Chapter 141: magic-nullifying crystal
____
The speeding sword carried a ferocious destructive power beyond the imagination of ordinary people. Even the figure of the one wielding it had long surpassed the limits of what the naked eye could perceive.
It was like a whisper of death, enveloped in a suffocating sense of oppression, but…
"...The target is wrong."
The replica's slashing blows, executed with incredible precision and speed, poured down like torrential rain. Yet, Ash relied entirely on intuition and instinct. With a mere raise of his hand, he expertly deflected each strike, weakening the force behind the replica's sword with every collision.
Each clash resounded with the loud clang of metal and bursts of sparks, creating a spectacle akin to an intricate martial arts performance—mesmerizing, yet deadly.
Sense's hair, attempting to intervene, was rendered completely ineffective. The replica faced continuous defeats in the clash, and the stalemate between the two didn't last long…
Amidst the swirling sparks, a silver flash split the air, striking fiercely against the replica's blade held horizontally to guard its forehead.
"Just be honest... die," Ash murmured.
The two lightning-coated blades ground against each other violently, but with Ash's whispered command, the contest ended.
Boom!
A thunderous roar, like the collision of meteorites, echoed through the dungeon. Ash's blade unleashed an unparalleled force, instantly overpowering the replica that still struggled to resist.
The replica's blade shattered in two, along with its body, as lightning arced violently. The split extended from the top of the replica's head to the ground, tearing the earth along the blade's shining trajectory.
The entire dungeon trembled violently, and the mountain range above fractured in the middle. The immense force of the strike split the dungeon itself deep into its core, leaving behind a massive, jagged crack.
Looking upward, if one's vision could transcend the limits of ordinary sight, a faint ray of sunlight could be glimpsed thousands of meters above.
Even the Water Mirror Demon, lurking deeper within the cave, narrowly avoided being cut in half by Ash's strike. Yet Ash chose not to destroy it. Instead, he immediately sealed the demon, rendering it incapable of attacking further.
With the Water Mirror Demon neutralized, Ash prepared to leave the dungeon's deepest layer. As he passed by Sense's replica, he refrained from destroying it. Instead, he merely patted its head lightly.
After all, the assessment still needed to proceed. While Ash could easily pass the test, recklessness could spell disaster in the third round if the candidates weren't adequately challenged.
However, his seal on the Water Mirror Demon effectively ended its ability to generate further clones. Without this measure, the demon could potentially create another copy of Ash or Frieren, which would pose a significant challenge for the candidates.
He had also noticed several other exits leading from the dungeon's deepest space. Once the clones were destroyed, it was likely that new ones would emerge to target other invaders.
Though aware of this, Ash had no intention of intervening. His own clone had clearly been the last to be created, and the Water Mirror Demon wouldn't be able to generate another so quickly. This ensured that no significant variables would affect the ongoing examination.
---
Meanwhile, as Ash was battling the primary clones, the torrent of magic power and the occasional deafening roars sent tremors throughout the dungeon.
Even those in subsequent teams, far from the source of the commotion, felt the tremors reverberate. The roars, though emanating from thousands of meters away, echoed through the King's Tomb like distant, hoarse shouts, breaking its solemn silence.
The unsettling sensations surging from deep underground left the other candidates gripped by an indescribable unease, as though the tomb itself was trembling in anticipation of something far greater.
It was as if something had dragged despair from the deepest recesses of their souls, leaving their legs trembling with fear and their bodies weak and unsteady.
If they hadn't known they were allies and that the competition forbade them from attacking one another, most of them would have fled without hesitation.
When Ash, unaware of the chaos he had caused, emerged from the deepest part of the dungeon and reverted to his original form, he shook his head and sighed deeply as he walked.
"...How did it end up like this?"
Although he had achieved his goal, the situation had clearly gotten out of hand.
This result was completely contrary to his original intentions. He had wanted to enjoy himself, to see what it would feel like to be besieged by everyone else.
The plan had been to let them fully display their abilities, but without realizing it, he had acted too quickly and eliminated too many people. The battle had ended too soon, leaving him feeling bored.
"I should have stretched it out longer. But it's no fun fighting puppets endlessly. Let's see how everyone else is holding up."
Shrugging off his mild regret, Ash moved quickly through the underground city.
While Ash had dealt with the biggest threat, the massive vibrations and torrents of magical energy he unleashed had unintended consequences.
The commotion awakened various monsters hidden deep within the tomb and reactivated countless mechanisms long thought dormant.
A thousand years had passed, enough time for many traps to fail and for countless creatures to enter deep hibernation.
But Ash's immense magical outburst had dislodged dust that clogged ancient mechanisms and jarred decayed components back into motion. What had been inert traps and slumbering beasts were now fully reawakened.
As he walked through the dark tunnel, Ash could clearly hear the wails of monsters, the grinding of reactivated mechanisms, and the distant sounds of chaos echoing all around him.
Even after running a short distance, the ground ahead began to tremble with small but rapid vibrations.
Using his magical senses, Ash quickly located Fern and the others nearby. His instincts led him to glance upward toward the top of the sloping tunnel they were running through.
And then, he saw it.
A massive cylindrical crystal, perfectly shaped and blocking the entire passage, was rolling down from above with terrifying speed.
Fern, Frieren, and Sense were sprinting for their lives ahead of it, their faces twisted into a mix of terror and almost comical desperation.
"Is that… a magic-nullifying crystal?"
From a distance, Ash could already feel the suppression of his own magic power, confirming the stone's nature. He recognized the enormous blue crystal immediately.
This massive magic-nullifying crystal was an extremely rare treasure. A piece the size of a fist could buy a mansion, but this crystal—several meters in size—was valuable enough to build a castle.
It also carried an immense power to suppress magic within a considerable range. As pure magicians, Fern, Frieren, and Sense were utterly powerless against it. They couldn't even fly to escape and were forced to run for their lives.
"——Run faster!!"
Frieren, who was usually the one to stir up trouble under the guise of exercise and often left Fern behind, was now at the head of the fleeing group.
As she dashed past Ash with an uncharacteristically panicked expression, she still found the time to shout a quick warning to him.