Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert

Chapter 82

Goran’s face hardened frighteningly.

It was because Zeon’s mocking words had hurt his pride.

“Hah! The audacity of this little brat pierces the sky.”

“I seem to have offended again.”

“Is that so? It seems that way. That’s why it’s more infuriating. I feel like I need to tear all your limbs apart just to ease my anger.”

Goran’s voice was filled with thick resentment.

This was the first time he had been pushed into such a corner since he took control of Sinchon.

What irritated him even more was that he realized all these situations he thought he led all this time were actually under Zeon’s control.

Goran knew.

What was truly frightening was someone who controlled the situation like this.

He had to cut Zeon down completely before he grew any bigger.

Goran spoke, twisting his neck in different directions.

“You’re the first person to make me genuinely angry like this. So consider it an honor to die by my hand.”

Shwoosh!

At that moment, without a sound, a single metal spear shot out from behind Zeon.

The spear was aimed directly at Zeon’s waist.

It aimed to sever his spine and render him powerless in an instant.

But just before the metal spear could reach him, Zeon’s body slid aside smoothly. He spread out his Sand Strides to evade the attack.

“Damn it!”

Cursing, a man with a chilling demeanor appeared out of nowhere.

It was Theo, one of Goran’s loyal followers.

“Tsk!”

Goran clicked his tongue.

His trap had failed in vain.

He had prepared Theo for such a situation.

Theo was a Martial Arts Awakened specialized in assassination.

In addition, Ava had deployed illusion magic to hide his presence like a ghost.

Goran had also engaged Zeon in unnecessary conversation to distract him.

However, Zeon easily avoided Theo’s surprise attack, as if he had foreseen it.

With Zeon evading Theo’s surprise attack, there was nothing left but to exert full force to kill Zeon.

“Chaat!”

“Haat!”

Theo and Ava attacked Zeon.

Zeon unleashed his Sand Strides, stepping back.

Where he retreated was right near the bed where people were lying, getting their blood drained.

“Now!”

Bang!

At that moment, with Goran’s shout, a person lying on the bed exploded.

For the brief moment they entered here, Goran had turned some of the people lying on the bed into human bombs as a precaution.

Zeon was knocked back by the explosion.

Taking advantage of that, Theo rushed in, and Ava unleashed her magic. Goran detonated the human bomb to strike Zeon.

It was a combination reminiscent of when they had conquered Sinchon decades ago, defeating numerous rivals.

Though Ethan and Dolkan were missing, with just the three of them, they could easily crush most Awakeneds.

The problem was that Zeon was no ordinary Awakened.

Zeon swung his hand.

At that moment, sand particles piled on the ground rose up like snakes and attacked the three.

It was one of his skills called Viper.

“What’s this?”

“Sand snakes?”

“Damn it!”

The three scattered in surprise.

Though they had faced numerous Awakeneds, they had never seen an Awakened manipulate sand.

Ssshhhwish!

Like venomous snakes, the Vipers aimed for their throats.

As if magic missiles, the Vipers chased their targets relentlessly.

The three realized they couldn’t avoid it and each deployed their skills to protect themselves.

Theo used his metal spear, Ava used magic, and Goran used air bombs to block the Vipers.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

With thunderous explosions in the air, sand particles scattered everywhere.

“Ugh!”

Ava groaned.

While the Vipers hadn’t inflicted damage, sand particles had gotten into her eyes.

Unconsciously, she closed her eyes.

Taking advantage of that moment, Zeon plunged into her embrace.

“No!”

“Ava!”

Theo and Goran shouted, trying to save Ava. But Zeon was faster than them.

His right hand covered Ava’s face.

Flames erupted from his palm.

The intense flames melted Ava’s face in an instant.

Ava couldn’t even scream before her breath was cut off.

Goran and Theo widened their eyes in shock. But before they could react, Zeon charged at them.

“Yaaaaah!”

“Die!”

Goran and Theo unleashed their ultimate skills.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The people lying on the bed exploded one after another, and Theo’s metal spear shot through the air like a red arrow, aiming directly at Zeon.

Zeon was swept away by the explosion, and Theo’s metal spear pierced through the midst of it.

“We got him.”

“It’s over.”

Goran and Theo shouted simultaneously.

Their excitement at capturing Zeon paralyzed their reasoning. Hence, they didn’t notice.

At some point, sand particles were floating around them.

They realized this fact a moment later.

“The sand?”

“When did it?”

Grrrraaaah!

At that moment, the floating sand particles spun at terrifying speed.

Zeon’s skill, Sand Mixer, had been unleashed.

The spinning sand particles gnawed at everything.

First, they turned the clothes they were wearing into dust, then gnawed at their skin. Next were their muscles.

Goran and Theo screamed in agony as they tried to escape, but it was futile.

Sand Mixer swallowed not only their bodies but also their voices.

Brielle opened her eyes wide, watching the scene.

Grrrraaaah!

In the quiet room, only the sound of gears turning could be heard echoing.

Brielle felt as if her body was being torn apart and shivered.

After a while, the chilling sound disappeared, and the terrifying spinning sand settled on the ground.

In their place stood two chunks of meat.

Goran and Theo were so mutilated that their original forms were unrecognizable.

They staggered for a moment before collapsing to the ground.

That was their end.

“Oh my God!”

Brielle covered her mouth with both hands.

Her pupils were shaking violently.

She had never even imagined such a skill before, let alone seen.

“A skill manipulating sand? Is he a Sand Mage?”

Slowly, Zeon emerged, pushing aside flames in Brielle’s retinas, unscathed by Goran’s explosions and Theo’s attacks.

His appearance only further nauseated Brielle.

Zeon murmured as he looked at Goran and Theo’s corpses.

“Seems like it’s not a skill suitable for use against humans. I should restrain myself.”

Though he had expected to withstand them to some extent, it seemed he had overestimated the two’s prowess.

Zeon shook his head slightly, surveying his surroundings.

Due to Goran’s skill, the underground space was devastated.

People lying on the beds had been swept away by the explosions, and Brielle was the only one who survived.

Approaching Brielle, Zeon said.

“It’d probably be better to kill you to keep it a secret.”

He still didn’t want to reveal himself as a Sand Mage.

Brielle, who was quick-witted, hastily interjected.

“Wait. I’ll keep the secret, please spare me.”

“Hmm! I don’t trust people’s promises.”

“I’m an elf. A High Elf. We keep promises better than humans.”

“What difference does that make? You’re just a drug-making elf. Why believe the promises of a drug peddler? It’s much simpler to just kill.”

‘Bastard!’

A desperate expression appeared on Brielle’s face.

Having experienced all the depths of human society, she naturally understood why Zeon wanted to conceal his awakened lineage.

‘The utility of a Sand Mage is boundless. Surely the powers-that-be in Neo Seoul will be bothered by him.’

Zeon also knew this fact and thus wished to keep his secret.

Although she had fallen from being unable to withstand human threats to the position of a drug maker, she still wanted to live.

She was only twelve years old.

Considering that elves live for hundreds of years, she was practically an infant.

At such a young age, she didn’t want to die.

She spoke urgently.

“Okay, I’ll make the oath.”

“What’s the use of an oath?”

“The oath of a High Elf is different. It holds coercive power.”

“Coercive power?”

“If you make an oath with your soul, you must adhere to it. If you break it, you lose your life immediately.”

“Is there such a thing? None of the elves I’ve met have mentioned that.”

“They are ordinary elves, that’s why. I’m a High Elf.”

“So, High Elves are different?”

“Of course, they are.”

Brielle shouted out.

Zeon furrowed his brow slightly.

Unlike Dyoden, he didn’t have any particular feelings toward elves.

Of course, if he met them as enemies, he would certainly kill them, but he didn’t want to go out of his way to hunt them down one by one.

As Zeon hesitated for a moment, Brielle threw out her last resort.

“I, Brielle Loa, swear by my name that I will keep your secret and follow you.”

A bright light emanated from her body.

At that moment, Zeon felt a connection between his heart and hers. And instinctively, he knew.

If Brielle were to break the oath, she would lose her life instantly.

Zeon clicked his tongue.

“Tsk! There was no need for you to swear to follow me. Just keeping the secret would have sufficed.”

“I-it was urgent… Damn it! You damned…”

Realizing belatedly that her oath was excessive, Brielle stuttered her words.

But the oath had already been activated.

It was too late to undo it.

Regretting it was futile.

“For now, I’ll release you.”

Zeon grabbed the chain wrapped around Brielle’s ankle.

There were peculiar patterns engraved on the chain.

It contained a magic spell that restricted Brielle’s abilities. That’s why Brielle hadn’t been able to break the chain until now.

Fwoosh!

The chain that had restrained her for so long melted away so disappointingly.

“Ah!”

Brielle, who had been blinking for a long time, let out an involuntary exclamation.

She cautiously moved her feet.

She felt no resistance.

“Freedom, freedom at last.”

She jumped up and down in place, enjoying her newfound freedom. But it didn’t take long for her to recognize the cold reality.

“Fuck! Why did I make such an oath…”

As long as she had made an oath to Zeon’s soul, she had to follow him.

Though she had escaped from the den of miserable drug peddlers, another shackle was still binding her.

“Ah! I don’t know. Somehow, I’ll manage.”

In the end, she chose to evade reality.

Having lived in the human world for a long time, her way of thinking had become similar to that of humans.

Meanwhile, Zeon searched the underground space to see if there were any survivors. Unfortunately, everyone had lost their lives in the explosions.

Even if it wasn’t the explosion, those people would have died anyway.

Crocker had turned them into a vegetative state and provided minimal nutrients through tubes.

As their health deteriorated, he periodically drew blood, so their lives were hanging by a thread.

Zeon looked at the corpses with a bitter expression before turning away.

Brielle approached him.

“Kid! I’ll let you go, so go back to your people.”

“Damn it! I already made the oath.”

“I said I’m releasing you.”

“But I already made an oath to follow you, there’s nothing I can do now.”

“Then?”

“I don’t know. I guess my life is ruined.”