Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert

Chapter 255

Thud! Roll!

The murderer’s severed head rolled across the floor until it stopped at someone’s feet.

It was the man who had just told Levin, “That’s far enough.” But Levin ignored him, swinging the Titan Killer and fully decapitating the murderer.

Everyone knew that once the head and body were separated, no power in the world could bring someone back to life.

Levin’s actions showed his resolve—not to leave even the smallest trace of hope for revival.

In contrast, the man who had tried to warn Levin now stood with his face hardened.

He was dressed in a wide, hooded robe, and the hilt of a sword peeking from within made it clear he was a combat-type Awakened.

The moment Levin saw his face, a chilling sensation ran through him.

It was as though a blade was pressed against his neck.

That’s how terrifying the man’s presence was.

The man bent down and picked up the murderer’s severed head.

Even though it had been cut off, the murderer’s face remained frozen in a twisted grin.

The man stared at the head intently.

The sight of him holding a severed head so casually was grotesque.

“What a shame. If he were alive, I could have extracted more data.”

He tossed the murderer’s head back toward the lifeless body.

Levin glared at the man.

“Who the hell are you? What’s your connection to this son of a bitch?”

“Son of a bitch? You must mean Subject 301.”

“Subject 301? So you refer to people with numbers? Does that mean there are at least 300 more like him?”

“How bold.”

“What?”

“There’s a line you shouldn’t cross.”

“So?”

“You’ve crossed that line.”

“Shut the hell up! What are you talking about?”

Levin’s eyes were bloodshot, but the man continued without concern.

“I’ll be taking 301’s body.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me. That son of a bitch is mine. Not even a single toe goes without my permission.”

“I’m not asking for permission. Don’t misunderstand, boy.”

The man’s voice turned colder.

And with it, the air grew colder too.

Levin could feel his entire body break out in goosebumps.

His instincts told him this man was stronger than he was.

The body reacts faster and more truthfully than the mind.

His fingertips trembled, sweat dripped from his forehead, and the corners of his eyes twitched. His mouth felt dry.

His rational mind told him to back off.

If he crossed the line the man had mentioned, he wouldn’t make it out alive. And yet, Levin couldn’t retreat.

The murderer had killed his family.

He had to find out who created this monster and why.

Levin forced himself to suppress his fear and shouted.

“You think I’m scared just because you’re acting all intimidating? That son of a bitch’s body belongs to me!”

“Hmph. I thought you were smarter. Turns out you’re just reckless.”

The man sighed softly, lowering his head.

When he raised it again, his eyes had changed.

Suddenly, a surge of electricity shot up Levin’s spine.

There was no time to think.

Levin instinctively activated his ghosting ability.

The explosion that had destroyed the restaurant had also broken the barrier, so he was able to phase out instantly.

Shink!

A blade of light sliced through where his body had just been.

The man had swung his sword before Levin could even react.

It was a terrifying display of swordsmanship.

Levin’s blood ran cold.

If he had been even a fraction of a second slower in activating his ability, he would have been dead.

Seeing Levin turn semi-transparent, the man’s eyes gleamed with curiosity.

“You can shift into a gaseous state in an instant? Fascinating ability.”

He had encountered many Awakeneds, but never one with such an ability. His interest was piqued.

“You, too, are worthy of study.”

The man’s lips curled into a grin, baring his sharp white teeth.

Levin knew exactly what that look meant.

Like the elves of the Northern District or the now-deceased Lee Ji-ryeong, this man coveted Levin’s power.

Bzzzz!

The sword in the man’s hand began to hum with a powerful vibration.

It sounded as if the blade itself was alive, crying out.

In that moment, Levin felt an unprecedented sense of danger.

Since awakening his ghosting ability, he had never felt so threatened or frightened.

There was no visible change in the man’s sword.

No aura blade, the typical manifestation of a high-level combat-type Awakened. Yet Levin could feel as if that sharp edge would slice through his body at any moment.

Levin, still in his ghost form, moved rapidly.

He performed a three-dimensional maneuver, unhindered by physical space.

It was a movement that even high-level Awakeneds would struggle to track, but the man’s eyes followed Levin perfectly.

When their eyes met, Levin realized something.

‘This guy… he’s blind.’

There was no focus in the man’s gaze as he tracked Levin’s movements. And yet, his attention remained fixed on him.

‘How?’

Swish!

At that moment, the man’s sword once again flew toward Levin.

It was too late to dodge.

Levin unleashed his Purple Lightning.

Crackle!

Purple lightning crackled around the man’s sword.

Metal was the perfect conductor for electricity.

Levin was confident that his attack would paralyze the man through his sword. But his confidence was shattered in the next instant.

The man casually flicked his sword, dispelling the Purple Lightning with ease.

The violet current veered off and scorched the ground, leaving a charred black patch.

Meanwhile, the man’s sword changed course and came hurtling toward Levin again.

This time, he couldn’t avoid it.

‘Damn it!’

Levin gritted his teeth and braced himself, hoping his ghosting ability would protect him from the attack.

Shink!

The sword grazed Levin’s left arm as it passed.

“Gah!”

Levin screamed in agony as fiery pain shot through his left arm.

Even in his ghost form, where no blood was drawn, he felt the sharp pain of his flesh being sliced open.

It was a sword that could cut not only the physical body but the soul itself.

‘What the hell? Is this even possible?’

Levin’s eyes widened in shock.

He had never imagined or experienced anything like this.

The thought that he could face such a dire situation while in ghost form had never even crossed his mind.

Because of that, his reaction was delayed by a fraction of a second.

The man didn’t miss the opportunity.

Swish!

The man’s sword shifted direction in midair and came flying toward Levin’s chest.

‘Damn it!’

Levin had no time to dodge. He instinctively squeezed his eyes shut.

Clang!

A sharp sound erupted just in front of Levin’s chest.

Levin had been prepared for the pain, but strangely, he didn’t feel anything.

He cautiously opened his eyes and saw a large steel beam embedded in the ground in front of him.

The man’s sword had pierced the beam, stopping just inches from Levin’s face.

Cold sweat trickled down Levin’s spine.

Someone had thrown the steel beam to save him in the nick of time.

Levin immediately knew who had saved him.

“Glad I wasn’t too late.”

A familiar voice came from behind him.

Levin didn’t even need to turn around to recognize it.

“Hyung?”

“Step back. He’s not someone you can handle.”

The moment Levin saw the back of the man standing in front of him, his legs almost gave out.

The man’s back wasn’t particularly large or broad, but it exuded a sense of unshakable strength.

That back belonged to Zeon.

“You alright?”

“Still breathing?”

Brielle and Eloy, who had arrived shortly after, rushed to help the now-visible Levin.

“Brielle, Eloy? How did you get here?”

“You idiot! Just step back already.”

Brielle and Eloy helped Levin retreat to safety.

Meanwhile, Zeon approached the man with the sword.

The man was the first to speak.

“So, you’re the Sand Mage.”

“And you recognize me even though I haven’t used any sand.”

“Are you unaware of your reputation? Or are you just modest?”

“You know me, but I don’t know you. Seems a bit unfair, don’t you think?”

“How about you take a guess?”

“Should I?”

Zeon studied the man carefully.

He seemed completely unified with his sword, as though he and the blade were one.

There was a distance of several meters between them, but it felt as though even the slightest movement would cut through the air.

That space belonged to the man.

It was a space he dominated with his sword.

Zeon had encountered countless Awakened in his time, many of them combat-types who wielded swords.

But none had the same presence or mastery of the sword as this man.

It wasn’t simply that he was a high-level combat-type Awakened. His swordsmanship had reached a level few could ever hope to achieve.

Zeon didn’t know the man’s identity, but he felt an odd sense of familiarity.

It was as if he had met others like him before.

“Are you… a member of the Numbers?”

“Oh? So you’ve met them before?”

“I’ve encountered the Old Man and the twin sisters.”

“In that case, it’s not surprising that you recognize me. My name is Lee Jung-ho. I am the last member of the Numbers.”

Lee Jung-ho was an A-rank combat-type Awakened who had blinded himself in a desperate attempt to reach S-rank.

In doing so, he had gained a skill known as "Mind's Eye."

The harmony of Mind's Eye and swordsmanship was so sharp and terrifying that it could cut through even intangible beings.

Lee Jung-ho was a swordsman existing somewhere between A-rank and S-rank.

Levin’s face turned pale at the mention of the Numbers.

Only then did he understand the unimaginable strength of his opponent.

Zeon asked Lee Jung-ho.

“So, the source of that murderer seems to be the City Hall.”

“A byproduct of flawed research. A failed experiment.”

“So you’re here to retrieve it?”

“Even if it’s a failure, it’s still City Hall’s property.”

“So you’re referring to people as property now?”

“Do you see that as a person?”

Lee Jung-ho chuckled.

He did not see the murderer as a person.

Although it looked like a human and spoke like a human, the murderer was not human.

An experimental creation made using human fetuses and the byproducts of monsters.

The murderer was a bio-soldier created to counter the monsters threatening Neo Seoul.

There was always a shortage of Awakeneds for dangerous missions.

To address this, Neo Seoul planned and proceeded with the creation of bio-soldiers.

Using humans as a base, numerous monster bloods and byproducts were injected.

After countless failures, the bio-soldier was eventually created. However, Neo Seoul decided to dispose of the bio-soldiers they had worked so hard to create.

The completed bio-soldiers were incomplete.

Their forms were human, but they were certainly not human.

With abilities surpassing human flesh and an incompleteness that could erupt at any moment, some even awakened like real humans.

These bio-soldiers were like uncontrollable bombs.

Eventually, the City Hall decided to dispose of all research results and executed it.

In a large-scale purge conducted at midnight, most of the bio-soldiers were disposed of. However, some escaped from the research facility.

One of them was the murderer who killed Levin’s family.

He was one of the highest quality bio-soldiers. But as strong as his physical abilities were, his murderous desires were just as intense.

The murderer unleashed his uncontrollable murderous desires on the impoverished in the slums.

By the time Neo Seoul realized this, many lives had already been lost.

In response, the City Hall decided to retrieve the murderer and deployed Lee Jung-ho.

Lee Jung-ho draped the murderer’s body over his shoulder.

Zeon blocked his path and said.

“Are you just going to leave after causing this mess?”

“It wasn’t me who caused it.”

“So you’re saying you’re not responsible?”

“Are you going to hold me accountable? You wouldn’t have the luxury.”

“……”

Zeon frowned at Lee Jung-ho’s sudden remark.

He saw Awakeneds from the Western District rushing in from all directions.

They quickly surrounded Zeon and his group.

Lee Jung-ho curled his lips into a smile.

“See, I told you there wouldn’t be any luxury.”

Lee Jung-ho leisurely passed in front of the Western District Awakeneds.

“Hmph!”

“Execution Squad?”

The Western District Awakeneds, seeing the identification indicating the Numbers, did not dare to block his path.

Thus, Lee Jung-ho passed through the Western District Awakeneds and disappeared.

The Western District Awakeneds turned their targets to Zeon’s group instead.

“Those creating chaos in the Western District, will all be arrested.”