A hissing voice echoed in my ear. Even the speech pattern resembled Aviditas's. The voice too.
Though it lacked divinity, a curse that evoked fear covered the factory district like a thick fog.
Fear is closer to a neural response in the human body. Like all emotions, it means the mechanism of hormones that occurs under life-threatening situations.
Therefore, if one can regulate bodily functions at an appropriate level, there's no need to experience the illusion of fear. Ivan looked up at the massive serpent dragon with sunken eyes.
"Is this all you've prepared?"
[What did you say?]
"Stop playing around and give it your all. Only the weak use fear as a weapon."
Ivan dispersed the curse of fear that enveloped and shook his body. The magical energy that had been rising like a heat haze shattered and faded away.
Using fear to inflate one's presence was merely a survival method of prey. Predators don't use fear as a tool. They simply prove fear by existing.
He needed to time it right. The dragon would continuously cast spells, so he needed to exploit the gaps between them. The conclusion of this battle lay at that point.
Ivan gripped his axe tightly and lowered his body. Ready to charge at any moment.
Simultaneously, he saw all the dwarf cannons in the area aiming at him.
The serpent dragon growled as it met Ivan's gaze.
[I had hoped you'd prepared better last words. Today, your demise should rightfully be the first chapter of an epic that will remain forever. If that's all you have, I shall execute your postponed death.]
-Keeeeeng—!!
Magical energy radiating from the serpent dragon simultaneously struck the dwarves. Just as the dwarves, paralyzed with fear, were struck with astonishment—
-Kwang—!!
The dwarves' skulls simultaneously exploded.
In the midst of the horrific noise of blood splattering and metal twisting, as the spurting blood rose like a storm, the serpent dragon's voice echoed from behind that shadow.
[The most valuable way to use the lives of these insignificant dwarves is—]
While the magical energy swept through the atmosphere, Ivan's body had already leaped into the air.
Now is the time. In this moment when magic is being woven, a magician paradoxically becomes most vulnerable.
Ivan's axe cut through the air. Scattering the gathering magical energy, he kicked off the wall and jumped upward toward the ceiling once more.
And like lightning, a red flash struck Ivan's chest.
[To repay death with death. This is Aviditas's 'Debt Collection'!]
The red flash penetrated Ivan's skin and constricted his heart. The myocardial bundles forming the core of the heart simultaneously induced dysfunction. Blood flow stopped, and the neural network went into chaotic frenzy.
Aviditas's Debt Collection. An instant death spell that consumes the lives of those gripped by fear as sacrifices to deliver unavoidable death to a specific individual.
Though the number of sacrifices that can be prepared is limited, the conditions for selecting the type of sacrifice are strict, and the results are only useful against warriors who don't receive magical protection.
For Ivan, there were plenty of dwarves consumed by fear. It was like driving the most powerful single-target spell right at the start of battle against Ivan, who was charging in without a magician.
Of course, that's how it should be.
Ivan thought as he felt his stopped heart and convulsing nerve bundles. His blood flow had stopped, and his body temperature was rapidly dropping from his extremities.
He had anticipated this. If using Aviditas's spell, this would have been the most effective attack spell right now. Back then, Aviditas had also instantly killed three agents with this spell at the start.
-Crack!
Usually, people experiencing cardiac arrest twist their bodies, clutch their chests, and die. Reflexively grabbing their hearts and collapsing.
Ivan also clutched his chest in mid-air. With a natural gesture. Placing the burning magical energy at his fingertips directly above his solar plexus.
-Crack, crack!
He directly injected magical energy into his heart to stimulate the stopped myocardial bundles. Simply to repeat contraction and relaxation.
Thump, thump. His heart slowly began to pulsate. The enemy's spell is a [Curse]. It doesn't just stop the heart; it means that until the spell is broken, it will continuously induce cardiac arrest.
Ivan wasn't versed in magic. He didn't have the skill to elegantly manipulate magic. Therefore, there was no way to escape this curse.
However, like most spells, this curse would also dissolve with the death of the caster.
In other words, if he could continuously apply appropriate stimulation to the myocardial bundles until the enemy died, this curse would essentially have no effect.
[What...?!]
'Sergei, Nikolai, Polina.'
This was a countermeasure he had devised while recalling the three agents who had died instantly from the Debt Collection.
Ivan adjusted his posture in mid-air and bounced his falling body to kick off the wall again.
Rushing to the serpent dragon's proximity, Ivan raised his axe and swung it widely.
-Kwajik!!
The next falling spell shattered. Perhaps due to being hastily fired, it was limited to physical damage—the 'Chain of Decay'. Useless if it doesn't touch.
Two people had died to this spell.
'Anna, Valeria.'
He reached the enemy's femur as it stood on the ground. Huk, a dense curse climbed stickily up Ivan's body. The toxin burned his skin and burrowed into his blood vessels.
But it's fine. He had already administered antidotes for all types of toxins expected to invade during close-quarters combat.
'Alinya, Leonid, Visali.'
Three people died when they reached this point. Back then, they lacked both time and preparation to administer immune enhancers and antidotes.
Numerous spells pierce him. Curses flow through his body, attempt to burn his soul, and push his feet into an abyss of despair.
But it's fine.
All the agents who died back then had already experienced this once.
It seems they've almost completely restored Aviditas's legacy. It was enough time, and they were capable enough.
But. It's fine.
Having faced Aviditas once, if they couldn't surpass him, mere imitation couldn't defeat a 'trained agent'.
He had already experienced it all. Countless days, he had prepared by recalling that time.
Sasha, Anatoli, Yuliya, Victoria, Kseniya, Valiya, Yelchina, Roman, Artem...
In the order they died, Ivan remembered the names, lives, and causes of death of all those agents.
[Die! Die—!! Dieee—!!]
The serpent dragon convulsed and twisted its body. The dragon's form collapsed, and cursed human bones exploded like grenades, striking Ivan's body.
But. It's fine.
One shouldn't find difficulty in doing something they've experienced before.
Even if he were to face the complete Aviditas again, Ivan shouldn't feel difficulty. That would be an insult to those who went before him.
He couldn't bring back those who had already died. Colleagues who died due to his mistakes, his inadequacies, would never return. His regret could never be undone.
But he could promise them one thing.
That he would never forget the memory of that day. Ever.
Dozens of spells, powerful strikes using a massive body, attacking venomous insects, and hallucinations that distort perception.
Even facing all of those, it's fine.
Ivan, having torn apart and destroyed the serpent dragon's chest, receiving the collapsing bones with his body, moved toward the necromancers who were retreating hesitantly behind.
It's fine. He had experienced it before.
He could almost feel their terror within his grasp.
It's fine. Their master also died in that emotion.
Since it's just experiencing what he had already experienced, perhaps this is just a review of a long-time match.
You are now facing the Annihilation Squad.
"I've seen enough of what I couldn't achieve."
[Y-you, Ivan—!!]
"I hope you've seen what you couldn't achieve as well."
Ivan raised his axe.
As long as even one person remains, the Annihilation Squad has never been annihilated.
So, what even Aviditas couldn't take away, what even he couldn't achieve—he would show what it could do.
How it could be done, how far it could go.
[Rise—!! Stop him—!!]
The necromancers' magical energy writhed, and the bodies of the headless, collapsed dwarves began to stand upright again, grasping their weapons.
Corpses that had lost their fear of Ivan, but still clutched dwarf-made armor and weapons. Still vibrant corpses that hadn't even lost their body heat.
Ivan quietly nodded and immediately threw himself forward again.
When one cannot destroy a reliquary containing souls, the best way to kill the dead again is...
To continuously, truly endlessly destroy the main body to the extent that it puts a load on the reliquary itself.
Fortunately, he had done this before. And now, they would be easier opponents than back then.
Disciples tend to resemble their masters, so they should also imitate that form of annihilation.
Ivan crushed the approaching dwarves and moved forward.
Shattered corpses, collapsed armor, and broken weapons stretched like a path behind him.
It's fine.
His heart, arms, legs. They're still moving.