wear that force field down.

No matter how strong a force field was, it could never be maintained forever.

Balrog was no exception.

Balrog had only just seized Damian’s body. There was no way it could still have any room to spare. That was why Zeon was battering its force field down through sheer volume.

Fortunately, inside the barrier made by Old Man Go, there was an enormous amount of sand. And Zeon possessed the control required to command that massive volume of sand.

“Let’s do this properly.”

Zeon stirred up the sand.

The sand rose like a tidal wave and crashed directly toward Balrog.

Kwakwakwa.

At the sight of a sand tidal wave dozens of meters high crashing toward Balrog, Serian covered her mouth with her hand.

“A sand… mage?”

“Good heavens.”

Eli’s eyes widened as well.

A giant pillar of sand rose and lifted Zeon high into the air.

That confirmed it beyond doubt. Zeon was a sand mage.

Kraaaah.

Enraged to the utmost, Balrog unleashed The Eye of Destruction.

The red beam fired from Balrog’s eyes instantly melted the sand supporting Zeon.

The sand melted and flowed like lava.

In an instant, the inside of the barrier was transformed into something like a volcanic zone.

Rivers of lava flowed everywhere, and the air had grown blisteringly hot.

It felt as though merely breathing would cook one’s lungs.

“Hup.”

“Goddamn it.”

Those who had barely preserved their lives covered their mouths with their sleeves and retreated backward.

“Your Majesty.”

Even while Borin pulled her back, Serian could not take her eyes off Zeon.

Zeon spread both hands wide like a conductor. At once, the sand in front of Balrog, who had been pursuing him, exploded like a bomb.

Kwaaang.

Enormous pressure and countless sand grains slammed into Balrog.

Zeon had used Claymore.

For most demonic beasts, a single blow from Claymore would be enough to rip them into scraps.

But the opponent now was Balrog.

A demonic beast called a calamity.

The sand failed to break through the force field formed around Balrog’s body and scattered in all directions.

“This won’t do. We have to help him.”

“No, Your Majesty.”

Eli opposed her.

She quickly stepped in front of Serian and continued, “Did you not see it yourself, Your Majesty? That man holds deep hostility toward races like ours. If we help him, he will surely stab us in the back.”

“Eli.”

“You must judge this calmly. If the location of Elharun is exposed, every one of our races that crossed over from Kurayan will be put in danger.”

Eli’s eyes were bloodshot.

She had always coveted Serian’s position and had been quietly opposing her. But there was one thing on which she and Serian shared the same will.

That was Elharun.

Elharun was the final bastion of all those who had crossed over from Kurayan.

They had to protect Elharun until they possessed even greater strength.

“There is no need for us to use our power here. We only have to leave the humans inside this barrier to die. Then the secret of Elharun will be preserved.”

“No, Your Majesty.”

Borin openly opposed Eli’s words.

“How dare you.”

Eli glared at her fiercely, but Borin continued without caring.

“I understand that Elharun is an important place. But this place matters too. No matter what, Neo Seoul is where we live, is it not? We already live while watching the humans’ moods as it is, and if this place falls too, then the races who lived here will have nowhere left to go.”

“Why would they not? Elharun exists, does it not?”

“I do not know Elharun. This place is my home. And I believe most of our people feel as I do.”

“How dare you speak so freely when you know nothing? Shut your mouth.”

“I apologize. But I have to say this. If we do not help Zeon now, then countless people in Neo Seoul will die. Neo Seoul itself might not suffer great damage, but the people of the slums will have little chance of escaping death. And if they die, the hatred and resentment directed toward us will only deepen.”

Having said everything she needed to say, Borin wore an expression of release.

She did not care if Eli hated her for this and caused her any disadvantage because of it.

Eli turned her gaze toward Serian.

“You must not listen to that woman.”

“Eli.”

“Humans are our enemies. You must never forget that.”

“Haa. I’m sorry, Eli. I have always respected your opinion, but this time I cannot.”

“Your Majesty.”

“Even if this decision results in the location of Elharun being exposed, we must still prevent so many people from dying. And if we leave Balrog alone, do you think we will remain safe? Perhaps we may be safe for the moment, but in the end we too will suffer enormous losses because of Balrog.”

“But…”

“Enough. This is an order. If you continue to object to my words, then I will treat it as insubordination and punish you.”

Serian looked at Eli with chilling eyes.

At that point, even Eli could no longer oppose her.

‘Goddamn it.’

Eli bit down on her lip until it bled in humiliation.

Ignoring Eli entirely, Serian stepped forward.

She could see Zeon locked in fierce battle with Balrog.

Inside the barrier, the whole place had already transformed into a land of lava.

This too was Balrog’s authority.

Demonic beasts that transcended rank, like Balrog, changed the surrounding environment to suit themselves.

They instinctively terraformed the surrounding area.

Balrog was a demonic beast born within the flames of hell.

To Balrog, who had grown by feeding on heat and flame, terrain like this was the ideal space where it could display its greatest power.

The more the environment changed, the more strength Balrog gained.

And Zeon’s offensive against Balrog grew fiercer in turn.

Kwakwakwang.

Zeon dragged in every bit of sand he could and attacked Balrog. But most of the sand in the area had already melted, leaving only a limited amount he could still manipulate.

Zeon bit his lip slightly.

‘Do I have to use my full power?’

If he truly wanted to, he could move even the sand beneath that lava. But if he did, it would mean revealing all of his strength.

It was then, just as Zeon was hesitating slightly.

“I’ll help you.”

Shouting loudly, Serian deployed her skill.

A tremendous cluster of light burst from her whole body and shot toward Zeon.

In that instant, Zeon felt an enormous power rising within him.

It was Earth’s Blessing, one of Serian’s skills.

Earth’s Blessing was a buff skill that temporarily transferred some of her own mana.

Serian was an S-rank Awakened.

Naturally, her mana was as vast and deep as the sea.

She transferred a considerable portion of that tremendous mana to Zeon.

The sense of overwhelming fullness was so great that even Zeon was momentarily startled.

‘If it’s this much…’

Even if he used a truly overwhelming skill now, no one would believe it was entirely his own innate ability.

That was enough.

“Good.”

Zeon shouted loudly and rose into the air.

Balrog took flight after him.

By now, a pair of flaming wings had grown from Balrog’s back.

With those wings flapping, Balrog closed in on Zeon in an instant.

Paang.

A sonic boom exploded as Balrog broke through the speed of sound.

The Flame Whip in its hand sharpened like a spear and aimed for Zeon’s throat.

At that life-and-death instant, Zeon muttered softly, “Sand Storm.”

Kwaaa.

In that instant, the lava flipped over, and the tremendous mass of sand buried beneath it surged into the air.

The surging sand spun violently and swallowed Balrog and the Flame Whip as they attacked Zeon.

Zeon’s attack did not stop there.

“Sand Mixer.”

Gaaaang.

The fine grains of sand spun like a mixer and gnawed away at Balrog’s force field.

Balrog’s skin, once the force field vanished, was exposed to the rapidly rotating sand particles.

Kwagagagak.

Balrog’s once-indomitable skin began to peel away little by little under the fine grains of sand.

Kwoooaar.

In overwhelming pain, Balrog unleashed Fear and fired The Eye of Destruction in all directions.

The high-temperature beams filled with flame struck every part of the space inside the barrier.

Spitting blood, Old Man Go shouted, “Goddamn it. I can’t hold any longer. End this quickly.”

At that moment, Serian and Borin both launched attack skills.

Their attacks scattered the sand grains in all directions, obscuring everyone’s vision.

At that exact instant, Zeon released Exium.

He had finally gone to maximum output.

With black sand draped behind him like wings, Zeon struck Balrog directly.

Kwaaang.