Episode 40
Hemerson glared at Jeon.
“Sand? Did you just use sand as a weapon?”
“As you can see!”
Jeon shrugged.
Hemerson’s gaze grew even more terrifying.
Gripping his scimitar tightly, he spoke.
“Today is my lucky day!”
“Your subordinates are all dead, and you call that lucky? Are you crazy?”
“Hmph! Subordinates like that are a dime a dozen in Elharun. But a Sand Sorcerer and a Guide are irreplaceable.”
On the Earth that had become a desert, these two abilities were the most useful.
Navigators, that is, Guides, had appeared a few times up until now, but Jeon was the first to awaken as a Sand Sorcerer.
Even in Elharun, where different races gathered, there had been no Awakener who could control sand.
Even if only Jeon could freely manipulate it, he would clearly be of immense help to Elharun.
“You’ll have to come with me to Elharun.”
“It’s an interesting proposal, but I’ll have to decline. I’m a bit busy.”
“My words are not a proposal. They are an order.”
“Then I’ll decline even more firmly. Taking orders from others doesn’t suit my constitution.”
“You’ll follow even if you don’t want to. Elharun has all sorts of curious items.”
One of them was an item that interfered with the mind.
In Kurayan, items or skills that interfered with a living being’s mind were taboo.
Using magic or skills to artificially interfere with the mind immediately made one a public enemy of the Church and marked for extermination.
But those taboos had all disappeared when they migrated to Earth.
It was a world different from what they had initially expected.
The cause was reckless terraforming, but still.
In any case, they had to adapt and survive in a world turned into a desert.
Those who had crossed over from Kurayan discarded all useless regulations and taboos for the sake of survival. That was how mind-interfering items came to be created.
Using that item, he could easily make that arrogant Sand Sorcerer submit.
Of course, that required the premise of keeping him alive and bringing him to Elharun.
But Hemerson was confident.
He was a B-rank Awakener.
And a combat-class one at that.
The rank insignia engraved on his wrist proved as much.
He was on a completely different level from the subordinates who had futilely died to Jeon.
Though his rank was B, armed with items from Elharun, he could display power similar to an A-rank.
That was why he had been dispatched here.
Swish!
He charged at terrifying speed.
He intended to give Jeon no time to react.
But Jeon was already fully prepared.
Shwishwishwish!
Over a dozen Sand Blasters flew at Hemerson.
Hemerson did not dodge the Sand Blasters.
Light seemed to emanate from his chest before covering his entire body.
The hemispherical light deflected all the Sand Blasters.
Jeon’s eyes gleamed.
‘An item? Or an innate ability?’
Shwaa!
Hemerson closed the distance in an instant and thrust his scimitar.
He did not aim for vital spots like the heart or brain. That confidence stemmed from the belief that as long as those two parts remained intact, he could easily keep Jeon alive.
That was what made Hemerson’s attacks so terrifying.
Jeon twisted his body to dodge Hemerson’s attack and fired Sand Missiles.
“It’s useless.”
The hemispherical light covered Hemerson’s body once more.
Jeon did not miss that moment.
‘So it’s a tattoo.’
A tattoo was briefly visible between the gaps of his armor.
The light was starting right from the tattoo.
The tattoo was clearly amplifying Hemerson’s aura to form a barrier.
Jeon fired Sand Missiles again, but each time they were blocked by the aura.
In the meantime, he received several wounds from Hemerson’s blade.
Fortunately, the wounds were not deep, but they were enough to send a chill down Jeon’s spine.
Chwahak!
Red light burst forth from Hemerson’s sword.
A combat-class Awakener.
It was Sword Aura, which only those specialized in swords among them could use.
“You can still command sand without an arm, right?”
Hemerson was thinking of outright cutting off one of Jeon’s arms to subdue him.
It was to break his spirit.
Swishswishswick!
His sword split into three in an instant and raked at Jeon’s body.
Jeon used Sand Step and desperately evaded Hemerson’s attacks. But no matter how much he used Sand Step, he couldn’t shake Hemerson off.
Jeon bit his lip.
He caught a glimpse of the rank insignia on his opponent’s wrist.
It was a red combat-class B-rank.
Meanwhile, he himself was D-rank.
Setting aside differences in compatibility, the gap in their abilities was overwhelming.
Moreover, his opponent was a swordsman class specialized in anti-personnel combat.
The playing field had been drastically tilted to one side from the start.
It was an unfair fight, to say the least.
But Jeon harbored no complaint or grievance.
He knew that this was what fighting in this era was like.
And he also knew that victory did not belong solely to those with higher ranks.
A rank insignia was merely an indicator, not an absolute.
‘I’ll use everything I can use.’
Hemerson followed as Jeon retreated using Sand Step.
Jeon deployed a Sand Mixer right where Hemerson stepped.
Vrrrrm!
Sand rotated at high speed and caught Hemerson’s ankle.
“Hmph! A skill like this won’t work on me.”
Having watched his subordinates fall prey to it, he was fully prepared.
He shook off the sand gripping his ankle and leaped into the air.
Jeon fired Sand Missiles at Hemerson.
“It’s useless, I told you.”
Hemerson snickered.
He trusted the Aura Shield amplified through the tattoo.
It had already proven its effectiveness by neutralizing Jeon’s attacks several times. That was why he could charge at Jeon so aggressively.
“One arm won’t be enough after all. I’ll take a leg, too.”
Shwaaaak!
His sword, having closed the distance in an instant, aimed for Jeon’s arms and legs.
Jeon hastily erected a Sand Wall to protect his entire body. But the Sand Wall he created was smashed to pieces by the power of the Sword Aura.
Jeon was left completely exposed and defenseless.
“My victory.”
It was the moment Hemerson was certain of victory.
Swoosh!
Without a sound, two humanoid figures rose up behind him.
Soldiers made of sand.
They were Sand Soldiers.
“What?!”
Hemerson was startled by the Sand Soldiers that had appeared out of nowhere to ambush him.
He pivoted on the spot and attacked the Sand Soldiers.
Boom!
With an explosive sound, the Sand Soldiers were shattered to pieces.
Hemerson breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Jeon.
“So you had a hidden trick after all. But that’s the end.”
It was confidence born from having already neutralized all of Jeon’s skills.
Just as he was about to charge at Jeon again.
Vrrrrm!
Sand began to rotate around him.
Jeon had deployed a Sand Mixer once more.
“It’s useless, I said.”
It was the moment Hemerson tried to launch himself again.
Clutch!
The Sand Soldiers that had been smashed came back to life and wrapped their arms around Hemerson.
“What?!”
For the first time, a bewildered expression appeared on Hemerson’s face.
The Sand Soldiers dragged Hemerson into the Sand Mixer rotating at terrifying speed.
He was already sinking into the sand up to his knees.
“Eek!”
Hemerson tried to shake off the Sand Soldiers and escape the sand. But the more he struggled, the deeper his body sank.
He hastily deployed his Aura Shield to protect his entire body.
Krakakakak!
Super-fast rotating sand grains collided with the Aura Shield, and eerie sounds echoed repeatedly.
“Noo!”
Hemerson’s urgent cry burst out.
His body was already submerged up to his shoulders.
The more he struggled to escape, the more the sand pulled him deeper like a swamp.
For now, the Aura Shield protected his body, so he was not injured, but he couldn’t maintain it indefinitely.
When his mana was completely depleted, the Aura Shield would disappear.
If that happened, he would clearly be ground to pieces by the super-fast rotating sand.
But Hemerson believed in himself.
He didn’t think a B-rank Awakener’s mana could be inferior to Jeon’s.
Moreover, a skill with this much destructive power must consume an enormous amount of mana.
And indeed it did.
Jeon’s face, having used skills continuously, was pale, and his mana was on the verge of running out.
But Jeon had a cheat-like item.
An item that completely restored his mana once per day: Ellura’s Tear.
Hwahak!
With a brilliant flash, his depleted mana was completely restored.
Jeon poured his mana back into the Sand Mixer.
The Sand Mixer, which had seemed to be losing strength, rotated powerfully once more.
Krakakakak!
“Damn it!”
Hemerson was completely swallowed by the sand.
His vision turned to darkness.
All he could hear was the sound of sand rotating everywhere.
Crack!
The sound of the Aura Shield slowly breaking echoed in the darkness.
Now Hemerson’s mana was hitting rock bottom.
With that, the Aura Shield shook violently.
“N-no!”
Hemerson’s complexion turned pale.
At that moment, his mana was completely depleted, and the Aura Shield vanished.
With the obstacle gone, the super-fast rotating sand began to grind Hemerson directly.
“Kraaaack!”
Hemerson’s desperate screams echoed from within the sand.
The existence known as Hemerson completely disappeared from this world.
After confirming a moment later that the sand was stained with blood, Jeon slumped to the ground.
Hemerson’s vital signs could no longer be detected anywhere.
“Haah! Haah!”
Jeon gasped for breath.
His complexion was deathly pale.
Even after using Ellura’s Tear, his mana had been completely depleted.
If the combination of Sand Missile, Sand Soldier, and Sand Mixer had gone even slightly wrong, it would have been him who died.
That was how strong Hemerson was.
He realized it keenly through fighting him.
What he was lacking.
It was an anti-personnel skill.
Sand Blaster and Sand Missile alone were not enough.
Sand Mixer was excellent as an area-of-effect skill, but unsuitable as an anti-personnel skill.
He needed a more powerful anti-personnel skill.
Setting aside his worries about that for a moment, Jeon looked at Deioden.
“Heh heh! Elf wench, where is Elharun?”
He was holding a lump of meat crushed beyond recognition.
The identity of that lump of meat was the female elf who had commanded the elf rangers.
Around the female elf, there were countless lumps of meat crushed horrifically. They were all elf rangers and dwarf warriors.
While Jeon was struggling against Hemerson, Deioden had slaughtered every last one of the elves and dwarves.
Deioden threw the female elf he had been holding like a piece of luggage. She had already died in the meantime.
His gaze turned to the stout dwarf sprawled on the ground.
It was Gophrey, who had brought the dwarf warriors.
Gophrey’s four limbs were crushed horrifically.
“Krrgh!”
He looked at Deioden with a face twisted in terror.
His opponent was a monster impervious even to the mana particle cannon, and to the attacks of the elf rangers and dwarf warriors.
Not even Elharun had a monster of this caliber.
Deioden squatted down in front of Gophrey and spoke.
“Stumpy. You tell me.”
“Krrk!”
“Where is Elharun?”
“That is…”
“Tell me, and I’ll spare your life.”
“R-really?”
“Heh heh! What use is your miserable life to me?”
“Then…”
A light of conflict flickered in Gophrey’s eyes for an instant.
The moment he was about to speak of Elharun.
Bang!
His head suddenly exploded.
Blood and brains splattered in all directions.
Deioden’s face was also stained with blood and brains.
He wiped off the foreign matter nonchalantly and muttered.
“It seems they’ve placed a restriction to make one explode the moment they speak of Elharun’s location. You dog-like demi-human bastards!”