#120. A Flower Blooming in the Mud (9)
—
The boy’s world was different from others’.
The ability to see mana.
To perceive colors with his eyes, understand the principles of magic manifestation, and read others’ emotions.
Yet, he himself could not feel emotions, leading to a different set of values and behavioral patterns.
Beyond just such dimensions.
It meant that the very world he beheld was different.
Kwa-rung─!
For instance, all natural phenomena like thunder and rain were results of mana’s chemical reactions and compositions of elements.
In essence, indistinguishable from magic.
And the boy could see mana.
Which meant—
Kwa-rurung──!
The boy could observe a secret landscape forbidden to mankind.
The sky flickered everywhere.
His vision flashed intermittently.
Lightning slashed through the air, illuminating the world before fading back into darkness over and over.
…….
The boy’s emotionless eyes followed the distant void.
Stretching from beneath the clouds,
gigantic mana stems shaped like roots.
Remnants of mana left behind by the writhing lightning.
From those countless, bright yellow mana strands, a multitude of elements dispersed into the surrounding atmosphere.
Faintly, slowly.
Like blood spreading from a ruptured vein in the sky.
The boy knew exactly what element constituted the largest portion of that yellow mana.
The electric (電) element.
Not particularly destructive for a natural element.
Yet, its flexibility in bonding swiftly with other elements, combined with its exceptional cohesion, made it unparalleled in utility and potential.
Such electric elements were now pressing their presence into the atmosphere.
[Magic’s… power… changes… depending… on the climate… don’t… you… know…?]
A distorted voice, as if heard underwater.
The boy glanced up.
Directly above his head.
A massive concentration of electric elements was gathering into a single point.
He looked down.
In the world unseen by others.
There, the intricate lines of the rooftop magic circle glowed with brilliance.
A dazzling yellow light, almost blinding.
Uuuuuung──!
The boy whispered to the elements.
Come here.
He willed it.
The elemental bonds within the magic circle responded to his call, surging along the lines, racing up the boy’s legs.
Uuuuuuuung──!
They spread throughout his body.
Instantly enveloping him completely.
Had he seen himself from an external perspective, he would have found a human-shaped luminous entity glowing brightly.
But even that lasted only for a fleeting moment.
All the mana that had surged through him began converging at his fingertips.
The mana, upon reaching its destination, transformed into a phenomenon within the boy’s palm.
Crackle.
It leapt across worlds.
From the polychromatic realm seen only by the boy—
to the achromatic world cast in shadows by black clouds—
and finally, into a form visible and distinct to all.
Ssssshhh───
The boy’s consciousness returned to reality, where the sound of rain and laughter pierced his ears vividly.
…It doesn’t matter.
In that moment, nothing felt more important to the boy than completing this.
Crackle.
At first, just a tiny dot.
Crackle.
But in the blink of an eye—
a sphere the size of a human head.
The moment they saw what the boy held in his hands—
Ssssshhhhh───
Laughter within the space abruptly ceased.
It was a sphere of brilliant yellow light.
Lacking shadows, it appeared as a flat, floating geometric shape in midair.
Its intense brightness tore through the surrounding darkness.
The high-density sparks bursting from its surface made its nature and danger all too clear.
“Who said that─.”
Even without a command,
everyone instinctively bolted from their seats, leaping over the railings.
Casting enhancement magic on themselves.
Drawing their weapons, charging at the boy with desperate resolve.
Their entire bodies broke into a cold sweat.
It was an instinctive reaction, a biological alarm screaming of danger, an overwhelming survival instinct.
Perhaps throwing a fireball to disrupt the spell’s activation could buy them time.
But the water barrier, meant to protect them, was now restricting their own magic.
Just a few seconds.
Dozens of blades streaked toward the boy in an instant.
“─And yet, the magic circle he prepared is of the fire element.”
In what felt like the slow-motion passage of time,
the boy’s lips twisted into a smirk.
While caressing the scars of sorrow etched into his heart, he drew forth every last bit of mana he had left.
A vivid, soft pink hue.
Scattered weakening elements pressed down upon every enemy, creating just enough of a gap in time.
Ziiiik─
His right leg, sliding backward, stabilized his stance from collapsing.
His tilting upper body, along with his right palm, pressed down upon the sphere in his left.
As if popping a balloon.
KWA-KWAGANG───────!
A bolt of lightning, precisely as the boy anticipated, carved a long scar across the sky before striking the rooftop floor.
As the world became drenched in light—
Zzeojeok───!
The mana sphere cracked open.
Inside, tangled currents of bright yellow electricity burst outward in every direction.
Crackle!
Once through the magic circle.
Crackle!
Once again, amplified by the boy’s talent.
Crackle!
And once more, as the elemental density in the atmosphere shifted.
Through multiple amplifications, the electrical surge reached hundreds of times its original power.
As the white world of light expanded—
the enemies closest to the boy turned to charred ashes before they could even react.
──────.
Those positioned farther away also vanished mid-charge, their bodies obliterated before realizing their fate.
No one in that space was granted the luxury of comprehending their own demise.
Time accelerated again.
The light faded, and visibility returned.
Ssssshhhhh───
The sound of falling rain.
──────────!
The lingering echoes of thunder.
All of it had happened in less than a second.
The rooftop, now covered in pools of water crackling with residual electricity, bore no trace of the Murcred’s forces.
Standing there,
on two feet,
Ssssshhhhh───
“…….”
was only the boy.
Raindrops streamed down his expressionless face.
*
*
*
CLANG!
The rain-soaked window shattered under the impact of a rifle butt and an iron pipe.
The enemies poured in relentlessly through the front entrance and the surrounding windows of the abandoned building.
“Shit! Find Colin! The bounty on his head is a damn million!”
“Screw that! A high-ranking position is the real prize! Think about all the money we’ll be raking in from now on!”
Their eyes gleamed with greed.
The enemies rushed upstairs, charging toward the rooftop.
**Tat-tat-tat-tat-tat───!**
Ignoring the hail of bullets.
Forcing their way forward with sheer numbers.
It was madness.
A kind of collective madness.
The thrill and exhilaration of battle.
The anticipation of ending the war.
The confidence that victory was theirs.
The greed for rewards and the competitive drive.
And the sense of superiority over the Pro faction.
All these emotions swirled together like murky water, enough to numb reason like a drug.
“Go, go, go──! Push forward──!”
“They’re not planning on leaving the safe zone anyway! What, you think we can’t break through?!”
The neutral faction silently followed behind the frenzied opposition.
“…….”
Many of them hesitated, their expressions and steps betraying their uncertainty.
At this moment, the neutral faction was largely divided into two groups.
Those who had completely assimilated into the opposition and decided to follow Brook.
And those who still felt a pang of conscience toward the loyalists.
A member of the latter group bit down on his lip.
‘What should I do right now…?’
His stomach churned with guilt.
Most of the second-generation members of the neutral faction had originally joined because they were moved by Nisoha’s ideals.
To become the greatest force in the sector and eradicate all other violence.
He himself had been one of the greatest beneficiaries of that ideal—a former street orphan.
His desire had been to give back to the streets what he had received from Nisoha.
‘But if the war ends like this…’
Brook becoming the leader of Nisoha was almost certain.
…And Nisoha would no longer be the organization it once was.
The violence Brook wielded would no longer be confined to suppressing other violent forces within the sector.
It would no longer be Nisoha.
It would merely be a gang, no different from the countless others on the streets.
‘I have to stop this.’
There was a star in their hearts.
A small yet brilliantly shining star they had come to cherish by following Niles.
‘But… how?’
But at this moment, it no longer shone.
Niles was gone.
And the starlight had faded.
Nisoha was fracturing.
Murcred was an overwhelming force of violence.
Against that backdrop, the star grew dim.
It could no longer shine.
Like a flower wilting under polluted raindrops, their convictions were withering at an uncontrollable pace.
All that remained in their hearts was the memory of what the star once was.
More than anything…
‘Even if I stood up alone…’
He had no idea how many others in the neutral faction felt the same guilt and conflict.
To be precise—
There were actually more of them than those who had joined the opposition.
But none of them realized it.
Fearful that revealing their true intentions would cost them their lives, they remained silent, just watching.
‘If I just stay quiet, at least I’ll survive.’
He bit his lip and forced himself to justify his inaction.
Then—
**[That’s right! I killed him! I shot him on the bridge! I was the one who shoved him in the back!]**
A voice crackled through the radio.
**[That idiot was just floating down the river with that dumb look on his face! You think I’m beneath him?! What a fucking joke! If that were true, he wouldn’t have lost to me in the first place!]**
At first, he thought he had misheard.
But the furious voice continued, making it clear that this was no mistake.
“…What the hell is this?”
“…That… sounds like the boss?”
The ones climbing the stairs hesitated, glancing at each other.
The transmission was faint and full of static.
But the voice was unmistakable.
**[I am the true master of Nisoha! I was always above Niles! I am far superior to him!]**
The opposition was thrown into confusion.
‘What the hell? Did the boss lose his mind? Why the fuck would he say that over the radio…?’
‘Shit, whatever’s happening up there, it’s bad.’
They already knew about Brook’s betrayal. Many had been directly involved.
But now, Brook was blabbering secrets that should’ve been taken to the grave—over an open channel.
“……”
“……”
The opposition faction exchanged glances.
Despite their confusion, they knew exactly what needed to be done.
**Click.**
They subtly turned, letting their gun barrels point toward the neutral faction behind them.
‘Not that these cowards would actually do anything.’
‘But if they try something, it’ll be a pain in the ass.’
The largest group within Brook’s forces were the neutral members who had yet to choose a side.
Murcred ensured that the war’s outcome wouldn’t change.
But if these neutrals made an unexpected move, things could get messy.
‘Niles died… because of Brook?’
As the opposition had predicted, the neutral members were swept into an emotional storm they could barely process.
Doubt. Confusion. Shock.
Anger. Sorrow. Betrayal.
A chaotic whirlpool of emotions churned in their hearts.
At that moment—
**Click.**
Their eyes widened.
They saw the guns subtly aimed at them.
Not an outright threat, but the message was clear.
The flickering starlight in their hearts began to fade again.
‘M-Maybe I misheard. Besides, even if I spoke up, it wouldn’t change anything…’
Then—
**BOOOOOM─────!!**
A deafening roar filled the world with blinding light.
For a fleeting instant, he saw it clearly.
A bolt of lightning tearing through the entire building, floor by floor.
In the dazzling world of light—
It was as if a hangover had been shattered by a sudden shock. His mind snapped into clarity.
The thunderous boom echoed through his entire body, making his heart pound violently.
It felt as though his deadened heart had been jolted back to life.
**───────!**
The reverberating thunder sounded like a reprimand for the thoughts he had just entertained.
One emotion surged forth, drowning out all the others.
Shame.
The moment he realized it, the star in his heart shone once again.
He looked to his side.
Their eyes met.
The star was there too.
