Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert

Hundreds of molten rocks, each the size of an adult’s torso, shot toward Lee Ji-ryeong like meteors.

In a hurry, Lee Ji-ryeong summoned his lightning barrier to block the lava attack.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

With a thunderous roar, Lee Ji-ryeong’s body shook violently.

The molten rocks pounded against the lightning barrier like drums.

Drip!

Black blood trickled from the corner of his lips.

The impact had been tremendous.

‘Damn it!’

Lee Ji-ryeong quickly launched a counterattack.

Although his most powerful skill was the Hammer of the Thunderer, he couldn’t use it recklessly.

Its immense power came with equally immense mana consumption and a complex reactivation process.

It wasn’t a skill to use in a desperate moment like this.

Instead, he fired dozens of lightning bolts simultaneously.

Like Zeon, he resorted to an all-out attack.

Confident that out of the dozens of bolts fired, at least a few would hit Zeon. But contrary to his expectations, all the lightning bolts struck the massive chunks of molten lava that Zeon had launched.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The molten rocks shattered, sending fiery debris flying in all directions.

In that instant, Lee Ji-ryeong noticed large steel bars embedded in the chunks of lava.

They were steel beams from the ruins of the NSSC.

Only then did Lee Ji-ryeong realize why his lightning had focused on the molten rocks.

“He’s using the steel as lightning rods?”

Like most buildings, the NSSC headquarters was built with steel beams as its framework. With the destruction of the NSSC, pieces of steel debris were scattered everywhere.

In other words, Zeon had materials for lightning rods all around him.

Crack!

The molten lava clustered around the steel bars.

Just as the steel was about to melt into the sizzling lava, it flew toward Lee Ji-ryeong.

Although he tried to strike Zeon with lightning, it was drawn to the steel and hit the molten lava instead.

Boom!

The massive lava exploded upon impact with the lightning, scattering flames toward Lee Ji-ryeong.

Lee Ji-ryeong’s face twisted in pain.

As an Awakened who wielded lightning, he had a strong resistance to high-voltage currents, but he wasn’t resistant to extreme heat.

To make matters worse, the entire area was engulfed in Sand Gehenna.

The ground, where sand had melted into lava, was hostile to him.

This place was literally Zeon’s domain.

“Damn it!”

Lee Ji-ryeong realized that all his plans had fallen apart.

His original plan was to kill Zeon without leaving any evidence and then escape. But with the NSSC building blown away, people in the vicinity had all seen his face.

There was no way to deny what happened or reverse the situation.

Some kind of punishment from Neo Seoul was inevitable.

Now, only two options remained.

Either flee to the desert and become a scavenger or face trial and imprisonment.

Either way, he had to kill Zeon first.

‘In the end, you’re forcing me to risk everything.’

Lee Ji-ryeong looked at Zeon with a determined expression.

It was like standing before a massive wall.

Unless he could overcome that wall, he would never reach the seat where Jin Geum-ho sat.

Crackle!

His entire body was enveloped in lightning.

Not just emitting lightning outward, but becoming lightning itself.

It was a skill he had mastered upon reaching S-rank, Fury of the Thunderer.

Lee Ji-ryeong transformed into a thunder god and hurled himself at Zeon.

He poured all his remaining mana into this single attack, not thinking about what would come next.

Zap!

Zeon also launched himself off the ground.

The lava that had turned the area into a fiery hell rose to follow Zeon.

Whoosh!

The lava spiraled around Zeon.

Zeon, wrapped in spiraling lava, looked like a massive fire spear.

Boom!

The thunder god and the lava spear collided in mid-air.

The aftermath was catastrophic.

Many of the buildings near the NSSC headquarters were half-destroyed, and a massive shockwave swept through the area like a blade.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A chain of explosions erupted, claiming the lives of countless Awakeneds caught in the blast.

Those who barely survived stared in shock at the spot where the NSSC headquarters had once stood.

A giant crater, as if left by a meteor strike, now occupied the site where the NSSC had been, and the nearby buildings were so severely damaged that only their basic forms remained.

The damage was minimized only because the protective barriers of Neo Seoul had activated.

It was nothing short of a disaster.

“How can this be a battle between humans?”

“Are all S-rank Awakeneds like this? Then how powerful must the rulers of each district be?”

The Awakened looked on in fear at the massive crater.

There stood Zeon and Lee Ji-ryeong.

Just by looking, it was impossible to tell who was the victor and who was the loser.

Then, suddenly—

Fwoosh!

Flames abruptly erupted from Lee Ji-ryeong’s feet.

The pure white flames quickly engulfed his lower body and then rose to consume his torso.

“What, what?”

“The Captain…”

The moment the victor of the battle was decided.

Zeon was deathly pale, but he was still standing on his two feet. In contrast, Lee Ji-ryeong was being consumed by the fierce flames.

From within the fire, Lee Ji-ryeong spoke.

“You’re strong! I was never your match to begin with.”

“…”

“Isn’t that right?”

“…”

“Heh! How pathetic. I struggled so hard, but in the end, I was in the palm of your hand.”

Lee Ji-ryeong’s self-mocking laughter echoed from within the flames.

The extreme heat of the flames began to engulf his face.

His hair, eyes, and vocal cords melted away one by one.

Yet Lee Ji-ryeong continued to stare at Zeon.

It was his final act of pride.

The tyrant who once dreamed of ruling Neo Seoul fell, his wings clipped, and turned to ash in the flames.

At that moment—

“No!”

A sharp cry rang out.

It was Kelda, who had been fighting fiercely with Eloy nearby.

Seeing Lee Ji-ryeong’s death, Kelda charged forward like a madwoman. But by the time she reached the scene, Lee Ji-ryeong had already burned away without leaving a trace.

“This can’t be! Captain…”

Kelda clawed at the ground where Lee Ji-ryeong had stood, tears streaming down her face.

Bloodstains spread from her chest.

While she was distracted by Lee Ji-ryeong’s death, Eloy’s spear had pierced her heart.

“Captain! It’s lonely to go alone. I’ll join you. Keep aiming for the sky… even there.”

Kelda’s voice gradually faded, and her head slumped down.

Her life had ended.

“Hah!”

Eloy finally exhaled the breath she had been holding.

Kelda had been an incredibly strong opponent.

Had she not been distracted by Lee Ji-ryeong’s death, it would have taken much longer to bring her down.

“This can’t be!”

“The Captain…”

The surviving Pegasus Awakeneds couldn’t hide their shock.

The core of the Pegasus Raid Force was Lee Ji-ryeong.

It was his powerful charisma and leadership that had kept them together without any major issues.

Those who had recently joined were especially dependent on him. That’s why, with Lee Ji-ryeong’s death, they didn’t know what to do.

To make matters worse, the key figures who could have helped manage the situation were dead. The deaths of the Raid Team leader Bronson and Rescue Team leader Kelda, accelerated the disintegration of the Pegasus Raid Force, whose unity was already fragile.

“Screw this! I’m quitting.”

“You’re just going to leave? We need to avenge the Captain.”

“How? You saw it too. Just how powerful that Sand Mage is. I don’t want to die a horrible death like that.”

“Even so…”

“If you want revenge, do it yourself. I’m leaving.”

As more and more began to defect, the moment arrived.

“What’s going on?”

“The headquarters is completely destroyed.”

“Arrest them all.”

The NSSC forces that had gone outside to deal with the terror returned.

Enraged by the sight of their obliterated headquarters, the NSSC Awakeneds attacked and apprehended the Pegasus Raid Force members.

Zeon silently watched the entire scene unfold.

He had sustained significant injuries from his battle with Lee Ji-ryeong. Even so, he didn’t show any sign of weakness or fatigue.

Neo Seoul was a place where showing weakness made you a target.

No matter how difficult it was, no matter how much pain he was in, he had to endure it.

Someone cautiously approached Zeon.

It was Kevin, the leader of the NSSC.

Fear was evident in Kevin’s eyes as he looked at Zeon.

Even a fool could tell how things had turned out by now.

But Kevin wasn’t a fool.

The fact that he realized the terror was a ruse and promptly returned his forces to the NSSC showed his sharp instincts.

The problem was Zeon.

Zeon had become so powerful that he had incinerated an S-rank Awakened like Lee Ji-ryeong.

He wasn’t confident he could deal with someone that strong.

‘At least someone at the level of the Numbers would have a chance to deal with him.’

He was neither a Numbers nor an S-rank Awakened.

“What should I do about him…”

At that moment, Zeon approached Kevin.

Kevin’s face hardened instantly.

If Zeon attacked now, there would be no way for him to stop it. However, Zeon’s attitude towards him was courteous.

“This is my explanation.”

“Mm!”

“Is there anything else you need to explain?”

“Ha! I know you didn’t kill my subordinates. If you had, the Pegasus Raid Force wouldn’t have come to kill you.”

He had to admit it.

Zeon was not the culprit who killed NSSC Team 2.

The unfolding situation was telling him that.

Kevin wasn’t foolish enough to stubbornly deny the obvious.

“You are not guilty. You may leave.”

“Thank you.”

After Zeon bowed and turned his gaze toward Eloy.

Eloy was leaning against the Mad Gumiho, gasping for breath.

She had no strength left to move a single finger.

She had exhausted all her energy fighting Kelda.

Zeon spoke to her.

“Please take care of the aftermath.”

“Got it. Go on.”

Eloy gestured for him to leave.

Someone had to stay behind to clean up this mess.

It was a major incident where the NSSC headquarters had been attacked and destroyed.

The aftermath would be significant.

Since Zeon had also contributed to the destruction of the NSSC, he could not completely avoid responsibility.

Thus, Eloy had to stay behind to handle the aftermath.

To ensure that no further problems would arise.

Eloy knew the best way to handle it.

“Mandy, please.”

It was to ask the expert for help.

Eloy’s personality quickly vanished beneath the surface, and Mandy’s personality emerged.

“Ah, no!”

Mandy, with a tearful expression, collapsed onto the ground.

Zeon paid no attention to Mandy and left the NSSC headquarters.

One of the NSSC Awakeneds cautiously asked Kevin.

“Is it alright to let him go like that?”

“Or what?”

“Still, we should capture him and hold him accountable for the destruction of the headquarters…”

“You want to capture him?”

“…….”

“The Sand Mage even created lava. He’s beyond our control.”

“Isn’t that a scam? How can a human have such abilities…”

“If you’re so aggrieved, you capture him yourself and deal with it.”

“That’s…”

“If you can’t do it, just stay out of the way. Don’t end up like Lee Ji-ryeong.”

“Damn it!”

In the end, the Awakened who had spoken could not recover his losses and spat on the ground.

Kevin muttered as he watched Zeon’s receding figure.

“He’s already a big shot. He’s not someone we can handle.”

———