Genius Wizard who sees Rainbows- Chapter 143

**#143. Amon Family (3)**

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*Tap— Tap—*

Two men entered in silence and took a seat on the sofa with natural movements.

Across a round table, three people—Ray included—faced each other.

*Rustle—*

The rest of the group followed, lining up behind the two seated men.

Ray glanced at both of the men.

“Light.”

“Yes, here you go.”

*Flick!*

The man on the left, with a tattoo on his nape, appeared to be a high-ranking member of the Amon Family.

“And the children?”

“They’re being brought in on stretchers as we speak.”

The one on the right seemed to be the so-called “master.”

Deep blue mana filled with concentric circles.

A specific figure immediately came to mind.

*‘The monocled magician.’*

The one who had controlled the golem in Sector 50.

Destroyed a district.

Annihilated Niles’s organization.

Killed the siblings under the bridge.

And ultimately—

The reason Ray had left Sector 50 to search for the rainbow.

An immense fury and murderous intent surged within him—but it passed in an instant.

*‘…’*

Because he quickly realized this man wasn’t the monocled magician.

Not only were his features and appearance clearly different, but above all, he only had two circles.

*‘…Still, that indigo mana—aside from that monocled man, I’ve never seen it in any other magician’s circle.’*

This person might be connected to him.

As Ray considered this, sending a probing gaze—

*Creaaak— Clunk!*

The door closed, and silence fell.

*Puff—*

The Amon Family officer exhaled cigarette smoke and looked over at Ray and the master.

He seemed to be waiting for the two to start the conversation first.

And the one who finally spoke was—

“Allow me to introduce myself first.”

—the man assumed to be the master.

Looking at Ray, he spoke in a calm voice.

“I am Binjin, a magician by name. I dedicate myself to the study of magic and to training disciples. However, I’ve heard troubling news—my disciples were exceedingly disrespectful to you today.”

He used the highest form of honorific speech.

Despite the fact that he was clearly over thirty years older than Ray.

“On behalf of my disciples, I offer my deepest apologies. Mistaking you for an enemy of the Amon Family, they made a rash decision and attacked you.”

He had no choice but to be cautious.

He must’ve received reports that all ten of his disciples had been effortlessly defeated.

“I’ve repeatedly warned them to report anything unusual before acting, but… they are still young, and full of restless energy. It’s not easy to completely rein them in.”

Binjin bowed politely.

His voice and gestures conveyed genuine remorse to anyone watching—but—

*‘Lies.’*

—the opponent was Ray.

There wasn’t even a trace of guilt or regret in the emotions within the man’s vessel.

Nor did any other emotions carry much resonance.

This meant that Binjin was exceedingly skilled at lying.

“I failed to manage my disciples. I’d appreciate your mercy.”

Ray swiftly read the emotions stored in his opponent’s vessel.

Curiosity. Interest. Anticipation.

Wariness. Suspicion. A bit of tension.

…And malice.

A brief glance to the side revealed the same malice from the Amon Family officer.

However—

It wasn’t overt yet.

Ray’s eyes quickly scanned the surroundings.

Behind the high-ranking officer, six subordinates had their hands close to their waists, ready to draw guns at any moment.

Behind Binjin, the circles of three 1-circle magicians were spinning mana at high speed.

If their numbers were misread, they’d attack at the signal.

*“……”*

And there were gazes he could feel.

They weren’t the only ones observing.

The officer smoking a cigarette.

Binjin, who still hadn’t raised his head.

Though they appeared focused on their own actions, their eyes constantly flickered toward Ray.

…It was a familiar gaze.

Measuring. Assessing. Dissecting.

Ray could read their thoughts.

He didn’t even need to try.

*How strong is he?*
*Where did he come from?*
*What is his objective?*
*How many circles?*
*Which faction does he belong to?*
*Is he small enough to knockot in one move?*
*Will he cause problem?*

Ray knew.

The moment they judged him to be lower on the food chain, they’d bare their fangs without hesitation.

Feeling the need to establish dominance before anything else, Ray said—

“It’s not your disciples’ fault—it’s yours.”

—without hesitation.

The air shifted instantly.

Though no one spoke, confused glances were exchanged. The Amon officer looked at Ray with keen interest.

Binjin slowly raised his head.

“Yes. You’re right. Their mistake is my mistake.”

“Are you hard of hearing? Or just stupid? You know that’s not what I meant.”

Binjin’s lip twitched.

A real emotion finally cracked through his mask of falsehood.

Ray didn’t miss the cue and pressed the attack.

“You’re the one who gave the order to attack, weren’t you?”

“This little punk—just because we’re showing some respect, you think you can—!”

“Stop.”

Raising his hand, Binjin halted his aide and locked eyes with Ray.

“It’s true my disciples acted out of line, and I came to treat you with due courtesy. But when you speak with such confidence in your baseless assumptions, it puts me in a difficult position.”

Anger, irritation, discomfort.

Malice bubbling up like smoke.

All swelling within Binjin’s vessel.

Yet in its center, composure firmly held them in check.

*‘Mentally mature.’*

Highly self-disciplined.

The colorful traces of old emotions etched into his vessel spoke of a rich life experience.

A troublesome type of opponent.

Like a snake, ready to devour you whole the moment it spots an opening.

*‘Negotiation or diplomacy won’t work.’*

There’s only one way to deal with someone like this:

Create a tremor in their emotional line through overwhelming force—and obliterate their malice.

But ordinary force might not cut it.

He likely possessed considerable magical knowledge and experience.

To instill fear in someone like him—

“Let me add one thing.”

Binjin continued.

“We’re here for a conversation. To clear up misunderstandings and offer sincere apologies. But if you insist on taking such a hostile stance—”

A pause, as he selected his words.

“—we will be forced to use our strength as well. There are other disciples waiting outside. Unlike the ten you faced, these are far more experienced and skilled in combat. Let’s see… including myself and the three top disciples here, that makes sixteen magicians in this building. Can you handle that?”

“You’re right, Master. This brat doesn’t know his place—we should teach him the hierarchy—!”

At that moment—

*Whoooosh—!*

A powerful gust of wind surged from behind the aide without warning.

Ray had manifested the indoor mana at that location directly into magic.

Thus, no one had noticed the elemental fusion process beforehand.

“Huh? H-Hey?”

There was no time to react.

Pushed by the wind, the aide tumbled beside Ray’s sofa.

*Smack!*

Ray grabbed one of his arms, forcing him into a kneeling position.

“What the hell! Let go—AAAGH!”

As he tried to curse Ray, the aide suddenly screamed in agony and began writhing.

The element of destruction Ray had injected into the aide’s forearm reached his shoulder and chest, and then his circle.

“AAAGH—! AAAAGH—!”

The Element of Destruction.

A pitch-black orb of pure void, like a hole in space with no light or shadow.

A tiny sphere, barely the size of a fingernail, began to drift through the circle.

And each time it moved—

*──────*

The mana circle crumbled into black particles and was destroyed, shrinking like a burning fuse.

“AAAGH—! MY CIRCLE! MY MANA!”

Circle destruction.

It was, without question, the most brutal and overwhelming form of violence a magician could face.

*────────!*

The circle flared its power one last time before vanishing.

All the magicians present felt its demise in vivid, involuntary detail.

“M-Master! Khan’s circle—!”

“M-My god, what is that…?!”

Binjin’s three disciples stared at their fallen comrade with trembling eyes.

Their emotions, tangled and complex, were indescribable.

Relief that it wasn’t them.

Terror at encountering such an unfamiliar kind of violence.

Fear that trying to help him might lead to the same fate.

These emotions were small but numerous—and—

*‘…!’*

Their master, Binjin, felt the same emotions.

*Thud!*

“Huuh… haaah…”

The disciple released from Ray’s grip collapsed to the ground, gasping.

Even with intense focus, he couldn’t gather a single trace of mana.

Naturally so.

With no circle in his chest, he was no longer a magician.

“AAAGH—! AAAAGH—!”

Still in disbelief over what had happened, he screamed for a while—

*Thump!*

—then rolled his eyes back and passed out.

…….

…….

A chilling silence settled over the room.

No one spoke. No one moved.

Except for one person.

“That question from earlier.”

Ray’s flat voice blended with the ticking of a clock.

An eerie sense of unreality filled the air.

*Tick— Tick—*

Everyone felt as if their heads and bodies would burst.

Until—

“Truly! Truly impressive! To think a magician could render another so helpless!”

The Amon Family officer stood and clapped.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve met someone with such a commanding presence.”

He was an ordinary man.

So he didn’t quite grasp the full extent of what the circle’s destruction meant.

But—

He clearly understood that Binjin and his disciples had been utterly outclassed.

And the deadly aura Ray emitted was unmistakable.

He pulled out a business card and offered it to Ray.

“A bit late, but allow me to properly introduce myself. I’m a businessman running a small organization called the Amon Family in the eastern part of Sector 37.”

Ray glanced down.

And saw the name “Amon” written on the card.

 

 

 

 

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