**Chapter 50. Where Malice Gathers (7)**
—
Ray sprinted toward the man, awakening the white mana dormant in his mana circle.
*Hummm─!*
The white mana surged through his body, spreading like a shimmering mist across his skin, as if responding to his will.
Transforming into radiant light, it enveloped Ray’s entire body in a swift embrace, quickly soothing his flushed, overheated skin.
…He could feel his body temperature returning to normal.
With his gaze calm and steady, Ray continued his charge, eyes locked on the man ahead.
The flaming serpent pursued him, and he persistently cast healing magic on himself.
“You dare try such futile tricks again…!”
The man grit his teeth as he watched Ray rushing toward him.
He knew exactly what Ray intended. His usual combat style was clear: setting his entire body ablaze to block approach and controlling the fire serpent to relentlessly pursue his opponent.
He had encountered many who had attempted this sort of response.
‘He’s planning to dodge right in front of me and have the serpent strike me instead. Foolish.’
The man’s mastery of controlling the serpent had reached its peak. Speed didn’t matter; he could freely change its direction.
Even if the serpent did accidentally strike him, the protective barrier over his flaming skin would not shatter.
It was a shield forged with more than half the mana of his second circle.
‘This fight is already decided.’
A sly grin spread across the man’s face.
Judging from their previous clash and today’s encounter, Ray was, at best, a 2nd Circle mage.
Against opponents of similar strength, his strategy had never failed to bring victory.
The assassin would fall, consumed by flames, and the activation of the magic circle would turn him into sustenance for the Bloodstone.
‘Yes, my victory is inevitable. I hadn’t expected this assassin to be so powerless.’
No, more accurately, his own strength was to be credited. Even after being expelled from the organization, he had relentlessly trained, constantly seeking ways to grow stronger.
He was strong, had become stronger, and would only continue to grow stronger without end.
Once he returned to the organization, even the boss would have no choice but to acknowledge him.
…Perhaps he would even be appointed to the assassin’s vacated position after today’s incident.
“Keheheh.”
The thought sent a surge of uncontrollable elation through him.
His task was clear. The magic circle’s activation was near, so he just needed to eliminate the assassin and make his escape.
But then.
“What is this…?”
Ray’s sudden action left the man utterly baffled.
Rather than closing the gap, Ray abruptly changed direction, running in a wide circle around him.
“Has he lost his mind? What is this nonsense!?”
The man ground his teeth, trying to remain composed.
Futile.
No need to be shaken.
While maintaining control over the serpent, he heard Ray’s near-whisper.
“The boss doesn’t want you back.”
It was an inescapable blow.
Something snapped in the man’s mind, and an enraged scream burst from his lips.
“You bastard──!!”
The flames covering his body roared violently, and the serpent’s movements became explosively faster.
“You dare! What do you know?! How dare you spout such nonsense!”
The flames wavered, revealing the man’s face.
His bloodshot eyes were stained crimson, veins ruptured beneath the surface, and tears of blood streaked his face.
The red mana within his chest expanded precariously, giving the impression that it might shatter its vessel at any moment.
He was beyond rage, lost to complete frenzy.
This state of madness blinded him to the task Ray was quietly completing.
*Hummmmm─!*
Mana from the air was drawn into Ray’s hand, swirling violently.
The mixed, multicolored mana coalesced into a bright blue hue, seeping through his fingers and cascading downward like a liquid.
Some of it infused into the ground beneath him, while the rest darted toward the floor between him and the man, forming intricate patterns.
From above, one would see a massive circle etched with geometric symbols.
It was a magic circle.
A technique Ray had learned from Veronica and spent the last two days practicing.
Though he lacked mana from his mana circle to fuel the magic circle, it didn’t matter.
Ray was using mana drawn directly from the atmosphere—raw, untamed energy that was all around them.
*Hummmm────!*
For Ray, mana was limitless. The world itself was his mana core, offering an infinite supply.
Of course, it wasn’t without cost.
Using unrefined mana imposed severe physical and mental strain, far greater than utilizing circle mana.
A thin stream of blood trickled from his nose. His head began to throb painfully.
But he pressed on.
‘I can handle it.’
To Ray, his body was both a weapon and a tool, honed for survival.
Daily training allowed him to understand its limits precisely, ensuring optimal decisions in combat.
Like maintaining the edge of a knife, he kept his body at peak readiness.
And he knew.
‘I can hold out.’
Even as the serpent closed the gap, Ray pushed all his remaining red mana from his ring into his legs, amplifying their strength.
His muscles bulged, brimming with explosive power.
Just as the serpent lunged, maw wide open to devour him—
*TAT!*
Ray surged forward, leaving the serpent to bite at empty air.
The world blurred around him, wind roaring past his ears.
The serpent fell behind, and Ray continued inscribing the magic circle.
At last, the final glyph was complete.
The magic circle activated instantly
In the air above the patterns, icy droplets began to form, one by one.
─Kill…! Tear them… to shreds…!
The droplets appeared at an exponential rate.
In an instant, tens of thousands of water droplets formed and began swirling fiercely around the man, propelled by a sudden gust of wind.
Ray threw himself out of the magic circle, rolled on the ground, and quickly checked the magic circle again.
**Rumble! Crash! Roar!**
Where the magic circle had been, a massive water vortex formed, surging upward toward the ceiling.
Even though the flames had been extinguished, Ray could still see what was happening for one reason:
The thin, metal-plated roof of the abandoned factory had been shattered over a wide area, letting light pour through.
**Rumble! Crash! Roar!**
The light descended as the water rose.
The ferocious vortex spun wildly for dozens of seconds, scattering light in all directions.
Gradually, its speed slowed, and it began to collapse until it finally disappeared entirely.
**Shhhhhh…**
The floor was completely submerged in water.
In the center of the light streaming through the hole in the ceiling stood the man.
“……”
His head hung low.
His hair, drenched and dripping with water, clung to his face, and his tattered clothes hung limply on his body.
Judging by the cuts and scrapes on his exposed skin, it was clear his protective barrier had been destroyed, but Ray refrained from attacking.
*‘He still has mana left in his circle.’*
It wasn’t much—about a fifth of the mana in his first circle.
However, Ray’s mana reserves were nearly depleted, so he had to remain cautious until the very end.
As Ray observed the man in the tense silence, he noticed something strange.
The man… lacked a “vessel” in his chest.
Nor was there any sign of emotion that should have been there.
It was something Ray had never once encountered, despite having observed countless people before.
**Tick—**
Then, a sound came from somewhere.
It was on the floor, not far from both Ray and the man.
**Tick—**
It was Ray’s wristwatch, broken during the fight. Despite being split in half, the second hand still ticked.
“Time….”
Reacting to the ticking, the man lifted his head and looked at the watch.
His crimson eyes were blank.
He resembled a creature stripped of all emotions.
The dried blood streaking his face bore no expression.
**Rustle.**
With a weak motion, the man reached into his pocket and pulled out a pocket watch.
The lid clicked open.
“I must grow stronger… for the boss… The magic circle… Five minutes… the time… is almost….”
Staring at the watch with a lifeless expression, he murmured words meant for no one in particular.
The pocket watch slipped from his hand and fell to the ground.
The man raised his head to gaze at the gaping hole in the ceiling.
His eyes slowly moved down to the windows, barred and welded with metal plates, then to the chained and locked iron door.
He began staggering toward the door.
“Four minutes… I must leave… return to the organization….”
Ray checked the time.
*‘2:25:11 PM.’*
The magic circle would activate at 2:27.
The time remaining was exactly 1 minute and 49 seconds.
The man hadn’t realized that the activation time of the circle had been tampered with.
*‘I should start preparing to leave.’*
Ray picked up a tile shard from the ground and hurled it at the man with all his might.
**Smack!**
The shard struck the back of the man’s head squarely.
His head shook violently, and blood trickled down, but the man didn’t react, continuing his march.
**Smack! Smack!**
Ray threw more shards, but the response remained unchanged.
With less than a minute left until the magic circle activated, Ray closed the distance between himself and the man, removing a ring from his finger as he spoke.
“Step away from the door. If you don’t, I’ll destroy this ring.”
For the first time, the man slowly turned his head to look at Ray.
“It’s useless… The ones issued to officers… are different….”
“……”
“Throw it… burn it… nothing matters… Assassin.”
“……”
“If you still have strength… come at me… I’ll fight you… Otherwise… you’ll die here. A sacrifice… for the Bloodstone….”
With those words, the man turned away and continued toward the iron door.
**Clink. Clank.**
Arriving at the door, he began trying to undo the chains.
He showed no intention of attacking first.
He moved like a machine, emotionless, focused solely on his engraved goal.
*‘2:26:22 PM.’*
Thirty-eight seconds remained.
Ray recalled the intense obsession he had sensed in the man’s “vessel” when he had first revealed the ring.
Taking a deep breath, Ray spoke.
“Who told you that? That the Bloodstones issued to officers can’t be destroyed?”
The clinking of chains stopped at that moment.
The man slowly turned his head toward Ray, his lips parting.
“Impossible….”
“……”
Ray stayed silent for a moment.
To take control of the situation, he needed to manipulate the man’s emotions.
It didn’t matter the circumstances or who the opponent was.
However, the man without a “vessel” no longer had emotions Ray could discern.
Expressions or movements could provide clues, but those were methods Ray was unaccustomed to.
For Ray, the far simpler and more intuitive approach was reading the mana within a “vessel.”
Still, Ray had a clue: the intense obsession the man had shown earlier.
Using the information he’d gathered, Ray continued his bluff.
“Recovered Red Bloodstones are usually rendered unusable and discarded.”
“……”
“And who do you think handles their disposal?”
This time, the man didn’t respond.
Focusing intently on the man’s face, Ray noticed the faintest twitch in his facial muscles.
…There was definitely a reaction.
Though he couldn’t discern the emotion behind it, it was something.
Ray pressed on.
“If a specific combination of elements is infused into a Red Bloodstone, it creates internal fractures.”
“……”
“This makes them extremely vulnerable to external impacts.”
Twenty seconds remained.
“Walter. Step away from the door. Otherwise, I’ll destroy the Red Bloodstone here and now.”
The man hesitated, then took a few steps back.
“Escaping… won’t matter. In three minutes… I’ll catch you… and lock you back in here….”
Fifteen seconds.
Ray enveloped the ring with multicolored mana drawn from the surrounding air.
He didn’t know how to recharge the stone—it was all an act to deceive the man.
“That’s something we’ll have to see.”
Now, only ten seconds remained.
In the tense moment, Ray bent down to pick up another tile shard from the floor.
Then—
**Whoosh!**
In one swift motion, Ray hurled the ring toward the depths of the factory with all his might.
The shard followed immediately, slicing through the air.
**Clang!**
Simultaneously, the man detonated the remaining mana in his circle, propelling himself forward.
**Thud!**
Ray also moved.
The man charged after the ring.
Ray bolted toward the iron door.
Five seconds remained.
**Clatter!**
Reaching the door, Ray quickly unlatched the chains.
*‘Four seconds.’*
**Clink!**
He threw the chains to the ground and pushed the door open with his shoulder.
*‘Three seconds.’*
**Screeeeeech—!**
Light flooded in, blinding him momentarily.
*‘Two seconds.’*
Ray darted outside, slammed the door shut behind him, and braced it with all his strength.
**Slam!**
*‘One second.’*
Keeping his hands on the door, Ray counted the final second.
*‘Zero.’*
