Chapter 99: Evolution, Not Corruption (7)
“…”
Beyond the mask, a city was seen being bombarded indiscriminately. They had not expected such a magical attack and could not respond adequately.
Beyond the mask, Reina was watching that scene. The sight of the city falling into chaos at her own hands.
She saw Austin barely managing to evade the shells being fired. Her rage grew even stronger as she saw him seemingly unharmed. While she endured those grueling tasks, he had not been touched simply because he was a sitting member of parliament.
“Disgustingly.”
She turned her gaze from Austin and focused on the cityscape. The beautiful central city that once made her long to go to the academy headquarters.
And the famous mages she had revered so much.
All of that was now being pitifully and helplessly destroyed at her hands.
“I was foolish. They are just a bunch of insects.”
She smiled faintly. Her past self, who had admired and taken pride in those things, felt utterly pathetic.
She looked at her hands and body. Though covered in black carapace and leather, her body was filled with strength.
This was the true power of magic she had longed for. The evolved power she gained by becoming one with the Legion, breaking free from the primitive human body.
Continuing her bombardment, Reina, when reaching a certain point, led the higher beings and descended rapidly, landing in the middle of the city.
There was one reason. She wanted to see them dying, suffering, up close.
“Run wild as you please.”
It was Eve who granted her autonomy. Unlike Kang Do-yeon, who was initially meant to be controlled, Eve believed that in order to utilize Reina, who had her own motives, to the fullest, autonomy should be guaranteed.
And as soon as Reina gained that autonomy, she rushed into this place, Menace, without hesitation, leading only a small force.
“What the…”
“Capture her! It’s an opportunity!”
In a state of panic at her landing, the humans saw it as an opportunity and charged at her.
Reina and the higher beings moved as one and immediately unleashed another massive legion-style spell.
“…!”
The screams and shouts mixed with the erupting flame storm echoed all around. Countless individuals, unprepared, were burned alive. The smell of burning flesh began to permeate the air.
“Good…”
Reina deliberately maximized her senses to savor those moments. The things she had created with her own hands.
Their screams, the smell of their burning bodies overlapped with the screams she had emitted in the torture chamber and the smell of her own body frying.
A group of knights and mages rushed in frantic haste at that moment.
“Elite Guard! Form up! The enemy is a mage!”
Commander Lak of the First Elite Guard gritted his teeth and directed the knights.
Having already lost face due to Kang Do-yeon’s intrusion, Lak was determined to win this time.
As the Elite Guard took their positions, a mage from the Stars Academy cast enhancement spells in alignment with the formation.
Seeing this, Reina mobilized the higher beings. The mage from the Stars Academy gasped in disbelief.
“How dare you assault the sacred magic of our academy!”
“Calm down, Deputy President. We can take her down now!”
Lak stomped the ground with his subordinates.
Similarly, Reina and the higher beings, having enhanced their bodies, aimed their staffs and unleashed scorching streams of flames.
“Ugh…”
The heat pierced through their enhanced flesh, scorching their skin.
Lak gritted his teeth and moved. With only a mindset to cut down the enemy and defend this place.
Even as subordinates beside him fell, unable to hold on, he swallowed his anger and advanced forward.
“Close in! We will win!”
Fortunately, Lak and the Elite Guard had ample experience facing mages.
No matter how much one enhanced their body, a mage’s physique was still sluggish compared to a knight who trained their body, which made the close-quarters strategy a foolproof tactic.
Soon, Lak and several members of the Elite Guard, having pierced through the flames, lifted their swords and charged at the enemies.
“Uh…?”
However, they overlooked the fact that those they were facing were not merely mages but monsters, specifically higher beings specially created among monsters.
The higher beings, including Reina, quickly and organically shifted their formation.
It wasn’t a mage’s formation. The higher beings held their staffs like spears, aiming the tips at the knights who were drawn in like prey to a maw.
“Ugh…”
“Ahhh!”
The knights who barely broke through the flames were swiftly overwhelmed in close combat.
The movements of the higher beings, showcasing martial arts and spear techniques, were flawless, their skill levels beyond anything the Elite Guard could contend with.
Lak couldn’t believe his eyes.
Even his most trusted subordinate was struck down, a spear piercing his heart.
“That bastard is the leader… hurry…”
“Brent!”
Lak grabbed the collapsing subordinate and erupted with rage.
There was but one method left to him. To take out the root cause of this.
“Uaaaaah!”
In an instant, Lak exploded with strength, deflecting the spears aimed at him and charging at Reina.
Chains of magical power, glowing from the spell cast by the higher beings, flew out and wrapped around his body, but he broke free with sheer force, stepping forward step by step.
‘Do you see? He has just surpassed his limits. That is the potential of a human I desire.’
Eve watched and acknowledged him.
‘So, prove it. That I already possess it.’
“Yes.”
Murmured Reina softly in response to Eve’s words, stepping forward.
Lak’s sword, now twisted in a grimace like a demon, came crashing down heavily on her barrier. Cracks began to spread across the defensive shield.
Reina, striking his abdomen with her staff and sending him flying, tapped the ground with her staff, casting earth magic.
“Absolutely…!”
As he soared, buried beneath his own dust, he came at her once more, bloodied and gritting his teeth.
This time, Reina’s barrier shattered. The sword lodged into her shoulder.
However, just before the sword could penetrate, Lak felt a chill run down his spine, taking a sharp breath.
A large eyeball emerged from the coat she wore, blinking, and quickly overlapping appeared small barriers over the spot where the sword was about to strike, deflecting it.
“Ugh.”
In the meantime, Reina grasped his neck with her hand.
The glowing red eyes behind the mask met his fiery gaze.
Eve, who considered communication, including language, as a means of contamination, had forbidden all communication between her submind and other beings, including Commander Kang Do-yeon, to protect them.
Thus, unable to utter a single word, Reina conveyed her hatred through the grip on his neck and the glare in her eyes.
“Who… are you?”
His will clashed directly with her hatred.
However, he could not overcome Reina’s grudge. The strong sense of duty and justice he held as the Elite Guard Commander ultimately pointed only at the entrenched interests and powers of this city, failing to help her when she desperately sought help.
“Ugh…”
A bone-chilling cold enveloped his body. As he succumbed to defeat, infection started to gnaw at him.
Reina released her grip. Then, transforming the sleeves into blades, she swiftly beheaded his staggering neck.
*
‘Does it have an effect? How interesting.’
Eve watched the entire scene with keen interest.
In fact, Reina’s humane actions were the pinnacle of inefficiency from Eve’s perspective. They could have easily wiped everything out with bombardment support along with the main unit.
However, granted autonomy, Reina left without hesitation with only a small mobile unit, driven solely by the motives of vengeance and slaughter.
And in reality, Reina unleashed her pent-up hatred to its fullest in that place.
It was different from Kang Do-yeon’s intrusion.
Reina genuinely tried to kill as many people as possible, and that thick hatred and murderous intent were conveyed to humans without a single word.
“Academy President…!”
“Quickly, set up a defensive line! We must hold them back!”
That murderous intent caused great chaos among the humans.
The existence they thought of as merely a monster and beast, now harbored deep murderous intent and resentment towards them.
An unknown fear began to spread among the crowd. This phenomenon was something Eve had not anticipated.
“The upper beings, to whom command was entrusted, are also being affected by that emotion. It seems the experiment was successful.”
[It has caused more confusion and impact than expected. However, that place is still right in the middle of the enemy lines. Will you not withdraw?]
“I’ve caught an unexpected opportunity, so I should use it further.”
Eve was intrigued that her submind, Reina, had produced an outcome she hadn’t envisioned while simultaneously calculating other plans.
The most efficient result utilizing the current situation.
“Has she finally appeared?”
Eve, watching the scene through Reina’s eyes, smirked.
Someone emerged between the mage standoffs.
Silver hair, gleaming golden eyes. And the strings of souls connected to somewhere.
It was the first time that two entities presumed to be units faced each other properly.
[It is not just one.]
“There will be more.”
Moreover, the beings presumed to be units were not just a few. There were several with strings attached near Dark as well.
“Go on, rampage once more. Draw out everything they have.”
Eve issued an attack order to Reina instead of a withdrawal. The aim was reconnaissance. She intended to discover the full extent of the enemy’s forces during this opportunity.
Following her command, Reina aimed her staff at them.
But then, Dark was seen clicking his tongue. At that moment, the connection with Reina was severed, and his body began to slowly fall.
“Execution Authority?”
Eve, smiling wryly, utilized her power to grasp the soul of Reina, which had already become one with hers and departed from her mortal form.
And she issued a charge command to all the legionnaires waiting while replenishing their nutrients.
Using the Execution Authority indicated that they no longer had any remaining energy.
