“Goetia.”

[Yes, Master.]

“Stop all support operations and wait. I will handle it alone.”

[Standby mode.]

The light from the ring stopped. Even without Geotia’s assistance, Theodore was able to complete the magic formula with his own ability. Theoretically, it could be executed at the 8th circle, but the spell couldn’t be used in practice due to complex random number calculations and extremely difficult control. However, it was possible for the current Theodore.

「 Come up, little sun. 」 Two beads of light flashed above Theodore’s palms.

It might be mistaken as light magic, but Aquilo sensed the inherent magic power and clicked her tongue. If she was just looking at the total power, it was more powerful than the breath she used in human form. Aquilo’s eyes filled with anticipation.

「 Eradicate. 」 The light beads exploded the moment Theodore gave the command.

――――――――――――――!!

No, it was more accurate to call it a scattering of power than an explosion. The light beads floated 10 meters above the ground and scattered in hundreds of directions as rays. The magic power strong enough to match a dragon’s breath instantly burst out from the bead shell.

The name behind the spell was Solar Ray. It was annihilation magic that compressed heat energy in a sphere and released it in the direction specified by the caster. Understandably, the lethal force was fearsome.

Kuwoooook!

The monsters hit by the rays screamed painfully, but the wounds seemed insignificant. Perhaps, it was like poking them with a thick needle? It would’ve been a fatal wound on anything else, but for these monsters with shoulders as thick as trees, it was like an insect bite. He might’ve thought so until two seconds ago.

‘It is all over once hit.’

The ray penetrated their skin through the muscle layer and entered their bodies. It took only two seconds to boil their blood, burn their bones and muscles, and then melt their flesh. A single ray contained such heavy power. The melted monsters flowed onto the ground.

Chiiiik!

One, ten, one hundred monsters… The same number of monsters as the rays became liquid on the ground. It was truly an eradication. Theodore erased hundreds of monsters with a single spell and got rid of the stench with a wind that he called. He wanted to evaporate the liquid, but it was more heat resistant than he thought.

“Wow, cool! Boy, are you trying to show me a cool look? It is a great success if it is really for that purpose!” Aquilo was fascinated by the bombardment of light and the wreckage of the monsters.

She loved beauty and strength while despising ugliness and weakness. Therefore, the monsters in front of her were the worst. If Theodore hadn’t come forward, she would’ve wiped them out directly. However, Theodore ignored the praise.

‘What are these monsters? Chimera? It was similar but slightly different. It isn’t changing the body by manipulating it. It is a mutation of the body itself… It is the first time I’ve seen a twisting of the body and the soul.’

The insight of a transcendent didn’t know the cause either. He could see that something had twisted the soul, causing the body to quickly become deformed in the shape of a monster. Even so, there was no way to save these victims. If the 9th circle magician, Theodore, judged there was no way to save them other than killing, who in this material world could argue with him?

“Tsk, they are continuing to flock.” Theodore’s eyebrows twitched as he sensed more monsters approaching.

Was it the light from Solar Ray that brought them?

However, it was a bit strange. A little while ago, Theodore had deliberately used magic without suppressing the aftermath. That was in order to use the overwhelming mana to prevent the access of any more monsters. It was on the level of Dragon Fear, yet these monsters flocked like they didn’t feel fear.

‘Are they artificially-created weapons? It is annoying.’ He might have to fight until the sun came up.

Theodore turned in the direction of the Fairy Dance Lee family. He wanted to fly there straight away.

“Excuse me? Aren’t you going to take care of me?”

There was one unexpected problem. Aquilo couldn’t fly at high speed in human form, and she would attract attention with her huge body if she transformed into a dragon. In the end, Theodore was forced to carry her.

“Hrmm, you have become so manly since the last time I’ve seen you. Look here…” As a compromise, Aquilo climbed onto his back.

“Don’t bend your body or whisper in my ear.”

“Then it is okay to kiss you?”

“It is forbidden.”

Aquilo laughed while Theodore sighed and took off. He thought there would be a big problem once he met up with Veronica.

*     *     *

It was a long yet short flight. While restraining Aquilo’s relentless touches, Theodore glanced at the Baekun Mountains which were teeming with monsters. There were at least 30,000 of them. The wild beasts of the mountain and forest had long since disappeared into the stomachs of the monsters, while the monsters who had lost their forms ate each other to fill up their appetite. It was literally a landscape of hell.

“…We will arrive soon. Are you heading down?”

“Yes.” Theodore slowed down and stood on the hill overlooking the Fairy Dance Lee family’s estate. The soft texture on his back disappeared, and the faces of the two people hardened as they looked down.

“Are they cockroaches?”

Theodore didn’t answer Aquilo, but he agreed.

‘There are at least 20,000 gathered here. 50,000 if I include all the ones surrounding this area. It is already at the level of an army.’

There was no room on the ground as only ugly heads could be seen. They seemed like ants crowded in one place, and Theodore and Aquilo looked down with disgust. Then the destination of the disgusting march was determined. It was the Baekun Mountain village with a total population of 3,000 centered around the Fairy Dance Lee family’s estate.

“Hmm?” Theodore narrowed his eyes as he saw something. “The ward…? There is a shaman with this much skill in the Lee family?”

A translucent shield was protecting the entire village from the monsters that would run in without hesitation. It was at least at the level of a master shaman. The shield blocked the enemy’s attacks and allowed allied attacks to pass through. Thanks to the one-sided attacks, the arrows fired by the soldiers knocked down some monsters.

‘It is stable. I don’t see any hope of winning, but they should be able to last a week.’

There was the terrain advantage, shaman’s shield, and the tiger and bear who sometimes emerged from the shield to break down the monsters’ formation before going back.

Theodore smiled when he saw the leaders of the Baekun Mountain spirits, the Tiger King and White Bear. Most of the other spirits in the mountain had gone to the forest of Elvenheim, but the two leaders had remained in the Baekun Mountains. It was because they couldn’t leave Lee Seol alone.

However, his smile didn’t last long.

“…The balance will soon collapse.”

“Why? They are blocking it.”

“Look beyond that hill.”

Aquilo increased her eyesight at Theodore’s words and looked at the scenery. A three-meter-tall monster, that was overflowing with mana, was approaching. It hadn’t gone through the proper training, but its mana concentration came awfully close to aura. Looking at just the mana, the monster was equivalent to a sword master and a 7th circle magician. Although the monster couldn’t be compared to the Tiger King and White Bear who had been training their power for hundreds of years, it was enough to damage the ward.

“I have to go out. Veronica and Sylvia aren’t in the village. If the both of them were present, this mana would collapse as soon as it approaches the ward.”

“Okay, I will move as you direct.”

“Thank you.”

Aquilo readily accepted Theodore’s words, and Theodore reached out to the monsters who had yet to recognize their existence. The monsters had master class mana, but they didn’t know how to operate it properly. Skin harder than steel? Recovery beyond a troll? He had dealt with opponents like these before even becoming a master.

“Geotia, assistance.”

[Starting the secondary assistance. Aligning the lightning formula.]

Lightning shone in front of Theodore’s body.

Memorize.

All Slots Open.

Nonuple Keraunos.

Nine lightning spears emerged. The sparks coming from them was proof that they had the power to melt iron. Nevertheless, Theodore still wasn’t satisfied. He had already been capable of shooting this magic before becoming a transcendent. Rising. As he grabbed them with his right hand, the lightning bolts grew and glowed blue. A colossal amount of energy was gathered in one place, transforming into plasma beyond electricity.

「I will borrow the authority of the lightning god. 」

Then they noticed his existence. The people inside the ward looked at the hill while the monsters flocked to the man surrounded by lightning without feeling afraid. However, Theodore’s ultimate magic was already completed.

「Destroy your enemies, Keraunos. 」

The interval was set at several kilometers. His target was the dangerous element that could threaten the ward. The lightning spears that became plasma cried out loudly, ―――――――――――――!!

The flash wiped out the land and trees it passed, eradicating the monsters it barely touched. From launch to hit, it took less than a second. It defied the defense of the monsters and killed them instantly while shattering several hundred meters of the ground. If magma flowed under the Baekun Mountains, it might’ve erupted at the shock.

“Aquilo, create a fog all over the battlefield.”

“Ah, yes!”

Aquilo recovered from her shock while Theodore prepared his next move. The moisture in this area quickly gathered near the ground, soaking the monsters and leaving no gaps for escape. The monsters would die from just a lightning strike.

“‘Compression’ was good, so shall I try ‘spreading’ this time?” Theodore mumbled to himself and opened his palm toward the sky.

Then an unexpected sight unfolded.

“Ahh…”

Someone looked up at the sky and fell to their knees. Someone else gathered their hands together while praising God’s name. The monsters didn’t dare look up and held their breaths.

In the dark moonlit sky, lightning shone through the clouds.

「 Hit it, Keraunos. 」

The sky was torn. A gap opened, and a golden divine punishment poured down. This was the moment when a thunderstorm descended from the night sky of the Baekun Mountains.