**#266. When the Sun Rises (5)**
—
A blue flash pierced through the tent, crashing down upon the Archbishop of Luteran, who stood before Veronica.
“Gahk!”
The Archbishop coughed up blood from the impact and was hurled far back.
The pain of every bone in his body shattering.
It felt like he might lose consciousness at any moment.
But he somehow endured, forced himself up, and tried to stand.
Or rather—he tried to.
“If not for you…!”
If not for the boy standing before him, face cold and sharp as a blade.
The surrounding mana raged like a storm, and the murderous aura pouring from him froze the Archbishop to his core.
“Uaaaaah!”
Unable to overcome his fear, the Archbishop let out a desperate scream and prepared to attack.
Whoooosh!
But Ray’s blazing crimson flames engulfed the Archbishop.
“Aaaaah! AAAAAAH!”
The searing heat brought pain beyond imagination, and no matter how he thrashed, the flames refused to go out.
It was only natural.
Because Ray’s wrath was resonating endlessly with the fire.
*‘This isn’t enough.’*
The desire to punish the sinner with even more kinds of pain surged within him, but he held it back.
There was something far more important he needed to do right now.
“Hic… hic…”
Turning his head, Ray saw Veronica bathed in light pouring through a hole in the tent.
…A shard of light touching her red hair sparkled as it broke apart.
Her body appeared to be mostly unharmed, and the white sun of the vessel was shining brilliantly above her.
“……”
Only then did Ray feel his heart finally calm.
He slowly approached and unraveled all the navy mana that bound Veronica.
There were so many things he wanted to say.
That she hadn’t yet answered what love meant to her.
That he’d been deeply worried.
That he was glad she wasn’t hurt, and he hoped she wouldn’t do something this dangerous again.
His emotions had grown far richer compared to before. But he still lacked the ability to express them all in clear words.
“Veronica.”
In the end, the only sentence that came out was—
“I was worried.”
And that alone was enough.
Veronica, whose eyes were brimming with tears, finally broke into sobs, overwhelmed with emotion.
“I… hic! I worked so hard…! Even though I was scared…! Hic! Waaaah!”
Ray embraced her, patting her back to comfort her.
Just like he had at the bookstore in Sector 49, when he consoled her as she wept over Graham’s death.
But unlike then, he now understood.
What emotions made Veronica cry, and why.
“Are you feeling better now?”
“Hooo… hic… yeah.”
Veronica, who had soaked Ray’s clothes with her tears, looked a little calmer now.
As she collected her breath, she suddenly noticed Blue standing next to Ray and jumped in surprise.
“Oh…! You’re the one Ray met on the Sky Island! It’s really you! You’re Rockdeer, the one who created the oasis and then disappeared…! Ah, hello!”
Veronica quickly bowed her head.
Blue also gave a small, polite nod, but then suddenly felt an inexplicable warmth coming from Veronica.
And an overwhelming sense of longing, too.
*\[…?]*
Blue slowly approached, sticking his face close to hers.
Startled at first, Veronica gradually reached out her hand toward Blue’s face.
Then, a desperate cry rang out.
“P-please…! Please, save me…! Aaaaagh! Please! With your power, y-you could—! AAAAAAGH!”
The voice belonged to the Archbishop.
Still suffering from the unextinguished flames, his half-melted body writhed on the floor.
At the entrance of the tent—just beyond the shadows where darkness fell—stood a figure.
*‘When did he…’*
Ray hadn’t sensed any presence at all.
He stepped in front of Veronica and gathered all the mana in his body.
The Archbishop’s shrieks continued.
“Aaagh! It hurts! Please, spare me! I brought the Saintess and the artificial sun as promised…! I—I’m a valuable asset to the Dawn Cult…! Aaaagh!”
Then, the mysterious figure in the shadows spoke.
“Yes, since you’ve brought the Saintess, I suppose we could say you’ve upheld your end of the bargain.”
At the sound of that voice, Ray felt a chill run through his veins.
Every nerve in his body sharpened, his mind cooling rapidly.
The voice continued.
“But that alone isn’t enough. The Dawn Cult only allows the superior to remain among its ranks.”
A pause.
“But right now, you don’t seem superior at all.”
Ssshh.
A hand in silk gloves extended from the shadows.
As the open palm facing the Archbishop clenched—
“GUAAAAAAAH──!”
The Archbishop’s body twisted at grotesque angles, crumpling like a tin can.
Silence followed.
The navy mana floating above the blood-soaked floor was pulled toward the silk glove.
But then—under someone’s control—it was shredded to pieces and dispersed into the air.
“Oh ho.”
A voice filled with interest came from the shadows at the same time—
*\[Blue, protect Veronica.]*
Ray stomped his foot.
RUMBLE───!
Electricity wrapped around his body, drawing yellow trails in the air as it shot toward the darkness.
Crunch! Craack!
Stones from the ground were pulled up, forming dagger-like blades as hard as steel.
Infused with sharp wind and electricity, they slashed forward.
SHHHIIIIING────!
A deafening impact followed, unleashing a massive gust.
Objects flew, parts of the tent ripped apart, and light and shadow collided.
At the center of the storm, the figures emerged.
Craack! Crraaaack!
Yellow daggers clashed against a blue barrier, both spewing enormous amounts of mana.
Behind the barrier was a man holding out a staff toward Ray.
A monocle over one eye, a navy coat.
He looked to be in his mid-to-late 30s.
*‘Indiago.’*
Ray had worked hard to never forget that name.
Clinging to the fading image.
He had desperately recalled the man’s face again and again—and now that image stood clearly before him.
Crackle!
Suddenly, Indiago increased his mana output.
Rsy used the recoil to flip through the air and landed beside Blue and Veronica.
───!
─────!
Noise, shouts, screams.
Around the collapsed tent, uncorrupted resistance members were fiercely fighting the Dawn Cult mages.
They must’ve just arrived after securing the cathedral.
“Ray, watch ou—kyaa!”
Blue, lifting Veronica onto his back, stepped into the air and soared upward.
Indiago reached out—
Crackle!
But Ray’s interference forced him to withdraw.
“What an interesting kid. That magic style—I’ve never seen it before. Did you develop it yourself?”
Instead of answering, Ray said,
“Indiago.”
“Oh? You know my name?”
“How could I not? You’re the one I must kill.”
Ray’s gaze fixed on the ominous navy circles glowing from the man’s chest.
The three circles he’d seen in Sector 50 had become five.
That much change in just half a year suggested the use of extraction or abnormal magic methods.
*‘Five Circles.’*
A realm Ray had neither seen nor heard of before.
Yet there was no fear or hesitation—only deep joy and a rising thrill in his mind.
Because his long journey from Sector 50 had led to this moment.
All his senses were heightened to the extreme.
At the same time, his mind cooled, calculating and analyzing the best way to sever the man’s life.
*‘With emotions this intense—’*
He could do it.
For mana always responded best to those true to their feelings.
Then, Indiago adjusted his monocle and said with curiosity:
“How strange. I’ve never seen you before, yet you say you must kill me.”
“Sector 50.”
Golem. Niles. Hector. The underpass.
Ray’s cold voice rang out with each word, and with each one, Indiago’s eyes widened in shock.
“You’re the one who took everything precious from me. My home, my people.”
“…No way…”
Indiago narrowed his eyes—then burst into mad laughter.
“Hahaha! How amusing! So amusing! Life is always full of surprises! That’s what makes it fun! So the mage who destroyed the golem was just a child who isn’t even an adult yet!”
He had planted the golem in the garbage zone of Sector 50 to search for rainbow fragments.
Used it temporarily to quell gang violence.
But the next day, it had vanished without a trace.
All that was found were shards of the golem and black scorch marks on the ground.
He concluded a powerful mage had destroyed it in a single blow.
Later, traces of mana found under a bridge tent led him to suspect the mage might have been a street orphan.
But he quickly dismissed the idea.
*A street orphan decoding formulas and using magic on their own? If that were possible, the child would be a once-in-a-lifetime archmage. Someone far beyond me, if they ever matured.*
After recalling that thought, Indiago’s entire body was covered in goosebumps.
*‘So I was wrong.’*
Though the magic that destroyed the golem was powerful, it had shown signs of inexperience.
But the magic from their recent clash—was flawless. Perfect.
“Do you have a master?”
“……”
Ray said nothing, which was answer enough.
“To reach this level in just half a year… An unbelievable talent. I heard things went wrong at the cathedral. It puzzled me. The remaining Church forces couldn’t have pulled it off. And the number of Dawn Cult mages gathered here is too few.”
Glancing around, Indiago looked back at Ray.
“This must be your doing. Did you sabotage the Dawn Cult out of revenge?”
“No. Just because your ideology is garbage. That’s all.”
Indiago smiled.
“When the inferior are managed by the superior, their lives become more efficient. That’s obvious. Hence, a new world order based on rank is necessary. A kind of guidance. What’s so wrong with that?”
“No.”
Ray’s voice was sharp.
“You just want a system where you can efficiently harvest more victims for your exploitative magic. You and the Dawn Cult’s mages—”
Was Ray’s remark a direct hit?
Indiago’s expression hardened.
“I considered taking you in as a subordinate, but after speaking with you, I see there’s no hope of redemption. You’ll have to die.”
The mana of both individuals, already pushed to the limit, exploded in that instant.
*Kwa-rurung──!*
Surrounded by wind and crackling currents, Ray stomped the ground and charged toward Indiago.
With every step he took, the mana of the green gem spread through the earth.
Just then, hundreds of indigo fireballs flew toward Ray’s eyes.
*Fwa-ruk! Fwa-rruk!*
An excessive number.
It seemed Indiago had deliberately lowered the output of each one to test Ray’s abilities.
*‘If I let my guard down, he’ll exploit the opening.’*
Ray pulled out a white card and summoned Absorbers to the front.
*Kwaang─! Kwaaang─!*
The twenty Absorbers, dyed indigo from absorbing magic, simultaneously fired flames toward Indiago.
Ray launched his body into the rising smoke.
*Kaaaang──!*
He swung his dagger with all his might.
It broke through Indiago’s barrier and collided with his staff.
Ray sensed a strong resonance from the two gems in his chest.
*‘This is…’*
As Ray realized something, Indiago was pushed back by the force and landed further away.
He restored his shattered barrier and scoffed.
“You can even wield weapons of the old era… Truly beyond expectations. But it’s useless. With that level, you can’t even touch the hem of my—”
*Kwa-duk! Kwa-deudeudeuk!*
Massive thorned vines burst up from beneath Indiago’s feet.
He kicked off the ground and soared into the sky at high speed, while the vines spiraled up in pursuit.
*Fwa-ruk! Fwa-rruk!*
Even as they were engulfed in indigo flames, the vines didn’t burn. Seeing this, Indiago was forced to admit it.
With only four circles, suppression seemed impossible.
He’d have to open the fifth.
No—maybe even that wouldn’t be enough.
After making his decision, Indiago chose the most certain method.
That was how threatening the boy had become.
*Click!*
The cap at the end of his staff opened, revealing a hidden indigo gem.
Pure, overwhelming mana radiated in all directions.
*Wuuuuuuung───!*
The resonant hum from the two gems in Ray’s chest intensified to a mad crescendo.
This wasn’t one of the cheap fakes the Dawn Society members carried.
It was a fragment of the rainbow.
The suddenly amplified indigo flames incinerated all the vines in an instant.
Hovering in midair, Indiago pointed his staff at Ray and declared:
“Become the sacrifice that proves my supremacy.”
*Wuuuuuung──!*
The light emitted by the gem grew stronger.
*Kwa-gwagwagwagwa────!*
A colossal indigo beam, formed from an immense concentration of mana, was fired.
But then Indiago’s eyes filled with shock.
At some point, two gems—one yellow and one green—had been summoned into the boy’s hands, spewing mana and forming a wild, raging vortex.
—
