City of Witches Chapter 105

Siwoo stood motionless in the room, gazing at the tree he had drawn.

It was his own interpretation and unraveling of Gehenna's barrier magic for interfering with dimensions and boundaries, decoded in Siwoo's unique way.

"........."

While endlessly computing magic in his mind, he also sank into contemplation.

No, perhaps the expression "sank into contemplation" didn't quite fit.

He had always pondered magic, and while conscious, he never thought of anything other than magic.

Siwoo placed his hand on the trunk of the tree.

Magic power manifested in his palm and began seeping into the tree's trunk.

Typically, males cannot preserve magic power, and the current Siwoo was no exception.

But now, that was no longer a major issue.

Having just a tiny, minuscule amount of magic power was enough.

He amplified the magic power he had forcibly held and preserved in his magical circuit once.

Then he amplified that amplified magic power again.

And amplified the amplified magic power once more.

Normally, this technique is called 'magical power amplification stacking.'

It's one of the methods used when constructing a Magic Circle to achieve maximum efficiency.

However, if this technique were flawless, high-grade Magical Power wouldn't be sold at exorbitant prices on the market.

The amplification stacking technique has limitations in two aspects.

First, as magic power is amplified, its total quantity increases, but its purity gradually decreases.

Second, magic power with reduced purity can generate noise at any time and develops strong volatility, dissipating before it can even act on the detailed parts of the circuit.

Usually, even just two rounds of amplification stacking significantly reduce the utility of magic power, so it's rarely used except in specific situations.

But Siwoo was different.

His ability to 'absorb' magic power from external sources and 'refine' it to make it his own was already exceptional before.

Now, with 99% of his brain functions redesigned for magic, it goes without saying.

The amplified magic power maintains almost constant purity.

That amplified magic power seeps into the tree and continues to detect something.

This tree is connected to Duke Keter's Hidden Boundary surrounding all of Gehenna.

What Siwoo is searching for is a hole pierced through the barrier.

A very small gap that has been grating on his senses for a long time.

There's no particular purpose or intent.

While observing the barrier for the sake of improving his magic, he felt a sense of incongruity and has been persistently searching for that part.

As long as that gap remains, Duke Keter's barrier is not 'perfect.'

And Siwoo couldn't tolerate that imperfection.

That such a perfect barrier had a flaw.

It was like a physiological aversion, akin to sleeping in bed with shoes on, and he could only think of wanting to remove it.

Then.

Like feeling a snag while stroking smooth silk, Siwoo pinpointed the location where he had sensed the barrier's flaw.

Siwoo didn't hesitate.

He retrieved all the amplified magic power and opened a 'Gate.'

A golden circle began to slowly draw itself beneath his feet.

Amidst the undulating, surging wave of magical power, Siwoo traversed a vast distance in an instant.

And what he discovered there was the error he had been so desperately searching for.

Something was forcibly peeling away the barrier.

As it was a magical effect he had never seen before in his life, Siwoo quietly observed it for a while.

Could he interpret it?

Could he replicate it?

Would it contribute to his magic?

"Just when I was bored to death. Perfect timing."

A wave of magical power, disruptive and breaking his concentration, was detected.

For the first time, Siwoo perceived the presence of a person before him.

A woman.

Naked.

She was clearly casting a hostile magic towards Siwoo.

Only then did Siwoo look at her face.

And immediately, the bridge of his nose wrinkled.

Because he couldn't precisely recognize who it was.

His eyeballs, the optic nerves connected to them, and the brain that processes the information coming from those optic nerves.

They were already specialized for magic.

He could read the flow of magic power, see through laws, and by merely looking, everything was magically interpreted, drawing golden fractals in his mind. But in return, his ability to recognize objects had significantly regressed.

Therefore, Ea's face appeared twisted and contorted like crumpled clay, and even that was obscured by remnants of numerous formulas and geometric patterns.

Pondering deeply, Siwoo realized something.

The opponent's magic power pattern, a unique pattern that could be considered a fingerprint, was extremely familiar.

His left eye, covered by an eyepatch, began to throb.

A red spark flared in his chest.

Displeasure, anger, irritation.

Uncomfortable emotions utterly unrelated to magic overwhelmed his mind.

And Siwoo realized.

That removing that thing came first.

Ea didn't dawdle.

The situation was different from when she was leisurely toying with the Twins and the slave using magic.

Ea was extremely angry, and right before her eyes was a perfectly suitable target for venting her frustration.

"Bloom."

As Siwoo uttered the incantation, shadows flowed over his body.

Seeing this, Ea frowned.

During their last confrontation, he had engaged in a highly inefficient battle, even gulping down expensive Magical Power.

While it was unavoidable given his characteristic of having no Brand, the sight was quite laughable.

This time, he used magic without even consuming Magical Power.

The flowing shadows coiled around his body like snakes.

Jet-black armor.

Still lacking luster.

But Ea could tell.

The sophistication was different compared to before.

If the previous armor was merely a crude imitation, a rough defensive gear, now it had a somewhat plausible form.

Even upon close inspection, it perfectly took the shape of Plate Armor to the degree that one wouldn't notice at all it was something stamped out from shadows.

Ea hesitated no longer.

Wherever he learned his tricks, he's just a man after all.

She was confident she could overpower him with sheer numbers like before.

"Volley Fire."

• Screeeech

Whatever he does, let's start by tearing off his limbs.

Let's make him regret being born with excruciating pain for the remaining 30 minutes until escape.

Ten strands of twisted Ribbons in the air shot towards Siwoo Simultaneously.

• Thud-Boom!

In the blink of an eye, the Ribbons that surged towards Siwoo sent his body flying far, far away.

With a explosive sound, he flew like a cannonball and only stopped his abrupt flight after being slammed into a crevice between rocks.

"What the!"

The surprised one was Ea.

Given his seemingly more prepared demeanor this time, she responded with considerable Combat Power.

Of course, compared to her power before the Hierarchy was lowered, it didn't even reach her toes, but she thought he'd at least try to block it and launched the attack, yet he just took it head-on with his body.It would be a problem if he couldn't even vent his anger and was turned into mush in one go.

While Ea stomped her feet in worry for Siwoo...

Siwoo, who had been sent flying through the rock, stared blankly at his own body.

"........."

It was too fast to properly discern what was what.

His entire body, having received the impact, tingled and trembled.

Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

However, the armor, where his decisive blow had landed, was perfectly intact.

It had sufficiently absorbed the impact, fulfilling its original role.

Moving his limbs, they moved without any hindrance.

His bones, tendons, muscles, and Magic Circuits were all fine.

Siwoo stood up.

The rock debris piled on his armor rolled off, and even the dust was cleanly shaken away, making it look as good as new.

His gaze was directed at Ea, about 100 meters ahead.

-Whoosh!

Shadowy wings spread, and Siwoo's body charged towards Ea faster than the speed at which he had been flung away.

"Yes, you can't die already!"

The woman muttered incomprehensible words while unfurling her Ribbon as if excited.

The Ribbon, coiling and accumulating elasticity, meant the previous attack was being prepared again.

A shield rose from Siwoo's hand.

Holding the shield forward, large enough to cover half his body, he charged fiercely.

The Ribbons of death flew.

"What...?"

Ea's eyes widened as she intercepted Siwoo with ten strands of Ribbon.

At the moment before collision, a brilliant golden fractal pattern spread across Siwoo's shield.

If that was all—if it seemed he had prepared some Magic for revenge—then Ea wouldn't have been particularly surprised.

-Ping!

-Kwa-gwa-gwa-gwang!

A deafening roar reminiscent of a bombardment struck their ears.

All the Ribbons Ea sent veered away from Siwoo, striking giant trees, shattering rocks, or embedding themselves in the ground at random.

It wasn't a mistake.

The moment they touched the shield, she lost control of the Maiden's Loom.

The ten strands of Ribbon, which should have pierced straight through the enemy, bounced away feebly like shells ricocheting off the curves of armor plating, failing to land a single effective hit.

"Jamming...?"

What was even more astonishing was that this wasn't merely a result of physical mechanics.

A Jamming phenomenon had occurred, where her Magic was interfered with by another's, causing loss of control.

In the brief moment the subsonic Ribbons made contact with the shield...

Seeing Siwoo charging with fierce momentum, Ea pushed aside her shock and questions for a moment.

In combat, such contemplations were a luxury.

The Jamming Siwoo had just demonstrated was not possible with human reaction speed.

Therefore, it was reasonable to assume he had deciphered the operational structure of the 'Maiden's Loom' during their previous clash and prepared a Magic Circle in advance.

"Did you come all the way here alone, trusting in just that?"

It was laughable.

And foolish.

Certainly, the Maiden's Loom Ea used was Magic specialized in physical attacks and was relatively easy to counter.

But having survived countless bloody battles until now, could she possibly lack such experience?

Ea spun her Ribbon anew.

She wove threads of magic power, crafting a fabric with a completely different structure and magical form.

Physically, its shape and attack method might be the same, but magically, it was entirely different.

If he had prepared a 'paper' Magic Circle expecting Ea to throw a 'rock,' this time she would change it to 'scissors.'

She was confident in Magic analysis and rock-paper-scissors-style matchups during combat.

"Playing tricks!"

The remaining distance between the two was a mere 30 meters.

The newly woven, coiling Ribbon was definitely locked onto Siwoo.

Even if he fled, it would surely pursue him up to 1 kilometer away.

The moment the Ribbon tore through the air, Ea was certain of her finishing move.

"I was a bit flustered, but this is the difference experience makes."

Siwoo glanced at the Ribbon and then, without hesitation, threw aside the shield that was his only lifeline.

He lowered his head and crouched.

A helmet extending from the back of the armor's neck enveloped his head.

He changed his stance like a charging boxer, raising his guard with arms clad in Gauntlets and vambraces.

Siwoo did not flee.

He did not seek a detour or turn his back.

Hot breath streamed past both cheeks.

A golden Magic Circle bloomed over the Black Armor that seemed to swallow all surrounding light.

-Ping!

The same phenomenon occurred.

As if he had known Ea would come at him like that from the start.

The newly woven Magic Circle parried and deflected all the Ribbons that had become 'scissors.'

-Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwang!

Following the same procedure as before, the Ribbons, like guided missiles lured by a flare, lost their way and shot off in the wrong direction again. Ea stared at them with a vacant gaze.

"You... anticipated it?"

He anticipated that Ea would change her weaving pattern and attack, and prepared for it in that short time?

Theoretically, it wasn't impossible.

No matter how the weaving pattern changed, its origin lay in the 'Maiden's Loom.'

If he perfectly understood Ea's innate magic, anticipating and preparing for this was also possible.

Ea's feeling about someone performing the theoretically optimal countermeasure in reality as if it were natural was...

"This is absurd! It's cheating!"

However, the action Ea took was not the correct one.

Where she should have been looking was not the point where her attack went astray, and what she should have done was to distance herself from Siwoo, not trusting the defensive performance of her Autonomous Defense.

Knowing it in her head but being unable to execute it was because what unfolded before her eyes was so unrealistic that even Ea, a veteran of reversals, couldn't accept it.

While Ea screamed in disbelief at the absurd sight, Siwoo's Gauntlet struck her soft abdomen.

Siwoo's punch, which pierced and neutralized even the Autonomous Defense, folded Ea's body in mid-air.

"Kyaaaah!"

With a shrill scream, Ea's naked body rolled several times over the mossy ground before collapsing.

---

Author's Note (Author's Afterword)

Thank you so much to the readers who always point out typos.

I'm correcting them as quickly as possible.

I apologize if anyone thinks the number of typos reflects a lack of professionalism on my part.

I'm truly ashamed ㅜㅜ

But even after going through two or three rounds of proofreading, my eyes simply cannot spot awkward phrasing or typos.

In my mind, they automatically transform and read as normal sentences...

It was always like this, but it seems to have gotten worse lately...