Ch 50
#050. Where Malice Gathers (7)
Ray sprinted toward the man, awakening the white mana that had been dormant within his Circle.
Whoosh─!
The white mana, driven by its master’s will, surged through his entire body, billowing like smoke across his skin. It transformed into a radiant glow, swiftly enveloping the boy and cooling his flushed, burning skin.
…He could feel his body temperature returning to normal.
With a calmer gaze, Ray continued his charge toward the man, a blazing serpent trailing behind him.
While continuously casting healing magic.
“More of your tricks…!”
The man gritted his teeth as he watched Ray charging toward him.
His intentions were obvious.
The man’s primary combat style was to ignite his entire body to block approaches and control the fire snake to pursue his opponent. He had seen this kind of response from adversaries countless times before.
‘He’s probably trying to turn at the last moment and hit me with the snake! Fool!’
His ability to control the snake had already reached its peak. Speed meant nothing—he could alter its direction freely. Even if he were struck by the snake accidentally, the protective barrier beneath his flames would remain intact. After all, it was a shield forged by pouring over half of his 2nd Circle’s mana into it.
‘The outcome is already decided.’
The man smirked deeply.
Judging from their previous battle and today’s encounter, Ray was at most a 2nd Circle mage. In one-on-one fights against opponents of similar strength, this combat method had never failed him. The Executioner would be consumed by flames, collapsing to become nourishment for the Bloodstone once the magic circle activated.
‘Yes. My victory is inevitable. I never expected an Executioner to be this feeble.’
No—to be precise, it was his own strength that had grown. Since his expulsion from the organization, he had relentlessly honed his Circles and sought ways to grow more powerful. He had become strong, was strong, and would continue growing stronger without limit. Upon his return, even the boss would have no choice but to acknowledge him.
…Perhaps today’s events would see him immediately appointed to the now-vacant position of Executioner.
“Kehehe.”
Uncontrollable joy swelled in his chest.
His task was clear. With the magic circle nearing activation, he only needed to defeat the Executioner and prepare to escape.
But in the next moment.
“What are you doing…?!”
Ray’s actions left the man utterly bewildered.
Ray stopped short of closing the final few meters. Instead, he abruptly veered sideways and began sprinting in a wide circle around him.
“Have you lost your mind?! What kind of cheap trick is this?!”
The man gnashed his teeth.
It was just a ploy. No need to panic.
Forcing himself to stay calm as he maintained control of the snake, the man heard Ray’s voice—soft, almost a whisper:
“The boss doesn’t want you to return.”
Something shattered.
A deafening roar erupted from the man’s throat as his mind snapped.
“You fucking brat──!!”
The flames engulfing his body roared violently. The fire snake chasing Ray accelerated explosively.
“How dare you! What do you know?! Spouting nonsense!”
The flickering flames revealed his face. His eyes were blood-red, veins ruptured and leaking crimson tears. The red mana in his chest swelled dangerously, its vessel teetering on the brink of shattering. The mana had long surpassed its limits, plunging him into a frenzied state beyond mere agitation.
In his madness, he failed to notice Ray’s true actions.
Whoosh──!
As Ray circled him, raw mana from the atmosphere surged violently into his grasp. The chaotic blend of colors coalesced into azure energy, spilling from his hands in waves. Some seeped into the ground along his path, while other streams flew between them, etching precise patterns into the earth.
From above, one would see a massive circle enclosing intricate geometric symbols—a magic circle. The very one Ray had learned from Veronica over the past two days. Though his Circle held no mana left to draw it, it mattered little.
He used the world itself as his fuel.
Whoosh────!
For Ray, mana knew no bounds. It existed everywhere, infinite and omnipresent. To him, the world was a vast Circle. Of course, it wasn’t without cost. Unrefined mana exacted a heavy toll—fatigue accumulating in body and mind far beyond what Circle-based mana would inflict.
Drip.
Blood trailed from beneath his nose.
His head was starting to feel stiff.
But he pushed through and kept working.
'Still manageable for now.'
To the boy, his own body was both a "means of struggle" against the world and the "weapon" he wielded most skillfully.
This was why he trained daily, meticulously mapping his physical limits.
Only then could he make optimal decisions in battle.
It was no different from understanding a knife's material, testing its durability, and sharpening its edge daily.
That's how he knew.
'I can hold on.'
His body wouldn't collapse yet.
But behind him, the precarious distance between himself and the serpent was narrowing.
Ray channeled the remaining red mana from his ring to amplify the enhancement magic on his lower body.
The crimson energy spread from the ring through his chest and abdomen, flooding his entire lower half.
His leg muscles instantly swelled, unleashing engine-like power.
Just as the pursuing serpent gaped its maw to swallow him—
Whoosh!
Ray's figure shot forward.
Crunch!
The serpent bit empty air.
"—You... bastard... I'll rip you...!"
The man's words never reached Ray.
At his current train-like speed, only the shriek of wind against his ears remained.
Scenery blurred in and out of his vision like flickering film.
The distance between them grew.
While running, Ray kept working on the magic circle. He finally completed the final sigil on the floor.
The circle activated instantly.
Ice-cold droplets began forming mid-air above the pattern.
"—Kill...! Tear... limbs...!"
The droplets multiplied exponentially.
Tens of thousands swirled violently around the man with a sudden gust.
Ray flung himself clear, rolling across the floor.
He looked up.
KWA-GWAGWAGWAGWA—!
A massive waterspout erupted where the circle had been, tearing through the factory's thin iron ceiling.
Light poured through the gaping hole.
KWA-GWAGWAGWAGWA—!
Water surged upward as light streamed down.
The whirlwind scattered radiance in all directions before gradually dissipating.
Swoosh—
The floor became a swamp.
In the spotlight beneath the shattered ceiling stood the man.
……
Head bowed.
Dripping hair. Ragged clothes.
Scratches revealed his broken barrier, but Ray held back.
'Still mana in his ring.'
A fifth of its original amount.
With Ray's own ring nearly empty, caution was paramount.
As he watched, Ray noticed something strange—
No emotional vessel in the man's chest.
No visible emotions at all.
An unprecedented phenomenon.
Tick—
A sound came from the flooded floor—
Ray's shattered wristwatch, split in half yet still ticking.
"Time..."
The man lifted his head mechanically.
Empty red eyes.
A blood-crusted face devoid of expression.
Rustle.
He pulled out a pocket watch.
Click.
"Must grow stronger... For the boss... Circle... 30 minutes... Almost time..."
The watch fell from his limp hand.
He stared at the broken ceiling, then at the chain-sealed iron door.
"Four minutes... Must leave... Return to organization..."
Ray checked his watch.
2:25:11 PM.
Circle activation at 2:27 PM.
1 minute 49 seconds remaining.
The man hadn't noticed the altered timer.
'Time to go.'
Ray hurled a tile shard at the man's skull.
Crack!
Blood streamed down the unmoving head.
Crack! Crack!
No reaction.
With one minute left, Ray approached and removed his ring.
"Step back from the door. Or I shatter this."
The man slowly turned.
"Useless... Executive gear... can't be broken..."
"......"
"Crush it... burn it... meaningless... Executioner."
"......"
"Fight... if you dare... Otherwise... you die here... Crimson Bloodstone's sacrifice..."
He resumed walking.
Clank. Clank.
At the door, he fumbled with the chains.
No intent to attack—just a machine fixated on its programmed goal.
2:26:22 PM.
38 seconds remained.
Ray recalled the intense obsession that had flickered in the man’s vessel when he first took out the ring.
He steadied his breath and opened his mouth.
“Who said that? The Bloodstones issued to executives can’t be destroyed.”
The clanking of chains ceased at that moment.
The man slowly turned his head, met Ray’s gaze, and parted his lips.
“Impossible… It… is…”
“……”
Ray fell silent briefly.
To seize control of the situation, he needed to manipulate the other’s emotions.
No matter the circumstances.
No matter the opponent.
But he could no longer read emotions from a man without a vessel.
He might infer from expressions or gestures, but such methods were unfamiliar to Ray.
Observing the color of mana within a vessel was far simpler and more intuitive.
Reading facial expressions demanded significant effort from Ray, who struggled to recognize faces in the first place.
Yet Ray had one clue:
The vivid, obsessive desire the man had radiated when the ring was revealed.
Ray continued his threats using information gleaned from the man’s earlier words.
“Recovered Bloodstones aren’t typically reused—they’re disposed of.”
“……”
“Who do you think handles that disposal?”
This time, the man stayed silent.
Focusing on the man’s face, Ray detected a faint twitch in his facial muscles.
…A definite reaction.
Though its emotional origin remained unclear, Ray pressed further.
“Injecting specific elemental combinations into a Bloodstone creates internal fractures.”
“……”
“Making it critically vulnerable to external impact.”
20 seconds remained.
“Walter. Step away from the door. Or I’ll shatter the Bloodstone here.”
The man shuffled backward hesitantly.
“Escape… is futile. Three minutes remain… I’ll capture you… lock you back in…”
15 seconds.
Ray enveloped the ring with multicolored mana drawn from the atmosphere.
He had no idea how to channel mana into a charging stone—this was pure theatrics.
“You’ll only know by trying.”
10 seconds left.
Amidst the thickening tension, Ray crouched and snatched a tile fragment from the floor.
Then—
Whoosh—!
He snapped upright and launched the ring toward the derelict factory’s depths with every ounce of strength.
The wind-imbued tile shard pursued it, tearing through the air.
Bang!
Simultaneously, the man detonated all remaining crimson mana in his grip and surged forward with a thud!
Ray lunged too—the man toward the ring, the boy toward the iron door.
5 seconds remained.
Clank!
Reaching the door, Ray’s hands flew across the chains.
‘4 seconds.’
Clunk!
He dropped the chains and heaved against the door with his shoulder.
‘3 seconds.’
Screeeeeech—!
Light burst in, bleaching his vision.
‘2 seconds.’
He slipped outside and slammed the door shut without breathing—
Screech—! Slam—!
‘1 second.’
Hand still on the door, anticipating the man’s possible charge, he counted—
‘0 seconds.’
