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Chapter 348

The armor of the wraith knights shimmered like mist, as though made of fog itself, ancient, decayed, and worn.

Yet the cold, dark aura flowing from their bodies made the hearts of all who looked upon them clench in fear.

The knight who had been silently watching the sealing circle imprisoning the succubi stepped forward toward the old man, reversing his grip on the sword.

At that instant, the old man’s eyes widened—

KAAANG!!!

A deafening crash echoed as the knight’s sword struck the air right before the old man, scattering sparks.

“Ho… impressive…”

What had blocked the knight’s blade wasn’t a visible barrier, it was something unseen and grotesque.

“There’s something there! Be careful!”

One of the succubi shouted, her violet eyes flaring as she stared at the empty space.

“A beast form! Sharp claws! Its scales look hard!”

“It’s something I found long ago in an ancient ruin,”

The old man said, grinning coldly.

“It keeps its heart outside its body. As long as I hold it, it obeys me.”

The moment he stretched out his hand, the knight of black mist was struck by something invisible and hurled backward.

Even knowing what it was, it was impossible to perceive or predict its movement, a terrifying opponent.

Still, despite its sinister presence, the wraith knight’s power was not limitless.

Though its form was distorted, the knight slowly rose again, staggering as it raised its sword once more.

“Futile. Do you think I’ve lived this long without preparing a few contingencies?”

The knight said nothing.

He simply gripped his blade in reverse and drove it into the ground.

Tok…

With the sound of a droplet falling, a pool of black mist formed around the sword’s point, and from within it, new wraith knights began to rise.

Among them appeared one draped in a hooded robe, like an enforcer sent to suppress rebellion.

The wraiths surrounded the old man from all directions and then moved in.

The first to strike was the knight.

His sword shot toward the old man, and again struck something unseen.

Crack!!!

Something sharp pierced the knight, and tendrils like ropes burst from his body, winding around the invisible thing.

It couldn’t be seen, but it existed, and that was enough to bind it.

As if restraining it with heavy chains, several more knights rushed in and wrapped their spectral bindings around the creature.

A ghastly, incomprehensible wail filled the air,

Then, spears of black shadow rose from the pool of mist on the ground and drove themselves into the invisible beast.

Most bounced off its scales, but a few penetrated.

An inhuman screech rang out as the black chains writhed violently.

The knights did not relent.

The remaining spears pierced the air, tearing apart the barrier that had been protecting the old man, and flew straight toward him.

The succubi thought, this time, he couldn’t possibly evade it.

But the old man merely snapped his fingers, and everything changed.

The black spears were caught by a bizarre magic circle and shattered into dust.

The wraiths staggered, frozen as though sealed themselves.

Crack! Crash!

The invisible beast, now unbound, tore the wraiths apart one by one.

In an instant, it was over.

“So this is how it ends, sealing, its strength depends on how it’s trained.”

“He’s too strong… even for a Sealer… how…?”

“I told you, he’s an unusual kind of Sealer.”

“You thought a mere underground city’s seal could contain me? Pathetic.”

The succubi tensed.

Even Leon might be in danger, they thought.

Perhaps it was a mercy he wasn’t here.

Their people’s survival was important, but they couldn’t let the one who’d helped them die.

“Stop! Please stop! You’ve won!”

Marian cried out in anguish.

“Hmm?”

“Do whatever you want, just, please, I beg you. Take only my life. Spare my people.”

She threw herself to the ground, bowing deeply.

The old man stepped forward, and stomped down on her head.

—or tried to.

KAAANG!!!

A wraith knight suddenly appeared, blocking the blow with its own body, shielding Marian.

“Cursed undead!”

He kicked it again and again, but the blows lacked real force.

“Enough! Kill them all! Slaughter them! Tear apart the entire underground city—”

Crunch…

Then, a small sound.

Step… crunch…

Footsteps over shattered glass.

Everyone turned instinctively toward the source.

From the shadows of the ruined house, a presence drew closer.

“A kidnapping, in Cascadia of all places, where wraiths patrol day and night? You must think this city a joke.”

The cold voice came first, and then lightning erupted.

CRACKLE!!!

The invisible beast before the old man was struck and charred black.

Its invisibility dissolved, revealing a massive creature’s form.

“Awaken.”

The man who entered spoke indifferently, and the burnt corpse of the beast rose, now as a wraith.

“Muyeong. Eat.”

A massive wolf leapt forward like lightning and devoured the wraith in one bite.

“You have the right to remain silent.”

“Silent?”

“You may also hire an attorney. Decide after you’ve been hit a few times. And anything you say may be used against you in court.”

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The man’s hand held a crimson sword.

“Leon Cascadia. The so-called ‘monster prodigy’…”

Shk—!

The blade sliced across the old man’s cheek.

“I told you, anything you say can and will be used against you. My court proceedings are very fair.”

Though his tone was calm, the chilling pressure emanating from him made the succubi realize, the same cold dread they’d felt from the wraith knights was radiating from him.

“Hah. I see why they call you a genius.”

The old man raised a hand.

“But excessive talent eats its owner alive. Let’s start by sealing that power of yours.”

A vast aura enveloped Leon,

“Don’t resist. My sealing art cannot be undone by mere magic—”

Crack…

The seal shattered instantly.

“What…?”

The old man blinked in confusion.

He tried again, nothing happened.

“What did you do…?”

“Why? Your sealing spell won’t manifest?”

Those born with innate sealing ability rarely understand its mechanism, just as people see with their eyes without comprehending how optic nerves relay signals to the brain.

The old man was no different.

He had mastered usage, not the principle.

When his power failed to manifest, panic crossed his face.

“You dare—!!”

BOOM!!!

His aura exploded outward.

Cutting his palm with a dagger, he drew on his own blood to unleash a grotesque surge of power.

“I’ve faced this sort of thing countless times before.”

He seemed to have forcibly broken whatever was restraining him.

“Before we finish, tell me, why do you defend those vile creatures?”

“Old man, what the hell are you talking about? What did the succubi ever do to you?”

At that, rage distorted his face.

He began ranting.

He’d once had a daughter, who hanged herself after being abandoned by a man she claimed had been seduced by a succubus.

“I will never forgive them! They took the only light in my life!”

Leon turned to Marian.

“Is that true?”

“Of course not! We never even appear before people!”

“Silence! You filthy—”

BOOM!

The old man’s mouth sealed shut.

“Defendant, you are not permitted to speak without consent.”

“Mmmph! Mmm!”

The spell was a mere Silence, yet his sealing arts couldn’t dispel it.

“Sealing arts aren’t invincible.”

Leon’s calm voice cut through the air.

“Continue.”

“We rarely leave the city, even when we do, we never interact deeply with outsiders.”

“Lies! My daughter—my daughter killed herself because she said succubi stole her man! Don’t spew your filthy—”

Leon listened to their shouting before cutting in.

“Whatever the reason, you attacked Cascadia, didn’t you? Your seals killed several succubi, right, Marian?”

“…Yes.”

To them, this man was no different from a serial killer.

Leon snapped his fingers.

“Ghhk—!”

An unseen seal wrapped around the old man’s body.

“You think this… this seal can hold me!?”

He roared and spread his hands wide,

The seal shattered, fragments scattering as a massive magic circle began to spread across the entire Cascadian territory.

“Even a dozen Sealers couldn’t undo this! You’ll all dry up and die here, fool!”

It was no idle boast.

His art suppressed everything within the area, a sealing spell that bordered on mass destruction.

Only humans with rare constitutions could wield such a force, and at his age, the old man had reached its peak.

“Seventy years of mastery! You, a boy barely twenty, can’t comprehend the depth of human time—”

Leon snapped his fingers again.

The fragments of the shattered circle suddenly reversed, reassembling and coiling around the old man once more,

He didn’t even have time to react.

Blood spurted from his mouth as mana backlash tore through his body.

“Kuhk… urgh…!”

His eyes shook in disbelief.

How could a broken spell reform itself?

It defied every law he knew.

Then he heard Leon’s voice,

“Seventy years?”

Leon smirked faintly.

“How many years do you think I’ve spent studying sealing?”

The labyrinthos had taught him longer than any mortal lifetime.

The old man could never know that.

“What should we do with him?”

“Can we imprison him? I just want to prove we weren’t lying.”

“It won’t change much,”

Leon said quietly.

Marian held the rescued Uldana close, shaking her head.

“Even so, we have to try. The world needs to see we’re not monsters.”

Leon sighed, then nodded slowly.

“Fair warning, don’t expect too much. Men like him never change, no matter what the truth is.”

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