# 105. The Place Reached Against the Current (7)
—
**”If you understand what I’m saying, nod your head.”**
“Mmmph! Mmmph!”
“Mmmph!”
Seeing the captives frantically nodding their heads, Ray removed his hand from their mouths, freeing their tongues.
Colin, impressed by the clean and swift intimidation, let out a whistle.
**”Ohh… Did you learn that from Niles too?”**
**”To some extent.”**
**”If you need any tools, just say the word. A poker heated over fire? Pliers for pulling out nails? Whatever you need.”**
**”I don’t think we need to lay another hand on them, but it wouldn’t hurt to have some tools ready just in case.”**
Veronica, listening to their exchange, murmured in a daze.
**”Wow… So tough….”**
**”…….”**
Philip, sitting beside her, shook his head.
The first time she met Ray, she was the type to flinch at the slightest injury.
Maybe being around Ray all this time had exposed her to so many harsh situations that her threshold for shock had risen.
*‘Not that I’m one to talk…’*
As Philip scratched the back of his head, Ray turned to Veronica.
**”Veronica, can you give me the notebook?”**
**”Oh, yeah.”**
Veronica approached and handed over the notebook.
Siding with the Supporters of Nishoa meant taking on the high-ranking members of the Opposition.
That meant prioritizing the right information, which had already been organized in the notebook.
As Ray reviewed the list of questions—
**”…….”**
Veronica hesitated, shifting her gaze toward the captives.
“Heh, heheh….”
“Kh…hahaha….”
They were terrifying.
Were all of Murcred’s magicians like this?
Walter, Curiosa—
And now these prisoners in front of her.
They must have been born as normal children.
What had they gone through to end up like this?
A mix of fear and pity welled up in Veronica.
And then—
**”Kah, kuh-huk!”**
The magician on the right suddenly coughed up blood and slumped forward.
At the same time, the one on the left convulsed, eyes rolling back as his neck twisted at unnatural angles.
*Crunch, crack!*
**”Kyaaaaaa!”**
Veronica screamed, slapping the captive across the face before retreating behind Ray.
*Crunch! Crack, crunch!*
The twisting did not stop.
Ray immediately cast a protective barrier around himself and the group.
His white eyes reflected a deep red mana.
A murky red energy was being drawn from the Circle of the magician on the right.
*Crunch! Crack! Crunch!*
The elongated, serpent-like tendrils of grotesque mana coiled around the magician on the left, seeping into his eyes, nose, and mouth.
*‘…A latent spell.’*
A type of magic that remains dormant until triggered by specific conditions.
Since the elemental energy is inactive beforehand, it’s notoriously difficult to detect.
Yet even with Ray’s heightened sensitivity to mana, he hadn’t noticed it—
*‘Which means the magic was inscribed with extreme precision. Like the binding spell on Walter’s ring.’*
Everyone held their breath.
Then, finally—
*Crunch.*
The twisting stopped.
The magician on the left slowly lifted his head, locking eyes with the group.
His gaze was lifeless, like a person whose soul had left their body.
Yet deep within his pupils, something sharp gleamed—
An unmistakable presence.
Something *else* was inside this body.
As tension thickened, the magician’s mouth opened.
**”Ah, so you’re the one who stirred things up.”**
**”…….”**
**”…….”**
Silence fell over the room.
The magician’s cheeks were swollen and bruised.
Philip gulped before cautiously asking,
**”Veronica… Were you using an enhancement spell?”**
**”Uh, yeah. I was scared to get too close.”**
The entity inhabiting the magician muttered a few more garbled sentences, then seemed to realize the issue.
*Crack! Crack!*
“Ugh…”
Veronica groaned as the magician’s jaw twisted at an impossible angle.
The movement stopped, and the magician spoke again—
**”So it’s you.”**
His gaze swept over the group before settling directly on Ray.
No one moved.
**Tap—tap.**
Ray took a few steps forward, leaving a small gap between them.
Then he asked,
**”Are you the leader of these two?”**
**”That’s right. I am the master of Chepel and Jeremy.”**
A faint smile crossed the magician’s lips.
A burst of fire flared from his wrists and ankles, melting the ropes that bound him.
Freed, he adjusted his position—
Leaning on one hand with his chin propped up, legs crossed.
Without a protective mana barrier, his wrists and ankles bore severe burns and blisters.
Yet he seemed utterly unbothered.
**”You treat your subordinates quite roughly. I take it prisoner exchange isn’t on the table?”**
The magician tilted his head.
**”Prisoner exchange? Do you really think these guys are worth negotiating for?”**
**”I don’t know what kind of bond you have with them, but magicians are rare, after all.”**
**”Hmm. That’s one way to look at it.”**
Suddenly, he raised his palm toward his remaining subordinate.
*Crack!*
The magician’s head exploded.
Blood and brain matter splattered everywhere.
**”But it doesn’t matter. They were just disposable pieces.”**
Ray calmly wiped the debris off his face and continued observing the man.
Unlike Walter or Curiosa, this one was different.
He wasn’t laughing maniacally.
He wasn’t screaming in hysteria.
He was simply… composed.
Yet—
*‘…He’s no sane man.’*
The madness of the previous executives was raw and chaotic, spilling out in all directions.
But this one—
His madness was refined.
Contained within.
**”Anyway, I heard about you. You interfered with my subordinates’ work. Why?”**
Ray used telekinesis to pull over a chair and sat across from him.
**”Because I had to.”**
**”Are you an outsider mage, like us?”**
Colin flinched at the implied connection.
Ray shook his head.
**”No. I came to Sector 46 for other reasons, and helping Colin was my own decision.”**
**”Hmm.”**
The magician made a thoughtful noise.
His gaze flickered around, taking in their location, before he spoke.
**”This is their hideout, right? Are you planning to keep helping them?”**
**”Yeah.”**
**”I don’t know what you’re thinking, but if you back off now, I’ll let it slide. I don’t want to kill someone with your abilities.”**
**”I can’t do that.”**
**”Why? Do you have some special connection to him?”**
**”Not exactly.”**
Their conversation was unnervingly level—like two reflections talking to each other.
**”It doesn’t seem like you share any particularly deep connection. Step away from this war and focus on your original business. I’ll instruct my subordinates to let you move freely in the streets.”**
**”My business—”**
Ray took a breath.
**”—I’m handling it right now.”**
He continued.
**”One of the reasons I came to Sector 46 was to meet you.”**
**”Me?”**
**”There’s a high probability that you hold the information I’m looking for.”**
The magician chuckled.
**”You’re an interesting one. So, you have no intention of stepping away from this war?”**
**”No.”**
**”If you fight me, you’ll die. I watch over all of you from the sky. I am omniscient. I know everything, and I possess power greater than anyone in this world.”**
**”…….”**
Ray had initially assumed his opponent harbored some emotional defect—just like Walter and Curiosa.
However, perhaps due to speaking through another’s body, no emotions reflected in his mannerisms.
Neither his expressions nor his body language revealed any clues.
*‘If I could pinpoint his emotional vulnerabilities, dealing with him would be much easier.’*
Ray focused on the magician he had let go earlier while rescuing Colin.
More precisely, he located the minuscule elemental trace he had left on that magician’s body.
Then, he made a decision.
To cast a stone into still waters.
Ray opened his mouth.
**”Well… I think I’m the one who’s going to win.”**
**”You’re quite confident.”**
**”And the one who truly knows everything… is me.”**
**”No matter how much you bluff—”**
**”Street No. 1, central area. A ten-story building. That’s where you are right now.”**
A cold silence fell over the room.
**”That place must be the hideout you’re using in Sector 46. You’re not in the sky.”**
**”…….”**
The magician stared intently at Ray, the silence stretching on.
He gave no overt reaction—yet that very lack of response *was* a response in itself.
And soon—
**”……!”**
**”Hngh…!”**
A murderous aura, sharp as a blade, filled the room, suffocating everyone inside.
Everyone—except for Ray.
**”You’re an executive of Murcred.”**
The moment those words left the boy’s lips, the entire interrogation room transformed.
A colossal snake, formed entirely of flames, gaped its maw open wide—its head hovering inches from Ray’s face.
*Sizzle—!*
Droplets of molten fire, thick like saliva, dripped from its fangs, barely missing Ray’s arms and legs as they seared into the floor.
The intense heat made his skin prickle.
The ends of his hair began to smolder, emitting faint crackling sounds.
Yet, even in the face of such overwhelming power, Ray remained still.
And he continued speaking.
**”You must be following the Doctor’s orders, traveling from place to place.”**
**”…….”**
**”Your presence here must also be to carry out those orders. And those orders are highly likely connected to ‘Rainbow.’”**
**”…….”**
**”Also, you possess a ring embedded with a red gemstone.”**
His opponent remained silent.
Merely gazing at Ray with unwavering focus—while the flaming serpent’s jaws crept ever closer to devour him whole.
And just as the fangs were about to pierce Ray’s skull—
He delivered his final words.
**”By now, you understand, don’t you? Which of us is truly seeing through the other?”**
The snake vanished.
Instantly.
Without a trace.
The oppressive heat that had filled the room dissipated just as suddenly.
Those who had been watching gasped, as if finally freed from a choking grip.
**”Interesting. Seems like you did a bit of research on me. Did you approach knowing I was here?”**
**”To some extent.”**
The magician’s tone remained calm.
Yet within his voice, Ray instinctively sensed a tightly restrained fury.
*It worked.*
His words had sent ripples through the opponent’s emotions.
Now, all he needed to do was pinpoint which ripple stirred the greatest tremor.
**”But no amount of investigation will let you defeat me. I am the strongest magician in the world. Except for one person.”**
*Strong.*
From the very beginning of their conversation, his opponent had repeatedly emphasized his strength.
Could *that* be the key to unsettling him?
Ray spoke again.
**”That ‘one person’—you must be referring to me.”**
**”You don’t strike me as the joking type. Do you seriously believe you can defeat me? Even after researching who I am?”**
**”Yes.”**
The magician shook his head slightly.
**”You cannot defeat me.”**
**”No. I can.”**
**”You are weaker than me.”**
**”No. I am stronger than you.”**
**”…….”**
Faced with Ray’s unwavering, almost mechanical responses, the magician fell silent for a moment.
Then, he muttered in a low voice,
**”Prove it.”**
**”What?”**
**”Prove that you are stronger than me.”**
**”Are you telling me to come find you?”**
**”Of course. The champion never moves. It is always the challenger who must show the effort. But before that, there’s a step you need to take.”**
He waved his hand.
At that moment, the magician to his right coughed up blood once more.
The blood splattered onto the floor—then, as if guided by an unseen force, it lifted into the air, forming a pattern.
What emerged was a map of the sector.
On the map, dozens of tiny blood droplets took shape—each one marking the location of an individual.
**”First, defeat my subordinates. I don’t accept just anyone’s challenge. If you’re truly ‘omniscient,’ then leading this war to victory should be easy for you.”**
**”…….”**
**”And if you reach me, perhaps as a reward, I’ll answer the questions you’re so curious about.”**
Ray, after a brief moment of contemplation, spoke.
**”Fine.”**
**”Heh. I didn’t think you’d back down.”**
A faint smirk played on the magician’s lips.
**”Now that the conversation’s wrapped up, it’s time to part ways. Unfortunately, I spent too much mana conjuring those flames through this body.”**
He unfolded his legs, leaning back against the chair.
**”See you again, challenger.”**
*Whoosh—!*
In that instant—
The magician’s body went limp, as if a puppet’s strings had been cut.
His body showed no movement.
No mana remained in the circle.
And—
He was no longer breathing.
The same was true for the magician sitting beside him, head slumped forward.
A suffocating silence hung over the room.
Ray turned to Veronica, Philip, and Colin.
**”Veronica.”**
Ray’s exposed skin was flushed red.
Not severe, but the faint traces of burns were evident.
**”Can you heal me?”**
His tone was so calm, as if merely asking for a favor.
*Step! Step! Step! Step!*
Veronica briskly approached him—
And smacked him hard on the back.
*Smack! Smack! Smack!*
