Side Story 32
Hwaaah!
The wind blew.
A wind so sharp and fast that it was difficult to open the eyes.
The Celestial Realm soldiers caught in its whirlwind flew through the sky.
"Aaaah!"
"I'm flying!"
"Hold on tight!"
The wind that blew at the Administrator's gesture threw the soldiers into the sky.
Whiiii!
A wind like a typhoon swept through the sand.
Due to it, even mid-level skilled soldiers found it challenging to stay steady.
He wasn't using any special ability.
Magic itself was aiding him.
"Huuuk, huu," Lee Rangjin panted.
Additionally, from the other side of the collapsed stadium, Lee Ye, with trembling hands, nocked an arrow.
Hargan, staggering as he gathered electricity in his fingers, collapsed to the ground as if his legs had given way.
[I pay my respects to you.]
The Administrator's clothes didn't budge an inch in the strong wind.
[High-Rankers are truly different.]
"Thanks for the compliment."
[You can consider it an honor. It's a miracle that simple creations from another world like you have even brushed against the Master of Mana's clothes.]
The Administrator's clothes were torn in various places. All were marks from the battle with the Rankers, including Lee Rangjin.
"Wow..."
Whoosh.
Lee Rangjin put strength back into the hand wielding the Unbreakable Sword.
"Those words sound both like a compliment and a mockery at the same time."
Bam.
Boooom!
The Unbreakable Sword once again drew a huge trajectory, flying from multiple directions simultaneously.
The Administrator reached out his hand towards the Unbreakable Sword.
Cwaaah!
The wind gushing from the Administrator's fingertips pushed the Unbreakable Sword back.
The Unbreakable Sword couldn't even get close, let alone cut.
Lee Rangjin took a step back and looked at the Unbreakable Sword in his hand.
'Again.'
The moment he wielded the Unbreakable Sword, the magic imbued in the weapon dissipated.
It was as if the magic refused to attack the Administrator.
That strange sensation made him hesitate in his attack.
'But...'
Crack.
Lee Rangjin tightly clenched the hand wielding the Unbreakable Sword.
'I'm getting used to it little by little.'
To prevent the magic from dispersing, it required great concentration and even more magic than usual.
It took a lot of attention and effort to control the rebellious magic and become familiar with it.
At first, he had despaired in this battle.
With magic that didn't obey his will, he wondered how he could defeat the Administrator, the Master of Mana.
But as the battle continued, he was gradually getting used to that feeling.
Moreover...
"Ugh."
A punch accompanied by a small, weak cry.
Boooom!
Pandora's fist pushed the wind and brushed past the Administrator's head.
Although it failed to hit due to the wind's deflection, Pandora's strength clearly approached the Administrator's range.
'Her brute strength is really incredible.'
Pandora wasn't using any special abilities, nor was she consuming a large amount of magic like him.
She was simply using her overwhelming physical strength to keep going.
‘I don't know why she's here, but...'
Kwaaaut!
Swinging the Unbreakable Sword alongside Pandora, Lee Rangjin filled with confidence little by little.
'We can win.'
In the space created by Pandora.
Viiiiaaaaaa!
Puuuuum!
Lee Ye's arrow pierced the Administrator's shoulder.
Losing balance for a moment, the Administrator was no match for Lee Rangjin, a seasoned warrior with experience in all kinds of battlefields.
Cwaaah!
The Unbreakable Sword cut through the wind.
Fuuuk!
The Unbreakable Sword pierced the Administrator's body along with his robe.
"Finally!"
"The General Chief did it!"
The soldiers watching the battle cheered. Although they initially thought it was impossible to win, their General Chief, Lee Rangjin, had not disappointed them.
However.
"..."
Lee Rangjin's reaction, who had thrust the Unbreakable Sword into the Administrator's body, was different from theirs.
Lee Rangjin had a surprised expression.
'This guy's body...'
Clack!
The Administrator's hand struck Lee Rangjin's body.
Immediately after...
Cwaaauu!
The wind gushing from the Administrator's hand pierced through Lee Rangjin's body as if it were piercing it and threw him into the sky.
"Kyaaa!"
Lee Rangjin sharply turned his body in the air to cushion the impact.
The impact, as if his body were pierced, prevented him from straightening up properly.
Staggering, he looked at the Unbreakable Sword he was wielding.
He remembered the feeling he had when the Unbreakable Sword pierced the Administrator's body a moment ago.
'There was nothing.'
When a body was pierced, you felt flesh and bones. However, he felt none of that in the body of the Administrator, Hastur.
His body was empty.
Except for the robe that enveloped him, there was nothing inside.
'How the hell am I supposed to fight against this...?'
He thought he had finally succeeded, but he didn't have a real body.
It was a desperate situation.
A silence fell over the stadium.
The Administrator took a deep breath.
[Those who have not yet lost hope...]
His eyes fixed on three Rankers who had stepped forward.
[There are three]
Tsukuyomi, Pandora, and Hargan.
Even in this situation, after Lee Rangjin was knocked down, they were still willing to fight.
"There was an incident about 10 years ago, where the Administrator of the 1st Floor was killed."
Tsukuyomi's eyes gleamed with intense white.
"Administrators are not Gods, nor are they invincible."
Tsukuyomi's eyes filled with Arcane Power.
The black pupils disappeared, and the irises turned white.
Seeing the magic emanating from her eyes, the Administrator knew where Tsukuyomi's power came from.
[Is it Izanagi?]
Izanagi.
An ancient High-Ranker who created the Three Sacred Relics and the name of the item created when the Three Sacred Relics are combined.
The strange thing was that the Three Sacred Relics had disappeared during the last 10 years.
[How did you obtain them?]
Tsukuyomi, who had appeared after gathering the missing Three Sacred Relics, did not answer the Administrator's question and instead activated Izanagi's ability.
[Izanagi governs the Arcane Power of the surrounding area.]
[The rate of Arcane Power amplification for targets recognized as allies increases significantly.]
[Drains the Arcane Power from targets recognized as enemies.]
Tsutsuutsu-.
The wind that had swirled around the Administrator slowly dispersed.
Arcane Power gradually moved towards Tsukuyomi.
The Administrator began to resist that power.
[‘Mana Master’ resists ‘Izanagi’.]
[Izanagi's power is reduced by 48%.]
The power of the item weakened.
Although he resisted almost half, that didn't mean it had no effect.
Izanagi's power interfered with the Administrator's magic.
The Administrators, the owners of all mana.
The mere fact that it could interfere with their power was truly astonishing.
Zzzz~
Layers of ice formed around the Administrator.
Tsukuyomi appeared with a frosty aura.
"What do you think?"
She responded by pointing the crimson sword at the Administrator's neck.
"I'm also curious about that."
Shwaaak-!
The Administrator's robe tore with the crimson sword in her hand.
At the same time, the wind began to blow around the Administrator again.
The sharp gust of wind cut Tsukuyomi's face, splattering blood.
Resisting the force pushing her, Tsukuyomi cut the Administrator's robe.
[It's futile resistance.]
The Administrator's voice filled with power.
The eyes engraved on her had the power to oppose the Administrators' power.
"It's not futile."
Shwip-!
And then.
Pandora appeared behind the Administrator, grabbing his shoulder.
"We will win. This time too."
Clang-!
Kaboom-!
An explosion erupted with the fist that struck.
The Administrator's body staggered momentarily from the impact.
And the next moment...
Crackle~
"Thanks to this, I can take a break."
Perhaps because he was recognized as an "ally" within Izanagi's domain?
Hargan, free from the Administrator's influence, began to control his Arcane Power and created a giant spear in one step.
Kaboom-!
The golden spear pierced the Administrator's body.
The unflattering nickname of "low-budget Zeus" he received in the world, his Lightning Bolt, hit its mark.
Crackle, crackle.
The light emitted by the Lightning Bolt traveled through the center of the stadium.
Hargan, who had exhausted all his remaining Arcane Power, collapsed backward as if exhausted, and Tsukuyomi distanced herself to avoid being caught by the Lightning Bolt.
The light gradually faded.
And in the midst of it, the Administrator appeared with a hole in the center of his robe.
"Ah, seriously. I'm exhausted..."
Hargan, with no strength in his body, sat on the ground with a defeated smile.
The Administrator was unharmed.
Apart from his tattered robe, there were no changes in his movements.
Crunch~
The Administrator approached slowly.
Hargan felt like he was fighting a formless enemy.
'No matter how much I attack, it has no real form.'
There was nothing more frustrating than fighting an invisible enemy.
He hadn't even felt this when he fought monsters of the ghost race.
They couldn't win.
That certainty gradually transformed into fear.
But then...
Bam-!
The Administrator's body staggered once again from a powerful punch.
"Don't touch the weak."
Pandora.
Hargan's expression distorted at that brutality.
'We... weak?'
Hargan's pride was wounded. It was as if she treated him like a child, him, who obsessed over strength more than anyone.
But now wasn't the time to argue about that.
"Haaaah-!"
Pandora took a deep breath and lunged towards the Administrator's chest.
She knew that physical attacks would be useless. She acted as if she knew no fear.
"Pandora! We first have to figure out the true nature of that guy... ugh!"
Tsukuyomi, who was activating Izanagi, covered one eye with her hand.
Her vision was blurring.
'Really...? Already?'
It was the first time she used Izanagi. She knew that the Arcane Power and mental strength required to activate it were no small feat, but she didn't expect it to deplete so quickly.
Bang-!
Pandora's fist struck the Administrator's body.
Chiii-!
The wind cut through Pandora's body.
Even though her fist tore, she didn't hesitate to keep moving.
[Seems like something's wrong with you.]
Chiiiik-!
Pandora's extended fist tore, and a bloody wound appeared on her forearm.
Pandora didn't back down.
Pandora broke through the wind claws.
Tsukuyomi shouted, surprised by her behavior as if sacrificing her own body.
"Pandora!"
For a moment, she felt as if time slowed down.
Like a moth hurling itself to its death.
Pandora against the Administrator wielding the wind.
In the instant they collided, Tsukuyomi tightly closed her eyes.
She couldn't bear to see how Pandora was cut by the Administrator's wind.
But...
"...?
Tsukuyomi, in the unusual silence, quickly opened her eyes again.
And there...
"I was just going to watch...."
YuWon, who had disappeared along with the two Administrators, was behind the Administrator, holding Pandora in his arms.
"It's harder than I thought."
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LWTG (Novel)